74# 第三段可供记述之灵中经历，其事如下。
我自远方望见大批灵众聚集，头上皆戴帽饰：一类人帽身环绕丝绸，属于教会阶层；一类人帽檐缀有金带，属于世俗阶层；此辈皆饱学通达之士。除此之外，我又见若干头戴冠冕式头饰者，皆是不曾研习圣道、心智浅陋之人。
我缓步趋近，听闻众人相互议论无拘束之神性权能。彼等言道：
“倘若神性权能必须依循既定秩序法度推行，便称不上无拘无束，反而是受限制之权能；如此仅能谓之权能，不能称作全能。
然则谁不能明白，并无任何法度之必然性，能逼迫全能只能如此施行、不能另取他途？
诚然，我等一边思索全能，一边又听闻全能需受制于秩序法度，心中向来对全能持有的认知便全然崩塌，一如手中拐杖骤然折断。”
【2】众人见我走近，有数人快步奔来，言语间满含激愤，开口言道：
“汝便是以法度如同锁链一般束缚上帝之人吗？此举何其狂妄！
汝这般说辞，也一并撕碎我等所持信仰；我等之救恩全然建立于此信仰之上。此信仰核心安放救赎主之公义，其上承载父上帝之全能，又将圣灵之运行视作附属，且将运行之果效归于人在一切属灵事理之中全然无力。于人而言，只需持守称义之完备足矣；这份完备，乃是因上帝之全能内藏于此信仰之内。
然我听闻，汝见此信仰内里虚空，因其全然不含出自人这一方的神性秩序。”
我听闻此番言语，便抬高声音开口言道：
“汝等当先研习神性秩序之法度，而后再审视自身所持信仰；届时便会看见一片广袤荒漠，荒漠之中盘踞一条蜿蜒狭长的利维坦，其周身缠绕层层罗网，打成无从拆解的死结。
汝等当效仿古籍所载亚历山大之举：他见戈耳狄俄斯之结，便拔剑将绳结一斩为二，由此解开缠绕，弃置于地，再以靴底踏碎所有绳线。”
【3】聚集的灵众听完这番话，暗自咬紧舌头，欲磨砺口舌吐出刻薄言辞，却终究不敢发作；盖彼等看见我上方天堂已然敞开，并有声音自天堂降下，言道：
“汝等当先静心聆听，何为秩序，全能之上帝行事皆依秩序之法度。”
那声音继续陈明：
“上帝以自身为秩序，于秩序之中、亦为成就秩序而创造整个宇宙；祂同样造人，并于人之内确立自身秩序之法度，人也由此成为上帝的形像与样式。
此等法度总括为二：人当信靠上帝，并爱人如己；人凭自身自然之力践行此二事至何等程度，自身便能成为容纳神性全能之器皿至何等程度，上帝亦会与此人联合，使人与祂相合至同等程度。
由是，人所持之信仰化为鲜活、能施行救赎之信仰；人所行之事则为仁义，亦是鲜活、能施行救赎之仁义。
然须知一事：上帝恒常临在，不息地在人内里动工、催人抉择，却绝不侵犯人的自由抉择；倘若人的自由抉择遭外力侵犯，人居于上帝之中的联结便会毁坏，仅剩上帝独自居于人内。而这种单向的内住，存在于一切人身上，无论在世之人、天堂中的灵，或是地狱中的灵；盖彼等一切行动力、意愿、理解力，皆由此源头而来。
唯独那些依循圣言所颁布之秩序法度度日之人，方能拥有人与上帝彼此相居的相交；此辈成为祂的形像与样式，乐园赐为产业，生命树之果赐作食粮。
其余众人，则聚集在分别善恶树旁，与树下蛇交谈、取食树上果实；此后便被逐出乐园。但上帝从未舍弃他们，乃是他们主动离弃上帝。”
【4】头戴各式礼帽之人听懂此番道理，皆表示认同；可头戴冠冕头饰者却极力否认，言道：
“如此一来，全能岂非处处受拘束？受拘束的全能，本身不就是自相矛盾吗？”
我作答言道：
“依循公义法度、带着审判施行全能，或是依智慧铭刻于爱中的法度行事，并不存有丝毫矛盾。
反倒认定上帝能够违背自身公义与爱的法度行事，才是真正的自相矛盾；这般想法，等同于认定祂能脱离审判、脱离智慧任意作为。汝等所持信仰便藏有这层矛盾：汝等认为上帝单凭恩典，便能使不义之人称义，又将一切救恩恩赐、生命奖赏尽数赋予此人。
我今简而言之，何为上帝之全能：
上帝以自身全能创造宇宙，同时将秩序植入万有及其每一细微分殊之中。
上帝亦以自身全能保全宇宙，永久守护其中秩序与法度；但凡有事物偏离秩序，祂必将其挽回、修复如初。
除此之外，上帝以自身全能建立教会，于圣言中启示教会专属之秩序法度；教会一旦偏离秩序，祂便施行修复；若教会全然背离秩序，祂亲自降世，借着所取之人身披上全能，重新恢复教会。”
“上帝以全能，亦以全知，于每个人离世之后查验其人；为义人，亦即绵羊，预备天堂居所，并由义众建成天堂；又为不义之人，亦即山羊，预备地狱居所，由恶众聚成地狱。
祂依照众人各自不同的内在爱慕，将二者划分各类群体；天堂之中爱慕的种类繁多，如同苍穹星辰不可计数。
祂又将天堂所有群体合而为一，使全体在祂面前宛若一位完整之人；同理，地狱各类群灵也被聚拢合一，形如一个魔鬼。
祂以深渊裂隙分隔天堂与地狱，免地狱向天堂施暴，亦免天堂之光带给地狱无尽折磨；盖地狱之中的灵，天堂之光流入几分，便会承受几分痛楚。
倘若上帝不曾于每一刹那，以全能维系以上诸事与其他同类作为，兽性便会全然侵入人心，人再也无法被任何秩序法度约束，整个人类也就走向灭亡。
倘若上帝本身不是秩序，且不能于秩序之中施展全能，以上种种祸患皆会降临世间。”
众人听完这番话，头戴礼帽者将帽子夹于腋下，转身离去，口中称颂上帝；盖在灵界之中，心智通达之人皆戴礼帽。
头戴冠冕头饰之人却截然相反，此辈皆是光头，光头象征心智愚钝；他们向左侧离去，而戴礼帽之人皆往右侧而行。
74# 记事三：
我看到远处有许多人聚集在一起，他们头上戴着帽子；一些人是神职人员，他们的帽子缠着丝带；一些人是平信徒，他们的帽子用金带镶边；他们都学识渊博。我还看到一些人包着头巾，他们是文盲。我走近，听到他们正在一起谈论神性能力的无限性，或说不受限的神性能力，他们说：“它若真的照着任何既定的秩序律法行进，就不是无限制的，而是受到限制，因此是一种能力，而不是全能。但谁看不出，律法的强制性不能迫使全能这样做，而不那样做？当然，当我们想到全能，同时想到它必须遵循的秩序律法时，我们对全能的先入为主的观念就像一只手靠在一根折断的棍子上一样倒下。”
当他们看到我在旁边时，其中一些人就跑上来，有点气势汹汹地说：“你就是那个用律法，就像用锁链一样来限制神的人吗？真是太放肆了！你这样也粉碎了我们的信仰，而我们的救赎是建立在这信仰之上的，我们将救赎者的公义放在这信仰的中心，将父神的全能放在它上面，除此之外，又加上了圣灵的运作。我们将这信仰的功效归因于人在属灵事物上的绝对无能；因此，他只需宣告完全称义就足够了，完全称义凭神的全能而被赋予这信仰。但我们听说，你在我们的信仰中只看到荒谬或空虚，因为你在其中没有看到人这一方的任何神序。”听到这些话，我开口大声说：“先学习神序的律法，然后省察你们的信仰，你们会看到一片巨大的沙漠或旷野，里面有又长又弯的利维坦，它周围的网罗缠成了一个解不开的结。但正如我们读到亚历山大所做的那样，当他看到戈耳迪之结时，就拔出剑来割断了它，从而解开了它的缠结，然后把它扔到地上，把它的绳子踩在脚下。”
听到这些话，那些聚集在一起的人咬住自己的舌头，想磨快它们，以便进行有力的反驳；但他们不敢，因为他们看见天在我上面开了，并从天上听见一个声音说：“你们要克制自己，先听听什么是秩序，全能的神是照着秩序的律法行事的。”这声音继续说：“神出于祂自己，如同出于秩序那样在秩序中并为了秩序而创造了宇宙；祂以同样的方式创造了人，并在他里面建立祂秩序的律法，人凭这些律法而成为神的形像和样式。简言之，这些律法的实质是，人当信神，并爱他的邻舍；只要他出于其属世的能力做这两件事，他就会使自己成为接受神性全能的容器，神就会与人结合，人也会与神结合。因此，人的信仰就成为一种活的和救赎的信仰，他的行为则变成仁爱，这仁爱也是活的和救赎的仁爱。然而，必须知道，神始终同在，不断在人里面努力和行动，甚至触碰他的自由意志，但从不强迫它，或说决不侵犯它。因为如果神侵犯人的自由意志，那么人在神里面的居所就会被摧毁，只有神在人里面的居所会留下来。这居所在地上和天堂里的所有人里面，甚至在那些在地狱里的人里面；这是他们的能力、意愿和理解力的源头。但神里面却没有人的相互居所，除非在那些照着圣言规定的秩序律法生活的人里面；他们成为神的形像和样式，天堂乐园作为产业被赐给他们，生命树的果子是他们的食物；而其余的人则聚集在善恶知识树周围，在那里与蛇交谈，吃这树上的果子；但后来，这些人被逐出天堂乐园。尽管如此，神不离弃他们，但他们却离弃神。”
戴帽子的人明白这些话，并表示赞同；但戴头巾的人却否认说：“这岂不意味着全能受到限制了吗？受限的全能是一个矛盾。”对此，我回答说：“根据公义与公平的律法，或根据铭刻在爱上面的智慧律法全能地行事，这并不矛盾。然而，宣称神能违背祂的公义和爱的律法行事才是一个矛盾，因为这不是出于公平和智慧。这样一个矛盾就隐含在你们的信仰中，你们的信仰是，神能仅凭恩典使不义的人称义，能把他挑选出来，赋予他一切救赎的礼物和生命的赏赐。然而，我将简要说明，神的全能是什么意思。神凭祂的全能创造了宇宙，同时将秩序引入宇宙的各个部分，或说其中的每一个和一切事物。神也凭祂的全能来维护宇宙，并永远维持那里的秩序及其一切律法；当有东西背离秩序时，祂会把它带回来，使它再次完整，或说恢复它。此外，神凭祂的全能建立了教会，并在圣言中揭示了教会的秩序律法。当教会背离秩序时，祂就恢复它；当它完全堕落时，祂就亲自降世，通过那时祂所取的人身而披上全能，重建教会。
“神凭祂的全能和全知检查死后的每个人，并为义人或绵羊预备他们在天堂的地方，从他们当中建立或形成天堂，为不义的人或山羊预备他们在地狱的地方，从他们当中建立或形成地狱。祂照着这些人各种不同的爱而把他们都排列成各个社群或会众；在天堂，这些社群或会众就像属世天空中的星星一样多；祂将天堂社群合而为一，以便它们在祂面前可以如同一个人。祂以同样的方式将地狱社群聚集在一起，以便它们可以如同一个魔鬼；祂用一道鸿沟将后者和前者隔开，以免地狱向天堂施暴，或天堂折磨地狱，因为天堂越流入，那些在地狱里的人就越遭受折磨。除非神每时每刻都这样做，否则一种野蛮的本性将进入人类，直到这种程度：他们不能再受任何秩序律法约束；因此，人类就会灭亡。除非神是秩序，并且是在秩序中的全能，否则这些和其它类似的事就会发生。”听到这些话，那些戴帽子的人一边赞美神，一边把帽子夹在胳膊下面离开了；因为在灵界，聪明人都戴帽子。而那些戴头巾的人则不然，因为他们是秃顶，秃顶表示愚钝。当他们都离开时，后者向左走，前者向右走。
74. The third memorable occurrence. Far away I saw a large crowd of people wearing hats. Some had hats covered in silk; they belonged to the ecclesiastical class. Some had hats whose rims were decorated with golden bands; they belonged to the class of ordinary citizens. Both groups were educated and scholarly. I also saw some people wearing caps; they were uneducated.
I moved in the direction of these people and heard them talking with each other about limitless divine power. They were saying, "If divine power followed laws that were created as part of the divine design, it would be limited, not unlimited. It would be power, but not all power. Anyone can see that no compulsion by law could force omnipotence to act this way and not that way. When we think about omnipotence and at the same time about laws of the divine design that omnipotence would be obliged to follow, our preconceived ideas about omnipotence are jarred, like a hand on a broken walking stick. "
[2] When the crowd noticed me nearby, some members of it hurried over and asked me quite forcefully, Are you the one who has confined God in laws like chains? The outrage! You have ripped apart the belief on which we base our salvation. At the heart of our belief we place the justice of the Redeemer. On top of that is the omnipotence of God the Father. As an appendix we add the actions of the Holy Spirit and its effectiveness in the spiritual arena, where we are completely powerless. It is enough, then, to mention the absolute justification that our faith entails because God is omnipotent. I have heard, though, that you see emptiness in our belief because you see nothing of the divine design for human response in it.
When they finished I opened my mouth and spoke in a loud voice, saying, "Learn what the laws of the divine design are, and then investigate the full ramifications of your belief. You will see a great wasteland and a long, twisted leviathan there with nets wrapped around it in an inextricable knot. Do what we read Alexander did when he saw the Gordian knot. To undo its bends, he drew his sword, cut the knot in two, threw it on the ground, and crushed its fibers with his heel. "
[3] When the people in the crowd heard this, they were biting their tongues. They wanted to give me a tongue-lashing, but they did not dare, because they saw heaven open above me and heard a voice out of it that said, First control yourselves and learn about the divine design and the laws of that design that God Almighty follows in his actions. God created the universe from himself as the design; he created it according to the design, for the sake of the design. He created human beings in a similar way and built the laws of his divine design into us. Because of those laws we were created as images and likenesses of God. In brief, the laws are that we must believe in God and love our neighbor. The more we do these two things with our earthly power, the more we make ourselves a vessel for the divine omnipotence, and God connects himself to us and us to himself. As a result, our faith becomes living and effective for our salvation. Our action becomes goodwill, again in a form living and effective for our salvation.
"It is important to know, though," the voice continued, "that God is always present, constantly at work and making an effort in us. He even influences our free choice. He never violates it, however, because if he did, we would lose our dwelling in God; there would remain only a dwelling for God in us, as there is for all things on earth, all things in heaven, and even for the things that are in hell. From God we get our power, our will, and our ability to understand. There is no reciprocal dwelling for us in God, though, unless we live by the laws of the divine design given in the Word. Then we become images and likenesses of him; then paradise is given to us for a possession, and the fruit of the tree of life for food.
"The rest of us gather around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, speak with the serpent there, and eat. Later we are expelled from paradise. Nevertheless God does not abandon us; we abandon God. "
[4] The people in hats understood this and gave their approval, but the people in caps denied it; they said, "In that case wouldn't omnipotence be limited? But limited omnipotence is a contradiction. "
I replied, "There is no contradiction in acting all-powerfully with judgment in following the laws of justice, or the laws of wisdom inscribed on love. The contradiction arises when you think God can act against the laws of his own justice and love, which would not be acting with judgment or with wisdom. Your belief entails a contradiction like that: on the basis of grace alone, God can justify unjust people and bestow on them all the gifts of salvation and all the rewards of life.
"I will briefly state what God's omnipotence is. God used his omnipotence to create the universe. As he did so, he built his own design into each and every thing. God also uses his omnipotence to maintain the universe. He forever guards its design and its laws. When anything falls away from his design, he brings it back into the design and reintegrates it.
"God also used his omnipotence to establish the church. He revealed the laws of its design in the Word. When the church slipped away from the divine design, he restored it. When it fell completely out of the divine design, he came down into the world. Through the human manifestation that he took on, he clothed himself with omnipotence and reestablished the church.
[5] "God uses his omnipotence and also his omniscience to examine us all after death. He prepares the just, the sheep, for their places in heaven; by assigning them places he builds heaven. He prepares the unjust, the goats, for their places in hell; by assigning them places he builds hell. He arranges heaven into communities and hell into hordes according to all the different loves their inhabitants have. In heaven there are as many varieties of love as there are stars in the sky above the earth. He unites the communities of heaven so that they are like one person before him. Likewise he brings the hordes of hell together so they are like one devil. He separates hell from heaven with a great chasm, so that hell will not inflict violence on heaven and heaven will not inflict torment on hell. (The more heaven flows in, the more those in hell are tormented.) If God were not using his omnipotence in every moment to do all the above, so much wildness would come over people that they could never be restrained by the laws of any design and the human race would perish. This and more would happen if God were not the divine design and were not omnipotent in his design. "
When they heard this, the people who had been wearing hats left with them under their arms, praising God.
In the spiritual world the intelligent wear hats. The unintelligent wear caps because they are bald; their baldness means that they are dense. The people with caps went away to the left, but the people with hats went to the right.
74. The third experience.
I saw in the distance a number of people assembled with hats on their heads. Some had silk bands on their hats, to show they were clergymen; others, who were laymen, had the brims of their hats decorated with golden bands. All of them were educated and learned people. I also saw some people wearing caps 1 , and they were uneducated.
On approaching I heard them talking among themselves about unlimited Divine power, saying that if it operated according to some laws of order which had been passed, it would not be unlimited, but limited, and so power, but not omnipotence. 'But anyone can see,' they said, 'that no kind of compulsion could force omnipotence to act in one way and not another. To be sure, when we think about omnipotence and at the same time about laws of order which it is compelled to observe, our preconceived 2 notions about omnipotence collapse, like arms leaning on a broken stick.'
[2] Seeing me standing nearby some of them hastened up and said with some vehemence: 'Are you the man who has encumbered God with laws like fetters? What a presumptuous thing to do! By doing this you have shattered our faith, which is the basis of our salvation, in the midst of which we set the righteousness of the Redeemer, above it the omnipotence of God the Father, and we attach as an appendage the working of the Holy Spirit, which is effective while man is totally impotent in spiritual matters; all man needs to do is to proclaim the completeness of justification, which by Divine omnipotence is present in that faith. But I have been told that you see an empty void in that faith, because it contains nothing of Divine order on man's part.'
On hearing this I broke silence and said in a loud voice: 'Learn the laws of Divine order, and then open up your faith; you will see a vast desert and in it the long, sinuous Leviathan 3 surrounded by nets so knotted that they could never be disentangled. But do what we read Alexander did on seeing the Gordian knot; he drew his sword and cut it in two, so severing its contortions, threw it on the ground and trampled its strands under his heel.'
[3] This speech made the assembly bite their tongues, for they wanted to sharpen them to make a cutting reply; but they did not dare, because they saw heaven lying open above me, and heard a voice from there: 'Restrain yourselves and listen first to what order is, the laws of which Almighty God follows in His actions. God', the voice said 4 , 'created the universe from Himself in His capacity as Order, by order and to be subject to order. Likewise He created man, in whom He established the laws of his own order to make him an image and likeness of God. These are briefly, that he should believe in God and love the neighbour; so far as he applies his natural powers to performing those two actions, so far does he make himself a receiver of Divine omnipotence, and so far does God link Himself to him, and him to God. His faith thus becomes a living and saving faith, and his actions become charity, which also is living and saving. But it should be known that God is constantly present, continually striving and acting on the person, and touching his free will but never forcing it. For if God were to force a person's free will, his dwelling in God would be destroyed, and he would be left only with God's dwelling in him. This is something which all enjoy on earth as much as in heaven, and so do those in hell. For this is the source of their ability, will and understanding. The reciprocal dwelling of a person in God only occurs with those who live in accordance with the laws of order enacted in the Word; and these people become images and likenesses of Him, paradise is given them to possess, and the fruit of the tree of life to eat. The rest gather around the tree of knowledge of good and evil, talk with the serpent there, and eat of its fruit. But after this they are banished from paradise. Yet God does not abandon them; it is they who abandon God.'
[4] The people who wore hats understood and approved of this. But those who wore caps objected, saying: 'By this surely omnipotence is limited, and limited omnipotence is a contradiction in terms.'
'It is no contradiction,' I replied, 'to act omnipotently in accordance with the laws of righteousness with judgment, or according to the laws engraved upon love by wisdom. But it is a contradiction to say that God can act contrary to the laws of His own righteousness and love, for that would be to lack judgment and wisdom. It is that sort of contradiction your faith involves, if you believe that God can simply by grace justify the unrighteous, and mark him out by all the gifts of salvation and rewards of life. But I will tell you in a few words what God's omnipotence is. God by His omnipotence created the universe, and at the same time implanted order in every part of it. God also by His omnipotence preserves the universe and maintains order there with its laws for ever, and when anything slips out of order, brings it back and restores it. Moreover, God by His omnipotence established the church and in the Word revealed the laws of its order; and when it fell away from order, He restored it, and when its fall was complete, came down Himself into the world, and by assuming human form put on omnipotence and re-established it.
[5] 'God by His omnipotence and also omniscience examines everyone after death, and prepares the righteous or sheep for their places in heaven, to build up heaven from them; and prepares the unrighteous or goats for their places in hell, and builds up hell from them. Both heaven and hell He arranges into communities and assemblies in accordance with all the varieties in their love; there are as many of these in heaven as there are stars in the sky we see in the world. He links the communities in heaven into a unit, so that in His sight they are like one person, and likewise the assemblies in hell, so that they are like one devil. He separates one party from the other by an abyss, so that hell can offer no violence to heaven, nor can heaven torment hell. For those who are in hell suffer torment to the extent that they feel the influence of heaven. If God from His omnipotence were not doing all this at every moment, such savagery would overcome human beings that they could no longer be restrained by any laws of order, and thus the human race would be destroyed. These and similar things would happen, if God were not order, and omnipotent in order.'
On hearing this those who wore hats went away with their hats under their arms, praising God. (For in that world intelligent people wear hats.) But those who wore caps did not, because they are bald; and baldness is a sign of stupidity. These went off to the left, the others to the right.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin word tiara usually indicates some sort of oriental headdress; the distinction here intended may be the absence of brims.
2. The Latin has praeceptae meaning 'commanded', but praeconceptae 'preconceived' is probably intended.
3. This is the version Swedenborg follows of Isaiah 27:1 (e.g. at Arcana Caelestia 7293).
4. The Latin has 'it said' (i.e. the voice), but in view of the rest of this section dixit is probably a misprint for dixi 'I said'.
74. Third Memorable Relation:
I saw at a distance a number of persons gathered together with caps on their heads, some with caps bound around with silk - these had belonged to the ecclesiastical order; others had caps with borders ornamented with golden bands - these were civilians; they were all learned and accomplished. I also saw others with turbans; these were not learned.
I drew near, and heard them talking together about the Divine power, as being unlimited, and saying that if it were to proceed according to any established laws of order it would not be unlimited, but limited; and would thus be a power, but not omnipotence. "But who does not see," they said, "that there can be no coercion of law that would compel omnipotence to do thus and so and not otherwise? Certainly, when we think of omnipotence, and at the same time of laws of order in accordance with which it is obliged to proceed, our preconceived ideas of omnipotence fall like a hand when its staff has been broken."
[2] When they saw me near, some of them ran up, and said with some vehemence, "Are you the man who has circumscribed God by laws, as by chains? How insolent! Thus also you have torn to pieces our faith, upon which our salvation is based, in the center of which we place the righteousness of the Redeemer, and over this the omnipotence of God the Father, and add as an appendix the operation of the Holy Spirit, with its efficacy depending upon the absolute impotence of man in things spiritual; so that he only needs to speak of the fullness of justification which is in that faith by virtue of God's omnipotence. But we have heard that you see in our faith nothing but emptiness, because you see in it nothing of Divine order on the part of man."
Having heard this, I opened my mouth, and speaking with a loud voice, said, "Learn the laws of Divine order, and then lay open that faith and you will see a vast desert, and in it the long and crooked Leviathan, and round about it nets tangled in an inextricable knot. But do as it is said Alexander did when he saw the Gordian knot, that he drew his sword and cut it apart and thus loosed its entanglements, and then dashing it upon the ground trampled its strands under foot."
[3] At these words those assembled bit their tongues, wishing to sharpen them for invectives; but they did not venture, for they saw heaven opened above me, and heard from it a voice saying, "In the first place, control yourselves and listen to what the order is, according to the laws of which the omnipotent God acts." And [the voice] said, "God, from Himself as order, created the universe in order and for order; and in like manner He created man, in whom He established the laws of His order, by virtue of which laws man was made an image and likeness of God; which laws, in brief, are, that "man should believe in God and love his neighbor, and to the extent that he does these two things from his natural powers he constitutes himself a receptacle of the Divine omnipotence, and God conjoins Himself to man, and man to Himself. Thence man's belief becomes a living and saving belief, and his doing becomes charity, which is also living and saving. But it must be understood that God is unceasingly present, and continually striving and acting in man, even touching his freedom of will, but in no way violating it. For if God should violate man's freedom of will man's dwelling-place in God would be destroyed, and there would remain only God's dwelling-place in man; which dwelling-place is in all who are on earth and who are in the heavens, and even in those who are in the hells; and this is the source of their power, their will, and their understanding. But there is no reciprocal dwelling-place of man in God except in those who live in accordance with the laws of order set forth in the Word; and such become images and likenesses of God, and to them paradise is given as a possession, and the fruit of the tree of life for food; while the rest gather themselves about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and there talk with the serpent, and eat; but these afterwards are driven from paradise. Nevertheless, God does not forsake them, but they forsake God."
[4] Those with caps understood all this, and assented to it; but those with turbans denied, saying, "Is not omnipotence thus limited? and a limited omnipotence is a contradiction."
But I answered, "There is no contradiction in acting omnipotently according to the laws of justice with judgment, or according to the laws inscribed on love from wisdom; but there is a contradiction in claiming that God can act in opposition to the laws of His justice and love, which would be to act from what is not judgment or wisdom. Such a contradiction is implied in your faith, which is that from mere grace God can justify an unjust man, and can endow him with all the gifts of salvation and rewards of life. But I will state briefly what God's omnipotence is. From His omnipotence God created the universe, and at the same time introduced order into each thing and all things in it. From His omnipotence God also preserves the universe, and unceasingly watches over the order of it with its laws; and when anything falls from order He brings it back and makes it whole again. Furthermore, from His omnipotence God instituted the church and revealed the laws of its order in the Word; and when it fell from order He restored it; and when it wholly fell away He Himself came down into the world, and putting on omnipotence by means of the Human then assumed, He re-established it.
[5] From His omnipotence and omniscience God searches every man after death, and prepares the righteous, or the sheep, for their places in heaven, and establishes a heaven from them; while He prepares the unrighteous, or the goats, for their places in hell, and establishes a hell from them. Both of these He arranges into societies or congregated bodies in accordance with all the varieties of their love, which in heaven are as many as the stars in the natural firmament; and He joins in one the societies of heaven that they may be as one man before Him. In like manner He brings together the congregated bodies of hell that they may be as one devil; and He separates the latter from the former by a gulf, that hell may not do violence to heaven or heaven torment hell; for those who are in hell are tormented in the degree that heaven flows in. If God from His omnipotence did not do this every instant, a savage nature would enter into men to such an extent that they could no longer be restrained by the laws of any order; and thus the human race would perish. These and other such things would happen unless God were order, and omnipotent in order. "
Having heard this, those who wore caps went away with their caps under their arms, praising God; for in that world the intelligent wear caps. But not so those who wore turbans, for such are bald, and baldness signifies stupidity. The latter went away to the left, and the former to the right.
74. The third experience. I saw gathered together at a distance several spirits with caps on their heads, some being clergymen whose caps were bound with silk, and some laymen whose caps were bordered with bands of gold, all of them deeply learned and erudite. I also saw some with turbans, who were illiterate. I drew near and heard them conversing about the unlimited nature of Divine power, and saying: "If it were to proceed according to any established laws of order it would be not unlimited but limited, and would therefore be power, but not omnipotence; whereas who does not see that no necessity of law can compel omnipotence to act thus and not otherwise? Assuredly when we think of omnipotence and at the same time of laws of order according to which it must proceed, our precepts regarding omnipotence fall down like a hand leaning on a broken staff."
[2] When they caught sight of me near them some ran towards me and said with some vehemence: "Are you the one who has circumscribed God with laws as with bonds? What presumption! By this you have also shattered our faith on which our salvation is founded, in the centre of which we place the righteousness of the Redeemer, next to this the omnipotence of God the Father, and to these we add the operation of the Holy Spirit. We attribute the efficacy of this faith to the absolute impotence of man in spiritual matters, for whom it is enough to proclaim the fullness of justification, which is imparted to this faith from the omnipotence of God." "But I have heard," continued one of them, "that you see only absurdity in this faith, because it contains nothing on the part of man in the Divine order." On hearing these words I said in a loud voice: "Learn the laws of Divine order, and then examine your faith, and you will see a great wilderness in which is a leviathan, long and sinuous, with nets coiled round it in an inextricable knot. But do as Alexander is reported to have done, who, when he saw the Gordian knot, drew his sword, severed it, and thus loosed its entanglements. Then throwing it on the ground, he trod its cords under foot."
[3] At these words those who were gathered round bit their tongues, as though to sharpen them for a crushing retort; but they did not dare to reply, for they saw heaven opened above me and heard a voice thence saying: "Restrain yourselves, and first hear what order is, according to whose laws the omnipotent God acts." And the voice continued: "God from Himself, as from order, created the universe in order and for order. In like manner He created man, and established in him the laws of his own order, by virtue of which he became an image and likeness of God. The substance of these laws is that he should believe on God and love his neighbor; and so far as he does this from his natural powers, he makes himself a recipient of the Divine omnipotence, and God unites Himself to man and man to God. Consequently his faith becomes a living and a saving faith, and his practice a living and saving charity. It should be known, however, that God is always present, striving and acting in every man, even touching his free will, but never forcing it. For if He should violate man's free will, his dwelling place in God would be destroyed, and only God's dwelling place in man would remain. This dwelling place is in all men, whether on earth, in heaven, or in hell, for it is the source of their power to will and to understand. But there is no reciprocal dwelling of man in God, unless with those who live according to the laws of order prescribed in the Word; and they become images and likenesses of Him. To them paradise is given for a possession, and the fruit of the tree of life for food; but the others gather round the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, hold converse there with the serpent, eat of this tree, and are afterwards driven from paradise; nevertheless God does not forsake them, but they forsake God."
[4] Those who wore caps understood these things and approved them, but those who wore turbans denied their truth, saying, "Does not this mean a limitation of omnipotence? and a limitation of omnipotence implies a contradiction." To this I replied: "It is not a contradiction to act with omnipotence according to the laws of justice with judgment, or according to laws inscribed on love from wisdom. It is a contradiction, however, that God should be able to act contrary to the laws of His own justice and love, for this would not be from judgment and wisdom. Such a contradiction is involved in your faith that God can of mere grace justify an unrighteous man, and single him out with all the gifts of salvation and the rewards of life. I will, however, briefly state what is meant by the omnipotence of God. God from His omnipotence created the universe, and at the same time introduced order into all its parts. He also from His omnipotence preserves the universe and perpetually maintains order there with all its laws; and should anything lapse from order, He brings it back and restores it again. Further, God from His omnipotence established the Church, and revealed in the Word its laws of order. When it lapsed from order He restored it; and when its fall was complete, He Himself came down into the world, and by means of the Human which He assumed, He clothed Himself with omnipotence, and restored it.
[5] From His omnipotence and also from His omniscience God examines every one after death and prepares the righteous, or the sheep, for their places in heaven, and of them He forms heaven; but He prepares the unrighteous, or the goats, for their places in hell, and of them He forms hell. He arranges both into societies and communities, according to all the varieties of their love, which are as numerous in heaven as the stars in the natural firmament; and He unites the societies in heaven into one, so that they appear as one man before Him. In like manner He unites the communities in hell, so that they appear as one devil; and He separates the latter from the former by a gulf, lest hell should do violence to heaven, and lest heaven should cause torment to hell, for those who are in hell suffer torment should they receive influx from heaven. Unless God from His omnipotence were to continue acting thus every moment, a savage nature would enter into men until they could no longer be restrained by the laws of any order, and thus the human race would perish. These things, and others of a like nature, would happen unless God were order, and omnipotent in order." Having heard this, those who wore caps departed with their caps under their arms, praising God; for in that world the intelligent wear caps. It is different with those who wear turbans, for they are bald, and baldness is a sign of dullness. As they all departed the latter went away to the left, but the former to the right.
74. TERTIUM MEMORABILE.
Vidi e longinquo plures congregatos cum pileis super capitibus, quosdam cum pileis circumcinctis serico, qui ex Ordine Ecclesiastico erant, quosdam cum pileis quorum limbos ornabant fasciae aureae, qui ex Ordine Civili erant, omnes hi docti et eruditi; et insuper vidi quosdam cum tiaris, qui erant indocti; accessi, et audivi illos inter se loquentes de Divina Potentia illimitata, et quod si illa progrederetur secundum aliquas leges quae factae sunt ordinis, non illimitata sed limitata foret, et sic potentia et non Omnipotentia; at quis non videt, quod non aliqua necessitas legis possit Omnipotentiam adigere ad faciendum ita et non aliter; certe, dum cogitamus de Omnipotentia et simul de legibus Ordinis, secundum quas obligatur progredi, cadunt ideae nostrae praeceptae de Omnipotentia sicut manus fracto scipione.
[2] Illi cum me viderunt prope se, accurrerunt aliqui, et in quadam vehementia dixerunt; es tu qui circumscripsisti Deum legibus sicut vinculis; hoc quam petulans est; sic etiam discerpsisti fidem nostram, super qua fundatur salus nostra, in cujus medio ponimus justitiam Redemptoris, super illa Omnipotentiam Dei Patris, et appendicem facimus operationem Spiritus Sancti, et efficaciam ejus in hominis absoluta impotentia in spiritualibus, cui satis est loqui de plenitudine justificationis, quae ex Omnipotentia Dei inest fidei isti; sed audivi, quod tu inanitatem in illa videas, quia nihil ordinis Divini ab homine in illa. His auditis aperui os, et alta voce loquens dixi, discite leges Ordinis Divini, et postea aperite illam fidem, et videbitis vastam solitudinem, et in hac Leviathanem tortuosum et oblongum, et circum circa illum, 1 retia circumvoluta 2 sicut in nodum inexplicabiliam sed facite sicut legitur de Alexandro, cum vidit Nodum Gorgium, 3 quod nudaverit ensem, et bissecuerit illum, et sic contortus ejus dissolverit, et projecerit in terram, et calceo fila ejus contriverit.
[3] Ad haec dicta congregati mordebant linguas, volentes acuere illas in dicteria, sed non ausi sunt, quia videbant super me Coelum apertum, et audiebant vocem inde, auscultate primum cum moderamine, quid Ordo, secundum cujus leges Deus omnipotens agit; et dixit, Deus 4 a Se ut Ordine, in ordine, ad ordinem, creavit Universum; similiter hominem in quo leges ordinis sui stabilivit, ex quibus imago et similitudo Dei factus est, quae in summa sunt, ut credat in Deum, et amet proximum, et quantum illa duo ex naturali potentia facit, tantum se receptaculum Divinae Omnipotentiae facit, et tantum Deus conjungit Se illi, et illum Sibi, inde ejus fides fit viva et salvifica, et ejus facere fit charitas, etiam viva et salvifica: at sciendum est, quod Deus perpetuo adsit, et continue conetur et agat in homine, et quoque tangat liberum ejus arbitrium, sed nusquam violet, si enim liberum arbitrium hominis violaret, periret habitatio hominis in Deo, et foret Solius Dei in homine, et haec habitatio est in omnibus tam qui in terris sunt, quam qui in coelis, et quoque in illis qui in infernis, inde enim est posse, velle, et intelligere illorum; sed non est habitatio reciproca hominis in Deo, nisi apud illos qui vivunt secundum leges ordinis in Verbo latas, et hi fiunt imagines et similitudines Ipsius, et his datur paradisus in possessionem, et fructus arboris vitae in cibum; at reliqui congregant se circum arborem scientiae boni et mali, et colloquuntur cum Serpente ibi, et comedunt, at postea expelluntur Paradiso; attamen illos Deus non relinquit, sed illi relinquunt Deum.
[4] Haec illi in pileis intellexerunt, et approbaverunt, at illi in tiaris negaverunt, et dixerunt, numne sic Omnipotentia est limitata, ac Omnipotentia limitata est contradictio; sed respondi, non est contradictio omnipotenter agere secundum leges justitiae cum judicio, aut secundum leges Amori inscriptas ex Sapientia; at contradictio est, quod Deus possit agere contra leges Justitiae et Amoris sui, et hoc foret ex non judicio et sapientia; talem contradictionem involvit fides vestra, quae est, quod Deus injustum possit ex mera gratia justificare, et omnibus salutis donis et vitae praemiis insignire. Sed dicam paucis, quid Omnipotentia Dei; Deus ex Omnipotentia sua creavit Universum, et simul introduxit omnibus et singulis ejus Ordinem; Deus etiam ex Omnipotentia sua conservat Universum, et custodit ibi Ordinem cum suis legibus in perpetuum, et dum aliquid elabitur ex ordine, reducit illud et redintegrat. Porro Deus ex Omnipotentia sua instauravit Ecclesiam, et leges Ordinis ejus revelavit in Verbo; et cum Illa elapsa est ex ordine, restauravit illam, et cum totaliter elapsa est, Ipse descendit in Mundum, et per assumtum Humanum induit Omnipotentiam, et restituit.
[5] Deus ex Omnipotentia et quoque Omniscientia explorat unumquemque post mortem, ac praeparat justos seu oves ad loca sua in Coelo, et ex his condit Coelum, ac praeparat injustos seu hircos ad loca sua in inferno, et ex his condit Infernum; ac disponit utrumque in Societates et congregationes secundum omnes varietates amoris illorum, quae in Coelo totidem sunt, quot stellae in firmamento Mundi, ac Societates in Coelo conjungit in unum, ut sint sicut unus Homo coram Se; similiter congregationes in Inferno, 5 ut sint sicut unus Diabolus, et hos ab illis separat per hiatum, ne Infernum inferat violentiam Coelo, et ne Coelum inferat cruciatum Inferno; 6 nam illi qui in Inferno sunt, tantum cruciantur, quantum influit Coelum. Haec et illa nisi Deus ex Omnipotentia sua omni instanti faceret, ferinum intraret homines, usque ut amplius non possent legibus alicujus Ordinis coerceri, et sic periret Genus humanum: haec et similia evenirent, nisi Deus esset Ordo, et in Ordine Omnipotens. His auditis illi qui tecti pileis erant, abiverunt pileis sub ulnis, laudantes Deum, nam in illo Mundo intelligentes teguntur pileis, at tecti tiaris non ita, quia calvi sunt, et calvities significat obesitatem; et hi abiverunt ad sinistrum, at illi ad dextrum.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: illam.
2. Prima editio: circum volute.
3. Sic prima editio, de Divino Amore et de Divina Sapientia 283, CAC 11. Fortasse Gordium.
4. Prima editio: agit; Deus. Errores Typographici: et dixit Deus.
5. Sic Errores Typographici.
6. Prima editio: Infermo.
DE CREATIONE UNIVERSI.