----中文待译----
579. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which went forth, out of their mouths.- This signifies that all understanding of truth, and spiritual life therefrom, were extinguished by them, as is evident from the signification of the third part of men, as denoting all intelligence or understanding of truth, and as spiritual life is thence, therefore this also is meant; and from the signification of being killed, as denoting to be extinguished, for when the understanding of truth is extinguished, man is spiritually killed (see above, n. 315). That the "third part," when used in reference to truths denotes all (n. 506); and man denotes the understanding of truth and the perception of good (n. 280, 546); and from the signification of fire, smoke, and brimstone, going forth out of their mouths, which denote the thoughts and thence reasonings springing from the love of evil, from the love of falsity, and from the lust (concupiscentia) of destroying truths and goods by means of the falsities of evil (see above, n. 578). From these things the signification of those words is clear. These things are said concerning the horses in the vision, for out of their mouths went forth fire, smoke, and brimstone. And because the horses seen in the vision signify the falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies, it is evident that fire, smoke, and brimstone signify those things which are the cause, and these are the love of evil and the love of falsity, together with the lust (concupiscentia) of destroying the truths and goods of the church. This is effected by thoughts and reasonings from fallacies concerning the meaning and understanding of the Word; for when man thinks only from fallacies, he thinks solely from those things that appear at first sight in the sense of the letter, and not from any interior literal sense (sensu litterali interiori). He therefore forms the grossest and crudest ideas concerning every doctrinal which he draws from the Word; for example that God is angry and punishes, and casts [men] into hell, that He tempts them, that He repents, and many other things of a similar nature.
Moreover such a man thinks also corporeally and materially of every thing that he reads in the Word, and spiritually of nothing, consequently his thought is merely sensual, and being merely sensual is solely from the love of self and of the world, and when from these it is solely from evils and falsities. When such a man is left to himself, and thinks from his own spirit, he then thinks from the affection of those loves, and conjoins them to those things which are in the Word; and when the Divine things of the Word are conjoined to such loves, then all things therein are adulterated and falsified. For the Divine things of the Word can be conjoined only with celestial love or with spiritual affection, if with some other love or some other affection the higher mind, called the spiritual mind, is closed, and only the lower mind, called the natural mind, is opened. In fact in the case of those who conjoin the truths of the Word with the affection of the love of self the natural mind is also closed, and only the ultimate of this mind called the Sensual is opened, which is closely adherent to the body, and is nearest to the world; for this reason man's spirit becomes corporeal, and can have no part with angels, for they are spiritual.
579. Verse 18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, going out of their mouths, signifies that all the understanding of truth, and the spiritual life therefrom, were extinguished by them. This is evident from the signification of "the third part of men," as being all intelligence, or the understanding of truth, and as spiritual life is from this, that also is involved; from the signification of "to be killed," as being to be extinguished, for when the understanding of truth is extinguished man is spiritually killed see above, n. 315; the "third part," in reference to truths, means all (See above, n. 506); and "man" means the understanding of truth and the perception of good (n. 280, 546); also from the signification of "fire, smoke, and brimstone going out of their mouths," as being the thoughts and reasonings therefrom springing from the love of evil, from the love of falsity, and from the lust of destroying truths and goods by the falsities of evil (See above, n. 578). From this the signification of these words can be seen. This is said of the horses seen in vision, namely, that "out of their mouths went out fire, smoke, and brimstone;" and as the "horses" seen in vision signify the falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies, it is evident that "fire, smoke, and brimstone," signify the things that cause falsification, which are the loves of evil and falsity, and the lusts for destroying the truths and goods of the church. This is effected by the thoughts and by reasonings from fallacies about the sense and understanding of the Word. For when a man thinks from mere fallacies he thinks solely from such things as stand forth at first sight in the sense of the letter, and not from any interior literal sense; consequently he forms the most gross and harsh ideas respecting every doctrine he derives from the Word, as that God is angry, that He punishes, casts men into hell, tempts them, that He repents, and many like things; moreover, he thinks corporeally and materially, and not at all spiritually, about everything he reads in the Word; for this reason his thought is merely sensual, and when it is merely sensual it is solely from the love of self and of the world, and when it is from these it is solely from evils and falsities. When such a man, therefore, is left to himself and thinks from his spirit, he thinks from the affection of these loves, which he conjoins to the things that are in the Word; and when the Divine things of the Word are conjoined to such loves all things therein are adulterated and falsified, for the Divine things of the Word can never be conjoined to anything but celestial love, or with spiritual affection; if conjoined to any other love or any other affection, the higher mind, which is called the spiritual mind, is closed, and the lower mind only, which is called the natural mind, is opened; yea, with those who conjoin the truths of the Word to the affection of the love of self, the natural mind also is closed, and only the ultimate of this mind is opened, which is called the sensual, which clings most closely to the body, and stands forth nearest to the world. Thus does man's spirit become corporeal, and then it can have no lot with the angels, who are spiritual.
579. [Vers. 18.] "A tribus his occisa est tertia pars hominum, ex igne et ex fumo et ex sulphure exeunte ex oribus illorum." - Quod significet quod omnis intellectus veri et inde vita spiritualis ex illis exstincta sit, constat ex significatione "tertiae partis hominum", quod sit omnis intelligentia seu intellectus veri, et quia inde est vita spiritualis, ideo etiam haec involvitur; ex significatione "occidi", quod sit exstingui, nam cum intellectus veri exstinguitur, homo spiritualiter occiditur (videatur supra, n. 315 [a, b]): (quod "tertia pars", cum de veris, sit omne, [supra] n. 506; et quod homo sit intellectus veri et perceptio boni, n. 280, 1
546;) et ex significatione "ignis, fumi et sulphuris exeuntium ex oribus illorum", quod sint cogitata et inde ratiocinia scaturientia ex amore mali, ex amore falsi, et ex concupiscentia destruendi vera et bona per falsa mali (de qua mox supra, n. 578): ex his videri potest quid per illa verba significatur. Haec dicuntur de "equis" in visione visis, quod nempe "ex illorum oribus exiverit ignis, fumus et sulphur"; et quia per "equos" in visione visos significantur falsificationes Verbi per ratiocinia ex fallaciis, patet quod per "ignem, fumum et sulphur " significentur illa quae causantur, quae sunt amores mali et falsi ac concupiscentiae destruendi vera et bona ecclesiae; et hoc fit per cogitata et ratiocinia ex fallaciis de sensu et intellectu Verbi: quando enim homo non cogitat nisi ex fallaciis, cogitat solum ex illis quae in sensu litterae ad primum visum exstant, et non ex aliquo sensu litterali interiori: inde admodum crassas et duras ideas de omni doctrinali, quod ex Verbo, captat; sicut de Deo, quod irascatur, puniat, in infernum conjiciat, tentet, quod Ipsum paeniteat, et plura similia, praeter quod corporee et materialiter de singulis quae in Verbo legit, et nihil spiritualiter, cogitet; inde est quod mere sensualiter; et cum mere sensualiter, tunc solum ex amore sui et mundi; et cum ex his, solum ex malis et falsis. Quare cum sibi relictus ex suo spiritu cogitat, tunc ex illorum amorum affectione cogitat, quos illis quae in Verbo sunt conjungit; et cum Divina Verbi conjunguntur talibus, tunc adulterantur et falsificantur omnia quae ibi; nam Divina Verbi nusquam conjungi possunt quam cum amore caelesti seu cum affectione spirituali; si cum alio amore, seu cum alia affectione, tunc clauditur mens superior, quae vocatur mens spiritualis, et modo aperitur mens inferior, quae vocatur mens naturalis; immo apud illos qui conjungunt Verbi vera cum affectione amoris sui, clauditur etiam mens naturalis, et aperitur modo ultimum hujus mentis, quod vocatur sensuale, quod proxime inhaeret corpori, et proxime exstat mundo; inde est quod spiritus hominis fiat corporeus, qui nullam sortem habere potest cum angelis, qui sunt spirituales.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.