499、⒅但他们处于外在时才运用这理性，处于内在时却滥用它。他们在公开场合或聚会上谈论时，处于外在；但在家里或独处时，则处于内在。你若愿意，可以作个试验。举一个这种人的例子，比如所谓的某个耶稣会士成员，要是让他在聚会或教会讲道中谈论神、教会的神圣事物、天堂和地狱，你会听到他在理性热情上胜过其他任何人。在谈到你的救赎时，他甚至还能把你感动到涕泪交流。但是，要是你把他带到家里，称赞他胜过别的耶稣会士，称其为智慧之父，并与他交朋友，直到他向你敞开心扉；这时你会听到他对神、教会的神圣事物、天堂和地狱持什么样的看法。他会承认这些都是幻想和欺骗，是为了奴役灵魂而杜撰出来的，以便他们能捕获和捆绑世人，无论大人物还是小人物，富人还是穷人，将其置于他们控制的枷锁之下。这个例子足以说明这句话的意思：属世人，哪怕是肉体人，都具有和其他人一样的人类理性；但他们只有处于外在时才运用它，而处于内在时则滥用它。因此缘故，判断一个人，一定不要仅凭他嘴上的智慧，同时还要看他在生活中的智慧。
199、（18）但他们只在外在上运用他们的理性，而在内在上却无视理性。当他们在公众面前讲话或与人相伴时，他们处于外在的生活中，而在家或独处时则处于内在生活中。
与这样的人在众人的陪伴下交谈，你会发现在谈到教会、神、天国和地狱时，他们表现的比任何人都好。他们甚至会使你感动，并为你是否能获救而流泪，但若将他们带到家中表扬他们，称他们是智慧之父，与他交朋友直到他向你展开心扉。你就会听到他是对神、对教会、对天国和地狱会有怎样的说法。他们会说那都是假想，是束缚人的灵魂的。
所以，人不应该根据人的话来判断他是否有智慧，而是要根据他怎样地生活来判断他是否有智慧。
499. (xviii) But they use that rationality so long as they remain in their outward levels, but they misuse it when in their inward levels.
When they speak in public or in gatherings they use their outer levels, but their inner levels when at home or in talking to one another. You can, if you like, make an experiment. Take such a person, as for instance one of the order called Jesuits, and make him speak in a meeting or preach in church about God, the holy things of the church, and heaven and hell; you will hear him excel anyone else in his rational zeal. He may even reduce you to groans and tears on the subject of salvation. But take him into your home, praise him above other orders, call him the father of wisdom and make him your friend, until he opens his heart to you; then you will hear what his views are on God, the holy things of the church and heaven and hell. He will admit that these are fantasies and deceptions, invented to enslave souls, so that they can catch and shackle both great and small, rich and poor, and keep them under the yoke of their control. Let this suffice as an illustration of what is meant by saying that natural men, even down to bodily ones, possess the same human rationality as others, but they can only use it while at the outer level, but misuse it at their inner level. The consequence of this is that no one is to be judged by the wisdom that comes from his mouth, but by this together with the wisdom that is shown in his life.
499. 18. Yet they use their rationality only when engaged in their outward lives, but abuse it when engaged in their inner ones. They are engaged in their outward lives when they speak publicly or in company with others, but in their inner ones when they are at home or by themselves.
Investigate the matter for yourself, if you wish. Take a person of this character, as, for example, some member of the Jesuit order as it is called, and have him speak in the company of others or teach in a church about God, the sanctities of the church, and heaven and hell, and you will hear him to be a more rational champion of them than anyone else. He may even perhaps move you to laments and tears for your salvation. But take him into your home, praise him over the usual orders, call him the father of wisdom, and make yourself his friend until he opens his heart, and you will hear what pronouncements he will have to make then regarding God, the sanctities of the church, and heaven and hell, namely, that they are fantasies and delusions, and thus inventions to ensnare souls, by which they captivate and bind the great and small, rich and poor, and hold them under the yoke of their dominion.
Let this suffice to illustrate what we mean in saying that natural people, even including carnal ones, possess human rationality like others, yet that they use it only when engaged in their outward lives, but abuse it when engaged in their inner ones.
It is in consequence of this that one ought not to base his judgment of a person on the wisdom of his lips alone, but on the wisdom of his life too.
499. 18. But they use that rationality in outward activities, yet abuse it inwardly. They are in their outer role when they speak in public or in a group but in their inner role when at home by themselves. Try it, if you want. Take someone like that - someone of the order called Jesuit, for example - and have him talk in a group or teach in church about God, holy matters of the church, and about heaven and hell, and he will sound like a more rational zealot than anyone else. He might even move you to sighs and tears over salvation.
But take him home, praise him above the other orders, call him the father of wisdom, and make yourself a friend until he opens his heart, and you will hear what he will pronounce about God, holy church matters, and heaven and hell then, namely, that these things are fantasies and sleights so they are traps for souls - bonds with which they seize and tie the great and small, the rich and poor, and hold them in their power.
These observations are enough to show what it means that worldly people - even the physically - minded - flourish in rationality like anyone else and that they use rationality in outward activities but abuse it inwardly. Consequently one is not to be judged by any of the wisdom he speaks, except together with the wisdom of his life.
499. XVIII. BUT THAT THEY USE THIS RATIONALITY WHEN IN EXTERNALS, AND ABUSE IT WHEN IN THEIR INTERNALS. They are in externals when they speak out-of-doors and in company, but in their internals when at home and by themselves. Put it to the test, if you will. Take some such man--for example, some member of the order called Jesuits--and have him speak in company or teach in a church concerning God, the holy things of the church, and heaven and hell, and you will hear a zealot more rational than any other. He may even chance to move you to groans and tears for your salvation. But take him to your home, extol him above [members of other] orders, call him a father of wisdom, and make yourself his friend until he opens his heart, and you will hear what he will then preach about God, the holy things of the church, and heaven and hell, to wit, that they are fantasies and delusions, and thus are bonds invented for souls, wherewith he may catch and bind men, great and small, rich and poor, and keep them under the yoke of his dominion. This will suffice to illustrate what is meant by the statement that natural men, even down to men who are corporeal, enjoy human rationality like others, but use it when in externals and abuse it when in their internals. It is a consequence of this that judgment of a man must be made, not from the wisdom of his lips, but at the same time from the wisdom of his life.
499. (xviii) They employ that rationality when they are in externals, but abuse it when in their internals. They are in externals when they speak in public and in company, but in their internals when they are at home and by themselves. Test the matter, if you will. Take some one of the kind, as for example, one of the order called Jesuit, and have him speak in company or teach in a temple about God, about the holy things of the Church, and about heaven and hell, and you will hear a more rational zealot than any one else is; he may even move you to groans and tears for your salvation. But take him into your home, praise his order above others, call him a father of wisdom, and be his friend until he opens his heart, and you will hear what he will declare then about God, about the sanctities of the Church, and about heaven and hell, namely, that they are phantasies and illusions and bonds for souls, contrived to catch and bind great and small, rich and poor, and hold them under the yoke of subjection to him. Let this suffice to illustrate what is meant when we say that natural men, even corporeal men, possess human rationality like others, and employ it while in their externals, but abuse it when in their internals. In consequence no one ought to be judged by the wisdom of the mouth, but at the same time from the wisdom of his life.
499. (18) But that they use this rationality when they are in externals, but when in their internals they abuse it. They are in externals when they speak in public places and in company; but in their internals when at home and by themselves. Put it to the test if you will. Take any such person, one of the order called Jesuits for example, cause him to speak in company or teach in a temple about God, about the holy things of the church, and about heaven and hell, and you will find him a more rational zealot than any other, perhaps he will even move you to groans and tears for your salvation. But take him to your house, extol him above the other orders, call him a father of wisdom, and make yourself a friend until he opens his heart, and you will hear what he will then declare about God, about the holy things of the church, and about heaven and hell; namely, that they are fantasies and delusions, and thus are bonds invented for souls, wherewith to catch and bind the great and the small, the rich and the poor, and keep them under the yoke of their dominion. This will suffice to illustrate what is meant by saying that natural men, even down to the corporeal, are, like others, possessed of human rationality, but that they use it when they are in externals but abuse it when in their internals. The deduction from it is that one is not to be judged from the wisdom of his mouth, but from the wisdom of his life joined with that.
499. XVIII. Sed quod rationalitate illa utantur dum in externis sunt, sed abutantur dum in suis internis. In externis sunt, dum loquuntur foris et in caetu, in suis internis autem cum domi aut secum: experire si vis; adduc aliquem talem, ut pro exemplo, quendam ex ordine vocatum Jesuitam, 1et fac ut de Deo, de Sanctis Ecclesiae, deque Coelo et Inferno, loquatur in Caetu, aut doceat in Templo, et audies illum plus rationalem Zeloten, quam quempiam alium; forte etiam te ad gemitus et lachrymas pro salute adiget: sed assume illum in domum tuam, extolle illum supra [solitos] Ordines, voca illum Patrem sapientiae, et fac te amicum, usque dum aperit cor suum, et audies, quid tunc de Deo, de Sanctis Ecclesiae, ac de Coelo et Inferno, concionaturus est, videlicet quod sint phantasiae ac elusiones, et sic inventa animarum vincula, quibus magnos et parvos, divites et pauperes, captent et ligent, et sub jugo Dominii sui contineant. Haec sufficiant pro illustratione, quid intelligitur per quod homines naturales usque ad corporeos, rationalitate humana polleant sicut alii, at quod illa utantur dum in externis sunt, sed abutantur dum in suis internis. Consequentia inde est, quod non judicandum sit de aliquo ex sapientia oris, sed una ex sapientia vitae ejus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Jesvitam,