43、有地狱的自由，也有天堂的自由。思想并意愿邪恶，而且只要文明道德的法律不阻止，还谈论并实行它，来自地狱的自由。另一方面，思想并意愿良善，而且只要有机会，就谈论并实行它，来自天堂的自由。凡一个人在自由中所思、所愿、所说、所行的，他都感觉是自己的；因为每个人所拥有的一切自由都来自他的爱。那些陷入对邪恶的爱之人只会感觉地狱的自由是真正的自由，而那些处于对良善的爱之人则感觉天堂的自由是真正的自由；因此，恶人和善人都感觉其自由的对立面是奴役。然而，不可否认，只有其中一个是真自由，因为彼此对立的两种自由不可能都是自由。同样不可否认，被良善引导是自由，被邪恶引导是奴役，因为被良善引导就是被主引导，而被邪恶引导就是被魔鬼引导。
由于一个人在自由中所行的一切在他看来，都是他自己的，并且如前所述，出于人的爱行动就是出于自由行动，故可推知，与主的结合使得一个人似乎是自由的，因而是自己的主人；并且他与主结合得越紧密，似乎就越自由，因而似乎越是自己的主人。在他自己看来，他越明显是自己的主人，是因为神性之爱具有这样的性质，它想要它自己的东西属于别人，因而属于一个人或一位天使。一切属灵之爱和卓越的神性之爱都是这样。此外，主从不强迫任何人。因为凡人被迫所做的事似乎都不是他自己的，似乎不是人自己的东西不可能属于他的爱，因而无法被归给他当作他自己的。因此，人总是在自由中被主引导，在自由中被改造和重生。关于这个主题，我们将在下文予以详述，也可参看第4节。
43. Hellish freedom is one thing, and heavenly freedom another. It is an exercise of hellish freedom to think and will evil, and so far as civil and moral laws do not hinder, to speak and do it. It is an exercise of heavenly freedom, on the other hand, to think and will good, and so far as opportunity is given, to speak and do it.
Whatever a person thinks, wills, speaks and does in freedom, he perceives as attributable to him, for to everyone all freedom accords with his love. Consequently people caught up in a love of evil perceive no otherwise than that hellish freedom is real freedom, whereas people impelled by a love of good perceive that heavenly freedom is real freedom, so that each regards the opposite as enslavement.
Nevertheless, no one can deny that either the one or the other is freedom, for two conditions of freedom in themselves opposite to each other cannot both be really free. Moreover, no one can deny that to be led by good is freedom, while to be led by evil is enslavement; for to be led by good is to be led by the Lord, whereas to be led by evil is to be led by the devil. 1
Now because everything that a person does in freedom appears to him to be attributable to him - for it accords with his love, and to act from one's love is, as we said above, to act in freedom - it follows that conjunction with the Lord causes a person to appear to himself free and so to be his own person, and the closer the conjunction with the Lord, the freer, and so the more his own person.
He appears to himself more and more distinctly to be as though his own person because Divine love is such that it wills what it has to be another's, thus to be a person's or angel's. That is the nature of all spiritual love, especially of Divine love. And besides, the Lord never compels anyone, because everything to which someone is compelled does not appear to him as attributable to him, and whatever does not appear to him as attributable to him cannot be made a matter of his love and so be assigned to him as belonging to him. Therefore a person is continually led by the Lord in freedom, and is also reformed and regenerated in freedom.
But we will say more on this subject in subsequent discussions. See also some observations in no. 4 above.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. John 8:34-36. See also Proverbs 5:22; , 12, 16, 19-20; 2 Peter 2:19.
43. There is hellish freedom, and there is heavenly freedom. Our ability to think and intend what is evil, and to say and do it to the extent that civil and moral laws do not restrain us, comes from hellish freedom. Our ability to think and intend what is good, and to say and do it when circumstances permit, comes from heavenly freedom. Whatever we think, intend, say, and do freely we feel is truly ours because all the freedom we have comes from our love. This means that if we are caught up in loving what is evil, we cannot help feeling that hellish freedom is freedom itself; while if we are caught up in loving what is good, we feel that heavenly freedom is freedom itself. As a result, each freedom regards the other as slavery.
No one, though, can deny that one or the other must be real freedom. Two kinds of freedom that are opposite to each other cannot both be true freedoms. Further, we cannot deny that being led by what is good is freedom and being led by what is evil is slavery, since being led by what is good is being led by the Lord and being led by what is evil is being led by the devil.
Now since anything we do freely seems to be our own because it comes from our love (acting from our love is acting freely, as already noted), it follows that union with the Lord makes us feel that we have freedom and therefore identity; and the closer our union with the Lord, the greater our freedom and our identity. The reason our identity seems clearer is that divine love by its very nature wants to give what it has to others, which means to us on earth and to angels. All spiritual love is like this; divine love most of all. Further, the Lord never forces anyone, because anything we are forced to do does not seem to be ours and anything that does not seem to be ours cannot become part of our love and so be accepted as our own. This is why the Lord is always leading us in freedom, and reforming and regenerating us in freedom.
There will be more on this later, and you may also refer to 4 above.
43. There is infernal freedom and there is heavenly freedom. It is from infernal freedom to think and to will evil, and so far as civil and moral laws do not hinder, to speak and to do it. On the other hand, it is from heavenly freedom to think and to will good, and so far as opportunity is granted, to speak and to do it. Whatever a man thinks, wills, speaks and does from freedom he perceives as his own; for all the freedom which everyone has is from his love. Therefore those who are in the love of evil perceive only that infernal freedom is freedom itself, while those who are in the love of good perceive that heavenly freedom is freedom itself and consequently the evil and the good perceive the opposite to be slavery. Still, it cannot be denied by anyone that one or other of these is freedom, for there cannot be two kinds of freedom in themselves opposite, and in themselves freedom. Moreover, it cannot be denied that to be led by good is freedom, and to be led by evil is slavery; for to be led by good is to be led by the Lord, and to be led by evil is to be led by the devil.
[2] Now since everything that a man does from freedom appears to him to be his own for it is of his love, and, as was said above, to act from one's love is to act from freedom, it follows that conjunction with the Lord makes a man appear to himself to be free and consequently to be master of himself; and the nearer the conjunction with the Lord the more free he seems, and consequently the more he seems to be master of himself. He appears to himself more distinctly to be master of himself because the Divine Love is such that it wills that what is its own should belong to another, thus to a man or to an angel. Such, indeed, is all spiritual love, and pre-eminently the Divine Love. Besides, the Lord never forces anyone, for nothing to which anyone is forced appears as his own; and what does not appear to be his own cannot be his love's, and so be appropriated to him as his own. Therefore man is led by the Lord continually in freedom, and is also reformed and regenerated in freedom. However, more will be said on this subject in what follows; something may also be seen above, in n. 4.
43. There is infernal freedom and there is heavenly freedom. To think and will evil, and to speak and do it so far as civil and moral laws do not hinder, is from infernal freedom. But to think and will good, and to speak and do it so far as opportunity is granted, is from heavenly freedom. Whatever a man thinks, wills, speaks, and does from freedom seems to him to be his own; for every one's freedom is wholly from his love. For this reason, those who are in a love of evil have no other perception than that infernal freedom is freedom itself; while those who are in a love of good perceive that heavenly freedom is freedom itself, and consequently its opposite is slavery both to the good and to the evil. Yet every one must confess that either the one or the other of these is freedom; for there cannot be two kinds of freedom, in themselves opposite and each freedom in itself. Furthermore, every one must confess that to be led by good is freedom, and to be led by evil is slavery; because to be led by good is to be led by the Lord, and to be led by evil is to be led by the devil. Since, then, everything that a man does from freedom appears to him to be his own, for it is of his love, and to act from one's love is to act from freedom, as has been said above, so it follows that it is conjunction with the Lord that makes a man seem to himself to be free and therefore his own; and the nearer the conjunction with the Lord is the more free he seems, and thus the more his own. He appears to himself more distinctly as if he were his own, because the Divine love is such that it wills its own to be another's, thus to be the man's or the angel's. Such is all spiritual love, and pre-eminently the Divine love. Moreover, the Lord in no case compels any one; for anything to which one is compelled does not appear to be his own; and what does not appear to be one's own cannot come to be of his love, and thus be appropriated to him as his. Therefore man is led by the Lord continually in freedom and is also reformed and regenerated in freedom. But of this more will be said in what follows; something may also be seen above (4).
43. Est liberum infernale et est liberum coeleste; ex libero infernali est cogitare et velle malum, et quantum non arcent leges civiles et morales, id loqui et facere; at ex libero coelesti est cogitare et velle bonum, et quantum datur copia, id loqui et facere: homo quicquid ex libero cogitat, vult, loquitur et facit, hoc percipit sicut suum, nam omne liberum est cuivis ex amore ejus; quare qui in amore mali sunt, non percipiunt aliter, quam quod liberum infernale sit ipsum liberum, at qui in amore boni sunt, percipiunt quod liberum coeleste sit ipsum liberum, consequenter quod oppositum sit servum utrique: sed usque non ab aliquo negari potest, quin unum aut alterum sit liberum, non enim possunt duo libera in se opposita in se libera esse; insuper non negari potest, quin duci a bono sit liberum, et duci a malo sit servum, nam duci a bono est a Domino, et duci a malo est a diabolo: nunc quia omne id apparet homini ut suum, quod ex libero facit, hoc enim est amoris ejus, [et] ex amore suo 1facere est ex libero, ut supra dictum est, sequitur quod conjunctio cum Domino faciat, ut homo sibi appareat liber et inde suus; et quo propior conjunctio est cum Domino, eo liberior, et inde plus suus. Quod Distinctius appareat sibi sicut suus, est quia Divinus Amor talis est, ut quod suum est velit esse alterius, ita hominis et angeli; omnis amor spiritualis est talis, maxime Divinus Amor: et praeterea Dominus nusquam cogit aliquem, quia omne id ad quod aliquis cogitur, non apparet ut suum, et quod non apparet ut suum, non potest fieri amoris ejus, et sic appropriari ei sicut suum: quare homo a Domino ducitur continue in libero, et quoque reformatur et regeneratur in libero. Sed de hac re plura dicentur in sequentibus; 2aliqua etiam videantur supra 4.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: sno
2 Prima editio: sequenttbns;