253. (iii) The character of the natural man in whom the spiritual degree has not been opened, but yet not closed up. The spiritual degree has not been opened, but yet not closed up in those who have led somewhat of a life of charity, and yet have known little of genuine truth. The reason is that this degree is opened by the conjunction of love and wisdom, or of heat with light; love alone or spiritual heat alone does not open it, nor does wisdom alone or spiritual light alone, but both in conjunction. Consequently, if genuine truths, out of which wisdom or light arises, are not known, love is not adequate to open that degree, but only keeps it in the possibility of being opened. This is what is understood by its not being closed up. This occurs just as in the vegetable kingdom in that heat alone does not impart vegetation to seeds and trees, but heat in conjunction with light effects this. It ought to be known that all truths are of spiritual light, and all goods are of spiritual heat, and that good opens the spiritual degree by means of truths; for good, by means of truths, effects use, and uses are the goods of love which derive their essence from the conjunction of good and truth. After death, the lot of those in whom the spiritual degree has not been opened, and yet not closed up, is that, because they are natural and not spiritual, they are in the lowest parts of heaven where they sometimes suffer hard things, or they are in some higher heaven in the boundaries, where they are, as it were, in the light of evening. For in heaven and in every society thereof, the light decreases from the middle to the boundaries, and those who are pre-eminent in Divine truths are in the middle, while those who are in few truths are in the boundaries. Those are in few truths who know nothing more from their religion than that there is a God, and that the Lord suffered for them, also that charity and faith are the essentials of the Church, and are not concerned to know what faith and charity are, when yet, faith in its essence is truth, and truth is manifold, and charity is all the work of employment which man does from the Lord. He does this from the Lord when he shuns evil as sins. It is exactly as was said above that the end is the all of the cause, and the effect the all of the end by means of the cause. The end is charity or good, the cause is faith or truth, while effects are good works or uses. From which it is clear that, from charity can no more be carried into works than the measure in which charity is conjoined with the truths of faith. Through these truths charity enters into works and qualifies them.