179、由于预知未来会毁掉人性本身，也就是出于自由照着理性行动，所以任何人都不可以知道未来；但每个人都可以凭理性得出关于未来的结论；因此，理性与属于它的一切都进入人的生命。这就是为何一个人不可以知道他死后的命运，或在参与任何事之前，不可以知道这事。因为他若知道这一切，就不再出于他的内在自我思考他当如何行动，或如何生活才能达到某个特定目的，而是会出于他的外在自我简单地思考这一切正在到来；这种状态会关闭他心智的内层，就是他生命的两个官能，即自由和理性主要所在的地方。知道未来的渴望是大多数人与生俱来的；但这种渴望来源于对邪恶的爱，因而从那些相信圣治的人那里被拿走；他们被赋予一种信靠，即相信主会掌管他们的命运。所以他们不想提前知道它，唯恐以某种方式干扰了圣治。主在路加福音（12:14-48）中以种种方式教导了这一点。
灵界中的许多事充分证明，这是圣治的一条律法。大多数人死后进入灵界时，都想知道自己的命运；但他们被告知，若生活良善，命运就在天堂；若生活邪恶，命运就在地狱。但所有人，甚至恶人，都害怕地狱，于是就问当做什么，当信什么才能进天堂。他们被告知，凡他们所喜欢的，他们都可以去做并相信；不过，要认识到，地狱不行良善，也不信真理；而天堂只行良善、信真理：“你们若能，就去求问何为良善，何为真理，并思想真理，实行良善。”因此，在灵界和在自然界一样，所有人都需要出于自由照着理性行动。然而，他们在这世界上如何行事，在灵界照样如何行事；因为每个人的生活都在等着他，他的命运由此也在等着他；事实上，生活决定了命运。
179. Since a foreknowledge of future events takes away fundamental humanity, which is to act in freedom in accordance with one's reason, therefore it is granted to no one to know the future. But it is permitted everyone to employ his reason to form conclusions about things to come. Reason with all its constituents is then engaged in its life. It is because of this that a person does not know his lot after death, or know any outcome until he arrives at it. For if he were to know, he would no longer consider in his inner self how he should act or live in order to arrive at it, but would think only in his outer self that he was approaching it; and this state closes the interior constituents of his mind in which the two faculties of his life mainly reside, the faculties of freedom and rationality.
A desire to know the future is innate in most people, but it is a desire that takes its origin from a love of evil. Consequently it is taken away from people who put their trust in Divine providence, and they have imparted to them a confidence that the Lord is directing their lot, so that they do not wish to know it beforehand lest in some way they inject themselves into Divine providence. This the Lord teaches in several ways in Luke 12:14-48.
[2] That this is a law of Divine providence may be confirmed by a number of observations from the spiritual world. When people come into that world after death, most wish to know their lot. However, they are told in reply that if they have lived well, they have their lot in heaven; if they have lived badly, in hell. Yet because all fear hell, even evil people, they ask what they must do and what they must believe in order to enter heaven. But they are told in reply to do and believe as they wish, only know that people do not do good or believe truth in hell, but in heaven.
"Find out what is good and what is true," they are told, "and do the one and think the other if you can."
Thus in the spiritual world as in the natural world, everyone is left to act in freedom in accordance with his reason. But as they have behaved in this world, so they behave in that one. For everyone's life awaits him, and so his lot, because his lot is that of his life.
179. Since foreknowledge of what will happen destroys our essential human nature, our ability to act in freedom and rationally, no one is allowed to know the future. We can, though, draw conclusions about the future on the basis of reason. This is what brings reason and all its powers to life. This is why we do not know what our lot will be after death or know anything that is happening before we are involved in it, because if we did know we would no longer think in our deeper self about what we should do or how we should live in order to reach some particular goal. We would only think with our outer self that this was coming; and this state closes the deeper levels of the mind where, principally, those two abilities of our life dwell, freedom and rationality.
A desire to know the future is innate in many people, but since this desire originates in a love for what is evil, it is taken away from people who believe in divine providence, and they are given a trust that the Lord will take care of their fate. So they do not want to know it in advance, fearing that they might in some way interfere with the divine providence. The Lord teaches us this in several ways in Luke 12:14-48.
[2] There is ample proof in the spiritual world that this is a law of divine providence. Most people who arrive there after death want to know what their lot will be; but they are told that if they have lived well their lot will be in heaven and if they have lived badly it will be in hell. However, since all are afraid of hell, even evil people, they ask what they need to do and what they need to believe in order to get into heaven. They are told that they should do and believe whatever they like; but they should realize that in hell people do not do anything that is good or believe anything that is true, only in heaven: "Ask what is good and what is true and think about it and do it if you can." So we are all left to act in freedom and to act rationally in the spiritual world just the way we are in this world. However, in that world we will behave the way we have behaved here, since in every case our own life stays with us. So does our lot, then, because our life determines our lot.
179. As a foreknowledge of future events destroys the human itself, which is to act from freedom according to reason, therefore it is not granted to anyone to know the future; but everyone is permitted to form conclusions concerning future events from the reason; hence reason with all that pertains to it enters into man's life. It is on this account that a man does not know his lot after death, or know of any event before he is involved in it. For if he knew this, he would no longer think from his interior self how he should act or how he should live in order to meet the event; but he would only think from his exterior self that he was meeting it. Now this state closes the interiors of his mind in which the two faculties of his life, liberty and rationality, especially reside. A longing to know the future is innate with most people; but this longing derives its origin from the love of evil. It is therefore taken away from those who believe in the Divine Providence; and there is given them a trust that the Lord is disposing their lot. Consequently they do not desire to know it beforehand lest they should in any way set themselves against the Divine Providence. This the Lord teaches by many passages in Luke 12:14-48.
[2] That this is a law of the Divine Providence may be confirmed by many things from the spiritual world. Most persons when they enter that world after death desire to know their lot. They are told that if they have lived well their lot is in heaven, and if they have lived wickedly it is in hell. But as all, even the wicked, fear hell, they ask what they should do and what they should believe to enter heaven. They are told that they may do and believe as they will; but that they should know that in hell good is not done and truth is not believed, but only in heaven. To each one the answer is: "Seek out what is good and what is true; then think the truth and do the good, if you are able." So in the spiritual world as in the natural world all are left to act from freedom according to reason; but as they have acted in this world so do they act in the spiritual world. His own life awaits everyone and consequently his own lot, for the lot pertains to the life.
179. As a knowledge of future events takes away the human itself, which is to act from freedom in accordance with reason, a knowledge of the future is granted to no one; nevertheless, every one is permitted to form conclusions about the future from the reason; and in this the reason with all that pertains to it is in its proper life. This is why a man is not permitted to know what his lot will be after death, or to know about any event until he is in it; for if he knew this he would cease to think from his interior self how he must act or must live in order to come into it; but he would simply think from his exterior self that he was coming into it; and such a state closes the interiors of his mind, in which the two faculties of his life, liberty and rationality, have their chief seat. A longing to know things future is innate with most people; but this longing has its origin in a love of evil, and is therefore taken away from those who believe in the Divine providence; and there is given them a trust that the Lord is directing their lot, and consequently they have no wish to know beforehand what it will be, lest they should in some way interfere with the Divine providence. This is taught by the Lord in a variety of ways in Luke (Luke 12:14-48).
[2] That this is a law of the Divine providence can be shown by many things in the spiritual world. Most persons when they enter that world after death wish to know their lot; but they are told that if they have lived well their lot is in heaven, if they have lived wickedly it is in hell. But as every one fears hell, even the evil, they ask what they must do and what they must believe to gain entrance to heaven; and the answer is that while they can do and believe as they will, they may be sure that in hell good is not done or truth believed, but only in heaven. "If you are able, seek to know what is good and what is true, and think the truth, and do the good." Thus in the spiritual world as in the natural world all are left to act from freedom in accordance with reason; but as they have acted in this world so do they in that; for every one's life awaits him, and from this is his lot; for the lot is in accordance with the life.
179. Quoniam praescientia futurorum tollit ipsum humanum, quod est ex libero secundum rationem agere, ideo nemini datur futura scire, sed licet cuivis de futuris ex ratione concludere; inde ratio cum omnibus ejus est in sua vita; ex eo est, quod homo non sciat sortem suam post mortem, aut sciat aliquem eventum antequam in eo est; nam si sciret, non amplius cogitaret ex interiore se, quomodo facturus aut victurus est, ut ad illum veniat, sed solum ab exteriore se, quod veniat, et hic status claudit interiora mentis ejus, in quibus binae facultates vitae ejus, quae sunt libertas et rationalitas, praecipue resident. Desiderium praesciendi futura plerisque 1connatum est, sed hoc desiderium trahit originem ex amore mali; quare aufertur illis, qui credunt 2Divinam Providentiam, ac datur illis fiducia, quod Dominus disponat sortem illorum, et inde non volunt praescire illam, ne se aliquo modo Divinae Providentiae inferant: hoc docet Dominus per plura apud Lucam 12:14-48.
[2] Quod haec sit Divinae Providentiae Lex, confirmari potest multis ex Mundo spirituali; plerique dum in illum post obitum veniunt, volunt scire sortem suam, sed respondetur illis, quod si bene vixerint, sors illis sit in coelo, si male vixerint, in inferno: sed quia omnes timent infernum, etiam mali, quaerunt quid acturi et quid credituri sint, ut in coelum veniant, sed respondetur illis, ut agant et credant sicut volunt, at sciant, quod in inferno non bonum faciant, nec verum credant, sed in coelo; inquire quid bonum et quid verum, ac cogita hoc et fac illud, si potes; ita cuivis relinquitur ex libero secundum rationem agere in Mundo spirituali sicut in Mundo naturali, sed sicut in hoc mundo egerunt, ita in illo agunt, nam vita sua quemlibet manet, et inde sors, quia sors est vitae.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: plerisqte
2 Prima editio: eredunt