482.人若在属灵事物上没有选择自由，那么在文明、道德和属世的事物上也不会有选择自由，这一点从以下事实明显可知：被称为“神学”的属灵事物在人的心智中占据最高位置，就象身体里的灵魂一样。之所以占据最高位置，是因为这里有一道门，主经此门进入人内。在这之下的文明、道德与属世事物，都从它们上面的属灵事物获得生命。因为生命通过最高区域从主流入，并且人的生命就是去自由思考和意愿、从而言谈和行动的能力，所以可知，人在政治和属世事物上的选择自由来自这一源头，而不是其它。人从属灵自由感知善与真，以及社会的正义公平；这种感知本质上就是觉知本身。
人在属灵事物上的选择自由好比肺气，完全按照其思维的变化而被吸入、停留和呼出；若没有这自由，他将比遭受梦魇、心绞痛和哮喘之人还要糟糕。它还好比心脏中的血液，若血液供应不上，就会导致心悸，继而心脏抽搐几下后，完全停止跳动。又好比运动中的身体，只要身体不断努力，就会继续保持运动；但是，当努力停止时，运动同时停止。人的意愿所拥有的选择自由也是如此。选择的自由与意愿，这二者可被称为人的“生命动力”，因为意愿停止，行动就停止；选择的自由停止，意愿也就停止。
如果人被剥夺属灵自由，其情形好比卸下机器的轮子，拆掉风车上的扇叶，或拿走船上的风帆；甚至如同将死之人呼出最后一口气；因为灵的生命就在于他在属灵事物上的选择自由。当听到现今很多教会神职人员否认这样的选择自由时，天人们潸然泪下，称这种否认的疯狂简直疯狂到了极点。
482. 人若在属灵事物上没有选择自由, 那么在文明, 道德和属世的事物上也不会有选择自由, 这一点从以下事实明显可知: 被称为“神学”的属灵事物在人的心智中占据最高位置, 就象身体里的灵魂一样。 之所以占据最高位置, 是因为这里有一道门, 主经此门进入人内。 在这之下的文明, 道德与属世事物, 都从它们上面的属灵事物获得生命。 因为生命通过最高区域从主流入, 并且人的生命就是去自由思考和意愿, 从而言谈和行动的能力, 所以可知, 人在政治和属世事物上的选择自由来自这一源头, 而不是其它。 人从属灵自由感知善与真, 以及社会的正义公平; 这种感知本质上就是觉知本身。
人在属灵事物上的选择自由好比肺气, 完全按照其思维的变化而被吸入, 停留和呼出; 若没有这自由, 他将比遭受梦魇, 心绞痛和哮喘之人还要糟糕。 它还好比心脏中的血液, 若血液供应不上, 就会导致心悸, 继而心脏抽搐几下后, 完全停止跳动。 又好比运动中的身体, 只要身体不断努力, 就会继续保持运动; 但是, 当努力停止时, 运动同时停止。 人的意愿所拥有的选择自由也是如此。 选择的自由与意愿, 这二者可被称为人的“生命动力”, 因为意愿停止, 行动就停止; 选择的自由停止, 意愿也就停止。
如果人被剥夺属灵自由, 其情形好比卸下机器的轮子, 拆掉风车上的扇叶, 或拿走船上的风帆; 甚至如同将死之人呼出最后一口气; 因为灵的生命就在于他在属灵事物上的选择自由。 当听到现今很多教会神职人员否认这样的选择自由时, 天人们潸然泪下, 称这种否认的疯狂简直疯狂到了极点。
482. As for the point that if we had no free choice in spiritual matters, we would have no free choice in civic, moral, and earthly matters either, this stands to reason from the fact that the spiritual things that are called theological dwell in the highest region of the human mind, just as the soul dwells in the body. That is where such things live, because the door through which the Lord "comes in to us" [Revelation 3:20] is on that level. Beneath them are civic, moral, and earthly concerns, which in human beings receive all their life from the spiritual qualities that reside above. Because the life from the Lord flows in at the highest level and because our life consists of the power to freely think and will, and therefore speak and act, it follows that our free choice in politics and earthly matters comes exclusively from our spiritual freedom. Our sense of what is good and true and what is just and upright in civic matters comes from that spiritual freedom; and this sense is the very essence of true intellect.
[2] Our free choice in spiritual matters is like the air in our lungs, which we breathe in, hold inside, and breathe out in accordance with every change in our thoughts. Without spiritual free choice we would be worse off than those who have difficulty breathing because of a suffocating nightmare, angina, or asthma. It is also like the blood in our heart: as we begin to run out of blood, our heart first palpitates, then convulses and stops altogether. It would be like a body in motion, which moves as long as there is some force driving it; the body stops when the force stops. The same is true of the free choice that the human will possesses. Both our will and our free choice could be referred to as living forces, because action stops when the will stops, and the will stops when free choice stops.
[3] Taking away human spiritual freedom would be like removing the wheels from coaches, the air-catching arms from windmills, the sails from ships. It would be like breathing out for the last time and dying. The life of our spirit consists of its free choice in spiritual matters. Angels groan when someone merely mentions that this type of free choice is denied by many ministers of the church today. The angels call that denial a madness beyond madness.
482. Man would have no free will in political, moral and natural matters, did he not have free will in spiritual ones. This is evident from the fact that spiritual matters, what is called theology, occupy the highest region in the human mind, like the soul in the body. The reason they occupy that place is that it contains the gateway through which the Lord enters a person. At a lower level are the political, moral and natural matters, which in a person take all their life from the spiritual ones which have their seat above them. And because life from the Lord flows in from the highest levels, and man's life consists in the ability freely to think, will and thus to speak and act, it follows that this and no other is the source of free will in political and natural matters. That spiritual freedom allows a person to perceive good and truth, justice and fairness in social matters; and that ability is what the understanding itself is in essence.
[2] A person's free will in spiritual matters is, to use a comparison, like the air in the lungs; it is drawn in, held and released as his thoughts constantly change. Without it he would be worse off than if he suffered from a nightmare, angina or asthma. Again it is like the blood in the heart; any failure of the blood would make the heart first palpitate, then after convulsions become totally still. Or it might be like a body in motion, which travels so long as it has any energy, and comes to rest when its energy is exhausted. So too it is with the freedom man's will enjoys; both of these, freedom of choice and will, can in man be called active energy, for if the will ceases to operate, so does the power to act, and if freedom of choice ceases to operate, so does the will.
[3] If man's spiritual freedom were taken away from him, it would be, to use a comparison, like taking the wheels away from a machine, the arms that catch the wind from a mill, or the sails from a ship. In fact, it would be like a man parting with his spirit when he dies; for the life of man's spirit consists in his free will in spiritual matters. The angels groan at the mere mention of the fact that this free will is denied by many ministers of the church at the present time; they call this denial madness on top of madness.
482. That man would have no freedom of choice in civil, moral, and natural things, if he had none in spiritual things, is evident from this, that spiritual things, which are called theological, have their seat in the highest region of his mind, like the soul in the body. They have their seat there because there is the door through which the Lord enters into man. Beneath these are things civil, moral, and natural, which in man receive all their life from the spiritual things that have their abode above them. And because life from the highest regions flows in from the Lord, and man's life is an ability to think and will freely, and to speak and act therefrom, it follows that his freedom of choice in political and natural affairs is from that source and no other. From that spiritual freedom man has a perception of what is good and true, and of what is just and right in civil matters; and this perception is the understanding itself in its essence.
[2] Man's freedom of choice in spiritual things is comparatively like the air in the lungs, which is inhaled, retained, and expelled in accordance with all the changes of his thought; and without that freedom he would be worse than one laboring under a nightmare, angina, or asthma. It is also like the blood in the heart; if this began to fail the heart would first palpitate, and then after a few convulsive movements, would cease to beat altogether. It may also be compared to a body in motion, which keeps moving as long as the effort in it continues; but both motion and effort cease at the same time. So also is it with the freedom of choice which man's will possesses. Both of these, freedom of choice and the will, may be called the living effort in man, for when volition ceases, action ceases, and when freedom of choice ceases volition ceases.
[3] If man were deprived of spiritual freedom, it would be comparatively as if the wheels were taken from machinery, the fans from a windmill, or the sails from a vessel. It would even be as with one who in dying sends forth his last breath; for the life of man's spirit consists in his freedom of choice in spiritual things. The angels weep when they but hear it said that this freedom of choice is denied by many ministers of the church at this day; and they call this denial madness upon madness.
482. A man would have no free will in civil, moral and natural things if he had none in spiritual things, as is evident from this consideration. Spiritual things, theological as they are sometimes called, reside in the highest region of man's mind, like the soul in the body. They reside there, because there is the door by which the Lord enters into man. Below them are civil, moral and natural things, which receive all their life from the spiritual things above them; and since man's life, which consists in being able to think, will, and thence to speak and act in freedom, flows in from the Lord from the highest things, it follows that this and no other is the source of free will in political and natural things. From this spiritual freedom man has a perception of what is good and true, and of what is just and right in civil matters, and this perception is the essence of understanding.
[2] Man's free will in spiritual things is like air in the lungs, which is inhaled, retained and sent out according to all the changes of his thought; and without it one would be in a far worse condition than a person suffering from nightmare, angina or asthma. It is like the blood in the heart; if it were deficient, the heart would first palpitate, and after convulsive action would cease to beat. It may also be compared to a body in motion, which continues to move as long as the effort lasts; both motion and effort cease at the same time. This is exactly the case with the freedom of man's will. Both taken together, that is freedom and will, may be called in man a living effort; for on the cessation of will, action ceases, and on the cessation of freedom, will ceases.
[3] If spiritual freedom were taken away from man it would be as if the wheels were removed from machines, or the arms that catch the wind from windmills, or the sails from ships; in fact, it would be with man as when he yields up the spirit at the moment of death; for the life of man's spirit consists in his free will in spiritual things. The angels lament when it is but mentioned that this free will is denied at this day by many ministers of the Church, and they call its denial the height of madness.
482. Quod homini non aliquod liberum arbitrium esset in civilibus, moralibus et naturalibus, si illi non foret aliquod liberum arbitrium in spiritualibus, constat ex eo, quod spiritualia, quae vocantur Theologica, resideant in suprema regione mentis hominis, sicut anima in corpore; quod ibi resideant, est quia ibi est ostium, per quod Dominus ad hominem intrat; sub illis sunt civilia, moralia et naturalia, quae in homine omnem suam vitam recipiunt a spiritualibus, quae supra illa sedent, et quia vita a supremis influit a Domino, ac vita hominis est posse libere cogitare, velle, et inde loqui et facere, sequitur quod inde et non aliunde sit liberum arbitrium in politicis et naturalibus: ex spirituali illo Libero est homini perceptio boni et veri, ac justi et recti in civilibus, quae perceptio est ipse intellectus in sua essentia.
[2] Liberum arbitrium hominis in spiritualibus, est comparative sicut aer in pulmone, qui secundum omnes vices cogitationis ejus, attrahitur, detinetur et emittitur, et quod absque eo foret ei pejus quam illi qui incubo, angina et asthmate laborat. Et quod sit sicut sanguis in corde, qui si inciperet deficere, cor primum palpitaret, et post convulsiones omnimode quiesceret. Et foret sicut corpus motum, quod fertur quamdiu ei conatus inest, et una simul cessant; sic etiam est cum libero arbitrio in quo voluntas hominis est; utrumque, simul liberum arbitrium et voluntas, in homine vocari potest conatus vivus, nam cessante voluntate cessat actio, et cessante libero arbitrio cessat voluntas.
[3] Si auferretur liberum spirituale homini, etiam comparative foret, sicut auferrentur rotae a machinis, brachia recipientia aerem a molis, ac vela a navibus. Imo foret sicut cum homine, qui spiritum emittit, cum moritur: vita enim spiritus hominis in libero ejus arbitrio in spiritualibus consistit: Angeli gemunt, dum modo dicitur, quod hoc Liberum arbitrium a multis Ministris Ecclesiae hodie negetur, et vocant negationem ejus, delirium supra delirium.