427# 今日人们之所以相信这些施惠善举乃是仁义本身的行为，也就是圣言中所谓“善行”所指之事，其原因在于：圣言屡屡以施予贫者、扶助匮乏者、眷顾寡妇与孤儿来描述仁义。然而，迄今人们尚未知晓：圣言在字义中所称述的，只是敬拜之外在事物，甚至是其最末端的事物；而由这些外在事物所意指的，乃是属灵之事，即内在之事。关于此点，可参见上文“论圣言”一章（193–209节）。
由此可见，圣言中所称的贫者、匮乏者、寡妇、孤儿，并非仅指字面上的这些人，而是指属灵意义上具有相应状态的人。关于“贫者”意指那些不具备真理与良善之知识的人，可参见《揭秘启示录》209节；关于“寡妇”意指那些缺乏真理、却仍渴求真理的人，可参见764节；其余亦依此类推。
427# 如今这些善举被认为是圣言中的善行或好行为所指的正当的仁爱行为，因为圣言经常将仁爱描述为救济穷人，帮助有需要的人，照顾寡妇和孤儿。但迄今为止，人们还不知道，圣言在字面上只提到敬拜的外在事物，甚至最外在的事物，而它们表示内在的属灵事物（可参看关于圣经那一章，TCR 193-209节）；在那里，很明显，穷人、困苦人、寡妇和孤儿不是指这些人，而是指那些属灵地如此的人。“穷人”是指那些没有真理和良善的知识的人（可参看《揭秘启示录》，209节），“寡妇”是指那些没有真理，却渴望真理的人（TCR 764节）；等等。
427. Nowadays, kindnesses like these are seen as the central acts of goodwill that are referred to in the Word as "good works. " The reason for this is that many times in the Word goodwill is characterized as giving to the poor, helping the needy, and taking care of widows and orphans. Up until now people have not known that the letter of the Word mentions only things that are external and are in fact the outermost aspects of worship; people have not realized that these external things have meanings that are spiritual and internal. On this last point, see the chapter above on Sacred Scripture (193-209). Those passages make it clear that mentions of the poor, needy, widows, and orphans in the Word do not [literally] refer to such people; they refer to people who are spiritually poor, needy, widowed, or orphaned. For "the poor" meaning people who have no concepts of goodness or truth, see Revelation Unveiled 209. For "widows" meaning people who have been separated from truths and yet long for them, see 764 there; and so on.
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427. Those kind acts are at the present time believed to be the proper deeds of charity meant in the Word by good deeds, because charity is in many passages described in the Word by giving to the poor, helping the needy, and taking care of widows and orphans. But up to now it has not been known that the Word in its literal meaning names only such things as form the external, in fact, the outermost aspects of worship, but uses them as a means of conveying spiritual or internal ideas. On this see above in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture (193-209). It will be clear from what is said there that when the poor, the needy, widows and orphans are mentioned, it is not they who are meant, but those who are spiritually like them. 'The poor' means those who lack the knowledge of truth and good: see Apocalypse Revealed 209. 'Widows' means those who lack truths, but still want them (Apocalypse Revealed 764), and so on.
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427. At this day these benefactions are believed to be those proper acts of charity that are meant in the Word by good works, because charity is often described in the Word as giving to the poor, helping the needy, and caring for widows and orphans. But hitherto it has not been known that the Word in its letter makes mention only of the outer things of worship, even the outermost things, and that these signify spiritual things, which are internal (as may be seen above, in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture, n. 193-209). From all this it is plain, that by the poor, the needy, the widows and orphans there mentioned, such persons are not meant, but those who are spiritually such. That the "poor" mean those who are without knowledges of truth and good, may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed (n. 209) and that "widows" mean those who are without truths and yet desire them (n. 764); and so on.
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427. At the present day those benefactions, which are meant in the Word by good works, are believed to be the proper deeds of charity, because charity is often described in the Word as giving to the poor, relieving the needy, and providing for widows and orphans. It has hitherto been unknown, however, that the Word in the Letter mentions only such things as form the external, indeed the outermost things of worship, while spiritual things, which are internal, are signified by them. This may be seen in the chapter on The Sacred Scripture, Nos. 193-209, where it is evident that by the poor, the needy, widows and orphans are meant such as are so spiritually. By the poor are meant those who have no knowledge of truth and good, as may be seen in The Apocalypse Revealed 209, and by widows those who are without truth and yet desire it, The Apocalypse Revealed 764, and so on.
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427. Quod Beneficia 1 illa hodie credantur propria Charitatis facta, quae in Verbo intelliguntur per bona opera, est causa, quia Charitas multoties in Verbo per dare pauperibus, opem ferre egenis, prospicere viduis et pupillis, describitur; sed hactenus ignoratum est, quod Verbum in litera nominet solum talia, quae externa, imo quae extrema cultus sunt, et quod spiritualia, quae interna, per illa intelligantur, de qua re videatur supra in Capite de SCRIPTURA SACRA 193 2 ad 209, ex quibus patet, quod per nominatos pauperes, egenos, viduas, pupillos, non illi ibi intelligantur, sed spiritualiter tales; quod per pauperes intelligantur qui non in cognitionibus veri et boni sunt, videatur APOCALYPSIS REVELATA, 209. Quod per viduas illi qui absque veris sunt, et usque desiderant vera, 764; et sic porro.
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