438.然而，没人能凭自己的能力和力量从恶中洁净自己；不过，离开仿佛是人自己的能力和力量，这事也不能成就。如果这些能力和力量不好似人自己的，没人能与肉体及其欲望抗争，但这却是每个人应尽的责任。事实上，人甚至都不想与它们抗争，宁愿放纵自己的心智沉溺于各种邪恶，仅仅被世间为维护公义而确立的法律及其制裁所束缚。他的内在就象老虎、猎豹或毒蛇，这些动物根本不会反思它们所喜欢的残忍乐趣。这清楚表明，人既被赋予了超越动物的理性力量，就应该运用主所赐给他的能力和力量来抵制邪恶，这能力和力量无论从哪方面看都是他自己的。这种“是他自己的”表象其实是主赐给每个人的天赋，为的是在他里面实现重生，归给，与祂自己结合，以及救赎。
------------
438. 不管怎樣, 沒有人能靠自己的能力與力量潔淨自己的邪惡。另一方面, 人若不運用能力與力量, 猶如自己的能力與力量, 也無法完成此事。如果沒有這樣表面上的能力, 無人能與肉體及其欲望抗爭, 儘管這是加在每個人身上的責任。事實上, 人們甚至都不想去抗爭, 而是放任自己的思想沉溺於各種邪惡之中, 只是礙於世間(為了維護公正所立的)法律以及違法的處罰, 才有所收斂。這種人的內心如同猛虎,獵豹或毒蛇, 全然忘記去思考他們內心享受之樂的殘忍。
於是清楚可知, 人被賦予理性的力量, 而動物則沒有。人必須運用主所賜的這些能力與力量來抵擋邪惡, 哪怕說這些能力與力量看起來是自己的。這種錯覺其實是主賜給每個人的天賦, 為的是使人更新, 將善歸算給人, 使人與祂建立聯結, 並拯救人。
------------
438. Still, none of us can purify ourselves from evils by our own power and our own force. On the other hand, neither can we purify ourselves without having power and force as if they were our own. If we did not have apparent power, none of us could fight against the flesh and its cravings, although we have all been ordered to do so. In fact, we could not even think about battling them. We would let our mind go into evils of every kind. We would be held back from actually doing evils only by the laws of justice that have been passed in the world and the penalties they prescribe. Inside we would be like tigers, leopards, or snakes that utterly fail to reflect on the cruelty that their hearts enjoy.
Clearly then, because we are rational in a way that animals are not, we have to resist evils using the powers and abilities the Lord gives us, although as far as we can tell, those powers and abilities appear to be our own. The Lord gives us all this illusion in order to regenerate us, attribute goodness to us, forge a partnership with us, and save us.
------------
438. No one, however, can cleanse himself of evils by his own ability and strength; yet neither could it be done without a person's ability and strength, employed as if they were his own. But for them no one could fight the flesh and its longings, yet this is a duty laid on everyone. In fact, he would not even think about fighting them, but would give free rein to his mind to indulge in every sort of evil, and would only be restrained by the laws established in the world to administer justice, and the penalties they impose. He would inwardly be like a tiger, leopard or snake, which are incapable of reflecting on the cruel pleasures they love to take. This makes it plain that a person, who is endowed with powers of reason beyond those of an animal, ought to resist evils using the ability and strength given him by the Lord, which seem to him in every sense his own. This appearance of being his own is the Lord's gift to everyone, to bring about in him regeneration, imputation, linking to Himself, and salvation.
------------
438. But no one is able to purify himself from evils by his own power and his own abilities; yet neither can it be done without the power and abilities of man as if these were his own. If these were not as if they were his own, no man would be able to fight against the flesh and its lusts, which everyone is commanded to do; he would not even be able to think of any combat, thus his mind would be opened to evils of every sort, and would be restrained from them as deeds only by the laws of justice established in the world, and their penalties; and thus he would be inwardly like a tiger, a leopard, or a serpent, which never reflect at all upon the cruel delights of their loves. From this it is clear that as man, in contrast with wild beasts, is rational, he ought to resist evils by the power and abilities given him by the Lord, which in every sense appear to him to be his own; and this appearance has been granted by the Lord to every man for the sake of regeneration, imputation, conjunction, and salvation.
------------
438. No one, however, by his own power and strength can purify himself from evils, and yet this cannot be effected without man's power and strength, used as if they were his own. Unless these were as his own no one would be able to fight against the flesh and its lusts, which, nevertheless, is required of all; indeed, he would never think of any such combat, and so would abandon his mind to evils of every kind, being restrained from their actual perpetration only by worldly laws and their penalties. He would thus be inwardly like a tiger, a leopard, or a serpent, animals that do not reflect on the cruelties inflicted by the gratification of their lusts. It is plain then, that a man, being endowed with reason above the beasts, ought to resist evils by the power and strength given him by the Lord, which appear in every sense to be his own. This appearance the Lord communicates to every man, for the sake of regeneration, imputation, conjunction and salvation.
------------
438. Sed purificare se a malis, nemo ex propria potentia et ex propriis viribus potest, at usque non fieri potest absque potentia et viribus hominis, sicut propriis; quae nisi forent, non aliquis posset pugnare contra carnem et ejus concupiscentias, quod tamen cuivis injunctum est, imo non cogitaret de aliqua pugna, ita animum relaxaret in omnis generis mala, et solum per Leges justitiae latas in Mundo, et per illarum poenas, retineretur ab illis quoad facta, et sic foret intus sicut tigris, pardus, et serpens, qui nihil reflectunt super amorum suorum crudelia jucunda: ex his patet quod homo, quia prae feris rationalis est, debeat resistere malis ex potentia et viribus sibi datis a Domino, quae in omni sensu apparent ei ut propriae, et haec apparentia est data cuivis homini a Domino propter Regenerationem, Imputationem, Conjunctionem, et Salvationem.