361. That every man has these two, will and understanding, and that they are distinct from one another, as are love and wisdom from one another, is known and yet not known in the world. It is known by common perception, and it is not known by thought, and still less from thought put into writing. For who does not know by common perception that will and understanding are two distinct things in man? Indeed, everyone perceives it when he hears, and possibly also says to another, "This man means well, but does not understand well; but the other man's understanding is good, but not his will. I like him whose understanding and will are both good, but I do not like him who understands well and wills wickedly." Yet when he thinks about the will and the understanding, he does not make them two and distinguish them, but confuses them, because his thought acts in common with the sight of the body. Still less does he perceive that will and understanding are two distinct things when he writes, since his thought then acts in common with the sensual, which is the man's proprium. Hence it is that some are able to think and speak clearly, yet cannot write well; this is common with the female sex. It is the same with many other things. Who does not know by common perception that the man who lives a good life is saved, and he who leads a bad life condemned? Also that a man whose life is good will enter the society of angels, and will see, hear, and speak there, just as man does? And that one who does what is just from justice, and what is right from rectitude, has a conscience? But if one gets away from common perception and submits these things to thought, one then does not know what conscience is; nor does one know that the soul can see, hear, and speak as man does, nor that goodness of life is anything else than giving to the poor. And if you write about such things from your thought, you confirm them by appearances and errors, and by words of sound but of no substance. This accounts for the fact that many learned men and great thinkers, especially among writers, have weakened and obscured, yea, have destroyed their common perception; while the simple see what is good and true more clearly than those who fancy themselves their superiors in wisdom. This common perception comes by influx from heaven and descends into the thought even to sight, but thought, separated from common perception, falls into the imagination, which comes from sight and man's proprium. That this is so, you may put to the test. Tell anyone in common perception something true, and he will see it; tell him that from God and in God we are, we live and are moved, and he will see it; tell him that God dwells with man in love and wisdom, he will see it; tell him further that the will is the receptacle of love, and the understanding the receptacle of wisdom, and explain it a little, he will see it; tell him that God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and he will see it; ask him what conscience is, and he will tell you. But say the same things to any learned man who has not thought from common perception, but from principles or ideas obtained from the world through sight, and he will not see. Then consider which is the wiser.