Page 7 - 預言系列

down to defeat and ignominy. Sexual sin 理道德與教育文化的分離。
and promiscuity grow in the human heart
like weeds in a garden and destroy every
good growth, unless they are removed or at
least arrested by strong instruction in truth.
The downfall of nations is always the result
of divorcing spiritual and moral principles
from education and culture.

The wicked Feast of Belshazzar which was 在巴比倫王國將滅亡的那天晚上所舉行的

held on the very night of Babylon’s fall is an 荒淫的伯撒沙王之宴，就是這種分離現象

outstanding symbol of this very thing. 的最佳徵兆。

Passing to the countries of western Europe, 談到西歐民族，我們知道最初幾個世紀
we observe that they were overwhelmingly 時，他們完全是未開化的野蠻民族。現代
uncivilized people for many long centuries. 有許多的記載中，都否認或忽視了一個事
Many modern recorders try to disparage and 實，那就是否認西歐人民從野蠻而變為開
deny the fact that the emergence from 化，是由於福音傳佈的直接影響。當時奧
barbarism of these people was direct result 古斯汀和他四十修士，首先以傳道人的身
of the proclamation of Christian Gospel to 份從羅馬前往西歐，向當時當地的野蠻民
them, beginning with Augustine and his 族傳揚福音。歷史上有一不容爭辯的事
forty monks who came up from Rome as 實，那就是朱特人、安格魯人、撒克遜人、
missionaries to them. But it is an 高盧人、不列顛人、皮克特人、以及蘇格
indisputable fact of history that the Jutes, the 特人，即凡是北歐和英倫三島的蠻族，都
Angles, the Saxons, the Gauls, the Britons, 接受了基督信仰，並且很快地產生了自己
the Picts and the Scots-tribes of Northern 的文明。不過，他們的進步，因為後來從
Europe and of the British Isles, having 紀元五百年到一千五百年之間的所謂黑暗
largely embraced the Christian faith rapidly 時代受阻碍。在這段悠長而黑暗的日子
achieved a civilization. Their progress was 裏，基督信仰慘遭挫折，而真理也一直被
greatly retarded, however, by the period 掩蓋着。當時的僧侶強迫人民生活在無
known as “The Dark Ages” which lasted 知、迷信與愚蠢的領域中。這種黑暗生活，
from about A.D.500~1500. During that 一直到被尊為「宗教革命的晨星」的威克
millennium of the shadows, the Christian 立夫出來以後，才稍為改善，威克立夫把
faith was seriously corrupted and the truth 當時的聖經，從拉丁文譯成英文，此後，
shrouded. Friars kept the people in a state 到十六世紀又有路德和其他宗教改革家接
of ignorance, superstition and illiteracy, 踵出現。由於宗教改革和純正的基督信仰
which darkness only began to be penetrated 被復興之後，在文化方面我們才產生了從
when Wycliffe, who was called “The 長期睡眠中甦醒過來的文藝復興時代。
Morning star of the Reformation”, translated
the Bible into English and was followed by
Luther and the other Reformers of the
sixteenth century. With the Reformation
and restoration of pure Christian faith, there
came the Renaissance of learning and culture
that had lain dormant through that long
period.

In this golden age of the revival of science 文藝復興的黃金時代中，在文學方面，出
and letters appeared such men as 現了莎士比亞、密爾頓、湯馬斯摩爾爵等
Shakespeare, Milton and Sir Thomas More 巨匠；在科學方面有近代數學、天文學和

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