210、⑺除非在人看来，他似乎凭自己思考，凭自己管理一切，否则这些事没有一样能实现。我在前面（71-99，174，176节）已充分说明，人将不是人，除非在他看来，他似乎凭自己活着，因而凭自己思考、意愿、说话和行动。由此可推知，人若不貌似凭自己的谨慎管理与他的工作和生活有关的一切，就无法被圣治引导和管理；因为他就像一个人双手无力下垂，嘴张着，眼闭着，屏住呼吸，站在那里等待流注。如此他会剥夺自己的人性，就是他从他貌似凭自己活着、思考、意愿、说话和行动的觉察和感受中所获得的人性；还会剥夺自己的两种官能，即自由和理性，而他全凭这两种官能而有别于动物。在本书前面部分，以及《圣爱与圣智》一书，我已经说明，没有这种表象，一个人将没有接受和回应的能力，从而没有永生。
因此，你若想被圣治引导，就把谨慎当作忠实管理雇主资产的仆人和雇工来使用。这种谨慎是赐予仆人做生意用的资财，他们必须报帐（路加福音19:13-28；马太福音25:14-31）。谨慎本身在人看来似乎是他自己的，并且只要他将神与圣治的死敌，就是自我之爱关在他里面，就会以为它是自己的。这爱自每个人出生时就住在他的内层里面；如果你没有认出它（因为它不想被认出来），那么它就安然居住，并守住门，唯恐人打开它，主由此将它逐出。人只有貌似凭自己避恶如罪，但又承认他如此行是靠着主，才能打开这扇门。这就是与圣治行如一体的谨慎。
210. (7) None of this would be possible if it did not appear to a person that he thinks on his own and manages things on his own. In previous discussions we have fully demonstrated that if it did not appear to a person that he lives of himself, and thus that he thinks and wills, speaks and acts as though of himself, the person would not be human. From this it follows that if a person did not manage all the concerns of his function and life as though by his own prudence, he could not be led and directed by Divine providence. For he would be like someone standing with hands hanging limp, mouth open, and eyes closed, holding his breath and awaiting influx. Thus he would strip himself of his humanity, which he has from the perception and sensation that he lives, thinks, wills, speaks and acts as though of himself, and strip himself at the same time then of his two faculties, freedom and rationality, which distinguish him from animals.
In the present treatise above, and in our treatise Divine Love and Wisdom, we have already demonstrated that without that appearance no one would be capable of any reception and reciprocation, and so neither of immortality.
[2] If you wish to be led by Divine providence, therefore, use prudence as a servant or assistant who faithfully manages the goods of his lord. This prudence is the mina given to each of the servants to do business with, of which they were to render an account, in , cf. Matthew 25:14-30.
This prudence appears to a person to be his own, and he believes it to be his own as long as he keeps shut up in him the most implacable foe of God and Divine providence, namely, love of self. This love dwells in the interior qualities of every person from birth. If you do not recognize it (for it does not wish to be recognized), it dwells secure, and it guards the door to keep the person from opening it and thus the Lord from casting it out.
A person opens that door by refraining from evils as sins as though of himself, with the acknowledgment that he does so from the Lord.
It is this prudence with which Divine providence acts in concert.
210. 7. None of this could happen if it did not seem to us that we think autonomously and manage our lives autonomously. I have already given ample evidence that we would not be human if it did not seem to us that we lived on our own and that we therefore thought, intended, spoke, and acted on our own [71-99, 174, 176]. It follows from this that unless we seemed to be managing everything that has to do with our occupations and our lives by our own prudence, we could not be led and managed by divine providence. It would be as though we stood there with our hands hanging limp, mouths open, eyes closed, holding our breath and waiting for something to flow into us. In this way we would divest ourselves of everything human, which we get from the sense and feeling that we live, think, intend, speak, and act on our own; and as we did so, we would also divest ourselves of those two abilities called freedom and rationality by which we are differentiated from animals. Earlier in this work and also in Divine Love and Wisdom I have explained that if it were not for this appearance we would be incapable of receptivity and reciprocity, and therefore of immortality.
[2] So if you want to be led by divine providence, use your prudence as a servant and employee who faithfully manages the employer's assets. Prudence is the "talent" that was given to servants for business purposes, with an accounting required (Luke 19:13-25; Matthew 25:14-31).
Prudence itself seems to be something we possess, and we believe that it is, as long as we keep that deadliest enemy of God and divine providence, love for ourselves, shut in. It lives in the depths of each one of us from birth. If we do not recognize it--and it does not want to be recognized--then it lives in perfect safety and guards the door to prevent us from opening it so the Lord can evict it.
We open the door by abstaining from evils as sins, apparently on our own, but admitting that it is being done by the Lord. This is the kind of prudence with which the divine providence can cooperate.
210. VII. NONE OF THESE THINGS CAN BE EFFECTED UNLESS IT APPEARS TO MAN THAT HE THINKS FROM HIMSELF AND DISPOSES FROM HIMSELF. It has been fully demonstrated in the preceding pages that unless it appeared to man that he lived as from himself and thus that he thought and willed, spoke and acted as of himself he would not be man. From this it follows that if man as from his own prudence did not dispose all things pertaining to his function and life he could not be led and disposed from the Divine Providence; for he would be like one standing with his hands hanging down, his mouth open, his eyes closed and holding his breath, awaiting influx. He would thus divest himself of the human, which he has from the perception and sensation that he lives, thinks, wills, speaks and acts as from himself; and at the same time he would divest himself of his two faculties, liberty and rationality, by which he is distinguished from the beasts. It has been shown above in this treatise, and in THE DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM, that without this appearance a man would not have the power to receive and to reciprocate, and thus would not have immortality.
[2] If therefore, you wish to be led by the Divine Providence use prudence as a servant and steward does who faithfully dispenses the goods of his master. This prudence is the talent which was given to the servants to trade with, of which they must render an account (Luke 19:13-25; Matthew25:14-31). Prudence itself appears to man as his own; and it is believed to be his own so long as he keeps shut up within him the deadliest enemy of God and the Divine Providence, the love of self. This dwells in the interiors of every man from birth; if you do not recognise it, for it does not wish to be recognised, it dwells securely, and guards the door lest man should open it, and it should thus be cast out by the Lord. Man opens this door by shunning, as of himself evils as sins, with the acknowledgment that he does so from the Lord. This is the prudence with which the Divine Providence acts as one.
210. (8) None of these things could be done except from the appearance to man that he thinks from himself and directs all things from himself. It has been fully shown in what has gone before that man would not be man except for the appearance to him that he lives from himself, and therefore thinks and wills and speaks and acts as if from himself. From this it follows that unless man, as if from his own prudence, directs all things belonging to his employment and life, he cannot be led and directed by the Divine providence; for he would be like one standing with relaxed hands, opened mouth, closed eyes, and breath indrawn, awaiting influx. Thus he would divest himself of humanity, which he has from the perception and sensation that he lives, thinks, wills, speaks, and acts as if from himself; he would also divest himself of his two faculties, liberty and rationality, by which he is distinguished from the beasts. That without this appearance a man would have no capacity to receive and reciprocate, and thus no immortality, has been shown above in the present work, and also in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom.
[2] If, therefore, you wish to be led by the Divine providence use prudence as a servant and minister who faithfully dispenses the goods of his master. This prudence is the talent given to the servants to trade with, of which they must render an account (Luke 19:13-28; Matthew 25:14-31). Prudence itself appears to man to be his own; and he believes it to be his own so long as he keeps shut up within him the deadliest enemy of God and of Divine providence, the love of self. This has its abode in the interiors of every man from his birth; if you do not recognize it (for it does not wish to be recognized) it dwells securely, and guards the door lest man should open it and the Lord should thereby cast it out. Man opens this door by shunning evils as sins as if from himself, with the acknowledgment that he does it from the Lord. This is the prudence with which the Divine providence acts as one.
210. VII. Quod omnia haec non fieri possint, nisi appareat homini quod ex se cogitet et ex se disponat. Quod nisi appareat homini, sicut vivat ex se, et sic quod cogitet et velit, loquatur et agat sicut a se, homo non foret homo, in praecedentibus plene demonstratum est: ex quo sequitur, quod nisi homo omnia quae functionis et vitae ejus sunt, disponat sicut ex propria prudentia, non possit duci et disponi ex Divina Providentia; foret enim sicut qui staret remissis manibus, aperto ore, occlusis oculis, et retracto spiritu, in exspectatione influxus; ita exueret se humano, quod illi est ex perceptione et sensatione, quod vivat, cogitet, velit, loquatur et agat sicut ex se, et simul tunc exueret se binis suis facultatibus, quae sunt Libertas et Rationalitas, per quas distinguitur a bestiis: quod absque apparentia illa non foret alicui homini receptivum et reciprocum, et sic non immortalitas, in hac Transactione supra, et in Transactione de DIVINO AMORE ET DIVINA SAPIENTIA, demonstratum est.
[2] Quare si vis duci a Divina Providentia, utere prudentia, sicut servus et minister, qui fideliter dispensat bona domini sui: prudentia illa est mina, quae data est servis ad negotiandum, cujus rationem reddent, Lucas 19:12-25 1. Matthaeus 25:14-30. 2Illa 3prudentia apparet homini sicut propria, et tamdiu ut propria creditur, quamdiu homo tenet infensissimum hostem Dei et Divinae Providentiae, qui est Amor sui, inclusum; hic habitat in interioribus cujusvis hominis ex nativitate; si illum non cognoscis, vult enim non cognosci, habitat secure, et custodit portam, ne ab homine aperiatur, et sic a Domino ejiciatur. Porta illa ab homine aperitur, per quod mala fugiat ut peccata sicut a se, cum agnitione quod a Domino. Haec prudentia est, cum qua Divina Providentia unum agit.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: XIX: 13
2 Prima editio: 31.
3 Prima editio: Ipsa