396、爱自己爱世界是地狱之爱，而人却能进入它们，从而破坏他里面的意愿和理解力，其原因如下：爱自己爱世界在创造之初是天堂之爱，因为它们是服务于属灵之爱的属世人的爱，就像地基之于房屋那样。人出于对自己和世界的爱关心自己的身体健康，努力获得适当营养、衣服和住处，照顾家庭，寻找有用的工作，甚至为了服从而照着他职位的尊贵受到尊重，还在世俗的享受中寻求快乐，焕发活力；然而，这一切都是为了目的，这目的必是功用。因为藉着这些事，人处于服务主、服务邻舍的状态。然而，当没有服务主、服务邻舍的爱，只有通过世界服务自己的爱时，它就从天堂之爱变成地狱之爱，因为它使人的心智和灵魂陷入他自己的自我，而这自我本身完全是邪恶。
396. The reason love for ourselves and love for the world are hellish loves, the reason we could become absorbed in them and thereby destroy our own volition and discernment, is that as created, love for ourselves and love for the world are heavenly loves. They are in fact loves proper to our physical self and of service to our spiritual loves the way foundations are of service to houses. It is love for ourselves and love for the world that prompt us to care about our bodies, to want nourishment, clothing, and housing, to take care of our homes, to look for jobs in order to be useful, to be granted respect due to the worth of our responsibilities so that people heed us, and even to find delight and recreation in worldly pleasures. All of these activities, however, should be for the sake of usefulness. They bring us into a state of serving the Lord and the neighbor. In contrast, when there is no love for serving the Lord and the neighbor, when there is nothing but love for using the world to suit ourselves, then the love becomes hellish instead of heavenly. It makes us focus our minds and spirits on our self-image, which intrinsically is completely evil.
396. As for the love of self and love of the world being hellish loves, and why people could come into them and so destroy in themselves the will and intellect, the reason is that the love of self and love of the world are from creation heavenly loves, being loves of the natural self serving spiritual loves, as foundations serve for the building of houses. For it is owing to his love of self and the world that a person is concerned for his physical well-being and that he endeavors to be properly nourished, clothed and housed, to take care of his household, to seek employments in order to be useful, indeed to be held in honor in accordance with the status of the business that he administers for the sake of being obeyed, and also to be entertained and recreated by delights of the world - yet all of these for the sake of an end, which ought to be useful service. For through these endeavors he is in a state to serve the Lord and to serve the neighbor. However, when he has no love of serving the Lord and serving the neighbor, and only a love of serving himself for the sake of the world, then that love from being heavenly becomes hellish; for it causes the person to immerse his mind and his heart in his own native self, which in itself is completely evil.
396. The cause of the love of self and of the world being infernal, and of man's being able to enter into them and so destroy the will and understanding within himself, is this: by creation the love of self and of the world are heavenly loves, for they are loves of the natural man of service to spiritual loves, as foundations are to houses. From the love of self and the world man takes care of his own body, he desires to be fed, clothed, and housed, to provide for his family, to seek useful employment, yea and to be held in respect according to the dignity of his office, by reason of obedience, and also to find delight and refreshment in worldly enjoyment; yet all these for the sake of the end, which must be use. For through these things he is in a condition to serve the Lord and the neighbour. When, however, there is no love of serving the Lord and the neighbour, and the love is only that of serving himself by means of the world, then from being heavenly, it becomes infernal, and makes the man sink mind and soul into his own proprium which in itself is altogether evil.
396. The reason why the love of self and love of the world are infernal loves, and yet man has been able to come into them and thus subvert the will and understanding within him, is as follows: the love of self and the love of the world by creation are heavenly loves; for they are loves of the natural man serviceable to spiritual loves, as a foundation is to a house. For man, from the love of self and the world, seeks the welfare of his body, desires food, clothing, and habitation, is solicitous for the welfare of his family, and to secure employment for the sake of use, and even, in the interest of obedience, to be honored according to the dignity of the affairs which he administers, and to find delight and refreshment in worldly enjoyment; yet all this for the sake of the end, which must be use For through these things man is in a state to serve the Lord and to serve the neighbor. When, however, there is no love of serving the Lord and serving the neighbor, but only a love of serving himself by means of the world, then from being heavenly that love becomes hellish, for it causes a man to sink his mind and disposition in what is his own, and that in itself is wholly evil.
396. Quod amor sui et amor mundi sint amores infernales, et quod homo in illos potuerit venire, et sic destruere voluntatem et intellectum apud se, est causa, quia amor sui et amor mundi ex creatione sunt coelestes, sunt enim amores naturalis hominis inservientes amoribus spiritualibus, sicut fundamenta inserviunt pro domibus; nam homo ex amore sui et mundi vult bene suo corpori, vult nutriri, vestiri, habitare, consulere suae domui, ambire functiones usus causa, imo honorari secundum dignitatem rei 1 quam administrat, propter obedientiam, et quoque ex jucundis mundi delectari et recreari, sed haec omnia propter finem, qui erit usus; per illa enim in statu est servire Domino, et servire proximo[;] at cum amor serviendi Domino et serviendi proximo est nullus, et amor serviendi sibi ex mundo solus, tunc amor ille a coelesti fit infernalis, nam facit ut homo immergat suam mentem et suum animum suo proprio, quod in se est omne malum.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: rei,