232、⑷因此，主允许人从内在进入智慧之真理，同时进入爱之良善，只要他能保持在其中，直到生命结束。论证这一点必须通过清晰的步骤来进行，原因有二：第一，它对人类救赎是至关重要的；第二，对许可法的认识取决于对这条律法的认识，接下来的章节（234-274节）将论述这一点。它对人类救赎是至关重要的，因为如刚才所述（226-227节），人若承认圣言，因而教会的神性事物，后来却又从中倒退，就会对圣物造成最严重的亵渎。所以为了揭开圣治的这个奥秘，好叫理性人能在自己的光中看见它，有必要按以下顺序来阐述：
①良善和邪恶无法共存于人的内层，故邪恶之虚假和良善之真理也是如此。
②主将良善和真理引入人的内层，只能到那里的邪恶及其虚假被移走的程度。
③如果良善及其真理在邪恶及其虚假被移走之前被引入，或被引入的程度超过邪恶及其虚假被移走的程度，那么人就会从良善倒退，回到他的邪恶。
④当人专注于邪恶时，许多真理能被引入他的理解力，并存在他的记忆里，但不会遭到亵渎。
⑤然而，主以其圣治最为小心谨慎的是，在一个人貌似凭自己移走他外在人中的邪恶之前，意愿不会从理解力中接受任何东西，或说接受的程度不会超过邪恶移走的程度。
⑥如果过早或过多地接受，那么通过把它们与邪恶和虚假混在一起，意愿就会玷污良善，理解力则会歪曲真理。
⑦因此，主允许人从内在进入智慧之真理和爱之良善，只要他能保持在其中，直到生命结束。
232. (4) Therefore the Lord admits a person no more interiorly into truths of wisdom and at the same time goods of love than the extent to which the person can be maintained in them to the end of his life. We must proceed to demonstrate this clearly for two reasons: one, because it is important for human salvation, and second, because on a concept of this law depends a concept of laws of permission, which we take up in the next chapter.
It is, indeed, important for human salvation, for as we said before, one who first acknowledges the Divine components of the Word and of the church and afterward turns away from them profanes sacred things most seriously.
To disclose, therefore, this secret of Divine providence even so that a rational person may see it in its own light, we must unfold it according to the following outline:
1. The interior constituents in a person cannot contain evil and good at the same time, thus neither the falsity of evil and the truth of good at the same time.
2. The Lord cannot introduce good and the truth of good into a person's interior constituents except to the extent that evil and the falsity of evil have been removed there.
3. If good with its truth were to be introduced there sooner or to a greater extent than evil with its falsity has been removed, the person would turn away from the good and go back to his evil.
4. When a person is governed by evil, many truths may be introduced into his intellect, and these be stored in his memory, and yet not be profaned.
5. But the Lord through His Divine providence provides as much as possible that the will accept nothing from there sooner or to a greater extent than a person as though of himself removes evil in his outer self.
6. If it were to do so sooner or to a greater extent, the will would then adulterate the good, and the intellect falsify the truth, by mixing them with evils and with falsities.
7. Therefore the Lord admits a person no more interiorly into truths of wisdom and into goods of love than the extent to which the person can be maintained in them to the end of his life.
232. 4. This is why the Lord does not grant us inner access to the truths that wisdom discloses and the good that love does except as we can be kept in them to the end of our life. I need to proceed with particular care in explaining this for two reasons: first because it is vital to our salvation, and second because an appreciation of this principle is key to appreciating the laws of permission that will be dealt with in the next section [234-274]. It is vital to our salvation because, as already noted [226-227], if we first accept the divine contents of the Word and therefore of the church but then backslide from them, we profane what is holy in the most harmful way. To uncover this secret of divine providence so that rational people can see it in their own light, then, it will be laid out in the following sequence. (a) At our deeper levels, good and evil cannot coexist within us, so neither can malicious distortion and beneficent truth. (b) The Lord can bring into our deeper levels what is good and the truth that comes from it only to the extent that evil and its distortions have been banished. (c) If what is good and its truth were brought in before evil and its distortions were removed, or to a greater extent than they were removed, then we would backslide from the goodness and return to our evil. (d) When we are absorbed in evil, much that is true can be introduced into our minds and stored in our memory without being profaned. (e) The Lord in his divine providence, however, takes the greatest care that we do not accept it into our volition before we have, in our apparent autonomy, banished evils from our outer self, or do not accept it to a greater extent than we have banished our outer evils. (f) If this were done too early or too fully, then our volition would adulterate the goodness and our discernment would falsify the truth by mingling them with what is evil and with what is false. (g) This is why the Lord does not grant us the truths that wisdom discloses and the good that love does except as we can be enabled to keep them to the end of our life.
232. IV. THEREFORE THE LORD ADMITS MAN INTERIORLY INTO THE TRUTHS OF WISDOM AND AT THE SAME TIME INTO THE GOODS OF LOVE ONLY SO FAR AS HE CAN BE KEPT IN THEM RIGHT ON TO THE END OF HIS LIFE. To demonstrate this it is necessary to proceed by distinct steps for two reasons; one, because it is of importance to human salvation; and the other, because upon a knowledge of this law depends a knowledge of the laws of permission, to be treated of in the next chapter. It is of importance to human salvation, for, as has just been said, he who first acknowledges the Divine things of the Word, and consequently of the Church, and afterwards departs from them, profanes holy things most grievously. Therefore, in order that this interior truth of the Divine Providence may be so revealed that the rational man may see it in his own light, it shall be unfolded in the following order:
1. Evil and good cannot exist together in man's interiors; and consequently neither can the falsity of evil and the truth of good.
2. Good and the truth of good can be introduced by the Lord into man's interiors only so far as the evil and the falsity of evil there have been removed.
3. If good with its truth were introduced there before or in a greater measure than evil with its falsity is removed, man would depart from good and return to his evil.
4. When man is in evil many truths may be introduced into his understanding, and these may be stored up in his memory, and yet not be profaned.
5. The Lord, however, by His Divine Providence takes the greatest care that the will may not receive these from the understanding sooner or in a greater measure than man as of himself removes evil in the external man.
6. If the will should receive them sooner or in greater measure it would then adulterate the good and the understanding would falsify the truth by mingling them with evils and falsities.
7. Therefore the Lord admits man interiorly into the truths of wisdom and into the goods of love only so far as he can be kept in them right on to the end of his life.
232. (4) Therefore the Lord admits man interiorly into the truths of wisdom and at the same time into the goods of love only so far as he can be kept in them even to the end of his life. The demonstration of this must proceed by distinct steps, for two reasons; first, because it concerns human salvation; and secondly, because a knowledge of the laws of permission depends upon a knowledge of this law, which will be considered in the next chapter. It concerns human salvation, since, as has just been said, he that acknowledges the Divine things of the Word, and thus of the church, and afterwards recedes from them, profanes holy things most grievously. Therefore to so unfold this arcanum of the Divine providence that the rational man may see it in its own light, it must be set forth in the following order:
(1) Good and evil cannot be in man's interiors together, neither, therefore, the falsity of evil and the truth of good together.
(2) Good and the truth of good can be brought into man's interiors by the Lord only so far as evil and the falsity of evil there have been removed.
(3) If good with its truth were to be brought in before or to a greater extent than evil with its falsity is removed, man would recede from good and return to his evil.
(4) When man is in evil many truths may be brought into his understanding, and these may be stored up in his memory, and yet not be profaned.
(5) But the Lord by His Divine providence takes the greatest care that the will shall receive from the understanding only so fast as, and to the extent that, man as if of himself removes evils in the external man.
(6) If it should receive faster or more, the will would adulterate good and the understanding would falsify truth by mixing them with evils and with falsities.
(7) Therefore the Lord admits man interiorly into the truths of wisdom and into the goods of love only so far as he can be kept in them to the end of his life.
232. IV. Quod ideo Dominus non interius immittat hominem in vera sapientiae et simul in bona amoris, nisi quantum homo in illis potest teneri usque ad finem vitae. Ad hoc demonstrandum distincte progrediendum est, ex binis causis, una quia interest saluti humanae, altera quia ex cognitione hujus legis pendet cognitio legum permissionis, de quibus in sequenti Paragrapho: interest enim saluti humanae, nam, ut prius dictum est, qui Divina Verbi et inde Ecclesiae primum agnoscit, et postea ab illis recedit, sancta gravissime prophanat. Ut itaque hoc arcanum Divinae Providentiae detegatur, usque ut homo rationalis in sua luce id videre possit, evolvendum est in hac serie. 1. Quod in interioribus apud hominem non possit malum et simul bonum esse, inde nec falsum mali et simul verum boni. 2. Quod a Domino in interiora hominis non possit inferri bonum ac verum boni, nisi quantum ibi remotum est malum ac falsum mali. 3. Si bonum cum suo vero ibi inferretur prius aut plus quam remotum est malum cum suo falso, homo recederet a bono, ac rediret ad suum malum. 4. Quod cum homo in malo est, intellectui ejus possint inferri multa vera, et haec in memoria recondi, et tamen non prophanari. 5. Sed quod Dominus per Divinam suam Providentiam quam maxime prospiciat, ne prius et plus inde recipiatur a voluntate, quam quantum homo sicut a se removet malum in externo homine. 6. Quod si prius et plus, tunc voluntas adulteraret bonum, et intellectus falsificaret verum, commiscendo illa cum malis et cum falsis. 7. Quod ideo Dominus non interius immittat hominem in vera sapientiae et in bona amoris, nisi quantum homo in illis potest teneri usque ad finem vitae.