Faith21.然而，因邻舍为自己提供的良善或功用而爱邻舍是一回事，因自己向邻舍提供的良善或功用而爱邻舍是另一回事。前者甚至连恶人也能做到，而后者只有善人才能做到，因为善人出于良善而热爱良善，也就是说，他出于对功用的情感而热爱功用。主在马太福音（5:42-47）描述了两者之间的区别。许多人说：“我爱这个人，因为他爱我，并向我行善。”但仅仅因为这个原因而爱别人不是从内心深处来爱他，除非爱他的这个人拥有良善在自己里面，并出于这良善而爱别人的良善。在这种情况下，这个人就处于仁爱；而在另一种情况下，他仅处于友谊，这种友谊不是仁爱。一个人若出于仁爱而爱邻舍，就会与邻舍的良善结合，而不是与他这个人结合，除非并且只要他处于良善。这样一个人就是属灵的，他对邻舍的爱也是属灵的。然而，一个人若出于纯粹的友谊而爱邻舍，就会与他这个人结合，同时与他的邪恶结合。这样一个人死后很难与那个陷入邪恶的人分离；但前者能。仁通过信作出这种区分，这信就是真理；处于仁爱的人会通过真理仔细检查并看出当爱什么；他在热爱并利益他人时，会关注别人所行功用的品质。
21. It is one thing, though, when we love our neighbors for the benefit or service they offer us and another thing to love them for the benefit or service we offer them. Even when we are evil we can love our neighbors for the benefit or service they offer us, but only when we are good can we love our neighbors for the benefit or service we offer them. Then we are loving to do good because it is good—loving useful service because we have a desire to be of use. The difference between the two attitudes is described by the Lord in Matthew 5:43-47.
People often say, “I love such-and-such a person because that person loves me and does me good, ” but loving others for this reason alone is not loving them deeply, unless we ourselves are intent on what is good and love the good things that they do for that reason. That is being devoted to caring: the other is being focused on a kind of friendship that is not the same as caring.
When we love others because we care about them, we unite with the good they do and not with their personality, except insofar and as long as they are engaged in doing what is good. Then we are spiritual and are loving our neighbor spiritually. If we love others merely out of friendship, though, we unite ourselves with their personality, including the evil that belongs to them. In that case it is hard for us to separate ourselves after death from a personality that is devoted to evil, though in the former case, we can.
Caring makes this distinction by means of faith because faith is truth, and when through truth we are truly caring we look carefully and see what we should love; and when we are loving and benefiting others, we focus on the quality of usefulness in what we are doing.
21. Yet it is one thing to love the neighbor for the good or use he may be to us, and another to love the neighbor for the good or use we may be to him. To love the neighbor for the good or use he may be to us is something an evil person can do; but to love the neighbor for the good or use we may be to him is something only a good person can do. For it is the goodness in him that prompts a good person to love good, or the affection for useful endeavor in him that prompts him to love useful endeavor.
The difference between these two is described by the Lord in Matthew 5:43-44ff.
Many say, "I love him because he loves me and is good to me." But to love someone on that account alone is not to love him inwardly, unless the person who loves him has goodness in himself and is prompted by it to love the other’s goodness. Such a person is governed by charity, while the prior is governed by a friendship that lacks charity.
Someone prompted by charity to love the neighbor associates himself with the other’s goodness, and not with his person, except insofar and for so long as the other continues his goodness. He is a spiritual person and loves the neighbor spiritually. But someone who loves another out of friendship alone associates himself with the other’s person and at the same time with his evil. After death he can only with difficulty be separated from the person in evil, whereas the spiritual person can be easily separated.
Charity accomplishes this through faith, because faith is truth, and a person in a state of charity uses truth to examine and see what there is to be loved, and he regards the nature of the use to be served in his loving another and doing him good.
21. It is one thing, however, to love the neighbour from the good or use that is in him towards oneself, and another thing to love the neighbour from the good or use in oneself towards him. To love the neighbour from the good or use towards oneself is what even a bad man can do; but to love the neighbour from the good or use in oneself towards him is what none but a good man can do. For he loves good from good, or he loves use from the affection of use. The difference between these is described by the Lord in Matthew 5:42-47.
Many say, I love such a one because he loves me and does good to me. But to love him for that reason only is not to love him interiorly, unless he that so loves is himself principled in good and consequently loves the goodness of the other. The one is in charity; but the other is only in friendship, which is not charity. He who loves the neighbour from charity unites himself with the good of the neighbour, and not with his person except so far and so long as he is principled in good. Such a man is spiritual, and loves the neighbour spiritually. He, however, who loves another from friendship only unites himself with the person and at the same time with his evil. Such a one after death cannot without difficulty be separated from the person who is in evil; but the other can. Charity effects this by means of faith, because faith is truth; and the man who is in charity examines and discovers by means of truth what ought to be loved, and in loving and in conferring benefits he has regard to the nature of the other's use.
21. But it is one thing to love the neighbor on account of the good or use he is to us, and another to love him from the good or use we may be to him. Even an evil man can do the first, but only a good man the second, for a good man loves good from good, that is, he loves use from the affection of use. The difference between the two is described by the Lord in Matthew 5:42-47. Many say, "I love such a man because he loves me and does me good;" but to love anyone for this only is not to love him inwardly, unless he who so loves is himself in good, and from it loves the good of the other. In this case the man is in charity, but in the other he is in a friendship which is not charity. A man who loves the neighbor from charity conjoins himself with his good, and not with his person except insofar and for so long as he is in good. Such a man is spiritual, and loves his neighbor spiritually, whereas one who loves another from mere friendship, conjoins himself with his person, and at the same time with his evil, and after death he cannot without difficulty be separated from the personality that is in evil, but the former can. Charity effects this by means of faith, which faith is the truth; and the man who is in charity by means of the truth examines thoroughly and sees what ought to be loved, and in loving and conferring benefits he regards the quality of the other's use.
21. Sed aliud est amare proximum ex bono aut usu in illo erga se, et aliud est amare proximum ex bono aut usu in se erga illum. Amare proximum ex bono aut usu in illo erga se, potest etiam malus; sed amare proximum ex bono aut usu in se erga illum, non potest nisi bonus; nam hic ex bono amat bonum, seu ex affectione usus amat usum. Horum et illorum discrimen describitur a Domino apud Matthaeum (5:42-47, seq. 1). A multis dicitur, "Amo illum quia me amat et bonum mihi facit;" sed usque amare illum propter ea solum, non est interius amare illum, nisi ipse in bono sit, et ex illo amet bonum ejus; hic in charitate est, ille autem in amicitia est, quae non est charitas. Is qui ex charitate amat proximum, conjungit se cum bono ejus, et non cum persona nisi quantum et quamdiu in bono est; hic spiritualis est, et spiritualiter amat proximum; at qui ex sola amicitia amat alterum, is conjungit se cum persona, et simul tunc cum ejus malo; hic post mortem a persona, quae in malo est, aegre separari potest, alter autem potest. Charitas hoc facit per fidem, quae fides est veritas; et homo qui in charitate est, per veritatem scrutatur et videt, quid amandum est, et spectat quale usus iii amando et benefaciendo,
Footnotes:
"1. 42-47 pro ""32-33, seq."""