44、在自己看来，一个人越明显是自己的主人，就越清楚地认识到，他属于主，因为他与主结合得越紧密，就越有智慧，如前所示（34-36节），而智慧会教导并认识到这一点。第三层天堂的天使作为最智慧的天使，也感知到这一点，并称其为自由本身；但他们将被自己引导称为奴役。他们给出的理由是，主不直接流入对智慧的感知和思维，而是流入对良善的爱之情感，通过这些情感流入前者；他们在自己从中拥有智慧的情感中感知这种流注。因此，他们说，他们出于智慧所思想的一切似乎来自他们自己，因而似乎是他们自己的；于是，一种相互结合便以这种方式产生。
44. The more distinctly a person appears to himself to be his own person, however, the more clearly does he recognize that he is the Lord's; and the reason is that the more closely he is conjoined with the Lord, the wiser he becomes (as we showed above in nos. 34-36), and wisdom teaches this and furthermore recognizes it.
Angels of the third heaven, being the wisest of the angels, also perceive this, and moreover call it freedom itself. On the other hand, they call it enslavement to be led by oneself. They give the reason, too, that the Lord does not flow directly into the matters of wisdom which constitute their perception and thought, but into the affections of their love of good, and through these into those matters. They say that they perceive the influx in the affection from which they have their wisdom, and that then everything they think in accord with wisdom appears to be as though from them, thus to be as though their own. And the result, they say, is a reciprocal conjunction.
44. The reason we are more clearly aware that we belong to the Lord as our sense of identity becomes clearer is that the more closely we are united to the Lord the wiser we become (see 34-36 above); and wisdom both teaches this and is conscious of it. Because angels of the third heaven are the wisest of angels, they even sense it and actually call it freedom itself. They refer to being led by themselves, though, as slavery.
The reason, they say, is that the Lord does not flow directly into the things that their wisdom enables them to sense and think but into the desires of their love for what is good, and through these desires into the effects of their wisdom. They sense the flow into the desire that prompts their wisdom. Then everything they think because of their wisdom feels as though it is coming from themselves and is therefore their own. This is what makes the union mutual.
44. The more distinctly a man appears to himself to be master of himself the more clearly he perceives that he is the Lord's, because the more nearly he is conjoined to the Lord the wiser he becomes, as was shown above (n. 34-36): this wisdom teaches and also perceives. The angels of the third heaven, because they are the wisest of the angels, also perceive this; and, moreover, they call it freedom itself; but to be led by themselves they call slavery. They give this as the reason, that the Lord does not flow immediately into what belongs to their perception and thought from wisdom, but into their affections of the love of good, and through these into the former; and that they perceive the influx in the affection from which they have wisdom; and that then all they think from wisdom appears to be from themselves, and thus as their own; and that in this way a reciprocal conjunction is effected.
44. The more distinctly a man appears to himself to be as if he were his own the more clearly he recognizes that he is the Lord's, because the more nearly he is conjoined with the Lord the wiser he becomes (as has been shown above, 34-36); this truth wisdom teaches and recognizes; and the angels of the third heaven, because they are the wisest of the angels, also perceive it and call it freedom itself; but to be led by themselves they call slavery. And this, they say, is the reason: that the Lord does not flow immediately into what belongs to their perception and thought from wisdom, but into their affections of love for good, and through these into the former; that they have a perception of the influx in the affection from which they have wisdom; and that then all that they think from wisdom appears to be as if from themselves, and therefore as if it were their own; and that by this a reciprocal conjunction is established.
44. Quod autem homo, quo distinctius sibi apparet sicut suus, eo evidentius animadvertat quod sit Domini, est quia quo propius conjungitur Domino, eo sapientior fiat, ut supra 34-36 ostensum est, ac sapientia docet id, et quoque animadvertit id: Angeli tertii Coeli, quia sapientissimi angelorum sunt, etiam percipiunt id, et quoque vocant id ipsum liberum; at duci a semet vocant servum: causam etiam dicunt, quod Dominus non influat immediate in illa quae sunt perceptionis et cogitationis illorum ex sapientia, sed in affectiones amoris boni, et per has in illa, et quod percipiant influxum in affectione, ex qua illis sapientia, et quod dein omne quod ex sapientia cogitant, appareat sicut a se, ita sicut suum; et quod per hoc fiat conjunctio reciproca.