286、既然按圣治的律法，人能出于自由照着理性行动，也就是说，凭自由和理性这两种官能行动，既然按圣治的律法，凡人所行的在他看来，都要看似他自己的，同样按圣治的律法，邪恶必须被允许，以便人能从中被领出来，那么可推知，人能滥用这些官能，能出于自由照着理性随心所欲地证实任何事。因为他能随心所欲地将任何事合理化，无论它本身是否合理。所以有些人会说：“什么是真理？难道我就不能随心所欲地把任何事变成真理吗？世人不就是这么做的吗？”凡如此行的人都是通过推理来行的。尽可能地拿一个最虚假的命题，让一个聪明人去证明它，他就会去证明。例如，让他证明人是一个动物；或灵魂就像蛛网里的小蜘蛛，掌控身体就像蜘蛛通过蛛丝来掌控一样；或让他证明宗教无非是一种约束；无论你选择哪个命题，他都能证明，直到它看似真理。没有比这更容易的事了，因为他对表象的性质，或出于一种盲目信仰而被视为真理的虚假的性质一无所知。
这就是为何人不能看见这一真理，即：圣治在理解力和意愿的最小细节中，或也可说，在每个人，无论恶人善人的思维和情感的最小细节中。误导他的主要问题是，他以为邪恶也来自主；而事实上，邪恶丝毫不来自主；相反，它来自人，因为他把以下表象当成事实来接受，即：他凭自己思考、说话和行动，如我们稍后所看到的。为清楚明白这一点，我需要按下列顺序来阐述：
⑴不仅对善人，而且对恶人来说，圣治处处都在最小细节上作工；但它不在他们的邪恶中。
⑵恶人不断将自己引入邪恶，但主不断把他们引离邪恶。
⑶只要恶人以为自己的聪明是一切，圣治什么都不是，主就无法把他们完全引离邪恶，并引入良善。
⑷主通过对立面掌控地狱；对尚在尘世的恶人来说，主在地狱掌控他们的内层，而不是他们的外层。
286. Now because it is a law of Divine providence that a person be able to act in freedom in accordance with his reason, which is to say, in conformity with these two faculties, freedom and rationality, and because it is also a law of Divine providence that what a person does appear to him as emanating from him and so to be his own doing, and a law that evils have to be permitted to enable him to be led out of them, it follows that it is possible for a person to abuse these faculties and use his freedom in accordance with his reason to affirm whatever he pleases. For he can make whatever he wishes to be a matter of his reason, whether or not it is reasonable in itself.
Some people say therefore, "What is truth? Can I not make to be true anything I wish? Is this not also what the whole world does?" And anyone who does this does so by reasonings.
Take the greatest falsity and tell a clever person to defend it and he will. Tell him, for instance, to establish that the human being is an animal. Or say that the soul is like a little spider in its web and governs the body as a spider does by means of threads. Or tell him that religion is simply nothing but a shackle. And he will argue each of these until it appears as the truth.
Nothing could be easier, because he does not know what an appearance is, nor what a false assumption is when taken as true out of a blind faith.
[2] It is because of this that people cannot see this truth, that Divine providence operates in the least particulars of the intellect and will, or to say the same thing, in the least particulars of the thoughts and affections in every person - in an evil person as well as in a good one.
People become confused especially by the thought that evils, too, would in that case originate from the Lord. But we will see in the discussions that follow now that nevertheless not the least bit of evil emanates from the Lord, but that it arises from mankind, by people's affirming in themselves the appearance that they think, will, speak and act of themselves.
For this to be seen clearly, we must demonstrate it under the following series of headings:
(1) Divine providence operates universally in the least particulars, not only in the case of good people but also in the case of evil people, and yet is not present in their evils.
(2) Evil people continually steer themselves into evils, but the Lord continually turns them away from evils.
(3) Evil people cannot be altogether turned away from evil and led into good by the Lord as long as they believe their own intelligence to be everything and Divine providence nothing.
(4) The Lord governs hell through opposing forces, and He governs evil people in the world in respect to their interiors in hell, but not in respect to their exteriors.
286. Now since it is a law of divine providence that we can act freely and rationally (that is, availing ourselves of the two abilities called freedom and rationality), and since it is also a law of divine providence that whatever we do seems to be done by us and therefore to be ours, and since we can infer from these laws that evils have to be permitted, it follows that we can misuse these abilities. We can freely and rationally justify anything we please. We can take anything we please and make it rational, whether it is inherently rational or not. This leads some people to say, "What is truth? Can't I make anything true that I choose? Isn't that what the world does?" People do this by rationalizing if they can.
Take the most false proposition you can and tell clever individuals to justify it, and they will. For example, tell them to prove that we are nothing but animals, or that the soul is like a spider in its web, controlling the body by its filaments, or that religion is nothing but a restraint, and they will prove whichever you choose so that it actually seems true. Nothing could be easier, because they cannot identify an appearance or a false proposition that is taken in blind faith to be true.
[2] This is why people cannot see the truth that divine providence is at work in the smallest details of everyone's discernment and volition, the smallest details of everyone's thoughts and impulses (which amounts to the same thing), in evil and good people alike.
The main thing that misleads them is that this seems to make the Lord responsible for evil when in fact no trace whatever of evil comes from the Lord. It all comes from us through our accepting as fact the appearance that we think, intend, talk, and act autonomously, as we shall shortly see. To make it clear, I need to proceed in the following sequence.
1. Divine providence is at work in the smallest details everywhere, not only with the good but with the evil as well; but it is not in their evils.
2. Evil people are constantly leading themselves into evils, and the Lord is constantly leading them away from evils.
3. The Lord cannot fully lead evil people away from their evils and guide them in what is good as long as they believe that their own intelligence is everything and that divine providence is nothing.
4. The Lord controls the hells by means of opposites. As for evil people who are still in this world, he controls them in hell as to their deeper natures, but not as to their more outward natures.
286. Now as it is a law of the Divine Providence that man should act from freedom according to reason, that is, from the two faculties liberty and rationality; and as it is also a law of the Divine Providence that what he does should appear to him as from himself and consequently as his own; and further as it is a law that evils must be permitted in order that man may be led out of them; it follows that man can abuse these faculties and from freedom according to reason confirm whatever he pleases. For he can make whatever he will to be reasonable whether it is reasonable in itself or not. Therefore some say, What is truth? Can I not make true whatever I will? Does not also the world do so? Whoever does this does it by reasoning. Take the greatest falsity and tell a clever dialectician to prove it, and he will do so. For example, tell him to prove that man is a beast; or that the soul is like a small spider in its web, governing the body as the spider governs by means of its threads; or tell him that religion is nothing but a restraining bond, and he will prove any one of these propositions until it appears to be true. What is easier? For he does not know what an appearance is, or what a falsity is which from blind faith is assumed as a truth.
[2] Hence it is that a man cannot see this truth, namely, that the Divine Providence is in the most individual things of the understanding and of the will, or what is the same, in the most individual things of the thoughts and of the affections in every man, whether wicked or good. He becomes confused principally by supposing that in this case evils also would be from the Lord; but, nevertheless, it will be seen in what now follows that there is not a particle of evil from the Lord, but that evil is from man, through his confirming in himself the appearance that he thinks, wills, speaks and acts from himself. In order that these things may be clearly seen they will be demonstrated in the following order:
I. The Divine Providence, not only with the good but also with the wicked, is universal in things most individual; and yet it is not in men's evils.
II. The wicked are continually leading themselves into evils, but the Lord is continually leading them away from evils.
III. The wicked cannot be wholly withdrawn by the Lord from evil and led in good so long as they believe their own intelligence to be everything and the Divine Providence nothing.
IV. The Lord governs hell by means of opposites; and the wicked who are in the world he governs in hell as to their interiors, but not as to their exteriors.
286. And since it is a law of the Divine providence that man shall be able to act from freedom in accordance with reason, that is, from the two faculties, liberty and rationality, and since it is also a law of the Divine providence that what a man does shall appear to him to be as if from himself, and therefore to be as if it were his own, also that it is a law that evils must be permitted in order that man may be led out of them, it follows that man has the ability to misuse these faculties, and from freedom in accordance with reason to confirm whatever he pleases; for he is able to make whatever he pleases to be reasonable, whether it is in itself reasonable or not. Consequently some say, "What is truth? Am I not able to make anything I wish to be true?" And does not the world do this? And whoever does this does it by reasonings. Assume the falsest proposition and ask an ingenious man to prove it, and he will prove it. Ask him, for instance, to prove that man is a beast; or that the soul is like a little spider in its web, and governs the body as the spider governs by means of its threads; or tell him that religion is nothing but a mere restraint-and he will prove any one of the things proposed until it looks as if it were true. What is easier? For he knows nothing about the nature of appearances, or of falsity assumed as truth from a blind faith.
[2] It is for this reason that man is unable to see this truth, namely, that the Divine providence is in the least particulars of the understanding and will, or what is the same, in the least particulars of thought and affection in every man, whether bad or good. He confuses himself especially by the thought that then evils also would be from the Lord; but it will be seen in what now follows that not the least fraction of evil is from the Lord, but that evil is from man, through his confirming in himself the appearance that he thinks, wills, speaks, and acts from himself. That this may be seen clearly it will be set forth in the following order:-
(1) The Divine providence, not only with the good but with the evil as well, is universal in every least particular; and yet it is not in their evils.
(2) The evil are continually leading themselves into evils, but the Lord is continually leading them away from evils.
(3) The evil cannot be wholly led by the Lord away from evil and into good so long as they believe their own intelligence to be everything and the Divine providence nothing.
(4) The Lord governs hell by means of opposites; and He governs in hell the evil who are in the world in respect to their interiors, but not in respect to their exteriors.
286. Nunc quia Lex Divinae Providentiae est, ut homo possit ex libero secundum rationem, hoc est, ex binis illis facultatibus, Libertate et Rationalitate, agere; et quoque Lex Divinae Providentiae est, quod id quod agit, appareat homini sicut ab ipso, et inde sicut ipsius; tum lex, quod permittenda sint mala, ut ex illis possit educi, sequitur quod homo possit abuti illis facultatibus, et ex libero 1secundum rationem confirmare quicquid lubet, potest enim rationis facere quodcunque vult, sive sit sive non sit rationis in se; quare aliqui dicunt, quid Verum; annon possum verum facere quodcunque volo; annon etiam mundus ita facit; et qui hoc potest, facit id per ratiocinationes; sume falsissimum, et dic ingenioso, confirma, et confirmabit; ut dic ei, ut confirmet quod homo sit bestia; aut dic quod anima sit sicut araneola in sua tela, et regat corpus sicut illa per fila; aut dic ei quod religio non sit aliquid sed modo vinculum, et confirmabit quodlibet horum, usque ut appareat sicut verum: quid facilius, quia non scit quid apparentia, nec quid falsum ex caeca fide pro vero assumtum:
[2] ex hoc est, quod homo non possit videre hoc verum, quod Divina Providentia sit in singularissimis intellectus et voluntatis, seu quod idem, in singularissimis cogitationum et affectionum apud unumquemvis hominem, tam malum quam bonum: confundit se imprimis per id, quod sic forent mala etiam a Domino; sed quod usque ne hilum mali sit a Domino, sed ab homine, per id quod apparentiam, quod cogitet, velit, loquatur et agat ex se, apud se confirmaverit, videbitur in nunc sequentibus: quae ut clare videantur, demonstranda sunt in hoc ordine. 1. Quod Divina Providentia non solum sit apud bonos sed etiam apud malos in singularissimis universalis; et quod usque non sit in illorum malis. 2. Quod mali seipsos continue inducant in mala, sed quod Dominus illos continue abducat a malis. 3. Quod mali non possint a Domino prorsus abduci a malo, et duci in bono, quamdiu credunt propriam intelligentiam esse omne, et Divinam Providentiam non aliquid. 4. Quod Dominus regat infernum per opposita, et quod malos qui in mundo sunt, regat in inferno quoad interiora, at non quoad exteriora.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: llbero