61# 上帝从一切合乎秩序的事物之中，觉知、洞悉并彻见所有悖逆秩序所发生的事，直至其最细微的分殊。究其根源，上帝并不将人保守在恶中，而是约束、阻拦人陷入邪恶；祂绝不引导人趋向罪恶，反倒持续与邪恶争战、对立。
邪恶与伪谬恒常对上帝的良善与真理发动反抗、抵触、抵挡与反向作用，即是持续敌对祂的本体自身；上帝正是从这种不息的对抗与逆反之中，全然洞悉邪恶的数量、性质与一切细节。
这一切皆源于上帝在其神性秩序万有及一切细微分殊中的全然全在，同时源于祂对秩序之中万事万物的全然全知。
此理可借类比阐明：人的耳朵若处在和谐顺遂的音调之中，一旦不和谐、不协调的声响介入，便能精准察觉其差异的程度与特质；人的感官若安适愉悦，苦楚不快闯入之时，亦能清晰分辨；人的眼目若观赏美好景致，丑陋之物浮现其旁，便会立刻察觉区别。正因如此，画家常将丑陋容貌置于俊美容貌之侧，用以对比映衬。
良善与真理亦是同理：当邪恶、伪谬与之相悖反抗时，邪恶与伪谬便会在善与真的映衬下全然显明、被清晰洞悉。凡居于良善之中者，皆能觉知邪恶；凡持守真理之中者，皆能看透伪谬。其根本缘由在于：良善居于天堂的温热之中，真理居于天堂的光亮之中；而邪恶居于地狱的寒凉之中，伪谬居于地狱的幽暗之中。
这一点可由属灵界的事实佐证：天堂的天使能够清晰看见地狱中发生的一切事，以及其中各类怪异可怖的景象；反观地狱灵，却丝毫无法望见天堂的光景，甚至不能看见天使，如同盲人视物，又如同人眼望向空无一物的虚空清气，一无所见。
那些凭借智慧、使理智居于属天光亮中的人，如同正午立于山巅之人，能够清晰俯瞰下方一切事物；而身处更高神性光亮中的人，相较之下，如同借望远器具观览周遭与低处万物，诸事历历在目、清晰分明。
反观那些因固守虚假、陷在地狱愚昧幽暗之中的人，如同夜间立于同一山巅、手持灯火之人，仅能看见近处之物，所见形体模糊不清、色彩纷乱混杂。
倘若人身处真理的光亮之中，却依旧活在罪恶里，当他沉浸于恶欲的欢愉之时，起初对真理的看见，如同蝙蝠望见园中悬挂的布幔，盲目奔赴，误以为是避难之所；久而久之，其心智如同夜鸱，终至如同猫头鹰一般，彻底沉溺幽暗、远离光明。
此时的人，如同附着在烟囱煤灰中的清扫工人，深陷漆黑污浊；举目向上，只能透过缭绕烟雾模糊望见天堂；垂目向下，却清晰看见生出烟雾的炉火，即是罪恶的本源。
61# 神从符合秩序的事情中感知、知道和看到违反秩序发生的一切事，甚至直到最微小的事，因为神不会将人保持在邪恶中，而是使他远离邪恶；因此，祂不会引导他走向邪恶，而是努力约束他。从邪恶和虚假对祂的良善和真理，因而对祂自己的这种持续不断的奋斗、挣扎、抵抗、反对和反应中，神感知到邪恶和虚假的量和质。这源于神在祂秩序的每一个和一切事物中的全在，同时也源于祂对其中的一切的全知，或说祂对该秩序的每一个和一切事物的完美了解。这就像一个人的耳朵习惯了和谐一致的声音，当不和谐和刺耳的声音进来时，他会立刻准确地察觉到它，还察觉到这种不和谐的程度和性质；或像一个感觉被令人快乐的事物占据的人会察觉到令人厌恶的事物的侵扰；又或像一个具有敏锐美感的人会立刻察觉到摆在美丽物体旁边的丑陋东西；因此，画家经常在一张漂亮的脸旁边画上一张丑陋的脸。当邪恶和虚假与良善和真理相争时，良善和真理也是如此，因为当与良善和真理相比时，邪恶和虚假就被清晰地感知到。事实上，凡处于良善的人都能感知到邪恶；凡处于真理的人都能看到虚假。原因在于，良善处于天堂之热，真理处于天堂之光；而邪恶处于地狱的寒冷，虚假处于地狱的黑暗。这一点可通过以下事实来说明：天堂天使能看到地狱里所发生的任何事，那里有哪种怪物；而另一方面，地狱灵根本看不见天堂里所发生的任何事，甚至像瞎子，或仰望空虚的空气或以太的人一样看不到天使。那些理解力处于智慧之光的人，就像中午站在山顶上的人，他清楚看到下面的一切；而那些处于更高或更优越之光的人相对来说，就像通过望远镜观察的人，他看到周围和下面的物体好像就在眼前，触手可及。但那些通过确认虚假而处于地狱的虚假之光的人，就像夜里站在同一座山上，手里拿着灯笼的人，他只看见离他最近的物体，甚至看不清这些物体的形状或颜色。当一个处于某种真理之光，但仍处于邪恶生活的人以他的邪恶之爱为快乐时，他起初看真理，就跟蝙蝠看挂在花园里的亚麻布差不多，它会飞向这块亚麻布，就像飞向避难所。后来，他变得像一只夜鸟，最后变得像一只尖叫的猫头鹰。然后，他变得像紧紧贴在黑暗烟道里的烟囱清扫工，他向上看时，会透过烟雾看到天空，但向下看时，只看到烟雾升起的炉膛。
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.