498、⒄尽管如此，他们仍拥有人类理性，和其他人一样。就理解力而言，属世、感官、肉体人和属灵人具有同样的理性；这一点通过蒙允许从地狱上来、在灵人界与天使灵对话的撒旦和魔鬼向我证明了，我在记事中多次描述过他们。但由于意愿之爱构成这个人，并且这爱引诱理解力同意它，所以这类人只有在处于远离其意愿之爱的状态时才是理性的。一旦返回这爱，他们的疯狂比野兽还糟糕。然而，若没有将其理解力提升至其意愿之爱以上的能力，人将不再是一个人，而是一个动物，因为这种能力不是动物所享有的。因此，他无法做出任何选择，并通过选择行善，以致他无法得以改造，被引向天堂并活到永远。正因如此，有意和确定奸淫者，尽管是纯属世、感官和肉体的，却仍像其他人那样享有理解力或理性的恩赐。但当他们陷入奸淫的情欲，并出于这情欲思考和谈论它时，就不再享有这种理性。原因在于，此时肉体作用于灵，而不是灵作用于肉体。然而，要知道，死后，这些人最终变得愚蠢，并非他们丧失了变得智慧的能力，而是他们不想变得智慧，因为智慧使他们不快。
498、（17）尽管这样，他们还会象其他人一样有人的理性。自然，人感觉上的人和肉体上的人与在才智上与精神性的人是一样有理性的。从我与恶灵、魔鬼以及天国中的天使的交往中证实了这点。但是因为人的意愿决定了一个人的性质，并且使才智与其一致，所以这种人在与意愿相脱离的时候是理性的，若处于其意愿之中时，则是会象野兽一样。
若没有将才智提升到意愿之上的能力，人则不能成为人，而只会是野兽，因为野兽才不具有那种能力。所以这样的人也就不能做出选择，并选择去做善的有用的事，所以他也就不能被改造，被带到天国并有永生。
尽管他们是自然的，感觉的，肉体的，那些有目的，故意的通奸者仍具备象别人一样的理解力和理性。但当他们处于通奸之爱中时，他们就会丧失理性。因为那时候肉体是超越精神而处于主导地位。
要知道这样的人死后会是愚蠢的。不是有谁将他们的智慧带走，而是他们不去智慧地思维，因为他们不喜欢智慧。
498. (xvii) However, they are still endowed with human rationality, like other people.
A natural, sensual and bodily person is just as rational intellectually as a spiritual one; this was proved to me by the satans and devils who were permitted to come up from hell and converse with angelic spirits in the world of spirits, as described in many places in the accounts of experiences. But since the love of the will is what makes a person, and this attracts the intellect to agree with it, such people are only rational when in a state distant from the love of the will. When they come back to this love again, their folly is worse than that of wild beasts.
However, a person who lacked the ability to lift his intellect above the level of the love of the will, would not be a person, but an animal, since this is an ability no animal enjoys. He could not therefore make any choice, and do what is good by choice, so that he could not be reformed, led towards heaven and live for ever. It is as a result of this that deliberate and confirmed adulterers, despite being purely natural, sensual and bodily, are still like others endowed with the power of understanding or rationality. But when they are in the grip of the lust of adultery, and this directs their thinking and speaking, they do not enjoy that rationality. The reason is that then the flesh acts upon the spirit, and not the spirit on the flesh. It should, however, be known that these people eventually after death become foolish, not that they are deprived of the ability to be wise, but they do not want to be wise since wisdom is displeasing to them.
498. 17. Nevertheless, they still possess human rationality like others. The natural, sensual and carnal person is just as rational in regard to his intellect as the spiritual person. I have had this demonstrated to me from experiences with satanic spirits and devils who have been allowed to rise up from hell and converse with angelic spirits in the world of spirits, as described here and there in the narrative accounts. Yet because the love of the will forms the person, and this draws the intellect into harmony with it, therefore such people are rational only in a state detached from the love of the will; but when they return again into that love, they rave on worse than wild beasts.
Still, without the ability to elevate his intellect above the love of his will, a person would not be human but an animal, since an animal does not possess that ability. Consequently neither could he make choices and by choice do that which is good and useful, and thus he could not be reformed and led to heaven and live to eternity.
Even though they are merely natural, sensual and carnal, therefore, so it is that purposeful and deliberate adulterers still possess the gift of understanding or rationality like others. However, when they are caught up in the lust of adultery and in that state think and speak in regard to it, they lose that rationality. The reason is that the flesh then prevails over the spirit and not the spirit over the flesh.
Nevertheless, it should be known that such people after death become stupid. Not that the ability to think wisely is taken from them, but that they do not want to think wisely, since wisdom is not to their liking.
498. 17. They still flourish in human rationality like anyone else. The worldly, sense - oriented, and physical person is just as reasonable intellectually as a spiritual person. This has been demonstrated to me by satans and devils rising up from hell, with permission, and talking with angelic spirits in the world of spirits. (These things are mentioned here and there in the stories.) But the will's love makes the person, and it draws intellect into agreement, so that kind of people are rational only in a state where they are removed from their will's love. But when they return to this love they are less reasonable than wild animals. And in any case, a person without the ability to raise his intellect above his will's love would not be a person but an animal, for an animal does not enjoy that ability. He consequently would not be able to choose anything and do what is good by choice, so he could not be reformed and led to heaven and live forever.
For this reason adulterers on purpose and by confirmation are as fully gifted as others in understanding, or rationality, even though they are quite worldly, sense - oriented, and physical. But they do not enjoy this rationality when involved in the sensuality of adultery and think and talk about it from that standpoint. The reason is that then their flesh is acting on their spirit and not their spirit in their flesh. But note that after death they finally become stupid. Not that the ability to be wise is taken from them, but they do not want to be wise, since it displeases them.
498. XVII. THAT NEVERTHELESS, LIKE OTHERS, THEY STILL POSSESS HUMAN RATIONALITY. That as to the understanding, the natural, sensual, and corporeal man is equally rational as the spiritual man, was demonstrated before me in the case of those satans and devils spoken of here and there in the Memorable Relations who, by leave, rose up out of hell and conversed with angelic spirits in the world of spirits. But because the love of the will makes the man, and this love draws the understanding into consent, therefore, such men are not rational save when in a state removed from the love of their will. When they return to this love, they are insane in a worse way than wild beasts. Without the faculty of elevating his understanding above the love of his will, man would be not a man but a beast, for a beast does not enjoy that faculty. Consequently, he could not choose anything that is good and advantageous and from choice do it, and so could not be reformed and led to heaven and live to eternity. Hence it is that adulterers from purpose and confirmation, although merely natural, sensual, and corporeal, yet like others enjoy the gift of understanding, that is, rationality; but when they are in the lust of adultery, and from that lust think and speak concerning it, they do not enjoy that rationality, and this because then the flesh acts upon the spirit, and not the spirit upon the flesh. It should be known, however, that after death they finally become stupid; not that the faculty of becoming wise is taken away from them, but that they do not wish to be wise, wisdom being undelightful to them.
498. (xvii) They still possess human rationality like others. That the natural, sensual and corporeal man is equally rational in point of understanding with the spiritual man has been shown me in satans and devils who by permission rose out of hell and spoke with angelic spirits in the world of spirits (of whom here and there in the Memorabilia). But inasmuch as the love in the will makes the human being and draws the understanding into agreement, such men are not rational except in a state detached from the love of the will; when they return into this love, they are more insane than wild beasts. Were the human being without the power to raise the understanding above the will's love, he would not be a human being, but a beast, for the beast does not enjoy that power. Consequently he would not be able to make any choices, or from choice to do what is good and right, and so could not be reformed, or led to heaven, or live to eternity. Hence it is that adulterers of purpose and by confirmation still possess the gift of understanding or of rationality like others, although they are merely natural, sensual and corporeal; but they do not enjoy that rationality when they are in the lust of adultery and are thinking and speaking from it and about it. The reason is that then flesh acts on spirit, and not spirit on flesh. But it is to be known that after death these men finally become stupid; not that the power of becoming wise is taken from them, but that they do not wish to be wise, since wisdom is undelight to them.
498. (17) That nevertheless they are still possessed of human rationality, like others. That the natural, sensual, and corporeal man is equally rational with the spiritual man as to the understanding, has been shown me from satans and devils rising up by permission out of hell, and conversing with angelic spirits in the world of spirits, respecting which see here and there in the Relations. But as the love of the will makes the man, and draws the understanding into consent, therefore, such are not rational except when in a state removed from the love of the will, but when they return again into that love they rave worse than wild beasts. And yet without the faculty of elevating the understanding above the love of the will man would not be man, but a beast, for a beast does not enjoy that faculty, consequently he would not have the power of choosing anything, and of doing from choice what is good and to advantage, and thus could not be reformed, and be led to heaven, and to live to eternity. It is for this that adulterers, from purpose and from confirmation, although merely natural, sensual, and corporeal, have yet like others the gift of understanding and rationality. But when they are in the lust of adultery, and think and speak from that and of that, they do not enjoy that rationality. The reason is that then the flesh acts upon the spirit and not the spirit upon the flesh. But it should be known that after death these at length become stupid. Not that the faculty of becoming wise is taken away from them, but that they will not be wise because wisdom is undelightful to them.
498. XVII. Quod [tamen] 1usque rationalitate humana polleant sicut alii. Quod homo naturalis, sensualis, et corporeus, aeque rationalis quoad intellectum sit sicut homo spiritualis, demonstratum mihi est ex satanis et diabolis ex venia assurgentibus ex Inferno, et colloquentibus cum spiritibus angelicis in Mundo spirituum, de quibus passim in Memorabilibus; sed quia Amor voluntatis facit hominem, et hic trahit intellectum in consensum, ideo tales non rationales sunt, nisi quam in statu remoto ab amore voluntatis; at dum in hunc amorem iterum redeunt, insaniunt pejus quam ferae. Atqui homo sine facultate elevandi intellectum supra amorem voluntatis, non foret homo sed bestia, bestia enim facultate 2illa non gaudet; consequenter nec potuisset eligere quicquam, et ex electione facere quod bonum est, et quod conducit, et sic non potuisset reformari, et duci ad Coelum, et vivere in aeternum. Exinde est, quod Adulteri ex proposito et confirmato, tametsi mere naturales, sensuales, et corporei sunt, usque dote intelligendi seu rationalitate polleant sicut alii; sed cum in libidine adulterii sunt, et ex illa de illa cogitant et loquuntur, non rationalitate ista gaudent; causa est, quia tunc caro agit in spiritum, et non spiritus in carnem. At sciendum est, quod hi tandem post mortem fiant stupidi; non quod illis auferatur facultas sapiendi, sed quod non velint sapere, quoniam sapientia injucundat illos.
Footnotes:
1. Sic in 478 supra.
2. Prima editio: falcultate