144、没有人能在理解力瞎眼的状态下被改造。这些人也不知道真理，因而不知道生活；因为理解力必须教导真理，意愿必须行出真理。当意愿行出理解力所教导的真理时，它的生活就与真理融为一体了。但当理解力瞎眼时，意愿也会关闭。它照自己的理性自由所行的一切，都是邪恶；这邪恶在理解力，也就是虚假中被合理化。理解力不仅会因无知，还会因教导一种盲目信仰的宗教，以及虚假教义而变瞎。因为正如真理打开理解力，虚假则关闭理解力。虚假从上面关闭理解力，从下面打开理解力；仅从下面被打开的理解力不能看见真理，只能将它想要的一切都合理化，尤其将虚假合理化。理解力也会因恶欲变瞎。只要意愿陷入这些恶欲，它就会驱使理解力把它们合理化；恶欲被合理化到何等程度，意愿就在何等程度上无法享有对良善的情感，并出于这些情感看见真理，从而无法被改造。
例如，当有人陷入通奸的欲望时，他的意愿因陷入这爱的快乐，故会驱使他的理解力把它合理化，说：“什么叫通奸？其中有邪恶的成分吗？不就是夫妻间那点事吗？孩子能从婚姻生出，难道就不能从通奸生出吗？难道一个女人不能接受多个男人而不受伤害吗？性与灵性有什么相干呢？”此时已成为意愿的妓女的理解力就是如此思想的。它因与意愿一起放荡而变得如此愚蠢，以至于看不见婚姻之爱是属灵的，是天堂之爱本身，是它所来自的对主和教会之爱的一个形像，因而本身是神圣的，是贞洁本身，是纯洁和纯真；它使人成为爱的形式，因为配偶双方能出于至内在之物彼此相爱，从而把他们自己塑造为爱；而通奸会摧毁这个形式，随之摧毁主的形像；可怕的是，奸夫将其生命与丈夫的生命一起混合在他的妻子里面，因为人的生命就在他的种子或精子里面。
由于这就是亵渎，所以地狱被称为通奸；而另一方面，天堂被称为婚姻。此外，对通奸的爱与最低层的地狱相通，而真正的婚姻之爱与至内层天堂相通；两性生殖器官就对应于至内层天堂的社群。记录这些事是为了叫人们知道，当意愿陷入恶欲时，理解力将变得何等瞎眼；没有人能在理解力瞎眼的状态下被改造。
144. States of intellectual blindness: No one can be reformed in a state of intellectual blindness, either. Such people, too, do not know any truths, and so neither do they lead a life in accordance with them. For the intellect has to teach truths, and the will do them, and when the will does what the intellect teaches, it then acquires for itself a life in accordance with truths. However, when the intellect has been blinded, the will also is obstructed, and it does nothing in freedom in accordance with its reason except the evil it has justified in the intellect, which is falsity.
The intellect is blinded not only by ignorance but also by a religion that teaches a blind faith. So, too, by the teaching of falsity. For as truths open the intellect, so falsities close it. They close it above but open it below, and an intellect opened only below is not capable of seeing truths, but only of affirming whatever it wishes, especially falsity.
The intellect is also blinded by lusts for evil. As long as the will is caught up in these, it impels the intellect to justify them; and to the extent lusts for evil are justified, the will cannot be moved by affections for good and be impelled by them to see truths and so be reformed.
[2] So, for example, one who is caught up in a lust for adultery - his will, which is moved by the delight of that love, impels its intellect to justify it, saying, "What is adultery? Is there any evil in it? Is there not the same relation between a husband and his wife? Cannot offspring be born just as well from adultery? Cannot a woman admit more than one lover without harm? What connection does any spiritual concern have with this?"
Thus does the intellect think, which is then the will's whore, and made so stupid by its debauchery with the will that it cannot see that married love 1is the fundamental spiritual, heavenly love, being an image of the love between the Lord and the church, the love from which it originates, and therefore that it is in itself sacred, the essence of chastity, purity and innocence. It cannot see, moreover, that married love turns people into embodiments of love, for it is possible for married partners to love each other from their inmost beings, and so to form themselves into embodiments of love. It cannot see that adultery destroys that form, and with it any image of the Lord. And what is shocking, it does not see that an adulterer mixes his life with the life of the husband in his wife, a man's life being in his seed.
[3] So, too, because this is profane, hell is therefore called an adultery, and heaven conversely a marriage. Moreover, a love of adultery communicates with the lowest hell, but true married love with the inmost heaven. The reproductive organs of both sexes also correspond to societies of the inmost heaven.
We have presented these observations to make known how blinded the intellect is when the will is caught up in a lust for evil, and to show that in a state of intellectual blindness no one can be reformed.
Footnotes:
1. Or, conjugial love
144. No one is reformed in a state of intellectual blindness, either. These individuals, too, are not aware of truths and do not know about life, because it is our discernment that must instruct us in these matters and our volition that must act them out. When our volition is doing what our discernment tells it to, then we have a life in accord with truths; but when our discernment is blind, our volition is blocked as well. All it can do freely in accord with its own reasoning is the evil that it has justified in its discernment, which is false.
If religion teaches a blind faith, it blinds our discernment just the way ignorance does. It is then teaching a false theology; for just as truths open our discernment, falsities close it. They close it from above but open it downward; and discernment that is open only downward cannot see truths. All it can do is justify whatever it wants to, especially anything false.
Our discernment is also blinded by compulsions to evil. As long as our intentions are caught up in these compulsions, they prompt our discernment to justify them; and to the extent that we justify our compulsions to evil, our volition cannot enjoy good desires, see truths on that basis, and so be reformed.
[2] For example, if people are compulsive adulterers, their intentions, being caught up in the pleasures of that love, prompt their discernment to justify it. They say, "What is adultery? Is there anything wrong about it? Isn't it just like what happens between a husband and a wife? Can't children just as well be born from adultery? Can't a woman accept more than one man without being harmed? What does sex have to do with spirituality, anyway?" This is how a discernment that has become prostituted by its volition thinks. It becomes so stupid because of its debauchery with volition that it cannot see that marriage love is the essence of spiritual heavenly love, the image of the love between the Lord and the church from which it flows; that it is inherently holy, the essence of chastity and purity and innocence; that it makes us forms expressive of love itself, because married partners can love each other from the center of their being and so make themselves loves; that adultery destroys this form together with the image of the Lord; and that it is horrendous for an adulterer to mingle his life with the life of the husband in his wife, since there is human life in semen.
[3] Because this is a profanation, hell is called "adultery" and heaven is called "marriage." A love for adultery is in direct touch with the deepest hell, and a true love for marriage with the highest heaven. The reproductive organs of both sexes correspond to communities of the highest heaven.
I mention all this to show how blind our discernment is when our volition is caught up in compulsions to evil, and to show that no one can be reformed in this state of intellectual blindness.
144. Neither can anyone be reformed in a state of blindness of the understanding. These also have no knowledge of truths, and consequently of life; for the understanding must teach truths and the will must do them; and when the will does what the understanding teaches its life is fashioned according to truths. But when the understanding is blinded the will is also closed up, and from freedom according to its reason it does only the evil that is confirmed in the understanding, which is falsity. Moreover, the understanding is blinded not only by ignorance but also by religion that teaches blind faith; and also by false doctrine. For as truths open the understanding so falsities close it; they close it from above but open it from below, and the understanding, open only below, cannot see truths but can merely confirm whatever it wills, especially falsity. The understanding is also blinded by the lusts of evil. As long as the will is in these it moves the understanding to confirm them; and so far as the lusts of evil are confirmed it is impossible for the will to be in the affections of good and to see truths from them, and thus to be reformed.
[2] For example, when one is in the lust of adultery his will, which is in the delight of his love, moves his understanding to confirm it, saying, "What is adultery? Is there anything wicked in it? Is there not the same thing between husband and wife? Cannot children be born from adultery just as from marriage? Cannot a woman admit more than one without harm? What has the spiritual to do with this?" So thinks the understanding which is then the courtesan of the will, and so stupid has it become from debauchery with the will that it cannot see that marriage love is spiritual, heavenly love itself, an image of the love of the Lord and of the Church from which it is derived; and thus that it is in itself holy, that it is chastity itself, purity and innocence; and that it makes men to be forms of love, since consorts can love each other mutually from inmost things and thus form themselves into loves; and that adultery destroys this form and with it the image of the Lord; and what is horrible, that the adulterer mingles his life with the husband's life in his wife, for a man's life is in the seed.
[3] As this is profane, therefore hell is called adultery, and heaven on the other hand is called marriage. Moreover, the love of adultery communicates with the lowest hell but true marriage love communicates with the inmost heaven; and the organs of generation in both sexes also correspond to societies of the inmost heaven. These things have been recorded that it may be known how blinded the understanding is when the will is in the lust of evil; and that no one can be reformed in a state of blindness of the understanding.
144. Neither can any one be reformed in a state of blindness of the understanding. These, too, are ignorant of truths, and consequently of life; for the understanding must teach truths, and the will must do them; and when the will does what the understanding teaches its life comes into harmony with the truths. But when the understanding is blinded the will also is closed up; and from a freedom that is in accord with its reason it does only the evil that has been confirmed in the understanding, which is falsity. The understanding is blinded not only by ignorance but also by a religion that teaches a blind faith, also by false doctrine. For as truths open the understanding so falsities close it; they close it above but open it below; and an understanding that is opened only below cannot see truths, but can merely confirm whatever it wills, especially falsity. The understanding is also blinded by the lusts of evil. As long as the will is in these it moves the understanding to confirm them; and so far as the lusts of evil are confirmed the will cannot be in affections for good and to see truths from them, and thus be reformed.
[2] When one, for example, is in the lust of adultery, his will, which is in the enjoyment of his love, moves his understanding to confirm it, saying, "What is adultery? Is there anything wicked in it? Is there not a like thing between husband and wife? Cannot offspring be born from adultery as well as from marriage? Cannot a woman admit more than one without harm? What has the spiritual to do with this?" So thinks the understanding that is then the will's harlot, and that has become so stupid from debauchery with the will as to be unable to see that conjugial love is the spiritual heavenly love itself, an image of love of the Lord and of the church, and derived from that love, and thus is in itself holy, is chastity itself, purity, and innocence; also that it makes men to be loves in form, since consorts can love each other mutually from inmosts, and thus form themselves into loves; while adultery destroys this form, and with it the image of the Lord, and, what is horrible, the adulterer mingles his life with the husband's life in his wife, since a man's life is in his seed.
[3] Because this is profane hell is called adultery, and heaven on the other hand is called marriage. Moreover, the love of adultery communicates with the lowest hell, while love truly conjugial communicates with the inmost heaven; and the organs of generation in either sex correspond to societies of the inmost heaven. All this has been presented to make known how blinded the understanding is when the will is in the lust of evil; and that no man can be reformed in a state of blindness of the understanding.
144. Quod nec aliquis reformari queat in STATU OCCAECATIONIS INTELLECTUS: hi quoque non sciunt vera, et inde nec vitam [secundum illa agunt], nam intellectus docebit illa, ac voluntas faciet illa, et cum voluntas facit quod intellectus docet, tunc fit ei vita secundum vera; cum autem intellectus occaecatus est, etiam voluntas obturata est, et non agit ex libero secundum rationem suam aliud quam malum confirmatum in intellectu, quod est falsum. Praeter ignorantiam 1etiam intellectum occaecat religio, quae docet fidem caecam: tum doctrina falsi; nam sicut vera aperiunt intellectum, sic falsa occludunt illum; occludunt superius sed aperiunt illum inferius, et intellectus solum infra apertus, non potest videre vera, sed modo confirmare quicquid vult, imprimis falsum. Intellectus etiam occaecatur per cupiditates mali; quamdiu voluntas in illis est, agit intellectum ad confirmandum illas; et quantum confirmantur cupiditates mali, tantum voluntas non potest esse in affectionibus boni, et ex illis videre vera, et sic reformari.
[2] Ut pro exemplo, qui in cupiditate adulterii est, ejus voluntas, quae est in jucundo amoris ejus, agit intellectum suum ad confirmandum illud, dicendo, quid adulterium; num in illo aliquod malum; estne simile inter maritum et ejus uxorem; potestne ex adulterio aeque nasci proles; potestne mulier admittere plures absque damno; quid commune habet spirituale cum hoc; ita intellectus, qui tunc est scortum voluntatis, cogitat, ac tam stupidus factus ex stupro cum voluntate, ut non videre possit, quod amor conjugialis sit ipse spiritualis coelestis amor, qui est imago amoris Domini et Ecclesiae, a quo etiam derivatur, et sic quod in se sanctus sit, ipsa castitas, puritas et innocentia; et quod faciat homines amores in forma, nam conjuges amare se mutuo possunt ab intimis, et sic formare se in amores: et quod adulterium destruat hanc formam, et cum illa imaginem Domini; et quod horrendum est, quod 2adulter commisceat vitam suam cum vita mariti in ejus uxore; in semine est vita hominis:
[3] et quia hoc prophanum est, ideo Infernum vocatur adulterium, et vicissim Coelum vocatur conjugium: etiam amor adulterii communicat cum infimo inferno, at amor vere conjugialis cum intimo coelo; membra generationis utriusque sexus etiam correspondent societatibus intimi Coeli. Haec allata sunt, ut sciatur, quam occaecatus est intellectus quando voluntas est in cupiditate mali; et quod in statu occaecationis intellectus nemo reformari possit.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: ignorantiam
2 Prima editio: quad