267、⑵恶人滥用这些官能来确认邪恶和虚假，而善人则用它们来确认良善和真理。人从被称为理性的理智官能和被称为自由的意志官能中获得随心所欲确认任何东西的能力。因为属世人能将其理解力提升到他想要的任何高度的更高的光中；然而，一个陷入邪恶和由此而来的虚假之人，只能将它提升到属世心智的上层区域，很少提升到其属灵心智的边界。原因在于，他被其属世心智的爱之快乐主宰，当他将理解力提升到属世心智以上时，他的爱之快乐就会消失。他若将它提升得更高，并看见反对他的生命快乐，或自己的聪明假设的真理，就会要么歪曲这些真理，要么略过，要么轻蔑地抛之脑后，要么把它们存在记忆里，当作服务他的生命之爱或自我聪明的骄傲的手段。
属世人能随心所欲地确认任何东西，这一点从基督教界中所发现的许多异端邪说可以清楚看出来，每种异端邪说都被它的信徒确认。谁不知道各种邪恶和虚假都能被确认？下列观点就能被确认，并且恶人从心里确认，即：神不存在，大自然就是一切，并创造了她自己；宗教信仰只是一种手段，用来束缚头脑简单的人；人类的谨慎成就一切，而神性治理除了将宇宙维持在它被造所在的秩序中外，什么也做不了；而且谋杀、通奸、偷盗、欺诈和报复都是可行的，正如马基雅弗利及其追随者所认为的那样。
属世人能确认上述观点和许多其它类似信条；事实上，他能把确认它们的证据填满书卷。一旦这些虚假被确认，它们就会出现在自己的幻光之中，而真理则出现在这样的黑暗里：它们只能被视为黑夜幽灵。一言以蔽之，把最虚假的观念拿来作为一个命题提出来，叫一个聪明人去证明它，他会证明到真理之光彻底熄灭的地步。不过，先抛开他的论据，回过头来凭你自己的理性看待这个命题本身，你就会在它的怪诞中发现它的虚假。由此可见，人能滥用他从主所获得的这两种官能来确认各种邪恶和虚假。动物做不到这一点，因为动物没有这些官能。因此，动物生在其生命的一切秩序和属世之爱的一切知识中，而人则不然。
267, 2. Evil people misuse these abilities to validate things that are evil and false, while good people use them to validate things that are good and true. The mental ability we call rationality and the volitional ability we call freedom afford us the possibility of validating anything we please. As earthly-minded people, we can raise our discernment to a higher light as far as we want to; but if we are bent on evil and the distortions it causes, we raise it no higher than the upper levels of the earthly mind, rarely to the region of the spiritual mind. This is because we are caught up in the pleasures of our earthly mind's love. If we do rise above that level, the pleasures of its love die away. If we rise even higher and see true things that are contrary to the pleasures of our life or the basic premises of the intellect that we claim as our own, then we either distort them or ignore them, dismissing them as worthless, or we hold them in our memory so that they may be of use as tools to our life's love or our pride in our own intelligence.
It is obvious from the abundance of heresies in Christendom (each one validated by its adherents) that earthly-minded people can validate whatever they please. Can anyone miss the fact that all kinds of evil and false notions can be validated? We can "prove" (and inwardly, evil people do "prove") that God does not exist and that nature is all there is, having created itself; that religion is only a device for holding the minds of the simple in bondage; that our own prudence accomplishes everything; and that divine providence does nothing but maintain the universe in the pattern in which it was created; and even, according to Machiavelli and his followers, that there is nothing wrong with murder, adultery, theft, deception, and revenge.
Earthly-minded people can justify a host of things like this, can fill books with "proofs;" and once they have been justified, we see these false notions in their own illusory light, and true ideas are in such darkness that they are virtually invisible, like ghosts in the night. In brief, take the falsest notion you can think of, frame it as a proposition, and tell someone clever to prove it, and you will find it "proved" to the absolute stifling of any true light. But then step back from those proofs and take a second look at the same proposition from your own rationality, and you will see how grotesquely false it is.
This shows that we are able to misuse the two abilities the Lord instills in us to validate all kinds of evil and false notions. No animal can do this because animals do not enjoy these abilities. So unlike us, animals are born into the complete pattern of their lives, with all the knowledge necessary for their earthly love.
267. (2) An evil person abuses these faculties to defend evils and falsities, whereas a good person uses them to defend goods and truths. From the intellectual faculty called rationality, and from the volitional faculty called freedom, a person acquires the ability to affirm whatever he wishes. For the natural person can elevate his intellect to as high a light as he desires. However, a person who is caught up in evils and their resulting falsities does not elevate it further than the higher region of his natural mind, and rarely up to the region of his spiritual mind. The reason is that he is governed by the delights of his natural mind, and if he elevates his intellect above that, his love's delight perishes. If he does elevate it further and sees truths opposed to his life's delights or to the assumptions of his own intelligence, he then either falsifies those truths, or passes them by and scornfully leaves them behind, or he retains them in memory as means to serve his life's love and conceit in his own intelligence.
[2] The fact that a person can affirm whatever he wishes is clearly apparent from the many heresies found in the Christian world, each of which is defended by its adherents.
Who does not know that evils and falsities of every kind can be defended? It can be maintained - and evil people moreover inwardly do maintain - that God does not exist, that nature is everything, and that nature created itself; that religion is only a means by which to hold simple minds in bonds; that human prudence accomplishes all, and Divine providence nothing, except to preserve the universe in the order in which it was created; and furthermore, that murders, adulterous affairs, thefts, fraudulent practices, and acts of vengeance are permissible, as held by Machiavelli 1 and his disciples.
[3] The natural person can maintain these and other like beliefs; indeed, he can fill books with arguments in their defense. And when he has become convinced of them, these falsities then appear in an illusory light of their own, and truths in such darkness that they cannot be seen except as apparitions in the night.
In a word, take the falsest notion and present it as a proposition, and tell a clever person to defend it, and he will defend it even to the point that the light of truth is completely extinguished. But then set aside his arguments, go back and view the same proposition in the light of your rationality, and you will see the falsity of it in its monstrosity.
It can be seen from this that a person can abuse these two faculties that he has in him from the Lord to defend evils and falsities of every kind.
No animal can do this, because it does not possess these faculties. An animal is consequently born into the whole order of its life and into all the knowledge pertaining to its natural love, unlike the human being.
Footnotes:
1. Niccolò di Bernardo Machiavelli, 1469-1527, Italian historian, statesman, and political philosopher. His most well-known work, The Prince, written in 1513 and published posthumously in 1532, describes his ideal ruler as a calculating and ruthless tyrant not bound by moral restraints.
267. (ii) A bad man abuses these capacities to confirm evils and falsities, while a good man uses them to confirm goods and truths. From the intellectual capacity called rationality, and from the voluntary capacity called liberty, man derives the power to confirm whatever he wishes. For the natural man is able to raise his understanding into higher light to any extent he desires. But he who is in evils and consequent falsities, raises it no higher than into the upper region of his natural mind, and rarely to the region of the spiritual mind. The reason is that he is in the delights of the love of his natural mind, and if he rises above that mind the delight of his love perishes. If his understanding is raised higher and he sees truths opposed to the delights of his life or to the principles of his self-intelligence, he either falsifies these truths or passes them over and relinquishes them out of contempt, or he retains them in the memory as a means to serve his life's love, or the pride of his self-intelligence. It is clearly manifest from the numerous heresies in the Christian world, each of which is confirmed by its adherents, that the natural man is able to confirm whatever he wishes. Who does not know that evils and falsities of every kind can be confirmed? It is possible to confirm, and indeed it is confirmed by the evil within themselves that there is no God, and that Nature is everything, and created herself; that religion is only a medium by which simple minds may be held in bondage; that human prudence effects all things, and the Divine Providence nothing except to sustain the universe in the order in which it was created; also that murders, adulteries, thefts, frauds, and revenge are allowable, according to Machiavelli and his followers. These and a host of similar things the natural man is able to confirm, and to fill volumes with the confirmations, and when they are confirmed then these falsities appear in their foolish light, and truths in such obscurity as to be seen only as phantoms of the night. In a word, take what is most false and present it as a proposition, and say to a clever person "confirm," and he will confirm to the total extinction of the light of truth. But set aside the confirmations, return and view the proposition itself from your own rationality, and you will see its falsity in its baseness. From these things it can be established that man can abuse these two capacities which he has from the Lord to confirm evils and falsities of every kind. This no beast can do, because a beast does not enjoy these capacities. Therefore, a beast is born into all the order of its life, and into all the knowledge of its natural love, but not so a man.
267. (2) A bad man abuses these capacities to confirm evils and falsities, but a good man uses them to confirm goods and truths. From the intellectual capacity called rationality, and from the voluntary capacity called freedom, man derives the ability to confirm whatever he wishes; for the natural man is able to raise his understanding into higher light to any extent he desires; but one who is in evils and in falsities therefrom, raises it no higher than into the upper regions of his natural mind, and rarely as far as the border of the spiritual mind; for the reason that he is in the delights of the love of his natural mind, and when he raises the understanding above that mind, the delight of his love perishes; and if it is raised still higher, and sees truths which are opposed to the delights of his life or to the principles of his self-intelligence, he either falsifies those truths or passes them by and contemptuously leaves them behind, or retains them in the memory as means to serve his life's love, or the pride of his self-intelligence. That the natural man is able to confirm whatever he wishes is plainly evident from the multitude of heresies in the Christian world, each of which is confirmed by its adherents. Who does not know that evils and falsities of every kind can be confirmed? It is possible to confirm, and by the wicked it is confirmed within themselves, that there is no God, and that nature is everything and created herself; that religion is only a means for keeping simple minds in bondage; that human prudence does everything, and Divine providence nothing except sustaining the universe in the order in which it was created; also that murders, adulteries, thefts, frauds, and revenge are allowable, as held by Machiavelli and his followers. These and many like things the natural man is able to confirm, and even to fill volumes with the confirmations; and when such falsities are confirmed they appear in their delusive light, but truths in such obscurity as to be seen only as phantoms of the night. In a word, take what is most false and present it as a proposition, and ask an ingenious person to prove it, and he will do so to the complete extinction of the light of truth; but set aside his confirmations, return and view the proposition itself from your own rationality, and you will see its falsity in all its deformity. From all this it can be seen that man is able to abuse these two capacities, which he has from the Lord, to confirm evils and falsities of every kind. This no beast can do, because no beast enjoys these capacities. Consequently, a beast is born into all the order of its life, and into all the knowledge of its natural love, but man is not.
267. II. Quod malus homo abutatur illis facultatibus ad confirmandum mala et falsa, et bonus homo utatur illis ad confirmandum bona et vera. Ex facultate intellectuali, quae vocatur Rationalitas, et ex facultate voluntaria, quae vocatur Libertas, trahit homo quod confirmare possit quicquid vult; naturalis enim homo potest elevare intellectum suum ad superiorem lucem quousque desiderat, sed qui in malis et inde falsis est, non elevat illum altius quam in superiorem regionem naturalis suae mentis, et raro ad regionem mentis spiritualis; causa est, quia in jucundis amoris naturalis suae mentis est, et si supra illam elevat, perit jucundum amoris ejus; si altius elevatur, et videt vera opposita jucundis vitae suae, aut principiis propriae intelligentiae suae, tunc vel falsificat illa, vel praeterit, et ex contemtu relinquit illa, vel retinet in memoria, ut inserviant amori vitae suae, aut fastui propriae intelligentiae suae, pro mediis.
[2] Quod Naturalis homo possit confirmare quicquid vult, patet manifeste ex tot haeresibus in Christiano orbe, quarum quaelibet confirmatur a suis. Quod mala et falsa omnis generis possint confirmari, quis non novit; confirmari potest, et quoque a malis apud se confirmatur, quod Deus non sit, et quod natura sit omne, et quod seipsam creaverit; quod religio sit modo medium, quo animi simplices teneantur in vinculis; quod prudentia humana faciat omnia, et quod Divina providentia nihil praeter quod Universum in ordine, in quo creatum est, sustineat; tum quod neces, adulteria, furta, fraudes, ac vindictae sint licita, secundum Machiavellum et ejus asseclas.
[3] Haec et similia plura naturalis homo confirmare, imo libros confirmationibus implere potest, et cum confirmata sunt, tunc falsa illa apparent in luce sua fatua, et vera in tali umbra, ut non possint videri, nisi sicut larvae tempore noctis: verbo, sume falsissimum, et da illud in propositionem, et dic ingenioso, confirma, et confirmabit usque ad plenam exstinctionem lucis veri; sed sepone confirmationes, redi, et specta ipsam propositionem ex rationalitate tua, et videbis falsum ejus in sua deformitate. Ex his constare potest, quod homo possit abuti duabus illis facultatibus, quae a Domino apud illum sunt, ad confirmandum mala et falsa omnis 1 generis. Hoc non potest aliqua bestia, quia non facultatibus illis gaudet; quare bestia in omnem ordinem suae vitae, et in omnem scientiam amoris sui naturalis, nascitur, secus ac homo.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: omis