第24章 家庭的大小
§1
第24章 家庭的大小
§2
Chap. 24 - Size of the Family
§3
对于母亲、孩子，及社会的一种可悲的错误——有些作父母的，毫不考虑到能否适当地赡养一个大家庭，便将他们的家中塞满了必须完全仰赖父母照料与教养的无助的稚子。这真是一种可悲的错误，不仅对于母亲如此，对于孩子与社会也是一样。[1]
§4
A Grievous Wrong to Mothers, Children, and Society.--There are parents who, without consideration as to whether or not they can do justice to a large family, fill their houses with these helpless little beings, who are wholly dependent upon their parents for care and instruction. . . . This is a grievous wrong, not only to the mother, but to her children and to society. . . . {AH 162.1}[1]
§5
作父母的人，应当时常将孩子们未来的福利放在心上。他们实在不该被迫而终日劳碌，以博取糊口之资。[2]
§6
Parents should always bear in mind the future good of their children. They should not be compelled to devote every hour to taxing labor in order to provide the necessaries of life. {AH 162.2}[2]
§7
在添丁之先他们应当考虑到：他们所生的儿女，在世上会荣耀上帝，还是会羞辱他。他们应该从结婚第一年开始，直到他们两位生命终结之日，都不住地尽力以他们的婚姻生活来荣耀上帝。[3]
§8
Before increasing their family, they should take into consideration whether God would be glorified or dishonored by their bringing children into the world. They should seek to glorify God by their union from the first, and during every year of their married life. {AH 162.3}[3]
§9
母亲的健康十分重要——既有如此重大的责任落在父母身上，则家中是否需要再添孩子就须慎重考虑了。母亲有无足够的力量照顾她的孩子呢？父亲有无能力供给孩子以适当的陶冶与教育的机会呢？唉，孩子的命运何以如此不受人注意！唯一的念头便是怎样满足肉体的情欲，结果那足以败坏精力，麻痹灵力的重担便压在为妻为母者的身上了。在健康破坏，灰心失望之余，她发现环绕在她身边的，还有一群她无力却应分照顾的孩子。既缺乏当受的教养，他们长成之后，就羞辱上帝，并将自己本性上的劣点传与别人，这样就兴起了撒但能任意操纵的一支军队。[4]
§10
The Mothers Health Is Important.--In view of the responsibility that devolves upon parents, it should be carefully considered whether it is best to bring children into the family. Has the mother sufficient strength to care for her children? And can the father give such advantages as will rightly mold and educate the child? How little is the destiny of the child considered! The gratification of passion is the only thought, and burdens are brought upon the wife and mother which undermine her vitality and paralyze her spiritual power. In broken health and with discouraged spirits she finds herself surrounded by a little flock whom she cannot care for as she should. Lacking the instruction they should have, they grow up to dishonor God and to communicate to others the evil of their own natures, and thus an army is raised up whom Satan manages as he pleases. {AH 162.4}[4]
§11
其他应加考虑的因素——上帝甚愿作父母的在行为上要作有理性的人，而且他们的生活态度也要使每个孩子都能受到适当的熏陶，以便母亲可以有精力与时间运用她的智力，训练她的孩子配与天使交往。她应该有勇气高贵地克尽自己的本分，存着敬畏上帝的心从事自己的工作，使她的儿女对于家庭与社会都成为一种福惠。[5]
§12
Other Factors to Be Considered.--God would have parents act as rational beings and live in such a manner that each child may be properly educated, that the mother may have strength and time to employ her mental powers in disciplining her little ones for the society of the angels. She should have courage to act nobly her part and to do her work in the fear and love of God, that her children may prove a blessing to the family and to society. {AH 163.1}[5]
§13
作丈夫与父亲的人，也当考虑到这一切，免得他的妻子——就是自己儿女的母亲，辛劳过度，而被沮丧所压倒。他更当留意，勿容他孩子的母亲落到无力照料她那一大群孩子的地步，以至他们在成长之际得不到合适的训练。[6]
§14
The husband and father should consider all these things lest the wife and mother of his children be overtaxed and thus overwhelmed with despondency. He should see to it that the mother of his children is not placed in a position where she cannot possibly do justice to her numerous little ones, so that they have to come up without proper training. {AH 163.2}[6]
§15
父母生儿养女的密度，不要超过自己所有教养抚育他们的力量。让母亲年年抱着婴儿，对她实在是太不公平了。这样势必减少或完全破坏了她在社交方面的快乐，却增加了家庭的不幸。如此作，也等于剥夺了儿女应得的照料、教育与幸福，而这一切原是父母理当自觉有责任要给予儿女的。[7]
§16
Parents should not increase their families any faster than they know that their children can be well cared for and educated. A child in the mothers arms from year to year is great injustice to her. It lessens, and often destroys, social enjoyment and increases domestic wretchedness. It robs their children of that care, education, and happiness which parents should feel it their duty to bestow upon them. {AH 163.3}[7]
§17
劝告一个大家庭的父母——你们所要解决的问题乃是：“我是为增强黑暗权势的阵容而生儿养女呢，还是为基督而养育儿女呢？”[8]
§18
Counsel to Parents of a Large Family.--The question to be settled by you is, Am I raising a family of children to strengthen the influence and swell the ranks of the powers of darkness, or am I bringing up children for Christ? {AH 163.4}[8]
§19
你们若不能管教自己的儿女，陶冶他们的品格，以迎合上帝的需求，那么从你们这种不健全的训练中出来的孩子愈少，对于你们作父母的，并对于社会也就愈好。假若儿童不能自襁褓时期起，便从一位敏慧而贤德的，谨慎而理智的，存着敬畏主的心管理她的家，陶冶并塑造他们的品格，以符合公义之标准的母亲那里领受训练与熏陶，那么你们再添丁的话就是犯罪了。上帝已将理智赐与你们，他要你们用理智行事。[9]
§20
If you do not govern your children and mold their characters to meet the requirements of God, then the fewer children there are to suffer from your defective training the better it will be for you, their parents, and the better it will be for society. Unless children can be trained and disciplined from their babyhood by a wise and judicious mother who is conscientious and intelligent, and who rules her household in the fear of the Lord, molding and shaping their characters to meet the standard of righteousness, it is a sin to increase your family. God has given you reason, and He requires you to use it. {AH 164.1}[9]
§21
作父母的啊，你们既知道自己缺少为主而教养自己儿女的知识，为什么仍不接受训诫呢？为什么还要继续生养，来增强撒但的阵容呢？难道上帝悦纳这种表现么？你们既明白一个大家庭会使你们在经济方面加添难堪的负担，你们既明白这样下去会使做母亲的为照顾儿女而手忙脚乱，并且在产期与产期之间没有时间从事一个母亲所必需作的工，为什么还不考虑必有的后果呢？每生一个孩子，母亲的精力必受亏损，而父母们在这事上若不运用理智，试问他们还会有什么机会使儿女获得适当的训练呢？主呼召一切作父母的，务要根据将来永恒现实的观点而考虑这件事。[10]
§22
Fathers and mothers, when you know that you are deficient in a knowledge of how to train your children for the Master, why do you not learn your lessons? Why do you continue to bring children into the world to swell the numbers in Satans ranks? Is God pleased with this showing? When you see that a large family will severely tax your resources, when you see that it is giving the mother her hands full of children, and that she has not time intervening between their births to do the work every mother needs to do, why do you not consider the sure result? Every child draws upon the vitality of the mother, and when fathers and mothers do not use their reason in this matter, what chance is given to parents or children to be properly disciplined? The Lord calls upon parents to consider this matter in the light of future eternal realities. {AH 164.2}[10]
§23
经济方面的考虑——（作父母的）当冷静地考虑自己对儿女能作何安排。他们无权把孩子带到世界上来成为别人的负累。他们有没有一份职业可赖以赡养家庭，而不必变成别人的重担？若是没有，那么他们在世上生儿养女，使孩子得不着适当的照料，缺衣缺食，遭受痛苦，他们便是犯罪了。[11]
§24
Economic Considerations.--[Parents] should calmly consider what provision can be made for their children. They have no right to bring children into the world to be a burden to others. Have they a business that they can rely upon to sustain a family so that they need not become a burden to others? If they have not, they commit a crime in bringing children into the world to suffer for want of proper care, food, and clothing. {AH 164.3}[11]
§25
那班缺乏经营的才智，就是最没有资格在世上生存的人，竟往往都是儿女成群的人；而有理财之才的人，儿女的数目却往往不会超过他们所能妥加抚养的地步。那些没有能力照顾自己的人，就不应该生养孩子。[12]
§26
Those who are seriously deficient in business tact, and who are the least qualified to get along in the world, generally fill their houses with children; while men who have ability to acquire property generally have no more children than they can well provide for. Those who are not qualified to take care of themselves should not have children. {AH 165.1}[12]
§27
教会有时饱受困扰的原因——有些在独身的时候也几乎无力营生的人，决定要成家立室，而他们也明知自己没有能力养家活口。但比这更有害的是：他们完全不懂治家之道。在他们的家庭生活中，随处都现出他们散漫，懈怠之恶习的迹象。他们无法控制自己，极易发怒，不能忍耐，而且烦躁不宁。这等人接受真理之时，竟以为他们有权可以坐享富裕之弟兄的帮助；而他们一旦失望，便会埋怨教会，并指控他们所行的与信仰不符。在这样的情形之下，究竟谁应该受苦累呢？难道要使上帝的圣工暗中遭亏损、将各地教会的库财耗尽，来维持这些贫穷的大家庭么？不！这班作父母的，必须自食其果。其实他们接受了安息日之后所有的困乏，大体说来并不比往日更甚。[13]
§28
How Perplexity Is Sometimes Brought to the Church.--Many who can but barely live when they are single choose to marry and raise a family when they know they have nothing with which to support them. And worse than this, they have no family government. Their whole course in their family is marked with their loose, slack habits. They have but little control over themselves and are passionate, impatient, and fretful. When such embrace the message, they feel that they are entitled to assistance from their more wealthy brethren; and if their expectations are not met, they complain of the church and accuse them of not living out their faith. Who must be the sufferers in this case? Must the cause of God be sapped, and the treasury in different places exhausted, to take care of these large families of poor? No. The parents must be the sufferers. They will not, as a general thing, suffer any greater lack after they embrace the Sabbath than they did before. {AH 165.2}[13]
§29
传道工作可能受限制的原因——在派遣传道人到远方国家去的时候，应当选择那些懂得节约，没有一大家人的，并体认到时间之短暂和工作之伟大的人们，因为这样的人决不会生育过多的儿女而自缚手足，反之，却必尽其所能地远避凡足以令他们的心意离开自己所从事之大工的事物。作妻子的若献身而不受这些事情缠绕，便能站在她丈夫的身边，则所有的成就很可能与他相等。上帝已赐福与妇女，赋予可用的才干以引领许多儿女归向他，荣耀他的圣名；但很多原可成为有效之工作者的妇女，竟被困在家中照料自己的孩子了。[14]
§30
How Missionary Service May Be Restricted.--In sending missionaries to distant countries, those men should be selected who know how to economize, who have not large families, and who, realizing the shortness of time and the great work to be accomplished, will not fill their hands and houses with children, but will keep themselves as free as possible from everything that will divert their minds from their one great work. The wife, if devoted and left free to do so, can, by standing by the side of her husband, accomplish as much as he. God has blessed woman with talents to be used to His glory in bringing many sons and daughters to God; but many who might be efficient laborers are kept at home to care for their little ones. {AH 165.3}[14]
§31
我们所需要的传道人，乃是名符其实的传道人；乃是将自私的观念弃置一旁，而以上帝的圣工为当务之急的人；也是专注于他的荣耀而工作，随时准备听候差遣到他所吩咐的地方去，从事任何传扬真理知识之工作的人。传道区域中亟需那些有敬畏上帝，并能协助她丈夫工作之贤妻的人。许多有家眷的人出去工作，但他们并未将自己全然献与圣工。他们心持两意。妻子儿女吸引他们离开自己的工作岗位，而且往往阻拦他们到那若不是他们认为自己必须接近家庭，否则原可进入的地区去。[15]
§32
We want missionaries who are missionaries in the fullest sense of the word; who will put aside selfish considerations and let the cause of God come first; and who, working with an eye single to His glory, will keep themselves as minute men to go where He shall bid and to work in any capacity to spread the knowledge of the truth. Men who have wives that love and fear God and that can help them in the work are needed in the missionary field. Many who have families go out to labor, but they do not give themselves entirely to the work. Their minds are divided. Wife and children draw them from their labor and often keep them out of fields that they might enter were it not that they think they must be near their home. {AH 166.1}[15]