1207# “敬拜坐宝座的神”表示对主的崇拜，主拥有天上地上的一切权柄。这从“敬拜”和“坐宝座的”的含义清楚可知：“敬拜”在此是指出于内心谦卑的崇拜；“坐宝座的”是指拥有天上地上权柄的，因为“宝座”当论及主时，是指整个天堂，以及那里的一切权柄。所指的，也是地上的一切权柄，因为天上的权柄和地上的权柄是不可分离的；事实上，灵界有天堂和地狱，不能与自然界分离；因此，天使和灵人不能与世人分离，因为他们是联系并结合在一起的。每个人，就其理解力的思维和意愿的情感而言，都在灵界，就在那里的社群中，因而一方面与天堂天使同在，另一方面与地狱灵同在。就其思维和情感而言，人就是一个灵；因此，当他死后成为一个灵时，就进入他在世时所在的那些社群。这清楚表明，既然主拥有天上的权柄，那么祂也拥有地上的权柄，这一个不能与那一个分离。在圣言中，无论此处还是别处，“神”都是指主，因为主拥有天上地上的一切权柄，如祂自己在圣言中所教导的；唯独祂是神。
（关于植物王国）（2）自然界本身是死的，被创造出来，是为了属灵之物能以服务于功用的形式披上它为衣，从而得以终止。自然和生命是两回事。自然界从这个世界的太阳那里获得它的开始，而生命从天堂太阳那里获得它的开始。世界的太阳是纯粹的火，天堂的太阳是纯粹的爱。从前者发出之物被称为自然，从后者发出之物被称为生命。从纯粹的火发出之物是死的，而从纯粹的爱发出之物是活的。这表明，自然界本身是死的。自然界作为衣服或遮盖物而服务于属灵之物，这一点从以下事实明显看出来，动物的灵魂，也就是属灵情感，披上世上的物质为衣；众所周知，它们的身体是物质的，人的身体也是物质的。
属灵之物之所以能披上物质为衣，是因为存在于自然界中的一切物体，无论它们属于大气，水，还是属于土地，就其每个粒子而言，都是由作为一个原因的属灵之物产生的结果；结果照着这一公理与原因行如一体，并与它完全一致，即：结果里面没有不存在于原因中的事物，或说结果里面的事物无不存在于原因中。但不同之处在于，原因是一种活的力量，因为它是属灵的，而结果是一种死的力量，因为它是属世的。这就是为何诸如与灵界的事物完全一致的那类事物存在于自然界中，或说自然界中存在诸如与存在于灵界中的物体完全一致的那类物体，又为何这两者能紧密结合在一起。这些就是说自然界被创造出来，是为了属灵之物能以服务于功用的形式披上它为衣的原因。
自然界被创造出来，是为了属灵之物能在它里面终止，这一点从前面所说的可推知，即：灵界的事物是原因，自然界的事物是结果，结果就是终止或极限。哪里有一个最初，或第一原则，哪里就必有一个最后或终端，无论在什么情况下；由于一切居间事物都从最初而共存于最后或终端，所以创造工作在终端或最后事物中是完美的。世界的太阳就是为这个目的而被造的，自然界通过这太阳被创造出来，最后水陆星球被创造出来，以便能有一切属灵之物可以终止于其中，创造止于其上的终端物质。其它目的是，创造的工作可以不断在那里固定并持久，这个结果是通过人类和动物的代代产生，以及植物的不断发芽生长实现的；一切事物都可以由此回到它们的第一源头，这个结果是通过人实现的。居间物共存于终端，这一点从这一公理：结果里面没有不存在于原因中的事物，或说结果里面的事物无不存在于原因中，因而从自最初到终端的原因和结果的连续性明显看出来。
1207. And they adored God who sitteth upon the throne.- That this signifies adoration of the Lord, who has all power in the heavens and on earth, is evident from the signification of adoring, as here denoting adoration from humiliation of heart; and from the signification of Him who sitteth upon the throne, as denoting Him who has all power in the heavens and on earth; for by a throne, when the Lord is spoken of, is meant the whole heaven, and also all power there. The reason why all power on earth is also meant, is, that power in the heavens cannot be separated from power on earth. For the spiritual world, in which are the heavens and hells, cannot be separated from the natural world; thus angels and spirits cannot be separated from men, being associated and conjoined with them. For every man, as to the thoughts of his understanding and the affections of his will, is in the spiritual world in the societies there, thus with angels of heaven on the one hand, and spirits of hell on the other, man being as to his thoughts and affections a spirit, therefore also after death, when he becomes a spirit, he enters into the societies in which he was when in the world. It is therefore evident, that since the Lord has power in the heavens, He has also power on earth, and that the one power cannot be separated from the other. The reason why God, here and elsewhere in the Word, means the Lord, is, that He has all power in the heavens and on earth, as He Himself teaches in the Word; for He is the only God.
[2] Continuation [concerning the Vegetable Kingdom].- 2. Nature in itself is dead, having been created in order that the Spiritual may be clothed by it with forms to serve for use, and thus be terminated.
Nature and life are two distinct things; nature deriving its beginning from the sun of the world, and life its beginning from the Sun of heaven. The sun of the world is pure fire, and the Sun of heaven pure love; that which proceeds from the former is called nature, but that which proceeds from the latter is called life. That which proceeds from pure fire is dead, but that which proceeds from pure love is living; therefore it is evident that nature in itself is dead. That nature serves as a covering for the Spiritual, is evident from the souls of beasts, for these are spiritual affections, clothed with materials in the world; it is well known that their bodies are material; and also the bodies of men.
[3] The reason why the Spiritual can be clothed by the material is, that all the objects which exist in nature, whether they belong to the atmosphere, to water, or to the earth are, as to every one of them, effects produced from the Spiritual as a cause. The effects again act as one with the cause, and are in complete agreement with it, according to the axiom, that nothing exists in the effect that is not in the cause. But the difference is, that the cause is a living force, because it is spiritual, while the effect derived from it is a dead force, because it is natural. From this it arises that there are in the natural world such objects as are in complete agreement with those which exist in the spiritual world, and that the former can be suitably conjoined with the latter. For this reason it is said that nature was created that the Spiritual might be clothed by it with forms to serve for use.
[4] That nature was created that the Spiritual might be terminated in it follows from what has been already said, that the objects in the spiritual world are causes, while those in the natural world are effects, and effects are limits. Where there is a first principle there will in all cases be an ultimate, and because in the ultimate everything intermediate co-exists from the first, the work of creation in ultimates is perfect. For this end the sun of the world was created, and by the sun, nature, and lastly the terraqueous globe, in order that there might be the ultimate materials in which all that is spiritual might terminate, and creation rest. Other ends were, that the work of creation might there be fixed and lasting - a result which is attained by the successive generations of men and animals, and the continual germinations of plants; and that all things should from them return to their First Source - a result brought about by means of man. That intermediates co-exist in ultimates is evident from the axiom, that there is nothing in the effect that is not in the cause, thus from the continuity of causes and effects from the First to the ultimate.
1207. And adored God who sitteth upon the throne, signifies adoration of the Lord, who has all power in the heavens and on the earth. This is evident from the signification of "adoring," as being here adoration from humiliation of heart; also from the signification of "who sitteth upon the throne," as being who has power in the heavens and on the earth, for "the throne" means in reference to the Lord the whole heaven and also all power there. All power on the earth is also meant because power in the heavens cannot be separated from power on the earth; for the spiritual world, in which are the heavens and the hells, cannot be separated from the natural world; thus angels and spirits cannot be separated from men, for they are consociated and conjoined; for as to the thoughts of his understanding and the affections of his will every man is in the spiritual world, in the societies there, thus with angels of heaven on the one hand or with spirits of hell on the other. For as to his thoughts and affections man is a spirit; consequently after death, when he becomes a spirit, he comes into the societies in which he was while in the world. This makes clear that since the Lord has power in the heavens He has power also on the earth, and that the one cannot be separated from the other. By "God" here and elsewhere in the Word, the Lord is meant, because He has all power in the heavens and on the earth, as He Himself teaches in the Word, for He alone is God.
(Continuation)
[2] 2. Nature in itself is dead, being created in order that the spiritual may be clothed by it with forms that may serve for use, and thus may be terminated. Nature and life are two distinct things. Nature has its beginning from the sun of this world, and life has its beginning from the sun of heaven. The sun of the world is pure fire, and the sun of heaven is pure love. That which proceeds from the sun that is pure fire is called nature; and that which proceeds from the sun that is pure love is called life. That which proceeds from pure fire is dead, but that which proceeds from pure love is living. This shows that nature in itself is dead. That nature is serviceable in clothing the spiritual is manifest from the fact that the souls of beasts, which are spiritual affections, are clothed with materials that exist in the world. That their bodies, as well as the bodies of men, are material, is well known.
[3] The spiritual can be clothed by the material, because all things that exist in the world of nature, atmospheric, aqueous, or earthy, as to every particle thereof, are effects produced by the spiritual as a cause, and the effects act as one with the cause and wholly in agreement with it, according to this axiom, that nothing exists in the effect that is not in the cause. But there is this difference, that the cause is a living force because it is spiritual, while the effect is a dead force because it is natural. This is the reason why such things exist in the natural world as wholly agree with those in the spiritual world, and why the two can be closely conjoined. And these are the reasons for saying that nature was created in order that by it the spiritual might be clothed with forms, that might serve for use.
[4] That nature was created in order that the spiritual might be terminated in it, follows from what has been said, that the things in the spiritual world are causes, and those in the natural world are effects. Effects are terminations. Where there is a first there must always be a last, and as everything intermediate from the first exists together in the last, the work of creation is perfected in things last. For this end the sun of the world was created, and nature by means of the sun, and finally the terraqueous globe, in order that there might be ultimate materials into which everything spiritual might close, and in which creation might subsist; also in order that the work of creation might continually persist and endure, which is effected through the generations of men and animals and the germinations of plants; also in order that all things might thus return to their First source, which is effected through man. That intermediates exist together in ultimates is evident from the axiom that there is nothing in the effect that is not in the cause, thus from a continuity of causes and effects from the First even to the ultimate.
1207. "Et adoraverunt Deum sedentem super throno." - Quod significet adorationem Domini, cui omnis potentia in caelis et in terris, constat ex significatione "adorare", quod hic sit adoratio ex humiliatione cordis; et ex significatione "sedentis super throno", quod sit cui potentia in caelis et in terris; per "thronum" enim, ubi de Domino, intelligitur universum caelum, et quoque omnis potentia ibi: quod etiam intelligatur omnis potentia in terris, est quia potentia in caelis a potentia in terris non separari potest; mundus enim spiritualis, in quo sunt caeli et inferni, non separari potest a mundo naturali; ita non possunt angeli et spiritus separari ab hominibus; sunt enim consociati et conjuncti; nam unusquisque homo quoad cogitationes intellectus sui, et quoad affectiones voluntatis suae, est in mundo spirituali in societatibus ibi, ita cum angelis caeli ab una parte, et cum spiritibus inferni ab altera: homo enim quoad cogitationes et affectiones suas est spiritus; quare etiam post mortem, dum fit spiritus, venit in societates in quibus fuit in mundo. Inde patet quod quia est Domino potentia in caelis, etiam sit potentia in terris, et quod una ab altera non separari possit. Quod per "Deum" hic et alibi in Verbo intelligatur Dominus, est quia Ipsi est omnis potestas in caelis et in terris, ut Ipse in Verbo docet; est enim solus Deus.
[2] (Continuatio [de Regno Vegetabili; hic de Viribus spiritualibus et de Natura] .)
(2.) Quod Natura in se mortua sit, creata ut spirituali ab illa induatur formis quae inserviant usui, ac ut terminetur. – Natura et vita sunt duo distincta; Natura incohat a sole mundi, et vita incohat a Sole caeli. Sol mundi est purus ignis, et Sol caeli est purus amor. Quod procedit a sole qui est purus ignis, hoc vocatur Natura; et quod procedit a Sole qui est purus amor, hoc vocatur vita: quod procedit a puro igne, hoc mortuum est; quod autem procedit ex puro amore, hoc vivum est: inde patet quod Natura in se mortua sit. Quod Natura inserviat pro induendo spirituali, patet ex animabus bestiarum, quae sunt affectiones spirituales, quod illae induantur a materialibus quae in mundo sunt: quod corpora illarum materialia sint, notum est; similiter corpora hominum.
[3] Quod spirituale possit indui a materiali, est qua omnia quae in Natura mundi existunt, tam atmosphaerica quam aquea et terrea, quoad omnia individua illorum, sunt effectus producti a spirituali ut causa; ac effectus unum agunt cum causa, et prorsus concordant, secundum hoc axioma, quod nihil existat in effectu quod non est in causa: sed differentia est quod causa sit vis viva quia est spiritualis, at effectus inde est vis mortua quia est naturalis. Ex eo est, quod in naturali mundo dentur talia quae prorsus concordant cum illis quae in spirituali mundo sunt, et quod apte conjungi possint. Inde nunc est quod dicatur quod Natura creata sit ut spirituale ab illa induatur formis, quae inserviant usui.
[4] Quod Natura creata sit ut spirituale in illa terminetur, sequitur ex dictis, quod illa quae in spirituali mundo sunt causae sint, et quod illa quae in naturali mundo effectus sint; et effectus sunt termini: ultimum omnino erit, ubi primum; et quia in ultimo coexistit omne intermedium a primo, opus creationis in ultimis est perfectum. Propter illum finem sol mundi creatus est, et per solem Natura, ac ultimo globus terraqueus, ut ibi sint materiae ultimae in quas omne spirituale desinat, ac in quibus creatio subsistat; ob finem etiam ut creationis opus ibi continue perstet ac perennet, quod fit per generationes hominum et animalium, ac per egerminationes vegetabilium; et ob finem ut inde redeant omnia ad Primum a quo, quod fit per hominem. Quod intermedia in ultimis coexistant, patet ex axiomate quod nihil sit in effectu quod non est in causa, ita a continuitate causarum et effectuum a Primo usque ad ultimum.