546# “惟独要伤害额上没有神印记的人”表示只可伤害那些没有处于来自主、源于良善的真理之人对真理的理解和对良善的感知。这从“人”和“额上有神印记”的含义清楚可知:“人”是指对真理的情感,以及由此而来的聪明和智慧(参看AE 280节),在此是指对真理的理解和对良善的感知(对此,我们很快就会谈到);“额上有神印记”是指处于来自主、源于良善的真理(参看AE 427节)。
“人”表示对真理的理解和对良善的感知,因为一个人正是凭这些而为人;因此,当圣言提到“人”时,它在灵义上表示人凭它们而为人,因为这是他的属灵部分。人拥有两种官能构成他的整个生命,即理解力和意愿。因此,理解力和意愿的品质如何,这个人就如何。他若拥有对真理的理解和对良善的意愿,就是一个真正的人,因为真理和良善来自主,人唯独从主那里而为人,这一点可从《天堂与地狱》(59–102节)的说明清楚看出来。但他若没有对真理的理解和对良善的意愿,而是有取代真理的虚假和取代良善的邪恶,诚然仍被称为一个人,但他却不是一个人,只在这一点上而为人,即:他拥有理解真理和感知良善的官能(在下文,我们会谈到这种能力)。由此可见,在圣言中,“人”表示诸如构成人的那类事物,在此表示对真理的理解和对良善的感知。
“人”在此表示对真理的理解和对良善的感知,这一点可从以下事实明显看出来:经上论到蝗虫说,它们可以伤害人,但不可伤害地上的草、青物和树木;“蝗虫”表示被称为感官层的人生命的终端。当人阅读或聆听圣言,而这感官层处于虚假的说服时,它仍不会伤害或损害字义上的圣言的任何东西,因为这字义是供给感官-属世人,或属世-感官人的;他相信它,尽管他把它用来确认他的虚假;但它的确会伤害和损害对真理的理解和对良善的感知。因为感官人不能将他的思维提升到圣言字义之上,他若试图提升它,要么陷入虚假,要么他对圣言的说服性信仰灭亡。由此可知,“蝗虫不可伤害地上的草和任何青物,并任何树木;惟独要伤害额上没有神印记的人”这些话是什么意思。
546. Put those men only who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.- That this signifies that [they should hurt] only the understanding of truth and the perception of good, with those who are not in truths from good from the Lord, is evident from the signification of man, as denoting the affection of truth and thence intelligence and wisdom; see above (n. 280); but in the present case the understanding of truth and the perception of good, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of having the seal of God in their foreheads, as denoting to be in truths from good from the Lord; see above (n. 427).
[2] By man is signified the understanding of truth and the perception of good, because it is by means of these that a man is a man; when therefore man is mentioned in the Word, it means in the spiritual sense that, by means of which a man is a man, for this is his Spiritual. Man has two faculties in which all his life consists, understanding and will. As is the quality therefore of the understanding and will, such is the man; if he has the understanding of truth and the will of good, he is truly man, for truth and good are from the Lord, and it is from the Lord alone that man is man; as may appear from what is said, and shown in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 59-102); but if he has not the understanding of truth and the will of good, but in the place of truth, falsity, and in the place of good, evil, then indeed he is called man, but still he is not man, except from this fact only, that he has the power to understand truth, and perceive good. Of this power we shall speak in the following article.
From these considerations it is clear that men, in the Word, mean such things as constitute men, and, in the present case, the understanding of truth and the perception of good.
[3] That that understanding of truth and the perception of good are here meant by men, is evident from this fact, that it is said of the locusts, that they should hurt men, but not the grass of the earth, the green thing, and the trees; and by the locust is signified the ultimate of the life of man, which is called the Sensual. This, when it is in the persuasion of falsity, and reads or hears the Word, still does not hurt or injure any thing of the Word in the sense of the letter, this sense being for the natural-sensual man, which he therefore believes, although he applies it to confirm his falsities; but it hurts and injures the understanding of truth and the perception of good. For the sensual man cannot elevate his thought above the sense of the letter of the Word, and if he attempts to elevate it, he either falls into falsity, or his persuasive faith concerning the Word perishes. From these things, the meaning of these words that the locusts should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men who had not the seal of God in their foreheads, is evident.
546. But the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads, signifies but only to the understanding of truth and the perception of good in those who are not in truths from good from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "man," as being the affection of truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom (See above, n. 280), here the understanding of truth and the perception of good (of which presently); also from the signification of "having the seal of God on their foreheads," as being to be in truths from good from the Lord (See above, n. 427).
[2] "Man" signifies the understanding of truth and the perception of good, because it is by virtue of these that man is man, therefore when "man" is mentioned in the Word it means in the spiritual sense that by virtue of which man is man, for this is his spiritual [part]. Man has two faculties of which his whole life is made up, namely, understanding and will; therefore such as is the quality of his understanding and will such is the man. If he has the understanding of truth and the will of good he is truly a man, for truth and good are from the Lord, and it is from the Lord alone that man is man (as can be seen from what has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell 59-102). But if he has not the understanding of truth and the will of good, but falsity in the place of truth and evil in the place of good, he is still called a man, yet he is not a man except from this alone, that he has the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good (of which in the following article). From this it can be seen that in the Word by "men" such things as constitute them men are meant, and here the understanding of truth and the perception of good.
[3] That the understanding of truth and the perception of good are here meant by "men" can be seen from its being said that the locusts might "hurt men," but not "the grass of the earth, nor the green thing, nor the trees;" and a "locust" signifies the ultimate of man's life which is called the sensual; and when this, while man is reading or listening to the Word, is in the persuasion of falsity, it still does not hurt or do harm to anything of the Word in the sense of its letter, for this sense is for the sensual-natural man; he believes it, although he applies it to confirm his falsities; but it does hurt and do harm to the understanding of truth and the perception of good; for the sensual man is unable to raise his thought above the sense of the letter of the Word, and if he tries to do so he either falls into falsity or his persuasive faith respecting the Word perishes. From this it can now be known what is meant by these words, that the locusts should "not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but those men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads."
546. "Nisi homines solos, quicunque non haberent sigillum Dei in frontibus suis." - Quod significet quod modo intellectum veri et perceptionem boni apud illos qui non in veris ex bono a Domino sunt, constat ex significatione "hominis", quod sit affectio veri et inde intelligentia et sapientia (de qua supra, n. 280), hic intellectus veri et perceptio boni (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "sigillum Dei habere in frontibus", quod sit in veris ex bono esse a Domino (de qua supra, n. 427).
[2] Quod per "hominem" significetur intellectus veri et perceptio boni, est quia homo est homo ex illis; quare cum dicitur in Verbo "homo", in sensu spirituali intelligitur id ex quo homo est homo, hoc enim est spirituale ejus. Sunt homini binae facultates, in quibus omnis ejus vita consistit, intellectus et voluntas; qualis itaque est ei intellectus et voluntas, talis est homo. Si ei est intellectus veri et voluntas boni, est vere homo, nam verum et bonum sunt a Domino, et a Domino Solo est quod homo sit homo (ut constare potest ex illis quae in opere De Caelo et Inferno 59-102, ostensa sunt) at si ei non intellectus veri et voluntas boni est, sed loco veri falsum, et loco boni malum, tunc quidem vocatur homo, sed usque non est homo; nisi solum ex eo, quod ei facultas intelligendi verum et percipiendi bonum sit (de qua facultate in sequenti articulo). Ex his constare potest quod per "homines" in Verbo intelligantur illa ex quibus sunt homines; hic itaque intellectus veri et perceptio boni.
[3] Quod intellectus veri et perceptio boni hic per "homines" intelligantur, constare potest ex eo, quod dicatur de locustis quod "homines laederent", et "non gramen terrae, viride, et arbores", et per "locustam" significatur ultimum vitae hominis quod vocatur sensuale: hoc quando in persuasione falsi est, cum legit aut audit Verbum, usque non laedit seu damno afficit aliquid Verbi in sensu ejus litterae, nam hoc pro naturali sensuali homine est; hoc credit, tametsi applicat ad confirmandum sua falsa: sed laedit et damno afficit intellectum veri et perceptionem boni; nam sensualis homo non cogitationem suam Supra sensum litterae Verbi potest elevare; si conatur elevare, vel labitur in falsum, vel perit ei fides persuasiva de Verbo. Ex his nunc sciri potest quid intelligitur per illa verba, quod locustae "non laederent gramen terrae, nec ullum viride, neque ullam arborem, nisi homines Solos quicunque non haberent sigillum Dei in frontibus suis."