425、(20)被称为理性的理解力官能和被称为自由的行动官能仍旧存留。我们在前面(264-267节)已经讨论了人所拥有的这两种官能。人拥有这两种官能，是为了他能从属世的变成属灵的，也就是重生。因为如前所述，正是人的爱变得属灵并重生；这爱不可能变得属灵，或重生，除非它通过其理解力知道何为邪恶，何为良善，由此知道何为真理，何为虚假。当知道这一切时，它就能选择这一个或那一个；它若选择良善，就能通过其理解力被教导获得良善的方法。能使人获得良善的所有方法都已经提供。知道并理解这些方法是理性的功能，意愿并实行它们是自由的功能。还有一种愿意知道、理解并思想这些方法的自由。
那些根据其教会的教义认为，属灵或神学的事超越理解力，因此只需相信，无需理解的人，对这些被称为理性和自由的官能一无所知。这些人不能不否认被称为理性的官能的存在。此外，那些根据其教会的教义认为，没有人能凭自己行善，因此凡出于任何意愿的良善都不可为了得救而行的人，不能不出于宗教原则而否认人所拥有的这两种官能的存在。所以，那些确认这些观点的人死后也会照着自己的信仰而被剥夺这两种官能；他们不能享有他们本可以享有的天堂自由，而是陷入地狱自由；他们也不能凭理性享有天使的智慧，而是陷入地狱的疯狂。此外，令人惊讶的是，他们竟然声称这两种官能存在于作恶和思想虚假中；殊不知，行使作恶的自由就是奴隶，行使思想虚假的理性则是非理性。
但需要认真注意的是，自由和理性这两种官能不是人自己的，而是属于人里面的主；事实上，它们也无法被归给人当成他自己的，而是始终属于他里面的主；然而，它们永远不会从人那里被拿走；原因在于，没有它们，人就无法得救；因为没有它们，他无法重生，如前所述。正因如此，教会教导人们：人凭自己不能思想真理，凭自己也不能实行良善。然而，由于人只会感觉他凭自己思想真理，凭自己实行良善，故显而易见，他应当相信，他貌似凭自己思想真理，貌似凭自己实行良善。因为他若不这样相信，就要么不思想真理，也不实行良善，因而没有宗教信仰，要么靠他自己思想真理，实行良善，从而将神性之物归于自己。人应当貌似凭自己思想真理，实行良善，这一点可见于《新耶路撒冷教义之生活篇》，从头到尾都能看出来。
425, 20. There still remain that ability to discern that we call rationality and that ability to act that we call freedom. I have discussed these two abilities of ours already in 264-267. The reason we have these two abilities is so that we can become spiritual instead of earthly, which is being reborn. I have already explained [422-423] that it is our love that becomes spiritual and that is reborn; and the only way it can become spiritual or be reborn is by using discernment to learn what is evil and what is good and what is therefore true and what is false. Once it knows this, it can choose either one or the other. If it chooses what is good, then it can use discernment to learn about the means by which it can reach what is good. We are provided with all the means we need to reach what is good. Knowing and discerning these means depends on our rationality, while intending and acting depend on our freedom, freedom being our own intent to know, to discern, and to think about these matters.
People do not know about these abilities called rationality and freedom if they believe, as the church has taught, that spiritual and theological matters transcend understanding and are therefore to be believed without being understood. All they can do is deny the existence of the ability called rationality. Further, if people believe that we cannot do good on our own, as the church has taught, and that therefore we do not need to do anything good voluntarily for the sake of our salvation, they cannot help denying the existence of our other ability because of their religious principles. After death, therefore, people who have convinced themselves of these beliefs lose both abilities because of their beliefs. They might have been in heavenly freedom, but they are in hellish freedom instead. They might have enjoyed angelic wisdom because of their rationality, but instead they are immersed in the insanity of hell. Strange as it may seem, they still recognize the gift of these two abilities in their evil behavior and their false thinking, not realizing that the freedom of doing evil is slavery and the rationality of thinking falsely is senseless.
However, we need to be quite clear about the fact that neither of these abilities, neither freedom nor rationality, is really ours. They are the Lord's gifts to us, and we are not to claim them as our own. They cannot really belong to us; they are constantly being given to us by the Lord. Still, they are never taken from us because we cannot be saved without them. Without them, that is, we cannot be reborn, as already noted [264]. This is why the church teaches that we cannot think what is true on our own or do what is good on our own.
However, since our whole perception is that we do think what is true on our own, and that we do do what is good on our own, the idea that we only seem to think what is true on our own and only seem to do what is good on our own is clearly something we need to believe. If we do not believe this, then we neither think what is true nor do what is good, and we therefore have no religion whatever. Either that, or we think what is true as well as do what is good with our own strength, which is claiming for ourselves what belongs to Divinity.
On our need to think what is true and do what is good in apparent independence, see Teachings about Life for the New Jerusalem from beginning to end.
425. (20) Still there remains the faculty of understanding called rationality, and the faculty of acting called freedom. We have discussed these two faculties that a person has in nos. 264-267 above.
A person has these two faculties in order that from being natural he may become spiritual, which is to be regenerated. For, as we said above, it is a person's love that becomes spiritual and is regenerated, and it cannot become spiritual or be regenerated unless it knows through its intellect what is evil and what is good, and consequently what is true and what is false. When it knows this it can choose the one or the other; and if it chooses good, it can through its intellect be informed of the means by which it can arrive at good. The means by which a person can arrive at good have all been provided. To know and understand these means is the function of rationality, and to will and do them is the function of freedom. It is freedom also to will to know, understand and think about them.
[2] Of these faculties called rationality and freedom, those people know nothing who believe in accordance with the doctrine of their church that spiritual and theological matters transcend the intellect, and that such matters are to be believed, therefore, without being understood. Those people cannot but deny the existence of the faculty called rationality.
Moreover, those who believe in accordance with the doctrine of their church that no one can do good of himself, and that therefore no good springing from any will is to be done for the sake of salvation - those people cannot but deny, from a principle of religion, the existence of either of these faculties that a person has.
Therefore people who have confirmed themselves in these opinions are also after death, in accordance with their belief, divested of these two faculties; and instead of being able to enjoy the freedom of heaven, they live in the freedom of hell, and instead of being able to enjoy by virtue of rationality the wisdom of angels, they are caught up in the insanity of hell.
Surprisingly, moreover, they profess these two faculties to exist in doing evils and in thinking falsities - not knowing that the exercise of freedom to do evils is slavery, 1 and that the exercise of rationality to think falsities is irrational.
[3] Still, it should rightly be known that these two faculties of freedom and rationality are not a person's own, but are the Lord's in a person; that they cannot be assigned to a person as his own, nor given to a person as his own, but are continually the Lord's in him; and yet that a person never has them taken away. The reason they are not taken away is that a person cannot be saved without them, for without them he cannot be regenerated, as we said above. It is because of this that the church teaches a person that he cannot think truth of himself, nor do good of himself.
Yet because a person has no other perception than that he thinks truth of himself and does good of himself, it is clearly apparent that he ought to believe that he thinks truth as though of himself and does good as though of himself. For if he does not believe this, then either he is not thinking truth and not doing good, and so is without religion, or he is thinking truth and doing good on his own, in which case he attributes to himself that which is Divine.
That a person ought to think truth and do good as though of himself may be seen from beginning to end in The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. John 8:34.
425. (xx) The faculty of understanding, called rationality, and the faculty of acting, called freedom, still remain. These two faculties belonging to man were discussed above (264-267). Man possesses these two faculties in order that he may, from being natural, become spiritual, that is, may be regenerated. For, as was said above, it is man's love that becomes spiritual and is regenerated; and this cannot become spiritual or be regenerated unless he knows by means of his understanding what evil is and what good is, and therefore what truth is and what falsity is. When he knows these things, he can choose one or the other; and if he chooses good, he can by means of his understanding be informed of the means by which to attain to good. All the means are provided by which man can attain to good. The ability to know and understand these means comes from rationality, and the ability to do them from freedom. Freedom is also the will to know, to understand, and to think them. Those who believe from the teaching of the Church, that spiritual or theological things transcend the understanding, and must therefore he believed without understanding, know nothing about these faculties. Such people can only deny that there is a faculty of rationality. And those who believe from the teachings of the Church that no one can do good of himself, and therefore no good must be done with any hope of salvation as its cause, can only deny from a principle of their religion the existence of both faculties belonging to man. Therefore, those who have become confirmed in these beliefs, are deprived after death of both faculties in accordance with their faith, and instead of the heavenly freedom which might have been theirs, have infernal freedom, and instead of the angelic wisdom they might have had from rationality, they come into infernal insanity. The wonderful thing is that they perceive the existence of both these faculties in doing what is evil and thinking what is false, not knowing that the freedom to do evil is slavery, and that the reason for thinking what is false is irrational. But it must be clearly recognized that both these faculties of freedom and rationality are not man's, but are the Lord's with man, and that they cannot be appropriated to man as his own; therefore, they cannot be given to man as his own, but remain continually the Lord's with him; and yet they are never taken away from man, for this reason, that without them he cannot be saved; for regeneration is not possible without them, as was said above. Wherefore man is taught by the Church that he cannot think what is true nor do what is good from himself. But since man is only conscious that this thought and act come from himself, it is perfectly clear that he ought to believe that he thinks what is true and does what is good as if from himself. For, if he does not believe this, either he does not think and act in this way and so has no religion, or he thinks and acts from himself, and then he ascribes to himself what is Divine. That man ought to think what is true and do what is good as if from himself may be seen in the DOCTRINE OF LIFE FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM, from beginning to end.
425. (20) The capacity to understand called rationality and the capacity to act called freedom, still remain. These two capacities belonging to man have been treated of above (n. 264-267). Man has these two capacities that he may from being natural become spiritual, that is, may be regenerated. For, as was said above, it is man's love that becomes spiritual, and is regenerated; and it cannot become spiritual or be regenerated unless it knows, by means of its understanding, what evil is and what good is, and therefore what truth is and what falsity is. When it knows this it can choose either one or the other; and if it chooses good it can, by means of its understanding, be instructed about the means by which to attain to good. All the means by which man is enabled to attain good are provided. It is by rationality that man is able to know and understand these means, and by freedom that he is able to will and to do them. There is also a freedom to will to know, to understand, and to think these means. Those who hold from church doctrine that things spiritual or theological transcend the understanding, and are therefore to be believed apart from the understanding know nothing of these capacities called rationality and freedom. These cannot do otherwise than deny that there is a capacity called rationality. Those, too, who hold from church doctrine that no one is able to do good from himself, and consequently that good is not to be done from any will to be saved, cannot do otherwise than deny, from a principle of religion, the existence of both these capacities which belong to man. Therefore, those who have confirmed themselves in these things, after death, in agreement with their faith, are deprived of both these capacities; and in place of heavenly freedom, in which they might have been, are in infernal freedom, and in place of angelic wisdom from rationality, in which they might have been, are in infernal insanity; and what is wonderful, they claim that both these capacities have place in doing what is evil and thinking what is false, not knowing that the exercise of freedom in doing what is evil is slavery, and that the exercise of the reason to think what is false is irrational. But it is to be carefully noted that these capacities, freedom and rationality, are neither of them man's, but are of the Lord in man, and that they cannot be appropriated to man as his; nor indeed, can they be given to man as his, but are continually of the Lord in man, and yet are never taken away from man; and this because without them man cannot be saved, for without them he cannot be regenerated (as has been said above). For this reason man is instructed by the church that from himself he can neither think what is true nor do what is good. But inasmuch as man perceives no otherwise than that he thinks from himself what is true and does from himself what is good, it is very evident that he ought to believe that he thinks as if from himself what is true, and does as if from himself what is good. For if he does not believe this, either he does not think what is true nor do what is good, and therefore has no religion, or he thinks what is true and does what is good from himself, and thus ascribes to himself that which is Divine. That man ought to think what is true and do good as if from himself, may be seen in the Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem, from beginning to end.
425. XX. Quod usque remaneat facultas intelligendi, quae vocatur Rationalitas, et facultas agendi quae vocatur Libertas. De his binis facultatibus, quae homini sunt, actum est supra 264-267. Illae binae facultates homini sunt, ut possit a naturali fieri spiritualis, quod est regenerari: nam, ut supra dictum est, amor hominis est qui spiritualis fit, et regeneratur, et ille non potest spiritualis fieri seu regenerari, nisi per intellectum suum sciat quid malum et quid bonum, et inde quid verum et quid falsum; haec cum scit, potest eligere unum aut alterum; et si eligit bonum, potest per intellectum suum informari de mediis, per quae ad bonum possit venire; omnia media, per quae homo venire potest ad bonum, sunt provisa: illa media scire et intelligere est ex RATIONALITATE, et illa velle et facere, est ex LIBERTATE; Libertas etiam est velle scire, intelligere et cogitare illa.
[2] De his Facultatibus, quae vocantur Rationalitas et Libertas, non sciunt aliquid illi, qui credunt ex doctrina Ecclesiae, quod Spiritualia seu Theologica transcendant intellectum, et quod ideo absque 1 intellectu credenda sint; hi non possunt aliter quam facultatem, quae vocatur Rationalitas, negare: ac illi qui credunt ex doctrina Ecclesiae, quod nemo possit bonum facere a se, et quod ideo non bonum ex aliqua voluntate faciendum sit salutis causa, hi non possunt aliter quam ex principio religionis utramque illam facultatem, quae homini est, negare: ideo etiam illi, qui se confirmaverunt in illis, post mortem secundum fidem suam orbantur utraque, et loco quod potuerint in Libero coelesti esse, in Libero infernali sunt; et loco quod potuerint ex Rationalitate in sapientia angelica esse, in Insania infernali sunt: et, quod mirum est, agnoscunt utramque illam facultatem dari in faciendo mala, et in cogitando falsa; non scientes quod liberum faciendi mala sit servum, ac rationale cogitandi falsa sit irrationale.
[3] At probe sciendum est, quod utraque illa facultas, Libertas et Rationalitas, non sint hominis, sed quod sint Domini apud hominem, et quod non appropriari possint homini ut ejus, tum quod non dari possint homini ut ejus, sed quod continue sint Domini apud illum; et tamen quod nusquam homini auferantur; causa est, quia homo absque illis non potest Salvari, nam absque illis non potest regenerari, ut supra dictum est; quare homo ab Ecclesia instruitur, quod non possit verum cogitare a se, nec bonum facere a se. Sed quia homo non percipit aliter, quam quod verum cogitet a se, et bonum faciat a se, evidenter patet, quod credere debeat, quod verum cogitet sicut a se, et quod bonum faciat sicut a se; nam si hoc non credit, tunc vel non cogitat verum, nec facit bonum, et sic ei nulla religio est; vel cogitat verum et facit bonum a se, et tunc quod Divinum est, sibi addicat. Quod homo verum cogitare et bonum facere [debeat] sicut a se, videatur in DOCTRINA VITAE PRO NOVA HIEROSOLYMA, a principio ad finem.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: abfque