1189# “新郎和新妇的声音在你中间决不能再听见”表示没有出于良善与真理的结合的喜乐。这从“新郎”和“新妇”的含义清楚可知：“新郎”在至高意义上是指主；“新妇”在至高意义上是指教会。由于主从神性之爱的神性良善流入人，并在神性真理中与教会之人结合，所以“新郎和新妇”是指主与教会的结合，以及良善与真理的结合。由于一切属灵的喜乐都源于这种结合，所以可推知，“新郎和新妇的声音”表示由此而来的喜乐。此外，众天使从这结合中并照着它而拥有其一切智慧和聪明，从而拥有其一切喜乐和幸福。由于这就是“新郎和新妇的声音”的含义，所以在圣言的其它地方，“新郎和新妇”描述了天上的喜乐。如耶利米书：
我要把欢喜的声音和快乐的声音，新郎的声音和新妇的声音，磨石的声音和灯的声音从他们那里夺走。（耶利米书25:10）
同一先知书：看哪，我必使欢喜和快乐的声音、新郎的声音和新妇的声音从这地方止息了。（耶利米书16:9）
又：我必使欢喜的声音和快乐的声音，新郎的声音和新妇的声音从犹大城邑和耶路撒冷街上都止息了。（耶利米书7:34）
约珥书：让新郎从洞房出来，新妇从内室出来。（约珥书2:16）耶利米书：
然而，又是在这个地方，必听见有欢喜的声音和快乐的声音，新郎和新妇的声音，论到他们说，你们要称谢万军之耶和华。（耶利米书33:10–11）
在这些经文中，“新郎和新妇的声音”表示来自主与教会的结合，因而来自良善与真理的结合的欢喜与快乐，因为此处论述了教会的状态；经上也用了“欢喜和快乐”这些词，“欢喜”出于良善，“快乐”出于真理。因此，在以赛亚书：
我因耶和华欢喜，我的灵魂因我的神喜乐，好像新郎戴上华冠，又像新妇佩戴妆饰。（以赛亚书61:10）
“戴上华冠”是指披上智慧，“佩戴妆饰”是指用真理的知识。同一先知书：新郎怎样因新娘而喜乐，你的神也必怎样因你欢乐。（以赛亚书62:5）“新郎”在至高意义上是指主，“新妇”是指教会，这一点明显可见于福音书：当约翰的门徒求问禁食的事时，耶稣说，新郎和婚礼之子同在的时候，不能禁食；但日子将到，新郎要从他们当中被带走；那时候他们就要禁食了。（马太福音9:15;马可福音2:19,20;路加福音5:34–35）
此处主称自己为“新郎”，称教会之人为“婚礼之子”；“禁食”表示因缺乏真理和良善而哀悼。马太福音：
天国好比十个童女拿着灯，出去迎接新郎。（马太福音25:1–2等）此处“新郎”是指主，“童女”是指教会，“灯”表示信之真理。约翰福音：娶新妇的就是新郎，新郎的朋友站着听见他，就因新郎的声音欢欣喜乐。（约翰福音3:29）
施洗约翰的这些话是指着主说的，“新郎”是指主，“新妇”是指教会。“新妇”是指教会，这一点从启示录中的这些经文明显看出来：
我又看见圣城新耶路撒冷，预备好了，就如新妇妆饰整齐，等候丈夫。（启示录21:2）
“新耶路撒冷”是指新教会，
又：你来，我要将新妇，就是羔羊的妻，指给你看；他将耶路撒冷城指示我。（启示录21:9–10）
又：
灵和新妇都说，来；听见的人，就让他说，来。（启示录22:17）
“灵和新妇”表示在良善和真理方面的教会。（续）
由于对统治的爱和对财富的爱在基督教界普遍盛行，如今这些爱如此根深蒂固，以至于人们没有认识到它们使人误入歧途的力量，或说不知道它们必定使人误入歧途，所以重要的是要认识到它们的性质或品质。凡不因邪恶是罪而避开邪恶的人都会因这些爱而误入歧途；因为不如此避开邪恶的人不敬畏神，因而仍是属世的。由于对统治的爱和对财富的爱是属世人特有的爱，或说是它自己的爱，所以他不会以内在的承认看到，他里面的这些爱是何品质。他看不到它们的品质，除非他被改造，他只有通过与邪恶争战才能被改造。人们以为，改造是通过信实现的；但在人与邪恶争战之前，对神的信不会存在于他里面。当人以这种方式被改造时，光就从主经由天堂流入，并赋予他看见这些爱是何性质的情感和能力，使他看到它们在他里面是掌权的，还是服务的，因而看到它们在他里面是处于第一位，可以说构成头，还是处于第二位，可以说构成脚。它们若是掌权的，处于第一位，就会使人误入歧途，成为诅咒；但它们若是服务的，处于第二位，就不会使人误入歧途，而是成为祝福。
我可以郑重声明，所有对统治的爱在里面占据第一位的人内心都是魔鬼。从这爱所提供的快乐或满足就可以知道它，因为这种快乐或满足超越人生活中的其它一切快乐或满足。它不断从地狱中散发出来，这种散发物看上去就像大火炉中的火，并点燃那些没有得到主保护之人的心。主保护所有被改造的人。尽管如此，前者虽在地狱里，也被主引导，只是通过外在约束被引导，这些外在约束是对法律惩罚的惧怕，对丧失名声、荣誉、利益和这些所提供的乐趣的惧怕；主也通过世俗的奖赏引导这些人。祂无法把他们从地狱中领出来，因为对统治的爱不容许有内在约束，内在约束是对神的敬畏，对良善和真理的情感，这些是主引导所有愿意跟随祂上天堂，并在天堂里的人所用的方法。
1189. And the voice of the bridegroom, and of the bride, shall be heard in thee no more.- That this signifies no joy from the conjunction of good and truth, is evident from the signification of a bridegroom, as denoting, in the highest sense, the Lord; and from the signification of a bride, as denoting in the highest sense, the church. And because the Lord enters into man by influx from the Divine Good of Divine Love, and is conjoined to the man of the church in Divine Truth, therefore by bridegroom and bride is meant the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and also the conjunction of good with truth. As all spiritual joy springs from that conjunction, it follows, that by the voice of the bridegroom and the bride is signified joy therefrom. The angels also have all their wisdom and intelligence, and consequently all their joy and happiness, from and according to that conjunction. Because this is signified by the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride, therefore heavenly joy is described also by the bridegroom and bride in other parts of the Word.
As in Jeremiah:
"I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones, and the voice of the lamp" (25:10).
Again:
"Behold I will cause to cease out of this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" (16:9).
And again:
"I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" (7:34).
In Joel:
"Let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet" (2:16).
In Jeremiah:
"As yet shall be heard in this place the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, of them that say, confess ye Jehovah Zebaoth" (33:10, 11).
In these passages the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride signifies joy and gladness from the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and therefore from the conjunction of good and truth; for the subject there is the state of the church, and it is also said plainly, joy and gladness, joy from good and gladness from truth.
[2] Similarly in Isaiah:
"I will be glad in Jehovah, my soul shall exult in my God; as the bridegroom putteth on the mitre (eidaris), and as the bride adorneth herself with her vessels (vasis suis)" (61:10).
To put on the mitre is to put on wisdom, and to adorn herself with vessels, means with the knowledges of truth.
Again:
"As the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, thy God shall rejoice over thee" (62:5).
That the Lord is meant in the highest sense by the bridegroom, and the church by the bride, is evident in the Evangelists. When the disciples of John enquired concerning fasting, Jesus said,
"So long as the bridegroom is with them, the sons of the nuptials cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast" (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34, 35).
There the Lord calls Himself the bridegroom, and the men of the church the sons of the nuptials; fasting signifies mourning on account of a deficiency of truth and good.
In Matthew:
"The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom" (25:1, 2, and following verses).
There also the bridegroom means the Lord, the virgins mean the church, and the lamps the truths of faith.
In John:
"He who hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice" (3:29).
John the Baptist spoke these words concerning the Lord, He being meant by the bridegroom, and the church by the bride.
That the church is meant by the bride, is evident from the following passages in the Apocalypse:
"I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (21:2).
By the New Jerusalem is meant a new church.
Again:
"Come, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife; and he shewed me the city Jerusalem" (21:9, 10).
And again:
"The Spirit and the bride say Come, and he that heareth, let him say Come" (22:17).
By the spirit and the bride is signified the church as to good and as to truth.
[3] Continuation.- Since the love of rule and the love of wealth universally prevail in the Christian world, and these loves at the present day are so deeply inrooted, that their power of leading astray is not recognised, it is therefore of importance that their nature should be known. They lead every man astray who does not shun evils because they are sins; for he who does not shun evils on this ground does not fear God, and therefore remains natural. And because the loves proper to the natural man are the love of rule and the love of wealth, therefore he does not see with interior acknowledgment the quality of those loves in himself. He does not see it unless he is reformed, and he is reformed only by combat against evils. It is believed that reformation is effected by means of faith; but the faith of God does not exist in man previous to his combat against evils. When man is reformed in this way, then light enters by influx from the Lord through heaven imparting to him the affection and also the faculty to see what the nature of those loves is, whether they rule in him, or are subservient, thus whether they are in the first place, and form as it were the head, or are in the second place, and form as it were the feet. If they rule and are in the first place, they then lead astray, and become curses; if they are subservient and in the second place, then they do not lead astray, but become blessings.
[4] I can solemnly declare that all those with whom the love of rule occupies the first place, are inwardly devils. This love is known from the gratification that it affords, which surpasses every other in man's life. It is continually breathed forth from hell, and this exhalation appears like the fire of a great furnace, and it inflames the hearts of those men whom the Lord does not protect. The Lord protects all who are reformed. Still the Lord leads even the former, but it is in hell, though it is only by means of outward restraints, such as fear of the penalties of the law, fear for the loss of reputation, of honour, of gain, and of the pleasures which these afford; and also by means of rewards. He cannot lead them out of hell, because the love of rule does not admit of internal restraints, which are the fear of God, and the affections for good and truth, these being the means by which the Lord leads to heaven and in heaven all who follow.
1189. And the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in thee any more signifies no joy from the conjunction of good and truth. This is evident from the signification of "bridegroom," as being in the highest sense the Lord; also from the signification of "bride," as being in that sense the church; and as the Lord flows into man from the Divine good of the Divine love, and is conjoined to the man of the church in the Divine truth, so "bridegroom and bride" mean the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and also the conjunction of good with truth. Because all spiritual joy is from that conjunction, it follows that "the voice of the bridegroom and bride" signifies the joy therefrom. Moreover, the angels have all their wisdom and intelligence, and thus all their joy and happiness from that conjunction and according to it. As this is the signification of "the voice of bridegroom and bride," heavenly joy is described in other places in the Word by "bridegroom and bride." As in Jeremiah:
I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstone and the voice of the lamp (Jeremiah 25:10).
In the same:
Behold I cause to cease out of this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jeremiah 16:9).
In the same:
I will cause to cease out of the cities of Judah, and out of the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jeremiah 7:34).
In Joel:
Let the bridegroom go forth out of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet (Joel 2:16).
In Jeremiah:
Yet again shall be heard in this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, of them that say, Confess ye Jehovah of Hosts (Jeremiah 33:10-11).
In these passages, "the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" signify joy and gladness from the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and thus from the conjunction of good and truth, for the state of the church is here treated of; and the terms "joy and gladness" are also used, "joy" from good and "gladness" from truth.
[2] So in Isaiah:
I will rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall exult in my God, as the bridegroom putteth on a miter, and as the bride adorneth herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).
"To put on the miter" means to put on wisdom, and "to adorn herself with jewels" means with the knowledges of truth. In the same:
As the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee (Isaiah 62:5).
That the Lord is meant in the highest sense by the "bridegroom," and the church by the "bride, "' is evident in the Gospels:
When the disciples of John asked about fasting, Jesus said as long as the bridegroom is with them the sons of the nuptials cannot fast; but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; then shall they fast (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34-35).
Here the Lord calls Himself the "bridegroom" and the men of the church He calls "sons of the nuptials;" "to fast" signifies to mourn on account of the lack of truth and good. In Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-2).
Here the "bridegroom" means the Lord, and "virgins" mean the church, and "lamps" signify the truths of faith. In John:
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice (John 3:29).
John the Baptist said this of the Lord, who is meant by the "bridegroom," and the church is meant by the "bride." That the church is meant by the "bride" is evident from these passages in Revelation:
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2).
The "New Jerusalem" means the New Church. Again:
Come, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb; and he showed me the city Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-10).
And again:
The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and he that heareth, let him say, Come (Revelation 22:17).
"The Spirit and the bride" signify the church as to good and truth.
(Continuation)
[3] As the love of rule and the love of riches prevail universally in the Christian world, and these loves at this day are so deeply rooted that it is not known that they in any wise lead astray, it is important that their quality should be set forth. They lead every man astray who does not shun evils because they are sins; for he who does not thus shun evils does not fear God, and therefore remains natural. And as the love of ruling and the love of riches are the natural man's own loves, he does not see with any interior acknowledgment what the quality of those loves are in him. This he does not see unless he is reformed, and he can be reformed only by combat against evils. It is believed that he can be reformed by faith; but there can be no faith of God in man until he fights against evils. When man has thus been reformed light flows in from the Lord through heaven and gives him the affection of seeing and the ability to see what those loves are, and whether they rule or serve in him, thus whether they are in the first place in him and make as it were the head, or are in the second place and make as it were the feet. If they rule and are in the first place they lead astray and become curses; but if they serve and are in the second place they do not lead astray but become blessings.
[4] I can assert that all in whom the love of rule is in the first place are inwardly devils. This love is known from its delight, for it exceeds every other delight of the life of man. It is continually exhaled from hell, and the exhalation appears like the fire of a great furnace, kindling the hearts of men whom the Lord does not protect from it. The Lord protects all who are reformed. Nevertheless, the former although in hell, are led by the Lord but only by means of external bonds, which are fears on account of the penalties of the law and the loss of reputation, honor, gain, and consequently pleasures. He leads them also by means of worldly rewards. He cannot lead them out of hell because the love of rule does not admit of internal bonds, which are the fear of God and affections of good and truth, by means of which the Lord leads all who will follow Him to heaven and in heaven.
1189. "Et vox sponsi et sponsae non audietur in te amplius." - Quod significet quod non aliquod gaudium ex conjunctione boni et veri constat ex significatione "sponsi", quod in supremo sensu sit Dominus; et ex significatione "sponsae", quod in illo sensu sit ecclesia; et quia Dominus influit apud hominem ex Divino Bono Divini Amoris, et conjungitur homini ecclesiae in Divino Vero, inde per "sponsum et sponsam" intelligitur conjunctio Domini cum ecclesia, et quoque conjunctio boni cum vero. Quia omne gaudium spirituale est ex illa conjunctione, sequitur quod per "vocem sponsi et sponsae" significetur gaudium inde; est quoque angelis omnis sapientia et intelligentia ac inde gaudium et felicitas ex illa conjunctione, et secundum illam. Quia id per "vocem sponsi et sponsae" significatur, ideo gaudium caeleste in Verbo alibi etiam per "sponsum et sponsam" describitur:
– Ut apud Jeremiam,
"Abrogabo ex iis vocem gaudii et vocem laetitiae, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae, vocem molarum et vocem lucernae" (25:10);
apud eundem,
"Ecce Ego cessare faciam ex hoc loco.... vocem gaudii et vocem laetitiae, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae" (16:9);
apud eundem,
"Cessare faciam ex urbibus Jehudae, et ex plateis Hierosolymae vocem gaudii et vocem laetitiae, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae" (7:34);
apud Joelem,
"Exeat sponsus e thalamo suo, et sponsa e conclavi suo" (2:16);
apud Jeremiam,
"Adhuc audietur in loco hoc vox gaudii et vox laetitiae, ac vox sponsi et vox sponsae, dicentium, Confitemini Jehovae Zebaoth" (33:10, 11):
in his locis "vox sponsi et sponsae" significat gaudium et laetitiam ex conjunctione Domini cum ecclesia, et inde ex conjunctione boni et veri, nam ibi agitur de statu ecclesiae; et aperte quoque dicitur "gaudium et laetitia", "gaudium" ex bono, et "laetitia" ex vero.
[2] Similiter apud Esaiam,
"Laetabor in Jehovah, exultabit anima mea in Deo meo;.... sicut sponsus imponit cidarim, et sicut sponsa se ornat vasis suis" (61:10):
"imponere cidarim" est induere sapientiam, et "ornare se vasis" est cognitionibus veri.
Apud eundem,
"Sicut gaudium sponsi super sponsa, gaudebit super te Deus tuus" (62:5).
Quod Dominus in supremo sensu intelligatur per "sponsum", et ecclesia per "sponsam", patet apud Evangelistas,
Quaesiverunt discipuli Johannis de jejunio; respondit Jesus, Quamdiu cum illis est sponsus, non possunt filii nuptiarum jejunare: "venient dies quando auferretur ab iis sponsus, ..tunc jejunabunt" (Matthaeus 9:15; Marcus 2:19, 20; Luca 5:34, 35):
ibi Dominus Se vocat "sponsum", et homines ecclesiae vocat "filios nuptiarum"; per "jejunare" significatur lugere propter defectum veri et boni.
Apud Matthaeum
Regnum caelorum simile est decem virginibus, 1
quae accipientes lampadas suas exiverunt in occursum sponsi" (25:1, 2, seq.):
per "sponsum" etiam ibi intelligitur Dominus et per "virgines" intelligitur ecclesia, ac per "lampadas" significantur vera fidei.
Apud Johannem,
"Qui habet sponsam sponsus est; amicus autem sponsi est, qui stat et audit Ipsum, gaudio gaudet ob vocem sponsi" (3:29):
haec dixit Johannes Baptista de Domino, qui intelligitur per "sponsum", et ecclesia per "sponsam." Quod ecclesia intelligatur per "sponsam", constat ex his locis in Apocalypsi
"Vidi civitatem sanctam Hierosolymam novam, .... paratam sicut sponsam ornatam marito" (21:2);
per "novam Hierosolymam" intelligitur nova ecclesia. Alibi,
"Veni, ostendam tibi sponsam, Agni uxorem;.... et ostendit..civitatem..Hierosolymam" (21:9 [, 10]):
et alibi,
"Spiritus et sponsa dicunt, Veni; et qui audit, dicat, Veni" (22:17);
per "spiritum et sponsam" significatur ecclesia quoad bonum et quoad verum.
[3] (Continuatio.)
Quoniam in Christiano orbe universaliter regnat amor imperandi et amor divitiarum, et illi amores hodie tam alte irradicati sunt ut nesciatur quod usquam seducant, quare interest ut doceatur quales sunt. Seducunt omnem hominem qui non fugit mala quia peccata sunt; nam ille qui non ita fugit mala non timet Deum, quapropter manet naturalis; et quia naturalis hominis amores proprii sunt amor imperandi et amor divitiarum, ideo ille non videt cum agnitione interiore quales illi amores apud se sunt; non videt nisi reformetur, et unice reformatur per pugnam contra mala: creditur quod per fidem, sed fides Dei non prius est. Cum homo ita reformatus est, tunc lux a Domino per caelum influit, et dat ei affectionem et quoque facultatem videndi quales illi amores sunt, ac num dominantur apud illum aut num serviunt; ita num primo loco apud illum sunt, et faciunt sicut caput, aut num secundo loco sunt, et faciunt sicut pedes: si dominantur et primo loco sunt, tunc seducunt, et fiunt maledictiones; si 2
autem serviunt et secundo loco sunt, tunc non seducunt, et fiunt benedictiones.
[4] Asseverare possum quod omnes apud quos amor imperandi primo loco est, intus diaboli sint. Ille amor cognoscitur ex jucundo ejus, id enim excedit omne jucundum vitae hominum; exhalatur continue ex inferno, et exhalatio apparet sicut ignis fornacis magnae, ac incendit corda hominum quos Dominus non tutatur; Dominus tutatur omnes reformatos. Ducit usque illos Dominus, sed in inferno; at solum per vincula externa, quae sunt timores pro poenis legis, et pro jactura famae, honoris, lucri et voluptatum inde, tum per remunerationes in mundo; nec potest illos ex inferno educere, quia amor imperandi non admittit vincula interna, quae sunt timores Dei, et affectiones boni et veri, per quae Dominus ducit omnes qui sequuntur, ad caelum et in caelo.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.