第三十八章：继续说明动因的善物。论祈祷所和专用于祷告的地方。
Chapter XXXVIII: Continues to describe motive good. Speaks of oratories and places dedicated to prayer.
我想，如今已经说明，属灵之人若把自己的快乐和喜乐安放在圣像的偶然因素上，便可能在其中发现与在其他有形而暂时的事物中同样大的不完全，甚至也许是更危险的不完全。我说也许更危险，是因为当一个人说自己喜乐的对象是圣洁之物时，他就感到更安全，也不怕以自然的方式执着并依恋它们。因此，这样的人有时大受欺骗；他以为自己充满虔敬，因为他察觉自己在这些圣洁之物中得到快乐，然而这也许只是出于他的自然欲望和气质；正是这些把他引向这事，就像把他引向其他事物一样。
I think it has now been explained how the spiritual person may find as great imperfection in the accidents of images, by setting his pleasure and rejoicing upon them, as in other corporeal and temporal things, and perchance imperfection more perilous still. And I say perchance more perilous, because, when a person says that the objects of his rejoicing are holy, he feels more secure, and fears not to cling to them and become attached to them in a natural way. And thus such a person is sometimes greatly deceived, thinking himself to be full of devotion because he perceives that he takes pleasure in these holy things, when, perchance, this is due only to his natural desire and temperament, which lead him to this just as they lead him to other things.
2. 因此便产生这样的情形（我们现在开始论祈祷所）：有些人永不厌倦地把这一类、那一类的圣像添进自己的祈祷所，并且喜爱自己陈设它们的秩序和排列，好使这些祈祷所装饰华美、悦人眼目。然而，当他们的祈祷所华丽时，他们爱神并不比祈祷所简朴时更多——不，反而更少；因为正如我们所说，他们安放在这些彩绘装饰上的快乐，是从活的实在那里偷来的。诚然，凡能加于圣像的一切装饰、点缀和尊重，都算不得什么；因此，那些拥有圣像却不以端庄和敬畏待之的人，配受严厉责备；那些拥有雕刻得如此拙劣、以致夺去虔敬而非产生虔敬的圣像的人，也是如此。正因这个缘故，应当禁止某些在这门艺术上极有缺陷、毫无技巧的圣像制作者从事这项工作。但这与你〔这位圣人再次开始反复而强调地使用代词 tú。参见上文第三卷，第三十六章，第 7 段。〕对这些外在点缀和装饰所怀有的依恋、情感和欲望有什么关系呢？当你的感官被它们吸收，以致你的心被阻碍，不能走向神，不能爱他，并为爱他而忘记万物时，若你为了前一个目标而在后一个目标上失败，神不仅不会因此重视你，甚至会因你没有在万事中寻求他的喜悦胜过自己的喜悦而管教你。你可以从他们为他的威严进入耶路撒冷时所办的那场筵席清楚看出这一点。他们用歌声和树枝迎接他，主却哭了；圣马太 xxi, 9。〔参见圣路加 xix, 41。〕因为他们的心离他很远，只以外在装饰和标志尊敬他。我们可以说，他们是在为自己而非为神过节；今日许多人也是如此，当某地有隆重节庆时，他们容易因自己将在其中找到的快乐而喜乐——无论是在观看或被观看中，还是在饮食或其他自私的事上——而不是因蒙神悦纳而喜乐。借这些倾向和意向，他们并没有使神喜悦。尤其当那些庆祝节日的人发明荒唐而不虔敬的东西掺入其中，好煽动人发笑、使人更加分心时，更是如此。另一些人则发明一些只取悦人、而不推动人进入虔敬的东西。
2. Hence it arises (we are now beginning to treat of oratories) that there are some persons who never tire of adding to their oratories images of one kind and then of another, and take pleasure in the order and array in which they set them out, so that these oratories may be well adorned and pleasing to behold. Yet they love God no more when their oratories are ornate than when they are simple – nay, rather do they love Him less, since, as we have said, the pleasure which they set upon their painted adornments is stolen from the living reality. It is true that all the adornment and embellishment and respect that can be lavished upon images amounts to very little, and that therefore those who have images and treat them with a lack of decency and reverence are worthy of severe reproof, as are those who have images so ill-carved that they take away devotion rather than produce it, for which reason some image-makers who are very defective and unskilled in this art should be forbidden to practise it. But what has that to do with the attachment and affection and desire which you have [Again the Saint begins, repeatedly and emphatically, to employ the pronoun tú. Cf. Bk. III, chap. xxxvi, 7, above.] for these outward adornments and decorations, when your senses are absorbed by them in such a way that your heart is hindered from journeying to God, and from loving Him and forgetting all things for love of Him? If you fail in the latter aim for the sake of the former, not only will God not esteem you for it, but He will even chasten you for not having sought His pleasure in all things rather than your own. This you may clearly gather from the description of that feast which they made for His Majesty when He entered Jerusalem. They received Him with songs and with branches, and the Lord wept; St. Matthew xxi, 9. [Cf. St. Luke xix, 41.] for their hearts were very far removed from Him and they paid Him reverence only with outward adornments and signs. We may say of them that they were making a festival for themselves rather than for God; and this is done nowadays by many, who, when there is some solemn festival in a place, are apt to rejoice because of the pleasure which they themselves will find in it – whether in seeing or in being seen, or whether in eating or in some other selfish thing – rather than to rejoice at being acceptable to God. By these inclinations and intentions they are giving no pleasure to God. Especially is this so when those who celebrate festivals invent ridiculous and undevout things to intersperse in them, so that they may incite people to laughter, which causes them greater distraction. And other persons invent things which merely please people rather than move them to devotion.
3. 至于那些为了与自身利益有关的理由而庆祝节日的人，我又该说什么呢？他们的关注和欲望是否安放在这些利益上，胜过安放在事奉神上，唯有他们自己和看见他们的神知道。让他们意识到，当他们以这些方式中的任何一种行事时，他们是在为尊荣自己而非尊荣神过节。因为凡他们为自己的快乐，或为人的快乐而做的，神都不会算作是为他自己而做的。是的，许多参加神的节日的人，甚至会在神向他们发怒时仍自得其乐，正如以色列人守节、在偶像面前歌唱跳舞，以为自己是在为尊荣神守节时，神向他们发怒一样；神击杀了其中许多千人。出埃及记 xxxii, 7-28。又如亚伦的儿子拿答和亚比户两位祭司，他们献上凡火，神就在他们手拿香炉时击杀了他们。利未记 x, 1-2。又如那没有穿戴得体就进入婚筵的人，王命人把他手脚捆起来，丢在外边的黑暗里。圣马太 xxii, 12-13。由此可知，神多么不能容忍那些为事奉他而举行的聚会中的不敬。因为，哦我的神，人子为你所办的节日，有多少是让魔鬼得益，而不是让你得益！魔鬼以这些节日为乐，因为这样的聚会给他带来生意，就像给商人带来生意一样。你又有多少次要论到他们说：「这百姓只用嘴唇尊敬我，他们的心却远离我，因为他们出于错误的理由事奉我！」圣马太 xv, 8。〔直译：「他们无故事奉我」。〕因为人事奉神的唯一理由，必须是他就是他自己，而不是为了任何其他中介目的。因此，若出于别的理由而不是单单因为他就是他自己来事奉他，就是在不以他为终极理由的情况下事奉他。
3. And what shall I say of persons who celebrate festivals for reasons connected with their own interests? They alone, and God Who sees them, know if their regard and desire are set upon such interests rather than upon the service of God. Let them realize, when they act in any of these ways, that they are making festivals in their own honour rather than in that of God. For that which they do for their own pleasure, or for the pleasure of men, God will not account as done for Himself. Yea, many who take part in God’s festivals will be enjoying themselves even while God is wroth with them, as He was with the children of Israel when they made a festival, and sang and danced before their idol, thinking that they were keeping a festival in honour of God; of whom He slew many thousands. Exodus xxxii, 7-28. Or again, as He was with the priests Nabad and Abiu, the sons of Aaron, whom He slew with the censers in their hands, because they offered strange fire. Leviticus x, 1-2. Or as with the man that entered the wedding feast ill-adorned and ill-garbed, whom the king commanded to be thrown into outer darkness, bound hand and foot. St. Matthew xxii, 12-13. By this it may be known how ill God suffers these irreverences in assemblies that are held for His service. For how many festivals, O my God, are made Thee by the sons of men to the devil’s advantage rather than to Thine! The devil takes a delight in them, because such gatherings bring him business, as they might to a trader. And how often wilt Thou say concerning them: This people honoureth Me with their lips alone, but their heart is far from Me, for they serve Me from a wrong cause!’ St. Matthew xv, 8. [Lit., they serve Me without cause.’] For the sole reason for which God must be served is that He is Who He is, and not for any other mediate ends. And thus to serve Him for other reasons than solely that He is Who He is, is to serve Him without regard for Him as the Ultimate Reason.
4. 现在回到祈祷所，我说，有些人装饰祈祷所，是为取悦自己，而不是为取悦神；有些人如此轻看祈祷所所激发的虔敬，以致他们对祈祷所的看法并不超过对自己世俗前厅的看法；有些人甚至更轻看祈祷所，因为他们在世俗之物中所得的快乐，比在属神之物中更多。
4. Returning now to oratories, I say that some persons deck them out for their own pleasure rather than for the pleasure of God; and some persons set so little account by the devotion which they arouse that they think no more of them than of their own secular antechambers; some, indeed, think even less of them, for they take more pleasure in the profane than in the Divine.
5. 但让我们停止谈论这一点，只谈那些更精细的人〔直译：「纺得更细」——一个常见的西班牙语比喻。〕——也就是说，那些认为自己是虔敬之人的人。他们当中许多人把自己的欲望和快乐集中于祈祷所及其装饰上，以致把本应当用于向神祷告和内在收敛的一切时间都浪费在这些东西上。他们看不见，若不按有助于灵魂内在收敛和平安的方式布置祈祷所，他们就会像被其他任何事物分心一样被祈祷所分心；他们在其中所得的快乐，会成为不断不安的机会，若有人试图剥夺他们这快乐，就更是如此。
5. But let us cease speaking of this and speak only of those who are more particular [Lit., that spin more finely’ – a common Spanish metaphor.] – that is to say, of those who consider themselves devout persons. Many of these centre their desire and pleasure upon their oratory and its adornments, to such an extent that they squander on them all the time that they should be employing in prayer to God and interior recollection. They cannot see that, by not arranging their oratory with a view to the interior recollection and peace of the soul, they are as much distracted by it as by anything else, and will find the pleasure which they take in it a continual occasion of unrest, and more so still if anyone endeavors to deprive them of it.