1032、“我要与你们坚立我的约”表示主与所有拥有仁爱的人同在，并涉及“凡从方舟里出来的”和“地上一切的野兽”，也就是教会之内的人和教会之外的人，这从刚才的阐述清楚可知。至于主也通过仁爱与教会之外的外邦人立约，情况是这样：教会成员以为凡在教会之外、被称为外邦人的，都不能得救，因为他们没有信的任何知识或认知，因而对主一无所知，并声称没有信，不认识主，就没有救恩，因而凡在教会之外的，都被定罪。事实上，许多这种拥有某种教义的人，甚至信奉异端的人，都以为凡在教会之外的人，也就是凡不持相同观点的人都不能得救。而事实完全不是这样。主怜悯全人类，希望拯救并吸引宇宙中的所有人。
主的怜悯是无限的，不会让自己局限于教会之内的少数人，而是延伸到全世界所有人那里。他们出生于教会之外，因而不知道信仰，并不是他们的过错。没有人会因为他在不知道主的情况下不信主而被定罪。凡正确思考的人，谁会说，大部分人类必在永死中灭亡，只因他们没有出生在居民相对较少的欧洲？凡正确思考的人，谁又会说，主允许如此多的人出生，然后在永死中灭亡？这将违背神性、违背怜悯。更重要的是，在教会之外、被称为外邦人的人过着远比教会内的人更正直、更道德的生活，他们更容易接受真信的教义。这个问题从来世的灵魂身上看得更清楚。
最坏的人来自所谓的基督教界，他们对邻舍，甚至对主怀有致命的仇恨。他们比全世界任何人都更是通奸者。但世界上其它地方并非如此，因为许多崇拜偶像的人都有一种憎恶仇恨和通奸的心态；他们害怕基督徒，因为基督徒就是这样的人，并渴望折磨每个人。事实上，外邦人是这样：当被天使教导信之真理，以及主掌管整个宇宙时，他们毫无困难地听从，并毫无困难地被赋予信仰，从而抛弃他们的偶像。因此，那些过着正直、道德的生活，并因此处于彼此仁爱、纯真无邪的外邦人在来世会重生。他们活在世上时，主就在仁爱和纯真中与其同在，因为仁爱和纯真唯独来自主。主还照其宗教赋予他们对正义和良善的良心，将纯真和仁爱注入这良心。当纯真和仁爱存在于良心中时，他们很容易允许自己被赋予源于良善的信之真理。主自己在路加福音中这样说：
有一个人对耶稣说，主啊，得救的人少吗？祂对他们说，你们要看见亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各和众先知都在神的国里，你们自己却被赶到外面。从东、从西、从北、从南将有人来，在神的国里坐席。看哪，必有首先的成了末后的，末后的成了首先的。（路加福音13:23，28-30）
“亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各”在此表示所有拥有爱的人，如前所示（1025:2节）。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1032. And I am setting up my pact with you symbolizes the Lord's presence in every person who has charity; it refers both to those coming out of the ark and to every wild animal of the earth, that is, to people inside the church and to people outside the church. This can be seen from the remarks just above.
The Lord also enters into a pact with people outside the church, called "Gentiles"{*1} — that is, he binds himself to them through charity. This is the situation: People who belong to the church suppose that none of those outside the church, called Gentiles, can be saved, because they lack any knowledge of the faith and are therefore totally ignorant of the Lord.{*2} Church members say that without the faith and without any knowledge of the Lord there is no salvation. So they consign everyone outside the church to damnation. In fact many of these church members are the kind of people who subscribe to a doctrine (even a heretical one) that teaches them to consider anyone outside it — anyone whose opinion differs from theirs — incapable of salvation. The reality, however, is entirely different.
[2] The Lord has mercy on the whole human race. He wants to save everyone in the entire world and to draw all people to himself. The Lord's mercy is infinite; it does not allow itself to be restricted to the few within the church but reaches out to everyone on the face of the earth. When people are born outside the church and as a result into ignorance about the faith, it is not their fault; besides which, failure to believe in the Lord because of a lack of knowledge about him never condemns anyone.
What right-thinking person would ever assert that most of the human race will suffer eternal death because they were not born in Europe, whose population is relatively small? What right-thinking person would say that the Lord allowed such an immense number of people to be born in order to die an eternal death? This would be contrary to the divine nature and to mercy. What is more, people outside the church, called Gentiles, live a much more ethical life than those inside the church and embrace teachings of the genuine faith much more easily.
[3] Souls in the other world illustrate this even more clearly. The so-called Christian world yields up the worst of all — people who nurse a murderous hatred for their fellow humans and for the Lord and who are more adulterous than any others in the whole earth. Not so with souls from the other parts of the planet. A large number of those who had worshiped idols are disposed to abhor hatred and adultery and to fear Christians, since Christians are hateful and adulterous and want to hurt everyone else.
Non-Christians, in fact, are such that when angels teach them the truth of the faith and tell them that the Lord governs the universe, they easily pick it up, easily absorb the faith, and as a consequence reject their idols.{*3} So non-Christians who have lived a moral life marked by charity for one another and by innocence are reborn in the other life. While they live in the world, the Lord is present with them in their charity and innocence, because not a whit of charity or innocence exists that does not come from the Lord.
The Lord also gives them the gift of a conscience for what is right and good, according to their religious tradition, and into this conscience he instills innocence and neighborly love. When innocence and neighborly love reside in their conscience, they allow themselves to absorb easily the truth of genuine faith that grows out of goodness. The Lord himself said the same thing in Luke:
Someone said to Jesus, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" He told them, "You will see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in God's kingdom but will see yourselves thrown out of doors. On the other hand, from the east and west and from the north and from the south will come those reclining [at table] in God's kingdom. And indeed there are people in the last place who will be first, and there are people in first place who will be last." (Luke 13:23, 28-29, 30)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob mean everyone motivated by love, as shown above [1025:2].
Footnotes:
{*1} For more on Swedenborg's use of the Latin word gentes, here translated "Gentiles," see note 1 in 231. [LHC]
{*2} Throughout this passage, Swedenborg is rejecting a charge leveled against Christianity by its contemporary opponents. The Christian religion was revealed by God to certain individuals; and as a result, knowledge of it is not universal, but restricted to specific groups and locations. (This notion is sometimes critically referred to as "the scandal of particularity.") Inevitably, then, millions of human beings are born in regions in which knowledge of the Christian faith simply is not available. Christianity of Swedenborg's time, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, explicitly excluded these people from being saved — that is, from living happily in the next world; but as the English Deist Matthew Tindal (1657-1733) asked, how was it "consistent with the notion of God's being universally benevolent, not to have revealed [the truth of the Christian religion] to all his children, when all had equal need of it? Was it not as easy for him to have communicated it to all nations, as to any one nation or person? Or in all languages, as in one?" (Tindal 1730, 196). Such criticism gained momentum from the ongoing exploration of the world and the widening of the European cultural viewpoint after the late Renaissance period. It was one motivation behind the intense Enlightenment interest in "natural," as opposed to divinely revealed, religion: natural religion promised a universally valid faith arising purely out of human interaction with creation; it did not depend on local and limited revelations of truth. One Christian apologist, Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), countered this criticism of Christianity by listing the many lands into which the religion had spread and asking, "What religion is there that can compare with it for the extent of its possession?" (Grotius [1639] 1829, 117-118). An English polemicist, William Law (1686-1761), took another tack, saying that revelation was mercifully withheld by God from some nations because they were "prepared only to have their guilt increased by it, and so be exposed to a greater damnation by refusing it" (Law [1731] 1892, 96). Swedenborg's theology renders the criticism moot: he asserts that even people not acquainted with Christian revelation can be saved as long as they have lived a moral life on earth. He makes this assertion as early as his 1734 work The Infinite 14 (Swedenborg [1734] 1965, 125-127). For Swedenborg's further views on natural religion, see True Christianity 12; for a comparison of Swedenborg's and Tindal's tenets, see Kirven 1965, 12-16; for an overview of Deism, see Kors 2003; 2:335-340. [SS, DNG]
{*3} On Swedenborg's views about non-Christians in heaven, see Heaven and Hell 318-328. [RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 1032
1032. And I will establish my covenant with you. That this signifies the presence of the Lord with all who have charity, and refers to those who go forth from the ark and to every wild animal of the earth, that is, to men within the church and men without, is evident from what has been said just above. That the Lord enters into a covenant, or conjoins Himself by charity, with Gentiles also who are outside the church, shall now be shown. The man of the church supposes that all who are out of the church, and are called Gentiles, cannot be saved, because they have no knowledges of faith, and are therefore wholly ignorant of the Lord, saying that without faith and without knowledge of the Lord there is no salvation, and thus he condemns all who are out of the church. Indeed many of this sort who are in some doctrine, even if it be heresy, suppose that all outside this, that is, all who do not hold the same opinion, cannot be saved; when in fact the case is not so at all. The Lord has mercy toward the whole human race, and wills to save and draw to Himself all who are in the universe. [2] The mercy of the Lord is infinite, and does not suffer itself to be limited to those few who are within the church, but extends itself to all in the whole world. Their being born out of the church and being thus in ignorance of faith, is not their fault; and no one is ever condemned for not having faith in the Lord when he is ignorant of Him. Who that thinks aright will ever say that the greatest part of the human race must perish in eternal death because they were not born in Europe, where there are comparatively few? And who that thinks aright will say that the Lord suffered so great a multitude to be born to perish in eternal death? This would be contrary to the Divine, and contrary to mercy. And besides, those who are out of the church, and are called Gentiles, live a much more moral life than those who are within the church, and embrace much more easily the doctrine of true faith, as is still more evident from souls in the other life. The worst of all come from the so-called Christian world, holding the neighbor in deadly hatred, and even the Lord. Above all others in the whole world they are adulterers. [3] It is not so with those from other parts of the world. Very many of those who have worshiped idols are of such a disposition as to abhor hatred and adultery, and to fear Christians because of their being of this character and desirous of tormenting everyone. Indeed Gentiles are so disposed as to listen readily, when taught by angels about the truths of faith, and that the Lord rules the universe, and to be easily imbued with faith and thus to reject their idols. For this reason Gentiles who have lived a moral life and in mutual charity and innocence, are regenerated in the other life. While they live in the world the Lord is present with them in charity and innocence, for there is nothing of charity and innocence except from the Lord. The Lord also gives them a conscience of what is right and good according to their religion, and insinuates innocence and charity into that conscience; and when there is innocence and charity in the conscience, they easily suffer themselves to be imbued with the truth of faith from good. The Lord Himself said this, in Luke:
And one said unto Him, Lord, are they few that be saved? and He said unto them, Ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without; and they shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God; and behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last (Luke 13:23, 28-30). By "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" are here meant all who have love, as shown above.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1032
1032. That 'and I will establish My covenant with you' means the Lord's presence with all people who have charity, and refers to 'those going out of the ark' and to 'every wild animal of the earth', that is, to people inside the Church and to those outside of it, is clear from what has been stated just above. With regard to the Lord also entering into a covenant with, that is, joining Himself by means of charity to people outside of the Church who are called gentiles, the position is this: The member of the Church imagines that all outside of the Church who are called gentiles cannot be saved because they do not possess any cognitions of faith and do not therefore know the Lord at all. Churchmen say that without faith and without knowledge of the Lord there is no salvation, and so all who are outside of the Church stand condemned. Indeed many such persons possessing some doctrine, even those embracing heresy, imagine that all outside of the Church, that is, all who do not feel as they do, are not saved. But the reality is altogether different. The Lord has mercy towards the whole human race, and wishes to save and draw to Himself all people throughout the universe.
[2] The Lord's mercy is infinite and will not let itself be limited to the few who are inside the Church. Instead it reaches out to all in the whole wide world. No one can be blamed because he has been born outside of the Church and so has no knowledge of matters of faith. Nor is anybody in any way condemned for having no faith in the Lord because he does not know Him. What right-thinking person is ever going to say that the greater part of the human race will perish in eternal death just because they have not been born in Europe whose inhabitants are relatively few? And what right-thinking person is going to say that the Lord would allow such a large number of people to be born so as to perish in eternal death? That would be contrary to the Divine and contrary to mercy. And in any case people outside of the Church, called gentiles, lead a far more upright life than those inside the Church do, and they embrace far more readily that which true faith teaches. This matter becomes clearer still from souls in the next life.
[3] From the so-called Christian world come the worst people of all, those in whom deadly hatred of the neighbour and deadly hatred of the Lord prevail. More than anybody else in the whole world they are adulterers. But this is not true of all other parts of the world; for a large number of those who have worshipped idols have an attitude of mind that finds hatred and adultery abhorrent, and they fear Christians for being such and for wishing to subject everybody else to torture. Indeed gentiles are such that when taught by angels about truths of faith and that the Lord rules over all, they have no difficulty in listening and have no difficulty in being endued with faith, and so casting aside their idols. Consequently those gentiles who have led an upright life, and have done so in mutual charity and in innocence, are regenerated in the next life. While they are living in the world the Lord is present with them in their charity and innocence, for no charity or innocence exists at all except that which comes from the Lord. The Lord also confers on them, according to the religion they have, a conscience for what is right and good, and instills innocence and charity into that conscience. And when innocence and charity exist in conscience they allow themselves without difficulty to be endued with the truth of faith deriving from good. The Lord Himself has said all this in Luke,
Someone said to Jesus, Lord, are those who are saved few? He said to them, You will see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrust out. On the other hand men will come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And, behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. Luke 13:23, 28-30.
'Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' here are used to mean all who dwell in love, as shown already.
Latin(1748-1756) 1032
1032. 'Et erigo foedus Meum vobiscum': quod significet praesentiam Domini apud quoscumque quibus charitas, seque referat ad 'egredientes ex arca' et ad 'omnem feram terrae,' hoc est, ad homines intra Ecclesiam et ad homines extra Ecclesiam, constat ex illis quae mox prius dicta sunt. Quod etiam Dominus foedus ineat, seu per charitatem se conjungat cum illis qui extra Ecclesiam sunt, et vocantur gentes, ita se res habet; homo Ecclesiae putat quod omnes qui extra Ecclesiam, qui gentes vocantur, non salvari possint ex causa quod nullas cognitiones fidei habeant, et ideo ignorent prorsus Dominum, dicentes quod absque fide et absque cognitione Domini, nulla salus; ita omnes qui sunt extra Ecclesiam, damnant; immo multi tales sunt qui in aliqua doctrina sunt, etiam qui in haeresi, quod omnes qui extra sunt, seu omnes qui non sentiunt sicut ii, putent non salvari; cum tamen prorsus aliter se res habet: Dominus misericordiam habet erga omne genus humanum et omnes qui in universo sunt, salvare vult et ad se trahere; misericordia Domini est infinita, nec se finiri patitur intra paucos illos qui intra Ecclesiam sunt, sed extendit se ad omnes in universo terrarum orbe; quod extra Ecclesiam nati sint et sic in ignorantia fidei, non eorum culpa est, et propterea quod non habent fidem in Dominum quia ignorant Ipsum, nusquam aliquis damnatur: quis usquam dicturus sit qui bene cogitat, quod maxima pars generis humani aeterna morte peritura, quia non nati intra Europam ubi respective pauci sunt? et quis dicturus qui bene cogitat, quod Dominus pateretur tantam multitudinem hominum nasci ut periret morte aeterna? hoc foret contra Divinum et contra misericordiam; et praeterea illi qui extra Ecclesiam sunt, qui gentes vocantur, multo moratiorem vitam vivunt quam qui intra Ecclesiam, et facilius multo amplectuntur verae fidei doctrinam; quod adhuc manifestius constare potest ab animabus in altera vita; [3] ex orbe ita vocato Christiano veniunt omnium pessimi, internecino odio habentes proximum, et internecino Dominum; prae omnibus in universa terrarum orbe adulteri; non autem ita ex ceteris orbis partibus; nam permulti ex his qui idola coluerunt, tali animo sunt ut odia et adulteria horreant, et timeant Christianos quia tales, et quod unumquemvis cruciare velint: immo gentes tales sunt ut cum informantur ab angelis de veris fidei, et quod Dominus regat universum, facile audiant ei facile imbuantur fide, et sic idola sua rejiciant; quare gentes, qui moratam vitam vixerunt, et in charitate mutua inque innocentia, ii in altera vita regenerantur: cum vivant in mundo, apud eos Dominus praesens est in charitate et innocentia, nam nihil charitatis et innocentiae est nisi a Domino: Dominus quoque iis conscientiam recti et boni secundum religiosum eorum donat, et conscientiae illi insinuat innocentiam et charitatem, cumque innocentia et charitas in conscientia tunc facile se patiuntur imbui vero fidei ex bono: Ipse Dominus hoc ita dixit apud Lucam, Dixit ad Jesum aliquis, Domine, num pauci sunt qui salvantur? Ipse dixit ad eos,... Videbitis Abrahamum, Isacum et Jacobum et omnes prophetas in regno Dei, vos vero ejectos foras: contra venient ab ortibus et occasibus, et a septentrione, et a meridie, accumbentes in regno Dei; et ecce sunt extremi qui erunt primi, et sunt primi qui erunt ultimi 28-30;per 'Abrahamum, Isacum et Jacobum' intelliguntur hic omnes qui in amore sunt, ut prius ostensum est.