Note.- In proportion, therefore, as a man is more potent in this kind of knowledge, he will be more completely conscious of himself and of God; in other words, he will be more perfect and blessed, as will appear more clearly in the sequel. But we must here observe that, although we are already certain that the mind is eternal, in so far as it conceives things under the form of eternity, yet, in order that what we wish to show may be more readily explained and better understood, we will consider the mind itself, as though it had just begun to exist and to understand things under the form of eternity, as indeed we have done hitherto; this we may do without any danger of error, so long as we are careful not to draw any conclusion, unless our premisses are plain.
Prop. XXXII. Whatsoever we understand by the third kind of knowledge, we take delight in, and our delight is accompanied by the idea of God as cause.
Proof.- From this kind of knowledge arises the highest possible mental acquiescence, that is (Def of the Emotions:xxv.), pleasure, and this acquiescence is accompanied by the idea of the mind itself (V. xxvii.), and consequently (V:xxx.) the idea also of God as cause. Q.E.D.
Corollary.- From the third kind of knowledge necessarily arises the intellectual love of God. From this kind of knowledge arises pleasure accompanied by the idea of God as cause, that is (Def. of the Emotions:vi.), the love of God; not in so far as we imagine him as present (V:xxix.), but in so far as we understand him to be eternal; this is what I call the intellectual love of God.
Prop. XXXIII. The intellectual love of God, which arises from the third kind of knowledge, is eternal.
Proof.- The third kind of knowledge is eternal (V:xxxi., I:Ax.iii.); therefore (by the same Axiom) the love which arises therefrom is also necessarily eternal. Q.E.D.
Note.- Although this love towards God has (by the foregoing Prop.) no beginning, it yet possesses all the perfections of love, just as though it had arisen as we feigned in the Coroll. of the last Prop. Nor is there here any difference, except that the mind possesses as eternal those same perfections which we feigned to accrue to it, and they are accompanied by the idea of God as eternal cause. If pleasure consists in the transition to a greater perfection, assuredly blessedness must consist in the mind being endowed with perfection itself.
Prop. XXX.IV. The mind is, only while the body endures, subject to those emotions which are attributable to passions.
Proof. Imagination is the idea wherewith the mind contemplates a thing as present (II:xvii.Note); yet this idea indicates rather the present disposition of the human body than the nature of the external thing (II:xvi.Coroll.ii.). Therefore emotion (see general Def. of Emotions) is imagination, in so far as it indicates the present disposition of the body; therefore (V:xxi.) the mind is, only while the body endures, subject to emotions which are attributable to passions. Q.E.D.
Corollary.- Hence it follows that no love save intellectual love is eternal.
Note.- If we look to men's general opinion, we shall see that they are indeed conscious of the eternity of their mind, but that they confuse eternity with duration, and ascribe it to the imagination or the memory which they believe to remain after death.
Prop. XXXV. God loves himself with an infinite intellectual love.
Proof.- God is absolutely infinite (I:Def.vi.), that is (II:Def.vi.), the nature of God rejoices in infinite perfection; and such rejoicing is (II:iii.) accompanied by the idea of himself, that is (I:xi. and I:Def.i.), the idea of his own cause: now this is what we have (in V:xxxii.Coroll.) described as intellectual love.
Prop. XXXVI. The intellectual love of the mind towards God is that very love of God whereby God loves himself, not in so far as he is infinite, but in so far as he can be explained through the essence of the human mind regarded under the form of eternity; in other words, the intellectual love of the mind towards God is part of the infinite love wherewith God loves himself.
Proof.- (1) This love of the mind must be referred to the activities of the mind (V:xxxii.Coroll. and III:iii.); it is itself, indeed, an activity whereby the mind regards itself accompanied by the idea of God as cause (V:xxxii.&Coroll.); that is (I:xxv.Coroll. and II:xi.Coroll.), an activity whereby God, in so far as he can be explained through the human mind, regards himself accompanied by the idea of himself; therefore (by the last Prop.), this love of the mind is part of the infinite love wherewith God loves himself. Q.E.D.
Corollary.- Hence it follows that God, in so far as he loves himself, loves man, and, consequently, that the love of God towards men, and the intellectual love of the mind towards God are identical.
Note.- From what has been said we clearly understand, wherein our salvation, or blessedness, or freedom, consists: namely, in the constant and eternal love towards God, or in God's love towards men. This love or blessedness is, in the Bible, called Glory and not undeservedly. For whether this love be referred to God or to the mind, it may rightly be called acquiescence of spirit, which (Def. of the Emotions:xxv., and xxx.) is not really distinguished from glory. In so far as it is referred to God, it is (V:xxxv.) pleasure, if we may still use that term, accompanied by the idea of itself, and, in so far as it is referred to the mind, it is the same (V:xxvii.).
