83、人若不重生，就不能进神的国或天堂，因为人生在从父母遗传来的各种邪恶中，但也遗传了一种通过移走这些邪恶而变得属灵的能力。他若不变得属灵，就无法进入天堂。从属世到属灵的变化就是再生或重生。不过，若要明白人如何重生，必须考虑这三点，即：人的第一个状态，就是诅咒的状态是何性质；他的第二个状态，就是改造的状态是何性质；他的第三个状态，就是重生的状态是何性质。
人的第一个状态，就是诅咒的状态，是他通过遗传从父母那里得到的一种状态。因为人由此而生在对自己和世界的爱中，并从如同源泉的这些爱中而生在各种邪恶中。正是这些爱的快乐在引着他；这些快乐使他没有意识到自己陷入邪恶。因为源于爱的一切快乐只会被感觉为一种良善；因此，一个人若不重生，就只知道爱自己爱世界高于一切是良善本身；统治或掌控所有人并拥有他们的一切财富是最高的良善。此外，这也是一切邪恶的源头，因为那时一个人出于爱只关心他自己，不关心任何人。即便他出于爱关心别人，那也是像一起合作时的魔鬼关心魔鬼，或贼关心贼一样。
那些出于这些爱的快乐而在自己里面将这些爱和源于它们的邪恶合理化的人仍是属世的，并变得感官-肉体化，在自己的思维，也就是他们灵的思维里是疯狂的。尽管如此，只要还在这个世界上，他们仍能理性、明智地谈论并行动，因为他们是人，因而拥有理性和自由。然而，他们所做的这一切都是出于对自己和世界的爱。死后，当成为灵人时，除了在世时他们在灵里所感受到的快乐外，他们不能享有其它任何快乐。而这种快乐是地狱之爱的快乐，那时这快乐会转化为不快乐，甚至转化为极度痛苦和可怕的东西；这就是圣言中所说的折磨和地狱之火的意思。由此可见，人的第一个状态是一种诅咒的状态，那些不让自己重生的人就处于这种状态。
人的第二个状态，也就是改造的状态，是他开始根据天堂的喜乐而思想天堂，并由此思想神，就是赐予他天堂喜乐的那一位时所处的状态。但一开始，这种思维源于爱自己的快乐，这种快乐在他看来就是天堂的喜乐。只要这爱的快乐，连同从它流出的邪恶快乐掌权，那么他只会认为他通过倾出祷告、聆听讲道、领受圣餐、施舍穷人、帮助贫乏人、资助教会、捐助医院等等而接近天堂。在这种状态下，一个人只知道，只要思想宗教所教导的这些事，无论被称为信仰也好，还是被称为信和仁也好，他就会得救。他没有其它概念，只是认为他如此思想就会得救，因为他没有思想那给予他快乐的邪恶，只要这些快乐仍与他同在，邪恶本身也仍与他同在。邪恶的快乐来自对它们的欲望，这些欲望不断渴求它们，并且每当惧怕不阻止时，就会把它们带出来。
只要邪恶仍留在他们的爱之欲望和由此而来的快乐中，就没有信、仁、虔诚或敬拜可言，即便有也只是表面的，它们在世人看来是真的，其实并不是真的。它们好比从污泉流出来的水，这样的水是不能喝的。只要人出于宗教思想天堂和神，却不思想如罪的邪恶，他就继续处在第一个状态。但当他开始思想存在罪这种东西时，尤其当他在某种程度上在自己里面检查它，不想去做它时，就到达第二个状态，就是改造的状态。
人的第三个状态，就是重生的状态，接过并延续前一个状态。当一个人停止如罪的邪恶时，它就开始了，并随着这个人避开它们而发展，随着他与它们争战而完善。那时，他因靠主得胜，所以便重生了。对一个重生之人来说，他的整个生命秩序都翻转了；他从属世的变成属灵的，因为当属世之物与属灵之物分离时，它违反秩序，而属灵之物符合秩序。因此，重生之人出于仁爱行动，并使得这仁爱的元素也变成他信仰的一部分。然而，他只在处于真理的程度内变得属灵，因为人只有通过真理和照之的生活才能重生。他通过真理认识生活，通过生活实践真理，从而将良善和真理结合起来；这种结合就是属灵的婚姻，天堂便在这婚姻之中。
83. The reason no one can come into the kingdom of God unless he is born again is that, owing to the heredity he has from his parents, a person is born into evils of every kind, with the capacity for becoming spiritual by the moving aside of those evils; and unless he becomes spiritual, he cannot come into heaven. From being natural, to become spiritual, is to be reborn or regenerated.
For it to be known, however, how a person is regenerated, we must consider the following three stages: the nature of a person's first state, which is a state of damnation; the nature of his second state, which is a state of reformation; and the nature of his third state, which is the state of regeneration.
[2] A person's first state, which is a state of damnation, every person has owing to his heredity from his parents. For in consequence of it a person is born into a love of self and a love of the world, and from these as fountainheads into evils of every kind. The delights of these loves are the ones by which he is led, and the delights cause him not to know that he is caught up in evils, as no delight of any love is ever felt as anything other than good. Unless a person is regenerated, therefore, he knows no otherwise than that to love himself and the world above all else is goodness itself, and that to dominate over all others and to possess the wealth of all others is the highest good.
It is from this, too, that every evil springs, for the person looks upon no one else with love, but only himself, and if he does look upon another with love, it is as a devil regards a devil or as a thief regards a thief when the two are acting in concert.
[3] People who, from a delight in them, justify these loves to themselves and the evils flowing from them, remain natural and become carnally sensual; and in their personal thinking, which is that of their spirit, they are irrational. Still, however, as long as they are in the world they are able to speak and act rationally and wisely, for they are human beings and so have rationality and freedom. But this, too, they do out of their love of self and the world.
After death, when they become spirits, they are incapable of any other delight than that which they entertained in their spirit in the world; and that delight is the delight of a hellish love, which turns into something undelightful, painful, and dreadful, which is meant in the Word by torment 1and hell fire. 2
It is apparent from this that a person's first state is a state of damnation, and that those people are in that state who do not allow themselves to be regenerated.
[4] A person's second state, which is a state of reformation, occurs when he begins to think about heaven in terms of the joy there, and so about God, from whom the joy of heaven is possible for him. At first, however, he is moved to think about this by the delight of his self-love, the joy of heaven being to him that delight. But as long as the delight of that love reigns, together with the delights of the evils flowing from it, he is incapable of any other understanding than that the way to heaven is to pour out prayers, listen to sermons, participate in the Holy Supper, give to the poor, aid the needy, contribute money to churches, make donations to shelters, and other like things. A person in this state does not know any different than that simply to think about the things that religion teaches is saving, whether that is what is called faith, or is what is called faith and charity.
The person is incapable of any understanding other than that to think about these things is saving because he gives no thought to the evils by whose delights he is impelled, and as long as the delights of those evils remain, the evils, too, remain. The delights of those evils spring from a lust for them, which continually insinuates them, and also produces them when not restrained by some fear.
[5] As long as evils remain in the lusts and consequent delights of a love for them, there is no faith, charity, piety or worship except in merely outward expressions, which to the world seem real, and yet are not. They may be likened to waters issuing from a contaminated spring, which cannot be drunk.
As long as a person's character is such that he thinks about heaven and God in accordance with religion, and does not think of evils as being sins, he is still in the first state. But he comes into the second state or state of reformation when he begins to think that there is such a thing as sin, and still more when he thinks that this or that evil is a sin, and when he examines it somewhat in himself and does not will it.
[6] A person's third state, which is the state of regeneration, picks up and continues on from the prior state. It begins when a person desists from evils as being sins, progresses as he refrains from them, and is perfected as he fights against them; and as with the Lord's help he overcomes them, he is then regenerated.
In a person who is being regenerated, the order of his life is changed. From being natural he becomes spiritual. For when separated from the spiritual component, the natural one is contrary to order, while the spiritual one is in order. Consequently the regenerate person acts out of charity, and makes everything connected with his charity a part of his faith.
But still, he becomes spiritual only to the extent that he is governed by truths. For everyone is regenerated by means of truths and by a life in accordance with them. It is through truths, indeed, that he knows about that life, and through that life that he puts them into practice. Thus he joins together good and truth, which is the spiritual marriage governing heaven.
Footnotes:
1. See Luke 16:23-25; Revelation 14:10-11, 20:10. Cf. Job 19:2; Isaiah 50:11; Matthew 8:29, 25:46; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28; Revelation 9:5.
1. See Matthew 5:22, 18:9; Mark 9:47. Cf. Matthew 3:12, 13:42, 50, 25:41; Mark 9:43, 45; Revelation 14:10, 20:10, 14-15.
83. The reason no one can enter heaven without being born again is that we are involved in all kinds of evil through what we inherit from our parents; we also inherit an ability to become spiritual by the removal of those evils. Unless we do become spiritual, we cannot enter heaven; and changing from being earthly to being spiritual is being reborn or regenerated.
If we are to understand how we are regenerated, though, we need to keep three things in mind, namely, the nature of our first state, a state of damnation; the nature of our second state, a state of reformation; and the nature of our third state, a state of regeneration.
[2] Our first state, the state of damnation, is the one we get from our parents by heredity. Each of us is born with a predilection to love ourselves and the world, and subject to all kinds of evil that have these forms of love as their wellspring. It is the pleasures of these loves that guide us; and they render us unaware of our involvement in evils. This is because every pleasure that stems from love simply feels good to us. Unless we are regenerated, then, all we know is that loving ourselves and the world more than anything else is goodness itself, and dominating others and possessing all their wealth is the greatest good there is.
This, too, is where all evil comes from, since we do not focus on anyone but ourselves out of love. If we do focus on someone else out of love, it is the way one demon focuses on another or one thief on another when they are cooperating.
[3] If we justify these loves within ourselves and the evils that spring from them because of the pleasure they give us, then we remain bound by the material world and become imprisoned in our physical senses. In our own thinking, the thinking of our spirits, we are insane. As long as we are in this world, though, we can talk and act rationally and wisely, because we are human and therefore have rationality and freedom. However, we are doing all this out of our love for ourselves and the world.
After death, when we become spirits, we are capable of no pleasure except that which we felt in our spirits in this world. This is the pleasure of hellish love, which turns into the profound and agonizing pain that the Word refers to as the torment and fire of hell. We can see from this that our first state is one of damnation, and that we are in this state if we do not let ourselves be regenerated.
[4] Our second state, the state of reformation, starts when we begin to think about heaven in terms of its joy and therefore to think about God as the one who gives us heavenly joy. At first our thinking is prompted by the pleasure we find in self-love, and heavenly joy is that kind of pleasure for us. As long as the pleasure from that love and the pleasure we find in the evils that arise from it are in control, though, we can only think that we get to heaven by pouring out prayers, listening to sermons, taking communion, giving to the poor and helping the needy, contributing to churches, supporting hospices, and the like. In this state, all we know is that salvation comes by thinking about what our religion teaches us, whether that is what we call faith or whether it is what we call faith and charity.
The reason we are totally convinced that thinking about these things saves us is that we are not thinking about the evils that give us pleasure, and as long as these pleasures are with us, so are the evils themselves. Their pleasures come from our impulses toward them, impulses that constantly crave them and make them happen whenever some fear does not prevent it.
[5] As long as these evils stay in the compulsions of our love and their pleasures, the only faith or charity or devotion or worship we have is on the surface. They seem to the world to be real, but they are not. We might compare them to waters from a polluted spring, waters that are undrinkable.
As long as our nature leads us to think about heaven and God as matters of religion and not to think at all about evils as sins, we are still in the first state. We reach the second state, the state of reformation, when we begin to think that there is such a thing as a sin, and especially when we identify some particular thing as a sin, and when we look into it in ourselves, even briefly, and do not want to do it.
[6] Our third state, the state of regeneration, picks up on this prior state and carries the process further. It begins when we stop doing wrong things because they are sins, advances as we abstain from them, and becomes complete as we fight against them. Then, as we overcome in the Lord's strength, we are regenerated.
When we are regenerated, the whole pattern of our life is inverted. We become spiritual instead of earthly, since what is earthly is contrary to the divine design when it is separated from what is spiritual, and what is spiritual is in keeping with the divine design. The result is that when we have been regenerated, we act out of thoughtfulness and make the elements of that thoughtfulness part of our faith.
Still, we are spiritual only to the extent that we are attentive to what is true, since everyone is regenerated by means of truths and through living by them. It is truths that enable us to know what life is, and life that enables us to practice truths. This is how goodness and truth are united in the spiritual marriage where we find heaven.
83. The reason why no one can come into the kingdom of God unless he has been born again is, that man by inheritance from his parents is born into evils of every kind, with the faculty of becoming spiritual by the removal of these evils; and unless he becomes spiritual he cannot come into heaven. From being natural to become spiritual is to be born again or regenerated. But in order that it may be known how man is regenerated these three things must be considered: the nature of his first state, which is a state of condemnation; the nature of his second state, which is a state of reformation; and the nature of his third state, which is a state of regeneration.
[2] Man's first state, which is a state of condemnation, everyone has by inheritance from his parents; for man is thereby born into the love of self and the love of the world, and from these as wellsprings, into evils of every kind. He is led by the delights of these loves, and these delights prevent him from knowing that he is in evils, for every delight of love is felt as good. Therefore, unless a man is regenerated, he knows no other than that to love himself and the world above all things is goodness itself; and that to rule over all, and to possess the wealth of all others, is the highest good. Moreover, this is the source of all evil; for a man regards no one but himself from love; and if he regards another from love, it is as a devil regards a devil, and as a thief regards a thief, when they act in common.
[3] Those who confirm in themselves these loves and the evils which flow from them, from the delight they have in them, remain natural and become sensually corporeal, and in their own thought, which is the thought of their spirit, they are insane (spiritually); still they are able, while in the world, to speak and to act rationally and wisely, because they are men, and therefore have rationality and liberty; but even this they do from the love of self and the world. When these men after death become spirits, they cannot have any other delight than that which they had in spirit while in the world; and that is the delight of infernal love, which turns to what is unpleasant, painful and direful, meant in the Word by torment and hell-fire. Hence it is clear that man's first state is a state of condemnation, and that they are in it who do not suffer themselves to be regenerated.
[4] Man's second state, which is a state of reformation, is that in which he begins to think about heaven on account of the joy there; and thus concerning God from whom the joy of heaven comes to him. At first such thoughts spring from the delight of self-love; for to him this delight is heavenly joy. But as long as the delight of this love reigns, together with the delight of the evils flowing from it, he cannot but understand that to go to heaven is to pour out prayers, listen to preachings, take part in the Holy Supper, give to the poor, help the needy, spend money on churches, make contributions to hospitals, and so on. A man in this state has no other idea than that he is saved merely by thinking about those things which religion teaches, whether it be about what is called faith, or about what is called faith and charity. He has no other idea than that he is saved merely by having those thoughts, because he gives no heed to the evils in which he takes delight; and as long as their delight remains, the evils also remain. The delights of evil spring from their lust, which continually breathes them forth and also brings them into being when no fear restrains.
[5] As long as evils remain in the lusts and consequently in the delights of their love, there is no faith, charity, piety, or worship, except in externals only, which to the world seem real, and yet are not. They may be compared to water issuing from an impure fountain, which no one can drink. As long as man is such that he thinks about heaven and about God from a principle of religion and not at all about evils as sins, he is still in the first state; but he comes into the second state, the state of reformation, when he begins to think that there is such a thing as sin; and still more when he thinks that this or that is a sin, and spends some little time in examining it in himself, and does not will it.
[6] Man's third state, which is a state of regeneration, follows upon and is a continuation of the former state. It begins when man desists from evils as sins, and it progresses as he shuns them, and it is perfected as he fights against them; and then, as he from the Lord conquers them, he is regenerated. With one who is regenerated the order of life is changed. From being natural he becomes spiritual; for when the natural is separated from the spiritual it is contrary to order, and the spiritual is according to order. Therefore the regenerate man acts from charity, and makes what belongs to his charity belong also to his faith. Yet he becomes spiritual only so far as he is in truths, for every man is regenerated by means of truths and a life according to them; because by means of truths he knows the life, and by means of the life he performs the truths. He thus unites good and truth, and this is the spiritual marriage in which is heaven.
83. No one can come into the kingdom of God unless he has been born again, for the reason that man by inheritance from his parents is born into evils of every kind, but with an ability to become spiritual by the removal of those evils; and unless he becomes spiritual he cannot come into heaven. From being natural to become spiritual is to be born again or regenerated. But to know how man is regenerated these three things must be considered: what his first state is, which is a state of damnation; what his second state is, which is a state of reformation, and what his third state is, which is a state of regeneration.
[2] Man's first state, which is a state of damnation, every one has by inheritance from his parents; for man is thereby born into the love of self and love of the world, and from these as fountains, into evils of every kind. It is by the enjoyments of these loves that he is led; and these enjoyments cause him not to know that he is in evils; for no enjoyment of a love is felt otherwise than as a good: consequently unless a man is regenerated he knows no otherwise than that to love himself and the world above all things is goodness itself; and to rule over all, and to possess the wealth of all, is the highest good. Moreover, this is the source of all evil; for a man then from love looks to no one but himself; or if from love he looks to another, it is as a devil looks to a devil, or a thief to a thief, when they act together.
[3] Those who, from the enjoyment of these loves confirm in themselves these loves and the evils flowing from them, remain natural and become corporeal-sensual, and in their own thought, which is the thought of their spirit, are insane. Nevertheless, while they remain in the world they are able to speak and act rationally and wisely, because they are men, and in consequence possess rationality and liberty; but even this they do from love of self and the world. After death, when they become spirits, they are incapable of any other enjoyment than that which they had in spirit while in the world; and that enjoyment is the enjoyment of infernal love, which is then turned into what is undelightful, painful, and terrible; and this is what is meant in the Word by torment and hell-fire. All this makes clear that man's first state is a state of damnation, and that those are in it who do not permit themselves to be regenerated.
[4] Man's second state, which is the state of reformation, is that in which he begins to think about heaven with reference to the joy of heaven, and from this about God, who is to him the source of heavenly joy. But at first this thought springs from the enjoyment of love of self, which enjoyment is to him heavenly joy. And as long as the enjoyment of that love reigns, together with the enjoyments of the evils that flow from it, he must needs think that he draws near to heaven by pouring out prayers, listening to preaching, going to the Holy Supper, giving to the poor, helping the needy, spending money on churches, contributing to hospitals, and so on. A man in this state knows no otherwise than that he is saved by mere thought about those things which religion teaches, whether it be what is called faith, or what is called faith and charity. He has no other idea than that he is saved by so thinking, because he gives no thought to the evils that he finds enjoyment in, and as long as their enjoyments remain the evils remain. The enjoyments of evil are from lust for them that continually inspires them, and also when no fear prevents, brings them forth.
[5] So long as evils continue in the lusts of their love, and the consequent enjoyments, there is no faith, charity, piety or worship except in mere externals, which to the world seem real, and yet are not. These may be compared to water issuing from an impure fountain, which no one can drink. Man continues in the first state as long as he thinks from religion about heaven and about God, and yet gives no thought to evils as sins; but he comes into the second state, or the state of reformation, when he begins to think that there is such a thing as sin; and still more when he thinks that this or that is a sin, and when he examines it in himself to some extent, and refrains from willing it.
[6] Man's third state, which is a state of regeneration, takes up and continues the former state. It begins when man refrains from evils as sins, and it progresses as he shuns them, and is perfected as he fights against them; and as he from the Lord conquers them he is regenerated. With one who is regenerated the order of life is reversed; from being natural he becomes spiritual; for when the natural is separated from the spiritual it is contrary to order, while the spiritual is in accordance with order. Consequently the regenerate man acts from charity; and whatever belongs to his charity he makes to be of his faith also. Yet he becomes spiritual only so far as he is in truths; for man is regenerated only by means of truths and a life in accordance with them; for by means of truths he knows what life is, and by means of the life he does the truths, and thus he conjoins good and truth, which is the spiritual marriage in which heaven is.
83. Causa quod nemo venire possit in Regnum Dei, nisi denuo generatus sit, est quia homo ex haereditario a parentibus nascitur in omnis generis mala, cum facultate quod per remotionem malorum istorum possit fieri spiritualis, et nisi fiat spiritualis, non potest venire in coelum; a naturali fieri spiritualis est renasci seu regenerari. Ut autem sciatur, quomodo homo regeneratur, haec tria consideranda sunt; qualis ejus status primus est, qui est status damnationis; qualis ejus status secundus est, qui est status reformationis; et qualis ejus status tertius est, qui est status regenerationis.
[2] Status hominis primus, qui est status damnationis, est cuivis homini ex haereditario a parentibus, homo enim nascitur inde in amorem sui et in amorem mundi, et ex his ut fontibus in mala omnis generis; jucunda illorum amorum sunt ex quibus ducitur, et jucunda faciunt, ut nesciat quod in malis sit; omne enim jucundum amoris non sentitur aliter quam sicut 1bonum; quare etiam homo nisi regeneratur non scit aliter quam quod se et mundum amare super omnia, sit ipsum bonum, et quod dominari super omnes, et possidere omnium aliorum opes, sit summum bonum: inde etiam est omne malum, nam nullum alium spectat ex amore, quam se solum, et si spectat alium ex amore, est sicut diabolus diabolum, ac sicut fur furem, quando unum agunt.
[3] Illi qui istos amores, ac mala ex illis scaturientia, ex jucundo illorum apud se confirmant, manent naturales et fiunt sensuales corporei; ac in propria cogitatione, quae est spiritus eorum, insaniunt; sed usque possunt, dum in mundo sunt, rationaliter et sapienter loqui et agere, sunt enim homines, et inde illis rationalitas et libertas, sed quoque id faciunt ex amore sui et mundi. Hi post mortem, cum fiunt spiritus, non possunt aliud jucundum habere, quam illud quod in spiritu suo habuerunt in mundo, et id jucundum est jucundum amoris infernalis, quod vertitur in injucundum, dolorificum et dirum, quod in Verbo intelligitur per cruciatum et ignem infernalem. Ex his patet, quod primus status hominis sit status damnationis; et quod in illo sint, qui non patiuntur se regenerari.
[4] Status hominis secundus, qui est status reformationis, est cum homo incipit cogitare de Coelo ex gaudio ibi, et sic de Deo, a quo illi coeli gaudium; sed hoc cogitat primum ex jucundo amoris sui; gaudium coeli est illi id jucundum; sed quamdiu jucundum illius amoris, una cum jucundis malorum inde scaturientium, regnat, non potest aliud intelligere, quam quod ad coelum venire sit fundere preces, auscultare praedicationes, obire sanctam Coenam, dare pauperibus, opitulari egenis, impendere templis, conferre spartas xenodochiis, 2et similia alia; homo in hoc statu nec scit aliter, quam quod solum cogitare illa quae religio docet, salvet, sive sit id quod vocatur fides, sive id quod vocatur fides et charitas: quod non aliter intelligat, quam quod illa cogitare, salvet, est quia nihil cogitat de malis, in quorum jucundis est, et quamdiu jucunda illorum remanent, etiam mala remanent; jucunda illorum sunt ex concupiscentia illorum, quae continue spirat illa, et quoque producit illa, dum non aliquis timor detinet.
[5] Quamdiu mala in illorum amoris concupiscentiis et inde jucundis manent, non est aliqua fides, charitas, pietas, cultus, nisi solum in externis, quae apparent coram mundo sicut sint, sed usque non sunt: comparari possunt aquis ex impuro fonte emanantibus, quae bibi non possunt. Quamdiu homo talis est, ut cogitet de Coelo et de Deo ex religione, et nihil de malis ut peccatis, est adhuc in statu primo: at in statum secundum seu reformationis venit, dum incipit cogitare quod peccatum sit, et magis quod hoc et illud peccatum sit, et cum aliquantisper explorat id apud se, et non vult illud.
[6] Status hominis 3tertius, qui est status regenerationis, excipit, et continuatur statui priori; inchoat cum homo desistit a malis ut peccatis, et progreditur sicut fugit illa, ac perficitur sicut pugnat contra illa, et tunc sicut vincit ex Domino, regeneratus est. Apud illum, qui regeneratur, vertitur ordo vitae; fit a naturali spiritualis, nam naturale separatum a spirituali est contra ordinem, et spirituale est secundum ordinem; quare 4homo regeneratus agit ex charitate, et illud fidei suae facit quod ejus charitatis est. Sed usque non fit plus spiritualis, quam quantum in veris est; nam omnis homo per vera, et per vitam secundum illa, regeneratur; per vera enim scit vitam, et per vitam facit illa; ita conjungit bonum et verum, quod est conjugium spirituale, in quo est coelum.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: sicnt
2 Prima editio: xenodoxiis,
3 Prima editio: bominis
4 Prima editio: qnare