113、人觉察不到自己的恶欲。他感受到它们的快乐，只是很少思想它们，因为快乐会迷惑思维，驱赶反思。因此，人若不从某个其它源头发现他的欲望是邪恶，就会称其为良善，并出于自由照着他思维的推理而犯下它们。当如此行时，他就把它们归给了自己。他确认邪恶是可容许的到何等程度，就在何等程度上扩张他的主导爱，也就是生命之爱的宫廷。它的“宫廷”是由欲望构成的，因为它们就像它的大臣和仆人；它通过它们掌管构成其王国的外围。统治者或国王如何，他的大臣和仆人就如何，这个王国也就是如何。如果统治者或国王是魔鬼，那么他的大臣和仆人就是疯狂，他的国民就是各种虚假。这些仆人（他们被称为智慧，尽管是疯狂的）利用基于谬论的推理和基于幻觉的论据使这些虚假看似真理并当作真理被接受。除了移走外在人中的邪恶之外，还能有什么办法来改变人的这种状态呢？邪恶所固有的欲望就是这样被移走的。否则就无法给欲望提供出口，因为它们像一座围城或一个闭合的溃疡那样被关起来了。
113. A person is incapable of perceiving the lusts of his own evil. He perceives, indeed, their delights, but he also little reflects on them, for the delights beguile his thoughts and divert his reflections. Consequently, if he did not know from some other source that they are evil, he would call them good and, in freedom in accordance with reason of his thinking, would commit them. And when he does this, he makes them his.
To the extent that he makes these allowable, he enlarges the court of his reigning love, which is his life's love. His lusts form its court, for they are, so to speak, its ministers and attendants, by which it governs the outer elements which constitute its kingdom.
But as the character of the king is, such is the character of the ministers and attendants, and such is the character of the kingdom. If the devil is king, his ministers and attendants are irrational thoughts and ideas, and the populace of his kingdom are falsities of every kind, falsities which, by reasonings based on fallacies and by delusions, the ministers - whom they call wise, even though they are insane - make to appear as true and to be acknowledged as true.
Can the state of a person like this be changed in any other way than by putting away the evils in his external self? By this the lusts connected with the evils are also put away. Otherwise the lusts have no exit open to them, for they are shut in, like a city besieged, or like an ulcer covered over.
113. We cannot sense the compulsions that underlie our own evils. We are aware of their pleasures, but we give them little conscious thought because the pleasures seduce our thinking and distract our reflections. As a result, unless we discover from some other source that they are evil, we call them good and commit them freely, in accord with the reasoning of our thoughts. When we do this, we incorporate them into ourselves.
To the extent that we rationalize them as permissible, we enlarge the court of our ruling love, our life's love. Its "court" is made up of our compulsions, since they are like its servants and courtiers through which it governs the more outward activities that are its realm. The nature of the ruler determines the nature of the servants and courtiers, and the nature of the whole realm as well. If the ruler is a devil, the ruler's servants and courtiers will be forms of madness and the general populace will be all kinds of distortion. The servants (who are called "wise" even though they are insane) use imaginary constructs and arguments based on illusions to make the distortions seem true and to be accepted as true.
Is there any way to change the state of people like this except by banishing the evils from their outer self? This is how the compulsions that are inherent in our evils are banished. Otherwise, no exit is offered to the compulsions and they remain pent up like a city under siege or a sealed abscess.
113. A man is not able to perceive the lusts of his own evil. He does indeed perceive their delights, but he reflects little upon them; for delights captivate the thoughts and banish reflection. Therefore unless he knew from some other source that they are evil he would call them good, and from freedom according to the reason of his thought he would commit them; and when he does this he appropriates them to himself. So far as he confirms them as allowable he enlarges the court of his ruling love, which is his life's love. Lusts form his court, for they are like its ministries and retinues through which it governs the exteriors that constitute its kingdom. Moreover, the character of the king determines that of the ministers and of the retinue, and also of the kingdom. If the king is a devil his ministers and his retinue are forms of insanity and the people of his kingdom are falsities of every kind. His ministers, who are called wise although they are insane (spiritually), by means of reasonings from fallacies and illusions cause these falsities to appear as truths, and to be acknowledged as truths. Such a state in man cannot be changed except by the removal of evils in the external man; and thereby the lusts that cling to the evils are removed. Otherwise no outlet for the lusts lies open; for they are shut in like a besieged city and like a closed ulcer.
113. Man is not able to perceive the lusts of his evil; he does perceive their enjoyments, although he does not think much about them; for the enjoyments divert the thoughts and banish reflection. Consequently, unless one knew from some other source that his lusts are evils he would call them good, and from freedom in accordance with the reason of his thought he would give expression to them; and when he does that he appropriates them to himself. So far as he confirms evils as allowable he enlarges the court of the ruling love, which is his life's love. Lusts are what constitute its court; for they are like its ministers and attendants, through which it governs the exteriors that constitute its kingdom. But as is the king such are the ministers and attendants, and such the kingdom. When a king is a devil his ministers and attendants are insanities, and the people of his kingdom are falsities of every kind, which his ministers (whom they call wise although they are insane), cause, by means of reasoning from fallacies and by means of illusions, to appear as truths, and cause to be acknowledged as truths. Can such a state in man be changed except by putting away the evils in the external man? For thereby the lusts that cling to the evils are put away. Otherwise no exit is open for the lusts; for they are shut in like a besieged city, or like a closed ulcer.
113. Homo non potest percipere concupiscentias sui mali; percipit quidem jucunda illarum, sed etiam parum reflectit super illa, jucunda enim oblectant cogitationes, et auferunt reflexiones; quare si non aliunde sciret, quod sint mala, vocaret illa bona, et ex libero secundum rationem cogitationis suae patraret illa; quod cum facit, appropriat illa sibi: quantum confirmat illa ut licita, tantum amplificat aulam amoris regnantis, qui est amor vitae 1ejus; aulam ejus faciunt concupiscentiae, nam illae sunt sicut ejus ministeria et satellitia, per quae exteriora, quae faciunt regnum ejus, gubernat: sed sicut rex est, tales sunt ministri et satellites, et tale est regnum: si rex est diabolus, tunc ejus ministri et satellites sunt insaniae, ac populus regni ejus sunt falsa omnis generis, quae ministri, quos vocant sapientes, tametsi sunt insani, per ratiocinationes ex fallaciis et per phantasias faciunt ut appareant sicut vera, ac pro veris agnoscantur. Num talis status hominis mutari potest aliter quam per quod mala in externo homine removeantur; sic etiam concupiscentiae, quae cohaerent malis, removentur; alioquin non patet concupiscentiis exitus, sunt enim inclusae, sicut urbs obsessa, et sicut ulcus obturatum.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: vit�