550、在灵人界，恶灵受到严厉的惩罚，以便通过惩罚来阻止他们作恶。这似乎也出于主。然而在那里，没有任何惩罚出于主，而是来自邪恶本身。因为邪恶与它自己的惩罚结合得如此紧密，以至于不能将两者分开。因为地狱里的成员最渴望和喜爱的莫过于作恶，尤其是施加惩罚和折磨；凡不受主保护的人，他们都加以虐待和惩罚。因此，当灵人出于恶心而作恶时，由于这会丢弃主对他的所有保护，恶灵就会冲向作恶者，对他施加惩罚。世上的恶行及其惩罚可以部分地说明这一点，因为这两者也是结合在一起的。世上的法律规定了对每一种罪恶的惩罚，因此，闯进罪恶的人也闯进了对它的惩罚中。唯一的区别是，在世上，邪恶有可能被隐藏起来，而在来世，它无法被隐藏。由此可以证实，主不向任何人行恶。世上的情况也是这样，国王、法官或法律不是惩罚罪犯的原因，因为这些不是作恶者作恶的原因。
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550. 在灵人界, 恶灵会受到严厉的惩罚, 以便通过惩罚制止他们作恶. 这一切似乎也出于主, 其实那里的惩罚并非出于主, 而是出于邪恶本身. 因为邪恶与其惩罚结合得如此紧密, 以致它们不可分割. 地狱团伙只渴望和喜欢行恶, 尤其施加惩罚和折磨; 凡不受主保护的人, 他们都加以虐待, 施以惩罚. 因此, 当出于恶心行恶时, 由于这会弃绝主的任何保护, 所以恶灵会攻击作恶者, 加以惩罚. 这一点可通过世上的恶行及其惩罚在某种程度上来说明, 因为它们在世间也是联在一起的. 事实上, 世上的法律规定了对每种邪恶的处罚; 因此, 凡陷入邪恶的, 也陷入对它的惩罚. 唯一不同的是, 在世上, 邪恶有可能被隐藏起来; 而这种事在来世是不可能的. 由此可以断定, 主不伤害任何人. 世上的情况也是这样: 对罪行的处罚并非国王或法官, 或法律造成的, 因为这些对罪犯的邪恶并不负有责任.
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550. 在心靈世界, 惡靈時常受到嚴厲的懲罰, 好叫他們害怕作惡。
這似乎也來自主, 其實它是來自惡本身。因為凡惡皆有罰與之相隨, 兩者不可分割。屬地獄的靈, 其最大的欲望莫過於給人以痛苦和折磨。凡是不受主保守的人, 他們著實能加以傷害, 施以懲罰。所以, 對於本乎惡而作惡的人, 由於他拒絕了主的保護, 惡靈便乘隙加以攻擊, 施以虐待。
在某種程度上, 這可從世人犯罪而受到法律的刑罰來說明:法律厘定每個罪行當受的刑罰, 凡犯罪之人理當接受相應的刑罰。唯一不同的是, 人的罪行在人間可能隱藏, 在心靈世界卻不能。
由此可以斷定, 主不傷害任何人。這與人間的情況相似:國王, 法官, 法律無需為刑罰負責, 他們在罪犯的惡行上沒有責任。
550. Evil spirits are punished severely in the world of spirits to keep them terrified of doing evil. This too seems to come from the Lord, but still no punishment there does come from the Lord. It comes from the evil itself, since an evil is so closely united to its punishment that they cannot be separated. The hellish mob craves and loves nothing more than inflicting harm, especially punishing and torturing, and they do inflict harm and punishment on anyone who is not being protected by the Lord. So when something evil is being done from an evil heart, since this rejects any protection by the Lord, evil spirits assail the evildoer and inflict punishment.
To some extent, this can be illustrated by evil deeds and their punishments in the world, where they are also united. The laws here set penalties for each crime, so anyone who plunges into evil is plunging into its punishment as well. The only difference is that in the world, evil can be hidden, which cannot happen in the other life.
We can therefore conclude that the Lord does not do harm to anyone. It is like this in the world as well. It is not the king or the judge or the law that is responsible for the punishment of the guilty, because they are not responsible for the evil of the criminal.
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550. Evil spirits are severely punished in the world of spirits in order that, by means of punishments, they may be deterred from doing evil. This also appears to be from the Lord. Yet nothing of punishment there, is from the Lord, but is from the evil itself. For evil is so joined with its own punishment that the two cannot be separated. For the infernal crew desire and love nothing so much as doing evil, especially inflicting punishments and torment; and they maltreat and inflict punishments upon everyone who is not protected by the Lord. When, therefore, evil is done from an evil heart, because it thereby discards all protection from the Lord, infernal spirits rush upon the one who does the evil, and inflict punishment. This may be partly illustrated by evils and their punishments in the world, where the two are also joined. For laws in the world prescribe a penalty for every evil; therefore, he who rushes into evil rushes also into the penalty of evil. The only difference is that in the world the evil may be concealed; but in the other life it cannot be concealed. From these things it can be confirmed that the Lord does evil to no one; and that it is the same as it is in the world, where it is not the king nor the judge nor the law that is the cause of punishment to the guilty, because these are not the cause of the evil with the evil-doer.
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550. Evil spirits are severely punished in the world of spirits in order that by means of punishments they may be deterred from doing evil. This also appears to be from the Lord; and yet nothing of punishment there is from the Lord, but is from the evil itself; since evil is so joined with its own punishment that the two cannot be separated. For the infernal crew desire and love nothing so much as doing evil, especially inflicting punishments and torment upon others; and they maltreat and inflict punishments upon everyone who is not protected by the Lord. When, therefore, evil is done from an evil heart, because it thereby discards all protection from the Lord, infernal spirits rush upon the one who does the evil, and inflict punishment. This may be partly illustrated by evils and their punishments in the world, where the two are also joined. For laws in the world prescribe a penalty for every evil; therefore he that rushes into evil rushes also into the penalty of evil. The only difference is that in the world the evil may be concealed; but in the other life it cannot be concealed. All this makes clear that the Lord does evil to no one; and that it is the same as it is in the world, where it is not the king nor the judge nor the law that is the cause of punishment to the guilty, because these are not the cause of the evil in the evil doer.
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550. Spiritus mali in mundo spirituum valde puniuntur, ut per poenas deterreantur a malis faciendis. Hoc quoque apparet sicut a Domino. At usque nihil poenae ibi est a Domino, sed ab ipso malo; nam malum cum sua poena ita conjunctum est ut separari nequeant: infernalis enim turba nihil plus cupit et amat quam malum agere, imprimis poenas infligere et cruciare, et quoque malum faciunt et poenas infligunt cuivis qui non tutatur a Domino; quapropter cum malum fit ex malo corde, tunc quia id a se rejicit omnem tutelam a Domino, irruunt in illum, qui tale malum facit, infernales spiritus, et puniunt. Hoc illustrari aliquatenus potest ex malis et eorum poenis in mundo, ubi etiam conjuncta sunt. Leges enim ibi praescribunt poenam cuivis malo; quapropter qui in malum etiam in poenam mali ruit. Differentia solum est, quod malum in mundo possit abscondi, non autem in altera vita. Ex his constare potest, quod Dominus nulli malum faciat; et quod hoc quoque simile sit sicut in mundo, quod non rex, nec judex, nec lex sint in causa quod puniatur reus, quia non sunt in causa mali apud malefactorem.