325、⑻寡妇的处境比鳏夫的更艰难。
原因既有外在的，也有内在的。外在原因谁都能看得见，如：
①寡妇无法像男人那样为自己及其家庭提供生活必需品，也无法像男人那样处置自己所获得的东西，这在以前是靠她的丈夫并与丈夫一起来完成的。
②寡妇也不能很好地保护自己及其家庭；因为当她还是一个妻子时，丈夫是她的保护者，可以说是她的膀臂。即便能自我保护，她仍依赖丈夫。
③在需要内在智慧和谨慎的问题上，她凭自己缺乏决断力或判断力。
④寡妇不能接受她作为一个女人时所拥有的爱情，因此，她处于与其原生状态和婚姻所带来的状态格格不入的状态。
这些外在或属世的原因来源于内在或属灵的原因，这与尘世和身体中的其它所有事物是一样的（对此，参看220节）。这些外在的属世原因可从内在的属灵原因来理解，内在的属灵原因是从良善与真理的婚姻，尤其该婚姻的以下特征发出的：
①若不凭借真理，良善无法提供或管理任何事物。
②若不凭借真理，良善无法保护自己，因此真理是良善的保护者，可以说是良善的膀臂。
③没有真理的良善缺乏深思熟虑，因为良善凭借真理拥有深思熟虑、智慧和谨慎。
男人自创造时就是真理，妻子通过创造而为它的良善，或也可说，男人通过创造而为理解力，妻子自创造时就是对理解力的爱。由此明显可知，使得寡妇处境艰难的外在或属世的原因来源于内在或属灵的原因。圣言中许多涉及寡妇的经文说的就是这些与属世原因结合的属灵原因，这可见于《揭秘启示录》（764节）一书。
325、（8）寡妇的状况会比鳏夫的状况更难。
原因有内在的和外在的。外在原因如下：
1、寡妇难以象男人一样独自维持自己或及家庭的需要。若是她拥有财富，也不能象从前在丈夫的帮助下那样很好地经营手中的财富。
2、寡妇也不能很好地保护自己和家庭；因为在婚姻中，丈夫是她的保护者，既使他必须要保护自己时，她也是依赖于丈夫的。
3、只身一人，她没有必要的智慧和判断力方面的帮助。
4、寡妇没有人能接受来自于她的做为女人的爱。因此，她处于一种与她生来的状态和在婚姻中的状态相异的状态中。这些外在原因是自然的，但是它们源于属于精神性的内在原因。（参见220节）对外在和自然情况的理解来自于内在的，精神的原由，这些原由来自于善与真理的结合。善不能没有真理的辅助而独自处理任何事物。善只有通过真理才能保护自己。因此可以说真理是保护者，或者说是手臂，没有真理的善意就没有了帮助。
那么，因为男人生来是真理的形式，妻子生来是与真理相伴的善的形式——或者说，男人生来是理解力形式，妻子生来是与其相伴的对理解力的爱的形式。很显然，内在和外在的原因使得寡妇比鳏夫更处于困难地位。这是源自于内在的和精神状况的。
这些精神及自然的状况在《圣经》中有数个关于寡妇的地方。（参见The Apocalypse Revealed，764节）
325. (viii) The state of a widow is more distressing than that of a widower.
There are outward and inward reasons for this. The outward ones anyone may see.
1. A widow cannot provide herself and her household with the necessities of life, nor can she distribute what she has acquired as her husband could, and as she could previously by means of and together with her husband.
2. Neither can she properly protect herself and her household; for her husband, while she was a wife, was her protector and, so to speak, her right arm. And even when she was her own protector, she still relied upon her husband.
3. Of herself she lacks the power of decision in matters which demand inner wisdom and so prudence.
4. A widow is unable to receive the love which she has as a woman, so that she is in a state removed from her native one and that brought on by marriage.
[2] These outward or natural reasons are derived from inward or spiritual ones, as is everything else in the world and in the body (on this 220 above).
These outward, natural reasons can be grasped from the inward, spiritual reasons, which arise from the marriage of good and truth, and principally from the following. Good cannot provide for or arrange anything except by means of truth. Neither can good protect itself except by means of truth, so that truth is the protector and, as it were, the right arm of good. Good without truth lacks the ability to decide, because it acquires this ability, wisdom and prudence by means of truth.
[3] Now since a man is by creation truth, and a wife is from creation its good - or to put it differently, since a man is by creation an intellect and wife is from creation the love of it - it is obvious that the outward or natural reasons which make a widow's state distressing derive from inward or spiritual reasons. It is these spiritual reasons which, combined with natural ones, are meant in the Word by what is said in many passages about widows; on these see Apocalypse Revealed 764.
325. 8. The state of a widow is harder than the state of a widower. The reasons are external and internal. The external reasons are plain for anyone to see; as for instance:
1. A widow cannot provide the necessities of life for herself and her household as a man can, or having acquired them, manage them as she did formerly with her husband's help and in partnership with him.
2. Nor can she properly protect herself and her household; for in their married life her husband was her protection and so to speak her good right arm; and even when she had to protect herself, still she relied on her husband.
3. By herself she is without counsel in such matters as require an inner wisdom and its consequent judgment.
4. A widow has no one receiving the love she has as a woman; thus she is in a state alien to the state innate in her and entered into by marriage.
[2] These external circumstances are natural ones, but they take their origin from internal causes as well that are spiritual, as does everything else in the world and the body (of which above, no. 220). An understanding of the external, natural circumstances is gained from the internal, spiritual causes, which come from the marriage between good and truth, and principally from these characteristics of it: that good cannot provide or manage anything accept by means of truth; that good cannot protect itself either except by means of truth, accordingly that truth is the protection and so to speak the good right arm of good; and that good without truth is without counsel, because it has its counsel, wisdom and judgment by means of truth.
[3] Now because a man from creation is a form of truth, and a wife from creation a form of its accompanying good, or to say the same thing, because a man from creation is a form of understanding, and a wife from creation a form of its accompanying love, it is apparent that the external or natural circumstances which make the widowhood of a woman harder take their origin from internal or spiritual circumstances.
These spiritual circumstances are, together with the natural ones, meant in the Word by what it says in regard to widows in a number of places (as may be seen in The Apocalypse Revealed, no. 764).
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325. 8. A widow is in a worse situation than a widower. The reasons are external and internal. The external are clear to everyone.
(a) A widow cannot provide the necessities of life for herself and her household nor spend her money like a man, or as she did before through a man and with a man.
(b) She cannot protect herself and her home as it should be done, because when she was a wife her husband was her protection and like her arm. Even when she was her own protector she relied on her man.
(c) On her own she is without advice in the kind of things that have to do with inner wisdom and its experience.
(d) A widow is without someone to receive the love that she has as a woman, so she is in a condition foreign to the one that is innate and is brought about by marriage.
These outward reasons, which are worldly, also spring from inner ones that are spiritual, like everything else in the world and in your body (see no. 220, above).
The outward, worldly reasons can be gleaned from the inner, spiritual reasons, which emerge from the marriage of good and truth, and principally from these aspects of it: Good cannot provide nor dispense anything, except through truth. Good cannot protect itself except through truth, so truth is the protector and is like the arm of good. Good without truth is without advice because it has advice, wisdom, and experience through truth. Now, a man is truth by creation and a wife is its good from creation, or similarly a man is intellect by creation and a wife is its love from creation, so clearly the outward or worldly reasons that make a woman's widowhood worse spring from inner or spiritual reasons. These spiritual reasons that are joined with worldly ones are what the Word means by the things it says about widows in many places (they appear in Apocalypse Revealed 764).
325. VIII. THAT THE STATE OF A WIDOW IS MORE GRIEVOUS THAN THAT OF A WIDOWER. The causes of this are external and internal. The external are clear to every one, namely: 1. That a widow cannot provide the necessities of life for herself and her household, nor make disposition of them when acquired, as a man can and as she previously did by and with her husband. 2. That she cannot protect herself and her home in the way needed; for when she was a wife, the husband was her defense and, as it were, her arm, and when she was her own defense, she yet relied on her husband. 3. That of herself she is lacking in judgment as regards such things as are matters of interior wisdom and hence of prudence. 4. That a widow has no one to receive the love in which she is as a woman, and so is in a state alien to that which is innate, and to that induced by marriage.
[2] These external causes which are natural, take their origin from internal causes which are spiritual, as do all other things in the world and in the body, concerning which, see above (no. 220). The above-mentioned external natural causes are perceived from the internal spiritual causes which proceed from the marriage of good and truth, and chiefly from the following characteristics of that marriage: (1) That good cannot provide for or regulate anything save by truth. (2) That good cannot protect itself save by truth, and that truth, therefore, is the defense and, as it were, the arm of good. (3) That good without truth is lacking in deliberation, for it has deliberation, wisdom and prudence by means of truth.
[3] Now because from creation a man is truth, and by creation a wife is the good thereof; or, what is the same thing, because from creation a man is understanding, and by creation a wife is the love thereof, it is clear that the external or natural causes which aggravate the widowhood of a woman take their rise from internal or spiritual causes. These spiritual causes conjoined with the natural are what are meant by what is said concerning widows in many places in the Word, as may be seen in THE APOCALYPSE REVEALED, no. 764.
325. (viii) The state of a widow is more grievous than that of a widower. The causes of this are external and internal. The external causes any one can see.
1. A widow cannot provide the necessaries of life for herself and her home, or dispose of possessions as the man can, or as she was able to do previously, through and with the man
2. Neither can she protect herself and her home, as is needful; while she was his wife, the man was her defense and, as it were, her arm; she was her own defense also, nevertheless she relied upon him.
3. By herself she is helpless for counsel in such things as are of interior wisdom and thence of prudence.
4. A widow is without the reception of that love from which she is a woman, thus in a state alien to the state native to her and also induced by marriage.
[2] These external reasons, which are natural, also originate in internal causes, which are spiritual, as do all other things in the world and in the body (of which above,220). The natural and external causes are perceived from the internal and spiritual causes, which have to do with the marriage of good and truth, and principally from these: that good can provide and dispose only through truth; that good can be protected only by truth, which is therefore the defense and, as it were, the arm of good; that good without truth is helpless for counsel, wisdom and prudence through truth.
[3] Now, as the man by creation is truth and the wife the good of it, or what is the same, the man by creation understanding and the wife the love of it, it is evident that the external or natural causes which aggravate widowhood have internal or spiritual causes. These spiritual causes, conjoined with the natural, are meant by what the Word says in many places about widows (see in Apocalypse Revealed 764).
325. (8) That the state of a widow is more grievous than that of a widower. The causes are external and internal. The external everyone can see, as:
(1) That a widow cannot provide the necessaries of life for herself and her household, nor dispose of what is acquired, like a man, and as was done before by the man and with the man.
(2) Nor can she protect herself and her house as is needful; for while she was a wife the man was her defence, and as it were her arm, and when she herself was so she yet relied upon her husband.
(3) That of herself she is lacking in counsel in such matters as are of interior wisdom and thence of prudence.
(4) That a widow is without the reception of the love in which she is as a woman, and so is in a state alien from that innate within her and into which she was inducted by marriage.
These external causes which are natural, also take their origin from internal causes which are spiritual, as do all other things in the world and in the body (about which see above at n. 220). The external, natural causes are perceived from the internal, spiritual causes, which come from the marriage of good and truth, and chiefly from these facts of that marriage. That good cannot provide nor dispose anything except by truth; that good cannot protect itself except by truth, and therefore, that truth is the defence and as it were the arm of good; that good without truth is destitute of counsel, because it has counsel, wisdom, and prudence by truth. Now, as from creation man is truth, and by creation the wife is its good, or what is the same, as from creation the man is understanding, and from creation the wife is the love of that, it is clear that the external or natural causes which aggravate the widowhood of a woman take their rise from internal or spiritual causes. These spiritual causes, conjoined with the natural, are what are meant by the things said concerning widows in many places in the Word, as may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed 764.
325. VIII: Quod status viduae sit gravior vidui. Causae sunt externae et internae; Externae in cujusvis luce sunt, ut, 11. Quod Vidua sibi et suae domui non possit prospicere necessitates vitae, nec acquisitas disponere, sicut vir, et sicut prius per virum et cum viro. 22. Quod nec se et domum suam possit, sicut oportet, tutari; vir enim fuit ejus, dum uxor, tutamen et sicut brachium; et dum ipsa fuit suum, usque confisa est suo viro. 3. Quod ex se inops consilii sit in talibus quae interioris sapientiae et inde prudentiae sunt. 4. Quod Vidua sit absque receptione amoris, in quo ut foemina est, ita in statu alieno ab innato et per conjugium inducto.
[2] Hae causae externae, quae sunt naturales, etiam trahunt originem ab internis, quae spirituales sunt, ut omnia reliqua in mundo et in corpore, de quibus supra 220: causae illae externae naturales percipiuntur a causis internis spiritualibus, quae ex conjugio boni et veri procedunt, et principaliter ex his ejus; quod Bonum non possit prospicere, nec disponere aliquid nisi per verum; quod Bonum nec se possit tutari nisi per verum, proinde quod verum sit tutamen et sicut brachium boni; quod Bonum absque vero sit inops consilii, quia ei consilium, sapientia, et prudentia est per verum.
[3] Nunc quia Vir ex creatione est Verum, et Uxor a creatione est ejus Bonum, seu quod idem est, quia Vir ex creatione est Intellectus, et Uxor a creatione est Amor ejus, patet, quod causae externae seu naturales, quae viduitatem foeminae aggravant, trahant ortum ex causis internis seu spiritualibus. Hae spirituales causae sunt, quae conjunctae cum naturalibus, intelliguntur in Verbo per illa quae de Viduis pluribus in locis dicuntur; quae videantur in Apocalypsis Revelata 764.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: ut.
2. Prima editio: viro,