978# 启16:7.“我又听见另一位从祭坛中说”表示来自主的属天国度的对主公义的传讲。这从“从祭坛中出来的天使”的含义清楚可知，“从祭坛中出来的天使”是指主的属天国度；因为“祭坛”表示神性良善方面的主，因而也表示处于神性良善的天堂；这个天堂，或这些天堂构成主的属天国度。“祭坛”表示神性良善方面的主(可参看AE391,490,915节)。“从祭坛中”说话的天使表示主的属天国度，因为第五节经文所描述的说话的“众水的天使”表示主的属灵国度(参看AE971节)。由于主的公义在此从天堂中传讲，而天堂由两个国度，即属灵国度和属天国度组成，所以才有来自每个国度的传讲；“众水的天使”是指一个国度，“祭坛的天使”是指另一个国度。
(关于第五诫续)以商人为例：只要他们不将非法所得和非法高利贷，以及欺诈和诡计视为罪，从而避之如罪，他们的作为就都是邪恶；因为这些作为不可能是从主而做的，而是从人自己而做的。他们越从内在擅长欺诈、狡猾和规避同伴，他们的作为就越邪恶。他们越擅长打着诚实、公义和虔诚的幌子将这些手段付诸实施，他们的作为还要更邪恶。一个商人越在这些事中感受到快乐，他的作为就越来源于地狱。但如果他行事诚实、公义，是为了获得名声，并通过名声获得财富，甚至似乎出于对诚实和公义的爱而行事，却不是出于对神性律法的情感或服从而行事诚实、公义，那么他内心仍不诚实和不公义，他的作为就是偷盗，因为他打着诚实和公义的幌子而寻求偷盗。
情况就是这样，这一点在死后会变得显而易见，那时人出于其内在意愿和爱，而不是出于外在意愿和爱行事；因为那时他只思想和策划狡猾的手段和抢劫，从那些诚实的人中退出，要么前往森林，要么前往荒漠，在那里沉迷于计谋。总之，这种商人都变成了强盗。而那些避开如罪的各种偷盗，尤其避开通过诡计和欺诈所实施的更内在、更隐蔽的那种偷盗的商人则不然。他们的作为都是良善，因为它们来自主；完成这些事或作为的来自天堂的流注，也就是经由天堂来自主的流注，被刚才所提到的邪恶拦阻了。对这些商人来说，财富不会造成伤害，因为对他们来说，财富是功用的手段。他们的贸易是他们用来服务国家和同胞的功用；他们通过自己的财富处于履行这些功用的状态，或说财富也能使他们履行这些功用，而对良善的情感把他们引向这些功用。
978. (Verse 7) And I heard another out of the altar saying. That this signifies the preaching of the Lord's justice from His celestial kingdom, is evident from the signification of the angel from the altar, as denoting the Lord's celestial kingdom; for by the altar is signified the Lord as to Divine Good, thus also the heaven which is in Divine Good; and this heaven, or those heavens, constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom. That the altar signifies the Lord as to Divine good may be seen (n. 391, 490, 915).
The reason why the angel speaking out of the altar signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom is, that by the angel of the waters speaking, treated of in the fifth verse, is meant the Lord's spiritual kingdom (concerning which see above, n. 971).
Because the Lord's justice is here preached from the heavens, and the heavens consist of two kingdoms - the spiritual and the celestial - therefore preaching is done from each kingdom; and one is meant by the angel of the waters, and the other by the angel of the altar.
Continuation concerning the Fifth Precept:-
[2] Take merchants also for example. Their works are all evil so long as they do not regard and thence do not shun unlawful gains and illicit usury, also fraud and cunning as sins; for such works cannot be done from the Lord, but from man himself. And their works are so much the worse as they are more interiorly skilled in knavery and cunning and in circumventing their companions. And their works are worse in the degree of their skill in effecting such things, under the pretence of sincerity, justice, and piety. The more pleasure a merchant finds in such things, the more do his works originate in hell. But if he acts sincerely and justly, in order to gain notoriety, and by this wealth, so as even to appear to act from the love of sincerity and justice, and does not act sincerely and justly from affection for or from obedience to the Divine law, he is nevertheless inwardly insincere and unjust, and his works are thefts. For, under the pretence of sincerity and justice, he desires to steal.
[3] That this is the case is clear after death, when a man acts from his interior will and love, and not from the exterior; for then he thinks and contrives nothing but cunning devices and robberies. And he withdraws himself from those who are sincere, and betakes himself either into forests or deserts, where he indulges in stratagems. In a word, all such become robbers.
It is different with those merchants who shun thefts of every kind as sins, especially the more interior and hidden kinds, which are carried out by acts of cunning and deceit. Their works are all good, because they are from the Lord; for the influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, which affects these things, is not intercepted by the evils mentioned above.
To such, riches do no hurt, because they are to them means for uses. Uses are their tradings, by which they serve their country and their fellow-citizens. They are also enabled by riches to perform those uses to which the affection of good leads them.
978. Verse 7 (391, 490, 915.) The angel speaking "out of the altar" signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom, because "the angel of the waters" speaking, described in the fifth verse, means the Lord's spiritual kingdom (See above, n. 971). As the Lord's justice is here preached from the heavens, and as the heavens consist of two kingdoms, namely, the spiritual and the celestial, therefore there is preaching from each kingdom; and one is meant by "the angel of the waters," and the other by "the angel of the altar."
(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)
[2] Take merchants as an example: All their works are evil works so long as they do not regard as sins, and thus shun as sins illegitimate gains and unlawful usury, also fraud and craft; for such works cannot be done from the Lord, but are done from man himself. And the more expert they are in skillfully and artfully contriving devices from within for overreaching their companions the more evil are their works. And the more expert they are in bringing such devices into effect under the pretense of sincerity, justice, and piety, the more evil still are their works. The more delight a merchant feels in such things the more do his works have their origin in hell. But if he acts sincerely and justly in order to acquire reputation, and wealth through reputation, even so as to seem to act from a love of sincerity and justice, and yet does not act sincerely and justly from affection for the Divine law or from obedience to it, he is still inwardly insincere and unjust, and his works are thefts, for through a pretense of sincerity and justice he seeks to steal.
[3] That this is so becomes evident after death, when man acts from his interior will and love, and not from the exterior; for then he thinks about and devises nothing but sharp practices and robberies, and withdraws himself from those who are sincere, and betakes himself either to forests or deserts, where he devotes himself to stratagems. In a word, all such become robbers. But it is otherwise with merchants who shun as sins thefts of every kind, especially the more interior and hidden, which are effected by craft and deceit. All their works are good, because they are from the Lord; for the influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, for accomplishing such works is not intercepted by the evils just mentioned. To these, riches do no harm, because to them riches are means for uses. Their tradings are the uses by which they serve their country and their fellow-citizens; and through their riches they are in a condition to perform those uses to which the affection of good leads them.
978. [Vers. 7.] "Et audivi alium ex altari dicentem." - Quod significet praedicationem justitiae Domini e regno Ipsius caelesti, constat ex significatione "angeli ex altari", quod sit regnum caeleste Domini; per "altare" enim significatur Dominus quoad Divinum Bonum, ita quoque caelum quod in Divino Bono est; hoc caelum, seu illi caeli, constituunt regnum caeleste Domini.
(Quod "altare" significet Dominum quoad Divinum Bonum [videatur supra] , n. 391, 490, 915.) Quod "angelus loquens ex altari" significet regnum caeleste Domini, est quia per "angelum aquarum" loquentem, (de quo in versu 5, ) intelligitur regnum spirituale Domini (de quo supra, n. 971). Quia hic e caelis praedicatur justitia Domini, ac caeli ex binis regnis, nempe spirituali et caelesti, consistunt, ideo ex utroque regno fit praedicatio, ac unum per "angelum aquarum", et alterum per "angelum altaris", intelligitur.
[2] (Continuatio de Quinto Praecepto.)
Sint etiam in exemplum Mercatores:-Illorum opera sunt omnia mala, quamdiu non lucrationes illegitimas et faenerationes illicitas, ac fraudes et astus, non spectant et inde non fugiunt ut peccata: nam talia non possunt ex Domino, sed ex ipso homine fieri: ac opera illorum eo pejora sunt, quo sciunt captiosa ab interno callidius et vafrius componere, et socios circumducere: et opera adhuc pejora sunt, quo sciunt talia sub fallacia sinceritatis, justitiae et pietatis in effectum producere. Mercator quo plus jucundi in talibus percipit, eo plus ducitur origo operum ejus ex inferno. Si autem sincerum et justum agit ad lucrandum famam, et per famam opes, usque adeo ut appareat sicut ex amore sinceritatis et justitiae ageret, et non sincerum et justum agit ex affectione seu ex obedientia legis Divinae, is usque interius insincerus et injustus est, et opera ejus sunt furta; nam per fallaciam sinceritatis et justitiae vult furari.
[3] Quod ita sit, manifestatur post mortem, quando homo ex interiore sua voluntate et suo amore agit, et non ab exteriore; tunc non nisi quam fabricas et latrocinia cogitat et molitur, ac se subducit a sinceris, et se confert vel in silvas vel in deserta, ac studet insidiis; verbo, fiunt praedones. Aliter vero mercatores qui omnis generis furta, imprimis interiora et occultiora, quae fiunt per astutias et dolos, ut peccata fugiunt; illorum opera sunt omnia bona, quia sunt a Domino; influxus enim e caelo, hoc est, per caelum a Domino, ad operandum illa, a malis supradictis non interceptus est. His nihil nocent divitiae, quia divitiae illis sunt media ad usus; usus illis sunt negotia, per quae inserviunt patriae et concivibus; sunt etiam per divitias in statu faciendi usus, ad quos affectio boni illos ducit.