275、人若生在他被造所进入的爱中，就不会活在任何邪恶中，甚至不知道何为邪恶；因为一个一直没有陷入邪恶，因而现在仍没有陷入邪恶的人，不可能知道何为邪恶；若被告知这样或那样是邪恶，就会以为这是不可能的。这就是亚当和他的妻子夏娃所处的纯真状态，他们不觉羞耻的“赤身露体”表示这种状态。从善恶知识树吃东西表示堕落之后对邪恶的熟悉或知晓。人被造所进入的爱是对邻之爱，这爱使得他对待邻舍像对待自己一样，甚至更好；当向邻舍行善时，他就处于这爱的快乐了；这爱和父母对孩子的爱差不多。这爱是真正的人性，因为它里面有一种属灵元素，这种属灵元素把它与低级动物所拥有的属世之爱区分开来。人若生在这爱中，就不会像如今的所有人那样生在无知的黑暗中，而是生在某种知识和聪明的光中；他会迅速拥有知识，获得聪明。当然，一开始，他会像一个动物那样四足爬行，但拥有一种与生俱来的用脚行走的努力；因为无论多么像一个四足动物，他都不会把脸转向地面，而是仰望天堂，从而能挺直身子向上看。
275. Evils Are Permitted for the Sake of the End, Which Is Salvation
If people were born with the love into which human beings were created, no one would have any evil. Indeed, no one would even know what evil is, for it is impossible for one who has not experienced any evil and so is not caught up in any evil to know what evil is. If he should be told that this or that is evil, he would not believe it possible. This state is the state of innocence in which Adam and his wife Eve were. The nakedness of which they were not ashamed symbolized that state.
A concept of evil after the Fall is meant by their eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The love into which people were created is love of the neighbor - to wish as well to him as to oneself, and more, and to experience the delight of that love in benefiting him, much as a parent does in benefiting his children.
This love is a truly human one, for it has in it a spiritual component which distinguishes it from the natural love that unreasoning animals have. If a person were to be born with this love, he would not be born into the darkness of ignorance as every person now is, but into something of the light of knowledge and so of intelligence, attributes into which he would also shortly come. And although he would indeed crawl at first on all fours like an animal, yet he would do so with an inherent endeavor to raise himself up on his feet. For even when on all fours, still he would not hold his face downward to the ground, but forward toward heaven, and would raise himself up so as to be also able to turn his face upward.
275. Evils Are Permitted for a Purpose: Salvation
If we were born loving, as we were when we were created, we would not be prone to any evil. We would not even know what evil is, because if we have not been drawn to evil and therefore are not inclined to evil, there is no way we can know what it is. If we were told that one thing or another was evil, we would not believe that it was possible. This is the state of innocence that Adam and his wife Eve were in; the nakedness that did not embarrass them portrayed that state. Familiarity with evil after the fall is meant by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The love we were created with is a love for our neighbor that makes us as generous with our neighbor as we are with ourselves, and even more so. We find ourselves full of the joy of that love when we do something good for others, very much the way parents feel toward their children.
This love is truly human. There is something spiritual within it that makes it different from the earthly love that the lower animals have. If we were born loving like this, we would not be born into the darkness of ignorance the way all of us are nowadays, but into some light of knowledge and intelligence; and before long we would actually be informed and intelligent. At first we would go on all fours like animals, but would have an inborn urge to walk on our feet, because even though we were on all fours we would not be looking down toward the ground, but forward toward heaven; and we would be straightening up so that we could look upward.
275. CHAPTER IX. EVILS ARE PERMITTED FOR THE SAKE OF AN END, WHICH IS SALVATION
If man were born into the love into which he was created he would not be in any evil, nor indeed would he know what evil is; for one who has not been in evil, and consequently is not in evil, cannot know what evil is. If he were told that a particular thing is evil he would not believe it possible. This is the state of innocence in which were Adam and Eve his wife; and the nakedness of which they were not ashamed signified that state. A rational conception of evil after the Fall is meant by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The love into which man was created is the love of the neighbour, so that he desires his neighbour's welfare as much as his own, even more than his own, and enjoys the delight which springs from that love while he acts kindly to him, much the same as a parent feels in acting kindly to his children. This love is truly human, for there is in it something spiritual that distinguishes it from the natural love which belongs to brute animals. If man were born into this love of the neighbour he would not be born into the darkness of ignorance, as every man now is, but into some faint light of knowledge and consequently of intelligence; and in these he would rapidly advance. He would indeed at first creep like a quadruped but with an inherent endeavour within him to raise himself up upon his feet; for, however much like a quadruped, still he would not turn his face downward to the earth, but forward towards heaven, and would stand upright so that he might also be able to look upwards.
275. EVILS ARE PERMITTED FOR THE SAKE OF THE END, WHICH IS SALVATION.
If man were born into the love into which he was created he would not be in any evil, nor would he even know what evil is; for one who has not been in evil, and consequently is not in evil, cannot know what evil is; and if told that this or that is evil would not believe it possible. Such was the state of innocence in which Adam and Eve his wife were, the "nakedness" that they were not ashamed of signifying that state. A knowledge of evil after the fall is meant by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The love into which man was created is love of the neighbor, to the end that he may wish as well to the neighbor as to himself and even better, and may be in the delight of that love when he is doing good to the neighbor; nearly the same as a parent's love for his children. This love is truly human, for there is in it a spiritual [element] that distinguishes it from the natural love that belongs to brute animals. If man were born into that love he would not be born into the thick darkness of ignorance, as every man now is, but into a certain light of knowledge and intelligence therefrom; and into these he would quickly come. At first, of course, he would creep like a quadruped, but with an inherent endeavor to raise himself up upon his feet; for however much like a quadruped he would not turn his face downward to the earth but forward towards heaven, and would so raise himself up as to be able also to look upwards.
275. Quod permittantur mala propter
Finem, qui est salvatio
Si homo in amorem, in quem creatus est, nasceretur, nonn foret in aliquo malo, imo nec sciret quid malum, nam qui non fuit in malo, et inde non est in malo, non scire potest quid malum; si diceretur ei quod hoc et illud sit malum, non crederet quod dabile sit; hic status est status innocentiae, in quo fuerunt Adamus et Chaiva uxor ejus; nuditas, quam non erubuerunt, significabat illum statum. Cognitio mali post lapsum intelligitur per esum ex arbore scientiae boni 1et mali. Amor, in quem homo creatus est, est amor proximi, ut ei velit ita bene sicut vult sibi, et magis, et quod in jucundo amoris illius sit, dum ei benefacit, vix aliter quam est parens erga infantes. Hic amor est vere humanus, nam in illo est spirituale, per quod distinguitur ab amore naturali, qui est animalibus brutis: si homo in illum amorem nasceretur, non nasceretur in caliginem ignorantiae, sicut nunc omnis homo, sed in quandam lucem scientiae et inde intelligentiae, 2in quas etiam brevi veniret; et quidem primum reperet sicut quadrupes, sed cum insito conatu erigendi se super pedes; nam quantumvis quadrupes, usque non deorsum ad terram demitteret faciem, sed antrorsum ad coelum, ac erigeret 3se, ut quoque posset sursum.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: honi
2 Prima editio: intelligentiae,
3 Prima editio: erig�ret