399、(1)爱或意愿正是人的生命。这一点从心与意愿的对应关系可以推知(378-381节)。因为心如何在身体里面起作用,意愿就如何在心智里面起作用。此外,身体的一切,其存在和动作如何依赖于心脏,心智的一切,其存在和生命就如何依赖于意愿。我们所说的依赖于意愿,其实是指依赖于爱,因为意愿是接受爱的容器,爱是生命本身(参看1-3节);爱,也就是生命本身,唯独来自主。从心脏和它通过动静脉延伸到全身可以看出,爱或意愿是一个人的生命,因为相互对应的事物功能相似,不同之处在于:一个是属世的,一个是属灵的。
从解剖学的研究明显可知心脏如何在身体里面起作用,例如:凡心脏通过它所发出的血管起作用的地方,一切事物都富有生命,或顺应生命;但心脏通过它的血管不起作用的地方,一切事物都没有生命。此外,心脏是在身体里面发挥功能的最初和最后的器官。从胎儿身上清楚看出,它是最初的器官;从将死的人身上清楚看出,它是最后的器官;从窒息和昏厥的情形清楚看出,没有肺脏的配合,心脏也能发挥功能。由此可见,身体的辅助生命如何唯独依赖于心脏,心智的生命就如何唯独依赖于意愿;并且即便思维停止,意愿也会继续存活,就像即便呼吸停止,心脏也会继续存活一样。这一点也可从胎儿、将死的人、窒息和昏厥的情形明显看出来。由此可知,爱或意愿正是人的生命。
399, 1. Love, or volition, is our essential life. This follows from the responsive relationship between the heart and our volition discussed in 378-381 above; for our volition acts in our mind the same way our heart acts in our body. Further, just as everything in the body depends on the heart for its origin and for its motion, everything in the mind depends on volition for its origin and its life. By "volition" I mean "love," since volition is the vessel of love and love is the essence of life (see 1-3 above). The love that is the essence of life, further, comes from the Lord alone.
By looking at the heart and its extension in the body through arteries and veins, we can learn that love or volition is our life. This is because things that correspond to each other act in the same way, the only difference being that one is physical and the other spiritual.
The science of anatomy shows us how the heart acts in the body. It shows us, for example, that everything is alive or responsive to life where the heart is at work through the channels it extends from itself, and that everything is not alive where the heart is not at work through its channels. It shows further that the heart is both the first and last thing that acts in the body. We can tell that it is first by looking at embryos, and that it is last by looking at the dying. We can tell that it acts separately from the lungs by looking at people who have suffocated or fainted. This enables us to see that the life of the mind depends entirely on volition just the way the life that supports the body depends entirely on the heart and that our volition remains alive even when thought ceases, just the way the heart does when breathing ceases. This too we can see in embryos, in the dying, and in people who have suffocated or fainted.
It follows from all this that love or volition is our very life.
399. (1) Love or the will is a person's very life. This follows from the correspondence of the heart with the will, as discussed in nos. 378-381 above; for as the heart functions in the body, so the will does in the mind. Moreover, as all the constituents of the body depend for their existence and motion on the heart, so all the constituents of the mind depend for their existence and life on the will. We say on the will, but we mean on love, because the will is the recipient vessel of love, and love is life itself (see nos. 1-3 above), and love which is life itself comes from the Lord alone.
It can be known from the heart and its extension throughout the body by means of the arteries and veins that love or the will is a person's life, because things that correspond to each other function similarly, with the difference that one is natural and the other spiritual.
[2] How the heart functions in the body is apparent from the study of anatomy, as for example, that everything is alive or is responsive to life where the heart operates through vessels issuing from it, and that everything is lifeless where the heart does not operate through its vessels. Moreover, the heart is also the first and last organ to function in the body. Its being the first is clear from fetuses, and its being the last is clear from people dying; and that it functions without the concomitant operation of the lungs is clear from cases of suffocation and fainting.
It can be seen from this that as the subsidiary life of the body depends on the heart alone, so likewise does the life of the mind depend on the will alone, and that the will likewise continues to live if thought ceases, as the heart does if respiration ceases - as is also apparent from fetuses, from people dying, and from cases of suffocation and fainting.
It follows from this that love or the will is a person's very life.
399. (i) Love or the will is man's very life. This follows from the correspondence of the heart with the will (see above,378-381). For as the heart acts in the body, so does the will in the mind; and as all things of the body, as to existence and motion, depend on the heart, so all things of the mind, as to existence and life, depend on the will. It is said "on the will," but this means on the love, because the will is the receptacle of love, and love is life itself (see above,1-3), and love which is life itself is from the Lord alone. By the heart and its extension into the body through arteries and veins it can be known that love or the will is man life, since those things which correspond to each other act in a similar manner, except that one is natural and the other spiritual. In what way the heart acts in the body is plain from anatomy. For instance, every thing is living or submissive to life where the heart acts through vessels sent out from itself: and everything is lifeless where the heart does not act through its vessels. Moreover, the heart is the first thing and the last thing that acts in the body. That it is the first is evident from embryos, and that it is the last is evident from the dying, and that it may act apart from the co-operation of the lungs is evident from cases of suffocation and of swooning. From this it can be seen that, as the subsidiary life of the body depends on the heart alone, so likewise the life of the mind depends on the will alone, and in the same way the will lives when thought has ceased, just as the heart does when breathing has ceased, as is also clear from embryos, the dying, and the cases of suffocation and swooning. From which it follows that love or the will is man's very life.
399. (1) Love or the will is man's very life. This follows from the correspondence of the heart with the will (considered above, n. 378-381). For as the heart acts in the body, so does the will act in the mind; and as all things of the body depend for existence and motion upon the heart, so do all things of the mind depend for existence and life upon the will. It is said, upon the will, but this means upon the love, because the will is the receptacle of love, and love is life itself (see above, n. 1-3), and love, which is life itself, is from the Lord alone. By the heart and its extension into the body through the arteries and veins it can be seen that love or the will is the life of man, for the reason that things that correspond to each other act in a like manner, except that one is natural and the other spiritual. How the heart acts in the body is evident from anatomy, which shows that wherever the heart acts by means of the vessels put forth from it, everything is alive or subservient to life; but where the heart by means of its vessels does not act, everything is lifeless. Moreover, the heart is the first and last thing to act in the body. That it is the first is evident from the fetus, and that it is the last is evident from the dying, and that it may act without the cooperation of the lungs is evident from cases of suffocation and swooning; from which it can be seen that the life of the mind depends solely upon the will, in the same way as the substitute life of the body depends on the heart alone; and that the will lives when thought ceases, in the same way as the heart lives when breathing ceases. This also is evident from the fetus, from the dying, and from cases of suffocation and swooning. From which it follows that love or the will is man's very life.
399. I. Quod Amor seu Voluntas sit ipsa vita hominis, sequitur a correspondentia cordis cum voluntate, de qua supra 378-381, nam sicut cor agit in corpore, ita voluntas in mente; et sicut omnia corporis pendent quoad existentiam et quoad motum a corde, ita omnia mentis quoad existentiam et quoad vitam a voluntate; dicitur a voluntate, sed intelligitur ab amore, quia voluntas est receptaculum amoris, et amor est ipsa vita, videatur supra 1-3; et amor qui est ipsa vita, est a Solo Domino. Quod ex corde et ejus expansione in corpus per arterias et venas, sciri possit quod amor seu voluntas sit vita hominis, est quia illa quae sibi correspondent similiter agunt, cum discrimine quod unum sit naturale et alterum spirituale. 1
[2] Quomodo Cor agit in corpore, patet ex anatomia, ut quod omne id vivat, aut in vitae obsequio sit, ubi cor per vasa a se emissa agit, et quod omne id non vivat, ubi cor per vasa sua non agit: et praeterea cor est primum et ultimum, quod in corpore agit; quod sit primum, constat ex embryonibus, et quod sit ultimum, constat ex morientibus, et quod absque cooperatione pulmonis agat, constat ex suffocatis, et ex deliquiis: inde videri potest, quod sicut vita corporis succenturiata pendet a solo corde, ita similiter vita mentis a sola voluntate, et quod voluntas similiter vivat cessante cogitatione, sicut cor cessante respiratione, ut quoque patet ex embryonibus, morientibus, suffocatis et deliquiis. Ex quibus sequitur, quod amor seu voluntas sit ipsa vita hominis.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: spitituale.