145# 主就是发自神性良善的神性真理本身，此二者便是祂的本质；凡存有之物，皆依自身本质生发一切意念与作为。由此便可推明：主恒常存有一意愿，除却将真理与良善 —— 也就是信仰与仁义 —— 栽种在每个人心中以外，别无其他心意。
此理可借世间诸多事例阐明。凡人皆依自身本质生出心念、意愿，在自身权限之内言语行事：忠信之人所思所谋无不是忠信之事；诚实、正直、虔敬、持守信仰之人，所思所行也尽是诚实、正直、虔敬、敬虔之事。反之，骄傲、诡诈、奸猾、贪吝之人，心中所想皆与自身本性相合。占卜者一心只愿行占卜之事；愚昧之人满口皆是悖逆智慧的言语。总而言之，天使终日思量筹算的，唯有属天之事；魔鬼心中反复盘桓筹划的，唯有属地狱之事。
各类低等生灵亦是同理，飞鸟、走兽、游鱼、有翅与无翅虫豸，各各皆由其本性得以分辨，一切本能皆从本性而生，依此本性存续度日。推及草木万物，每一棵树、每丛灌木、各类蔬果，皆可由果实种子辨识其本性，本质蕴藏于果实种子之内；万物只能生出与自身同类、同质之物，绝无例外。即便是各类土壤、黏土、贵贱金石、矿物金属，也皆凭内在本质定其性状。
145# 既然主是来自神性良善的神性真理本身，这是祂的本质本身，既然人出于自己的本质做他所做的事，那么很明显，主不断意愿将真理和良善，或信仰和仁爱植入每个人，祂也不能意愿别的。这可通过世上的许多例子来说明；如，每个人都出于自己的本质来意愿和思考，并尽可能地出于自己的本质来说话和行动；例如，一个忠诚的人拥有忠诚的思维和意图；一个诚实、正直、虔诚和信教的人拥有诚实、正直、虔诚和宗教的思维和意图；而另一方面，一个傲慢、狡猾、诡计多端、贪得无厌的人拥有与他的本质构成一体的思维和意图；一个算命的人只想着算命，或说一个占卜者只想着发预言；一个傻瓜只会喋喋不休地说反对智慧的话；总之，一位天使只沉思并实践天上的事，或说只专注于天堂，而一个魔鬼只沉思并实践地狱的事，或说只专注于地狱。动物王国的所有低级成员都是如此，如鸟、兽、鱼、虫子或昆虫，每一种都通过它的本质或性质而被认识；它的本能就来自这种性质并与其一致。植物王国也是如此，每一棵树、每一丛灌木和每一株植物，都通过它的果实和种子而被认识，其本质是它的种子和果实与生俱来的，或说被培育成果实和种子；它只能产生类似它的东西和它自己的种类；事实上，每一种土壤和粘土，每一种石头，无论贵重的，还是普通的，每一种矿物和金属，都是根据它的本质来评估或判断的。
145. Now, the Lord is absolute divine truth from divine goodness - this is his very essence. We all do what we do because of our essence. It is clear then that the Lord constantly tries (and cannot help trying) to implant truth and goodness, or faith and goodwill, in everyone.
Many things in the world could be used to illustrate this [connection between essence and action]. For one thing, we all will and think, and as much as possible speak and act, on the basis of our essence. Faithful people, for example, have faithful thoughts and intentions. People who are honorable, honest, godly, and religious have thoughts and intentions that are honorable, honest, godly, and religious. On the other hand, people who are arrogant, cunning, deceitful, and greedy have thoughts and intentions that are one with their essence. Jokers want only to joke around, and fools want only to babble their opposition to anything wise. In a word, an angel focuses and works only on what is heavenly, and a devil only on what is hellish.
As this is true of every bird, animal, fish, and winged or wingless insect, so it is true of every creature in the animal kingdom down to the lowest level: everything is known by its essence or nature. Every creature has its instincts accordingly.
Likewise in the plant kingdom, every tree, every bush, and every plant is known by its fruit and its seed. Its essence is bred into its fruit and its seed. It cannot produce anything that is unlike itself and its own kind. In fact, every type of soil or clay, every type of stone both precious and common, and every type of mineral and metal is recognized by its essence.
145. Now since the Lord is Divine truth itself coming from the Divine good, and this is His essence, and since everyone acts as he does by reason of his essential nature, this proves that it is constantly the Lord's will to implant truth and good, that is, faith and charity, in every person, and His will could not be any different. Many things in the world can be used to illustrate this. For instance, everyone's will and thought, and, as far as can be, his speech and actions, are the product of his essential nature. For example, a loyal person has loyal thoughts and intentions, an honest, upright, pious or religious person has honest, upright, pious or religious thoughts and intentions; on the other hand a proud, cunning, deceitful or greedy person has thoughts and intentions which match his essential nature. The clown has no wish but to raise laughs, the fool none but to gabble the opposite of wise sayings. In brief, an angel's plans and efforts are all heavenly, a devil's all hellish.
[2] It is much the same with all the creatures of lower rank in the animal kingdom, for instance, birds, beasts, fish, flying and earth-bound insects. Each of these can be recognised by its essential nature, and each has instincts which are derived from and in accordance with its nature. Likewise in the vegetable kingdom, every tree, every shrub and every vegetable can be recognised by its fruit and seed, in which its essential nature is innate. Nor can they produce anything but what is their own and like them. Indeed it is its essential nature which allows us to judge every kind of soil or clay, every stone, precious as well as ordinary, every mineral and metal.
145. Since, then, the Lord is Divine truth itself from Divine good, and this is His very essence, and since it is from one's essence that he does what he does, it is obvious that the Lord wills unceasingly (nor can He will otherwise) to implant truth and good, or faith and charity, in every man. This may be illustrated by many things in the world; as that every man's volition and thought, and as far as it is allowable his speech and acts, are from his own essence; for example, a faithful man has faithful thoughts and intentions; an honest, upright, pious, and religious man has honest, upright, pious, and religious thoughts and intentions; and conversely, a proud, cunning, wily, and avaricious man has thoughts and intentions that make one with his essence; a fortune-teller desires only to tell fortunes; a fool has no wish but to babble against the things of wisdom; in a word, an angel meditates and strives after nothing but heavenly things, and a devil nothing but infernal things. It is the same with every subject of lower rank in the animal kingdom, as bird, beast, fish, worm, or insect-each is known by its essence or nature; and its instinct is from that nature and in accord therewith. Likewise in the vegetable kingdom, every tree, shrub, and plant is known by its fruit and its seed, in which its essence is innate; nor can anything be produced from it except what is like it and what is its own; yea, every kind of soil and marl, every stone both precious and common, and every mineral and metal, is judged according to its essence.
145. Now since the Lord is Divine Truth itself from Divine Good, and this is His Essence itself, and since every one acts from his essence, it is evident that the Lord continually wills to implant truth and good, or faith and charity, in every man, and that He cannot do otherwise. This may be illustrated in many ways, as by the following examples from the world. Every man wills and thinks, and as far as he may, speaks and acts from his essence. For instance, a faithful man thinks and intends what is faithful; an honest, upright, pious and religious man thinks and intends what is honest, upright, pious and religious; and on the other hand, a proud, cunning, wily and covetous man thinks and intends such things as accord with his essence. A soothsayer wills only to prophesy, and a fool to chatter words the opposite of wisdom; while an angel meditates and practices what is heavenly, but a devil what is infernal. It is the same with all the lower members of the animal kingdom, with bird, beast, fish and insect with and without wings: each is known by its essence or nature, from which and according to which is the instinct of each. So also in the vegetable kingdom; every tree, shrub and herb is known by its fruit and seed, in which its essence is inherent; nor can anything be produced from it but what is like it and of its own kind; and finally, every kind of soil and clay, every stone both precious and common, and every mineral and metal is rated according to its essence.
145. Nunc quia Dominus est ipsum Divinum Verum ex Divino Bono, et hoc est ipsa Essentia Ipsius, et quisque ex Essentia sua agit quod agit, constat, quod Dominus continue velit, nec possit aliud velle, quam implantare verum et bonum, seu fidem et charitatem, cuivis homini. Hoc illustrari potest ex multis in Mundo, ut ex his, quod 1 omnis homo ex essentia sua velit, et cogitet, et quantum licet, loquatur et agat, ut pro exemplo, homo fidelis cogitat et intendit fidelia, homo honestus, probus, pius et religiosus, honesta, proba, pia et religiosa, et vicissim homo fastuosus, astutus, dolosus, avarus, talia quae cum essentia sua unum faciunt; hariolus non vult nisi hariolari; et stultus non nisi quam contra illa quae sapientiae sunt, garrire; verbo, Angelus non volvit et molitur nisi coelestia, et diabolus non nisi quam infernalia. Simile est cum omni subjecto inferioris sortis in Regno animali, ut cum ave, bestia, pisce, verme alato et non alato; unumquodvis cognoscitur ex sua essentia seu natura, ex hac et secundum hanc est cujusvis instinctus. Similiter in Regno vegetabili, omnis arbor, omne virgultum, et omne olus, cognoscitur ex suo fructu et semine, quibus essentia sua innata est, nec potest quicquam exinde aliud produci quam sui simile et suum; imo 2 ab essentia de omni humo, de omni argilla, de omni lapide tam nobili quam ignobili, 3 deque omni minera et metallo, judicatur.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: quqd.
2. Prima editio: suum imo.
3. Tam nobili quam ignobili ubi in prima editione tam nobilem ignobili.