No one knows good from evil, but evil from good; for
evil is in darkness, whereas good is in light.
426. III. ADULTEROUS LOVE IS OPPOSED TO CONJUGIAL LOVE, AS THE NATURAL
MAN VIEWED IN HIMSELF IS OPPOSED TO THE SPIRITUAL MAN. That the natural
man and the spiritual are opposed to each other, so that the one does
not will what the other wills, yea, that they are at strife together, is
well known in the church; but still it has not heretofore been
explained. We will therefore shew what is the ground of discrimination
between the spiritual man and the natural, and what excites the latter
against the former. The natural man is that into which every one is
first introduced as he grows up, which is effected by sciences and
knowledges, and by rational principles of the understanding; but the
spiritual man is that into which he is introduced by the love of doing
uses, which love is also called charity: wherefore so far as any one is
in charity, so far he is spiritual; but so far as he is not in charity,
so far he is natural, even supposing him to be ever so quick-sighted in
genius, and wise in judgement.
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