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Apocalypse Explained (Tansley translation 1923) 790

790. And they worshipped the beast. That these words signify an acknowledgment of those reasonings by which discordance with the Word was apparently removed, is evident from the signification of worshipping, as denoting to acknowledge as certain, and thence to worship as Divine (according to what was said above, n. 789); and also from the signification of the beast, as denoting reasonings from the natural man, confirming the separation of faith from life (concerning which see above, n. 774). And because that beast was seen to have seven heads and ten horns; and, moreover, was like a leopard as to the body, a bear as to the feet, and a lion as to the mouth; and because various things are signified by these, therefore these things are also here meant by the beast; for they worshipped it because of them.

[2] Because in the preceding article, it was shown that faith alone, or faith separate from charity, cannot produce goods of life, as a tree does fruit; it is of importance now to show in what manner spiritual faith, or the faith from charity, is acquired. But because the learned world has not hitherto known the nature and quality of what is spiritual in its essence, and how it is distinguished from what is natural, therefore they could not know the nature of spiritual faith, and how it is distinguished from natural faith. And yet natural faith, without spiritual faith as its source, is not faith at all, but merely knowledge, and also thought therefrom that a thing is so; and this, if called faith, is merely an historical faith, which, when confirmed, is persuasive faith. Moreover, both these kinds of faith are natural. Faith merely natural does not save, but spiritual faith does. Wherefore in what follows it shall now be explained how spiritual faith is formed by the Lord.

It is known in the world, that there is a natural man and a spiritual man; also, that the natural man is worldly, and the spiritual man heavenly. Nevertheless it is not known what spiritual faith is, and how this differs from natural faith. We have to observe therefore:

[3] 1. That every man has two minds, one natural and the other spiritual. And because it is the mind that wills and thinks, every man has also a natural will and thought, and a spiritual will and thought. The natural mind wills and thinks as a man in the world, and the spiritual mind wills and thinks as an angel of heaven. It follows, therefore, that faith, because it is in man, is also natural and spiritual; and that natural faith accords with the will and thought of a man in the world; and that spiritual faith accords with his will and thought in heaven.

It is said will and thought, because everything from which a man is a man, pertains to these two; for he acts from the will, and speaks from thought. And because a man acts and speaks either from himself or from God, therefore he wills and thinks either from himself or from God.

From these things it is clear first, that there is such a thing as a natural faith, and a spiritual faith; and that to have a natural without a spiritual faith is to think of such things as are in the Word from oneself; but that to have a natural from a spiritual faith is to think of them from God; although this also appears to man to be as from himself.

[4] 2. Since every man has two minds, a natural and a spiritual, and the natural mind is opened and formed by such things as are in the world, the spiritual mind, on the contrary, by such things as are in heaven; and because the things that are in heaven are all spiritual, therefore it is necessary that man's spiritual mind should be opened and formed by those things that are contained in the Word, where everything is spiritual, because Divine.

In the Word there are truths which must be known and thought, and goods which must be willed and done; and therefore, by both the latter and the former, man's spiritual mind is opened and formed. From these things it follows, that unless the spiritual mind is opened and formed by means of truths and goods from the Word, it remains closed; and also that when this mind is closed, the natural mind only is opened and formed by means of such things as are in the world, from which a man has indeed a natural light (lumen), but which discerns nothing that is from heaven.

From these things it is clear, secondly, that faith is not faith so long as the natural mind alone is opened. If, however, the thought that a thing is so is called faith, it is historical faith; and this is nothing but the knowledge, from which the natural man thinks.

[5] 3. In order that the spiritual mind may be opened and formed, it is necessary that it should have a storehouse from which it may supply itself with what is required; otherwise the man would be empty; and no Divine operation is possible in a void. This storehouse is in the natural man and its memory, in which every thing knowable can be stored up, and thence called forth. In this storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man, there must be truths which are to be believed, and goods which are to be done, both of which are derived from the Word, and from doctrine and preaching from the Word. These a man must learn from his infancy.

But all these things, however abundant they may be, and although they are derived from the Word, are nevertheless natural only, before the spiritual mind is opened; for they are mere knowledge. It is thought from this storehouse that is called faith by those who separate faith from good works in doctrine and in life.

[6] 4. The spiritual mind is primarily opened by man's abstaining from doing evils because contrary to the Divine precepts of the Word. If a man abstains from evils from any other fear than this, the spiritual mind is not opened.

The reasons why the spiritual mind is opened by this means and not otherwise, are these:- First, That evils in man must first be removed before communication and conjunction with heaven can be granted him. For evils, which are all in the natural man, keep heaven closed, which, nevertheless, must be opened, because otherwise a man would remain natural. The second reason is, that the Word is from the Lord, and consequently the Lord is in the Word, because He is the Word; for the Word is Divine truth, which is entirely from the Lord. It follows, therefore, that he who abstains from doing evils because they are contrary to the Divine precepts in the Word abstains from them from the Lord. The third reason is, that in proportion as evils are removed in the same proportion goods enter. That this is the case, a man may see from natural light (lumen) alone. For when lasciviousness is put away, chastity enters; when a man ceases to be intemperate, he becomes temperate; when he ceases to be deceitful, he becomes sincere; when hatred and the delight of revenge are put away, love and the delight of love and friendship enter; and so in other cases. The reason is, that the Lord enters, and with Him heaven, so far as a man abstains from doing evils from the Word, because he then abstains from them from the Lord.

[7] 5. This, however, shall be illustrated by examples. Thus with respect to the four precepts of the Decalogue: "Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not bear false witness"; these are Divine precepts because in the Word. He who shuns and is averse to adultery, from a fear that it is against the Lord, against heaven, and contrary to the spiritual life, which is the ground of eternal felicity, such a one loves chastity, and also his conjugial partner; because love truly conjugial is chastity itself. He who shuns or is averse to thieving, from a similar fear, loves sincerity, and also the good of his neighbour as his own good. He who shuns and is averse to murders, or deadly hatred, from a like fear, loves his neighbour and is in charity. He who shuns and is averse to false testimony, from a similar fear, loves justice and also truthfulness, and this from the Lord, because from the Word. Hence such a one after death, when he becomes a spirit, is like an angel of heaven, and therefore becomes an angel of heaven.

On the other hand, he who does not shun adultery from that holy fear, but from a fear of the loss of reputation, and thence of honour and gain, or from fear of the law or of disease, or because of infirmity; such a one is still unchaste, because he fears the world only, and the loss of his income in the world; he does not fear the Lord, nor, consequently, the loss of heaven and of eternal life. Similarly, he who abstains from theft, murder or deadly hatred, and from false testimony, from natural fear only and not from spiritual fear, abstains from these things of himself, and not from the Lord; and he who does this of himself, still remains in them, because no one can be withdrawn from such things except by the Lord.

From these things it is evident that the spiritual mind is opened in man by his abstaining from doing evils, from the Word; and, moreover, that it is opened in proportion as he abstains by shunning and becoming averse to them.

[8] 6. So far concerning the opening of the spiritual mind. Something shall now be said concerning its formation.

The spiritual mind is formed from the things laid up in man's memory from the Word, the memory being a storehouse, of which we have spoken above; but those things are called forth by the following means.

First, a man is gifted with the affection of truth, which is called the spiritual affection of truth, and which consists in loving truth because it is truth. The reason why this affection of truth is possible, is that, evils being removed, a man is in goods from the Lord, and good loves truth, and truth good; and they desire to be conjoined. This affection comes from the Lord alone; for the Lord in heaven is Divine truth; and it comes by means of the Word, because the Lord in the church is the Word.

Secondly, those things that are from the Word, in man's storehouse above mentioned, are called forth and purified by the Lord; and genuine truths are there discriminated and separated from what is false; for man's spiritual mind cannot be formed except by genuine truths, because heaven is not in any other.

Thirdly, those truths are elevated by the Lord in a wonderful manner, and become spiritual. This is effected by the influx of heaven, and thence of spiritual things corresponding to natural; and these truths are there arranged into a heavenly form, the nature of which may be seen described in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 200-212).

Fourthly, those truths which are elevated into the spiritual mind are not in a natural, but a spiritual form. Truths in a spiritual form are such as those in the spiritual sense of the Word; but truths in a natural form are such as those in the natural sense of the Word; and that these are distinct from each other, and yet make one by correspondences, was illustrated in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 87-115). This is why a man when after death he becomes a spirit, and his spiritual mind is opened, no longer thinks and speaks naturally but spiritually.

Fifthly, a man, so long as he lives in the world, does not at all know what he thinks in the spiritual mind, but only what he thinks from that mind in the natural. After death, however, the state is changed, and he then thinks from the spiritual mind, and not from the natural. So far concerning the opening of the spiritual mind and its formation.

[9] 7. When a man's spiritual mind is opened and formed, then the Lord forms the natural mind. For a man's natural mind is formed from the Lord through the spiritual mind. The reason is, that the spiritual mind is in heaven, and the natural mind in the world; for the natural cannot be formed to the idea of such things as are in heaven except from heaven, nor before communication and conjunction with heaven are affected. This formation is effected by the Lord by influx out of the spiritual mind into the natural, whereby the things in the natural mind are arranged in order so as to correspond to those that are in the spiritual; this correspondence is treated of in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, and also in the work concerning Heaven and Hell. The truths that are in the natural mind from the spiritual are called rational, moral and natural truths, and, in general, scientific truths; and the goods that are in the natural mind from the spiritual are called affections and desires for those truths, and to think, speak, and act from them; and in general they are called uses. All the things that are from the spiritual mind in the natural come under the man's view and into his perception.

[10] 8. It must be known that this formation of both minds in man continues from his infancy to old age, and afterwards to eternity; and sometimes from the middle life to the end, and afterwards to eternity. Nevertheless, it continues in the other life in a manner different from that which proceeded in the world. And as man is being formed, so he is perfected in intelligence and wisdom, and becomes a man. For no man is a man from his natural mind, being from this rather an animal; but he becomes a man by intelligence and wisdom from the Lord, and in proportion as he is intelligent and wise, in the same proportion he is a beautiful man, and an angel of heaven. In proportion, however, as he rejects, suffocates, and perverts the truths and goods of the Word, that is, of heaven and the church, and thence rejects intelligence and wisdom, he is so far a monster and not a man, because he is so far a devil. From these things it is evident that man is not a man from his parents, but from the Lord, by whom he is born and created anew; this therefore is regeneration and a new creation.

[11] 9. This being premised, something shall now be said concerning the will and understanding of the man that is created anew or regenerated by the Lord, and afterwards concerning charity and faith. His will is formed in the natural man by the influx of the heat of heaven through the spiritual mind from the Lord. The heat of heaven is, in its essence, the Divine Good proceeding from the Divine Love of the Lord. On the other hand, the understanding in the natural man is formed by the influx of the light of heaven through the spiritual man from the Lord. The light of heaven is, in its essence, Divine truth proceeding from the Divine Love of the Lord. Hence it follows that the will is formed from goods, from which man has love and affection; and that the understanding is formed from truths therefrom, from which man has intelligence and wisdom. And because truths are nothing else but forms of good, it follows that the understanding is nothing else but the form of its will. The only difference is, that the understanding sees, and the will feels. It is evident, therefore, that according to the quality of the will of good which a man has, such is his understanding of truth; or what amounts to the same, according to the quality of man's love, such is his intelligence.

Hence it is evident, that although the will and the understanding are two faculties of life, still they act as one, wherefore those two faculties of life are called one mind. This is the case in the natural man. In the spiritual man also there are will and understanding, but much more perfect; and these are also called one mind. The latter therefore is the spiritual mind and the former the natural mind. Such is the case with the man whose spiritual mind is opened and formed; but it is entirely otherwise with him whose spiritual mind is closed, and only the natural mind opened.

[12] 10. The same things may be said concerning charity and faith as have been said concerning the will and understanding; for the will is the subject and receptacle of charity, because it is the subject and receptacle of good; and the understanding is the subject and receptacle of faith, because it is the subject and receptacle of truth. For charity derives all its quality from good, and faith derives all its quality from truth; therefore we say the good of charity and the truth of faith. It follows, therefore, that charity and faith act as one, like will and understanding; and that according to the quality of the charity such is the faith. This takes place in the natural mind; but in the spiritual mind, the love of good is in the place of charity, and the perception of truth in the place of faith.

[13] 11. That spiritual love, which is charity, produces faith, may appear from this single circumstance, that a man after death, who is then called a spirit, is nothing else but an affection which is of love, and that his thought is therefrom. The whole angelic heaven, therefore, is arranged into societies according to the varieties of affections; and every one in heaven, in whatever society he may be, thinks from his own affection. This is why the affection, or love, produces faith; and the faith is according to the quality of the affection. For faith is nothing else but thinking that a thing is so in truth. By affection is meant love in its continuity.

But a man in the world at this day is ignorant that his thought is from affection, and according to it. And the reason is that he sees his thought, but not his affection. And because thought is his affection in a visible form, therefore he knows only that the whole mind of man is thought. The case was otherwise formerly with the ancients where the churches were. As these knew that love produces all things of thought, they therefore made charity, which is the affection of knowing truths, of understanding them, and also of willing them, and becoming wise by means of them, the principal means of salvation. And because that affection makes one with faith, therefore they knew nothing of faith as such.

[14] From these things it is evident not only how faith is formed in man, but also that faith can never produce charity; but that charity, which is spiritual love, forms faith to a resemblance of itself, and presents therein an image of itself; and that for this reason the quality of faith is known from charity and its goods, which are good works, as the quality of a tree is known from its fruit. By the tree, however, is not meant faith, but the man as to his life. By its leaves are signified truths whereby is faith, and by the fruits thereof are signified goods of life, which are goods of charity. Besides these there are innumerable other mysteries respecting the formation of faith by charity from the Lord; but still it is the Lord who does all these mysterious things, man being ignorant of it. All the work necessary on the part of man is to learn truths from the Word and live according to them.

Apocalypse Explained (Whitehead translation 1912) 790

790. And they worshipped the beast, signifies acknowledgment of the reasonings by which the disagreement with the Word is seemingly cleared away. This is evident from the signification of "to worship," as being to acknowledge as certain, and thus to adore as Divine (as above, n. 789; also from the signification of "the beast," as being the reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (See above, n. 774). And as this beast was seen to have seven heads and ten horns, and moreover was like a leopard as to his body, a bear as to his feet, and a lion as to his mouth, by which various things are signified, so here also the same things are meant by "the beast," since it was on account of these that they worshipped the beast.

[2] As the preceding article treated of this, that faith alone, or faith separated from charity, cannot produce goods of life as a tree does fruits, it is important to now set forth how to acquire spiritual faith, which is faith from charity. But as the learned world has not heretofore known what is meant by the spiritual or what is the nature of the spiritual in its essence, and how it is distinguished from what is natural, so neither could it know what spiritual faith is, and how it is distinguished from natural faith. And yet natural faith apart from spiritual faith as its origin is no faith at all, but merely knowledge [scientia] and thought therefrom that a thing is so; and if this is called faith, it is historical faith, and when it is confirmed is a persuasive faith, and both of these kinds of faith are natural, and faith merely natural does not save, but spiritual faith; consequently it shall now be told in what follows how spiritual faith is formed by the Lord.

It is known in the world that there is a natural man and a spiritual man, as also that the natural man is worldly and the spiritual man heavenly; but still it is not known what spiritual faith is, and how it differs from natural faith.

[3] It is therefore to be known, 1. That every man has two minds, one natural and the other spiritual; and as it is the mind that wills and thinks, every man has also natural will and thought and spiritual will and thought. The natural mind wills and thinks like a man in the world, and the spiritual mind wills and thinks like an angel in heaven. From this it follows that as faith is in man, it, too, is natural or spiritual; and that natural faith is according to man's will and thought in the world, and spiritual faith is according to his will and thought in heaven. It is said the will and thought, because all things from which man is a man have relation to these two, for from the will he acts, and from the thought he speaks. And as a man acts and speaks either from self or from God, so he wills and thinks either from self or from God. From this it is clear, in the first place, that there is natural faith and spiritual faith; and that natural faith apart from spiritual faith is to think such things as are in the Word from self, while natural faith from spiritual faith is to think such things as are in the Word from God; although this also seems to the man to be from himself.

2.

[4] As every man has two minds, a natural and a spiritual, and the natural mind is opened and formed by such things as are in the world, while the spiritual mind is opened and formed by such things as are in heaven, and as the things that are in heaven are all spiritual, so a man's spiritual mind must needs be opened and formed by such things as are in the Word, in which all things are spiritual because they are Divine. In the Word there are truths that are to be known and thought, and goods that must be willed and done; therefore it is by these goods and these truths that man's spiritual mind is opened and formed. From this it follows, that unless the spiritual mind is opened and formed by truths and goods from the Word it remains closed; and when this is closed the natural mind only is opened and formed by such things as are in the world, from which man, indeed, derives a natural lumen, but such as has in it no wisdom from heaven. From this it is clear, in the second place, that faith is not faith so long as the natural mind only is opened, but that if the thought that a thing is so is called faith it is historical faith, which is nothing but knowledge from which the natural man thinks.

3.

[5] That the spiritual mind may be opened and formed it must have a storehouse from which it may draw its supplies; since unless man has such a storehouse he is empty, and in emptiness there can be no Divine operation. This storehouse is in the natural man and it is its memory, in which everything knowable can be stored up and can be drawn forth from it. In this storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man there must be truths that are to be believed and goods that are to be done, both of them from the Word and from doctrine and preaching from the Word. These man must learn even from infancy. But all these things, however abundant they may be, although they are from the Word, are natural until the spiritual mind is opened; for they are mere knowledge. Thought from this storehouse is what is called faith by those who separate faith from good works in doctrine and in life.

4.

[6] The spiritual mind is primarily opened by man's abstaining from doing evils because they are contrary to the Divine commandments in the Word. If man abstains from evils from any other fear than this the spiritual mind is not opened. The following are the reasons why this is what opens the spiritual mind: First, that the evils with man must be removed before communication and conjunction with heaven can be granted him; since evils, which are all in the natural man, keep heaven closed, and yet heaven must be opened, for otherwise man remains natural. The second reason is that the Word is from the Lord, and consequently the Lord is in the Word, even so that He is the Word; for the Word is Divine truth all of which is from the Lord. From this it follows that he who abstains from doing evils because they are contrary to the Divine commandments in the Word abstains from them from the Lord. The third reason is, that as far as evils are removed so far goods enter. That this is so can be seen by man from natural lumen alone, for when lasciviousness is removed chastity enters; when intemperance is removed temperance enters; when deceit is removed sincerity enters; when hatred and the delight of revenge are removed love and the delight of love and friendship enter; and so in other cases; and this for the reason that the Lord enters, and heaven with Him, so far as man from the Word abstains from doing evils, since he then abstains from them from the Lord.

5.

[7] But this shall be illustrated by examples. Take for illustration the four commandments of the Decalogue, "thou shalt not commit adultery," "thou shalt not steal," "thou shalt not kill," "thou shalt not bear false witness." These commandments are Divine, since they are in the Word. When anyone shuns and averts himself from adultery because of the fear that it is against the Lord, against heaven, and against the spiritual life, to be in accord with which is eternal felicity, he loves chastity and loves his consort, because true conjugial love is chastity itself. When anyone shuns and averts himself from theft because of a like fear as from adultery, he loves sincerity, and loves the good of the neighbor as his own good. When anyone shuns and averts himself from murders or from deadly hatred from a like fear he loves the neighbor and is in charity. When anyone shuns and averts himself from false testimony because of a like fear he loves justice and loves truthfulness, and this from the Lord, because from the Word; consequently when after death he becomes a spirit he is like an angel of heaven, and therefore becomes an angel of heaven. But when one does not shun adultery from such a holy fear, but from a fear for his reputation, and thus of the loss of honor and gain, or from a fear of the law, or of disease, or because of weakness, he is still unchaste, since he merely fears the world and the loss of his prosperity in the world, and does not fear the Lord, and thus does not fear the loss of heaven and of eternal life. In like manner when anyone abstains from thefts, from murders or deadly hatreds, and from false testimonies, from natural fear only and not from spiritual fear, he abstains from these from self and not from the Lord; and he who does this from self still remains in them; and no one can be withdrawn from these except by the Lord. From this it can be seen that the spiritual mind with man is opened by this, that from the Word he abstains from doing evils; and that it is opened in the same degree in which he abstains from them by shunning and turning away from them.

6.

[8] So much respecting the opening of the spiritual mind. Something shall now be said about its formation. The spiritual mind is formed from those things that are in man's memory from the Word; for the memory is the storehouse spoken of above, but these things are elevated therefrom in this manner: First, there is given to man the affection of truth, which is called the spiritual affection of truth, which is that man loves truth because it is truth. This affection of truth is then given because when evils are removed man is in goods from the Lord, and good loves truth and truth good, and the two will to be conjoined. This affection is given by the Lord alone, because the Lord in heaven is Divine truth; and it is given by the Word, because the Lord in the church is the Word. Secondly, those things that are from the Word in man's storehouse mentioned above, are drawn forth and purified by the Lord, and genuine truths are there discriminated and separated from falsities; for man's spiritual mind can be formed only out of genuine truths, since heaven is in no other. Thirdly, those truths are elevated by the Lord in a wonderful manner, and become spiritual; this is effected by the influx of heaven, and thus of spiritual things corresponding to natural; and these truths are there disposed into a heavenly form (what this is may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 200-212). Fourthly, the truths that are elevated into the spiritual mind are not in a natural but in a spiritual form. Truths in a spiritual form are such as are in the spiritual sense of the Word, but truths in a natural form are such as are in the natural sense of the Word; that these are distinct, and yet make one by correspondences, has been made clear in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-115. For this reason, when man after death becomes a spirit and his spiritual mind is opened, he no longer thinks and speaks naturally, but spiritually. Fifthly, so long as man is living in the world he is wholly ignorant of what he thinks in the spiritual mind; he knows only what he thinks from that mind in the natural; but after death the state is changed, and he then thinks from the spiritual mind, and not from the natural. Thus much respecting the opening of the spiritual mind and its formation.

7.

[9] When a man's spiritual mind has been opened and formed then the Lord forms the natural mind; for man's natural mind is formed by the Lord by means of the spiritual mind; and for the reason that man's spiritual mind is in heaven, and his natural mind is in the world; for it is only from heaven, and when communication and conjunction with heaven have been effected, that the natural can be formed to the idea of such things as are in heaven. This formation is effected by the Lord by an influx out of the spiritual mind into the natural, by means of which the things that are in the natural mind are so arranged as to correspond to those that are in the spiritual mind. (This correspondence is treated of in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, and also in the work on Heaven and Hell.) These things that are in the natural mind out of the spiritual are called rational truths, moral truths, natural truths, and in general, truths of knowledge [vera scientifica]; while the goods that are in the natural mind out of the spiritual are called affections and desires for those truths, and for thinking about, speaking about, and doing those truths from such affections, and these are in general called uses. All those things that are in the natural mind out of the spiritual mind come under man's intuition and into his perception.

8.

[10] It is to be known that this formation of the two minds with man goes on from his infancy to his old age, and afterwards to eternity; and sometimes from the middle age of man to his last age, and afterwards to eternity; but still in another way after the life in the world than during the life in the world. And as man is formed, so is he perfected in intelligence and wisdom, and becomes a man. For no man is a man from his natural mind; from that he is rather a beast; but he becomes a man through intelligence and wisdom from the Lord, and so far as he is intelligent and wise he is a beautiful man and an angel of heaven. But so far as he rejects, suffocates, and perverts the truths and goods of the Word, thus of heaven and the church, and therefore rejects intelligence and wisdom, so far he is a monster and not a man, because he is so far a devil. From this it can be seen that man is not a man from his parents, but from the Lord, of whom he is born and created anew. This, therefore, is regeneration and a new creation.

9.

[11] This being premised, something shall now be said about the will and understanding of the man who has been created anew or regenerated by the Lord; and afterwards about charity and faith. His will in the natural man is formed by the influx of the heat of heaven through his spiritual mind from the Lord. The heat of heaven in its essence is the Divine good proceeding from the Lord's Divine love. But the understanding in the natural man is formed by the influx of the light of heaven through his spiritual man from the Lord. The light of heaven in its essence is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord's Divine love. From this it follows that the will is formed out of goods, and from these man has love and affection; and that the understanding is formed out of truths therefrom, and from these man has intelligence and wisdom. And as truths are nothing but forms of good it follows that the understanding is nothing but a form of its will. The only difference is that the understanding sees and the will feels. From this it is clear that such as man's will of good is, such is his understanding of truth, or what is the same, such as man's love is such is his intelligence. From this it is evident that although the will and the understanding are two faculties of life, still they act as one, and for this reason these two faculties of life are called one mind. This relates to the natural man. In the spiritual man also there are a will and an understanding, but much more perfect; and these are also called one mind. This therefore is the spiritual mind, and the other is the natural mind. But these are such with the man whose spiritual mind has been opened and formed; but it is altogether different with the man whose spiritual mind is closed, and only the natural mind opened.

10.

[12] The same can be said of charity and faith as has been said of the will and understanding; for the will is the subject and receptacle of charity as it is the subject and receptacle of good, and the understanding is the subject and receptacle of faith because it is the subject and receptacle of truth; for charity derives all that it is from good, and faith derives all that it is from truth; and this is why it is said the good of charity, and the truth of faith. From this it follows that charity and faith act as one, like will and understanding; and that such as the charity is such is the faith. But these are in the natural mind; but in the spiritual mind there is the love of good in place of charity, and the perception of truth in place of faith.

11.

[13] That spiritual love, which is charity, produces faith, can be seen merely from this, that man after death, who is then called a spirit, is nothing but an affection which is of love, and his thought is from that; consequently the whole angelic heaven is arranged into societies according to the varieties of affections; and everyone in heaven, in whatever society he may be, thinks from his affection; and therefore it is affection, which is love, that produces faith, and such faith as the affection is; for faith is nothing but thinking that a thing is so in truth, while affection means love in its continuation. But at the present day man in the world does not know that his thought is from affection and according to it, for the reason that he sees his thought but does not see his affection, and as his thought is his affection in a visible form therefore he knows no otherwise than that thought is the whole mind of man. It was otherwise of old with the ancients where the churches were. Because these knew that love produces all things of thought, therefore charity (which is the affection of knowing truths, of understanding them, and of willing them, and thus of becoming wise) was made by them the chief means of salvation. And as that affection makes one with faith they did not know what faith is.

[14] From this it is evident not only how faith is formed with man but also that faith never can produce charity; but charity, which is spiritual love, forms faith as an effigy of itself, and in it presents an image of itself; and for this reason the nature of faith is known from charity and its goods, which are good works, as the nature of a tree is known from its fruit. By a "tree," however, faith is not meant, but man in respect to his life; while its leaves signify the truths through which there is faith, and its fruits signify goods of life, which are the goods of charity. Besides these arcana respecting the formation of faith by the Lord by means of charity there are innumerable others; but still it is the Lord who works all these arcana, while man knows nothing about it; all that man needs to do is to learn truths from the Word and to live according to them.

Apocalypsis Explicata 790 (original Latin 1759)

790. "Et adoraverunt bestiam." Quod significet agnitionem ratiociniorum, per quae discordantia cum Verbo apparenter submota est, constat ex significatione "adorare", quod sit agnoscere pro certo et inde colere ut Divinum (ut mox supra, n. 789); et ex significatione "bestiae", quod sint ratiocinia ex naturali homine confirmantia separationem fidei a vita (de qua supra, n. 774 1

): et quia bestia illa visa est habere septem capita, et decem cornua, et praeterea similis pardo quoad corpus, urso quoad pedes, et leoni quoad os, et per illa varia significantur, ideo illa quoque simul per "bestiam" hic intelliguntur, nam propter illa adoraverunt eam.

[2] Quoniam in mox superiori articulo actum est de eo, quod fides sola, seu separata a charitate, non possit producere bona vitae, sicut arbor fructus, interest ut nunc tradatur quomodo fides spiritualis, quae est fides ex charitate, comparatur. Sed quia orbis eruditus hactenus non scivit quid et quale est spirituale in sua essentia, et quomodo id distinctum est a naturali, ideo nec scire potuit quid fides spiritualis, et quomodo haec distincta est a fide naturali; et usque fides naturalis, absque fide spirituali ex qua, non est aliqua fides, sed modo scientia et inde cogitatio quod ita sit; quae si vocatur fides, est fides historica, et cum confirmata est, est fides persuasiva, et utraque haec fides est naturalis, et fides mere naturalis non salvat, sed fides spiritualis; quare in sequentibus nunc dicetur quomodo fides spiritualis a Domino formatur.

Notum est in mundo quod homo naturalis sit et homo spiritualis, tum quod homo naturalis sit mundanus, et homo spiritualis caelestis; at usque non notum est quid fides spiritualis, et quomodo haec differt a fide naturali.

[3] Quare sciendum est,

(1.) Quod unicuique homini binae mentes sint, una naturalis et altera spiritualis; et quia mens est quae vult et cogitat, est quoque unicuique homini voluntas et cogitatio naturalis, ac voluntas et cogitatio spiritualis; mens naturalis vult et cogitat sicut homo in mundo, at mens spiritualis vult et cogitat sicut angelus in caelo: inde sequitur quod fides, quia est in homine, sit etiam naturalis et sit spiritualis; et quod fides naturalis sit secundum hominis voluntatem et cogitationem in mundo, et quod fides spiritualis sit secundum voluntatem et cogitationem ejus in caelo. Dicitur voluntas et cogitatio, quia omnia, ex quibus homo est homo, se referunt ad duo illa; ex voluntate enim facit, et ex cogitatione loquitur: et quia homo vel ex se vel ex Deo facit et loquitur, ideo vel ex se vel ex Deo vult et cogitat. Ex his primum liquet quod detur fides naturalis et fides spiritualis, et quod fides naturalis absque spirituali sit cogitare talia quae in Verbo sunt ex se, et quod fides naturalis ex spirituali sit cogitare talia quae in Verbo sunt ex Deo, tametsi hoc quoque apparet homini sicut ex se.

[4] (2.) Quoniam unicuique homini sunt binae mentes, naturalis et spiritualis, et mens naturalis aperitur et formatur per talia quae in mundo sunt, at mens spiritualis aperitur et formatur per talia quae in caelo, et quia illa quae in caelo sunt omnia sunt spiritualia, ideo necessum est ut mens spiritualis hominis aperiatur et formetur per illa quae in Verbo sunt, ubi omnia sunt spiritualia, quia Divina. In Verbo sunt vera quae scienda et cogitanda, et sunt bona quae volenda et facienda; per haec itaque et illa aperitur et formatur mens spiritualis hominis: ex quibus sequitur quod mens illa nisi per vera et bona ex Verbo aperitur et formatur, permaneat clausa; et quod hac clausa, mens naturalis modo aperiatur et formetur per talia quae in mundo sunt, ex quibus homini quidem est lumen naturale, sed tale quod nihil sapit ex caelo. Ex his secundo liquet quod fides non sit fides quamdiu solum mens naturalis aperta est; sed si cogitatio quod ita sit dicitur fides, quod sit fides historica, quae non aliud est quam scientia, ex qua homo naturalis cogitat.

[5] (3.) Ut mens spiritualis aperiatur et formetur, necessum est ut ei promptuarium sit, ex quo desumat; nam nisi ei promptuarium sit, homo inanis est, et non datur operatio Divina in inane. Hoc promptuarium est in naturali homine, et ejus memoria, in qua omne scibile potest recondi, et inde depromi: in hoc promptuario pro formatione spiritualis hominis, erunt vera quae credenda, et bona quae facienda, utraque ex Verbo, exque doctrina et ex praedicatione ex Verbo; haec discet homo usque ab infantia. Sed omnia illa, in qualicunque copia sint, etsi ex Verbo, antequam mens spiritualis aperta est, sunt naturalia, nam modo scientia sunt. Cogitatio ex hoc promptuario est, quae vocatur fides ab illis qui separant fidem a bonis operibus doctrina et vita.

[6] (4.) Mens spiritualis primario aperitur per id, quod homo abstineat a malis faciendis quia sunt contra praecepta Divina in Verbo; si homo ex alio timore quam ex illo abstinet a malis, non aperitur, illa mens. Quod mens spiritualis per illud aperiatur, sunt hae causae: Prima, quod apud hominem mala primum removenda sint, antequam ei communicatio et conjunctio dari potest cum caelo; mala enim, quae omnia sunt in naturali homine, clausum tenent caelum, quod tamen aperiendum est, quia alioqui homo manet naturalis. Secunda causa est, quia Verbum est a Domino, et inde in Verbo Dominus, adeo ut Ipse sit Verbum; est enim Verbum Divinum Verum, quod omne est a Domino: inde sequitur, quod qui abstinet a malis faciendis, quia sunt contra Divina praecepta in Verbo, abstineat ab illis ex Domino. Tertia causa est, quod quantum removentur mala tantum intrent bona: quod ita sit, homo ex solo naturali lumine potest videre; remota enim lascivia intrat castitas, remota intemperantia intrat temperantia, remoto odio intrat sinceritas, remoto odio et jucundo vindictae intrat amor et jucundum amoris et amicitiae; et sic in reliquis; et hoc ex causa, quia Dominus, et cum Ipso caelum, intrat, quantum homo abstinet a malis faciendis ex Verbo, quia tunc ab illis abstinet ex Domino.

[7] (5.) Sed exempla hanc rem illustrent. Pro exemplis sint haec quatuor praecepta decalogi, "Non adulteraberis", "Non furaberis", "Non occides", "Non falso testaberis", quae sunt praecepta Divina, quia in Verbo. Qui fugit et aversatur adulterium ex timore quod sit contra Dominum, contra caelum, et contra vitam spiritualem secundum quam est felicitas aeterna, is amat castitatem, et amat conjugem, quia amor vere conjugialis est ipsa castitas. Qui fugit et aversatur furtum ex simili timore ex quo adulterium, is amat sinceritatem, et amat bonum proximi sicut suum bonum. Qui fugit et aversatur neces ex simili timore, seu odia internecina, is amat proximum, et in charitate est. Qui fugit et aversatur falsa testimonia ex simili timore, is amat justitiam et amat veritatem, et hoc ex Domino quia ex Verbo; quare ille post mortem, cum fit spiritus, similis est angelo caeli, et ideo fit angelus caeli. Qui vero non ex timore illo sancto fugit adulterium, sed ex timore famae et inde jacturae honoris et lucri, aut ex timore legis, aut ex timore morbi, aut ex infirmitate, is usque incastus est, quia solum timet mundum, et jacturam sui emolumenti in mundo, et non timet Dominum, et inde nec timet jacturam caeli et vitae aeternae: similiter qui abstinet a furtis, ab homicidiis seu odiis internecinis, et ex falsis testimoniis, solum ex timore naturali et non ex timore spirituali, is abstinet ab illis ex se et non ex Domino; et qui ex se, is manet in illis; et nemo ab illis potest abduci quam ex Domino. Ex his constare potest quod mens spiritualis apud hominem aperiatur per id, quod abstineat a malis faciendis ex Verbo; et quod in eo gradu aperiatur, quo ab illis abstinet fugiendo et aversando illa.

[8] (6.) Haec de aperitione mentis spiritualis; nunc de formatione ejus dicetur. Formatur mens spiritualis ex illis quae in memoria hominis ex Verbo sunt, quae est promptuarium, de quo supra dictum est, sed illa hoc modo inde elevantur:

Primo, datur homini affectio veri, quae vocatur affectio veri spiritualis, quae est quod homo amet verum quia est verum. Quod haec affectio veri tunc detur, est quia remotis malis homo in bonis est a Domino, et bonum amat verum, ac verum bonum, et volunt conjungi: datur illa affectio a solo Domino, quia Dominus in caelo est Divinum Verum; et datur per Verbum, quia Dominus in ecclesia est Verbum.

Secundo, elimantur et purificantur a Domino illa quae ex Verbo in supradicto hominis promptuario sunt; ac genuina vera a falsis ibi discriminantur et separantur, nam mens spiritualis hominis non formari potest quam ex genuinis veris, quoniam caelum non in aliis est.

Tertio, elevantur a Domino illa vera mirabili modo, et fiunt spiritualia, quod fit per influxum caeli, ac inde spiritualium correspondentium naturalibus; quae vera disponuntur ibi in formam caelestem (quae qualis sit, in opere De Caelo et Inferno 200-212, videri potest).

Quarto, sed vera elevata in mentem spiritualem non sunt in naturali forma, sed in spirituali. Vera in spirituali forma sunt qualia sunt in sensu Verbi spirituali; vera autem in naturali forma sunt qualia sunt in Verbi sensu naturali, quae quod distincta sint, et usque unum faciant per correspondentias, in opere De Caelo et Inferno (n. 87-115) illustratum est; inde est quod homo post mortem, cum fit spiritus, et aperitur ejus mens spiritualis, non amplius cogitet et loquatur naturaliter, sed spiritualiter.

Quinto, homo prorsus nescit, quamdiu in mundo vivit, quid cogitat in spirituali mente, sed solum quid in naturali ex illa; sed post mortem mutatur status, tunc ille cogitat ex spirituali mente, et non ex naturali. Haec de aperitione mentis spiritualis, et ejus formatione.

[9] (7.) Quando mens spiritualis hominis aperta est et formata, tunc Dominus format mentem naturalem; nam mens naturalis hominis formatur a Domino per mentem spiritualem. Causa est, quia mens hominis spiritualis in caelo est, et mens ejus naturalis in mundo est; nam naturale non formari potest ad ideam talium quae in caelo sunt, quam e caelo, nec prius quam cum communicatio et conjunctio facta est cum caelo. Formatio fit a Domino per influxum e spirituali mente in naturalem, per quem disponuntur illa quae in naturali mente sunt, ut correspondeant illis quae in spirituali (de qua correspondentia multis actum est in Arcanis Caelestibus, et quoque in opere De Caelo et Inferno.) Illa quae in naturali mente ex spirituali sunt, vocantur vera rationalia, vera moralia, vera naturalia, et in genere vera scientifica; et bona quae in mente naturali ex spirituali sunt, vocantur affectiones et desideria ad illa, et ex illis ad cogitandum illa, ad loquendum illa, et ad faciendum illa, et in genere vocantur usus. Omnia illa, quae e mente spirituali in naturali sunt, veniunt sub intuitionem et in perceptionem hominis.

[10] (8.) Sciendum est quod haec formatio utriusque mentis apud hominem perstet ab infantia ejus ad senectam ejus, et postea in aeternum; quandoque e media hominis aetate ad ultimam ejus, et deinde in aeternum; sed usque aliter post vitam in mundo quam in vita in mundo; et sicut homo formatur, ita perficitur intelligentia et sapientia, et fit homo: nam omnis homo non est homo ex naturali mente; ex hac est potius bestia, verum fit homo per intelligentiam et sapientiam a Domino, et quantum intelligens et sapiens est, tantum est homo pulcher et angelus caeli. Quantum autem rejicit, suffocat et pervertit vera et bona Verbi, ita caeli et ecclesiae, et inde renuit intelligentiam et sapientiam, tantum est monstrum et non homo, quia tantum est diabolus. Ex his constare potest quod homo non sit homo a parentibus, sed ex Domino, a quo e novo nascitur, et creatur; haec itaque est regeneratio et nova creatio.

[11] (9.) His praemissis nunc aliquid de voluntate et intellectu hominis e novo creati seu regenerati a Domino dicetur, et postea de charitate et fide. Voluntas ejus in naturali homine formatur per influxum caloris caeli per spiritualem mentem a Domino; calor caeli in sua essentia est Divinum Bonum procedens ex Divino Amore Domini: intellectus autem in naturali homine formatur per influxum lucis caeli per spiritualem hominem a Domino; lux caeli in sua essentia est Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Amore Domini. Inde sequitur quod voluntas formetur ex bonis, ex quibus est homini amor et affectio; et quod intellectus formetur ex veris inde, ex quibus est homini intelligentia et sapientia: et quia vera non aliud sunt quam formae boni, sequitur quod intellectus non aliud sit quam forma suae voluntatis; non alia est differentia, quam quod intellectus videat, et voluntas sentiat. Inde patet quod qualis homini voluntas boni est, talis ei intellectus veri sit; seu quod idem, quod qualis homini amor est, talis ei intelligentia. Inde constat quod, tametsi voluntas et intellectus binae facultates vitae sunt, usque unum agant; quare etiam binae illae facultates vitae vocantur una mens. Haec in naturali homine. In spirituali homine etiam sunt voluntas et intellectus, sed multo perfectiores, quae etiam vocantur una mens; haec itaque mens spiritualis, et illa mens naturalis. Sed haec talia sunt apud hominem cujus mens spiritualis aperta et formata est; prorsus autem aliter apud hominem cujus mens spiritualis clausa est, et solum mens naturalis aperta.

[12] (10.) Eadem dici possunt de charitate et fide quae dicta sunt de voluntate et intellectu; nam voluntas est subjectum et receptaculum charitatis sicut est subjectum et receptaculum boni, et intellectus est subjectum et receptaculum fidei quia est subjectum et receptaculum veri; charitas enim omne suum trahit ex bono, et fides omne suum ex vero; quare etiam dicitur bonum charitatis, et verum fidei; inde sequitur quod charitas et fides unum agant, sicut voluntas et intellectus, et quod qualis est charitas talis sit fides: sed haec in mente naturali; in mente autem spirituali pro charitate est amor boni, et pro fide est perceptio veri.

[13] (11.) Quod amor spiritualis, qui est charitas, producat fidem, ex unico hoc constare potest: quod homo post mortem, qui tunc vocatur spiritus, non sit nisi quam affectio quae amoris, et quod cogitatio ejus inde sit; quare universum caelum angelicum ordinatum est in societates secundum varietates affectionum, et quod unusquisque in caelo, in quacunque societate sit, cogitet ex sua affectione: inde nunc est quod affectio, quae est amor, producat fidem, et talem fidem qualis affectio est; nam fides non aliud est quam cogitare quod ita sit in veritate: per affectionem intelligitur amor in suo continuo. Sed homo in mundo hodie nescit quod cogitatio ejus sit ex affectione et secundum illam; causa est quia cogitationem suam videt, sed non affectionem suam, et quia cogitatio est affectio sua in forma visibili, ideo non scit nisi quod tota mens hominis sit cogitatio: aliter olim apud antiquos, ubi ecclesiae erant; hi quia sciverunt quod amor producat omnia cogitationis, ideo charitatem, quae est affectio sciendi vera, intelligendi illa, tum volendi illa, et sic sapiendi, fecerunt principale medium salutis; et quia illa affectio unum facit cum fide, nesciverunt quid fides.

[14] Ex his non modo constare potest quomodo fides apud hominem formatur, sed etiam quod fides nusquam producere possit charitatem, sed quod charitas, quae est amor spiritualis, formet illam ad sui instar, et in ea sistat imaginem sui; et quod inde sit quod fides cognoscatur qualis est ex charitate et ejus bonis, quae sunt bona opera, sicut arbor, qualis est, ex suo fructu. Per "arborem" vero non intelligitur fides, sed intelligitur homo quoad vitam suam; per "folia" ejus significantur vera per quae fides; et per "fructus" ejus significantur bona vitae, quae sunt bona charitatis. Praeter haec arcana formationis fidei per charitatem a Domino, sunt innumerabilia plura; sed usque omnia illa arcana operatur Dominus, homine nesciente: homo non opus habet ut plus operetur, quam ut discat vera ex Verbo, et vivat secundum illa.

Footnotes:

1. The editors made a correction or note here.


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