234、没有任何许可法是单独出来或与圣治的律法分离的，相反，两者是一样的；因此，说神允许某事发生，并不意味着祂想叫它发生，而是说，由于救赎的目的，主不能阻止。凡为了救赎的目的所行的，都符合圣治的律法。因为如前所述（183，211节），圣治不断以一种不同于并违背人意愿的方式前行，不断专注于它的目的；因此，在它运作的每时每刻，或在它行进的每一步，一旦发现人正在偏离这个目的，它就会照着它的律法通过把他引离邪恶、引向良善来指引、转移并调整他。稍后我们会看到，没有对邪恶的许可，这一切是不可能做到的。此外，凡能被允许发生的事都是有原因的，这原因只能在圣治的某条律法中找到，这条律法会告诉我们为什么这种事会发生。
234. Laws of Permission Are Also Laws of Divine Providence
There are no laws of permission per se or apart from the laws of Divine providence. Rather they are the same laws. When we say, therefore, that God permits, we do not mean that He wills, but that for the sake of the goal, which is salvation, He cannot prevent.
Whatever happens for the sake of salvation as the goal, happens in accordance with the laws of Divine providence. For, as we have said before, Divine providence continually operates counter to and in conflict with a person's will, continually intent on the goal. Consequently at every moment of its operation, or at every step of its progress, when it sees a person stray from the goal, it guides, bends, and directs the person in accordance with its laws, withdrawing him from evil, leading him to good. This cannot be done without the permitting of evil, as we shall see in the following discussions.
It is, moreover, not possible for something to be permitted apart from a cause, and the cause is found nowhere else than in some law of Divine providence, a law which explains why it is permitted.
234. Laws of Permission Are Also Laws of Divine Providence
There are no "laws of permission" that are simply that, or that are separate from the laws of divine providence. They are the same thing; so saying that God allows something to happen does not mean that he wants it to happen but that he cannot prevent it because of his goal, which is our salvation. Whatever happens for the sake of this goal, our salvation, is in accord with the laws of divine providence, since as already noted [183, 211], divine providence is always moving away from and contrary to our own intentions. It is constantly focused on its goal; so at every moment of its work, at every single step of its course, when it notices that we are straying from that goal it leads and turns and adapts us in accord with its laws, leading us away from evil and toward good. We will see shortly that this cannot be accomplished without allowing bad things to happen.
Further, nothing can be allowed to happen without some cause, and causes are to be found only in some law of divine providence, a law that tells us why something is allowed to happen.
234. THE LAWS OF PERMISSION ARE ALSO LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE
There are no laws of permission by themselves or separate from the laws of the Divine Providence: they are indeed the same. When, therefore, it is said that God permits, this does not mean that He wills, but that He cannot avert on account of the end, which is salvation. Whatever is done for the sake of the end, namely, salvation, is according to the laws of the Divine Providence. For, as was said before, the Divine Providence, keeping this end continually in view, is constantly moving in ways different from and contrary to man's will. Therefore, at every moment of its operation or at every step of its progress, when it perceives man to deviate from this end, it directs, bends and disposes him in accordance with its laws by withdrawing him from evil and leading him to good. It will be seen in what follows that this cannot be done without permitting evil. Moreover, nothing can be permitted without a cause, and such a cause is only to be found in some law of the Divine Providence which explains why it is permitted.
234. THE LAWS OF PERMISSION ARE ALSO LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
There are no laws of permission by themselves or apart from the laws of the Divine providence, but the two are the same; therefore God is said to permit, which does not mean that He wills, but that on account of the end, which is salvation, He cannot avert. Whatever is done for the sake of the end, which is salvation, is according to the laws of the Divine providence. For the Divine providence, as has been said before, is constantly moving in a way diverse from and contrary to man's will, continually intent upon its end; and in consequence, at every movement of its operation or at every step of its progress, where it observes man to be swerving from that end, it guides, bends, and directs him according to its laws, by leading him away from evil and leading him to good. That this cannot be done without the permission of evil will be seen in what follows. Moreover, nothing can be permitted without a reason, and the reason can be found only in some law of the Divine providence, which law teaches why it is permitted.
234. Quod leges Permissionis etiam sint
Leges Divinae Providentiae
Non sunt aliquae leges permissionis per se seu separatae a legibus Divinae Providentiae, sed sunt eaedem, quare dicitur quod Deus permittat, per quod non intelligitur quod velit, sed quod non possit avertere propter finem, qui est salvatio; quicquid fit propter finem, qui est salvatio, est secundum leges Divinae Providentiae: nam, ut prius dictum est, Divina Providentia jugiter in diversum et in contrarium it cum voluntate hominis, continue intendens finem, quare in omni momento operationis suae, seu in omni vestigio progressionis suae, ubi animadvertit aberrare hominem a fine, illum secundum leges suas dirigit, flectit et disponit, abducendo a malo, ducendo ad bonum; quod hoc non fieri possit absque permissione mali, in sequentibus videbitur. Praeterea non potest aliquid permitti 1absque causa, et causa non datur alibi, quam in aliqua lege Divinae Providentiae, quae lex docet cur permittitur.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: pemitti