35. Man has two inherent powers of will and understanding. When the understanding is governed by the will they then constitute one mind and so one life; for what a person in that case wills and does he also thinks and intends. But when the understanding is at variance with the will, as it is with people who claim to have faith and yet live otherwise, then a mind previously one is split in two. One half seeks to transport itself into heaven, while the other inclines towards hell. And because the will is what accomplishes everything, the whole man would rush straight into hell unless the Lord took pity on him.

116. Verse 13 And the name of the second river is the Gihon, that which encompasses the whole land of Cush.

'The second river', which is called the Gihon, means the cognizance of all things that have to do with what is good and what is true, that is, with love and faith. 'The land of Cush' means the mind, or [mental] power. The mind consists of will and understanding. All that is said about the first river has reference to the will, and all that is said about this [second river] has reference to the understanding, to which the cognitions of good and of truth belong.