14、⑹不与智慧之真理结合的爱之良善不是真正的良善，只是貌似良善；不与爱之良善结合的智慧之真理不是真正的真理，只是貌似真理。事实上，除非与自己的真理结合，否则不存在为良善本身的良善；除非与自己的良善结合，否则也不存在为真理本身的真理。然而，与真理分离的良善的确是存在的，与良善分离的真理也是存在的。这种良善和真理出现在假冒伪善者和阿谀奉承者，各种各样的恶人，以及那些仅处于属世良善，未处于属灵良善的人身上。所有这些人都能向教会、他们的国家、社会、同胞、困苦穷乏人和孤儿寡妇行善。他们也能理解真理，并出于自己的理解思想它们，出于思维谈论并教导它们。然而，他们身上的这些良善和真理不是内在的，也就是说，本身不是良善和真理，而是表面的良善和真理，因而只是外表而已。它们唯独是为了他们自己和世界，而不是为了良善和真理本身而存在的，这意味着它们的源头不是良善和真理。因此，它们只来自口头和身体，而不是发自内心。
这种人所行的良善好比包装了金银的渣滓、烂木头或粪便；他们所讲的真理好比呼出并消散的一口气，或突然消失的幻光，尽管它们表面上看似纯正的真理。这些东西在这些人本人看来是这样，然而在那些听见并接受它们，却不清楚状况的人看来可能迥然不同。因为外在影响各人的方式取决于各人的内在。某个真理进入其他人的听觉，无论它出自谁的口，其他人的心智领悟它的方式取决于他们自己心智的状态和品质。那些因遗传而处于属世良善，未处于属灵良善的人差不多也是这样。因为一切良善和一切真理的内在都是属灵的，属灵之物会驱散虚假和邪恶，而纯属世之物则支持它们；支持邪恶和虚假与行善是格格不入的。
14. (6) Any goodness of love not united with the truth of wisdom is not good in itself, but only seemingly good, and any truth of wisdom not united with the goodness of love is not true in itself, but only seemingly true. The truth is that no good is possible that is good in itself unless it is united with its truth, and no truth is possible that is true in itself unless it is united with its good. Nevertheless, it is possible for good to be divorced from truth, and for truth to be divorced from good. Such is the case in hypocrites and sycophants, in evil people of every kind, and in people impelled by natural good and not by any spiritual good. All of these can do good to the church, to the country, to society, to a fellow citizen, to the needy, to the poor, to widows and orphans, and they can also understand truths, from understanding them think about them, and from thinking about them speak and teach them. And yet these goods and truths are not inwardly good and true in such people, thus not good and true in themselves, but are outwardly good and true, thus only seemingly so. For they exist only for the sake of self and the world, and not for the sake of any actual good or actual truth. Consequently they do not flow from any good or truth.
[2] Therefore they are matters of the mouth and body only, and not of the heart; and they may be likened to a layer of gold and silver covering slag, rotten wood, or dung. Moreover, such truths when uttered may be likened to a puff of breath which dissipates, or to the light of a will-o'-the-wisp which vanishes, though outwardly they appear as if genuine.
Such truths appear as if genuine, however, in those who utter them, but they may be of quite another character in people who hear and assent to them and do not know this. For outward expressions affect everyone in accordance with his own inner character, and a truth, from whatever mouth it is uttered, enters another's hearing and is received by the mind in accordance with its state and character.
In people who are impelled by natural good and not by any spiritual good because of their heredity, the case is almost the same. For the internal essence of every good and every truth is spiritual, and this dispels falsities and evils, while the natural self left to itself favors them; and to favor evils and falsities does not accord with doing good.
14. 6. If the good that love does is not united to the truth that wisdom perceives, it is not really good, but it may seem to be; and if the truth that wisdom perceives is not united to the good that love does, it is not really true, but it may seem to be. The truth of the matter is that nothing good occurs that is really good unless it is united to something true that is appropriate to it, and nothing true occurs that is really true unless it is united to something good that is appropriate to it.
Still, there is such a thing as something good separated from what is true and something true separated from what is good. This happens with hypocrites and flatterers, with all kinds of evil people, and with people who are involved in good on the earthly level but not at all on the spiritual level. All of these people can do things that are good for church, country, community, and fellow citizen, for the poor and needy, and for widows and orphans. They can understand truths, too, and can think about them discerningly and talk about them and teach them. However, those good and true characteristics are not particularly deep, so they are not essentially good and true for the people who display them. They are outwardly good and true, and therefore are only facades. They exist solely for the sake of themselves and the world and not for the sake of goodness itself and truth itself, which means that they are not derived from what is good and true. They come simply from the mouth and the body, then, and not from the heart.
[2] We might compare them to gold or silver that has been overlaid on slag, rotten wood, or dung, and we might compare the uttered truths to our breath, which dissipates, or to a will-o'-the-wisp that vanishes. Outwardly, they may still seem genuine. While these truths have one guise for the people themselves, however, they can look very different to people who hear and accept them without knowing their source. The way we are affected outwardly depends on what lies within us. Some truth enters the hearing of others, and no matter whose mouth it has come from, the way the other minds grasp it depends on their own state and quality.
It is much the same for people who by reason of their heredity are involved in something that is good on the earthly level but not in something that is spiritually good. What lies within anything good and anything true is spiritual, and this banishes whatever is false and evil. Still, what is solely earthly sides with what is evil and false, and siding with evil is not in harmony with doing good.
14. VI. THE GOOD OF LOVE NOT UNITED TO THE TRUTH OF WISDOM IS NOT GOOD IN ITSELF, BUT ONLY APPARENT GOOD AND THE TRUTH OF WISDOM NOT UNITED TO THE GOOD OF LOVE IS NOT TRUTH IN ITSELF, BUT ONLY APPARENT TRUTH. It is true that there does not exist any good which is good in itself unless it is united to its own truth, nor any truth which is truth in itself unless it is united to its own good. Nevertheless, there does exist good separated from truth, and truth separated from good. Such good and truth are to be found in hypocrites and flatterers, in evil persons of every kind, and in those who are only in natural good and not in spiritual good. All these can do good to the Church, to their country, to their society, to their fellow-citizens, to the needy, to the poor and to widows and orphans. They can also understand truths and from their understanding can think about them, and from thought can declare them and teach them. Nevertheless, such goods and truths in these persons are not interiorly, that is, not in themselves, goods and truths, but are so outwardly, and thus are only apparently goods and truths. They find expression only for the sake of self and the world, and not for the sake of good itself and truth itself; consequently their source is not good and truth: they are of the mouth only and superficial, and not of the heart.
[2] The good such men do may be likened to gold and silver overlaid on dross or rotten wood or mire; and the truths they utter may be likened to breath that is breathed out and dissipated, or to a delusive light that vanishes, though outwardly they appear as genuine truths. While these things appear to be so to the persons themselves, yet they may seem quite different to those who, not knowing the state of affairs, hear and accept them. For what is external affects everyone according to his own internal; and a truth, from whatever mouth it may be spoken, enters into another's hearing and is received by the mind according to the state and quality of the mind. It is almost the same with those who are in natural good by inheritance and in no spiritual good. For the internal of every good and truth is spiritual, and this dispels falsities and evils, while the merely natural favours them; and favouring evils and falsities is not compatible with doing good.
14. (6) Good of love that has not become joined with truth of wisdom is not good in itself, but is apparent good; and truth of wisdom that has not become joined with good of love is not truth in itself, but is apparent truth. The truth is that no good that is good in itself can exist unless it has become joined with its truth; nor can truth that is truth in itself exist unless it has become joined with its good. Nevertheless, there is good separated from truth, and truth separated from good. This is found in hypocrites and flatterers, in evil persons of every kind, and in such as are in natural good and in no spiritual good. All these are able to do what is good to the church, to the country, to society, to fellow-citizens, to the needy, the poor, the widow, and the orphan; they can also understand truths, and from their understanding can think about truths, and from their thought can talk about them and teach them; nevertheless these goods and truths in them are not interiorly, that is, not in themselves, goods and truths, but they are outwardly and thus only apparently goods and truths, for they look only to self and the world, and not to good itself and truth itself, consequently they are not from good and truth, and therefore are of the mouth and the body only, and not of the heart.
[2] They may be likened to gold and silver spread over dross or rotten wood or dung; and such truths when uttered may be likened to a breath that passes away, or to a delusive light that vanishes, though outwardly they appear like genuine truths. These truths so appear in those that utter them, while to those who hear and accept them, not knowing what they are, they may seem to be quite different. For every one is affected by what is external according to his own internal; and a truth, by whatever mouth it is uttered, enters into another's hearing and is taken up by the mind according to the state and quality of the mind. Nearly the same is true of those that are in natural good by inheritance, and in no spiritual good. For the internal of every good and of every truth is spiritual, and the spiritual dispels falsities and evils, while the natural by itself favors them; and favoring evils and falsities is not in accord with doing good.
14. VI. Quod bonum amoris non unitum vero sapientiae non sit bonum in se, sed quod sit apparens bonum, et quod verum sapientiae non unitum bono amoris non sit verum in se, sed quod sit apparens verum. Veritas est, quod non aliquod bonum detur quod in se bonum est, nisi unitum sit suo vero, nec aliquod verum quod in se verum est, nisi unitum sit suo bono; attamen datur bonum separatum a vero, et verum separatum a bono; hoc datur apud hypocritas et assentatores, apud malos quoscunque, et apud illos qui in bono naturali et in nullo bono spirituali sunt; possunt hi et illi facere bonum Ecclesiae, Patriae, Societati, Concivi, Egenis, Pauperibus, Viduis et Pupillis, et quoque possunt vera intelligere, ex intellectu illa cogitare, ex cogitatione illa loqui et docere; sed tamen bona et vera illa, non sunt interius, ita non in se, bona et vera apud illos, sed sunt exterius bona et vera, ita solum apparentia, sunt enim solum propter se et mundum, et non propter ipsum bonum et ipsum verum, consequenter non ex bono et vero, quare sunt solius oris et corporis, et non cordis;
[2] et comparari possunt auro et argento inducto scoriis, 1aut 2putri ligno, aut fimo; ac vera enuntiata comparari possunt vento respirationis qui dissipatur, 3aut luci fatuae quae evanescit, quae usque extrinsecus apparent sicut genuina: sed apparent talia apud illos, at possunt usque aliter apud audientes et recipientes, qui hoc non sciunt; unumquemvis enim afficit externum secundum internum suum, intrat enim verum, e quocunque 4ore sit enuntiatum, in alterius auditum, et excipitur a mente secundum ejus statum et quale. Apud illos qui in naturali bono sunt ex haereditario, et in nullo bono spirituali, paene similis res est; internum enim omnis boni et omnis veri est spirituale, et hoc falsa et mala discutit, at solum naturale illis favet, ac favere malis et falsis, et bonum facere, non concordat.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: scortiis,
2 Prima editio: aat
3 Prima editio: dissipa- / patur,
4 Prima editio: quocunqde