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.

7198. 'And also I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel' means their distress arising from conflict. This is clear from the meaning of 'the groaning' as distress arising from conflict; and from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those belonging to the spiritual Church, who are molested by falsities and therefore involved in conflict.