These extreme acts frightened other colonists, who feared lest they point towards abolition of their own assemblies and the abrogation of fundamental rights as Englishmen. Spurred on by appeals from Boston, they rallied in support. A Continental Congress met to form petitions to the King and, at the same time, to prepare for war, should it come. They declared a complete boycott on all English goods. In some places, mobs tarred and feathered those who violated the boycott. Men collected muskets; militias drilled on the commons of many villages. Parliament foolishly rejected the American petitions.
这些极端的法案教殖民地其它的人惊吓，他们害怕这些法案会指向废除他们自己的议会及取消他们基本的英国公民权。他们受到在波士顿的上诉案之激励而联合起来支持上诉。他们组成一个「美洲大陆国会」来对英王请愿，在此同时也准备可能来临的战争。他们宣布对英国所有物品的完全抵制。在某些地方，群众对那些违反抵制行动的人施以浇柏油黏羽毛的暴行。男人囤积毛瑟枪(旧式步枪)；民兵在许多村庄的集合场操练军事。英国国会则不智地驳回了美国人的请愿。
Finally, British soldiers marched to Lexington to capture military stores that had been gathered by Americans. They ordered the American militia to disperse and opened fire when the order was disobeyed. Thus, as we have seen, England fired the first shot of the war and Americans justified their reaction as self-defense.
最后，英国士兵进军麻州的来克辛顿(Lexington)占领美国人储存军火的仓库。他们命令美国民兵解散并对不服从命令者开火。于是如同我们前面提到的，英国射出战争的第一发子弹，而美国人就以自卫的名义来为战争作辩护。
I see the matter differently, however: It seems to me that England was in the wrong for refusing to accept the petitions of the Continental Congress, but that the actions of the colonists up to that point and at Lexington constituted sinful rebellion. The citizens of Massachusetts, in particular, provoked the British. Both sides share the blame for the eight-year war that followed, but I place more of the blame on the colonists.
然而，我却有不同的看法。在我看来，英国拒绝接受「美洲大陆国会」的请愿固然是错误的，但殖民地的人在当时的行为以及在来克辛顿的作法都构成叛乱的罪。特别是麻州的居民，激怒了英国人。英美双方都该为继之而来的八年美国独立战争受到指责，但我将较多的责任归咎于殖民地的人。
- Consequences of the Rebellion against England 对英国革命所造成的后果
To begin with, Americans had to fight the British for eight long years. As glamorous as some highlights of that war may seem to us, they meant hardship and death for thousands.
首先，美国人必须与英国人八年抗战。战争当中虽然有些似乎看来吸引人的精彩之处，他们背后所代表的却是艰苦与数以千计的人丧生。
Moreover, the war failed to settle major differences between the Colonies and England, and thus led almost inevitably to a second conflict, the War of 1812, which the United States almost lost.
此外，战争并没有解决美洲殖民地和英国之间的歧异。因此不可避免地导致了第二次冲突：一八一二年之战，美国差一点输了这场战争。
More importantly, however, although the War for Independence succeeded ended with an American victory, I believe that this rebellion introduced a cancer into the American system that has now spread throughout the nation, causing grave distress to the entire society. The spirit of rebellion against authority immediately took deep root among some colonists. That attitude persists to this day, with devastating results both at home and abroad.
然而更重要的是，虽然独立战争的结果是美国获得胜利而独立成功，我相信这个革命在美国的体系当中植入了毒瘤，并且已经蔓延到整个国家当中，造成整个社会致命的危险。推翻掌权者的精神立即在一些殖民者心中扎根，那种态度持续到今天，带给美国国内和国外毁灭性的后果。
In our own time, the spirit of rebellion has led to a breakdown of authority in the home, the school, and the public life of this nation. With the Revolution pictured before us as a great and virtuous act, American leaders have no clear and obvious moral argument against what others consider to be legitimate disobedience to authority. The near-anarchy we see in large areas of our country today flows, in my opinion, from our fatal flaw: A commitment to violent revolt against authority we perceive to be unjust.
在我们这个时代，反叛的精神导致了这个国家在家庭、学校、以及公众生活中的威信之破坏。当革命以伟大而良善的图像呈现在我们眼前，使许多人认为不服从权威是正当合法时，美国的领袖们并没有对这些错误提出明确而显著的反驳。我们今天在美国许多区域所见到的一种半无政府状态，我认为是源自于一个致命的错误：固守一个信念，就是对我们觉得不公正的权威采用暴力革命来反抗。
Revolution-minded Americans have not only crippled themselves; they have also affected the rest of the world.
具有革命思想的美国人不仅使自己跛足，也影响了世界上其它的地方。
The success of the American Revolution emboldened French radicals to overthrow their monarchy and institute a "Republic." Without the Christian (that is to say, Evangelical Protestant) background enjoyed by the Americans, however, the atheistic French leaders soon plunged into an orgy of slaughter and anarchy that finally brought forth another absolute monarch, Napoleon Bonaparte. The wars which his power-hungry government caused devastated Europe for more than a dozen years and shattered France itself.
美国独立革命的成功鼓励了法国激进份子推翻他们的君主政体，组织一个「共和政体」。然而，不像美国人具有基督教背景(也就是福音派的基督教)，法国的无神论领导人很快地陷入屠杀和无政府状态的狂热活动中，最后引来了另一个绝对专制君王─拿破仑。拿破仑的嗜权政府发动的战争摧毁了欧洲十多年，也使法国自己体无完肤。
With the example of the French and Americans before them, leaders of hundreds of other revolutions have attempted to create better societies. Almost none of them has succeeded, despite claims to the contrary.
效法法国和美国的前例，数以百计的其它革命的领导人企图创造一个较好的社会。尽管许多人宣称革命成功了，其实几乎没有一个人是真正成功的。
Thus, the American Revolution can be indirectly charged with complicity in the massive destruction of property and deaths of untold millions of people in the past two hundred years of violent revolutions.
因此，美国革命该为引发过去两百年的暴力革命而造成无以数计的人生命财产的巨大损失负起间接的责任。
Could there not have been another way to achieve freedom and found a nation that would not contain within it the seed of its own destruction. Canadians believe there could have been, and point to their own history to prove it.
难道没有其它的办法，可以获得自由并建立一个国家而不把自我毁灭的种子放在其中？加拿大人相信是有其它的办法，并指出他们的历史可以证明这一点。
The Providence of God 神的旨意
A Christian believes that God controls all of human history. Thus, even though I question whether the American Revolution was right, I believe that God allowed it. The Lord allowed, for example, King George to behave in a stubborn and autocratic manner, thus provoking the Americans to fight. He had not learned from the example of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, whose high-handed attitude led to a rebellion that cost him much of his kingdom. God must have wanted the Revolution to succeed, for he providently protected the American forces on many occasions. He thus answered the prayers of George Washington and others and preserved the colonies from domination by England.
基督徒相信神支配人类所有的历史。因此，虽然我质疑美国独立革命的正确性，我仍旧相信是神允许它发生的。举例来说，神允许乔治王具有顽固而独裁的态度，因此激怒了美国人以暴力反抗。乔治王并没有从所罗门王的儿子罗波安(Rehoboam)的例子中学到教训，罗波安专横的态度导致了人民的反叛并使他的王国分裂(列王纪上十二章一至二十节)。神肯定想让美国独立革命成功，因为祂在许多场合都及时的保护美国的军队。他以此应允了乔治.华盛顿(George Washington)和其它人的祷告，保护殖民地免于受英国的控制。
Furthermore, the creation of a new kind of government, under the Constitution, has brought immeasurable benefit to the world. Dozens of constitutions have been modeled on the American one. American citizens themselves enjoy one of the best governments in the history of the world as a result of the formation of this new government.
此外，在美国宪法下所建立起来的新型态政府已经给全世界带来无可度量的益处，许多其它国家的宪法都是以美国宪法为蓝本。美国人民自己则因这个新政府的形成，得以享有世界历史上最好的政府之一。
In all this and much more, we can see the providential hand of God guiding the American colonists, despite their sins.
在这些以及更多的事实中，我们可以看到虽然殖民地的人犯了许多的罪，神旨意之手依然带领着他们。
Comparison with China 与中国的比较
Chinese have experienced two revolutions in the Twentieth Century. The 1911 revolution in some ways resembles the American War for Independence, in that it aimed to liberate China from the domination of the foreign Manchu dynasty. The followers of Sun Yat-Sen, a professing Christian, did not aim to dismantle the entire social structure; they merely wanted to change the central government. They hoped to drive out the Manchus and to grant greater power to provincial governments; they also established a Republican form of government to replace the imperial system.
中国在二十世纪经历了两次的革命。一九一一年推翻满清的革命在某些方面与美国独立战争相似，它的目的是要从外族满清的统治下将中国解放。孙中山先生(他自称是基督徒)的跟随者并没有企图拆毁整个社会结构；他们只是想改变中央政府。他们希望驱逐满清并赋予各省政府较多的权力；他们也建立了一个共和政府来取代帝国体制。
The Communist revolution, by contrast, sought to create an entirely new society. By eliminating the landowning and capitalist class, Communists thought they could remove oppression from their land. When this proved impossible, Chairman Mao launched one "movement" after another to purify the Party and the nation. Thus, the Communist revolution resembles the French revolution, both in its atheistic philosophy and in its utopian design to build a perfect society on earth under the leadership of an "enlightened" elite.
相对地，共产党的革命则寻求创造一个新的社会。共产党员认为藉由铲除地主和资产阶级，他们可以除去中国的阶级压迫。当这个想法被证明是不可能的时候，主席毛泽东发动一次又一次的「运动」来净化共产党和中国。因此，共产党的革命在两方面类似于法国革命——第一是无神论的哲学，第二是用乌托邦的思想来建立一个由「有见识的」菁英所领导的完美社会。
For reflection and discussion: 响应与讨论
1. Contrast the philosophy that led to the American War for Independence with Communist ideology.
1. 将导致美国独立战争的哲学与共产主义的意识型态作一对比。
2. Contrast the conduct of the American War for Independence with that conduct of the Communist Revolution. What were the different results.
2. 将美国独立战争的过程与中国共产党革命的过程作一对比。有哪些不同的结果？
Three 第三章A New Kind of Government 一种新的政府
The Need for a New Constitution 对新宪法的需要
When representatives of the thirteen newly-independent states met in Philadelphia in 1787, they faced a great challenge: How to revise the existing Articles of Confederation so as to empower the central government to protect the states from foreign powers and from each other. A violent rebellion against taxes had spread alarm throughout the country's leaders and had exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
一七八七年，刚刚独立的十三州的代表在费城集会之时，他们面临了一个巨大的挑战：如何修订现存的「联邦条款」以赋予中央政府权力，保护各州不受外来势力及其它州的侵犯。对税法的暴力反抗已经在国家各阶层的领袖中发出了警讯，也暴露出「联邦条款」的弱点。
The weaknesses of the Confederation alarmed conservatives. They also reacted against the radical ideas of Jefferson, Paine, and other supporters of the Revolution. Many Americans wanted independence from England but not a total remaking of American society. Rationalistic thought had questioned Christianity at a fundamental level. A majority of the writers of the Constitution held Evangelical Christian beliefs, even if they themselves were not sincere Christians. As we saw earlier, they thus shared with political Whigs certain fundamental concepts which distinguished them from revolutionary idealism.
「联邦条款」的弱点警醒了保守派人士，他们反对杰弗逊(Jefferson)、潘恩(Paine)、以及其它革命支持者的激进想法。许多美国人想要由英国独立出来，但并不想要一个完全重建的新社会。理性思想对基督教产生根本性的质疑。大多数宪法的制定者抱持福音派基督教信仰，就算他们本身未必是虔诚的基督徒。我们前一章已经看过，他们因此与英国民权党在某些基本观念上看法相同，而不同于那些革命理想主义者的想法。
In particular, they believed in the existence of a Creator and the dignity of man as God's creature; they also thought that man's nature contained such an element of evil that he must be restrained from harming others. They did not share the rosy view of man held by Jefferson and others. Nor did they wish to see society leveled and all ranks and classes abolished. As much as they hated English-style aristocracy (and insisted that a system of nobility never be instituted in this country), they knew enough about human nature to recognize that distinctions between rich and poor will always remain. They also believed that God had ordained structures of authority that must be honored, lest chaos and anarchy break out.
特别是，他们相信有一个创造者存在，而人的尊严就在于我们是神所造的；他们也认为人的本性具有邪恶的成分，因此必须受到一些限制以免伤害别人。他们不像杰弗逊(Jefferson)和其它人一样，对人有充满希望的看法，他们也不想要看到社会等级和社会地位被废除掉以求得平等(.)。虽然他们痛恨英国式的贵族统治(并且坚持贵族制度在这个国家永远不会发生)，但是对人性的了解使他们充分认知富人与穷人间的差异将永远存在。他们也相信神设立了权威的架构是我们所必须遵守的，否则将会发生混乱和独裁。
Soon after assembling, they decided to scrap the existing Articles and write an entirely new Constitution. To preserve absolute freedom of discussion during their deliberations, they imposed a strict rule of secrecy concerning their proceedings. They knew they were embarking on an almost unprecedented venture: The creation of a completely new kind of government.
他们集会不久之后，就决定废除现存的「联邦条款」并制定一个全新的宪法。为了保持会议期间绝对的讨论自由，他们对其过程采取了严格的保密规定。他们知道他们正在进行一项几乎始无前例的冒险：创造一个完全新型态的政府。
They had to overcome serious conflicts within their own group:
The northern states disliked slavery and wanted to see it abolished; a few of the southern states believed slavery to be essential to their agrarian economy. The larger states, with the most people, wanted greater representation in the government; the smaller states feared that they would always be outvoted and thus overwhelmed by the big states. Some thought the central government should be strong; others feared that such a government would lead to the kind of tyranny they had suffered under King George. These men advocated the rights of the states. Other controversies threatened to prevent the delegates from designing a workable document.
他们必须克服彼此之间某些严重的歧见：北方各州不喜欢奴隶制度而想废除它，一些南方的州相信奴隶对他们的农耕经济至为重要；大多数人所居住的大州想要在政府中拥有较多数的代表，较小的州惧怕如此一来他们将永远被大州以多数票压倒；有些人认为中央政府应该集权，其它人害怕这样一个政府会导致他们在乔治王统治之下所遭受的那种暴政，因而主张各州的自治权。其它的争议则具有阻止代表们制定一个可行的宪法之威胁。
They appointed former General George Washington as chairman ("President") of the convention. (Washington had retired from the Army, refusing to become a military dictator as some of his officers had suggested.) Furthermore, to ensure that the delegates would speak courteously, they adopted a rule that all speeches must be addressed to the "President" of the convention. Since everyone respected Washington, they would use great restraint when speaking to him. This rule persists in the American Congress to this day: All speeches are addressed either to "Mr. President" (meaning the President of the Senate) or "Mr. Speaker" (the Speaker of the House). While other nations watch their elected representatives shout and use abusive language, Americans see their leaders almost always speaking with great courtesy.
他们任命前任将军乔治华盛顿(George Washington)为会议的主席(「会长」)(华盛顿已经从陆军退役，拒绝照他的一些军官所提议的成为一个军事独裁者)。此外，为确保代表们发言有礼貌，他们采用一个规定─所有的发言都必须针对会议主席。因为每个人都尊敬华盛顿，他们对他发言时措辞就很有节制。这条规定到今天仍然在美国国会中维持着，所有的发言都是针对「议长」(意即参议院议长)或「发言人」(意即众议院议长)。当其它国家目睹他们选出来的代表彼此吆喝辱骂，美国人却见到他们的领袖们几乎总是很有礼貌地发言。
At a critical point, when all hope of agreeing on a new constitution seemed lost, Benjamin Franklin, the oldest member of the assembly, stood to speak. He reminded them of how they used to pray when discussing whether and how to seek independence from England. Although a semi-Deist and not a Christian, he moved that they open all their sessions with prayer. His motion was defeated because the delegates wanted to preserve secrecy, but from that time onward the delegates arrived at several compromises that enabled them to produce what has become the oldest and most effective constitution in the world.
在对于新宪法意见一致的所有希望似乎即将破灭的关键时刻，制宪会议最年长的成员班杰明.福兰克林( Benjamin Franklin)挺身发言。他提醒其它制宪代表，在过去讨论是否要由英国统治下独立的时候，代表们都是先祷告的。福兰克林虽然是一个半自然神论者(semi-Deist)而不是一个基督徒，他却提议在所有的讨论会议开始时先作祷告。他的提议被否决了，因为代表们想要保持一些秘密性(当时的所有公开祷告必须由牧师来带领，因此就引进了制宪会议之外的人)，但自此他们达成了几项协议，促使他们制定出世界上最古老而最有效率的宪法。
Christianity and the Constitution 基督教与宪法
Rather than going through all the provisions of this remarkable document, I shall only concentrate on these which most obviously reflect the influence of Christian ideas. To make the matter simple, I shall collect these under a few basic ideas which either come from the Bible or resemble Biblical teaching.
我将不讨论这一部杰出宪法的所有条文，而将专门讨论那些明显地反映出基督教思想的影响之条文。为使讨论简单，我将把这些条文摆在几个基本的概念之下，这些概念是源自于圣经或与圣经相似的教导。
1. Man is created in the image of God 人是依照神的形象所造的
a. The dignity and worth of the individual 个人的尊严与价值
The framers of the Constitution were not all Christians. In fact, some of the most influential men did not at all hold to some of the basic tenets of Christianity. But they did all agree on the validity of the ethical teachings of the Bible and they accepted a few basic ideas about the origin and nature of man. The first of these is that, in the words of the earlier Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights."
宪法的制定者并非全都是基督徒，事实上，一些最具影响力的制定者对于基督教的某些基本信念完全置之不顾。但所有人都同意圣经道德教导的适当性，也接受一些人的起源和本性的基本概念。这些概念中的第一条，用早先的独立宣言中的话来表达，即是「人生而平等，并被其创造者赋予一些特定的不可剥夺的权利」。
Thus, they believed that governments should give as much freedom to each individual as possible, without hurting others. The entire Constitution aims to provide an atmosphere in which each person can be free to develop his abilities and express his opinions. One could cite many of provisions which prove this fact. Here are a few:
因此，他们相信政府应该在不伤害其它人的条件下，给予个人尽量多的自由。整部美国宪法意图提供一种环境，使其中的每一个人可以自由地发挥自己的能力以及表达意见。我们可以列举许多的条文来证明这件事，其中一些如：
- First and foremost: Each person can believe in any religion he wants and can have freedom to express his faith. The fathers of the country considered religious freedom essential to political freedom. They came from different church backgrounds but all thought that faith in God was needed in order to ensure public order and morality. Government regulation of religion - common in most countries of the world - was ruled out by the Constitution.
第一而且最重要的─每个人可以接受任何他想要的宗教，并且有自由表达他的信仰。美国的先祖们认为宗教自由是政治自由的要素，他们具有不同的教会背景，但都认为对神的信仰是确保公众秩序和道德所必需的。世界上大部分国家中常见的政府管制宗教现象，在美国是被排除的。
- Individuals can express their opinions, orally and in writing, without fear of reprisal or punishment. The Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles demonstrate the importance of free speech by their fearless teaching of the truth and courageous rebuke of men in power. Not all the authors of America's basic document would have consciously thought of these practitioners of courageous dissent, but some would have.
个人有表达语言和文字意见的权利而免于遭受报复与惩罚的恐惧。旧约的先知和新约的使徒证明了言论自由的重要性，他们大胆无惧地教导真理并勇敢地指责掌权者。并非所有美国宪法的制定者都会有意识地想到这些勇敢提出异议的人物，但是一些代表必定曾想到过。
- Each individual's life is valuable. No one can be deprived of life without due process of law, and only for capital crimes (such as murder, treason, etc.). This reflects God's command, "You shall not murder."
每个人的生命都是有价值的，每一个人都须经过正当充分的法律程序，并且只有在犯重罪(如谋杀、叛国等)的情况下，才可以被剥夺其生命。这一点反映出神的诫命─不可杀人。
- Each person's liberty is an essential right. No one can be deprived of liberty (that is, put in jail or otherwise restrained from freedom of action) without a fair trial and only for serious cause.
每个人的自由是一个基本的权利。每一个人都必须经过公平的审判，并且只有在严重的原因之下，才可以被剥夺其自由(亦即被关进监牢里或其它限制自由行动的场所)。
- Individuals can hold and dispose of private property. The government cannot infringe this right without serious cause and the use of due process of law. The right to private property stands as a pillar of American government. It reflects God's command, "You shall not steal." No one - including the government - can take another's property unless there is some just cause.
每个人都可以拥有或放弃私人财产。政府不能在没有合理原因及正当法律程序的情况下，侵犯个人的财产权。个人财产权形成了每个政府的支柱，它反映了神所吩咐「不可窃盗」的诫命。每一个人(包括政府)只有在正当的原因(just cause)下才可以拿取别人的财产。
- Each person has a right to his own reputation. Slander and false accusations are punishable by law. No criminal can be convicted without first facing his accusers in court and being granted the right to his own counsel (legal representation in court). This reflects the Biblical command, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
每个人都有权利维护自己的名誉，诋毁和诬告将受到法律的制裁。每一个被告都必须先在法庭上与原告对质并且被准许与其法律代表谘商之后，才可以被定罪。这一点反映了圣经的诫命─不可对邻舍作假见证」。
- Citizens can select their own leaders through voting. Some of the Fathers found this principle in several passages of the Bible showing how the people chose their own leaders.
公民可以藉由选举选出他们的领袖。一些美国先辈们在圣经几处谈到人们选择他们领袖的经文中发现这个原则。
- All men are created equal. This phrase appears in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution, but the proposition would have received complete approval by the authors of the Constitution. Equality of each individual before God permeates the entire Bible. Prophets could - and did - rebuke kings for violation of God's law. The ancient Jews knew nothing of hereditary nobility. All believers in the New Testament stand as priests before God. The rich and powerful have no greater worth than the poor and powerless in God's eyes. Thus, even the President must answer for any breaches of the law. Moreover - and this may surprise some - equality before God and his law extends not only upward, but downward: That is, in the eyes of God, the poor man cannot claim special privilege.
所有的人均生而平等。这句话在独立宣言中出现，而非美国宪法，但这个主张被宪法制定者完全地接受。每一个人在神面前的平等性贯穿整本圣经，先知们因此可以指责君王违反神的律法。古代犹太人没有任何世袭贵族制度；所有新约中的信徒在神的面前为祭司。有钱财和权势的人在神的眼中不比穷人和无权力的人更宝贵。因此，就算是总统也要因违反法律而负责。此外，可能教一些人意外的是，在神和祂的律法之前的平等不仅是向上延伸，也往下延伸：也就是说，在神的眼中，穷人并没有特权。
b. Man is a creature, not God. 人是被造的，不是创造者
This corollary to man's dignity as a creature in God's image has profound implications. As a finite, created being, man faces great limits. He does not have the wisdom or power to control either the environment or the actions of other men. Although God gave Adam and Eve the authority and power to "rule" the world, they did so as limited creatures of God.
将人的地位摆在「是依照神的形象所造的」，其结果有着深远的影响。作为一个有限的、被造的个体，人面对极大的限制。他没有智能和能力去控制环境或是其它人的行为。虽然神给亚当和夏娃权柄和能力去「管理」这世界，他们也只能以神的创造物之身份有限地管理世界。
Thus since no man (like a king) or group of men (like a congress) possesses God-like wisdom and power, then governments must of necessity limit their functions.
因此，既然没有任何人(如君王)或团体(如国会)拥有神一般的智能和能力，政府就必须要限定其功能。
For example: The Constitution gives Congress power to regulate trade between the states. This provision overcame the chaos of the situation under the Articles of Confederation, when one state could impose import duties on the products of another. The U.S. Congress alone has the authority to make regulations governing interstate trade. (As we shall see, the original intention of the Framers has been radically twisted in the 20th century.)
例如说，宪法赋予国会权力来管制州与州之间的贸易。这个提议克服了「联邦条款」的作用下所造成的混乱，在该条款中一州可以对另一州的货物课以进口税。美国国会有权制定法规来管理州与州的贸易。(我们即将看到，制宪者的原意在二十世纪被彻底地扭曲)
But no one ever thought that the U.S. government could direct a planned economy. As recent experience abundantly demonstrates, centrally-planned economies simply do not work. They cannot, because no one has the wisdom necessary to foresee all possible contingencies necessary for making a comprehensive, workable, economic plan.
但是没有人认为美国政府可以指导计画经济。近年来的经验充分证明中央计画经济就是行不通，因为没有人具备足够的智能来预测所有可能发生的事，以制定一个周全而可行的经济计画。
Nor did the Constitution provide for a government that would eradicate poverty or make people happy. Citizens are free to work to overcome economic lack and to pursue happiness, but the government does not have the power to provide such things. (Again, the twentieth century has drastically altered this perception.)
美国宪法也不去规划一个可以消灭贫穷或使人民快乐的政府。人民可以自由地工作以解决经济上的匮乏并追求幸福，但是政府并没有能力供应这些事物。(再一次地，二十世纪已经彻底改变这个观念)
Because man is limited, finite, and bound by his creatureliness, governments run by men must of necessity also limit their activities.
因为人被限制、规范于他被造者的身份，由人所组织的政府就必须也要限制其权力范围。
But the idea of limited government flows also from another fundamental assumption implicit in the Constitution:
但是受限制的政府之观念也源自于美国宪法中所暗含的另一个基本假设：
2. Man is sinful. 人都是有罪性的
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
"There is none righteous; no, not one."
「因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀」(罗马书三章二十三节)
「没有义人，连一个也没有」(罗马书三章十节)
Although many of the writers of the Constitution were not Evangelical Christians, they did believe that each person harbored the potential for evil. Give a man the opportunity, and he is likely to exploit his neighbor.
虽然许多的宪法制定者并非福音派基督徒，他们却相信每个人都有潜在性的邪恶，只要有机会，就很可能剥削其它的人。
For that reason, they did all they could to limit opportunities for the abuse of power.
基于这个理由，他们尽可能地限制造成权力滥用的机会。
Thus, they built two fundamental structures into the new government:
因此，他们设立了新政府的两个基本架构：
a. Balance of powers (checks and balances) 权力的平衡(监督与制衡)
To prevent any one man or group of men from abusing concentrated power, the governmental authority was diffused in several ways:
为防止个人或团体滥用集权，政府的权力被用几种方式予以分散：
- Central government and State governments 中央政府与州政府
Most of the Founding Fathers feared a strong central government. That is why it took so long for the Constitution to be ratified.
Thirteen sovereign states had united to throw off the British yoke; they did not want to submit to the yoke of another central government, albeit an American one. Thus, the powers of the U.S. government were restricted to regulation of foreign and interstate trade, foreign policy (including defense), and maintenance of peace and order within the country.
大部分的开国先辈惧怕一个强有力的中央政府，这个原因造成了宪法花了这么长的时间才被签署。十三州的政府联合起来挣脱英国的枷锁，他们不想再臣服于另一个中央政府的轭下，就算是美国人自己的中央政府也不例外。因此，美国政府的权力就被限定在国内外贸易、外交政策(包括国防)、以及维持国内的和平与秩序等方面。
The Bill of Rights enumerates powers forbidden to the Congress and stipulates that these - and all other powers not denied to the states or granted to the central government - shall be restricted to the states and local governments. Thus, each state - and all the states collectively - could counterbalance the central government's power.
「权利法案」列举了对国会所禁止的权力，也列举了其它所有并未禁止州政府或赋予中央政府的权力，规定这些权力交给州政府和地方政府。因此，每个州以及所有的州集合起来就有能力平衡中央政府的权力。
- Three branches of government 政府的三权分立(制)
The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the government were assigned powers that checked each other. For example, the President can appoint judges, but Congress can remove them from office for serious crimes. The President is Commander-in-Chief of the army, but Congress appropriates money for a standing army. The President can make treaties, but the Senate must ratify them. Congress can pass laws, but the President can veto them, and his veto can be overturned only by a super-majority.
政府的行政机关、立法机关、以及司法机关被赋予权力彼此监督。例如说，总统可以任命大法官，但是国会可以因重罪而罢免大法官。总统是军队的统帅，但军费是由国会拨出的。总统可以签订条约，但须经过参议院的批准。国会可以通过法令，但总统可以否决，而总统的否决只有在国会三分之二多数决的情况下才能被推翻。
- Bicameral Parliament 国会两院制
The U.S. Congress has two house: The Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators were originally to be chosen by state legislatures and were supposed to be older and wiser men; they serve for six years. Representatives were elected directly by the people and enjoy two-year terms.
美国国会有两个院：参议院和众议院。参议员本来是由州的立法代表选出并且应该是较年长而有智能的人，他们的任期是六年。众议员由人民直接选举产生，任期是两年。
Within Congress, all bills must be passed by both houses. The different methods of election, different constituencies (a small region compared to the whole state) and differing terms of office produce inevitable variations of outlook and interest in these two bodies of Congress. Only the House - closer to the people because they are up for election every two years - can initiate tax and revenue bills. The House can impeach a President, but the Senate must try him to see if he is guilty.
在国会里，所有的法案都必须由参众两院通过。参众两院不同的选举方式，不同的选区(众议员是小区域选出，参议员是全州选出)，以及不同的任期造成两院无可避免的不同看法和兴趣。众议院比较接近人民，因为他们每两年就有一次选举，也只有他们可以起草财税法案。众议院可以弹劾总统，但必须经过参议院审判总统以决定他是否有罪。
The result: The sinfulness of one house of Congress meets its match in the sinfulness of the other, thus slowing down action that might harm any particular section of the populace.
结果是，国会一个院的罪性与另一个院的罪性彼此相抗衡，因此减慢了可能伤害到任何特定的民众之行动。
The American government has been criticized as too fractured for effective action. The framers of the Constitution WANTED a fractured government, lest tyranny succeed too quickly.
美国政府一直被批评在有效行动上过于受到限制，美国的宪法制定者却正是想要建立一个受到限制的政府，以免独裁暴政太快地成功。
The powers of the Judicial branch were not explicitly outlined by the Constitution. Chief Justice Marshall's famous Marbury vs. Madison decision, however, expanded the authority of the Supreme Court to include judicial review - the right of the Court to declare a Congressional act unconstitutional and thus null and void.
司法机关的权力在美国宪法中并不是很明显的被制定，然而马歇尔(Marshall)首席大法官著名的「马本立对麦迪逊案」(Marbury vs. Madison)之裁决，却扩张了最高法院的权力以包含法案的审核权─亦即最高法院有权宣告国会的法案违宪，因此无效。
These examples of checks and balances serve to show how careful the framers were to prevent usurpation of power by any one branch of government.
这些监督与制衡的例子说明了当初制宪者如何谨慎地防止政府任何一个部门霸占权力。
The writers of this document also feared lest the general populace, led astray by persuasive demagogues, take hasty and tyrannical action against a minority. In short, they feared absolute democracy, such as had existed in ancient Athens. Thus, they provided for direct election of Congressmen, but election of Senators by state legislators, and of the President by electors chosen indirectly. The wanted the majority to be able to speak, but not to have the power to trample upon a minority or rush headlong into an ill-conceived action against the wisdom of older and more experienced leaders (such as in the Senate and the upper houses of each state legislature). When the French Revolution led to massive bloodshed as a result of mob violence, their fears were vindicated.
制宪者也担心广大的群众被具有说服力的煽动家引入歧途而采取草率及暴虐的行动对付少数人。简言之，他们惧怕古雅典式的绝对民主。因此，他们采取众议员的直接选举，但由州立法者选举参议员，而由选举委员间接地选出总统。他们想让大多数的人有机会表达意见，却不让他们有权力践踏少数人的意见或轻率地采取恶意的行动反对年长者和较有经验的领导人的智能(如那些在参议院和各州上议员的议员)。当法国革命导致了民众暴动的血腥大屠杀时，证明了美国制宪者当初的惧怕是正确的。
b. Limited government 受限制的政府
As we have seen already, the writers of the Constitution believed that, because man is not God, no man or group of men can possess either the wisdom or the power to rule perfectly and control the affairs of a nation. Thus, they limited the scope of governmental authority. Furthermore, since man is fallen and prone to exploit his neighbor, limits must be placed upon the power of governments.
我们前面看过，美国制宪者相信，因为人不是神，没有任何人或团体具有智能或能力去完美地管理及控制一个国家的所有事务。因此，他们限制了政府权威的范围。此外，既然人都有罪性而且倾向于剥削他人，政府的权力也就必须加以限制。
As we noted above, the Bill of Right and other provisions provide for the security of individuals against all sorts of abuse by government. The central government's power extends only to those areas of life explicitly stipulated in the Constitution; States possess jurisdiction over all else, except where common law (the centuries-old tradition of English law) forbids violation of personal rights.
我们前面提到过，「权利法案」以及其它的条款保障了个人免于受到政府各种形式的滥权。中央政府的权力只延伸到那些宪法明确界定的生活领域，各州对其他各方面有司法裁判权，但一般法(common law,英国法几世纪以来的传统)所禁止对个人权力侵犯的领域是除外的。
The Constitution itself stands as the fundamental limitation upon the U.S. Government. As some have said, America has a government of laws, not men. Underlying this conception of government is the Bible, which Protestant Christians consider the supreme authority. Just as the written word of God sets boundaries for all men, so the Constitution restricts the activities of the government. Beneath this assumption lies yet another: Absolute truth exists; it has been revealed in the Bible; man's reason can infer abiding principles from God's written word; those lasting principles, expressed in written laws such as the Constitution, must govern the affairs of men, regardless of the passing opinions of powerful individuals or groups. (Even rationalists who rejected the inspiration of all of the Bible believed in immutable, eternal, and absolute truths, which could be discerned by human reason and communicated in writing.)
宪法本身代表了对美国政府的基本限制。就如一些人所说的，美国有一个法治而非人治的政府。这种政府观念所根据的是圣经─基督徒至高无上的权威。一如神的话对所有人设定了界限，宪法也界定了政府的行动范围。这个假定是基于另外一个假定：绝对真理是存在的；它被启示在圣经中；人的理性会推论神的话所发出的永恒原则；那些如同宪法一般被写在书面的持续性原则必须用以管理人的事务，而不是用那些具有影响力的人或团体之短暂性的意见。(即使不完全接受圣经启示的理性主义者也相信有不变的、永恒的、绝对的真理，这些真理可以经由人类的理性辨识及用文字传达。
Was the Constitution a Christian document. Yes, in the sense that it embodies many Christian principles, some of which we have outlined above. The date given at the end reads, "in the year of our Lord...," following the convention of dating all events from the birth of Jesus Christ. Sunday as the Lord's Day and thus not a day of business is assumed in at least one provision. Do these examples prove the Christian nature of the Constitution. No, if we mean that the writers intended to promulgate Christianity; yes, if we realize how much Christianity had affected and penetrated the culture, providing even non-Christians with a certain outlook on life.
美国宪法是一份基督教的文件吗？以它包含了许多基督教原则的角度来看，它是一份基督教文件，有一些的原则已经在前面提到过。宪法的末了所记载的是「主后...年」，依照的是以耶稣基督降生后的时间来记载所有事件日期的传统。至少有一项条文假定星期日是安息日(主日)，因此不是一个工作日。这些的例子可以证明宪法的基督教本质吗？如果我们指的是制宪者意图宣扬基督教，那答案是否定的；如果我们了解基督教的影响和溶入文化的深远程度，使得即使是非基督徒也具有一种对生活的特定看法，那答案就是肯定的。
But many critics assailed it at the time for being "godless." In fact, the name of God does not appear in the Constitution. All the State constitutions not only referred not only to God but also supported Christianity in some way. Perhaps the framers of the Constitution wanted to keep the national government totally out of religion. Equally disturbing to some was the prohibition against any religious requirement for office. Most states decreed that a man must profess faith in God, sometimes even the Christian faith, in order to hold office. Though no one form of Christianity was established in all the states, each assumed that faith in God insured a fear of God that would inhibit arrogant lawlessness in leaders. The Constitution departed from this practice and thus established what could (and has!) become a secular government. The framers did this because they saw the difficulty of enforcing one particular faith as necessary for holding office. They also assumed that all responsible men in America would at least believe in a Creator and would most probably assent to the authority of the Bible in the realm of ethics - as did almost everyone in their own day.
但当时许多批评者抨击宪法是「不信神的」，事实上，神的名字未出现在宪法上。所有的州宪法不仅提到神，也以某种方式支持基督教。也许美国宪法制定者想要使国家政府完全不干涉宗教。同样教一些人不满的另一点是禁止要求国家政府官员具有宗教信仰。大多数的州颁令要求州政府官员必须表明信仰神，有时甚至要求是基督教的神。虽然没有任何一个基督教宗派在所有的州都是被命立的，每个州都假设对神的信仰保证了对神的敬畏，藉此可以阻绝领袖们自大的目无法纪。美国宪法不抱持这个信念，因此建立了一个可能(也已经)变成世俗的政府。制宪者这么做是因为他们看到强迫政府官员具有某个特定宗教信仰的困难性，他们也相信所有在美国的有责任感的人都至少相信有一个创造者，也极有可能同意圣经在道德方面的权威，如同他们那个时代几乎每一个人所信所行的。
Non-Christian Influences 非基督教的影响
Almost everyone believed in the Christian religion, but some influential men did not - Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams, for example. They accepted the ethical teaching of Jesus but did not believe that he is God.
几乎每一个人相信基督教，但是某些具有影响力的人如富兰克林(Franklin)、杰弗逊(Jefferson)、亚当斯(Adams)等却不相信。他们接受耶稣的道德教导，却不相信祂是神。
In fact, a variation of European rationalism had made great gains among America's educated elite, as we saw earlier. Many leaders were skeptics. Furthermore, many more belonged to the secret society known as the Freemasons.
事实上，一种变体的欧洲理性主义吸引了许多美国的菁英知识分子，我们前面提到过这一点。许多领袖是怀疑论者，再者，更多的人属于一个被称为「共济会」的秘密社团。
- Freemasonry 共济会(一个国际性的社团，以互助、友善为目的)
It seems that Freemasonry developed in Europe in the early eighteenth century. Claiming to derive from ancient sources, including Solomon and the builders of the Egyptian pyramids, this new society took aim at the authority of the Catholic Church in England, especially in France. Allied with leading liberal and radical thinkers (philosophers, they called themselves), they attacked the Church and promoted an alternative world view. Although they said they accepted the Bible, in reality they appealed to their own reason as the basis for all truth. They rejected Christian creeds and dogmas and called for the abolition of the Church as well as of the monarchy, so that a new democratic society could be built.
共济会似乎在十八世纪初叶在欧洲开始发展。这个新社团宣称是导源于古代的人物，包括所罗门王和埃及金字塔的建造者。他们的目标是挑战英国以及特别是法国的天主教权威。他们是由一些杰出的自由派及激进派的思考家(他们称自己为「哲学家」)所组成，他们攻击天主教教会并阐扬一个完全不同的世界观。虽然他们说接受圣经，事实上他们诉诸于自己的理性以作为真理的根基。他们拒绝基督教的教义和信条，并呼吁废除所有天主教教会及君主制度，以建立一个新的民主时代。
While serving as Ambassador from the Continental Congress in France during the War for Independence, Franklin joined the Masonic Lodge in Paris - the most radical of them all. The Lodge in London - of which he also later became a Grand master - took sides with the British throne and ecclesiastical hierarchy.
富兰克林在独立战争期间当「大陆国会」驻法国的大使时加入了巴黎的「麦逊共济会」(Masonic Lodge)，这个组织是所有共济会里最激进的。他之后也成为「麦逊共济会」伦敦分会的重要领袖，而该分会则支持英国王室以及教会的阶级传统(因此不像巴黎麦逊共济会那么偏激)。
When Franklin returned to America, he brought his Freemasonry with him and greatly strengthened the existing Lodges in this country. Many of leaders, including George Washington, joined the Masons. Since not all Masons held radical French ideas, they probably did not see this movement as anti-Christian, but they could not help but come under its subtle influence.
当富兰克林回到美国，他把「麦逊共济会」带入美国而且极大地强化了原本就存在这个国家的共济会。许多的领袖，包括乔治华盛顿，都加入了「麦逊共济会」。既然并非所有「麦逊共济会」的成员都抱持法国式的激进想法，他们大概没有把这个运动视为反基督教的，但他们却避免不了其微妙的影响。
Thus, the Great Seal of the United States displays curious symbols. They make no sense from a Christian perspective but express Masonic ideals: The pyramid, the eye, and the Latin phrase, "Novus ordo seclorum (New world order)," all embody Masonic concepts of secret wisdom, connection with the ancient Egyptian mystery religions, and a conviction that with the establishment of a non-monarchial and secular state, the United States had ushered in a "New World Order."
因此，美国的国徽上印着奇特的符号，这些符号不具有基督教的意义，却表明了共济会的理想：金字塔、眼睛、以及拉丁文词组─「世界新秩序」(Novus ordo seclorum)，溶入了共济会关于神秘智能的观念(金字塔)、与古埃及神秘宗教的关连(眼睛)、以及对「美国已经藉由建立一个非君主政体的世俗政府带来了一种『世界新秩序』」的信念。
Slavery 蓄奴
Countless critics have pointed out the major blemish on the Constitution: It does not abolish slavery. Anti-slavery advocates succeeded in introducing a provision that slaves could not be imported after 1808, but slave owners won a major concession: Runaway slaves had to be returned to their masters.
美国宪法中的主要瑕疵─没有废除蓄奴，曾遭受了无数的批评。提倡反对蓄奴的人成功地立定一项条文禁止在一八零八年之后再进口奴隶，但蓄奴者赢得一项重大的特权：逃脱的奴隶必须归回给原主人。
Much has been made over the provision that counts slaves as three-fifths of a person. What most people don't realize is that both northern and southern states supported this clause. If slaves were counted as citizens, the southern states could elect more representatives and thus dominate the House. But counting slaves as a complete persons could also increase the amount of tax a state would have to pay. The compromise pleased both sides.
该宪法条文费了许多的努力使奴隶算为五分之三的公民(即五个奴隶只能算为三个具有公民权的人)。许多人不知道南方和北方均支持这项条文。如果每个奴隶都算为公民的话，南方的州就可以选出较多的代表并掌握众议院(这是北方所不愿意的)，但是如此一来南方各州所要缴的税也就增加了(这是南方所不愿意的)。所以折衷的「五分之三」方案使两方面都满意。
By not admitting that slave-holding is a sin, both sides avoided conflict, but only temporarily. Slavery seems to have come up in almost every debate, and some far-sighted men thought it would eventually lead to civil war.
不承认蓄奴是一个罪，使南方和北方避免了冲突，但只是暂时性的。几乎在所有宪法制定的辩论中，蓄奴的议题似乎都被提出来，一些有远见的人认为这个问题终将导致内战。
A few northern states outlawed slavery. Not being dependent upon slave labor for their economies, they could afford to. Southern states could have outlawed slavery, as some wanted, but they refused to. Their turning away from the clear implications of God's word would cost their grand-children great suffering.
一些北方的州宣布蓄奴为非法，他们的经济并不依靠奴隶的劳力，因此可以负担废除蓄奴的代价。南方的州也有能力如一些人所希望的废除蓄奴，但他们拒绝这么做。他们如此违背神的话中清楚的含意，将使他们的孙辈为此付出惨痛的代价。
President George Washington 乔治华盛顿总统
George Washington was unanimously elected as the nation's first president. At his inauguration, he placed his hand on the family Bible when he swore the oath to protect and defend the Constitution. At the end of the oath which the Constitution prescribes, Washington added the words, "So help me God." Both of these gestures could have signified nothing more than his immersion in a Christianized culture, but placing the hand on the Bible can also mean faith in a God who insists that we keep our promises. The words, "So help me God" may have expressed Washington's conviction that he could not discharge the duties of his office without God's constant help.
乔治华盛顿获一致通过被选为美国第一任总统。在他的就职典礼上，他将手放在家庭圣经上，宣誓保卫宪法。在宪法所规定的誓词末了，他加上了几个字─「求神帮助我」。他的手势和言词也许只是表明了他处身于一个基督教的文化中，但他将手放在圣经上也意味着相信一位坚持要我们信守诺言的神。「求神帮助我」也许表达了华盛顿的信念─没有神的持续帮助，他就无法执行他的职务。
Christian concepts seems to have influenced President Washington's administration in other ways also. For example, when the French Revolution first broke out, many Americans rejoiced to see their friends attaining liberty from an absolute monarchy. But when the King and Queen were killed and a Reign of Terror filled the streets of Paris with innocent blood, Washington and others like him recoiled in horror. They believed in a rule of law, not violence. They had waged a limited war against foreign troops to achieve independence from England; they did not approve of the total overthrow of all authority and the mob violence of the French Revolution.
基督教观念似乎也影响了华盛顿总统其它方面的治理。例如，当法国革命一暴发时，许多美国人欢喜见到他们的法国朋友由一个绝对的君主政体中获得自由。但是当法国国王和王后被杀，恐怖统治弥漫巴黎街头使许多无辜的人丧生之时，华盛顿和与他想法接近的人却由欢喜转为惊恐地退缩。他们相信法律统治，而非暴力统治。他们为了由英国统治中获得自由与英军进行了有限度的战争；他们不赞成将所有的权威完全拋弃，也不赞成法国革命的群众暴动。
Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, had no problem with the killings in France. As a rationalist and an idealist, he saw no reason why "half" of the world should not die in order for liberty to come to all of it (to paraphrase his words at the time). Jefferson's supporters sharply criticized Washington for not supporting the French revolutionaries.
另一方面，汤马士杰弗逊(Thomas Jefferson)却对法国的屠杀没有异议。他是一个理性主义与理想主义者，他不认为牺牲世界「一半」的人口以使所有人都获得自由有什么不对的。杰弗逊的支持者猛烈地抨击华盛顿不支持法国革命份子。
The French radicals called for the overthrow of all the monarchies of Europe. With Napoleon leading their "citizen" armies, they caused havoc in one nation after another. England declared war with France. Jefferson and his group wanted the U.S. to help the French. We had formed an "eternal" alliance with France during the War of Independence. Jefferson, as Secretary of State, insisted that we honor that treaty.
法国激进份子呼吁推翻所有欧洲的君主专制。经由拿破仑领导的「平民」军队，他们在一个接一个的国家中造成大破坏。英国对法国宣战，杰弗逊和他的支持者希望美国帮助法国。美国与法国在独立战争期间结为「永远」盟友。身为国务卿的杰弗逊坚持美国要履行盟约。
Washington faced a difficult decision. The Bible says that we ought to honor all commitments. On the other hand, it also teaches that we should not join hands with evildoers. The French were guilty of massive violence at home and wanton aggression abroad. They had thrown off all religion and denied the Christian faith, a move that pleased Jefferson but alarmed Washington. France had plunged all of Europe into what would become a long and bloody war. Should we become entangled in that conflict. The Bible teaches that we should not meddle in a quarrel that is not our own. We don't know whether Washington consciously thought of these Biblical principles, but his actions reflect a Biblical world-view.
华盛顿面临一个困难的决定。他有许多原因不愿支持法国对英国的战争，其中之一是，圣经说我们必须信守所有的承诺，圣经也说我们不可以与恶人携手。法国人犯了在国内大暴乱以及在国外无理性侵略的罪，他们扬弃了所有的宗教并否定基督教信仰，这个行为取悦了杰弗逊但使华盛顿惊恐。法国即将使欧洲陷入长期的血腥战争中，美国应该介入这样的冲突吗？圣经教导我们不要干预与自己无关的争吵。我们不知道华盛顿是否有意识地想到这些圣经原则，但他的行为反映了一个圣经的世界观。
Washington decided to abrogate the "eternal" treaty with France's current government and declared the United States neutral, despite harsh criticisms in the press and in his own government. He thus protected the United States from another war with England and from complicity in the anti-Christian excesses of revolutionary France. He was vindicated when Napoleon declared himself Emperor; Napoleon believed in the overthrow of the authority of others in order to establish his own authority. He later installed his children and relatives on the thrones of other European nations.
尽管遭受新闻界和自己政府的无情批评，华盛顿决定中止与法国新政府的「永久」盟约，宣布美国持守中立。他的决定保护了美国免于与英国发生另一场战争，也免于与充斥于法国革命的反基督教思想挂钩。当拿破仑自立为皇帝之时，华盛顿终于获得清白；拿破仑相信要推翻其它人的权威才能建立自己的权威。他后来在其它的欧洲国家扶持自己的孩子和亲戚为王。
Just before leaving office, Washington wrote his Farewell Address. In it he cautioned America not to form "permanent" alliances with foreign nations. This policy - which influenced the country for one hundred years - agrees with the Biblical warning against making unwise commitments.
卸任之前，华盛顿写下了他的离职演说，当中他警告美国人不要与外国缔结「永久」的联盟。这个政策影响了美国超过一百年之久，符合了圣经所警告的原则─不要作不智的承诺。
Perhaps his wisest and most noble action, however, came at the end of his second term as President. The country was already split into two bitterly opposing factions. Each pleaded with Washington to serve a third term as President, lest civil war erupt. But Washington refused. He feared lest he become another King George. He insisted that the inner intent of the Constitution be honored: The Presidency should be an elected office, not the permanent possession of a strong man. When England's King George III heard of Washington's decision, he declared that his former enemy was "the greatest man of the age."
然而，或许他最明智而高尚的行为是发生在他第二任总统任期即将结束之前。美国此时已经分裂成两个意见严重相歧的派系。两个派系都希望让华盛顿当第三任总统，以免暴发内战。但华盛顿拒绝了，他害怕第三个任期会使他变成另一个乔治王。他坚持要遵照宪法的内涵：总统应该是一个经由选举产生的官员，而非一个强人永久占据的位子。当英国的乔治王三世听到华盛顿的决定时，他宣称过去的敌人华盛顿是「当代最伟大的人」。
Comparison with China 与中国的比较
For several thousand years, China lacked a written constitution. The Emperor held absolute power and exercised his power as he wished. Courageous Confucian scholar-officials sometimes rebuked the Emperor; often, they paid for their courage with their lives. In practice, most people kept their criticisms to themselves, fearing reprisal. Although a few brilliant and conscientious rulers governed China during its long history, the governmental system did not allow for much freedom, nor were was there much limitation upon the powers of any level of government.
几千年来，中国没有一部成文的宪法，君王拥有绝对的权力并按自己的喜恶行使权力。有时会有具有勇气的儒家臣子指责君王，经常是付出他们生命的代价。实际上，大部分人不将他们的批评说出来，因为担心遭到报复。尽管悠久的中国历史上有一些卓越而尽责的统治者，政府体系并没有多少的自由，对各级政府的权利也没有多大的限制。
Since 1911, china has had two new constitutions. Each one guarantees certain rights, but actual practice has fallen short of these guarantees.
自一九一一年以来，中国产生了两部新宪法(中华民国宪法与中华人民共和国宪法)，每一部都保障了某些权利，但实际的实行都无法达成这些保证。
Thus, both traditional China and modern China have tended to allow concentration of power. As we noted before, Chinese optimism about human nature provides for giving power to men who are considered "worthy." But since man is inherently sinful, too much power inevitably leads to corruption and exploitation of others.
因此，传统与现代中国都倾向于集中权力。我们先前提到过，中国人对人性的乐观使他们将权力给被认为「受人敬仰」的人。但既然人本质上是罪恶的，太多的权力无可避免地导致腐败和剥削他人。
The influence of Christianity upon America's Founding Fathers led them to establish a governmental system fundamentally different from the ones Chinese have known.
基督教对美国建国先父的影响使他们建立了一个政府系统，在根本上是不同于中国人所认知的系统。
Conclusion 结论
Just as George Washington was not a flawless Christian, so the Founding Fathers did not establish a perfect "Christian" government. But just as Washington's faith in God gave him wisdom and moral integrity, so important elements of the Christian faith guided many of the framers of the Constitution. The result. God blessed this country with a truly great Father and a form of government that has evoked the admiration and imitation of others for more than two hundred years.
就如乔治华盛顿并非一个完美的基督徒，建国先父们也并未建立一个完美的「基督教」政府。但就如华盛顿对神的信仰给予他智能和道德上的诚实，基督教信仰的重要元素指导了许多宪法制定者。结果是什么呢？神祝福这个国家使她有一个真正伟大的国父以及一个政府在过去两百多年来吸引了其它国家政府的仰慕与仿效。
Cynics have criticized the Constitution as the child of greed and sectional rivalries. They have evidence for their view, but they have overlooked the religious orientation of many of the writers and the incredible wisdom of the document itself. The government which it formed has allowed the growth of a society in which individuals can develop towards the realization of their potential more freely than perhaps anywhere else in the world.
愤世者批评美国宪法是贪婪和区域间竞争的产物。他们的观点是有凭据的，但是他们忽视了许多宪法制定者的宗教内涵和宪法本身不可思议的智能。它所形成的政府允许社会的成长，使其中的个人得以自由地朝发挥自我的潜能之方向发展，其自由度大概比世界上任何一个地方都高。
------
For reflection: 响应
1. How does the Chinese concept of "government by virtuous men" contrast with the American system of "government by laws". What are the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. How did the American Founding Fathers assume the leaders would be men of virtue.
1. 中国之「品德高尚之人治理的政府」观念和美国之「法律治理的政府」观念如何形成对比？每个体系的优点和缺点是什么？美国的建国先父们会如何假设品德高尚之人所该具备的条件？
2. Compare and contrast the many evidences of Christian influence upon the American Constitution with the influence of humanism upon Chinese governmental theory.
2. 将许多基督教影响美国宪法的证据和人文主义影响中国政府理论的证据作比较和对照。
第四章 新的民主政体CHANGES IN THEOLOGY AND RELIGION 神学及宗教上的变化
As America gained her independence, profound changes took place within the church and among non-Christian intellectuals. We shall give a brief sketch of some of these developments, in roughly chronological order, and then show how they manifested themselves in the church and in society as a whole.
美国获得独立之后，教会之中及非基督徒知识分子之间发生了影响深远的变化。我们将对这些发展以时间的大致顺序作简单的描述，然后指出他们如何在教会和整个社会中凸显出来。
Rejection of Christianity 对基督教的拒绝
Right after the Revolution, American spiritual life plunged to an all-time low. The Deism and Unitarianism that had sprung up in the eighteenth century began to bear fruit, especially in New England. Church attendance declined. University students openly professed atheism, and American public life descended into bitter partisan disputes. (Declension from vital Christian faith did not take place all over the country: Virginia, for example, witnessed a major revival in 1786-87.)
美国独立之后不久，美国人的灵性生活降到有史以来的最低点。十八世纪时崛起的自然神论(Deism)和唯一神论(Unitarianism)开始成熟，特别是在新英格兰。教堂的参与人数下降，大学的学生公开宣称信仰无神论，美国的公众事务沦为激烈的党派斗争。(但基督教信仰之变质并非在全国各地都发生：例如维吉尼亚州在一七八六至八七年间发生了一次大复兴)
Some believe that this falling away from Christian vitality resulted from the mistake of becoming engrossed in political liberation rather than personal holiness, moral transformation of society, and evangelism. The war itself, like all wars, hugely distracted the people, who prayed for military victory instead of victory over sin in their own lives. Christian ministers, noticing this general decline attributed it to a preoccupation with politics and with speculation (as new lands opened up for sale).
有些人相信美国人的基督教生命力之沉沦源自于全神贯注在政治上的解放，而非个人的圣洁、社会的道德改造、以及福音的传播。独立战争如同所有的战争一样，极大地转移了人们的注意力，使他们的祷告专注在军事上的胜利，而非战胜他们生活中的罪。基督教的牧师注意到这个普遍的灵性衰落，将之归因于人们的心思被政治和投机生意(如新的土地之拍卖)所占据。
Others - including this writer - trace the worldly focus of the Revolution itself to a prior loss of vital Christian faith (see Chapter Three). How else can we explain such a massive turning away from Christian orthodoxy after Independence, unless the seeds of unbelief, sown among intellectuals many years before 1776, had not begun to produce the fruit of pagan religious ideas during the Independence movement and throughout the war years.
其它的人，包括本书作者，认为美国革命的属世注意力溯源于早先的基督教生命力之沦丧(见第三章)。若非「不信神」的种子在早于一七七六年的许多年前就撒播在知识分子之中，而在独立运动和战争期间开始结成异教信仰的果实，我们如何能解释独立之后如此巨大的脱离基督教正统信仰的现象？
Thus, both Adams and Jefferson, the two immediate successors to Washington, rejected Christian orthodoxy. They could not accept the proposition that the Bible revealed truth in all its parts. They did acknowledge the superiority of Biblical ethical instruction, however. Jefferson even made his own abridgment of the New Testament, cutting out almost all the miracle stories and claims to Jesus' deity and retaining the moral teachings. Adams, Jefferson, and those like them thought they could jettison the creeds of Christianity while retaining its code of conduct, which they considered to be the core and essence of real Christianity.
因此，亚当斯(Adams)和杰弗逊(Jefferson)两位华盛顿(Washington)之后的总统拒绝基督教的正统信仰。他们不接受「整本圣经在每一部分都启示了真理」的主张，然而他们承认圣经在道德教导方面的卓越性。杰弗逊甚至制作了他自己的删减版新约全书，删除了当中几乎所有的关于耶稣神性的神迹故事和宣告，而保存了道德的教导。亚当斯、杰弗逊、以及其它类似的人认为他们可以拋弃基督教的教义而保存其行为的准则，他们认为行为准则是基督教真正的核心与本质。
That explains why Jefferson so often supported the Christian church, even as President. He approved funds for chaplains for Indians, so they could learn the tenets of Christian ethics. He hoped that his newly-founded University of Virginia could open its doors also to men studying theology in Charlottesville. He and Madison worked hard for religious freedom in Virginia, by which they meant the liberty of all Christian denominations to propagate their views without government support or interference. (They would never have approved of the assault upon Christianity led by the Supreme Court in the late twentieth century).
这解释了为何杰弗逊经常支持基督教教会，即使在他当总统之时。他批准专款支持牧师向印地安人传教，以使他们学习基督教伦理的教义。他希望他新成立的维吉尼亚大学能开其大门使神学生也可以就读。他和麦迪逊(Madison)致力于维吉尼亚州的宗教自由，意指所有的基督教宗派有自由传扬他们的见解而不受到政府的支持或妨碍。(他们不会核准像二十世纪末由最高法院带头的对基督教之攻击)
Despite continued admiration of the ethical teachings of Jesus, "the war [for independence] accelerated Enlightenment values, natural theology, and secularized thought... Although this form of ... religion never came to command the allegiance of most common people, it did enjoy great popularity among educated Americans and was quite the intellectual rage among college students in the last two decades of the eighteenth century."
尽管人们依然赞赏耶稣的道德教导，爱德门(Edermans)写道：「独立战争加速了启蒙运动价值观、自然神学、以及世俗想法之发展。虽然这种形式的宗教从未得到大多数人的拥护，却于十八世纪末的二十年里，在受过教育的美国人中受到极大的欢迎，也在大学学生之间引起相当程度知识上的风靡。」
We should observe, however, that almost all American Deists believed in universal truth, truth which could be objectively known through reason. They advocated political reforms on the basis of "objective standards by which all human action was to be judged." Individual rationalist leaders, furthermore, were upright men with high moral standards. They would never support unbridled individualism or lawlessness among the people.
然而，我们应注意到，几乎所有美国的自然神论者相信普遍真理，亦即可以客观地藉由理性获知的真理。他们提倡政治改革，基于一种「可以判断所有人类行为的客观标准」。并且，理性主义之大部分领袖都是具有高道德标准的诚实人，他们绝不会支持无限制的个人主义或法纪荡然无存。
Rejection of God's Sovereign Grace 对神之主动恩典的拒绝
The fight for "democracy" (called then "republicanism") affected the church in other ways. Misunderstanding Calvinism, many Christian ministers imagined that the new concept of equality "exploded the notion of original sin, that people were not morally free to choose for themselves." If all men were equal, God had no right to make distinctions among them, choosing some and not others. Furthermore, since all men have the power to shape their own destiny (so the argument went) then "total depravity" (the idea that we are held bondage to sin) and "unconditional election" (the doctrine that God's choice is not based on anything we do) must be rejected also. Likewise with "limited atonement" (the teaching that Christ died only for the elect), "irresistible grace" (God frees our sinful will to give us repentance and faith), "perseverance of the saints" (the conviction that we are kept until death by the choice and power of God). All these Calvinist doctrines were "undemocratic" and "insulted" the reigning notions of man's unlimited capacity to forge his own future.
