254、⑷属灵层级完全关闭的属世人的性质。属灵层级在那些在生活上陷入邪恶的人，尤其在那些陷入由邪恶所产生的虚假之人里面被完全关闭。这种情形和神经纤维一样，神经纤维稍一触及异物就会收缩；同样，肌肉的每根运动纤维，包括肌肉本身，甚至整个身体一触碰到硬或冷的东西也会收缩。人里面的属灵层级的物质或形式触碰到邪恶及其虚假也是如此收缩，因为这些是异质的。事实上，属灵层级在天堂的形式中，故只允许良善和源于良善的真理进入，因为这些与它是同质的，而邪恶和来自邪恶的虚假与它是异质的。属灵层级尤其在那些在世上由于爱自己而喜欢统治的人里面收缩，并通过收缩而被关闭，因为爱自己与爱主是对立的。它也在那些由于爱世界而疯狂贪恋占有他人财物的人里面被关闭，但不到那个程度。这些爱之所以关闭属灵层级，是因为它们是邪恶的根源。属灵层级的收缩或关闭就像螺旋反扭一样；因此，属灵层级被关闭之后，会反弹天堂之光。结果，那里就有黑暗取代天堂之光，而在天堂之光中的真理则变得令人作呕。在这些人里面，不但属灵层级本身被关闭，就连被称为理性层的属世层级的较高区域也被关闭，直到最后只有被称为感官层的属世层级的最低区域敞开着。感官层离世界和身体的外在感官是最近的，之后，这种人就从感官层思考、说话和推理。通过邪恶及其虚假变得感官化的属世人到了灵界，在天堂之光中不是显为一个人，而是显为一个怪物，甚至鼻子向后缩。鼻子向后缩，是因为鼻子对应于对真理的感知。此外，他无法忍受一丝天堂之光。这种人在他们的洞穴里面只拥有类似从炭火或炉炭所发出的那种光。由此明显可知，属灵层级被关闭的人是何性质。
254, 4. What an earthly-minded person is like whose spiritual level has been completely closed. The spiritual level is closed in people who are focused on evil in their lives, especially if they are engaged in distortion because of their evils. It is rather like the way our little nerve fibers contract at the slightest touch of anything unsuitable, as does every muscular motor fiber and every muscle and the whole body, at the touch of something hard or cold. This is how the substances or forms of the spiritual level within us react to things that are evil and to the distortions that result--they are unsuitable. The spiritual level, being in the form of heaven, is open only to things that are good and to the truths that result from what is good. These are congenial to it, while evils and the falsities they give rise to are unsuitable.
This level contracts, and closes by contracting, especially in people who are caught up in a love of being in control for selfish reasons in this world, since this love is the opposite of a love for the Lord. It is also closed, though not as firmly, in people who because of their love for this world are caught up in a mindless craving to acquire the assets of others. The reason these loves close off the spiritual level is that they are the sources of our evils.
The contraction or closure of this level is like a coil twisting back on itself, which is why this level deflects heaven's light once it has been closed. This yields darkness in place of heaven's light. Accordingly, the truth that is found in heaven's light becomes sickening.
For these people, it is not just [the spiritual] level itself that is closed. It is also the higher area of the earthly level, the area called "rational." Eventually, then, only the lowest area of the earthly level stays open, the area we call "sensory." This is right next to the world and to our outward physical senses, which thereafter constitute the basis of our thinking, talking, and rationalizing. In the spiritual world, earthly-minded people who have become sense-centered because of their evils and consequent distortions do not look human in heaven's light. They look grotesque, with flattened noses. The reason they have these concave noses is that the nose corresponds to a perception of what is true. They cannot bear a single ray of heaven's light, either. The only light in their caves is like the light of embers or smoldering charcoal. We can see from this who the people are whose spiritual level has been closed, and what they are like.
254. (4) The nature of the natural person in whom the spiritual degree has been completely closed. The spiritual degree is closed in people who are caught up in evils in the life they lead, and still more in people who as a result of evils are caught up in falsities. The case here is similar to that with the fibril of a nerve, which at the least touch of anything foreign contracts, as does also every motor fiber of a muscle, indeed the muscle itself, as well as the whole body, at the touch of something hard or cold. In like manner, too, do the substances and forms of the spiritual degree in a person contract at the presence of evils and falsities, inasmuch as these are foreign to it. For the spiritual degree, being in the form of heaven, grants entrance only to goods and to truths springing from good. These are kindred to it, whereas evils and the falsities connected with evil are foreign to it.
[2] This degree contracts, and as a result of the contraction is closed, especially in people who in the world from a love of self are caught up in a love of ruling, since this love is opposed to love directed to the Lord. It is closed also, but not as much, in people who from a love of the world are caught up in a mad lust to possess the goods of others. These loves close the spiritual degree for the reason that they are the origins of evils.
The contraction or closing of this degree is like the twisting of a spiral into the opposite direction. So it is that after this degree has been closed, it repels the light of heaven. Instead of the light of heaven, therefore, it has in it darkness. Consequently truth, which exists in the light of heaven, becomes repugnant.
[3] In such people not only is this degree closed, but also the higher region of the natural degree, which we call rational, until at last only the lowest region of the natural degree remains open, which we call sensual. We call it sensual, for this region is closest to the world and to the external senses of the body, and it is in accordance with these that the person afterward thinks, speaks and reasons.
The natural person who has become sensual as a result of evils and consequent falsities does not appear in the spiritual world in the light of heaven as human, but as a monster, and one with a flattened nose. The person appears to have a flattened nose because the nose corresponds to the perception of truth. He also cannot endure a ray of the light of heaven. The only light people of this character have in their caverns is such as is emitted from embers or burning coals.
It is apparent from this who and of what character those people are in whom the spiritual degree has been closed.
254. (iv) The character of the natural man in whom the spiritual degree has been entirely closed up. The spiritual degree is closed up in those who are in evils as to life, and still more in those who are in falsities arising from evils. It is the same as with the fibril of a nerve which contracts at the slightest touch of anything heterogeneous, similarly every motive fibre of a muscle, indeed the muscle itself, and even the whole body shrinks from the touch of whatever is hard or cold. So also the substances or forms of the spiritual degree in man shrink from evils and their falsities, for these are heterogeneous. For the spiritual degree, because it is in the form of heaven, admits nothing except goods, and the truths which are from good, these being homogeneous to it, but evils and falsities which are of evil are heterogeneous to it. This degree is contracted, and by contraction is closed up especially in those who in the world are in a love of ruling from love of self because this love is the opposite of love to the Lord. It is also closed up, but not to the same extent, in those who, from love of the world, are in the insane greed of possessing the goods of others. The reason these loves close the spiritual degree is that they are the origins of evil. The contraction or the closing up of this degree is like the turning back of a spiral in the opposite direction. And this is the reason that that degree, after it has been closed up, turns back the light of heaven. Consequently, there is darkness there instead of the light of heaven, and so, truth which is in the light of heaven, becomes nauseous. In those people not only is the spiritual degree itself closed up, but also the higher region of the natural degree which is called the rational, until at last the lowest region of the natural degree which is called the sensual, alone remains open. For this is nearest to the world and to the external senses of the body from which the man afterwards thinks, speaks and reasons. The natural man who has become sensual through evils and their falsities, in the spiritual world in the light of heaven, does not appear as a man but as a monster, even with the nose pulled back. That the nose is pulled back is because the nose corresponds to the perception of truth. Also he cannot bear a ray of heavenly light. Such have in their caverns no other light than that resembling the light from live coals or from burning charcoal. From these facts it is clear who and of what character are those in whom the spiritual degree has been closed up.
254. (4) The character of the natural man in whom the spiritual degree is entirely closed. The spiritual degree is closed in those who are in evils as to life, and still more in those who from evils are in falsities. It is the same as with the fibril of a nerve, which contracts at the slightest touch of any thing heterogeneous; so every motive fiber of a muscle, yea, the muscle itself, and even the whole body shrinks from the touch of whatever is hard or cold. So also the substances or forms of the spiritual degree in man shrink from evils and their falsities, because these are heterogeneous. For the spiritual degree, being in the form of heaven, admits nothing but goods, and truths that are from good; these are homogeneous to it; but evils, and falsities that are from evil, are heterogeneous to it. This degree is contracted, and by contraction closed, especially in those who in the world are in love of ruling from love of self, because this love is opposed to love to the Lord. It is also closed, but not so much, in those who from love of the world are in the insane greed of possessing the goods of others. These loves shut the spiritual degree, because they are the origins of evils. The contraction or closing of this degree is like the twisting back of a spiral in the opposite direction; for which reason, that degree after it is closed, turns back the light of heaven; consequently there is thick darkness there instead of heavenly light, and truth which is in the light of heaven, becomes nauseous. In such persons, not only does the spiritual degree itself become closed, but also the higher region of the natural degree which is called the rational, until at last the lowest region of the natural degree, which is called the sensual, alone stands open; this being nearest to the world and to the outward senses of the body, from which such a man afterwards thinks, speaks, and reasons. The natural man who has become sensual through evils and their falsities, in the spiritual world in the light of heaven does not appear as a man but as a monster, even with nose drawn back (the nose is drawn in because the nose corresponds to the perception of truth); moreover, he cannot bear a ray of heavenly light. Such have in their caverns no other light than what resembles the light from live coals or from burning charcoal. From all this it is evident who and of what character are those in whom the spiritual degree is closed.
254. IV. Qualis est naturalis homo, apud quem spiritualis gradus prorsus occlusus est. Gradus spiritualis occluditur apud illos qui in malis sunt quoad vitam, et magis apud illos qui ex malis in falsis sunt; hoc simile est sicut cum fibrilla nervi, quae a minimo tactu alicujus heterogenei se contrahit, similiter omnis fibra motrix musculi, imo ipse musculus, ut et totum corpus a tactu duri aut frigidi; ita quoque substantiae seu formae Gradus spiritualis apud hominem a malis et inde falsis, haec enim sunt heterogenea; gradus enim spiritualis, quia in forma Coeli est, non admittit nisi bona, ac vera quae ex bono sunt[;] haec sunt ei homogenea, at mala et falsa quae mali sunt, ei heterogenea.
[2] Hic gradus contrahitur, et per contractionem occluditur[,] imprimis apud illos qui in Mundo ex amore sui in amore dominandi sunt, quoniam hic amor oppositus est amori in Dominum; occluditur etiam apud illos qui ex amore mundi in vesana cupiditate possidendi aliorum bona sunt, sed non in tantum: causa quod illi amores claudant Gradum spiritualem, est quia sunt origines malorum. Contractio seu occlusio 1 illius gradus est sicut retorsio spirae in oppositum; quae causa est, quod postquam ille gradus occlusus est, reflectat lucem Coeli[;] inde pro luce Coeli ibi est caligo; proinde veritas, quae in luce Coeli est, fit nausea.
[3] Apud hos non modo ipse ille Gradus occluditur, sed etiam superior regio gradus naturalis, quae vocatur rationalis, 2 usque dum ima regio gradus naturalis solum stet aperta, quae vocatur sensualis, haec enim proxima est mundo et sensibus externis corporis, ex quibus ille homo postea cogitat, loquitur et ratiocinatur. Naturalis homo, qui sensualis factus est per mala et 3 inde falsa, ille in Mundo spirituali in luce Coeli non apparet sicut homo, sed sicut monstrum, etiam cum retracto naso; quod intracto naso, est quia nasus correspondet perceptioni veri: ille etiam non sustinet radium lucis Coeli; est illis in suis cavernis non alia lux, quam sicut lux ex prunis seu ignitis carbonibus. Ex his patet, quinam et quales sunt illi, apud quos 4 spiritualis gradus occlusus est.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: oeclusio
2. Prima editio: rationalis;
3. Prima editio: est
4. Prima editio: quos,