第二十七章：开始论第四类善物——即道德善。说明其内容，并说明意志在其中喜乐以何种方式为合法。
Chapter XXVII: Which begins to treat of the fourth kind of good -- namely, the moral. Describes wherein this consists, and in what manner joy of the will therein is lawful.
意志可以在其中喜乐的第四类善物，是道德善。我们在此所理解的，是德行，以及德行的习性，就其为道德性的而言；也包括任何德行的实践、怜悯善工的实践、遵守神的律法和公共体的法律，〔直译为 política，即亚里士多德和圣托马斯所谓的「政治」德行——也就是「社会」德行，有别于「道德」德行、「理智」德行和「超性德行」。P. Silverio 注解此词，认为它指公共体中的良好治理、礼貌以及其他社会德行。〕以及把一切良好意向和倾向付诸实行。
The fourth kind of good wherein the will may rejoice is moral. By this we here understand the virtues, and the habits of the virtues, in so far as these are moral, and the practice of any virtue, and the practice of works of mercy, the keeping of the law of God, and of that of the commonweal, [Lit., política, the political’ virtue of Aristotle and St. Thomas – i.e., the ‘social,’ as opposed to the moral,’ intellectual’ and theological’ virtues. P. Silverio glosses the word as meaning good government in the commonweal, courtesy and other social virtues.’] and the putting into practice of all good intentions and inclinations.
2. 这些道德善，在被拥有并实践时，也许比上述任何其他种类更配得意志在其中喜乐。因为人可以因自己的事务而喜乐，理由有二，或二者兼而有之：也就是说，为它们本身的性质而喜乐，或为它们作为方法和工具所包含并带来的善而喜乐。我们会发现，拥有前面已经提到的三类善物，并不配得意志的喜乐。因为正如已经说过的，它们本身对人并不行善，其自身也没有任何善，因为它们如此短暂脆弱；反而，正如我们同样说过的，它们给人造成并带来烦扰、忧伤和灵的痛苦。如今，虽然它们可能因第二个理由而配得人因它们喜乐——也就是人可以借它们获益，以走向神——但这一点如此不确定，以致如我们通常所见，它们伤害人的时候，往往多于给人带来益处的时候。但是，道德类的善物，确实配得拥有它们的人有某种程度的喜乐，并且这是出于第一个理由——也就是为了它们内在的性质和价值。因为它们带来平安与宁静，以及对理性和与之相符的行动的正确而有秩序的使用；因此，按人而言，人在今生不能拥有比这更好的事物。
2. These kinds of moral good, when they are possessed and practised, deserve perhaps more than any of the other kinds aforementioned that the will should rejoice in them. For a man may rejoice in his own affairs for one of two reasons, or for both reasons together – namely, for that which they are in themselves, or for the good which they imply and bring with them as a means and instrument. We shall find that the possession of the three kinds of good already mentioned merits no rejoicing of the will. For of themselves, as has been said, they do no good to man, nor in themselves have they any good, since they are so fleeting and frail; rather, as we have likewise said, they cause and bring him trouble and grief and affliction of spirit. Now, although they might merit that man should rejoice in them for the second reason – which is that he may profit by them for journeying to God – this is so uncertain that, as we commonly see, they more often harm man than bring him profit. But good things of a moral kind merit a certain degree of rejoicing in him that possesses them, and this for the first reason – namely, for their intrinsic nature and worth. For they bring with them peace and tranquillity, and a right and ordered use of the reason and actions that are consistent therewith, so that a man cannot, humanly speaking, have anything better in this life.
3. 因此，既然这些德行按人而言，因其自身之故配得被爱和重视，人就完全可以因拥有它们而喜乐，也可以为它们本身的性质，并为它们以人的和暂时的形式给人带来的福分，而实践它们。古代哲学家、智者和君王就是以这种方式、出于这个理由重视并称赞它们，并努力拥有和实践它们；他们虽是异教徒，只以暂时的方式看待这些德行，仅仅考虑他们知道会由此产生的那些福分——暂时的、身体的和自然的福分——但他们不仅借此获得了自己所寻求的暂时名声和利益；除此之外，神爱一切良善之事（即使在蛮族和异教徒中也是如此），并且正如智者所说，他不阻止任何良善之事的实行，智慧篇 vii, 22。所以因为他们制定公正法律，就赐给他们更长的寿命、更大的尊荣、统治权和平安（例如他对罗马人所行的）；他使几乎全世界都臣服于他们，并把暂时的赏报赐给那些因不信而不能领受永恒赏报的人，作为他们良好风俗的报偿。因为神如此爱道德善，以致仅仅因为所罗门向他求智慧，好教导他的百姓、公正治理他们，并以良好风俗养育他们，神自己就大大喜悦他，并告诉他：因为他为此目的求智慧，这智慧必赐给他；并且他没有求的，也要赐给他，就是财富和尊荣，使过去或将来都没有一个王像他一样。列王纪三〔A.V., 列王纪上〕iii, 11-13。
3. Thus, since these virtues deserve to be loved and esteemed, humanly speaking, for their own sakes, a man may well rejoice in the possession of them, and may practise them for that which they are in themselves, and for the blessing which they bring to man in human and temporal form. In this way and for this reason philosophers and wise men and princes of old esteemed and praised them, and endeavoured to possess and practise them; and, although they were heathen, and regarded them only in a temporal manner, merely considering the blessings which they knew would result from them – temporal, corporeal and natural – they not only obtained by means of them the temporal renown and benefits which they sought, but, apart from this, God, Who loves all that is good (even in barbarians and heathen) and, as the Wise Man says, hinders the doing of naught that is good, Wisdom vii, 22. gave them longer life, greater honour, dominion and peace (as He did for example to the Romans), because they made just laws; for He subjected nearly the whole world to them, and gave rewards of a temporal kind for their good customs to those who because of their unbelief were incapable of eternal reward. For God loves moral good so much that, merely because Solomon asked wisdom of Him that he might teach his people, govern them justly and bring them up in good customs, God Himself was greatly pleased with him, and told him that, because he had asked for wisdom to that end, this should be given him, and there should also be given him that which he had not asked, namely, riches and honour, so that no king, either in the past or in the future, should be like him. 3 Kings [A.V., 1 Kings] iii, 11-13.
4. 然而，虽然基督徒应当以第一种方式，在自己所拥有的道德善以及自己所行的暂时善工中喜乐，因为这些会引向我们所描述的暂时福分，但他不可让自己的喜乐停留在这第一阶段（如我们所说，异教徒正是这样，因为他们属灵的视力并未越过这必死生命的事物）；相反，既然他有信心之光，并在其中盼望永生，而没有永生，凡属于今生和来世的事对他都毫无价值，他就必须主要并且唯一地按第二种方式，在拥有并运用这种道德善中喜乐——也就是说，因着为爱神而行这些事，他将获得永生。因此，他应当只把自己的眼目和喜乐放在以良好风俗和德行事奉并尊荣神上。因为没有这种意向，德行在神眼中毫无价值；这可以从福音中的十个童女看出，她们都保持了童贞，也行了善工；然而，因为其中五人的喜乐不是第二种（也就是说，因为她们没有把自己的喜乐指向神），而更是第一种虚妄的喜乐，因为她们因拥有自己的善工而喜乐，她们就被新郎逐出天堂，既不被承认，也不得赏报。同样，古时许多人拥有许多德行并实践善工，今日许多基督徒也拥有这些并完成伟大的行为；但这些对他们获得永生毫无益处，因为他们没有在其中寻求只属于神的荣耀和尊荣。因此，基督徒所应喜乐的，不是行善工和遵循良好风俗本身，而是唯独为爱神而行这些事，毫不顾及其他任何事物。因为只为事奉神而行的善工，在荣耀中赏报越大；那些出于其他理由而行善工的人，在神面前所受的羞愧也越大。
4. But, although the Christian should rejoice in this first way in the moral good that he possesses and in the good works of a temporal kind which he does, since they lead to the temporal blessings which we have described, he must not allow his joy to stop at this first stage (as we have said the heathen did, because their spiritual sight extended not beyond the things of this mortal life); but, since he has the light of faith, wherein he hopes for eternal life, without which nothing that belongs to this life and the next will be of any value to him, he must rejoice principally and solely in the possession and employment of this moral good after the second manner – namely, in that by doing these works for the love of God he will gain eternal life. And thus he should set his eyes and his rejoicing solely on serving and honouring God with his good customs and virtues. For without this intention the virtues are of no worth in the sight of God, as is seen in the ten virgins of the Gospel, who had all kept their virginity and done good works; and yet, because the joy of five of them was not of the second kind (that is, because they had not directed their joy to God), but was rather after the first and vain kind, for they rejoiced in the possession of their good works, they were cast out from Heaven with no acknowledgement or reward from the Bridegroom. And likewise many persons of old had many virtues and practised good works, and many Christians have them nowadays and accomplish great acts, which will profit them nothing for eternal life, because they have not sought in them the glory and honour which belong to God alone. The Christian, then, must rejoice, not in the performing of good works and the following of good customs, but in doing them for the love of God alone, without respect too aught else soever. For, inasmuch as good works that are done to serve God alone will have the greater reward in glory, the greater will be the confusion in the presence of God of those who have done them for other reasons.
5. 因此，基督徒若要在道德善方面把自己的喜乐引向神，就必须认识到：他的善工、禁食、施舍、苦修等等，其价值并不基于它们的数量或品质，而是基于激励他去行这些事的对神之爱；并且，当这些事以更纯洁、更真诚的对神之爱而实行时，当其中较少有自我利益、喜乐、快乐、安慰和称赞时，无论是关于今世还是来世，它们就越卓越。因此，心不可安放在快乐、安慰和喜悦上，也不可安放在善工和善行通常带来的其他利益上，而必须把自己的喜乐集中于神。它必须渴望在自己的善工中事奉他，并洁净自己脱离这种其他的喜乐，在这方面停留于黑暗中，只愿神独自在它的善工中得喜乐，并在其中暗暗喜悦，除了关于神的尊荣和荣耀的意向与喜悦以外，没有任何其他意向和喜悦。这样，灵魂在这种道德善方面，就会把自己意志的全部力量集中于神。
5. The Christian, then, if he will direct his rejoicing to God with regard to moral good, must realize that the value of his good works, fasts, alms, penances, etc., is based, not upon the number or the quality of them, but upon the love of God which inspires him to do them; and that they are the more excellent when they are performed with a purer and sincerer love of God, and when there is less in them of self-interest, joy, pleasure, consolation and praise, whether with reference to this world or to the next. Wherefore the heart must not be set upon pleasure, consolation and delight, and the other interests which good works and practices commonly bring with them, but it must concentrate its rejoicing upon God. It must desire to serve Him in its good works, and purge itself from this other rejoicing, remaining in darkness with respect to it and desiring that God alone shall have joy in its good works and shall take secret pleasure therein, without any other intention and delight than those relating to the honour and glory of God. And thus, with respect to this moral good, the soul will concentrate all the strength of its will upon God.