307、现在，我们回到所提出的主题，即：主通过对立面掌控地狱；对尚在尘世的恶人来说，主在地狱掌控他们的内层，而不是他们的外层。第一点：主通过对立面掌控地狱。前面（288，289节）说明，天堂天使不是从他们自己，而是从主获得爱和智慧，或对良善的情感和由此而来的真理的思维；还说明，良善和真理从天堂流入地狱，在那里，良善被转变为邪恶，真理被转变为虚假，因为天堂和地狱里的人的心智内层朝相反的方向转动。既然地狱里的一切事物是天堂里的一切事物的对立面，那么可知，主通过对立面掌控地狱。
第二点：主在地狱掌控尚在尘世的恶人。这是真的，因为就灵而言，人在灵界，就在那里的某个社群，若为邪恶，就在一个地狱社群，若为良善，则在一个天堂社群。因为人的心智本身是属灵的，必然在属灵人当中，并且死后他就加入他们。我也在前面（298，299节）提到并解释了这一点。但世人在那里的方式，与已经被分配到某个社群的灵人不同，因为世人始终处于被改造的状态；如果他是邪恶的，主就会照着他的生活及其变化把他从一个地狱社群转到另一个地狱社群。但如果他允许自己被改造，主就会把他领出地狱，并提入天堂；在天堂，他同样从一个社群被转到另一个社群；这个过程会持续到他死亡为止。但死后他不再从一个社群被转到另一个社群，因为那时他不再处于被改造的状态，而是保持在与其生命一致的状态里。因此，当一个人死亡时，他就会被分配到自己的地方。
第三点：主以这种方式掌控世上恶人的内层，但以另一种方式掌控他们的外层。主以刚才所描述的方式掌控人心智的内层，但在灵人界掌控外层，灵人界在天堂与地狱中间。原因在于，大多数人里表并不一致，因为他们表面上能把自己伪装成光明天使，但内心里可能是黑暗的灵人。因此，他们的外在以一种方式被掌控，而他们的内在则以另一种方式被掌控。只要他们还在世上，他们的外在就在灵人界被掌控，但他们的内在要么在天堂，要么在地狱被掌控。所以他们死亡时，首先进入灵人界，在那里进入自己的外在，这外在会在那里被脱去。当外在被脱去时，他们就被带到他们早已被分配到的自己的地方。至于何为灵人界及其性质，可参看1758年于伦敦出版的《天堂与地狱》一书（421-535节）。
307. Now for the proposition stated, that the Lord governs hell through forces that oppose, and that He governs in hell evil people in the world, in respect to their interiors and not in respect to their exteriors:
FIRST, as regards the point that the Lord governs hell through forces that oppose: We showed above in nos. 288-289 that angels in heaven do not have any love and wisdom of themselves, or any affection for good and the resulting thought of truth of themselves, but from the Lord; that good and truth flow from heaven into hell; and that goodness there is turned into evil, and truth into falsity, because the interior constituents of their minds are turned in a contrary direction.
Now because all the constituents of hell are opposed to all the constituents of heaven, it follows that the Lord governs hell through forces that oppose.
[2] SECOND, that the Lord governs in hell evil people who are in the world: The reason is that in respect to his spirit a person is in the spiritual world and in some society there - in a society of hell if he is evil, and in a society of heaven if he is good. For a person's mind, being in itself spiritual, can only be among spiritual beings, into whose company he also comes after death. The reality of this is also something we have stated and demonstrated above.
The person is not present there as a spirit enrolled in the society, however, for a person is continually in a state to be reformed. Consequently, in accordance with his life and the changes in it, he is conveyed by the Lord, if he is evil, from one society of hell to another. And if he allows himself to be reformed, he is led out of hell and raised into heaven, and there, too, conveyed from one society to another, and this until his death. After that he no longer travels from society to society there, because he is then no longer in a state to be reformed, but remains in the state he had in accordance with his life. It is when a person dies, then, that he is enrolled in his place.
[3] THIRD, that in this way the Lord governs evil people in the world in respect to their interiors, and in another way in respect to their exteriors: The Lord governs the interiors of a person's mind in the way just described, but its exteriors in the world of spirits, which is midway between heaven and hell. The reason is that a person is for the most part different in outward respects from what he is in inward respects. For in outward respects he can feign himself an angel of light, and yet inwardly be a spirit of darkness. Consequently his outer self is governed in one way, and his inner self in another way. His outer self is governed in the world of spirits, but his inner self in heaven or in hell, as long as he lives in the world. So also, when he dies, he comes first into the world of spirits, and there into his outer self. And this is then stripped away there, and when it has been stripped away the person is conveyed to his place in which he has been enrolled.
What the world of spirits is and its nature may be seen in the book Heaven and Hell, published in London in 1758, (Heaven and Hell 421-535).
307. We may turn now to the basic proposition that the Lord controls the hells by means of opposites, and that with evil people who are still in this world, he controls them in hell as to their deeper natures, but not as to their more outward natures.
As to the first, that the Lord controls the hells by means of opposites, I explained in 288-289 that heaven's angels do not get their love and wisdom, or desire for what is good and resultant thought about what is true, from themselves, but from the Lord. I noted that the goodness and truth flow from heaven into hell, and that the goodness there is turned into evil and the truth into falsity because the inner reaches of people's minds there are turned in the opposite direction. Since everything in hell is the opposite of everything in heaven, it follows that the Lord is controlling the hells by means of these opposites.
[2] Second, the reason that with evil people who are still in this world, the Lord controls them in hell is that as to our spirits we are in the spiritual world, each in some community. We are in a hellish community if we are evil, and in a heavenly community if we are good. Since our minds are inherently spiritual, they can be with spiritual people only, people we will join after death. I have also mentioned and explained this above [298, 299].
We are not located there the way spirits are who have been enrolled in a community, though. We are in a constant state of reforming, so depending on our life and the way it changes, the Lord moves us from one community in hell to another if we are evil, while if we are allowing ourselves to be reformed, he leads us out of hell and up into heaven. There too, we are moved from one community to another. This goes on until we die, at which point we are no longer transferred from community to community, because we are no longer in a state of reforming. Instead, we settle in the one where our life places us; so when we die, we are enrolled in our own location.
[3] Third, the Lord controls evil people in this world one way as to their inner natures and another way as to their outer natures. The Lord controls the inner levels of the mind as just described, but he controls the outer levels in the world of spirits that is halfway between heaven and hell. This is because most of us are not the same outwardly as we are inwardly. Outwardly we can impersonate angels of light even though inwardly we may be spirits of darkness. As a result, our outer and inner natures are controlled differently; the outer are controlled in the world of spirits and the inner are controlled either in heaven or in hell as long as we are in this world. Consequently, when we die we arrive first in the world of spirits and are conscious in our outer nature. We lay that nature aside in the world of spirits, and once we have done so we are taken to the place where we are enrolled.
On the world of spirits and its nature, see Heaven and Hell 421-535 (published in London in 1758).
307. We return now to the subject set forth, namely, that the Lord governs hell by means of opposites; and the wicked, while still in the world, He governs in hell as to their interiors but not as to their exteriors. As regards the First part, The Lord governs hell by means of opposites, it was shown above (n. 288-289) that the angels of heaven are not in love and wisdom, or in the affection of good and in the thought of truth thence derived, from themselves but from the Lord; also that good and truth flow out of heaven into hell, where good is turned into evil, and truth into falsity, because the interiors of the minds of those in heaven and in hell are turned in opposite directions. Since then all things in hell are opposite to all things in heaven, it follows that the Lord governs hell by means of opposites.
[2] Second: The wicked, while still in the world, the Lord governs in hell. This is because man as to his spirit is in the spiritual world and in some society there, in an infernal society if he is wicked, and in a heavenly society if he is good; for man's mind, which in itself is spiritual, cannot be anywhere but among the spiritual, into whose company he also comes after death. That this is so has also been said and shown above. But a man is not there in the same way as a spirit who has been assigned to the society, for man is continually in a state of being reformed; and therefore according to his life and its changes he is transferred by the Lord from one society in hell to another, if he is wicked. But if he suffers himself to undergo reformation he is led out of hell and raised up into heaven; and there also he is transferred from one society to another. This is continued till his death, after which he is no longer transferred from society to society there, because he is then no longer in a state of being reformed, but he remains in that state in which he is in accordance with his life. Therefore, when a man dies he is assigned to his own place.
[3] Third: 1In this way the Lord governs the wicked, while still in the world, as to their interiors but by other means as to their exteriors. The Lord governs the interiors of man's mind in the manner just stated; but the exteriors He governs in the world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell. The reason is that man is for the most part different in externals from what he is in internals; for in externals he can feign to be an angel of light and yet in internals he may be a spirit of darkness. Therefore, his external is governed in one way and his internal in another; for so long as he is in the world his external is governed in the world of spirits but his internal either in heaven or in hell. Therefore also when he dies he first enters the world of spirits, where he comes into his external, and this is there put off; and when he is freed from this he is conducted to his own place to which he has been assigned. What the world of spirits is and its nature may be seen in the work HEAVEN AND HELL, published in London in the year 1758 (n. 421-535).
Footnotes:
1. Original Edition and Tafel Latin edition (1855) have "quartum." Worcester edition (1899) changes to "tertium."
307. Now in regard to the subject proposed: That the Lord governs hell by means of opposites, and that the evil who are in the world He governs in hell, in respect to their interiors but not in respect to their exteriors. As to the first: That the Lord governs hell by means of opposites. It has been shown above (288, 289), that the angels of heaven are not in love and wisdom, or in affection for good and the consequent thought of truth from themselves, but from the Lord; also that good and truth flow out of heaven into hell, and that good is there turned into evil, and truth into falsity, because the interiors of the minds of those in heaven and in hell are turned in opposite directions. Since, then, all things in hell are opposite to all things in heaven it follows that the Lord governs hell by means of opposites.
[2] Secondly: The evil who are in the world the Lord governs in hell. This is true because man as to his spirit is in the spiritual world and in some society there, in an infernal society if he is evil, and in a heavenly society if he is good; for man's mind, which in itself is spiritual, must needs be among the spiritual, and he comes among such after death. That this is true has also been said and shown above. But a man is not there in the same way as a spirit is who has been assigned to the society, for a man is constantly in a state to be reformed, and if he is evil he is transferred by the Lord from one society of hell to another in accordance with his life and its changes. But if he suffers himself to be reformed he is led out of hell, and is led up into heaven, and there he is transferred from one society to another, and this even until death. But after death he is no longer borne from one society to another there, because he is then no longer in any state to be reformed, but remains in the state in which he is in accordance with his life. When, therefore, a man dies he is assigned to his own place.
[3] Thirdly: The Lord in this way governs the evil in the world in respect to their interiors, but otherwise in respect to their exteriors. The Lord governs the interiors of man's mind, as has now been told; but the exteriors He governs in the world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell. The reason of this is that in externals man is for the most part different from what he is in internals, for in externals he can feign himself an angel of light while in internals he is a spirit of darkness; therefore his external is governed in one way and his internal in another. As long as he is in the world his external is governed in the world of spirits, but his internal is governed in heaven or in hell; therefore when he dies he first enters the world of spirits, and there comes into his external, which is there put off; and when this has been put off he is borne into his own place to which he has been assigned. What the world of spirits is and the nature of it may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, published at London in the year 1758 (Heaven and Hell 421-535).
307. Nunc ad rem propositam, quod Dominus regat infernum per opposita, et quod malos, qui in mundo sunt, regat in inferno, quoad interiora et non quoad exteriora. Quod concernit PRIMUM. Quod Dominus regat infernum per opposita; supra 288-289, ostensum est, quod angeli coeli non in amore et sapientia, seu in affectione boni et inde cogitatione veri sint a se, sed a Domino; et quod e coelo influat bonum et verum in infernum, et quod ibi bonum vertatur in malum, et verum in falsum, ex causa quia interiora mentis eorum in contrario versu sunt: nunc quia omnia inferni opposita sunt omnibus coeli, sequitur quod Dominus regat infernum per opposita.
[2] SECUNDUM. Quod Dominus malos, qui in mundo sunt, regat in inferno, est quia homo quoad spiritum suum est in Mundo spirituali, et ibi in aliqua societate, in societate infernali si malus est, et in societate coelesti si bonus; mens enim hominis, quae in se est spiritualis, non potest alibi esse quam inter spirituales, inter quos etiam post mortem venit; quod ita sit, etiam supra dictum et ostensum est. Sed homo non est ibi quemadmodum spiritus qui societati inscriptus est, est enim homo continue in statu reformationis, quare secundum vitam suam et ejus mutationes transfertur 1a Domino ab una societate inferni in alteram, si malus est; at si se reformari patitur, educitur ex inferno, et subducitur in coelum, et quoque ibi transfertur ab una societate in alteram, et hoc usque ad mortem, post quam non amplius a societate 23 in societatem ibi fertur, quia tunc non amplius in aliquo statu reformationis est, sed manet in illo in quo est secundum vitam; quare dum homo moritur, inscriptus est suo loco. TERTIUM. 3Quod Dominus malos in mundo ita regat quoad interiora, aliter quoad exteriora: interiora 4mentis hominis regit Dominus sicut nunc dictum est, sed exteriora in mundo spirituum, qui medius est inter coelum et infernum; causa est, quia homo ut plurimum alius est in externis quam est in internis; potest enim in externis mentiri lucis angelum, et tamen in internis 5esse spiritus tenebrarum, quare aliter regitur externum ejus, et aliter internum; externum regitur in Mundo spirituum, internum autem in Coelo vel in inferno, quamdiu in mundo est; quare etiam cum moritur, primum venit in Mundum spirituum, et ibi in externum suum, et hoc ibi exuitur, quo exutus fertur in locum suum, cui inscriptus est. Quid Mundus spirituum, et qualis ille, videatur in Opere de COELO ET INFERNO 421-535 Londini An. 1758, edito.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: ttansfertur
2 Prima editio: societate
3 Prima editio: QUARTUM.
4 Prima editio: inreriora
5 in internis ubi in prima editione in in / internis