61.神通过符合秩序的万物直觉、知道并看见违反秩序所发生的一切事物，直至最小细节。原因在于，神不会将人保守在罪恶中，而是使他从罪恶中退离。所以，祂不是引导他，而是与他相争。通过恶与假不断抗争、搏斗、抵抗、憎恶和反对祂自己的善与真，神能直觉它们的性质和程度。这从以下事实可推知，神全在于其秩序的一切细节中，对于它们当中的每一个也是全知的。这就好比某人的耳朵十分熟悉和谐一致的和音，因此能精确分辨出声音听上去如何不和谐、不一致，并且到了何种程度；或好比充满快乐感觉的人能洞察不快乐感觉的干扰；同样好比目光专注于美丽物体的人能对它旁边的丑陋物体形成精确评估，这就是为何画家习惯在漂亮的脸旁边摆一张丑脸的原因。当恶和假与善和真相争时，善和真的情形也是如此，因为通过善和真能清晰觉察恶和假。凡处于良善者皆能察觉邪恶，凡处于真理者皆能看清虚假。原因在于，良善处于天堂之热，真理处于天堂之光；而邪恶处于地狱之冷，虚假处于地狱之暗。这一点可用以下事实来说明：天堂天使能看清地狱所发生的一切，以及那里存在哪类怪物；而反过来，地狱灵人却全然不知天堂所发生的一切，甚至看不见天使，如同一个瞎子，或眼睛注视虚空或太空。理解力被智慧光照的人，好比人正午站在高山上，对下面的所有事物都看得了了分明；而享有更高光明的人则好比人透过望远镜去看周边和下面的物体，仿佛它们近在咫尺。但那些因确信谬念而处于地狱虚假之光的人，则好比人在夜里手拿灯笼站在同一座高山上，只能看见离他最近的物体，并且不能分辨这些物体的形状或颜色等属性。人若拥有稍许真理之光，但却过着邪恶生活，那么他在以对邪恶的喜爱为乐时，一开始看真理，就跟猫看挂在花园里的亚麻布差不多，这猫会飞扑到亚麻布上，好象那是它的庇护所。后来，他变得象夜鸟，最后变得象尖叫的猫头鹰。那时，他变得象扫烟囱的人，紧紧靠在烟囱的阴暗角落里，向上看，只能透过烟雾看到天空，向下看，则只能看到升起烟雾的灶台。
61. 從那些遵循聖規而發生的事情, 上帝意識到,看見,知道下至最細微的,違背聖規而發生的萬事。
當人們捲入惡中, 上帝不會把他們摁在那裡, 祂會抑制他們,讓他們離開那惡。祂不會順著他們, 而是與他們鬥爭。通過他們不停地對上帝的善與理,也就對祂自己進行的搏鬥,抗爭,爭紮,出擊,推搡, 祂能感受到惡與偽的量與質如何。這來自于上帝全在於祂自己定規的萬物之中, 或者說, 祂對定規中的萬物有完全的知識。
作個比方, 你的耳朵聚焦於一段熟悉的和聲或曲調時, 倘若出現一些不和諧或跑調的聲音時, 你能準確地分辨錯在何處或調子跑得有多遠。當某些不快樂的感覺來打擾你正沉浸的快樂時, 也會產生類似的感覺。
出於同樣的原因, 當你的目光聚焦于某些美麗之物, 將某些醜陋之物放在旁邊,會提高你對此物的鑒賞力。這就是為何畫家常在挨著悅目的畫像放一張令人生厭的畫像。同樣的事情也發生在善與理上。當惡與偽對抗善與理時, 我們能藉著對比更明顯地感知到惡與偽。
任何人聚焦于善時,就能察覺到惡。任何人聚焦于理時, 就能察覺到偽。原因是, 善實際上在天國的溫暖之中,理在天國的光亮之中; 而惡處於地獄的寒冷之中,偽則處於地獄的黑暗之中。天國中的天人能夠看到地獄所發生之事以及那裡是怎樣的殘忍, 而地獄的靈(魔鬼與撒旦)則完全不知道在天國所發生之事。他們看不到天人, 好比盲人看不見東西, 或者好比眼睛投向空無一物的蒼穹。
那些頭腦之中有智慧之光的人, 好比有人中午時分站在山上, 能看到山下的一切。那些有更高智慧之光的人, 就像有人白天手拿望遠鏡, 看遠處之物如同眼前。然而, 那些因堅持偽謬而處在地獄昏弱迷惑的光中的, 就像晚上手持油燈站在同一座山上, 只能看見近處之物,勉強辨出模糊的輪廓或者無法認出顏色。
有些人儘管擁有一些真理之光,但仍有惡在其生活中。當他們繼續熱愛並享受這些惡事時, 最開始他們看待真理,或多或少如同蝙蝠看見園子裡晾衣繩上的毛巾, 它落在上面, 以為找到安全的棲身之所。接著, 這些人會變得如同夜鳥, 直到變為鳴角鴞。接著, 他們變得像一個卡在煙囪裡的清掃工, 舉目往上透過煙看天空, 低頭往下看, 只見濃煙從壁爐往上冒。
61. From what occurs in keeping with the divine design, God is aware of, knows, and sees everything down to the least detail that is done against the divine design.
When people are involved in evil, God does not hold them there; he holds them back from evil. He does not lead them; he struggles against them. He perceives the quantity and quality of evil and falsity from their constant wrestling, striving, struggling, fighting, and pushing back against his own good and truth, and therefore against himself. This comes from God's omnipresence in everything of his own design as well as his complete knowledge of everything in that design.
By analogy, when your ear focuses on harmony and on sounds that are in tune, and then something discordant or out of tune occurs, you notice precisely how wrong and how far off it is. A similar awareness occurs when you focus on some pleasure and then some unpleasant sensation interrupts.
By the same token, when your sight focuses on something beautiful, your appreciation of it is heightened if there is something misshapen beside it; this is why painters often place an unpleasant face next to a beautiful one. The same thing happens with goodness and truth. When evil and falsity struggle against good and truth, we perceive the evil and the falsity distinctly by contrast.
Everyone who focuses on goodness can sense evil, and everyone who focuses on truth can see falsity. The reason is that goodness is actually in the warmth of heaven and truth is in its light, while evil is in the coldness of hell and falsity is in its darkness. An illustration of this is that the angels of heaven are capable of seeing what goes on in hell and what type of monsters are there; but the spirits of hell are completely unable to see what goes on in heaven. They cannot see the angels any more than a blind person could, or more than an eye would see something by looking into empty air or ether.
Those who have the light of wisdom in their intellects are like people standing on a mountain in the middle of the day clearly seeing everything below. Those who have an even higher light are like people with telescopes who can see things off in the distance or far below as if they were close at hand. Those, however, who have defended falsities and are therefore in the faint, deceptive light of hell are like people on the same mountain at night with oil lamps in their hands who can see only what is nearby and even then can barely make out vague shapes or tell colors apart.
Some people have some light of truth but still have evil in their lives. As they go on loving and enjoying their particular evil, at first they view things that are true more or less the way a bat views towels on a clothesline in a garden - it flies to them as a safe haven. Later on these people become like night birds, and then at length like horned owls. Then they become like a chimneysweep stuck in a dark chimney; when he raises his eyes, he sees the sky through the smoke; when he looks down he sees the hearth from which the smoke ascends.
61. The reason why God from the things which are in accordance with order perceives, knows and sees everything down to the tiniest detail which happens contrary to order, is that God does not keep a person in evil, but holds him back from evil. So He does not lead him, but struggles with him. From that perpetual struggle, striving, resistance, repugnance and reaction of evil and falsity against His own good and truth, and so against Himself, He is able to perceive their nature and extent. This follows from the fact that God is omnipresent in all the details of His order, and also omniscient concerning every one of them. It is comparable with someone whose ear is attuned to harmony and concord, and can tell precisely how, and to what extent the sounds heard are inharmonious and discordant, or with someone experiencing pleasure, when an unpleasant sensation intervenes. Equally someone whose gaze is fixed on a beautiful object can form a precise appreciation of an ugly object set alongside, which is why painters have a habit of setting an ugly face next to a beautiful one. Likewise good and truth, when evil and falsity struggle against them, enable their opponents to be clearly perceived. For everyone under the influence of good can perceive evil, and everyone under the influence of truth can see falsity. The reason is that good is under the influence of the heat of heaven, and truth under that of its light, but evil is under the influence of the cold of hell, and falsity under that of its darkness. An illustration of this is the fact that the angels in heaven can see anything which goes on in hell, and what sort of monsters exist there; but on the contrary the spirits in hell cannot so much as glimpse what goes on in heaven, nor even see the angels, any more than a blind man can, or the eye gazing into the air and empty space.
[2] Those whose understandings are illuminated by wisdom resemble people standing on a mountain at mid-day and seeing clearly everything below them. If they enjoy even higher illumination, they can be compared to people who look through telescopes and see things around and below them as if near at hand. But those who by convincing themselves of false ideas have only the deceptive light of hell are like people standing on the same mountain at nighttime with lanterns in their hands, unable to see anything but the nearest objects, and unable to distinguish their shapes or their colours property. A person who has a little of the light of truth, but lives a wicked life, sees truth to begin with, when he is taking pleasure in his love of evil, rather as a bat sees washing hanging up in a garden, which it flies up to as if it were its roost. Later he becomes like a little owl and finally a horned owl. He then becomes like a chimney-sweep clinging to a dark corner of the chimney; when he lifts up his gaze he sees the sky obscured by smoke, and when he looks down he sees the hearth from which the smoke rises.
61. That from the things that are according to order God perceives, knows, and sees each and all things even to the most minute that take place contrary to order, is because He does not keep man in evil, but withholds him from evil; thus He does not lead him on, but strives with him. From this perpetual striving, struggling, resistance, repugnance, and reaction of evil and falsity against His good and truth, thus against Himself, God perceives both their quantity and their quality. This follows from God's omnipresence in all things and in each thing of His order, and also from His perfect knowledge of each thing and all things of it, comparatively as one with an ear for harmony and consonance notices accurately what is inharmonious and dissonant, when it comes in, also the extent and character of the discord; or as one whose feelings are occupied with what is delightful detects the intrusion of what is undelightful; or as one whose eye is occupied with what is beautiful notices it with more precision when anything unshapely is beside it; for which reason it is customary for painters to place an ugly face beside a beautiful one. It is the same with good and truth when evil and falsity are striving against them; since from good and truth evil and falsity are distinctly perceived. For everyone who is in good can perceive evil; and he who is in truth can see falsity. And the reason is that good is in the heat of heaven, and truth is in its light; while evil is in the cold of hell, and falsity in its darkness. This may be illustrated by the fact that the angels of heaven can see whatever is done in hell, and what kind of monsters exist there; while, on the other hand, the spirits of hell can see nothing whatever that is going on in heaven; they can no more see the angels than if they were blind, or were gazing into the empty air or ether. Those whose understandings are in light from wisdom are like men who at midday are standing upon a mountain and seeing clearly all that is below; while those who are in still superior light are comparatively like men who see, through telescopes, outlying and lower objects as if they were near at hand. But those who are in the false light of hell, through the confirmation of falsities, are like men standing upon the same mountain at night with lanterns in their hands, who see only the objects nearest to them, and these with forms indistinct and colors confused. A man who is in some light of truth, although in evil of life, while he finds delight in his love of evil, sees truths at first much as a bat sees linen hanging in a garden, to which it flies as to a place of refuge. Afterwards he becomes like a bird of night, and at length like a screech-owl. Then he becomes like a chimney-sweep sticking fast in the gloom of a chimney, and seeing, when he looks upward, the sky through smoke, and when downward the hearth from which the smoke comes.
61. From those things which are in accordance with order God perceives, knows, and sees all things, even to the most minute, which are done contrary to order, for He does not hold man in evil but withholds him from it; thus He does not lead him into evil, but strives to restrain him. From this perpetual striving, struggling, resisting, opposing, and re-acting of evil and falsity against His good and truth, that is, against Himself, God perceives their extent and their nature. This follows from the omnipresence of God in every individual part of His order, and at the same time from His omniscience of everything therein. It is just as he whose ear is attuned to harmony and concord at once notices the presence of what is inharmonious and discordant, and also its extent and nature. Similarly he whose senses are occupied with whatever is delightful, detects the intrusion of what is distasteful. Also he who has a keen sense of beauty immediately notices anything ugly that is placed near a beautiful object. For this reason artists often paint an ugly face close to a beautiful one. The case is the same with good and truth when evil and falsity oppose them, because the latter are clearly perceived when in contrast with the former, for every one who is in good can perceive the evil, and he who is in truth can see falsity. The reason is that good is in the heat of heaven and truth is in its light, but evil is in the cold of hell and falsity is in its darkness. This may be illustrated by the fact that the angels in heaven can see whatever is done in hell and what monsters are there; but on the other hand spirits in hell can see nothing at all of what is done in heaven, and they cannot even see the angels any more than a blind man could, or one looking into the empty air.
Those whose understandings are in the light of wisdom are like men standing at mid-day on a mountain top, who see clearly all that is below; and those who are in a still higher light are like those who observe through telescopes objects around and beneath them as if close at hand. Those, however, who are in the delusive light of hell from the confirmation of falsities are like men who, standing on the same mountain in the night time with lanterns in their hands, see nothing but the objects nearest them, and even their forms indistinctly and their colors vaguely. The man who is in some light of truth, but nevertheless in a life of evil, while he remains in the delight of the love of evil, at first sees truths only as a bat sees linen hanging out in a garden, towards which it flies as to a place of refuge. Afterwards he becomes like a bird of night, and at length like an owl. He then may be compared to a chimney-sweep, clinging in a dark flue, who when he looks upward sees the sky through smoke, but when he looks downward sees only the fire-place from which the smoke rises.
61. Quod Deus ex illis quae Ordinis sunt, percipiat, sciat, et videat omnia et singula usque ad minutissima quae contra Ordinem fiunt, est quia Deus non tenet hominem in malo, sed detinet illum a malo, ita non ducit illum sed luctatur cum illo; ex perpetua illa reluctatione, renitentia, 1 resistentia, repugnantia, et reactione 2 mali et falsi contra suum Bonum et Verum, ita contra Se, percipit et quantum et quale illorum; hoc sequitur ex Omnipraesentia Dei in omnibus et singulis sui Ordinis, et simul ex Omniscientia omnium et singulorum ibi; comparative sicut cujus auris in harmonico et consono est, exacte animadvertit 3 disharmonicum 4 et dissonum quantum et qualiter discrepant dum intrant; 5 similiter cujus sensus in jucundo est dum injucundum interpolat; pariter cujus visus in formoso est, id exacte videt dum aliquod deforme a latere est, quare solenne est pictoribus faciem deformem juxta formosam adponere; simile est cum bono et vero dum contra illa reluctant malum et falsum, quod haec ex illis distincte percipiantur; omnis enim qui in bono est potest percipere malum, et qui in vero potest videre falsum; causa est quia bonum in calore coeli est, ac verum in luce ejus, at malum in frigore inferni est, et falsum in caligine ejus; quod illustrari potest per hoc, quod Angeli coeli possint videre quicquid peragitur in inferno, tum qualia monstra sunt; at vicissim spiritus Inferni ne hilum possunt videre quid peragitur in Coelo, et ne quidem Angelos, plus quam caecus, aut plus quam oculus spectans in aerem aut aetherem nudum.
[2] Illi, quorum Intellectus in luce ex sapientia sunt, sunt similes illis, qui tempore meridiei super Monte stant, et omnia quae infra sunt, perspicue vident; et qui in adhuc superiore luce sunt, comparative sunt sicut illi, qui per tubos opticos vident circumjacentia et inferiora tanquam praesentia; at illi qui in fatua luce Inferni ex confirmatione falsitatum sunt, similes sunt illis, qui in eodem Monte tempore noctis stant cum lucernis in manibus, et non vident nisi proxima, et ibi formas indistincte, et colores confuse. Homo qui in aliqua luce veri est, et tamen in malo vitae, is dum in jucundo amoris sui mali est, non videt vera aliter in principio, quam sicut vespertilio lintea appensa in aliquo horto, ad quae volat sicut ad sua azyla, et postea fit sicut noctua, et demum sicut bubo; et tunc fit sicut fuliginarius qui in furvo camini haeret, qui dum sursum elevat oculos, trans fumum videt coelum, et cum deorsum spectat, videt focum, e quo ille fumus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: renitentia.
2. Sic Errores Typographici.
3. Prima editio: animadvetit.
4. Prima editio: disharmonieum.
5. Prima editio: intrat.