327、⑶若未得救，那是人自己的过错。凡理性的人一听见以下真理，都会承认它，即：邪恶不可能从良善流出，良善也不可能从邪恶流出，因为它们是对立面。这意味着，从良善流出的，无非是良善；从邪恶流出的，无非是邪恶。承认这个真理，也会承认，良善不是被良善的接受者，而是被邪恶的接受者转变为邪恶的，因为每种形式都会将流入它的东西转化为某种具有自己性质的事物（可参看292节）。既然主是本质上的良善，或良善本身，那么显而易见，邪恶不可能从主流出，或由祂产生；但良善能被其形式为邪恶形式的接受对象转变为邪恶。就其自我而言，人就是这种对象。这自我不断从主接受良善，又不断改变它，以适合自己的形式，也就是邪恶形式的性质。由此可推知，人若不得救，错在他自己。诚然，邪恶来自地狱；但由于人把它当成自己的来接受，从而将它据为己有，所以无论说邪恶来自人，还是来自地狱，都是一回事。我需要按下列顺序说明，邪恶如何被据为己有，甚至到了宗教本身被毁灭的地步。
①随着时间推移，每种宗教都逐渐衰落并走向完结。
②每种宗教都是因人里面的神之形像的颠倒而逐渐衰落并走向完结的。
③这种情形的发生是由于遗传之恶世世代代的不断增加。
④尽管如此，主仍规定人人都能得救。
⑤祂还规定新教会要取代被彻底摧毁的前教会。
327. The person himself is at fault if he is not saved. On merely hearing it, every rational person acknowledges this truth, that evil cannot issue from good, nor good from evil, because they are opposites, and consequently that nothing but good can issue from good, and nothing but evil from evil.
When this truth is acknowledged, one acknowledges also that good can be turned into evil not by a good recipient but by an evil one, for every form turns anything flowing into it into something of its own nature (see no. 292 above).
Now because the Lord is good in its very essence, or good itself, it is apparent that evil cannot issue from the Lord or be produced by Him, but that good can be turned into evil by a recipient vessel whose form is one of evil.
Such a vessel is the human being as regards his native character. This receives good from the Lord continually, and continually turns it into something of the nature of its own form, which is one of evil. It follows, therefore, that a person is at fault if he is not saved.
Evil does, indeed, originate from hell, but because a person accepts it from there as his own and thereby incorporates it into himself, it is therefore the same thing whether one says that evil arises from mankind or whether it arises from hell.
The reason for the adoption of evil, however, to the point that religion finally perishes - this we shall state under the following series of headings:
1. Every religion in the course of time declines and comes to an end.
2. Every religion declines and comes to an end by an inversion of the image of God in mankind.
3. This results from continual increases in hereditary evil through the generations.
4. The Lord nevertheless provides that it be possible for everyone to be saved.
5. He also provides that a new church follow in place of the earlier, devastated one.
327. 3. It is our own fault if we are not saved. Even on first hearing it, any rational person accepts the truth that evil cannot come from what is good, and that good cannot come from what is evil, since they are opposites. This means that nothing but good comes from what is good, and nothing but evil comes from what is evil. Once we admit this truth, we also admit that good can be turned into evil, not by the goodness itself but by the evil that receives it. Every form changes what it receives into something of its own nature (see 292 above).
Since the Lord is goodness in its very essence, or goodness itself, then, we can see that evil cannot flow from the Lord or be brought forth by him, but that it can be turned into evil by a recipient subject whose form is a form of evil. In respect to our claim to autonomy, we are this kind of subject. This apparent autonomy of ours is constantly receiving good from the Lord and constantly changing it to suit the nature of its own form, which is a form of evil. It therefore follows that it is our own fault if we are not saved.
Evil does come from hell, of course, but since our insistence on autonomy accepts evil as its own and thereby incorporates it into itself, it makes no real difference whether you say that the evil is from ourselves or that it is from hell. I need to say, though, where this incorporation of evil has come from, even to the point that religion itself is dying. I will do so in the following sequence. (a) Every religion eventually wanes and comes to completion. (b) Every religion wanes and comes to completion by inverting the image of God within us. (c) This happens because of the constant increase of hereditary evil from generation to generation. (d) The Lord still provides that everyone can be saved. (e) He also provides that a new church will take the place of the earlier one that has been razed.
327. III. THE MAN HIMSELF IS IN FAULT IF HE IS NOT SAVED. Every rational man, as soon as he hears it, acknowledges the truth that evil cannot flow from good nor good from evil, because they are opposites; consequently, that from good there flows nothing but good, and from evil nothing but evil. When this truth is acknowledged it is also acknowledged that good can be turned into evil not by a good but by an evil recipient; for every form converts into its own quality what flows into it, as may be seen above (n. 292). Now since the Lord is Good in its very essence, or Good itself, it is evident that evil cannot flow from Him or be produced by Him; but that good can be turned into evil by the recipient subject whose form is a form of evil. Such a subject is man as to his proprium, which continually receives good from the Lord and continually turns it into the nature of its own form, which is a form of evil. Hence it follows that man is in fault if he is not saved. Evil is indeed from hell; but as man receives it from hell as his own, and thereby appropriates it to himself, therefore it is the same whether it is said that evil is from man or from hell. But how there comes to be such an appropriation of evil that at length religion perishes will be explained in the following order:
1. Every religion in process of time declines and is consummated.
2. Every religion declines and is consummated by the inversion of the image of God in man.
3. This takes place from the continual increase of hereditary evil in successive generations.
4. Nevertheless it is provided by the Lord that everyone may be saved.
5. It is also provided that a new Church should succeed in place of the former devastated Church.
327. (3) Man himself is to blame if he is not saved. Every rational man, as soon as he hears it, acknowledges the truth that evil cannot flow from good or good flow from evil, because they are opposites; consequently that from good nothing but good can flow, and from evil nothing but evil. When this truth is acknowledged it is also acknowledged that good can be turned into evil, but by an evil recipient not by a good recipient; for every form turns into its own quality that which flows into it (as may be seen above,292). Since, then, the Lord is good in its very essence, or good itself, it is evident that evil cannot flow from Him or be produced by Him, but that the good may be turned into evil by a recipient subject whose form is a form of evil. Such a subject is man in respect to what is his own (proprium). This continually receives good from the Lord and continually turns it to the quality of its own form, which is a form of evil. From this it follows that man is to blame if he is not saved. It is true that evil is from hell; but as man accepts it therefrom as his own, and thereby appropriates it to himself, it is the same thing whether evil is said to be from man or from hell. But how evil comes to be appropriated, even to the extent that religion is destroyed, shall be told in this order:
(1) In process of time every religion declines and is consummated.
(2) Every religion declines and is consummated by the inversion of God's image in man.
(3) This comes from the continual increase of hereditary evil from generation to generation.
(4) Nevertheless the Lord provides that every one may be saved.
(5) It is provided also that a new church should follow the previous devastated church.
327. III. Quod ipse homo in culpa sit, si non salvatur. Hoc Verum modo auditum ab omni rationali homine agnoscitur, quod a bono non possit profluere malum, nec a malo bonum, quia opposita sunt; consequenter, quod a bono non profluat nisi quam bonum, et a malo non nisi quam malum: cum hoc verum agnoscitur, etiam agnoscitur hoc, quod bonum verti possit in malum, non a bono sed a malo recipiente, omnis enim forma vertit influum in suum quale, videatur supra 292. Nunc quia Dominus est Bonum in ipsa sua essentia, seu Ipsum Bonum, patet quod a Domino non profluere possit malum, nec ab Ipso 1produci, sed quod [bonum] possit verti in malum a subjecto recipiente, cujus forma est forma mali: tale subjectum est homo quoad proprium suum; hoc continue recipit bonum a Domino, et continue vertit illud in quale formae suae, quae est forma mali: inde sequitur, quod homo sit in culpa, si non salvatur. Est quidem malum ab inferno, sed quia id inde recipit ut suum, et per id appropriat sibi illud, ideo simile est, sive dicatur quod malum sit ab homine, sive dicatur quod malum sit ab inferno. Sed unde est appropriatio mali, usque tandem ut religio pereat, dicetur in hac serie. 1. Quod omnis Religio successu temporis decrescat et consummetur. 2. Quod omnis Religio decrescat et consummetur per inversionem imaginis Dei apud hominem. 3. Quod hoc existat ex continuis incrementis mali haereditarii in generationibus. 4. Quod usque a Domino provideatur, ut quisque salvari possit. 5. Quod etiam provideatur, ut nova Ecclesia loco devastatae prioris succedat.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: ipso