第十章：论第三种恶，即可能由魔鬼借记忆的想象领受临到灵魂的恶。
Chapter X: Of the third evil that may come to the soul from the devil, through the imaginary apprehensions of the memory.
从以上所说的一切可以清楚明白并推知，魔鬼借这些超自然领受可能给灵魂带来的恶是何等之大。因为他不仅能向记忆和想象呈现许多虚假的形式和观念，使它们看似真实而美好，以极大的效力把它们印刻在灵和感觉上，并借暗示使人确信它们为真（以致灵魂觉得不可能不是如此，而一切正如他所呈现的那样；因为，正如他装作光明的天使，他也以光的样子向灵魂显现）；他也能在真实的知识，也就是出于神的知识方面，以许多方式试探灵魂，使灵魂的欲望和情感，无论属灵的还是感性的，都在这些事上以失序的方式被激动；因为若灵魂以这类领受为乐，魔鬼就很容易使它的欲望和情感在它里面增长，并使它陷入属灵的贪食和其他恶。
From all that has been said above it may be clearly understood and inferred how great is the evil that may come to the soul from the devil by way of these supernatural apprehensions. For not only can he represent to the memory and the fancy many false forms and ideas, which seem true and good, impressing them on spirit and sense with great effectiveness and certifying them to be true by means of suggestion (so that it appears to the soul that it cannot be otherwise, but that everything is even as he represents it; for, as he transfigures himself into an angel of light, he appears as light to the soul); but he may also tempt the soul in many ways with respect to true knowledge, which is of God, moving its desires and affections, whether spiritual or sensual, in unruly fashion with respect to these; for, if the soul takes pleasure in such apprehensions, it is very easy for the devil to cause its desires and affections to grow within it, and to make it fall into spiritual gluttony and other evils.
2. 为了更好地做到这一点，他常在关于这些神的事上，向感官暗示并给予愉悦、甘甜和喜乐，以致灵魂被那甘甜败坏并迷乱，〔原文中的两个动词具有非常明确而具体的意义，分别为「以蜜使之变甜」和「被灯照得目眩」。〕因而被那喜乐弄瞎了眼，把目光放在喜乐上，而不是放在爱上（或至少远多于放在爱上），并且更留心这些领受，而不是留心在对神的信心、盼望和爱中所具有的超脱与空虚。由此，魔鬼便能逐渐欺骗灵魂，使它极容易相信他的虚假。因为对瞎眼的灵魂而言，虚假不再显为虚假，恶也不显为恶，等等；因为黑暗显为光，光显为黑暗；于是这个灵魂便会犯下千百种愚蠢的错误，无论是在自然事物、道德事物，还是属灵事物方面；以致那曾对它是酒的，变成了醋。这一切临到灵魂，都是因为它起初没有首先否定自己在那些超自然事物中的喜乐。起初这是一件小事，危害不大，所以灵魂没有疑虑，任其继续；而它就像芥菜种一样长成大树。因为正如人们所说，开头的小错误，最终会成为大错误。
2. And, in order the better to do this, he is wont to suggest and give pleasure, sweetness and delight to the senses with respect to these same things of God, so that the soul is corrupted and bewildered [The two verbs, in the original, have very definite and concrete meanings, ‘sweetened with honey’ and dazzled by a lamp’ respectively.] by that sweetness, and is thus blinded with that pleasure and sets its eyes on pleasure rather than on love (or, at least, very much more than upon love), and gives more heed to the apprehensions than to the detachment and emptiness which are found in faith and hope and love of God. And from this he may go on gradually to deceive the soul and cause it to believe his falsehoods with great facility. For to the soul that is blind falsehood no longer appears to be falsehood, nor does evil appear to be evil, etc.; for darkness appears to be light, and light, darkness; and hence that soul comes to commit a thousand foolish errors, whether with respect to natural things, or to moral things, or to spiritual things; so that that which was wine to it becomes vinegar. All this happens to the soul because it began not, first of all, by denying itself the pleasure of those supernatural things. At first this is a small matter, and not very harmful, and the soul has therefore no misgivings, and allows it to continue, and it grows, like the grain of mustard seed, into a tall tree. For a small error at the beginning, as they say, becomes a great error in the end.
3. 因此，为了逃避这出于魔鬼的大恶，灵魂不可渴望在这类事中有任何喜乐，因为这种喜乐必定会使它眼瞎并跌倒。因为喜乐、欢悦和甘甜，按其本性，即使没有魔鬼的帮助，也会使灵魂眼瞎。这就是大卫说这话时的意思：「黑暗必定压碎我，我周围的亮光必成为黑夜。」诗篇 cxxxviii, 11〔A.V., cxxxix, 11〕。
3. Wherefore, in order to flee from this great evil, which comes from the devil, the soul must not desire to have any pleasure in such things, because such pleasure will most surely lead it to become blind and to fall. For of their own nature, and without the help of the devil, pleasure and delight and sweetness blinds the soul. And this was the meaning of David when he said: Perhaps darkness shall blind me in my delights and I shall have the night for my light.’ Psalm cxxxviii, 11 [A.V., cxxxix, 11].