86、恶人和善人都拥有理性和自由，故都能理解真理、实行良善。然而，善人能出于自由照着理性而如此行，恶人却不能。因为恶人陷入对邪恶的爱之快乐，而善人处于对良善的爱之快乐。结果，恶人所理解的真理和所实行的良善不会成为他们的一部分，而良善和真理会成为善人的一部分；如果良善和真理没有实际成为他们的一部分，那么改造和重生是不可能的。对恶人来说，邪恶和虚假可以说在中心，而良善和真理在周边；而对善人来说，良善和真理在中心，邪恶和虚假在周边。在这两种情况下，属于中心的事物会发散到周边，就像热从火源，或冷从冰源发散一样。因此，对恶人来说，周边的良善会被中心的邪恶玷污；而对善人来说，周边的邪恶会被中心的良善缓和。这就是为何邪恶不诅咒重生的人，良善不拯救未重生的人。
86. Because an evil person as well as a good one possesses rationality and freedom, the evil person as well as a good one can understand truth and do good. But an evil person cannot do so in freedom in accordance with his reason, while a good one can, because an evil person is caught up in the delight of an evil love, whereas a good person is impelled by the delight of a good love. Consequently the truth that an evil person understands, and the good that he does, do not become attached to him, but do become attached to a good person; and without their becoming attached as his, reformation and regeneration are impossible. For in evil people evils are present with their falsities as though at the center, and goods with their truths on the peripheries. But in good people goods are present with their truths at the center, and evils with their falsities on the peripheries. Moreover, in either case those things which are at the center are diffused toward the peripheries, like heat from a fire at its center, or like cold from ice at its center. Thus goods on the peripheries in evil people are defiled by the evils at the center; and evils on the peripheries in good people are mitigated by the goods at the center.
This is the reason that evils do not condemn a regenerate person, and goods do not save an unregenerate one.
86. Since both evil and good people have rationality and freedom, both evil and good people can discern what is true and do what is good. However, evil people cannot do this freely and rationally, while good people can, because evil people are caught up in the pleasures of a love for evil while good people are caught up in a love for what is good.
The result is that any truth that evil people discern and any good that they do does not become part of them, though it does for good people; and if it does not become virtually part of them, there is no reformation and regeneration. For evil people, the evil intentions and their distortions are in the center and the good intentions and their truths are on the periphery, while for good people the good intentions and their truths are in the center and the evil intentions and their distortions are on the periphery. In each case, the qualities that are central spread all the way out to the periphery the way warmth spreads from a central fire or chill spreads from a central source of coldness. So for evil people, the peripheral good is corrupted by the central evils, and for good people the peripheral evil is mitigated by the central goodness. This is why evil deeds do not damn people who have been regenerated and good deeds do not save people who have not.
86. Since the wicked man as well as the good has rationality and liberty, so the wicked man as well as the good is able to understand truth and to do good; but while the wicked man cannot do this from freedom according to reason, the good man can, because the wicked man is in the delight of the love of evil but the good man is in the delight of the love of good. Therefore the truth which the wicked man understands and the good which he does are not appropriated to him, but such truth and good are appropriated to the good man; and unless they are appropriated as one's own, reformation and regeneration are not possible. For with the wicked, evils with falsities are as it were at the centre while good principles with truths are at the circumference; whereas with the good, good principles with truths are at the centre while evils with falsities are at the circumference. In both cases the things which belong to the centre spread out even to the circumference as heat spreads from a central fire and cold from an icy centre. Thus with the wicked what is good at the circumference is defiled by evils from the centre, and with the good evils at the circumference are moderated by what is good from the centre. This is the reason why evils do not condemn a regenerate man and why good does not save an unregenerate man.
86. As the evil man as well as the good man has rationality and liberty, so the evil man as well as the good man is able to understand truth and do good; but while the good man is able to do this from freedom in accordance with reason, the evil man is not; because the evil man is in the enjoyment of the love of evil, while the good man is in the enjoyment of the love of good. Consequently the truth that the evil man understands and the good that he does are not appropriated to him, while to the good man good and truth are appropriated, and without appropriation as one's own there is no reformation nor regeneration. For in the wicked, evils with falsities are as it were in the center, while goods with truths are in the circumferences; but in the good, goods with truths are in the center and evils with falsities are in the circumferences; and in both cases that which is at the center flows out even to the circumferences, as heat from a central fire, or as cold from a central frigidity. Thus in the evil the goods in the circumferences are defiled by the evils at the center; while in the good, the evils in the circumferences are moderated by the goods at the center. This is why evils do not damn the regenerate man, and goods do not save the unregenerate man.
86. Quia homini tam malo quam bono rationalitas et libertas est, potest tam malus quam bonus intelligere verum et facere bonum, sed malus non potest ex libero secundum rationem, bonus autem potest, quia malus est in jucundo amoris mali, bonus autem in jucundo amoris boni; quare verum quod homo malus intelligit, et bonum quod facit, 1ei non appropriantur, sed appropriantur homini bono; et absque appropriatione sicut ejus, non datur reformatio et regeneratio; 2sunt enim mala cum falsis apud malos sicut in centro, ac bona cum veris in peripheriis; at bona cum veris apud bonos sunt in centro, ac mala cum falsis in peripheriis; et utrinque illa quae centri sunt, se effundunt usque ad peripherias, sicut ab igne in 3centro calor, et a gelu in centro frigus; ita bona in peripheriis apud malos conspurcantur a malis centri, et mala in peripheriis apud bonos mitescunt a bonis centri: quae causa est, quod mala regeneratum non damnent, ac bona non regeneratum non salvent.
Footnotes:
1 quod facit, ubi in prima editione quodfacit,
2 Prima editio: regeneratio.
3 igne in ubi in prima editione ignein