TCR 587
. . . reformation takes place
through the understanding
or through the truths the understanding receives.
For truths teach the person
in whom and what he should believe,
and what he should do,
so what he should will.
For anything a person does is the result of
the will acting in accordance with the understanding.
. . . Since then a person's will is
of itself evil from birth,
and because it is the understanding
which teaches us what is evil and what is good,
and it is possible to will the one
and not will the other,
it follows that a person must be reformed
through the understanding.
So long as anyone sees
and mentally acknowledges
that evil is evil,
and good is good,
thinking that good ought to be chosen,
for so long is his state called reformation.
But when his will is to shun evil and do good,
that is when his state of regeneration begins.
TCR 588
The
purpose for which a person has been given
the ability to raise his understanding,
almost into the light enjoyed by the angels of heaven,
is so that he can see
what he ought to will and so do,
if he is to enjoy prosperity in the world
for the time being
and after death be blessed for ever.
He becomes prosperous and blessed
if he acquires wisdom,
and keeps his will obedient to it.
But he becomes unfortunate and wretched
if he makes his understanding obedient to his will.
The reason is that the will has from birth
a tendency to evils, even monstrous evils.
If therefore these are not
held in check by the understanding,
a person, if left to give free rein to his will,
would rush into villainy,
and his inborn savagery
would lead him to wreak havoc on and slaughter,
for selfish motives,
any who did not look kindly on him
and indulge his longings.
[2] Moreover, if the understanding
could not be perfected
separately,
and the will by its means,
a person would not be a person, but
an animal.
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