176、⑴人若觉察并感受到圣治的运作，就不会出于自由照着理性行动；他会觉得没有什么东西是真正属于他的或来自他自己。如果他知道将来的事，情况也是这样。前面适当章节已向理解力清楚显明，按照圣治的律法，人要出于自由照着理性行动；还说明，人所愿所思所言所行的一切，在他看来要似乎来自他自己。没有这种表象，没有人会拥有自己的任何东西，他也不会是一个自主的人。因此，他不会有自我意识，从而没有什么东西会归给他；没有这种归给，他是作恶还是行善，是信神还是信地狱，都无所谓了；总之，他不会是一个人。
现说明，人若真的觉察并感受到圣治的运作，就不会有照理性行动的自由，在他看来，似乎没有什么东西来自他自己；因为他若觉察并感受到它，也会被它引领。事实上，主通过祂的圣治引领所有人，人引领自己只是表象，如前所示。因此，人若对这种引领真的有鲜活的觉察和感受，就不会有生命的意识，而是像雕像一样被驱动发声和行动。即便仍有生命的意识，他也会像一个被捆住手脚的人，或驾车的牲畜那样被引领。谁看不出这时人将没有任何自由？他若没有自由，就不会有理性；因为每个人都是出于自由并在自由中思考；凡不是他出于自由并在自由中所思考的，在他看来，似乎都不是来自他自己，而是来自别人。事实上，你若深入思考一下，就会发现他没有思维，更不用说什么理性了，因而不会是一个人。
176. (1) If a person were to perceive and sense the operation of Divine providence, he would not act in freedom in accordance with his reason, nor would anything appear to him as his own doing. So, too, if he were to foreknow events. It is a law of Divine providence that a person act in freedom in accordance with his reason, and that everything a person wills, thinks, speaks, and does appear to him to spring from him. Without that appearance no one would have anything of his own or be his own person. Thus he would have no autonomy, and so not be subject to imputation; and without imputation it would be a matter of indifference whether he did evil or good, or whether he possessed faith in God or the persuasion of hell. In a word, he would not be human - all of which we showed manifestly to the intellect in its own discussions above.
[2] We must now show here that a person would have no freedom to act in accordance with his reason and no appearance of anything's springing from him if he were to perceive or sense the operation of Divine providence, since if he were to perceive or sense it, he would also be led by it. For the Lord leads all by His Divine providence, and only in appearance does a person lead himself, as we have also shown above. Consequently, if a person were to be led by a noticeable perception and sensation, he would not be conscious of living, and would then be moved to make sounds and act scarcely otherwise than as a carved figure. If he were to be still conscious of living, he would then be led no otherwise than as one bound in manacles and fetters, or as a draft animal before the cart.
Who does not see that a person in that case would not have any freedom? And if no freedom, that neither would he have any power of reason? For everyone thinks by virtue of and in accordance with his freedom, and whatever he does not think by virtue of and in accordance with his freedom does not appear to him to spring from him, but from something else. Indeed, if you consider the matter more deeply, you will perceive that he would not have any thought either, still less any power of reason, and so would not be human.
176. 1. If we sensed and felt the working of divine providence, we would not act freely and rationally, and nothing would seem to be really ours. The same would hold true if we knew what was going to happen. In the appropriate sections above, I have explained a number of things to the discerning mind: that it is a law of divine providence that we should act freely and rationally; that everything we intend, think, say, and do seems to be on our own; that if it did not seem so, nothing would be ours, not even our selves, so we would have no sense of self and therefore no sense of worth, and without this it would make no difference whether we did evil or good, whether we had faith in God or accepted the principles of hell--in short, we would not be human.
[2] Now I need to show that we would have no freedom to act rationally and no appearance of independence if we sensed and felt the working of divine providence. This is because if we did sense and feel it we would also be led by it, since the Lord is leading us all by his divine providence and it is only an appearance that we are leading ourselves, as already explained. So if our immediate feelings and sensations told us that we were being led, we would not be aware of our own life. We would then be impelled to make sounds and motions almost like some statue. If we were aware of our life, the only way we could be led would be like someone in handcuffs and shackles or like a cart horse. Can anyone fail to see that in this case we would have no freedom, and that if we had no freedom we would have no rationality? That is, we all think because we are free and we all think freely; and anything we think apart from this freedom or in any other way does not seem to be ours but to come from someone else. No, if you look into this more deeply, you will find that we would have no thought, let alone rationality, and that therefore we would not be human.
176. I. IF A MAN PERCEIVED AND FELT THE OPERATION OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE HE WOULD NOT ACT FROM FREEDOM ACCORDING TO REASON; NOR WOULD ANYTHING APPEAR TO HIM TO BE AS FROM HIMSELF. IT WOULD BE THE SAME IF HE FOREKNEW EVENTS. It has been duly made clear to the understanding in the above articles that it is a law of the Divine Providence that man should act from freedom according to reason; also that everything a man wills, thinks, speaks and does should appear to him as of himself; and that without this appearance no man would have anything of his own, nor would he be a man in his own right. Therefore he would have no proprium; and so there would be no imputation to him, without which it would be a matter of indifference whether he did evil or good, and whether he had the faith of God or the persuasion of hell; in a word, he would not be a man.
[2] It will now be shown that a man would have no liberty to act according to reason, and that nothing would appear to him to be as from himself if he perceived and felt the operation of the Divine Providence; since, if he perceived and felt it, he would also be led by it. For the Lord leads all by means of His Divine Providence, and it is only an appearance that a man leads himself, as was also shown above. Therefore, if a man had a lively perception and feeling of being led he would not be conscious of life: and he would then be moved to utter sounds and to act much like a graven image. If he were still conscious of life he would be led like one bound hand and foot, or like a beast of burden yoked to a cart. Who does not see that a man would then have no freedom? If he had no freedom he would have no reason, for everyone thinks from freedom and in freedom; and whatever he does not think from freedom and in freedom appears to him to be not from himself but from another. Indeed, if you consider this interiorly you will perceive that he would have no thought, still less any reason; and consequently he would not be a man.
176. (1) If the operation of the Divine providence were made evident to man's perceptions and senses he would not act from freedom in accordance with reason; nor would any thing appear to him to be his. It would be the same if he foreknew events. It has been made evident to the understanding in its proper chapters above that it is a law of the Divine providence that man should act from freedom in accordance with reason, also that every thing a man wills, thinks, speaks, and does should appear to him to be from himself; also that without this appearance there would be nothing his (suus) to any man, nor would he be his own man (homo suus); thus he would have no ownhood (proprium); and therefore nothing could be imputed to him; and without such imputation it would be a matter of indifference whether he did evil or good, whether he had the faith of God or the persuasion of hell; in a word, he would not be man.
[2] It shall now be shown that man would have no liberty to act in accordance with reason, and nothing would appear to him to be from himself, if the operation of the Divine providence were made evident to his perceptions and senses; since, if it were thus made evident he would be led by it; for the Lord leads all by means of His Divine providence, and man leads himself only in appearance, as has also been shown above. Consequently if man were led in accord with a living perception and sensation he would not be conscious of life, but he would be moved to utter sounds and to act much like a carved image. If he were still conscious of life he would be led like one bound hand and foot, or like a beast before a cart. Who does not see that a man would then have no freedom? And if he had no freedom he would have no reason; for every one thinks from freedom and in freedom; and whatever he does not think from freedom and in freedom does not appear to him to be from himself but from another; in fact, if you consider it interiorly you will perceive that he would then have no thought, still less any reason, and therefore would not be a man.
176. I. Quod si homo perciperet et sentiret Divinae Providentiae operationem, non ex libero secundum rationem ageret, nec aliquid appareret ei sicut ejus. Similiter si homo praesciret eventus. Quod Lex Divinae Providentiae sit, ut homo ex libero secundum rationem agat, 1tum ut omne quod homo vult, cogitat, loquitur et facit, appareat ei sicut a se, 2et quod absque illa apparentia non foret alicui homini suum, aut homo suus, ita 3non ei proprium, et sic nulla ei imputatio, sine qua indifferens foret, sive malum sive bonum faceret, et sive fidem Dei, sive persuasionem 4inferni, haberet, verbo non foret homo, supra in suis Articulis ad evidentiam intellectus ostensum est. 2] Hic nunc ostendetur, quod homini nulla libertas agendi secundum rationem, ac nulla ei apparentia sicut ex se, foret, si perciperet et sentiret Divinae Providentiae operationem, 5quoniam si perciperet et sentiret illam, etiam duceretur ab illa, nam Dominus per Divinam suam Providentiam ducit omnes, et homo non seipsum nisi apparenter, ut quoque supra ostensum est; quare si ad vivam perceptionem et sensationem duceretur, foret non conscius vitae, et tunc vix aliter ad sonandum et agendum quam sicut sculptile, ageretur: si usque conscius vitae foret, tunc non aliter duceretur, quam sicut vinctus manicis et pedicis, aut sicut jumentum ante plaustrum: quis non videt, quod tunc non aliquod liberum homini foret, et si non liberum, nec aliqua ratio foret, nam quisque ex libero et in libero cogitat, et quicquid non ex libero et in libero cogitat, non apparet ei a se, sed ab alio; imo si interius hoc expendis, percipies, quod nec foret ei cogitatio, minus ratio, et inde non foret homo.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: agat;
2 Prima editio: se;
3 Prima editio: ita
4 Prima editio: persvasionem
5 Prima editio: operationem;