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597. 六十三, 人的自由取决于天堂与地狱之间的平衡
我刚才描述了天堂与地狱之间的平衡, 并说明该平衡是来自天堂的良善与来自地狱的邪恶之间的平衡; 这意味着它是一种属灵的平衡, 本质上是一种自由. 属灵的平衡之所以本质上是一种自由, 是因为它是良善与邪恶, 真理与虚假之间的一种平衡, 而这些都是属灵的. 因此, 要么意愿良善, 要么意愿邪恶, 要么思想真理, 要么思想虚假, 并且选择这一个, 而非那一个的能力就是我在此所论述的自由. 主将这种自由赐予每个人, 从不拿走. 事实上, 它凭其源头而属于主, 并不属于人, 因为它来自主. 尽管如此, 它仍连同生命一起被赐予人, 仿佛是他的. 这样做是为了人能拥有被改造和得救的能力; 因为没有自由, 就不可能有改造或得救. 凡有一点理性洞察力的人都能看出, 能思想好的或坏的, 诚实或不诚实, 公义或不义是人自由的一部分; 还能看出, 由于约束其外在的属灵, 道德和文明的法则, 他的言行可以是良好, 诚实和公义的, 而非不好, 不诚实和不义的. 由此可见, 正是人的灵在思考和意愿, 也就是处于自由, 而非他那说话和行动的外在, 除非这外在遵行上述法则.
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597. 自由取決於天國與地獄間的平衡
前文描述了天國與地獄之間的平衡, 已說明該平衡是天國所發的善與地獄所發的惡之間的平衡, 就是說, 它是心靈的平衡, 其本質是自由。
這種心靈的平衡本質上是一種自由, 因為它存在於善與惡, 理與謬之間, 而這些都關乎心靈。所以, 可以在善惡真偽之間做選擇, 可以在彼與此之間權衡輕重, 就是這裡所說的"自由"。
主將這種自由賜與每一個人, 從不收回。就其源頭而言, 它實際上屬於主, 不屬於人, 因其源自於主。但是, 主將自由連同生命一起賜與我們, 好似它本來就屬於我們, 以便我們重生得救。因為若無自由, 重生得救就無從實現。
稍具理性的人, 不難看出人有思想善良或邪惡, 誠實或虛偽, 公平或自私的自由。但是, 因著心靈的, 道德的, 民事的法則約束, 人的言行總力求善良, 誠實, 公平, 避免顯得邪惡, 虛偽, 自私。
由此可見, 所謂人具有自由, 是指運行思維和意志的心靈而言, 對於他外在的言語和行為並不適合, 除非其言行合乎以上所提到的法則。
597. Our Freedom Depends on the Balance between Heaven and Hell
I have just described the balance between heaven and hell and have shown that the balance is between what is good from heaven and what is evil from hell, which means that it is a spiritual balance that in essence is a freedom.
The reason this spiritual balance is essentially a freedom is that it exists between what is good and what is evil and between what is true and what is false, and these are spiritual realities. So the ability to intend either good or evil and to think either truth or falsity, the ability to choose one instead of the other, is the freedom I am dealing with here.
The Lord grants this freedom to every individual, and it is never taken away. By virtue of its source it in fact belongs to the Lord and not to us because it comes from the Lord; yet still it is given us along with our life as though it were ours. This is so that we can be reformed and saved, for without freedom there can be no reformation or salvation.
Anyone who uses a little rational insight can see that we have a freedom to think well or badly, honestly or dishonestly, fairly or unfairly, and that we can talk and act well, honestly, and fairly but not badly, dishonestly, and unfairly because of the spiritual, moral, and civil laws that keep our outward nature in restraint.
We can see from this that the freedom applies to our spirit, which does our thinking and intending, but not to our outer nature, which does our talking and acting, except as this follows the aforementioned laws.
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597. IT IS BY MEANS OF THE EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL THAT MAN IS IN FREEDOM
The equilibrium between heaven and hell has been described above, and it has been shown that it is an equilibrium between the good that is from heaven and the evil that is from hell, thus that it is a spiritual equilibrium, which in its essence is freedom. A spiritual equilibrium in its essence is freedom because it is an equilibrium between good and evil, and between truth and falsity, and these are spiritual. Therefore to be able to will either what is good or what is evil and to think either what is true or what is false, and to choose one in preference to the other, is the freedom which is here treated of. This freedom is given to every man by the Lord, and is never taken away; in fact, by virtue of its origin it is not man's but the Lord's, since it is from the Lord. Nevertheless, it is given to man with his life as if it were his; and this is done that man may be reformed and saved; for without freedom there can be no reformation or salvation. With any rational intuition anyone can see that it is a part of man's freedom to be able to think wrongly or rightly, honestly or dishonestly, justly or unjustly; also that he is able to speak and act rightly, honestly, and justly; but not to speak and act wrongly, dishonestly, and unjustly, because of the spiritual, moral, and civil laws whereby his external is held in bonds. From these things it is clear that it is man's spirit, which thinks and wills, that is in freedom, and not his external which speaks and acts, except in agreement with the above-mentioned laws.
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597. BY MEANS OF THE EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL MAN IS IN FREEDOM.
The equilibrium between heaven and hell has now been described, and it has been shown that it is an equilibrium between the good that is from heaven and the evil that is from hell, thus that it is a spiritual equilibrium, which in its essence is freedom. A spiritual equilibrium in its essence is freedom because it is an equilibrium between good and evil, and between truth and falsity, and these are spiritual. Therefore to be able to will either what is good or what is evil and to think either what is true or what is false, and to choose one in preference to the other, is the freedom which is here treated of. This freedom is given to every man by the Lord, and is never taken away; in fact, by virtue of its origin it is not man's but the Lord's, since it is from the Lord. Nevertheless, it is given to man with his life as if it were his; and this is done that man may have the ability to be reformed and saved; for without freedom there can be no reformation or salvation. With any rational intuition any one can see that it is a part of man's freedom to be able to think wrongly or rightly, sincerely or insincerely, justly or unjustly; also that he is free to speak and act rightly, honestly, and justly; but not to speak and act wrongly, insincerely, and unjustly, because of the spiritual, moral, and civil laws whereby his external is held in restraint. Evidently, then, it is man's spirit, which thinks and wills, that is in freedom, and not his external which speaks and acts, except in agreement with the above mentioned laws.
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597. [LXIII.] QUOD HOMO IN LIBERO SIT PER AEQUILIBRIUM INTER CAELUM ET INFERNUM.
Supra actum est de aequilibrio inter caelum et infernum, et ostensum quod aequilibrium illud sit aequilibrium inter bonum quod e caelo et malum quod ex inferno; ita quod sit aequilibrium spirituale, quod in sua essentia est liberum. Quod aequilibrium spirituale in sua essentia sit liberum, est quia est inter bonum et malum, ac inter verum et falsum, et haec sunt spiritualia: quapropter posse velle bonum aut malum, et cogitare verum aut falsum, ac eligere unum prae altero, est liberum, de quo hic agitur. Hoc liberum datur unicuivis homini a Domino, nec usquam aufertur; est quidem ex sua origine non hominis sed Domini, quia est a Domino; at usque cum vita donatur homini sicut suum; et hoc ex causa, ut homo possit reformari et salvari; nam absque libero nulla reformatio et salvatio. Quisque ex intuitione aliqua rationali videre potest, quod in hominis libero sit cogitare male vel bene, sincere vel insincere, juste vel injuste; et quoque quod possit loqui et agere bene, sincere et juste, sed non male, insincere et injuste propter leges spirituales, morales et civiles, per quas externum ejus tenetur in vinculis. Ex his patet, quod spiritus hominis, qui est qui cogitat et vult, sit in libero; non ita externum hominis, quod loquitur et agit, nisi hoc sit secundum supradictas leges.