美国语文第五册 第331期:《圣经》 最好的经典(2)

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　　vindicated¹ its rights, and illustrated² the excellence³ of its scheme, from the depth of ages and from the living world,  印证《圣经》的权利，阐明《圣经》的卓越建构，从岁月幽深的尘封，到凡世红尘的喧嚣，从芸芸众生的洲陆，

　　from the populous⁴ continent and the isles⁵ of the sea, comes forth⁶ the answer: “The patriarch and the prophet, the evangelist and the martyr⁷.” 到天涯的寥落之角，所及之处的回音异口同声：“上帝是世界创始人与预言者，人类福音的传道者及殉道人。”

　　If we look abroad through the world of men, the victims of folly⁸ or vice⁹, the prey¹⁰ of cruelty, of injustice¹¹,  如果我们纵览整个人类世界，目睹那些愚蠢或恶习的受害者，残虐暴行或非正义的牺牲者，

　　and inquire what are its benefits, even in this temporal state,  我们将会质问，究竟有谁才是世间罪孽的受益者？甚至在当下世俗层面，

　　the great and the humble¹², the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, the learned and the ignorant reply, as with one voice,   伟大抑或卑微，富人抑或穷人，权高望重抑或渺小卑微，饱学之士抑或无知之徒，亦会发出同一声音，

　　that humility¹³ and resignation, purity, order, and peace, faith, hope, and charity are its blessings¹⁴ upon earth. 即谦卑、顺从、纯粹、守序、平和、信仰、希望以及善行皆为上帝带给世界的美好福音。

　　And if, raising our eyes from time to eternity¹⁵; from the world of mortals to the world of just men made perfect;  因此，如果我们仰望上天，想象时间进入永恒，想象滚滚红尘进入人类梦寐以求的世界大同，

　　from the visible creation, marvelous, beautiful, and glorious as it is, to the invisible creation of angels and seraphs;  想象那些恰如上帝本体、触目可及的创造与神奇、美丽与荣光，乃至众多天使亦无法察觉的恢弘创造；

　　from the footstool of God to the throne of God himself, we ask, what are the blessings that flow from this single volume,  从上帝脚趾直抵上帝皇冠，我们一直在探求，从这人类唯一卷轶浩繁的《圣经》中流泻的福祉究竟是什么？

　　let the question be answered by the pen of the evangelist, the harp¹⁶ of the prophet, and the records of the book of life.  不妨追溯传道士手中的蘸笔，先知吟唱的竖琴，以及生命大书的誊撰记录，答案自会知晓。

　　Such is the best of classics the world has ever admired; such, the noblest that man has ever adopted as a guide.  这是世界文明迄今为止高山仰止的古典精粹，这是有史以来人类升华自身的庄严高贵。

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