655.我在此补充以下记事：
我曾与启示录中龙所指的那些人交谈，其中一个人对我说：“跟我来，我会向你展示我们眼目和内心的快乐。”于是他带我穿过一片幽暗的森林，来到一座小山顶，我由此可以观看龙们的快乐。我看见一座环状圆形露天剧场，四周是一圈圈的阶梯座位，观众都坐在上面。从远处看，那些坐在最下面的人就像萨梯（希腊与罗马的森林之神，色欲极强）和普里阿普斯（希腊与罗马的男性生殖神）；有些人衣不蔽体，有些人则没穿衣服，赤身露体。这些人上面坐着嫖客和妓女；我从他们的姿势看出他们是这类人。然后，那龙对我说：“现在，你将看到我们的表演。”于是，我仿佛看到牛犊、公羊、绵羊、小山羊和羊羔被赶进马戏团的竞技场；它们进去后，大门开了，好像有少壮狮子、美洲豹、老虎和豺狼冲了进来。它们残暴地攻击这些牲畜，将其撕成碎片，残杀它们。血腥杀戮之后，萨梯们将沙子洒在它们被杀的地方。
然后，龙对我说：“这些就是令我们赏心悦目的表演。”“滚开，你这个恶魔！”我回应说，“你很快就会看到这个剧场变成硫磺的火湖。”他闻言笑了笑走开了。事后，我在思考，为何主允许这样的事发生？我心里得到一个答复：只要他们还在灵人界，这种事是可以的；但是，一旦他们在灵人界的时间结束，这些戏剧场景就会转化为可怕的地狱之类的事物。
我所看到的一切景象都是那龙想象的结果；因此它们并非真的牛犊、公羊、绵羊、小山羊和羊羔，而是他们使所憎恨的教会各样纯正良善和真理显出来的形像。少壮狮子、美洲豹、老虎和豺狼则是那些看似萨梯和普里阿普斯之人欲望的表现。衣不蔽体的人是那些以为罪恶不会显现在神面前的人；而穿衣服的人则是那些以为罪恶会显现，但只要他们处于信，就不会定罪的人；嫖客和妓女则是圣言真理的歪曲者，因为行淫表示对真理的歪曲。在灵界，从远处看，一切事物都照着对应而看似此类表象的形式，被称为在类似世上的物体中的属灵事物的代表。
此后，我看见他们从森林里出来了，那龙在萨梯和普里阿普斯们中间，后面跟着他们的仆人和杂役，就是那些嫖客和妓女。一路上，他们的队伍不断壮大，这时，我听见他们在互相谈论什么。他们在说，他们发现草地上有一群绵羊和羊羔。这表明附近有一座耶路撒冷城，在那里仁爱是首要的。于是，他们说：“走，我们去夺那城，赶出里面的居民，抢走他们的财物。”于是，他们靠近那城，可它四周有城墙，城墙上还有天使把守。他们只好商量说：“我们不如用计夺城，派出一个能言善辩的人，他能颠倒黑白，给任何事物涂上他想要的色彩。”于是，他们找了一个精通形而上学艺术的人，他能把对事物的观念转换成术语概念，用各种公式掩盖事物本身，从而像翅膀下有猎物的鹰一样飞走。他还被指教如何与这些市民交谈，即他们在宗教信仰上是同伴，他们可以被准许进城。他来到城门前敲门，门开了，他说，他想和这城里最有智慧的人交谈。然后，他进去，并被引到一个人面前，对此人说了这样一番话：“我有些弟兄在城外，求你们接待。他们在宗教信仰上是同盟。你们和我们都认为信与仁是宗教信仰的两个要素。唯一不同之处在于：你们说仁是首要的，信由此而来；而我们说信是首要的，仁由此而来。反正我们都信这二者，那么谁被称为首要的又有什么关系呢？”
城中的这位智者回答说：“我们就不单独讨论这个话题了，还是当着充当评委和裁判的那几个人的面谈论吧，要不然难有结论。”于是他们被召集起来，这位龙使者将先前的话向他们重述了一遍。然后，城中的这位智者回答说：“你刚才说，只要认同仁与信构成教会及其宗教信仰，无论将仁还是将信视为教会的首要，都一样。然而，这二者之别犹如在先者与在后者、原因与结果、主因与工具因、本质与形式之别。我这样说是因为，我发现你精通形而上学的艺术，我们将这样的艺术称为嗫语（多言），而有些人则称之为念咒。不过，我们先把这些术语放到一边。这二者之别还犹如在上者与在下者之别；确切地说，若你肯相信的话，如同天堂与地狱之别；因为首要的构成头和胸，由此而来的衍生物则构成脚和脚底。不过，我们首先要在何为仁，何为信上达成一致。仁就是为了神、救赎和永生的缘故而热爱向邻行善的情感；信则是出自对神、救赎和永生的信靠的思维。”
但这位使者却说：“我同意这就是信，也同意仁就是为了神的缘故而热爱行善的情感，因为这是祂的诫命；但却不是为了救赎和永生。”城中的智者说：“就算是这样，只是为了神的缘故。”城中的智者同意这一点后，说：“难道情感不是首要的？难道思维不是出自这情感？”但龙所差遣的人却说：“这个，我否认。”不过，他得到的答复是：“你无法否认这一点。人难道不是出于情感思考吗？拿走情感，你还能思考什么？这完全就像是将声音从言语那里拿走一样。倘若拿走声音，你还能说什么吗？而且，声音也属于情感，言语属于思维；因为情感发声，思维说话。这还像火与光。若拿走火，光岂不会消失？仁也一样，因为这仁就是情感；信也一样，因为这信就是思维。难道这样你还不明白首要事物是次要事物中的全部，完全像声音是言语中的全部吗？由此可见，你若不使首要事物成为首要的，就无法处于次要事物。所以，你若将处于第二位的信摆在了第一位，那么在天上必像一个倒立的人，脚朝上而头朝下；或像一个耍把戏的，倒立身子、用手掌行走。当你在天上就是这副形像时，那么你的善行，也就是仁爱又会是什么样呢？岂不像是那耍把戏的用双脚所行的，因为他无法用手来行？正因如此，你们的仁爱，如你们所看到的，是属世的，而非属灵的，因为它是颠倒的。”
这位使者理解这一点；因为所有魔鬼在听闻真理时都能理解；但他无法保留下来，因为当对邪恶的情感返回时，它就会将这真理的思维逐出去。后来，这位智者又通过许多事物描述了当信被视为首要的时，它是何性质，即这信是纯属世的；它是纯粹的知识，根本没有属灵的生命；所以它不是信。“你们的仁无非是属世的情感，从属世的情感只会发出属世的思维，也就是你们的信。我几乎可以说，纯属世之信里面几乎没有任何属灵之物，就像莫卧儿帝国、其中的钻石矿、那个帝王的宝库和宫廷的知识里面没有任何属灵之物一样。”闻听此言，龙使者怒气冲冲地走了，向城外的朋友报告。当他们听说，有人声称仁就是为了神、救赎和永生的缘故而热爱向邻行善的情感时，全都大声叫嚷：“这简直是个谎言！”龙自己也大喊：“多么邪恶啊！所有的好行为，也就是仁爱，若是为了救赎的缘故而行，岂不是邀功的？”
然后，他们彼此商量说：“我们不如召集更多朋友，围攻这城，筑起梯子，爬上城墙，趁夜间冲进去，把这些仁爱分子赶出去。”但就在他们试图行动时，看哪，好像有火从天而降，烧灭了他们。不过，天上的火是愤怒的表现，这种愤怒源于对那些仁爱分子的仇恨，因为他们将信从第一位丢到了第二位。他们看上去仿佛被火烧灭，是因为他们脚下的地狱开了，他们全被吞没了。在最后审判之日，类似事件在很多地方发生；这也是启示录中这些话的意思：
龙要出来迷惑在地四角的列族，叫他们聚集争战。他们上到地面，围住圣徒的营与蒙爱的城，就有火由神那里从天降下，烧灭了他们。（启示录20:8，9）
655. To this I will append the following account:
I spoke with some of the spirits meant by the dragon. And one of them said to me, "Come with me and I will show you what pleases our eyes and hearts."
Then he took me through a dark forest and over a hill, from which I could view the pleasures of the dragon spirits. And I saw an amphitheater built in the form of a circle, with sloping tiers of benches extending up all around on which spectators were sitting. Those who sat on the lowest benches looked to me at a distance like satyrs and priapi, some of them with a cloth covering their private parts, and some of them naked without one. On the benches above them sat whoremongers and harlots. So they appeared to me from their behavior.
The dragon spirit then said to me, "Now you will see our sport." And I saw what looked like calves, rams, ewes, kids and lambs brought into the arena of the circus, and after they were all there, a gate opened and I saw what looked like young lions, panthers, leopards and wolves rushing upon the flock and savagely attacking them. They tore them to pieces and slaughtered them. And after that bloody carnage the satyrs spread sand over the site where the slaughter took place.
[2] The dragon spirit said to me then, "These are our sports, which please our hearts."
But I replied, "Get away from me, you demon! In a little while you will see this amphitheater turned into a lake of fire and brimstone."
He laughed and left me. And wondering to myself afterward why the Lord permits such things, I received in my heart the answer, that they are permitted as long as spirits are in the world of spirits; but that when their time in that world is over, such theatrical scenes are turned into dreadful ones in hell.
[3] Everything that I saw was a sight induced by the dragon spirits through beguilements. There were no calves, rams, ewes, kids or lambs, therefore, but those spirits made genuine goods and truths of the church to so appear, goods and truths that they hate. The young lions, panthers, leopards and wolves were manifestations of the lusts in those spirits who looked like satyrs and priapi. Those without a cloth over their private parts were people who believed that evils are not seen in the eyes of God, while those with a cloth are people who believed that evils are seen, but do not condemn, provided they have faith. The whoremongers and harlots were people who falsified the Word's truth, for licentiousness symbolizes the falsification of truth.
Everything in the spiritual world appears at a distance in accordance with its correspondence, and when these correspondences take manifest form, in objects like those of natural ones, we call them representations of spiritual entities.
[4] I later saw those spirits leaving the forest, with the dragon spirit surrounded by the satyrs and priapi, followed by their lieutenants and camp followers, who were the whoremongers and harlots. The troop grew as it went, and I was given then to hear what they were saying among themselves. They were saying that they saw a flock of sheep and goats in a meadow, and that it was a sign that they were approaching one of the Jerusalem cities where charity is primary. And they said, "Let us go and seize that city, throw out its inhabitants, and plunder their goods!"
They went to it, but it had a wall around it, with angels as guards upon the wall. So then they said, "Let us take it by trickery. Let us send in an artful person skilled in casuistry, who can make black white and white black, and color the reality of any subject."
So the spirits found a certain expert in the metaphysical art, who could turn concepts of things into considerations of terms and hide actual realities under strings of words, and so fly away like a hawk with its prey under its wings. They told him what to say to the inhabitants of the city, that they were people who shared the inhabitants' religion and should be admitted.
Going to the city gate he knocked, and when it was opened, he said that he wished to speak with the wisest person in the city. So he was allowed in and taken to a certain man, and he addressed the man then, saying, "My brethren are outside the city and ask to be let in. They share your religion. You and we both make faith and charity to be the two essential ingredients of religion. The only difference is that you say charity is primary and faith its effect, while we say faith is primary and charity its effect. What does it matter which one is called primary, when we believe in both?"
[5] The city's wise man replied, "Let us not speak about this matter by ourselves, but do so in the presence of a number of others, to serve as arbiters and judges. Otherwise no decision will result."
And at that he summoned some others, and the dragon spirit's emissary repeated to them what he had said before.
Then the city's wise man responded, "You said that it is the same whether one takes charity to be the primary concern of the church, or faith, provided one agrees that the two together form the church and its religion. And yet the difference is as the difference between something prior and something subsequent, between a cause and its effect, between a principal cause and an instrumental cause, between an essential component and a manner of expression.
"I speak so to you, because I have observed that you are an expert in the metaphysical art, an art that we call casuistry, and that some people call mumbo jumbo. But let us put these terms aside. The difference is as the difference between something above and something below. Indeed, if you would believe it, it is as the difference between heaven and hell. For that which is primary forms the head and breast, while that which is its effect forms the feet and the soles of the feet.
"But let us first agree on what charity is and what faith is - that charity is the love's affection for doing good to the neighbor for God's sake, and for the sake of salvation and eternal life, and that faith is confident thought regarding God, salvation and eternal life."
[6] However, the emissary said, "I grant that that is what faith is, and I also grant that charity is, as you say, an affection for God's sake, because it conforms with His commandment, but not that is an affection for the sake of salvation and eternal life."
Whereupon the city's wise man said, "Let it be as you say, provided it is for God's sake."
Following this agreement the city's wise man said, "Is not affection the primary thing and thought its effect?"
To which the dragon spirit's emissary answered, "No, it is not."
But he was told in reply, "You cannot deny it. A person is moved to think by his affection, is he not? Take away the affection. Can you form any thought? The case is entirely the same as if you were to take the sound out of speech. If you were to take away any sound, could you speak a word? The tone is also a matter of affection, while the words are a matter of thought, for affection produces the tone and thought the words. The case is also like that of a flame and its light. If you take away the flame, does not the light die?
"So it is with charity and faith, charity being an affection, and faith a matter of thought. Can you not comprehend, then, that the primary element is everything in the secondary one, even as sound is in speech? And from this you can see that if you do not make primary that which is primary, you do not possess the second element. Consequently, if you take faith, which is in second place, and put it in first place, you will appear no otherwise in heaven than as a person upside down, with his feet planted upward and his head pointed down. Or you will look like a clown turned upside down and walking on his hands. Since people like you will appear so in heaven, what then are your good works constituting charity but the kind that a clown might do with his feet, seeing that he cannot do them with his hands? As a consequence your charity is natural and not spiritual, as you yourself see, because it is turned upside down."
[7] The emissary understood this, for every devil can understand truth when he hears it, even though he cannot retain it, because when his affection for evil returns, it casts out thought of truth.
After that, then, the city's wise man described with many illustrations what faith is like when it is accepted as primary, saying that it is merely natural, that it is simply knowledge devoid of any spiritual life, and that it is consequently not faith. "For your charity," he said, "is nothing but a natural affection, and the only kind of thought that springs from a natural affection is natural thought, which is what constitutes your faith.
"I might almost say, too," he continued, "that in your merely natural faith there is scarcely any other spiritual life than in your knowledge of the Mongol empire, of the diamond mine there, or of its emperor's wealth and court."
When the dragon's emissary heard this, he angrily departed and reported to his companions outside the city. And when they heard that he had been told that charity is an affection for doing good to the neighbor for God's sake and for the sake of salvation and eternal life, they all cried out, "That's a lie!"
And the dragon spirit himself said, "What an outrage! All good works that constitute charity - if done for the sake of salvation, are they not merit-seeking?"
[8] The spirits then said to one another, "Let us summon here more of our colleagues, and let us lay siege to this city. Let us make ladders, scale the wall and attack them at night, and throw out those proponents of charity."
But when they attempted this, there suddenly appeared what looked like fire from heaven which consumed them. In fact, however, the fire from heaven was a manifestation of their anger, owing to their hatred of the city's inhabitants, because those inhabitants cast faith out of first place into second place. It appeared to them as though they were consumed by fire because hell opened beneath their feet and swallowed them.
Events similar to this occurred in many places at the time of the Last Judgment, and this is the meaning of the following depiction in the book of Revelation:
(The dragon) will go out to lead astray the nations which are in the four corners of the earth..., to gather them together for war... And they went up over the breadth of the land and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from God out of heaven and consumed them. (Revelation 20:8-9)
655. To these things I will add this MEMORABLE OCCURENCE. I spoke with some of those who are understood by 'the dragon' in the Apocalypse; and one of them said to me, 'Come with me, and I will show you the delights of our eyes and hearts.' And he led me through a shady wood and on to a hill from which I could view the enjoyments of the dragons. And I saw an amphitheatre built in the form of a circus with benches all round constructed in tiers sloping upwards, upon which the spectators were sitting. Those who were sitting on the lowest benches appeared to me from afar off as satyrs and priapi, some with a cover concealing the private parts, and some naked without that. On the benches above them whoremongers and harlots were sitting, appearing such to me by their gestures. And then the dragon said to me, 'Now you shall see our sport. And I saw as it were bullocks, rams, sheep, kids and lambs let into the area of the circus, and after these had been let in a door was opened, and as it were young lions, panthers, leopards and wolves were rushing in and furiously attacking the flock, and tearing them in pieces and slaughtering them. But the satyrs after that bloody carnage were spreading sand over the place of the slaughter.
[2] Then the dragon said to me, 'These are our sports that delight our minds (animus).' And I replied, 'Go away, you demon! After a while you will see this amphitheatre turned into a lake of fire and sulphur.' He laughed and went away. And afterwards I was thinking to myself, Why are such things permitted by the Lord? And in my heart I got the answer that they are permitted as long as they are in the world of spirits, but after their time in that world has been accomplished such theatrical scenes are turned into things infernally dreadful.
[3] All the things that were seen were induced by the dragonists by means of fantasies, and therefore there were no bullocks, rams, sheep, kids and lambs, but they made the genuine goods and truths of the Church, which they hated, so to appear. The young lions, panthers, leopards and wolves were the appearances of the lusts of those who were seen as satyrs and priapi. The ones without a covering around their private parts were those who believed that evils do not appear before God, and the ones with a covering were those who believed that they do appear but do not condemn provided they are in faith. The whoremongers and harlots were falsifiers of the truth of the Word, for whoredom signifies the falsification of truth. In the spiritual world all things appear from afar off in accordance with correspondences, and when they are appearing in forms they are called representations of spiritual things in similar objective forms of natural things.
[4] Afterwards I saw them going out of the wood, the dragon in the midst of the satyrs and priapi, and after them the drudges and camp followers who were the whoremongers and harlots. The gang was increasing on the way, and then it was given to hear what they were talking about. They were saying that they saw a flock of sheep with lambs in a meadow, and that this is a sign that one of the Jerusalem cities where charity is primary was near. And they said, 'Let us go and take that city, and cast out its inhabitants and plunder their goods.' They approached, but there was a wall round it, and guardian angels on the wall. And then they said, 'Let us take it by deceit. Let us send an expert ingenious mutterer who can whiten what is black and blacken what is white, and colour the reality of any object.' And one skilled in the art of metaphysics was found, who could change ideas of realities into ideas of terms, and hide the realities themselves under formulas, and thus fly off like a hawk with its prey under its wings. He was instructed how to speak with the city people, [to say] that they were in fellowship in religion and should be admitted. Coming to the gate he knocked, and when it was opened he said that he wished to speak with the wisest person of that city. And he entered and was conducted to a certain person, whereupon he spoke to him, saying, 'There are some of my brethren outside the city, and they request to be received. They are allies in religion. You and we make faith and charity the two essentials of religion. The only difference is that you say charity is primary and faith is thence derived, while we say faith is primary and charity is derived thence. What does it matter if one or the other is said to be primary, when each of the two is believed in?'
[5] The city's wise one replied, 'Let us not discuss this matter alone, but in the presence of some more who may be the arbiters and judges, otherwise no decision may be made.' Whereupon they were sent for, and the draconic one spoke the same words as before to them. And then the wise man of the city replied, 'You have said that it is all the same whether charity or faith be taken as the primary thing of the Church, provided there is agreement that each of the two makes the Church and its religion. And yet the difference is such as exists between prior and posterior, cause and effect, the principal and the instrumental, and the essential and the formal. I say such things because I have noticed that you are skilled in the art of metaphysics, which art we call muttering, and some call it incantation. But let us leave those terms. The difference is like that between what is above and what is below; indeed, if you will believe it, the difference is like that between heaven and hell. For that which is primary makes the head and the breast, and that which is derived therefrom makes the feet and the soles thereof. But first let us agree what charity is and what faith is. [Let us agree] that charity is the affection of the love of doing good to the neighbour for the sake of God, salvation and eternal life, and that faith is the thought resulting from confidence concerning God, salvation and eternal life.'
[6] But the emissary said, 'I grant that the latter is faith, and I also grant that charity is the former affection for the sake of God, because for the sake of His command, but not for the sake of salvation and eternal life.' And the wise one of the city said, 'So be it, provided it is for the sake of God.' After this agreement the wise one of the city said, 'Is not affection primary and thought derived from it?' But the one sent by the dragon said, 'This I deny.' But he got the answer, 'You cannot deny it. Does not a man think by virtue of affection? Take away the affection, and can you think anything? It is just the same as if you should take the sound away from speech. If you take away the sound, can you speak anything? For the sound is of the affection, and the speech is of the thought, for affection sounds and thought speaks. And it is also like flame and light. If you take away the flame, does not the light perish? It is similar with charity, because it is affection, and with faith, because it is thought. Are you not able thus to grasp that what is primary is the all in what is secondary, altogether as the sound is in speech? From these considerations you can see that if you do not make that which is primary the primary thing, you are not in the other. Therefore if you put the faith that is in the second place in the first place, you will in heaven appear no otherwise than as a man inverted, whose feet stand upwards while the head is downwards, or as a contortionist (hariolus) who walks on the palms of his hands with his body upside-down. Since you appear such in heaven, what then are your good works like, which are charity, but such things as that contortionist would do with his feet because he cannot use his hands? The result of this is that your charity, as you have also seen, is natural and not spiritual, because it is inverted.'
[7] The emissary understood this, for every devil can understand truth when he hears it; but he cannot retain it, because when the affection of evil comes back it rejects the thought of truth. And afterwards the wise one of the city described in much detail what faith is like when it has been taken for what is primary, that it is merely natural, and that it is nothing but knowledge without any spiritual life, consequently that it is not faith. 'For your charity is only natural affection, and out of natural affection no other than natural thought proceeds, and this is your faith. And I can almost say that in faith merely natural there is hardly any other spiritual thing than there is in a knowledge of the kingdom of the Mogul, of the diamond mine there, and of its emperor's treasury and palace.' On hearing these things the draconic one went away full of wrath and reported them to his gang outside the city. And when they heard what had been said, that charity is the affection of the love of doing good to the neighbour for the sake of God, salvation and eternal life, they all cried out, 'This is a lie.' And the dragon himself cried, 'Oh! what a crime! Are not all the good works that are of charity, when done for the sake of salvation, merit-seeking?'
[8] Then they said among themselves, 'Let us call more of our sort together, and besiege this city. Let us make ladders, climb the wall, and rush in at night and throw these charities out.' When, however, they attempted this, lo there appeared as it were fire out of heaven, which consumed them. But the fire out of heaven was the appearance of the wrath derived from hatred against those [charities], because they cast faith out of the first into the second place. Their appearing to be consumed as it were with fire was in fact the opening of hell under their feet, and their being engulfed. Things similar to these occurred in many places at the day of the last judgment; and this is what is understood by these words in the Apocalypse:
The dragon shall go out to lead astray the nations that are at the four corners of the land, that he may gather them together for war; and they went up on the plain of the land, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city; but fire came down from God out of heaven and consumed them. Revelation 20:8-9.
655. Here I will add this Relation. I spoke with some of those who are meant by "the dragon" in Revelation; and one of them said to me, "Come with me, and I will show you the delights of our eyes and hearts." And he led me through a gloomy forest to the top of a hill, from which I could have a view of the delights of the dragons. And I saw an amphitheater erected in the form of a circus, with rows of benches one above another, on which the spectators were seated. They who sat on the lowest benches appeared to me, at a distance, like satyrs and priapi, some with a slight covering and some naked without it.
On the benches above them sat whoremongers and harlots; they appeared such to me, from their gestures. And then the dragon said to me, "Now thou shalt see our sport." And I saw, as it were, bullocks, rams, sheep, kids, and lambs, driven into the area of the circus, and when they were in, a gate was opened, and there rushed in, as it were, young lions, panthers, leopards, and wolves, which attacked the flock with fury, and tore them in pieces and slaughtered them. But the satyrs, when the bloody slaughter was over, strewed sand over the place of the slaughter.
[2] Then the dragon said to me, "These are our sports which delight our minds." And I replied, "Get thee hence, demon, in a short time thou wilt see this amphitheater converted into a lake of fire and sulphur." At this he laughed and went away. And afterwards I was thinking within myself, why such things are permitted by the Lord, and I received an answer in my heart, that they are permitted so long as they are in the world of spirits, but when the time of their stay in that world is at an end, those theatrical scenes are changed into such as are direful and infernal.
[3] All the things which were seen were induced by the dragonists by phantasies; therefore they were not bullocks, rams, sheep, kids, and lambs, but the genuine goods and truths of the church, which they hold in hatred, they made to so appear. The young lions, panthers, leopards, and wolves were appearances of the lusts with those who seemed like satyrs and priapi. They who were without any covering, were such as believed that evils do not appear before God; and they who had a covering, were such as believed that they do appear, but yet do not condemn, provided they are in faith; the whoremongers and harlots were falsifiers of the truth of the Word, for whoredom signifies the falsification of truth. In the spiritual world all things appear, at a distance, according to correspondences, the forms of such appearances being called representations of spiritual things in objects similar to those that are natural.
[4] After this I saw them going out of the forest, the dragon being in the midst of the satyrs and priapi, and after them, their servants and scullions, for such were the whoremongers and harlots. Their company increased in the way, and then it was given to hear what they were talking about among themselves. They were saying that they perceived a flock of sheep with lambs in a meadow, which was a sign that one of the cities of Jerusalem, where charity is primary, was near. And they said, "Let us go and take that city, and cast out its inhabitants, and plunder their goods." They drew near; but there was a wall around it, and angel guards upon the wall. Then they said, "Let us take it by deceit; let us send one who is skilled in the art of mussitation, who can make black white, and white black, and can give to any object whatever color he pleases." And there was found one who was expert in the art of metaphysics, who could change the ideas of things into the ideas of terms, and conceal the things themselves under formulas, and thus fly away, like a hawk, with his prey under his wings. He was instructed how to speak with the citizens, that they were in fellowship in religion, and that they should be admitted. Coming to the gate he knocked, and when it was opened, he said that he wished to speak with the wisest person in the city. Then he entered and was conducted to one, whom he thus addressed, saying, "There are some of my brethren, without the city, who request to be received. They are consociates in religion. You and we, make faith and charity the two essentials of religion; the only difference is, that you say charity is primary and faith is thence, whereas we say that faith is primary and charity is thence. But what matters it whether one or the other is called the primary when both are believed in?"
[5] The wise man of the city replied, "We will not talk this matter over alone, but in the presence of several, who may act as arbiters and judges, or else there would be no decision." And then they were summoned, to whom the draconic spirit spoke the same words as before. And then the wise man of the city replied, "Thou hast said, that it is the same thing whether charity or faith be assumed as the primary of the church, provided it be agreed that each constitutes the church and its religion. And yet the difference between them is the same as between prior and posterior, between cause and effect, between the principal and the instrumental, and between the essential and the formal. I speak in this manner, because I have observed that thou art expert in the art of metaphysics, which art we call mussitation, and some call it incantation. But let us leave these terms. The difference is the same as between what is above and what is below; yea! if you will believe it, the difference is as between heaven and hell; for that which is primary constitutes the head and the breast, and that which is thence derived, the feet and the soles of the feet. But let us first agree what charity is and what faith is. Charity is the affection of the love of doing good to the neighbor for the sake of God, salvation, and eternal life, and faith is thought from confidence concerning God, salvation, and eternal life."
[6] But the emissary said, "I concede that this is faith, and I also concede that charity is that affection for the sake of God, because for the sake of His command; but not for the sake of salvation and eternal life." And the wise man of the city said, "Let it be this, provided it is for the sake of God." After this agreement the wise man of the city said, "Is not affection the primary? And is not thought from it?" But he that was sent by the dragon said, "This I deny." But he received for answer, "You cannot deny it. Does not a man think from affection? Take away affection, and can you think anything? It is altogether as if you should take away sound from speech. If you take away sound, can you speak anything? Sound also is of the affection, and speech is of the thought; for the affection sounds, and the thought speaks. And it is also like flame and light. If you take away the flame, does not the light perish? It is the same with charity, because this is affection; and with faith, because this is thought. Can you not thus comprehend that the primary is the all in the secondary, altogether as the sound is in speech? From which you may see, that if you do not make that to be the primary which is the primary, you are not in the other. Wherefore, if you take faith, which is in the second place, and put it in the first, you will not appear otherwise in heaven than as a man inverted, whose feet stand upwards, and his head downwards; or like a mountebank, who, with his body upside down, walks upon the palms of his hands. When ye appear such in heaven, what then are your good works, which are charity, but such as that mountebank would do with his feet, because he cannot with his hands? Hence it is that your charity, as you also have seen, is natural, and not spiritual, because it is inverted."
[7] The emissary understood this; for every devil can understand truth, when he hears it; but he cannot retain it, because when the affection of evil returns, it casts out the thought of truth. And afterwards the wise man of the city described by many things what the quality of faith is when it is received as the primary, that it is merely natural; and that it is mere science, without any spiritual life; consequently, that it is not faith. "For your charity is nothing but natural affection; and from natural affection no other than natural thought proceeds, which is your faith.
And I may almost say, that in merely natural faith there is scarce any more that is spiritual, than in a knowledge of the kingdom of the Mogul, of the diamond mine there, and of the treasure and court of the emperor." Hearing this, the dragonist went away in a rage, and reported to his friends without the city. And when they heard that it was said that charity is the affection of the love of doing good to the neighbor for the sake of God, of salvation, and of eternal life, they all cried out, "This is a lie:" and the dragon himself exclaimed, "O the wickedness, are not all the good works which are charity, when done for the sake of salvation, meritorious?"
[8] Then they said among themselves, "Let us call together still more of our friends, and we will besiege this city: let us make ladders, scale the wall, and rush in by night, and cast out these charities." But when they attempted this, lo, there appeared as it were fire out of heaven, which consumed them. But the fire from heaven was an appearance of their anger from hatred against the others, because they rejected faith from the first place into the second. The reason that they appeared to be consumed as if by fire, was because hell was opened under their feet, and swallowed them up. Things similar to this happened in many places at the time of the Last Judgment, and this is what is meant by these words in Revelation:
The dragon shall go out to seduce the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, to gather them together to war: and they went up on the plain of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city; but fire came down from God out of heaven, and consumed them, (Revelation 20:8-9).
655. His adjiciam hoc MEMORABILE:--
Locutus sum cum quibusdam qui in Apocalypsi intelliguntur per "Draconem;" et unus ex illis mihi dixit, "Veni mecum, et jucunditates oculorum et cordium nostrorum ostendam."
Et duxit me per sylvam opacam, et super collem, e quo potui spectare Draconum jucunda. Et vidi amphitheatrum in circi formam erectum, cum scamnis circum circa oblique sursum structis, super quibus spectatores sedebant. Illi qui sedebant super scamnis infimis apparebant mihi e longinquo sicut satyri et priapi, quidam cum velamine tegente pudenda, et quidam nudi absque illo. In scamnis supra illos sedebant scortatores et meretrices (tales mihi ex gestibus illorum apparebant).
Et tunc dixit Draco ad me, "Nunc videbis ludum nostrum." Et vidi in aream circi tanquam juvencos, arietes, oves, haedos et agnos immissos; et postquam illi immissi sunt, aperiebatur porta, et irruebant tanquam leones juvenes, pantherae, pardi, et lupi, et cum furore invadebant gregem; ac dilaniabant et mactabant illos. At satyri, post cruentam illam caedem, spargebant arenam super locum mactationis.
Tunc dixit ad me Draco, "Hi sunt nostri ludi, qui jucundant animos nostros."
Et respondi, "Abi, daemon; post aliquod tempus videbis amphitheatrum hoc conversum in stagnum ignis et sulphuris."
Ille risit et abivit.
Et postea mecum cogitabam, cur talia a Domino permittuntur; et tuli responsum in corde meo, quod permittantur quam diu in Mundo spirituum sunt, sed postquam tempus illorum in illo mundo peractum est, vertuntur tales scenae theatrales in diras infernales.
Omnia illa quae visa sunt, inducta fuerunt a Draconicis per phantasias; quare non erant juvenci, arietes, oves, haedi et agni; sed fecerunt ut ita apparerent genuina bona et vera Ecclesiae, quae odio habebant. Leones juvenes, pantherae, pardi et lupi, erant apparentiae cupiditatum apud illos qui visi sunt sicut satyri et priapi. Hi absque velamine circum pudenda, erant, qui crediderunt quod mala non appareant coram Deo; et qui cum velamine, erant qui crediderunt quod appareant, sed non damnent, modo sint in fide. Scortatores et meretrices erant falsificatores veri Verbi, scortatio enim significat falsificationem veri. In mundo spirituali omnia apparent secundum correspondentias e longinquo: quae cum apparent in formis, vocantur repraesentationes spiritualium in objectis naturalium similibus.
Postea videbam illos exeuntes e sylva, Draconem in medio satyrorum et priaporum, ac calones et lixae, quae erant scortatores et meretrices, post illos. Augebatur agmen in via, et tunc datum est audire quid inter se loquebantur.
Dicebant quod viderent in prato gregem ovium cum agnis, et quod hoc signum sit quod una urbs ex urbibus Hierosolymitanis, ubi charitas primarium est prope esset. Et dixerunt, "Eamus et capiamus illam urbem, et ejiciamus habitatores, et depraedemur bona illorum."
Accesserunt; sed erat murus circum illam, et angeli custodes super muro.
Et tunc dixerunt, "Capiamus illam per dolum; mittamus quemdam artificem peritum mussitationis, qui potest dealbare nigrum ac denigrare album, et infucare rem cujusvis objecti."
Et inventus est unus gnarus artis metaphysicae, qui potuit vertere ideas rerum in ideas terminorum, ac ipsas res occultare sub formulis, et sic avolare sicut accipiter cum praeda sub alis. Ille instructus quomodo cum urbanis loqueretur, quod essent consocii in Religione, et quod immitterentur.
Ille accedens ad portam pulsavit; qua aperta dixit, quod cum sapientissimo illius urbis vellet loqui. Ac intravit, et deductus est ad quendam; et tunc ad illum loquebatur dicens, "Sunt mei fratres extra urbem, et petunt ut recipiantur; sunt consocii in Religione; vos et nos facimus fidem et charitatem duo Essentialia Religionis; discrimen solum est, quod vos dicatis charitatem esse primarium et inde fidem, et nos dicimus fidem esse primarium et inde charitatem; quid refert si unum aut alterum dicatur primarium, cum utrumque creditur."
Sapiens urbis respondit, "Non loquamur de hac re soli, sed in praesentia plurium, qui sint arbitri et judices; alioquin non fit decisio."
Et tunc arcessiti sunt; ad quos Draconicus similia verba, quae prius, loquebatur.
Et tunc respondit vir sapiens urbis: "Dixisti quod simile sit, sive charitas sumatur primarium Ecclesiae, sive fides, modo consensus sit quod utraque faciat Ecclesiam et ejus Religionem. Et tamen discrimen est quale inter prius et posterius, inter causam et effectum, inter principale et instrumentale, inter essentiale et formale. Talia dico quia animadverti quod sis artis metaphysicae gnarus, quam artem nos vocamus mussitationem, et aliqui incantationem. Sed relinquamus illos terminos. Est discrimen sicut inter id quod supra est et id quod infra est; imo, si vis credere, est discrimen sicut inter Caelum et Infernum; nam quod primarium est, hoc facit caput et pectus, et quod inde est hoc facit pedes et eorum plantas. Sed conveniamus primum, quid charitas et quid fides; quod charitas sit affectio amoris faciendi proximo bonum propter Deum, salutem et vitam aeternam; et quod fides sit cogitatio ex fiducia de Deo, salute et vita aeterna.
Sed dixit Emissarius, "Concedo quod hoc sit fides, et quoque concedo quod charitas sit illa affectio propter Deum, quia propter mandatum Ejus; non autem propter salutem et vitam aeternam."
Et dixit sapiens urbis, "Sit hoc, modo sit propter Deum."
Post hanc conventionem dixit sapiens urbis, "Annon affectio est primarium et cogitatio inde."
At missus a Dracone dixit, "Hoc nego."
Sed responsum tulit, "Non potes id negare. Annon homo cogitat ex affectione; aufer affectionem, num cogitare potes quicquam. Est prorsus sicut si auferres sonum de loquela: si auferas sonum, num poteris loqui quicquam; sonus etiam est affectionis, et loquela est cogitationis, nam affectio sonat et cogitatio loquitur. Et est quoque sicut flamma et lux: si aufers flammam, annon perit lux; simile est cum charitate, quia haec est affectio, et cum fide, quia haec est cogitatio. Nonne sic potes capere quod primarium sit omne in secundario, prorsus sicut est sonus in loquela. Ex quibus videre potes, quod si non facis primarium id quod primarium est, non sis in altero; quare si fidem, quae est in secundo loco, ponis in primo, non apparebis aliter in Caelo quam sicut inversus homo, cujus pedes stant sursum ac caput deorsum, aut sicut hariolus qui inverso corpore ambulat super palmis manuum. Quum tales apparetis in Caelo, qualia tunc sunt vestra bona opera, quae sunt charitas, nisi qualia facturus esset hariolus ille suis pedibus, quia non potest manibus. Inde est quod charitas vestra, ut quoque vidistis, est naturalis et non spiritualis, quia est inversa."
Emissarius intellexit hoc, nam omnis Diabolus potest intelligere verum cum illud audit; sed non potest retinere, quia affectio mali, cum redit, ejicit cogitationem Veri.
Et postea sapiens urbis descripsit multis, qualis est fides quando acceptata est pro primario, quod sit mere naturalis, et quod sit mera scientia absque ulla vita spirituali, consequenter quod non sit fides: "Vestra enim charitas non est nisi quam affectio naturalis, et ex affectione naturali non procedit alia cogitatio quam naturalis, quae est vestra fides: ac paene dicere possum, quod in fide mere naturali, vix aliud spirituale sit quam in scientia de Regno Mogolis, de Fodina adamantina ibi, deque Imperatoris ejus Thesauro et Aula."
His auditis, Draconicus iratus abivit, et renuntiavit suis extra urbem. Et cum audiverunt quod dictum sit quod charitas sit affectio amoris faciendi proximo bonum propter Deum, salutem et vitam aeternam, clamaverunt omnes, "Hoc mendacium est;" et ipse Draco, "Heu facinus; nonne omnia bona opera, quae sunt charitas, propter salutem, sunt meritoria."
Tunc inter se dixerunt, "Convocemus adhuc plures ex nostris, et obsideamus hanc urbem; faciamus scalas, ascendamus murum, ac irruamus noctu et ejiciamus Charitates illos."
At cum hoc moliti sunt, ecce apparuit sicut ignis e Caelo qui consumpsit illos. Sed ignis e Caelo fuit apparentia irae ex odio contra illos, quia fidem e primo loco in secundum rejecerunt; quod apparerent sicut igne consumi, erat quod sub pedibus eorum aperiretur Infernum, et deglutirentur.
His similia contigerunt pluribus in locis die Ultimi Judicii; et hoc est quod per haec verba intelligitur in Apocalypsi:
"Exibit Draco ad seducendum Gentes quae in quatuor angelis terrae, ut congreget eos in bellum. Et ascenderunt super planitiem terrae, et circumdederunt castra Sanctorum, et Urbem dilectam; sed descendit ignis a Deo e Caelo, et consumpsit eos," (20:8-9).