43.⑸爱的本质是爱人胜己，渴望与他们合而为一，并致力于他们的幸福。有两个要素构成神的本质：爱和智慧。但有三个要素构成其爱的本质：爱人胜己，渴望与他们合而为一，致力于他们的幸福。这三个要素同样构成其智慧的本质，因为就象我前面说明的，爱和智慧在神里面是一。正是爱意愿这些事，而智慧则将它们付诸实践。
第一个要素，即爱人胜己，在神对全人类的爱中得到确认。因此缘故，神爱祂所造的一切事物，因为它们是达到目的的途径，若爱目的，必也爱途径。宇宙中所有的人和物都在神之外，因为他们是有限的，而神是无限的。神的爱发出后，不仅延伸到善人与善物，还延伸到恶人与恶物，因而不仅延伸到天堂中的人和物，还延伸到地狱中的人和物，不仅延伸到米迦勒和加百列，还延伸到魔鬼和撒旦。因为神自永恒至永恒，处处都是相同的。祂也说：
祂叫日头照好人，也照歹人；降雨给义人，也给不义的人。（马太福音5:45）
但恶人和恶物照样邪恶，其原因在于接受主体和物体本身。因为它们不是照着神之爱本来的样子，照着它至内在的样子来接受这爱，而是照着自己的样子来接受。这和接受太阳的热或雨水的荆棘或荨麻一个道理。
第二个要素，即渴望与他们合而为一，也可在祂与天使天堂、世上的教会，及其中的每个人，与进入并构成世人和教会的一切善与真的联结中得以确认。就其本身而言，爱无非是努力结合。因此，为了实现爱的这个要素，神照祂的形像和样式创造了人类，以便人能与此结合。从主的话清楚可知，圣爱不断寻求结合。祂说：
祂愿与他们合而为一，祂在他们里面，他们在祂里面，使神的爱在他们里面。（约翰福音17:21，22，23，26）
神之爱的第三个要素，即致力于他们的幸福，在永生，即无尽的祝福、幸福和快乐中得以确认。神将这些赐给那些接受祂的爱之人。因为正如神是爱本身，祂也是祝福本身。所有爱都从自身呼出快乐，圣爱则呼出祝福本身，幸福和快乐，直到永远。因此，神凭自己使天使和死后的人蒙福，祂通过与他们结合做到这一点。
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43. (5)仁的本質是仁愛身外的他人,願成為其中之一,由自己而祝福他人。
仁與智, 構成上帝的本質。而上帝的仁愛, 本質有三:仁愛自己身外的其他人, 願成為他們其中之一, 因自己而祝福他們。如上面解釋過, 上帝的仁與智結合如一, 因此這三者也組成了上帝之智的本質。仁想要達成這三點, 而智則導致這三者的發生。
[2]第一:仁愛身外的他人。從上帝對全人類的愛就可以明白這點。並且, 愛目標, 也會愛達到目標的途徑。因此, 上帝也愛祂所造的其他一切事物, 因為它們是達到愛人類之目標的途徑。
宇宙中所有的人和物都在上帝之外, 因為他們有限,而上帝無限。上帝的仁爱不僅達於善者與善物, 也達於惡者與惡物。這仁愛不僅施予天國之中的人和物, 也同樣施予地獄之中的人和物; 不僅給米迦勒和加百列, 也給魔鬼和撒旦。因為上帝從永遠到永遠,無論在哪裡都是相同的。正如祂說:"祂叫日頭照好人, 也照歹人; 降雨給義人, 也給不義的人"(馬太福音5:45)。
儘管如此, 惡的人和物仍舊是惡。這樣的人和物裡面是什麼,其結果就是什麼。惡人惡物不會真誠地和深切地接收上帝的仁愛, 他們只會照著自己的本性來接收, 其方式如同荊棘接收太陽之熱與天降甘霖。
[3]第二:願成為他們其中之一。可從祂與下列等等的聯合關係而接受這點:祂與天人的天國,地上的教會,與教會的每一位,與形成和構建教會的一切理與善。就其本身而言, 仁愛就是去努力建立一種聯合的關係。為了實現這目的, 就是上帝仁愛的意圖, 上帝按祂的形像和樣式創造了人類, 這樣祂就能憑此建立聯合的關係。
聖仁不斷努力與我們建立聯合的關係, 從主所說的話可明顯看出:祂想與人同在, 祂在他們裡面, 他們在祂裡面, 祂盼望他們裡面有上帝的仁愛(約翰福音17:21-23, 26)。
[4]上帝之仁愛第三個要素:因自己而祝福別人。從祂所賜的永生可以確認, 這永生就是賜給那些接受仁愛之人無盡的祝福,幸運和快樂。因為上帝是仁愛之本, 祂也是祝福之本。又因所有的仁愛都溢出愉快, 所以聖仁永久地溢出祝福之本,幸運之本,快樂之本。上帝通過與天人及離世之人建立的聯合關係, 將這些祝福賜予他們。
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43. 5. The essence of love is loving others who are outside oneself, wanting to be one with them, and blessing them from oneself. Two things - love and wisdom - constitute the essence of God; but three things constitute the essence of God's love: his loving others who are outside of himself, his wanting to be one with them, and his blessing them from himself. The same three constitute the essence of his wisdom because in God love and wisdom are united, as was just explained. It is love that wants those three things, however, and wisdom that brings them about.
[2] The first essential, God's loving others outside himself, is recognizable in God's love for the entire human race. And as those who love the purpose also love the means, God also loves all the other things he created, because they are the means.
All people and all things in the universe are outside God, in that they are finite and God is infinite. God's love goes out and extends not only to good people and good things but also to evil people and evil things. It goes not only to the people and things that are in heaven but also to those that are in hell - not only to Michael and Gabriel but also to the Devil and Satan, for God is the same everywhere from eternity to eternity. As he says, "He makes his sun rise on good people and evil people, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45).
Despite this, evil people and things are still evil. This is a result of what is in the people and the objects themselves. Evil people and things do not receive the love of God as it truly and most profoundly is; they receive the love of God according to their own nature, much the way thorns and nettles receive the heat from the sun and the rain from the sky.
[3] The second essential of God's love, his wanting to be one with others, is recognizable in his partnership with the angelic heaven, with the church on earth, with everyone in the church, and with everything good and true that forms and constitutes an individual and a church. In fact, seen in its own right, love is nothing but an effort to forge a partnership. In order to fulfill the purpose intended by the essence of his love, God created human beings in his own image and likeness - characteristics with which he could forge a partnership.
Divine love constantly aims to forge a partnership with us, as is clear from the Lord's saying that he wants to be one with people, he in them and they in him, and he wants the love of God to be in them (John 17:21-23, 26).
[4] The third essential of God's love, his blessing others from himself, is recognizable in eternal life, which is the unending blessedness, good fortune, and happiness that God gives to those who let his love in. As God is love itself, he is also blessedness itself; and as every love exudes pleasure, so divine love eternally exudes blessedness itself, good fortune itself, and happiness itself. God gives these blessings to angels and people after death through his partnership with them.
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43. (v) THE ESSENCE OF LOVE IS LOVING OTHERS THAN ONESELF, WISHING TO BE ONE WITH THEM AND DEVOTING ONESELF TO THEIR HAPPINESS.
There are two things which make up the essence of God - love and wisdom; but there are three which make up the essence of His love - loving others than oneself, wishing to be one with them, and devoting oneself to their happiness. The same three make up the essence of His wisdom, because, as I have shown above, love and wisdom are one in God. It is love which wills these things, wisdom that puts them into effect.
[2] The first essential, loving others than oneself, is to be recognised in God's love towards the whole human race. On this account God loves everything He has created, because they are the means to an end, and if you love the end, you must love the means. Everyone and everything in the universe are other than God, because they are finite and God is infinite. God's love goes out and extends not only to good people and things, but also to evil people and things; consequently, not only to people and things in heaven, but also to people and things in hell, not only to Michael and Gabriel, but also to the Devil and Satan. For God is everywhere and from eternity to eternity the same. He says too that He makes His sun rise upon the good and the evil, and sends rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). But it is the fault of evil people and things that they are evil, because they do not receive God's love as it is, and as it most inwardly is, but as they are. It is the same as a thorn or a nettle receiving the heat of the sun or the rain.
[3] The second essential of God's love, wishing to be one with others, is to be recognised also in His linking Himself to the heaven of angels, the church on earth, to everyone in it, and to every good and truth which compose and make up men and the church. Love regarded in itself is nothing but a striving to be linked. Therefore to realise this essential of love God created man in His image and likeness, so that he could be linked with this. It is clear from the Lord's words that the Divine Love has linking as its constant aim, when He says that He wishes to be one with them, He in them and they in Him, and that the love of God might be in them (John 17:21-23, 26).
[4] The third essential of God's love, to devote Himself to the happiness of others, is to be recognised in everlasting life, which is blessedness, bliss and happiness without end, which He gives to those who receive His love into themselves. For God, just as He is Love itself, is also blessedness itself. For every love breathes out an aura of joy from itself, and the Divine Love breathes out the very height of blessedness, bliss and happiness for ever; so God makes the angels and men after death happy from Himself, which He does by being linked with them.
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43. (5) It is the essence of Love to love others outside of one self, to desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself. The essence of God consists of two things, love and wisdom; while the essence of His love consists of three things, namely, to love others outside of Himself, to desire to be one with them, and from Himself to render them blessed. And because love and wisdom in God make one, as has been shown above, the same three things constitute the essence of His wisdom; and love desires these three things, and wisdom brings them forth.
[2] The first essential, which is to love others outside of one's self, is recognized in God's love for the whole human race; and for its sake God loves all things that He has created because they are means; for when the end is loved the means also are loved. All men and things in the universe are outside of God, because they are finite and God is infinite. The love of God goes forth and extends not only to good men and good things, but also to evil men and evil things; consequently not only to the men and things in heaven but also in hell, thus not only to Michael and Gabriel but also to the devil and satan; for God is everywhere, and is from eternity to eternity the same. He says also:
That He makes the sun to rise on the good and on the evil, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).
But the reason why evil men continue to be evil, and evil things continue to be evil, lies in the subjects and objects themselves, in that they do not receive the love of God as it is, and as it is inmostly in them, but as they themselves are; in the same way as thorns and thistles receive the heat of the sun and the rain of heaven.
[3] The second essential of the love of God, which is a desire to be one with others, is recognized in His conjunction with the angelic heaven, with the church on earth, with everyone there, and with every thing good and true that enters into and constitutes man and the church. Moreover, love viewed in itself is nothing but an endeavor towards conjunction; therefore that this aim of the essence of love might be realized man was created by God into His own image and likeness, with which a conjunction is possible. That the Divine love continually seeks conjunction is evident from the Lord's own words:
That He wishes them to be one, He in them and they in Him, and that the love of God might be in them (John 17:21-23, 26).
[4] The third essential of the love of God, which is to render others blessed from Himself, is recognized in eternal life, which is the endless blessedness, happiness, and felicity that God gives to those who receive into themselves His love. For as God is love itself, so is He blessedness itself; for all love breathes forth delight from itself, and the Divine love breathes forth blessedness itself, happiness, and felicity to eternity. Thus God from Himself renders the angels blessed, and men after death; and this He does by conjunction with them.
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43. (5) THE ESSENCE OF LOVE IS TO LOVE OTHERS OUTSIDE ITSELF, TO DESIRE TO BE ONE WITH THEM, AND TO MAKE THEM HAPPY FROM ITSELF.
There are two things which make the Essence of God, namely, Love and Wisdom, and there are three things which make the essence of His Love, namely, to love others outside of itself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them happy from itself. The same three things also make the essence of His Wisdom, because, as has been shown above, Love and Wisdom make one in God: while Love wills these things, Wisdom gives effect to them.
[2] The first essential, to love others outside of itself, is recognized from the Love of God towards the whole human race; and for their sake God loves all things He has created, because they are means; for he who loves the end loves also the means. All persons and all things in the universe are outside of God because they are finite, and God is infinite. Yet the Love of God approaches and extends not only to good persons and good things, but also to evil persons and evil things; consequently not only to persons and things in heaven, but also to those in hell; thus not only to Michael 1 and Gabriel, but also to the devil and satan, for God is everywhere, and from eternity to eternity the same. He says also:
"He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" Matthew 5:45.
[3] The reason, however, why evil persons and things are still evil is in the subjects and objects themselves, because they do not receive the Love of God in its own quality and interior nature, but according to their own nature, just as the thorn and nettle receive the heat of the sun and the rain of heaven.
The second essential of the Love of God, to desire to be one with them, is perceived from His conjunction with the angelic heaven, with the Church on earth, with every individual there, and with every good and truth which enters into and constitutes man and the Church. Moreover, love viewed in itself is nothing but an endeavor towards conjunction; therefore, in order that this object of the essence of love might be attained, God created man in His own image and likeness by which conjunction might be effected. That the Divine Love is ever directed towards this union is evident from the words of the Lord, that He desires that they may be one, He in them and they in Him, and that the Love of God may be in them, John 17:2, 22-23, 26.
[4] The third essential of the Love of God, to make them happy from itself, is recognized from eternal life, or blessedness, happiness and felicity without end, which He gives those who receive His Love. For as God is Love itself so also is He Blessedness itself, since all love breathes out from itself what is delightful, and the Divine Love breathes out blessedness itself, happiness and felicity to eternity. Thus God makes angels happy from Himself, and also men after death, by conjunction with them.
Footnotes:
1. Michael, the archangel.
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43. V. QUOD ESSENTIA AMORIS SIT AMARE ALIOS EXTRA SE, VELLE UNUM CUM ILLIS ESSE, ET BEATIFICARE ILLOS EX SE. Sunt duo, quae faciunt essentiam Dei, Amor et Sapientia, at sunt tria quae faciunt essentiam amoris Ipsius, amare alios extra se, velle unum cum illis esse, et beatificare illos ex se; eadem tria etiam faciunt essentiam sapientiae Ipsius, quia Amor et Sapientia in Deo unum faciunt, ut supra ostensum est, at Amor vult illa, et Sapientia producit illa.
[2] PRIMUM ESSENTIALE, quod est amare alios extra se, agnoscitur ex amore Dei erga totum Genus humanum, et propter illud amat Deus omnia quae creavit, quia sunt media, nam qui amat finem, etiam amat media: omnes et omnia in Universo sunt extra Deum, quia sunt finita, et Deus est Infinitus: amor Dei vadit et extendit se non modo ad bonos et bona, sed etiam ad malos et mala, proinde non modo ad illos et illa, quae in Coelo sunt, sed etiam ad illos et illa quae in Inferno sunt, ita non modo ad Michaelem et Gabrielem, sed etiam ad diabolum et satanam, est enim Deus ubivis et ab aeterno in aeternum Idem; dicit etiam, quod faciat Solem suum exoriri super bonos et malos; ac quod pluviam mittat super justos et injustos, Matthaeus 5:45 sed quod usque mali sint mali, ac mala sint mala, est in ipsis subjectis et objectis, quod non recipiant amorem Dei qualis est, et intime inest, sed quales ipsi sunt, similiter ut facit spina et urtica cum calore solis, et cum pluvia coeli.
[3] SECUNDUM ESSENTIALE AMORIS DEI, quod est velle unum cum illis esse, agnoscitur etiam ex conjunctione Ipsius cum Coelo Angelico, cum Ecclesia in terris, cum unoquovis ibi, et cum omni bono et vero, quae hominem et Ecclesiam ingrediuntur et faciunt; amor etiam in se spectatus non aliud est quam nisus ad conjunctionem: quapropter ut hoc essentiae amoris obtineretur, Deus creavit hominem in imaginem et similitudinem suam, cum qua conjunctio fieri potest: quod Amor Divinus continue intendat conjunctionem, patet a Domini verbis, quod velit ut unum sint, Ipse in illis et illi in Ipso, ac ut amor Dei in illis sit, Johannes 17:21-23, 26.
[4] TERTIUM 1 ESSENTIALE AMORIS DEI, quod est beatificare 2 illos a se, agnoscitur ex vita aeterna, quae est beatitudo, faustitas, et felicitas absque fine, quam Deus dat illis, qui amorem Ipsius in se recipiunt; Deus enim sicut est ipse Amor, etiam est ipsa Beatitudo, nam omnis amor jucundum a se exspirat, et Divinus amor ipsum beatum, faustum, et felix in aeternum, ita Deus beatificat Angelos, ac homines post mortem a se, quod fit per conjunctionem cum illis.
Footnotes: