Page 8 - 預言系列

and in science and mathematics as the 物理學的先驅，有「天才之子」之稱的牛
pioneer of modern mathematics, astronomy 頓降生。這些大師們都誕生在英國。在同
and physics, “The Child of Genius” Sir Isaac 時，法國也有莫利哀、巴斯噶；德國有哥
Newton. All those were in English, and at 德、以及其他偉大人物。此外，接續牛頓
about the same period came Moliere and 傳統的，還有英國的法拉第、笛威、喀爾
Pascale in France and Goethe in Germany, 文、以及法國的巴斯特。這些大師均與牛
and many other eminent names. Other 頓一樣，有堅定的基督信仰。他們不但替
great scientists that came along in the 近代科學奠定了良好的基礎，而且他們也
tradition of Sir Isaac Newton such as Sir 是神所恩顧的基督徒。
Michael Faraday, Sir Humphrey Davy and
Lord Kelvin in England and Louis Pasteur in
France, like Newton were possessed of
strong Christian faith. These men laid the
foundations for the discoveries of modern
science and were great men of God as well.

It is well known to students of Shakespeare 研究莎士比亞的學者，無人不知在莎翁的
that his plays are replete with references to 戲劇中，充滿了宗教的氣息；而密爾頓的
the scriptural writings, and Milton’s 「失樂園」，更是英文史詩的代表巨著，這
Paradise Last is the standard of excellence 些書大多數是描寫聖經中人物墮落的故
in the English language for epic poetry － 事，如此看來，我們可以明顯地看出，在
the story of the fall of man as recorded in the 現代文化之母 － 文藝復興中所孕育的西
Bible. From this we see again that the 歐文明，無論在科學或文學中無不充滿基
swiftly rising culture of Western Europe in 督教信仰的觀念。
the Renaissance period and to which the
whole modern world is indebted, both in
science and letter, was greatly suffused with
the pure religious concepts of Christianity.

The story of the inter-relation between 新大陸之被發現與往美洲之移民，一方面
religious faith and ethical precepts on the 是為了宗教信仰與道德意識，另一方面亦
one hand and learning and civilization on the 是為了知識與文明，這些都彼此潛含着息
other hand, continued as the North American 息相關的影響的。
continent was discovered and settled.

The early colonists of the Puritan community 初期，美國麻薩諸賽州樸利第斯清教徒社
of Plymouth, Massachusetts, were people of 團的先驅者，都是些極敬虔的基督徒。他
strong religious convictions. Indeed, they 們為了逃避西歐的宗教迫害，輾轉來到新
came to the New World to escape the 大陸。由於他們的勇氣、活力與對神的堅
religious tyranny and persecution that had 定信念，他們雖然面對極度的困難，卻仍
arisen in Western Europe. The courage and 能開闢出一個新的國家，這是人類史上僅
energy of these people and their rigid 有的奇蹟。
adherence to Divine laws as they carved out
a nation in the face of great difficulties, is
one of the marvels of history.

Both before and after they achieved their 當這些為了爭取宗教自由的開拓者從英國
independence from an oppressive British 政府的統治中獲得獨立之後，他們先後把
government, much of the culture of Northern 大量的北歐文化移植到北美洲來，同時，
Europe had been transplanted to North 在文學中他們也加添了新的成色，譬如宗

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