491、⑾这些人所犯的奸淫是重罪，并照着确认程度而被归罪于他们。唯独理解力进行确认，并且一旦确认，它就会成为意愿的同盟，并把它安置在自己周围，从而驱使它服从。确认通过推理实现，而心智要么从它的高层区域，要么从它的低层区域抓取推理。若推理出自与天堂相联的高层区域，心智就会赞成婚姻，谴责奸淫；但是，若推理出自与世界相联的低层区域，它就会赞成奸淫，视婚姻一文不值。
人人都能确认邪恶，和确认良善一样容易；同样能确认虚假，和确认真理一样容易。不过，对邪恶的确认似乎比对良善的确认更令人愉快，对虚假的确认似乎比对真理的确认更清楚。原因在于，对邪恶与虚假的确认从身体感官的快乐、愉悦、表象和谬误那里获得其推理；而对良善与真理的确认则从高于身体感官印象的区域那里获得其推理。由于邪恶与虚假，和良善与真理一样能被确认，还由于进行确认的理解力会把意愿吸引到它这一边，意愿与理解力一起形成心智，故可知，人的心智形式取决于它的确认。若这些确认赞成婚姻，心智就转向天堂；若它们确认赞成奸淫，它就转向地狱。人的心智形式的性质决定了其灵的性质，进而决定了这个人的性质。由此明显可知，死后，这个级别的奸淫会照着它们的确认程度而被归罪。
491、（11）这种通奸的程度严重，当事人会被根据其认为通奸无罪的程度而被定罪。才智促使意愿行为。
才智通过推理形成一种说服力。会控制头脑的上部或下部，若控制了上部，即与天国相交流，它就会支持婚姻而抵制通奸。但若控制了思想的下层，即与尘世相交流，它就会支持通奸而抵制婚姻。
人会很容易去支持罪恶，或者支持谬误。支持罪恶会在感觉上比支持善更令人高兴，支持谬误也同样使人感到比支持真理更有乐趣。这是因为支持罪恶和谬误是从躯体上的快乐。形象来推理的，而支持善和真理则是从躯体感受以外来推理。
因为支持罪恶和谬误可以象支持善和真理一样容易。又因为此时的才智将意愿拉向自己的方向，才智和意愿一起构成了思想，所以人的思想因此而具有其性质。若支持婚姻，则它是朝向天国的，若支持通奸则是朝向地狱的。人头脑思想的性质决定了人的精神的性质，进而决定了人的性质。
491. (xi) Adultery by these persons is a serious offence, [and it is imputed] depending upon how far they are convinced of this.
It is the intellect alone which is convinced, and on being convinced it enlists the will and ranges it around itself, so bending it to obedience. Being convinced is the result of reasonings, which the mind seeks either from its upper or its lower region. If they come from the upper region, which is in touch with heaven, it approves marriage and condemns adultery; if from the lower region, which is in touch with the world, it approves adultery and treats marriage as worthless.
Everyone is just as able to be convinced of evil as of good, and likewise of falsity as easily as of truth. Being convinced of evil is perceived as more delightful than being convinced of good, and being convinced of falsity seems clearer than of truth. The reason is that to be convinced of evil and falsity one's reasonings are taken from pleasures, joys, appearances and fallacies of the bodily senses. But to be convinced of good and truth, one's reasons are taken from the region above bodily sense-impressions. Now since it is equally possible to be convinced of evils and falsities as it is of forms of good and truth, and since the intellect which is convinced draws the will to take its side, and the will together with the intellect forms the mind, it follows that the form of the human mind depends upon its convictions. If these favour marriage, it is turned towards heaven, but if they favour adultery, towards hell. It is the nature of the form of a person's mind which determines the nature of his spirit, and so the nature of the person. These considerations now establish that acts of adultery in this degree are imputed after death in proportion to their convictions.
491. 11. Adulteries committed by such people are grave and are imputed to them in accordance with their persuasions. The intellect alone persuades, and when it does, it draws over the will and places it around itself, and so reduces it to compliance.
Persuasions are formed by reasonings, which the mind seizes on either from its upper realm or from its lower one. If it does so from its upper realm, which communicates with heaven, it defends marriages and condemns adulteries. But if it does so from its lower realm, which communicates with the world, it defends adulteries and denigrates marriages.
It is possible for everyone to defend evil as easily as good, likewise falsity as easily as truth. The defending of evil is also perceived as more pleasing than the defending of good, and the affirmation of falsity appears as more enlightened than the affirmation of truth. That is because any defense of evil and falsity draws its reasonings from the pleasures, gratifications, appearances and fallacies of the bodily senses, whereas the defense of good and truth draws its reasons from a realm above the sensual elements of the body.
Now, because evils and falsities can be defended just as easily as goods and truths, and because the intellect in defending them draws the will over to its side, and the will together with the intellect forms the mind, it follows that the form of the human mind has its character in accordance with its persuasions, being turned toward heaven if its persuasions are in support of marriages, but turned toward hell if they are in support of adulteries. Whatever character the form of a person's mind has, moreover, such also is the character of his spirit; consequently, such is the character of the person.
It follows from this, now, that adulteries of this degree are imputed after death in accordance with a person's persuasions.
491. 11. The adulteries committed by these people are serious according to their being confirmed. Only intellect confirms, and when it confirms it wins your will over, draws it up around itself, and thus makes it obedient. Confirmations are made through arguments that the mind summons either from its higher reaches or from its lower reaches. If from the higher reaches, which are in touch with heaven, it confirms marriages and condemns adulteries, but if from its lower reaches, which are in touch with the world, it confirms adulteries and makes little of marriages.
Anyone can confirm bad just the same as good, and likewise falsity and truth, and confirming evil seems more pleasant than confirming good, and confirming falsity more brilliant that confirming truth. The reason is that confirmation of evil and falsity draws its conclusions from the joys, pleasures, appearances, and fallacies of the bodily senses, but confirmation of good and true things draws its reasons from an area above the sensory qualities of the body.
Now, since you can confirm bad and false things just the same as good and true ones, and since intellect gets your will on its side when it makes its confirmation, and will together with intellect makes up your mind, as a result the makeup of a human mind is in keeping with the confirmations. It is turned toward heaven if its confirmations are pro-marriage, but turned toward hell if they are pro-adultery. And whatever the form of a person's mind is like, his spirit is like, so that is what the person is like.
From these observations it is now established that adulteries of this degree are laid to your account according to your confirmations of them.
491. XI. THAT ADULTERIES COMMITTED BY THESE ARE GRIEVOUS [AND ARE IMPUTED] ACCORDING TO THE CONFIRMATIONS. The understanding alone confirms, and when it confirms, it makes an ally of the will and stations it round about itself, and so drives it to compliance. Confirmations are effected by reasonings which the mind takes from either its higher region or its lower; if from its higher region which communicates with heaven, it confirms marriages and condemns adulteries; but if from its lower region which communicates with the world, it confirms adulteries and makes light of marriage. Every one can confirm evil just as well as good, and the same is true of falsity and truth. But the confirmation of evil is perceived as more delectable than the confirmation of good, and the confirmation of falsity as clearer than the confirmation of truth. The reason is because the confirmation of evil and falsity draws its reasonings from the delights, pleasures, appearances, and fallacies of the bodily senses, while the confirmation of good and truth draws its reasons from the region above the sensual things of the body.
Now because evils and falsities can be confirmed just as well as goods and truths; and because the confirming understanding draws the will to its side, and the will together with the understanding forms the mind; it follows that the form of the human mind is according to its confirmations, being turned to heaven if its confirmations are in favor of marriages, and to hell if they are in favor of adulteries. And as the form of man's mind is, such is his spirit and consequently such the man. From this it is now manifest that after death adulteries of this degree are imputed according to their confirmations.
491. (xi) Adulteries done by these are serious in the measure of confirmation. It is the understanding which confirms, and when it does, it adjoins the will to itself, assigns it its place and so reduces it to subservience. Confirmations are effected by reasonings, which the mind obtains either from its higher or its lower region; if from the higher, which communicates with heaven, it confirms marriages and condemns adulteries; but if from the lower, which communicates with the world, it confirms adulteries and belittles marriages. One can confirm evil as well as good, falsity as well as truth. Confirmation of evil, moreover, is more delightedly perceived than confirmation of good, and confirmation of falsity appears more clearly than confirmation of truth. This is because the confirmation of evil and falsity gets its reasonings from the delights, pleasures, appearances and fallacies of the bodily senses, whereas the confirmation of good and truth gets its reasons from a region above the sensuous of the body. Now, because evils and falsities can be confirmed equally as can goods and truths, and because the confirming understanding carries the will its way, and the will together with the understanding forms the mind, it follows that the form of the human mind is according to the confirmations, turned toward heaven if the confirmations are in favor of marriages, and toward hell if in favor of adulteries. Such as the form of the man's mind is, such is his spirit, hence such is the man. It is plain from these considerations, then, that adulteries of this degree are imputed after death in the measure of confirmation.
491. (11) That adulteries committed by these are grievous according to their confirmation. The understanding alone confirms, and when it confirms it makes an ally of the will and stations it round about itself, and so brings it to compliance. Confirmations are effected by reasonings which the mind lays hold of, either from its higher or from its lower region; if from the higher region which communicates with heaven it confirms marriages and condemns adulteries; but if from its lower region which communicates with the world it confirms adulteries and makes light of marriages. Every man is able to confirm evil as well as good; likewise falsity and truth; and the confirmation of evil is perceived as more delightful than the confirmation of good, and the confirmation of falsity appears clearer than the confirmation of truth. The reason is that the confirmation of what is evil and false draws its reasonings from the delights, the pleasures, the appearances, and the fallacies of the bodily senses, while the confirmation of good and truth takes its reasons from a region above the sensuals of the body.
Now, as things evil and false can be confirmed equally with things good and true, and as the confirming understanding draws the will to its side, and the will with the understanding forms the mind, it follows that the form of the human mind is according to confirmations, turned towards heaven if its confirmations are for marriages, but turned towards hell if they are for adulteries. And such as the form of a man's mind is such is his spirit, that is to say, such is the man. It is manifest now from these considerations that adulteries of this degree are imputed after death according to their confirmations.
491. XI. Quod adulteria ab his facta gravia sint [ac imputentur] 1secundum confirmationes. Solus intellectus confirmat, et cum confirmat, voluntatem adsciscit, et circum se ponit, et sic adigit illam ad obsequium: confirmationes fiunt per ratiocinia, quae Mens captat vel e regione sua superiore, vel e regione inferiore; si e regione superiore, quae communicat cum Coelo, confirmat conjugia et damnat adulteria; at si e regione inferiore, quae communicat cum Mundo, confirmat adulteria, et conjugia floccipendit. Quisque potest confirmare malum aeque ac bonum, similiter falsum et verum, et confirmatio mali delectabilius percipitur quam confirmatio boni, ac confirmatio falsi lucidius apparet quam confirmatio veri; causa est, quia confirmatio mali et falsi trahit sua ratiocinia ex jucundis, voluptatibus, apparentiis et fallaciis sensuum corporis, at confirmatio boni et veri trahit suas rationes e regione supra sensualia corporis. Nunc quia mala et falsa aeque possunt confirmari sicut bona et vera, et quia intellectus confirmans trahit voluntatem in suas partes, ac voluntas una cum intellectu format mentem, consequitur, quod forma mentis humanae sit secundum confirmationes, versa ad coelum si confirmationes ejus sunt pro conjugiis, at versa ad infernum si sunt pro adulteriis; et qualis est forma mentis hominis, talis est spiritus ejus, proinde talis est homo. Ex his nunc constat, quod Adulteria hujus gradus post mortem imputentur secundum confirmationes.
Footnotes:
1. Sic in478 supra.