177、把人从恶中引离，正是主圣治的持续运作。如果人真的觉察并感受到这种持续运作，又没有像一个受捆绑的人那样被引领，那么他岂不会不断与它抗争，从而要么与神争执，要么把自己与圣治混在一起？若是后者，他也会把自己当成神；若是前者，则会挣脱束缚，并否认神。显而易见，这时会有两股力量不断彼此对抗，一股是来自人的邪恶力量，一股是来自主的良善力量；当对立双方彼此对抗时，要么一方得胜，要么双方都灭亡。但在这种情况下，如果一方得胜，它们都会灭亡，因为属于人的邪恶不会瞬间接受来自主的良善，来自主的良善也不会瞬间将邪恶从人那里逐出；如果任何一方瞬间做到的话，人将失去生命。如果人真的明显觉察并感受到圣治的运作，那么这些及其它诸多恶果就会接踵而来。我将在下文通过例子充分说明这一点。
177. The operation of the Lord's Divine providence is constant in withdrawing a person from evils. If someone were to perceive or sense this constant operation and yet not be led as one bound, would he not continually resist it, and in that case either contend with God or intervene in Divine providence? If he did the latter he would make himself also God. If he did the first, he would free himself from the constraint and deny God.
This much is clearly apparent, that there would be two forces continually acting in opposition to each other - a force for evil on the person's part, and a force for good on the Lord's part. And when two opposites act against each other, then either one is victorious or both fail. In the present instance, however, both fail if one is victorious, for the evil that a person has does not accept good from the Lord in a moment, nor does good from the Lord cast out the evil from a person in a moment. If the one or the other were to happen in a moment, no life would be left to the person.
These and many other harmful consequences would eventuate if a person were to plainly perceive or sense the operation of Divine providence. However, this we will clearly demonstrate in subsequent discussions.
177. The unceasing effort of the Lord's divine providence is to deliver us from our evils. If we were to sense and feel that constant effort and still not be led like prisoners, how could we help constantly resisting and either arguing with God or becoming involved in divine providence? To do the latter is to make ourselves God; to do the former is to cast off the chains and deny God. It is quite clear that there are two forces constantly acting against each other, a force of evil from us and a force of good from the Lord. When two opposing forces act against each other, then one or the other wins, or they are both destroyed. In this case, though, if one wins then both of them lose. The evil that is ours does not instantly accept the goodness that the Lord is giving, and the goodness from the Lord does not rid us of our evil instantly. If either of these things did happen instantly, we would have no life left.
This is just some of the damage that would be done if we sensed or felt the working of divine providence vividly. I will illustrate this clearly by examples in what follows.
177. It is the continual operation of the Divine Providence of the Lord to withdraw man from evils. If anyone were to perceive and feel this continual operation, and yet were not led as one bound, would he not continually struggle against it, and thus either dispute with God or mingle self with the Divine Providence? If he did the latter he would make himself also God; if the former he would release himself from restraint and deny God. It is very evident that there would then be two powers continually acting against each other, the power of evil from man and the power of good from the Lord; and when two opposites act against each other then either one conquers or both perish. In this case if one conquers they both perish; for the evil that belongs to man does not receive good from the Lord in a moment, nor does good from the Lord cast out the evil from man in a moment; for if either were done in a moment no life would be left to man. These and many other harmful results would follow if man were manifestly to perceive or feel the operation of the Divine Providence. But this will be clearly demonstrated by examples in what follows.
177. The operation of the Lord's Divine providence to withdraw man from evils is continuous. If this continuous operation were evident to man's perceptions and senses, and he were not led as one bound, would he not continually struggle against it, and then either strive with God or mix himself in with Divine providence? If the latter he would also make himself God; if the former he would release himself from restraint and deny God. It is clearly evident that there would then be two powers continually acting against each other, the power of evil from man and the power of good from the Lord; and when two opposites act against each other either one of them conquers or both perish; but in this case if one conquers they both perish, for the evil that belongs to man does not instantly receive good from the Lord, nor does good from the Lord instantly cast out evil from man; if either were done instantly there would be no life left to man. These and many other harmful results would ensue if the operation of the Divine providence were clearly evident to man's perceptions and senses. But this will be shown fully in what follows.
177. Operatio Divinae Providentiae Domini continua est, quod abducat hominem a malis; si quis operationem hanc continuam perciperet 1et sentiret, et usque non ut vinctus duceretur, annon continue reniteretur, et tunc vel rixaretur cum Deo, vel immisceret se Divinae Providentiae; si hoc, faceret se etiam Deum; si illud, exsolveret se vinculo, et negaret Deum: hoc patet manifeste, quod forent duae vires contra se continue agentes, vis mali ab homine, et vis boni a Domino, et cum duo opposita contra se agunt, tunc vel unum vincit, vel utrumque perit; hic autem si unum vincit, perit utrumque, malum enim quod hominis est non recipit bonum a Domino momento, nec bonum a Domino ejicit malum ab homine momento; si momento fieret unum aut alterum, vita non maneret homini. Haec et plura damnosa alia existerent, si homo Divinae Providentiae operationem manifeste perciperet aut sentiret. Sed hoc per exempla in sequentibus clare demonstrabitur.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: perciperet