152、既然人有一个内在和一个外在，为了人可以被改造，两者都必须被改造，既然人若不检查自己，看见并承认自己的罪，然后停止它们，就无法被改造，那么可知，不仅外在必须被检查，内在也必须被检查。如果只检查外在，那么一个人只能看见他实际所做的事，如他没有杀人、奸淫、偷盗或作假见证等等。因此，他检查的是他身体的邪恶，不是他灵的邪恶。然而，人无法被改造，除非灵的邪恶得到检查，因为死后，人作为一个灵活着，灵里的一切邪恶仍在那里。检查灵的唯一方法就是留意自己的思维，尤其目的或意图，因为目的或意图是来自意愿的思维；邪恶在意愿中，就是在其起源和根源中，也就是在其欲望及其快乐中；人若没有看见并承认这些，就仍在邪恶之中，尽管外在没有犯下它们。出于目的或意图思考就是意愿和实行，这一点从主的话清楚可知：
只是我告诉你们，凡看见妇女就动淫念的，这人心里已经与她犯奸淫了。（马太福音5:28）
这就是内在人的检查，由此也从本质上检查了外在人。
152. Since a person has an inner self and an outer self, and both must be reformed for the person to be reformed, and since no one can be reformed unless he examines himself, sees and acknowledges his evils, and afterward desists from them, it follows that he needs to examine not only his outer self but also his inner self. If a person examines only his outer self, he sees no more than what he has actually done - as for example, that he has not murdered, has not committed adultery, has not stolen, and has not borne false witness, and so on. Thus he examines his physical evils, but not the evils of his spirit; and yet for anyone to be reformed he needs to examine the evils of his spirit, for a person lives as a spirit after death, and all the evils that are in him remain. He examines his spirit, moreover, only by paying attention to his thoughts, especially to his intentions, for intentions are thoughts springing from the will. Evils have their origin there and their root, which is to say, they exist there in their lusts and in their delights, and unless these are seen and acknowledged, the person is still governed by evils, however much he has not committed them in outward acts.
The fact that to think with intention is equivalent to willing and doing is apparent from the Lord's words:
"Whoever has looked at (another's) woman so as to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)
Such is the nature of an examination of the inner self, by which the outer self is examined in its essence.
152. Since we do have an inside and an outside, since both of them need to be reformed if we ourselves are to be reformed, and since we cannot be reformed unless we look into ourselves, see and admit what is wrong with us, and then refrain from doing it, it follows that it is not just the outside that needs to be looked into but the inside as well. If only the outside is looked into, then all we see is what we have actually done--we have not killed anyone or committed adultery or stolen anything or perjured ourselves, and so on. That is, we look into our physical evils but not into our spiritual ones. However, we do need to look into the evils of our spirit in order to be reformed, since we live as spirits after death and all the evils in our spirits are still there. The only way to look into our spirits is to pay attention to what we are thinking and especially to what we are striving for, since what we are striving for is what we have in mind because of our intentions. That is where our evils have their origin and their roots, in their compulsions and pleasures; and unless we see and acknowledge them we are still caught up in them even though we may not act on them outwardly. We can see from the following words of the Lord that thinking on the basis of our intentions is both intending and doing:
If anyone has looked at someone else's wife so as to lust for her, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)
This kind of examination is proper to the inner self and in essence leads to the examination of the outer self.
152. Since man has an internal and an external, and both must be reformed in order that the man may be reformed, and since no one can be reformed unless he examines himself sees and acknowledges his evils, and afterwards desists from them, it follows that not only the external but also the internal must be examined. If the external alone is examined, a man sees only what he has actually done, as that he has not committed murder, adultery, theft, and has not borne false witness; and so on. Thus he examines the evils of his body, and not the evils of his spirit; and yet the evils of the spirit must be examined in order that anyone may be reformed. For after death man lives a spirit, and all the evils that are in the spirit remain; and the spirit is examined only by man attending to his thoughts, especially to his intentions, for these are thoughts from the will. In the will evils are in their origin and in their root, that is, in their lusts and in their delights; and unless these are seen and acknowledged the man is still in evils, although in externals he has not committed them. That to think from intention is to will and to do is clear from the Lord's words:
Whosoever looketh on the wife of another (A.V. a woman) to lust after her committeth (A.V. hath committed) adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:28.
Such is the examination of the internal man, from which the essential examination of the external man is effected.
152. Since man has an internal and an external, and both must be reformed that the man may be reformed, and since no one can be reformed unless he examines himself, sees and acknowledges his evils, and afterwards refrains from them, it follows that not only the external but also the internal must be examined. If the external alone is examined, a man sees only what he has actually done, as that he has not committed murder, adultery, or theft, has not borne false witness; and so on. Thus he examines the evils of his body, and not the evils of his spirit. Nevertheless, one cannot be reformed unless the evils of the spirit are examined, for after death man lives as a spirit, and all the evils that are in the spirit remain. The spirit is examined only by man's attending to his thoughts, especially his purposes, for purposes are thoughts from the will; that is where evils are in their origin and in their root, that is, in their lusts and in their enjoyments; and unless these are seen and acknowledged the man is still in evils, although in externals he has not committed them. That to think from purpose is to will and to do is clear from the Lord's words:-
Everyone that looketh on another's woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:28).
Such is the examination of the internal man, whereby the external man is essentially examined.
152. Quoniam homini internum et externum est, ac utrumque reformandum est ut homo reformatus sit, et quoniam nemo reformari potest, nisi exploret se, videat et agnoscat sua mala, et postea desistat ab illis, sequitur quod non solum externum explorandum sit, sed etiam internum; si externum solum exploratur, homo non videt aliud quam quod actualiter commiserat, ut quod non occiderit, non adulteratus sit, non furatus sit, et non false testatus sit, et sic porro; ita explorat mala sui corporis, et non mala sui spiritus, et tamen mala spiritus exploranda sunt, ut quis reformari possit, nam homo vivit spiritus post mortem, et omnia mala, quae in illo sunt, remanent, et spiritus non aliter exploratur, quam ut homo attendat ad cogitationes suas, imprimis ad intentiones, nam intentiones sunt cogitationes ex voluntate; ibi sunt mala in origine sua et in radice sua, hoc est, in concupiscentiis suis et in jucundis suis, quae nisi videntur et agnoscuntur, homo usque in malis est, utcunque in externis non commiserat illa: quod 1cogitare ex intentione sit velle et facere, patet a Domini verbis, "si quis aspexerit mulierem alienam, ita ut concupiscat eam, jam adulterium cum illa committit in corde," Matthaeus 5:28: talis exploratio est interni hominis, ex qua essentialiter exploratur externus homo.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: qnod