199、当人的外在情感的快乐与某种身体感觉的快乐行如一体时，人实际上能反思这种快乐。然而，他不会反思这一事实：这快乐来自他思维中的情感的快乐。例如，当通奸者看见一个淫妇时，他两眼会充满淫欲之火，他出于这种欲火而感觉到身体上的快乐，仍感觉不到其思维里的情感或欲望的快乐，只感觉到与身体有关的一种强烈欲望。森林里的强盗在看见旅行者时，海上的海盗在发现船只时，以及类似情形，也是如此。显然，这些快乐主宰了人的思维，没有它们，思维不存在。然而，他认为只有思维是真实的。而事实上，思维无非是被他的生命之爱组合成形式的情感，好叫情感显现在光中。因为一切情感都在热中，一切思维都在光中。
此处谈论的是思维的外在情感，这些情感出现在身体感觉中，很少出现在心智的思维中。思维的内在情感产生外在情感，但它从来不在人面前显现。人对这些情感的了解，不比睡在马车里的人对路途的了解，或人对地球公转的感觉多。鉴于人对发生在其心智内层的事件一无所知，而这些事件如此无限，以至于不可数算；然而，进入他的意识思维的极少数外在事件是从内层产生的，内层唯独由主通过祂的圣治掌管，人只在这少数外在事件上与主合作，那么谁能说他自己的谨慎成就一切呢？你若真的看见一个思维观念被完全打开，就会看见令人震惊的奇妙事物，数量多到无法用语言来表达。
人的心智内层里面有如此多的事物，以致它们无法数算，这一点从身体的无限多个组成部分清楚看出来；它们无一进入人的视觉或意识。人所意识到的一切，仅仅是极其简单的一个活动；然而，这个活动却需要数千条运动或肌肉纤维，数千条神经纤维，数千条血管，数千种肺部成分（它们必须在每个动作中合作），脑部和脊髓中的数千种成分，构成人类心智的属灵人中的更多成分（所有这些成分都是情感，以及由此产生的感知和思维的形式）的一致同意。安排内层的灵魂，不也安排源于它们的活动吗？人的灵魂无非是他的意愿之爱和由此而来的他的理解力之爱。这爱的性质决定了整个人的性质；而他的性质取决于他管理其外在的方式，他与主在这些外在中合作。因此，如果人将一切归于自己和自然界，那么对自己的爱就会成为灵魂；但如果他将一切归于主，那么对主的爱就会成为灵魂；这爱是属天堂的，而前一种爱是属地狱的。
199. A person can indeed reflect on the delight of his external affection, when this combines, so to speak, with the delight of some bodily sensation; but still he does not reflect on the fact that this delight springs from the delight of the affection in his thought.
So for example, when a licentious man sees a harlot, the light of his eye glows with a lascivious fire, and because of it he feels a physical delight. But he nevertheless does not feel the delight of the affection or lust in his thought, except as a kind of longing associated with the body. So, too, when a robber in a forest sees travelers. Or when a pirate at sea sees boats. So, too, in all other cases.
It is apparent that these delights direct a person's thoughts, and that thoughts are impossible apart from them. Yet the person supposes that he has only the thoughts, even though thoughts are nothing but affections composed by the life's love into forms, in order that they may appear to the sight. For all affection exists in a state of warmth, and thought in a state of light.
[2] The foregoing are external affections of the thought, which do indeed manifest themselves in physical sensation, but rarely in the mind's thought. Internal affections of the thought, on the other hand, which give rise to the external ones, never manifest themselves to a person's cognizance. A person is no more aware of these than someone sleeping in a carriage is of the road, or no more than he is sensible of the rotation of the earth.
Now, since a person is not at all aware of the activities that go on in the interior constituents of his mind, which are so interminable as to be beyond number, and yet those few external manifestations which come to the thought's sight are produced by the interior constituents, and since the interior constituents are directed by the Lord alone through His Divine providence, while those few external manifestations are directed in conjunction with the person, how then can anyone say that his own prudence accomplishes all?
If you were to see just one idea of thought laid open, you would see many astounding things, more than the tongue can express.
[3] The fact that the activities in the interior constituents of a person's mind are so interminable as to be beyond number is apparent from the interminable activities in the body. None of these comes to view or to the apprehension of the senses except movement only in a very simple way, and yet this requires the concurrence of thousands of motor or muscle fibers, thousands of nerve fibers, thousands of blood vessels, thousands of the constituents of the lungs, which must cooperate in every action, thousands of the constituents in the brain and in the spinal cord, and many more still in the spiritual self which constitutes the human mind, all of whose constituents are forms of affections and of the resulting perceptions and thoughts.
The soul which directs the interior elements - does it not also direct the actions springing from them? A person's soul is nothing other than his will's love and his consequent intellect's love. Whatever the character of this love is, such is the character of the whole person. Moreover, he develops this character according to his ordering of things in his outward activities, in which the person acts in conjunction with the Lord. Consequently if he attributes everything to himself and to nature, a love of self becomes his soul, while if he attributes everything to the Lord, a love of the Lord becomes his soul. This latter love is a heavenly love, and the other a hellish love.
199. We are actually able to reflect on the pleasure of our outward feelings when these are acting in consort with the pleasure of some physical sense. However, we do not reflect on the fact that this pleasure comes from the pleasure of a feeling within our thinking. For example, take someone looking for sex who sees a prostitute. His eye glows with the fire of his lust, and this calls up a sensation of physical pleasure. Still, he does not feel the pleasure of the feeling or desire in his thinking except as a kind of virtually physical urge. The same holds true of a robber in a forest when he sees travelers, and for a pirate at sea when he sees ships. I could give other examples as well. Clearly, the pleasures are governing their thoughts, and their thoughts would not even exist apart from the pleasures; yet they think that only the thoughts are real. In fact, the thoughts are nothing but feelings gathered into forms by their life's love so that they can be seen in the light, since all feeling is in warmth and all thought is in light.
[2] We are talking here about feelings of our outer thinking that sometimes make themselves known in physical sensations but rarely in the thinking of our minds.
In contrast, the feelings of our inner thinking that give rise to the outer ones never to come to our notice. We are no more aware of them than a sleeping passenger in a carriage is aware of the road, or than we are aware of the earth's rotation. Given the fact that we know nothing about the events that are happening in the depths of our minds, which are so infinite that there are no numbers to count them, and yet the few outward events that do reach our conscious thought are all brought forth by these inner ones, and the depths are governed by the Lord alone through his divine providence, and we cooperate only in the few outer ones--given all this, how can anyone say that our own prudence accounts for everything?
If you were to see only one concept of our thought fully opened up, you would see more astounding things than language can express.
[3] To see that in the depths of our minds there are so infinitely many things that there are no numbers to count them, we need only look at the infinitely many components of our bodies, none of which comes to our sight or our consciousness. All we are aware of is a single action in its utter simplicity, an action, though, that represents the concurrence of thousands of motor fibers or muscles, thousands of nerve fibers, thousands of blood vessels, thousands of lung passages all working together in this action, thousands of things in our brains and spinal column, and far more in our spiritual selves, our human minds, all of which are forms of feelings and their consequent perceptions and thoughts.
Is it not the same soul that is arranging the inner events that is arranging the actions that derive from them as well? Our soul is simply the love of our volition and the consequent love of our discernment. The nature of this love determines the nature of the whole person. We acquire this nature by the way we manage things outwardly, where we are at work with the Lord; so if we ascribe everything to ourselves and the material world, our soul is a love for ourselves, while if we ascribe everything to the Lord, our soul is a love for the Lord. This latter love is heavenly; the other is hellish.
199. A man can reflect, indeed, upon the delight of his external affection while this delight is in harmony with the delight of some bodily sense; but yet he does not reflect upon the fact that this delight is from the delight of his affection in his thought. For example: when a fornicator sees a courtesan his eye glows with the fire of lasciviousness, and from that fire he feels delight in the body; but still he does not feel the delight of his affection or lust in his thought but only something of a strong desire associated with the body. It is the same with a robber in the forest when he sees travellers, a pirate on the sea when he sees vessels, and with others in like circumstances. It is clear that these delights govern a man's thoughts, and that thoughts without them do not exist; but he regards them only as thoughts, when nevertheless thoughts are nothing but affections composed into forms by his life's love to make themselves manifest in light; for all affection is in heat and thought in light.
[2] These are external affections of thought, and they manifest themselves indeed in bodily sensation, but rarely in the thought of the mind. But the internal affections of thought, from which the external affections exist, never make themselves manifest to man. Of these man knows no more than one sleeping in a carriage knows of the road or than one feels of the earth's rotation. Now, since man knows nothing of the things going on in the interiors of his mind, which are so many that they cannot be numbered, and yet those few external things which come within the view of his thought are produced from the interiors, and since the interiors are governed by the Lord alone, by means of His Divine Providence, and those few external things by the Lord in conjunction with man, how then can anyone say that his own prudence accomplishes all things? If you were to see but one single idea of thought opened up you would see wonderful things more in number than tongue can tell.
[3] That there are in the interiors of man's mind so many things that they cannot be numbered is clear from the infinitude of things in the body; and from these nothing comes to sight and sense but action alone in a very simplified form. Yet to this there contribute thousands of motor or muscular fibres, thousands of nerve fibres, thousands of blood-vessels, thousands of cells in the lungs which must co-operate in every action, thousands in the brains and in the spinal cord; and many more things still in the spiritual man, which is the human mind, in which all things are forms of affections and of their derived perceptions and thoughts. Does not the soul, which disposes the interiors, dispose also actions which spring from these? Man's soul is nothing else than the love of his will and the consequent love of his understanding; and the whole man is such as this love is, and he becomes such according to the manner in which he disposes his externals in which he and the Lord are together. Therefore, if he attributes all things to himself and to nature, the love of self becomes the soul; but if he attributes all things to the Lord, love to the Lord becomes the soul; and this love is heavenly, but the other is infernal.
199. Nevertheless, a man may reflect upon a delight of his external affection while that delight is acting as one with the delight of some bodily sensation. Nevertheless, he does not reflect upon the fact that this delight is from a delight of his affection in his thought. For example: when a fornicator sees a lewd woman his eye glows with the fire of lasciviousness, and from that fire he feels a delight in the body. And yet in his thought he feels no delight of his affection or lust except a certain longing connected with the body. So a robber in a forest when he sees travelers; or a pirate on the sea when he sees vessels; and so on. Evidently it is these delights that rule the man's thoughts and the thoughts are nothing apart from them; yet they seem to him to be nothing but thoughts; when in fact, thoughts are nothing but affections so composed into forms by his life's love as to be presented in light; for all affection is in heat, and thought is in light.
[2] Such are the external affections of thought, which manifest themselves in bodily sensation, but rarely in the thought of the mind But the internal affections of thought, from which the external affections have their existence, never manifest themselves before man. Of these man knows no more than one sleeping in a carriage knows of the road, or than one feels the revolution of the earth. Considering, then, that man knows nothing of the things that are going on in the interiors of his mind, which are too limitless to be numbered, and yet those few externals that do come within the view of his thought are produced from the interiors, and the interiors are governed by the Lord alone by His Divine providence, and only those few externals by the Lord and man together, how can any one say that his own prudence does all things? If you were to see but one idea of thought laid open you would see wonderful things, more in number than tongue can express.
[3] That in the interiors of man's mind there are things too limitless to be numbered is clear from the infinite things in the body, from which nothing comes to sight or feeling except action only in much simplicity; and yet in this thousands of motor or muscular fibers concur, thousands of nerve fibers, thousands of blood-vessels, thousands of lung cells, all of which must co-operate in every action, thousands of cells in the brains and spinal cord, and many more yet in the spiritual man, which is the human mind, in which all things are forms of affections and of their perceptions and thoughts. Does not the soul, which directs the interiors, direct also the actions from them? Man's soul is nothing else than the love of his will and the love therefrom of his understanding. The quality of that love is the quality of the whole man; and that is determined by the way in which the externals are disposed, in which man and the Lord co-operate. Consequently, if man attributes all things to himself and to nature the love of self becomes the soul; but if he attributes all things to the Lord, love to the Lord becomes the soul; and this love is heavenly, while the other is infernal.
199. Homo quidem potest reflectere super externae affectionis suae jucundum, dum hoc sicut unum agit cum jucundo alicujus sensus corporis, sed usque non reflectit super id, quod id jucundum sit ex jucundo affectionis ejus in cogitatione: ut pro exemplo, 1scortator cum videt meretricem, visus oculi ejus rutilat ex igne lasciviae, et ex illo sentit jucundum in corpore, sed tamen non sentit jucundum affectionis seu concupiscentiae ejus in cogitatione, nisi aliquod cupidum una cum corpore: similiter latro in sylva, dum videt peregrinantes; et pirata in mari dum videt navigia; similiter in reliquis: quod illa jucunda regant cogitationes ejus, et quod cogitationes absque illis non sint aliquid, patet; sed putat quod solum cogitationes sint, cum tamen cogitationes non sunt nisi quam affectiones in formas ab amore vitae ejus compositae, ut appareant in luce, nam omnis affectio est in calore, et cogitatio in luce.
[2] Hae sunt affectiones externae cogitationis, quae quidem se manifestant in sensatione corporis, sed raro in cogitatione mentis. At affectiones internae cogitationis, ex quibus externae existunt, coram homine nusquam se manifestant: de his homo non plus scit, quam dormiens in curru de via, et quam sentit telluris circumrotationem: nunc cum homo nihil scit de illis quae peraguntur in interioribus mentis suae, quae tam infinita sunt, ut numeris definiri nequeant, et tamen pauca illa externa, quae ad visum cogitationis perveniunt, ex interioribus producuntur, ac interiora a Solo Domino per Divinam Ipsius Providentiam reguntur, et pauca illa externa una cum homine, 2quomodo tunc aliquis dicere potest, quod propria ejus prudentia faciat omnia. Si videres solum unam ideam cogitationis reclusam, videres stupenda plura, quam lingua potest effari.
[3] Quod in interioribus mentis hominis tam infinita sint, ut numeris definiri nequeant, patet ex infinitis in corpore, ex quibus nihil ad visum et ad sensum pervenit, quam sola actio in multa simplicitate, ad quam tamen concurrunt millia fibrarum motricium seu muscularium, millia fibrarum nervearum, millia vasculorum sanguineorum, millia pulmonis, qui in omni actione cooperabitur, millia in cerebris et in spina dorsali, et multo plura adhuc in spirituali homine, qui est mens humana, cujus omnia sunt affectionum, et inde perceptionum et cogitationum formae. Annon anima, quae disponit interiora, disponit etiam actiones ex illis: anima hominis non aliud est quam amor voluntatis ejus, et inde amor intellectus ejus; qualis hic amor est, talis est totus homo; et fit talis secundum dispositionem in externis, in quibus homo simul cum Domino est: quare si sibi et naturae tribuit omnia, fit anima amor sui, at si Domino tribuit omnia, fit anima amor Domini: et hic amor coelestis est, et ille amor infernalis.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: exemplo;
2 Prima editio: homine;