253、(3)属灵层级没有打开，但尚未关闭的属世人的性质。对那些过着些许仁爱生活，却对真正的真理知之甚少的人来说，属灵层级没有打开，但也没有关闭。原因在于，属灵层级是通过爱与智慧，或热与光的结合而被打开的；唯独爱或唯独属灵之热无法打开它，唯独智慧或唯独属灵之光也无法打开，但结合在一起的这二者能打开。因此，如果不知道产生智慧或光的真正真理，爱就不足以打开属灵层级，只是将它保持在被打开的可能性中。这就是它没有关闭的意思。像这样的情形可见于植物界，因为唯独热不能使种子和树木长成植被，但与光结合的热能实现这一点。要知道，一切真理属于属灵之光，一切良善属于属灵之热，良善通过真理打开属灵层级；因为良善通过真理产生功用，功用就是爱之良善，爱之良善从良善和真理的结合中获得其本质。属灵层级没有打开，但尚未关闭者死后的命运是这样：他们仍是属世的，不是属灵的，故在天堂最低的区域，在那里有时会吃些苦，或在某个更高天堂的边缘地带，在那里好像在傍晚的光中。因为如前所述，在天堂和那里的每个社群中，光都是从中间到边缘逐渐减弱，那些拥有比其他人更多的神性真理之人在中间，而那些拥有少量真理的人在边缘。那些从其宗教那里只知道有一位神，主为他们受苦，也知道仁与信是教会的基本要素，却不再费心了解何为信，或何为仁的人就拥有少量真理；而事实上，信本质上就是真理，真理是多方面的，而仁是人在职业中从主所做的一切工作；当人避恶如罪时，他就从主做这一切。正如前面所说的，目的是原因的一切，结果是藉由原因的目的的一切。目的是仁爱或良善，原因是信仰或真理，而结果是善行或功用。由此清楚可知，能被引入行为的仁不超过与被称为信之真理的真理相结合的仁的量。仁通过这些真理进入行为，并赋予它们品质。
253, 3. What an earthly-minded person is like whose spiritual level has not been opened but is not yet closed. The spiritual level is not opened in us but still not closed when we are leading a reasonably thoughtful life but do not know very much real truth. This is because that level is opened by a union of love and wisdom, or of warmth and light. Love alone, or spiritual warmth alone, will not do it, and neither will wisdom alone or spiritual light alone. It takes both together. So if we do not know the real truths that constitute wisdom or light, love cannot manage to open that level. All it can do is keep it able to be opened, which is what "not being closed" means. The same holds true for plant life. Warmth alone will not make seeds sprout or trees leaf out. Warmth together with light is what does it.
We need to realize that everything true is a matter of spiritual light and that everything good is a matter of spiritual warmth, and that what is good opens the spiritual level by means of things true, since goodness does what is helpful by means of truths. Helpful acts are the good that love does, deriving their essence from the union of what is good and what is true.
What happens after death to people whose spiritual level is not opened but is still not closed is that since they are still earthly-minded and not spiritual-minded, they are in the lowest parts of heaven, where they sometimes have a hard time of it. Alternatively, they may be around the edges of a somewhat higher heaven, where they live in a kind of twilight. This is because (as already noted [186]) in heaven and in each distinct community the light decreases from the center to the circumference, with the people who are especially engaged with divine truths in the middle and the people only slightly engaged in truths at the borders. People are only slightly engaged with truths if all they have learned from their religion is that God exists, that the Lord suffered for their sake, and that charity and faith are the essential qualities of the church, without making any effort to find out what faith is and what charity is. Yet essentially, faith is truth, and truth is complex, while charity is every duty we fulfill because of the Lord. We do things because of the Lord when we abstain from evils as sins.
This is just what I have already said [168, 197]. The purpose is the whole substance of the means, and the purpose through the means is the whole substance of the result. The purpose is thoughtful action, or some good, the means is faith, or something true, and the results are good deeds or acts of service. We can see from this that nothing from charity can be instilled into our deeds except to the extent that our charity is united to those truths that we attribute to faith. They are the means by which charity enters into works and gives them their quality.
253. (3) The nature of the natural person in whom the spiritual degree has not been opened and yet is not closed. The spiritual degree is not open and yet not closed in people who have led some life of charity and yet have known little genuine truth. The reason is that this degree is opened by a conjunction of love and wisdom, or of warmth with light. Love alone or spiritual warmth alone does not open it, neither does wisdom alone or spiritual light alone, but both are required in conjunction. Consequently if the genuine truths of which wisdom or spiritual light consists are not known, love lacks the power to open this degree, but only keeps it in the potential and possibility of being opened. This is what we mean by its being not closed.
The case here is similar to the circumstance in the plant kingdom, that warmth alone does not cause seeds and trees to sprout, but warmth accomplishes it in conjunction with light.
[2] It should be known that all truths are matters of spiritual light, and all goods are matters of spiritual warmth, and that good opens the spiritual degree by means of truths; for good produces a useful effect by means of truths, and useful effects are goods of love, which draw their essence from a conjunction of good and truth.
Regarding the lot after death of people in whom the spiritual degree has not been opened and yet is not closed, they are, because they are still natural and not spiritual, in the lowest regions of heaven, where they sometimes suffer hardships; or they are on the fringes of some higher heaven, where they live as though in the twilight of evening. For, as we said previously, the light in heaven and in each society of it decreases as one goes from the center to the borders, at the center being people who possess more Divine truths than others, and on the borders people who possess few truths.
[3] Those who possess few truths are ones who know no more from religion than that there is a God, that the Lord suffered for them, and that charity and faith are the essentials of the church, without taking the trouble to learn what faith and charity are. And yet in fact faith in its essence is truth, and truth is manifold; and charity is all the work that a person does from the Lord in his occupation - work that a person then does from the Lord when he refrains from evils as being sins.
The case is entirely as stated before, that the end is everything in the cause, and that the end through the cause is everything in the effect. The end is charity or good, the cause is faith or truth, and the effects are good works or useful services. From this it is apparent that no more charity can be introduced into works than that measure of charity which has been conjoined with truths that are called truths of faith. Through these truths charity enters into works and gives them their quality.
253. (iii) The character of the natural man in whom the spiritual degree has not been opened, but yet not closed up. The spiritual degree has not been opened, but yet not closed up in those who have led somewhat of a life of charity, and yet have known little of genuine truth. The reason is that this degree is opened by the conjunction of love and wisdom, or of heat with light; love alone or spiritual heat alone does not open it, nor does wisdom alone or spiritual light alone, but both in conjunction. Consequently, if genuine truths, out of which wisdom or light arises, are not known, love is not adequate to open that degree, but only keeps it in the possibility of being opened. This is what is understood by its not being closed up. This occurs just as in the vegetable kingdom in that heat alone does not impart vegetation to seeds and trees, but heat in conjunction with light effects this. It ought to be known that all truths are of spiritual light, and all goods are of spiritual heat, and that good opens the spiritual degree by means of truths; for good, by means of truths, effects use, and uses are the goods of love which derive their essence from the conjunction of good and truth. After death, the lot of those in whom the spiritual degree has not been opened, and yet not closed up, is that, because they are natural and not spiritual, they are in the lowest parts of heaven where they sometimes suffer hard things, or they are in some higher heaven in the boundaries, where they are, as it were, in the light of evening. For in heaven and in every society thereof, the light decreases from the middle to the boundaries, and those who are pre-eminent in Divine truths are in the middle, while those who are in few truths are in the boundaries. Those are in few truths who know nothing more from their religion than that there is a God, and that the Lord suffered for them, also that charity and faith are the essentials of the Church, and are not concerned to know what faith and charity are, when yet, faith in its essence is truth, and truth is manifold, and charity is all the work of employment which man does from the Lord. He does this from the Lord when he shuns evil as sins. It is exactly as was said above that the end is the all of the cause, and the effect the all of the end by means of the cause. The end is charity or good, the cause is faith or truth, while effects are good works or uses. From which it is clear that, from charity can no more be carried into works than the measure in which charity is conjoined with the truths of faith. Through these truths charity enters into works and qualifies them.
253. (3) The character of the natural man in whom the spiritual degree is not opened, and yet not closed. The spiritual degree is not opened, and yet not closed, in the case of those who have led somewhat of a life of charity and yet have known little of genuine truth. The reason is, that this degree is opened by conjunction of love and wisdom, or of heat with light; love alone or spiritual heat alone not opening it, nor wisdom alone or spiritual light alone, but both in conjunction. Consequently, when genuine truths, out of which wisdom or light arises, are unknown, love is inadequate to open that degree; it only keeps it in the possibility of being opened; this is what is meant by its not being closed. Something like this is seen in the vegetable kingdom, in that heat alone does not cause seeds and trees to vegetate, but heat in conjunction with light effects this. It is to be known that all truths are of spiritual light and all goods are of spiritual heat, and that good opens the spiritual degree by means of truths; for good, by means of truths, effects use, and uses are goods of love, which derive their essence from a conjunction of good and truth. The lot, after death, of those in whom the spiritual degree is not opened and yet not closed, is that since they are still natural and not spiritual, they are in the lowest parts of heaven, where they sometimes suffer hard times; or they are in the outskirts in some higher heaven, where they are as it were in the light of evening; for (as was said above) in heaven and in every society there the light decreases from the middle to the outskirts, and those who above others are in Divine truths are in the middle, while those who are in few truths are in the outskirts. Those are in few truths who from religion know only that there is a God, and that the Lord suffered for them, and that charity and faith are essentials of the church, not troubling themselves to know what faith is or what charity is; when yet faith in its essence is truth, and truth is manifold, and charity is all the work of his calling which man does from the Lord; he does this from the Lord when he flees from evils as sins. It is just as was said above, that the end is the all of the cause, and the effect the all of the end by means of the cause; the end is charity or good, the cause is faith or truth, and effects are good works or uses; from which it is plain that from charity no more can be carried into works than the measure in which charity is conjoined with the truths which are called truths of faith. By means of these truths charity enters into works and qualifies them.
253. III. Qualis est homo naturalis apud quem spiritualis Gradus non apertus est, sed usque non occlusus. Spiritualis Gradus apud illos non apertus est, sed usque non occlusus, qui aliquam charitatis vitam egerunt, et tamen parum genuini veri sciverunt; causa est, quia Gradus ille aperitur per conjunctionem amoris et sapientiae, seu caloris cum luce[;] solus amor seu solus calor spiritualis non aperit illum, nec sola sapientia seu sola lux spiritualis, sed utraque in conjunctione, quapropter si genuina vera, ex quibus sapientia seu lux [spiritualis], non sciuntur, amor non valet illum Gradum aperire, sed solum tenet illum in potentia, ut aperiri possit; quod intelligitur per quod non occlusus sit. Hoc fit simile sicut in Regno vegetabili, quod solus calor non det seminibus et arboribus vegetationem, sed calor in conjunctione cum luce hoc operatur.
[2] Sciendum est, quod omnia vera sint lucis spiritualis, ac omnia bona sint 1 caloris spiritualis, et quod bonum per vera aperiat gradum spiritualem, nam bonum per vera operatur usum, ac usus sunt bona amoris, quae essentiam suam trahunt ex conjunctione boni et veri. Sors illorum, apud quos Gradus spiritualis non apertus est, et usque non occlusus, 2 post mortem est, quod quia usque naturales sunt et non spirituales, in infimis Coeli sint, ubi aliquando dura patiuntur; vel quod sint in Coelo aliquo superiori in terminis, ubi quasi in luce vesperae sunt; nam, ut supra dictum est, in Coelo et in unaquavis societate ejus lux decrescit e medio ad terminos, et quod in medio sint qui in Divinis veris sunt prae aliis, ac in terminis,
[3] qui in paucis veris: ac in paucis veris sunt, qui non plus sciunt ex religione, quam quod Deus sit, et quod Dominus passus sit pro illis, tum quod charitas et fides sint essentialia Ecclesiae, et non satagunt scire quid fides et quid charitas; cum tamen fides est in sua essentia veritas, ac veritas est multiplex, et charitas est omne opus muneris, quod homo facit ex Domino; quod tunc facit ex Domino, cum fugit mala ut peccata. Est prorsus sicut prius dictum est, quod finis sit omne causae, et finis omne effectus 3 per causam; finis est charitas seu bonum, causa est fides seu verum, ac effectus sunt bona opera seu usus; ex quo patet, quod ex charitate non plus possit inferri operibus, quam quantum charitas conjuncta est veris quae fidei vocantur; per haec intrat charitas in opera, et qualificat illa.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: sit
2. Prima editio: oclusus,
3. finis omne effectus ubi in prima editione effectus omne finis