266、⑴恶人和善人同等地享有这两种官能。在前一章已经说明，就理解力而言，属世心智能被提升，甚至达到第三层天堂的天使所在的光，能看见并承认真理，然后用语言表达它们。由此明显可知，正因属世心智能被提升，所以恶人和善人同等地享有被称为理性的官能；并且由于属世心智能被提升到如此高度，故可推知，恶人也能思想和谈论天上的真理。此外，恶人能意愿和实践这些真理，尽管他不去意愿和实践它们，这一点可通过推理和经验来证明。推理证明：谁不能意愿并去行自己所思想的事呢？他不意愿并去行它，是因为他不喜欢意愿并去行它。意愿并去行的能力就是每个人从主那里所获得的自由；当他有能力时，却不意愿并去行良善，那是因对邪恶的爱反对他这样做；不过，他能抵制这爱，并且许多人也的确抵制了它。
在灵界，经验屡次证明了这一点。我听过恶灵的话，他们内心是魔鬼，在世时就已弃绝天堂和教会的真理。当每个人从小就拥有的求知欲，在他们里面被像火光那样围绕一切爱的荣耀激发时，他们就能像内心为天使的善灵一样清楚觉察到天使智慧的奥秘。这些恶魔般的灵人甚至声称，他们能照着这些奥秘去意愿和行动，只是不愿这么做。当我告诉他们说，只要避恶如罪，他们可以意愿这些事时，他们说，他们甚至能行出来，但他们不愿这么做。由此明显可知，恶人和善人同等地享有被称为自由的官能。让每个人都想想自己，就会发现事实的确如此。人拥有意愿的能力，因为这种官能所来自的主不断将这种能力赋予他。如前所述，主就住在每个人的这两种官能中，因而住在能够意愿的官能或能力中。至于被称为理性的理解力的官能，在属世心智成熟之前，人不可能拥有这种官能。在此期间，它就像未成熟果实中的种子，无法在土壤里被打开，并长成灌木。这种官能也不存在于前面所提到的那些人里面(259节)。
266, 1. Evil people, like good people, enjoy these two abilities. I explained in the preceding section that as far as understanding things is concerned, the earthly mind can be raised all the way to the light that surrounds angels of the third heaven, seeing what is true, acknowledging it, and then talking about it. We can see from this that since the earthly mind can be raised up in this fashion, evil people and good people alike enjoy the ability we call rationality; and since the earthly mind can be raised up that far, it follows that both evil people and good people can think and talk about such matters.
As for their ability to intend and do such things even though they do not actually intend and do them, this is witnessed by both reason and experience. Reason asks whether people are incapable of intending and doing what they think. However, the fact that we do not intend and do particular things is because we do not want to intend and do them. The ability to intend and do is the freedom that the Lord gives everyone. The reason people do not intend and do what is good when they can is found in a love for evil that finds it distasteful. Still, we can resist this, and many people do.
This has been verified for me several times by experience in the spiritual world. I have listened to evil spirits, people who were demons inwardly and who had in the world rejected the truths of heaven and the church. When their desire for learning was aroused (a desire we all enjoy from childhood on) by the glamor that surrounds every love like the radiance of a flame, then they grasped mysteries of angelic wisdom just as clearly as good spirits who were inwardly angels. The demonic spirits even claimed that they were capable of intending them and acting in keeping with them, but that they did not want to. When they were told that they would want to if they were to abstain from evils as sins, they said that they could do that, too, but that they did not want to. I could see from this that evil and good people alike have the ability we call freedom. Anyone who reflects will see that this is true. The reason we are able to want to do things is that the Lord, the source of that ability, is constantly making it possible; for as already noted [264], the Lord dwells in these two abilities in everyone. The Lord is therefore in that ability, or in the power we have of wanting.
As for the ability to discern that we call rationality, this is not given us until our earthly mind comes of age. Until then, it is like a seed in unripe fruit that cannot break open underground and sprout. This ability is not found in the people mentioned above in 259, either.
266. (1) An evil person possesses these two faculties just as much as a good one. We showed in a previous discussion that the natural mind can be elevated in respect to the intellect even to the light in which angels of the third heaven dwell, and can see truths, acknowledge them, and afterward express them in speech. It is apparent from this that because the natural mind can be thus elevated, an evil person possesses that faculty which is called rationality just as much as a good person. And because his natural mind can be elevated to such a point, it follows that an evil person can also think and speak truths.
The fact that an evil person can moreover will and do those truths, even though he does not will and do them, is attested by reason and experience.
Reason sees that anyone can will and do what he thinks. Who cannot? The fact that he does not will and do it is because he has no love to will and do it. This ability to will and do is freedom, which every person has from the Lord. But a person's not willing and doing good when he can is owing to a love of evil that fights against it - a love which he can nevertheless resist, and which many also do resist.
[2] Experience in the spiritual world has several times confirmed this. I have listened to evil spirits who inwardly were devils, and who in the world had rejected the truths of heaven and the church. When the glory that surrounds their every love like the blaze of a fire stirred their affection to know, an affection which every person has from childhood, they then perceived secrets of angelic wisdom just as well as good spirits did who inwardly were angels. In fact, those diabolical spirits said that they could even will and do in accordance with what they perceived, but that they did not want to. When I told them that they might will those things if they would only refrain from evils as being sins, they said that they could do this, too, but that they did not want to.
It was apparent from this that evil people possess the faculty which is called freedom just as much as good people. Let everyone consider it in his own case, and he will observe that it is so.
A person has the ability to will because the Lord from whom that faculty comes continually gives him the ability to. For, as we said above, the Lord dwells in every person in these two faculties, thus in the faculty or power of being able to will.
As regards the faculty of understanding called rationality, this is not possible in a person before his natural mind reaches maturity. In the meantime it is like a seed in unripe fruit, which cannot open in the earth and grow into a bush. Neither is this faculty possible in the sort of people mentioned above in no. 259.
266. (i) A bad man equally with a good man enjoys these two capacities. It was shown in the preceding section that the natural mind, as regards the understanding, can be elevated even to the light in which angels of the third heaven are, and can see truths, acknowledge them, and then speak about them. From this it is plain that, since the natural mind can be thus elevated, a bad man equally with a good man enjoys the capacity called rationality, and since the natural mind can be elevated to such an extent, it follows that a bad man can also think and speak about [heavenly] truths. Also that he is able to will and do them, although he neither wills nor does them, both reason and experience testify. Reason: Who cannot will and do what he thinks? But his not willing and doing it is because he does not love to do and will it. This ability to will and to do is the liberty which every man has from the Lord, but his not willing and doing good, when he can, comes from the love of evil which opposes. Yet he can resist this love, and there are many indeed who do resist it. By experience this has often been confirmed in the spiritual world. I have heard evil spirits who inwardly were devils, and who in the world rejected the truths of heaven and the Church, when the affection for knowing, in which every man is from childhood, was excited in them by the glory that, like the brightness of fire, surrounds each love, they perceived the arcana of angelic wisdom just as clearly as did good spirits who inwardly were angels. Indeed these diabolical spirits declared that they could in fact will and act according to those arcana, but did not wish to do so. When told that they might will them if only they would shun evils as sins, they said that they could even do that, but did not wish to. From this it was clear that the wicked equally with the good have the capacity called liberty. Let anyone look within himself and he will observe that such is the case. Man has the power to will because the Lord, from Whom that capacity comes, continually gives the power. For as was said above, the Lord dwells in every man in both these capacities, thus in the capacity or the power of being able to will. As far as the capacity of understanding, called rationality is concerned, man does not have this until his natural mind matures. Until then it is like the seed in unripe fruit, which has no power to be opened in the soil and to grow into a plant. Neither does this capacity exist in those mentioned above (259).
266. (1) A bad man, equally with a good man enjoys these two capacities. It was shown in the preceding chapter that the natural mind, as regards the understanding, can be elevated even to the light in which angels of the third heaven are, and can see truths, acknowledge them, and then give expression to them. From this it is plain that since the natural mind can be elevated, a bad man equally with a good man enjoys the capacity called rationality; and because the natural mind can be elevated to such an extent, it follows that a bad man can also think and speak about heavenly truths. Moreover, that he is able to will and to do them, even though he does not will and do them, both reason and experience affirm. Reason affirms it: for who cannot will and do what he thinks? His not willing and doing it is because he does not love to will and do it. This ability to will and to do is the freedom which every man has from the Lord; but his not willing and doing good when he can, is from a love of evil, which opposes; but this love he is able to resist, and many do resist it. Experience in the spiritual world has often corroborated this. I have listened to evil spirits who inwardly were devils, and who in the world had rejected the truths of heaven and the church. When the affection for knowing, in which every man is from childhood, was excited in them by the glory that, like the brightness of fire, surrounds each love, they perceived the arcana of angelic wisdom just as clearly as good spirits do who inwardly were angels. Those diabolical spirits even declared that they were able to will and act according to those arcana, but did not wish to. When told that they might will them, if only they would flee from evils as sins, they said that they could even do that, but did not wish to. From this it was evident that the wicked equally with the good have the capacity called freedom. Let any one look within himself, and he will observe that it is so. Man has the power to will, because the Lord, from whom that capacity comes, continually gives the power; for, as was said above, the Lord dwells in every man in both of these capacities, and therefore in the capacity, that is, in the power, of being able to will. As to the capacity to understand, called rationality, this man does not have until his natural mind reaches maturity; until then it is like seed in unripe fruit, which cannot be opened in the soil and grow up into a shrub. Neither does this capacity exist in those mentioned above (n. 259).
266. I. 1 Quod malus homo aeque ac bonus duabus illis facultatibus gaudeat. Quod Mens naturalis possit quoad intellectum elevari usque ad lucem, in qua sunt Angeli tertii Coeli, ac videre vera, agnoscere illa, et dein loqui illa, in praecedente Articulo ostensum est: ex quo patet, quod quia Mens naturalis ita potest elevari, aeque malus homo quam bonus homo facultate 2 illa, quae vocatur Rationalitas, gaudeat: et quia Mens naturalis potest in tantum elevari, sequitur, quod etiam possit cogitare et loqui illa. Quod autem possit velle et facere illa, tametsi non vult et facit, hoc testatur ratio et experientia. 3 Ratio; quis non potest velle et facere quae cogitat[;] sed quod non velit et faciat, est 4 [ex hoc,] quod non amet illa velle et facere: quod possit velle et facere est Libertas, quae cuivis homini a Domino est; sed quod non velit 5 et faciat bonum, cum potest, est ex amore mali, qui repugnat, cui tamen potest resistere, et quoque plures resistunt.
[2] Hoc ab Experientia in Mundo spirituali 6 aliquoties confirmatum est; audivi spiritus malos, qui intus 7 diaboli erant, et qui vera Coeli et Ecclesiae in Mundo rejecerunt[;] illi, dum affectio sciendi, in qua est omnis homo a pueritia, per gloriam, quae quemvis amorem sicut splendor ignis ambit, excitata fuit, tunc illi perceperunt arcana Sapientiae Angelicae, aeque bene ac perceperunt illa spiritus boni qui intus Angeli erant; imo spiritus illi Diabolici dixerunt, quod quidem possint velle et facere secundum illa, sed quod non velint; cum dictum est illis, quod velint illa, modo fugiant mala ut peccata, dixerunt quod etiam id possint, sed quod non velint: ex quo patuit, quod malis aeque ac bonis sit facultas quae vocatur Libertas: Consulat quisque se, et animadvertet quod ita sit: quod homo possit velle, est quia Dominus, 8 a quo est facultas illa, continue dat ut possit; nam [ut] supra dictum est, Dominus in binis illis Facultatibus apud unumquemvis hominem habitat, ita in facultate seu in potentia quod possit velle. Quod Facultatem intelligendi, quae vocatur Rationalitas, concernit, illa non datur apud hominem, priusquam mens ejus naturalis venit ad suam aetatem[;] interea est sicut semen in fructu 9 immaturo, quod non potest in terra aperiri, et in virgultum excrescere: facultas illa nec datur apud illos, de quibus supra 259.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 1.
2. Prima editio: faculrate
3. Prima editio: experientia,
4. Prima editio: sit
5. Prima editio: vellt
6. Prima editio: sdirituali
7. Prima editio: intns
8. Prima editio: Domiuus,
9. Prima editio: fractu