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970. And they became blood. That this signifies that it was destroyed through falsifications, is evident from the signification of blood, as denoting truth falsified (see above, n. 966). Therefore by the rivers and fountains becoming blood, is signified that the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word was destroyed through falsifications.
Every man indeed has the faculty of understanding truths for it is this faculty by which he is distinguished from beasts. This also is left with every man, even with the evil; for that is man's spiritual, and the most essential means of his regeneration. For man is regenerated by the Lord by means of truths, which, unless he could understand them, could not be received, nor, consequently, could he be reformed; for to receive what cannot be understood leads to nothing.
That this is the case has also been confirmed by experience in the spiritual world. It was a subject of talk among spirits, whether every one has the faculty of understanding truths; and an infernal spirit was taken to witness whether he could understand the truths of heaven. It was found that he understood them when he heard them quite as well as a good spirit; but still that he did not wish to understand them, for he turned away from them, because they were opposed to the evils and the falsities therefrom that constituted his delight. And it was said that a man by that faculty has conjunction with the Lord, because it is proper to man.
The reason why that faculty is said to be destroyed through falsifications is, that those who have falsified the Word are not willing to understand actual truths; and these appear not to be able, although they are able, if they were but willing. For while their minds cling to opposites, they are rejected truths; and, as one deaf, they do not hear them. But when opposites are removed, it is like the ears of the deaf being opened.
These things are said in order that it may be known how it is to be understood that the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word is destroyed through falsifications.
Continuation concerning the Fifth Precept:-
[2] It was said above, that communication with heaven is not granted before evils and the falsities therefrom are removed, by which the natural mind is closed up; for these are like black clouds between the sun and the eye; or like a wall between the light (lux) of heaven, and the light (lumen) of a candle in a chamber. For a man is, as it were, shut up in a chamber, where he sees by the light of a candle, so long as he is in the light (lumen) of the natural man only; but as soon as the natural man is purified from evils and the falsities therefrom, then it is as if he saw the things which are of heaven from the light thereof through windows in that wall. For as soon as evils are removed, then the higher mind is opened, which is called the spiritual mind; and this, strictly considered, is a type or image of heaven. By means of this mind the Lord flows in and causes him to see from the light of heaven. And by this also he reforms, and at length regenerates, the natural man, implanting therein truths instead of falsities, and goods instead of evils. This the Lord does by means of spiritual love, which is the love of truth and good. A man then is placed in the midst between two loves - the love of evil and the love of good; when the love of evil recedes, the love of good succeeds in its place. The love of evil is removed solely by a life according to the precepts of the Decalogue, that is, by desisting from the evils there enumerated because they are sins; and, lastly, by shunning them as infernal.
[3] In a word, so long as man does not desist from evils because they are sins, the spiritual mind is shut; but as soon as he desists from evils because they are sins, the spiritual mind is opened, and with that mind heaven also. And heaven having been opened, a man comes into another light as to all things relating to the church, to heaven, and life eternal; although the difference between this light and that which preceded it can scarcely be noticed by him while he lives in the world. The reason is, that a man thinks in a natural manner in the world even concerning spiritual things; and spiritual things are included in natural ideas, until he passes from the natural into the spiritual world, where spiritual things are then revealed, perceived, and made clear.
970. And they became blood, signifies that it was destroyed by falsifications. This is evident from the signification of "blood," as being truth falsified (See above, n. 966); therefore that "the rivers and fountains became blood" signifies that the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word was destroyed by falsifications. Every man has the faculty of understanding truths, for it is this faculty by which man is distinguished from beasts; and this remains with every man, even with the evil, since it is the spiritual part of man and the most essential means of his regeneration. For man is regenerated by the Lord by means of truths, and if he were not able to understand truths he could not receive them and thus be reformed; for to receive what he is not able to understand does not profit. That this is so has been proved by experience in the spiritual world. There was a discussion among the spirits whether everyone has the faculty of understanding truths; and an infernal spirit was taken as a witness whether he could understand the truths of heaven, and it was found that he understood them when he heard them just as well as a good spirit, and yet that he was not willing to understand them, for he turned away from them because they were opposed to the evils and the falsities therefrom that were delightful to him. And it was said that man through that faculty has conjunction with the Lord, since that faculty is proper to man. That faculty is said to have been destroyed by falsifications, because those who have falsified the Word are not willing to understand truths themselves; and those who are not willing are as it were not able, although they would be able if they were willing. For the mind of such rejects truths, and like one deaf does not hear them so long as it clings to things opposite. But when these opposite things are removed it is as if the ears of the deaf were opened. All this has been said to make known what is meant by the destruction of the faculty of understanding the truths of the Word by falsifications.
[2] It has been said above that communication with heaven is not given before the evils and the falsities therefrom with which the natural mind is stopped up have been removed; for these are like black clouds between the sun and the eye, or like a wall between the light of heaven and the dim light of a candle in a chamber. For so long as a man is in the dim light of the natural man only he is like one shut up in a chamber where he sees by a candle. But as soon as the natural man has been purified from evils and falsities therefrom he is as if he saw through windows in the wall the things of heaven from the light of heaven. For as soon as evils have been removed, the higher mind, which is called the spiritual mind, is opened, and this, viewed in itself, is a type or image of heaven. Through this mind the Lord flows in and enables man to see from the light of heaven, and through this He also reforms and at length regenerates the natural man, and implants in it truths in the place of falsities and goods in the place of evils. This the Lord does through spiritual love, which is the love of truth and good. Man is then placed in the midst between two loves, between the love of evil and the love of good; and when the love of evil recedes the love of good takes its place. It is solely through the life according to the commandments of the Decalogue, that is, through refraining from the evils there enumerated because they are sins, and finally shunning them as infernal, that the love of evil recedes.
[3] In a word, so long as man does not refrain from evils because they are sins the spiritual mind is shut; but as soon as he refrains from evils because they are sins the spiritual mind is opened, and with that mind heaven also. And when heaven is opened man comes into another light as to all things of the church, heaven, and eternal life; although so long as man lives in this world the difference between this and the former light is scarcely noticeable, and for the reason that in the world man thinks naturally even about spiritual things, and until he passes from the natural into the spiritual world spiritual things are enclosed in natural ideas; but in the spiritual world spiritual things are disclosed, perceived, and made evident.
970. "Et factus est sanguis." - Quod significet quod deperdita sit ex falsificatis constat ex significatione "sanguinis", quod sit verum falsificatum (ut supra, n. 966); quare per quod "fluvii et fontes facti sint sanguis", significatur quod facultas intelligendi vera Verbi deperdita sit ex falsificatis. Est quidem unicuivis homini facultas intelligendi vera, nam haec facultas est per quam homo distinguitur a bestiis; haec quoque residua est apud omnem hominem, etiam malum, nam illa est spirituale hominis, et ipsissimum medium regenerationis ejus: homo enim per vera regeneratur a Domino; quae nisi posset intelligere, non posset recipere, et sic reformari; nam recipere quod non potest intelligere, non conducit. Quod ita sit, etiam confirmatum est per experientiam in mundo spirituali. Ventilatum est inter spiritus num unicuivis sit facultas intelligendi vera; et tunc assumptus est infernalis spiritus in testem, num intelligeret vera caeli; et compertum est quod illa intellexerit cum audivit, tam bene quam spiritus bonus; sed quod usque noluerit intelligere, aversabatur enim illa, quia erant opposita malis et inde falsis quae ei erant jucunda: et dictum est quod homo per illam facultatem conjunctionem cum Domino habeat, quoniam illa facultas est propria homini. Quod dicatur facultas illa deperdita esse ex falsificatis, est quia illi qui falsificaverunt Verbum non volunt intelligere ipsa vera; et qui non volunt, sunt tanquam non possint; tametsi possunt, modo velint: dum enim mens eorum in oppositis haeret, rejicit vera, et sicut surdus non audit illa; at dum opposita removentur, tunc fit sicut aperiuntur surdo aures. Haec dicta sunt ut sciatur quomodo intelligendum est quod facultas intelligendi vera Verbi sit deperdita ex falsificatis.
[2] (Continuatio de Quinto Praecepto.)
Supra dictum est quod communicatio cum caelo non detur, priusquam remota sunt mala et inde falsa quibus mens naturalis obstipata est; sunt enim illa sicut nigrae nubes inter solem et oculum, aut sicut paries inter lucem caeli et inter lumen ex candela in conclavi; homo enim est sicut inclusus conclavi, ubi ex candela videt, quamdiu est in lumine solius naturalis hominis; sed ut primum naturalis homo purificatus est a malis et inde falsis, tunc est sicut videat per fenestras in pariete illa quae caeli sunt ex luce ejus; nam ut primum remota sunt mala, tunc aperitur mens superior, quae vocatur mens spiritualis, quae in se spectata est typus seu imago caeli; per hanc influit Dominus, et facit ut videat ex luce caeli; et per hanc quoque reformat et denique regenerat naturalem hominem, ac implantat vera loco falsorum, et bona loco malorum ibi; hoc facit Dominus per amorem spiritualem, qui est amor veri et boni. Homo tunc in medio inter binos amores constitutus est, inter amorem mali et inter amorem boni; quando amor mali recedit, amor boni loco ejus succedit: amor mali unice recedit per vitam secundum praecepta decalogi, nempe ut desistat a malis ibi recensitis quia peccata sunt, ac denique ut fugiat illa sicut infernalia.
[3] Verbo, quamdiu homo non desistit a malis quia peccata sunt, mens spiritualis clausa est; ast ut primum homo desistit a malis quia peccata sunt, mens spiritualis aperitur, et cum illa mente etiam caelum; quo aperto homo in aliam lucem venit quoad omnia quae ecclesiae, caeli et vitae aeternae sunt, tametsi differentiam hujus lucis et prioris, quamdiu in mundo vivit, aegre potest animadvertere: causa est quia homo in mundo naturaliter cogitat etiam de spiritualibus, ac spiritualia naturalibus ideis inclusa sunt usque dum homo e naturali mundo in spiritualem transit, ubi tunc spiritualia recluduntur, percipiuntur et manifestantur.