8705.“将事件带到神那里”表调解和代求。这从“将事件带到神那里”的含义清楚可知，当论及神性真理时，“将事件带到神那里”是指与神性本身进行调解，并代求，因为进行调解和代求的人会把事件带到提供帮助者那里。调解和代求是神性真理所作的工，因为神性真理离神性良善，也就是主自己最近。神性真理之所以离神性良善，也就是主最近，是因为它直接从主发出。既然机会来了，那么就在此阐明主的调解和代求是怎么回事。那些以为三个位格构成神性，然而又合在一起被称为一位神的人按照圣言的字义，对调解和代求没有其它概念，只是认为主坐在祂父的右手边，与祂交谈，如同一个人与另一个人交谈，将人们的祈求带到父这里，并请求父为了祂的缘故而赦免并施怜悯，因为祂为人类忍受十字架之难。这就是每个简单人从圣言的字义所获得的关于调解和代求的概念。
但是，要知道，字义适合简单人的理解水平，好叫他们能被引入更内在的真理，也就是真理本身。因为简单人对天国没有其它任何概念，只是认为它如同地上的王国，对父和主也没有其它任何概念，只是认为父如同地上的王，主如同王子，就是王位的继承人。简单人就有这样的概念，这一点从主的门徒自己对主国度的概念很明显地看出来。因为一开始，他们和其他犹太人一样，也以为主既是弥赛亚，那么将是地上最大的王，会把他们提升到荣耀的巅峰，在全世界所有民族和人民之上。但当他们从主自己那里听说，祂的国不在地上，而是在天上时；他们只会认为祂的天国完全就像地上的王国。这也解释了为何雅各和约翰问，在祂的国里，这一个要坐在祂右手边，那一个坐在祂左手边；而也想在那国里为大的其余的门徒都很生气，彼此争论他们当中哪一个要在那里成为最大的；由于这种观念在他们心中根深蒂固，无法被根除，所以主只好对他们说，他们要“坐在十二个宝座上，审判以色列的十二支派”（参看马可福音10:37，41；路加福音22:24，30；马太福音19:28）。但他们那时不知道主所说的“十二宝座”、“十二支派”和“审判”究竟是什么意思。
由此可见人们对主与父的调解和代求持什么样的观念，这些观念是从哪里来的。但是，了解圣言内层真理的人对主的调解和代求持有完全不同的观点，即：主代求不是如同世上的儿子向王父代求，而是如同宇宙之主向祂自己代求，如同神独自一人代求，因为父与祂不是二，乃为一，如祂自己所教导的（约翰福音14:8-11）。祂之所以被称为“调解者（即中保）”和“代求者”，是因为“儿子”表示神性真理，“父”表示神性良善（参看2803，2813，3704节），调解是通过神性真理实现的，因为通过它才能进入神性良善；神性良善就像太阳的火，是不可靠近的；但神性真理就像太阳发出的光，是可靠近的；它为一个人的内眼，也就是信之眼，提供了进入神性良善的方法和渠道（8644节）。由此可见何为调解和代求。
有必要进一步说一说主自己作为神性良善本身和天堂的太阳本身，是如何被称作“父的调解者（中保）和代求者”。当主在世时，在完全得荣耀之前，祂是神性真理；因此，那段时间是有调解的，祂求父，也就是神性良善本身（约翰福音14:16，17；17:9，15，17）。但祂的人身得荣耀之后，祂就被称作调解者（中保）和代求者，因为没有人能思想神性本身，除非他把祂想象成一位神性人（Divine Man）；任何人更不可能通过爱与神性本身结合，除非祂被想象成这样。任何人若不把祂想象成一位神性人而思想神性本身，其观念就缺乏确定性，一个不确定的观念不是一个观念。或者，为了想象神性，他可能会思想可见的宇宙无止境的延伸，或以模糊而告终。这种观念与自然崇拜者的观念密不可分，也会掉入自然界，从而不再是对神性的观念。由此明显可知，具有这种观念的人不可能通过信或爱与神性结合。一切结合都需要一个对象，而结合的实现取决于这个对象的本质。因此，就神性人身而言，主被称为“调解者（中保）”和“代求者”，尽管祂与自己调解，向自己代求。神性本身无法以任何观念来理解，这一点从主在约翰福音中的话明显看出来：
从来没有人看见神，只有在父怀里的独生子将祂表明出来。（约翰福音1:18）
又：
你们从来没有听见父的声音，也没有看见祂的形状。（约翰福音5:37）
然而，一个值得注意的是，凡出于自己，或出于血气思想神的人都对祂没有确定的想法，也就是没有任何确定的观念；而那些不出于自己，也不出于血气，而出于灵思想神的人对祂则有确定的想法，也就是说，他们以一个人的形状来想象神性。天上的天使便以这种方式思想神性，古代的智者也以这种方式思想祂。此外，每当神性本身向他们显现时，祂就显为一个神性人；因为经过天堂的神性是一个神性人。原因在于，天堂是一个大人，这在许多章节末尾已经说明。由此可见世上的聪明是什么样，天上的聪明又是什么样。也就是说，世上的聪明把人身的观念除去了；结果，他们的心智和神性之间没有调解，所以他们有浓厚的黑暗。而天上的聪明则具有人身里面的神性的观念；因此，主对他们来说，就是调解或中保，他们的心智由此而有了光。
Potts(1905-1910) 8705
8705. And bring thou the words unto God. That this signifies mediation and intercession, is evident from the signification of "bringing the words unto God," when said of the Divine truth, as being to mediate with the Divine Itself and to intercede, for he who mediates and intercedes brings the matters to Him who gives aid. Mediation and intercession are of the Divine truth, because this is nearest with the Divine good, which is the Lord Himself. That the Divine truth is nearest with the Divine good, which is the Lord, is because it proceeds immediately from Him. As the occasion offers, it shall here be told how the case is with the Lord's mediation and intercession. They who believe that there are three Persons who constitute the Divine and who together are called one God, from the sense of the letter of the Word, have no other idea of mediation and intercession than that the Lord sits at the right hand of His Father, and speaks with Him as man with man, and brings the supplications of men to the Father, and entreats that for His sake, because He suffered the cross for the human race, He may pardon them and have mercy. Such is the idea of intercession and mediation which every simple person has from the sense of the letter of the Word. [2] But be it known that the sense of the letter is according to the apprehension of simple men, in order that they may be introduced into interior truths themselves; for the simple cannot have any other idea of the heavenly kingdom than as of an earthly kingdom, nor any other idea of the Father than as of a king on the earth, and of the Lord than as of the son of a king who is the heir of the kingdom. That the simple have such an idea, is plainly evident from the idea of the Lord's apostles themselves about His kingdom; for at first they believed, like the rest of the Jews, that the Lord as the Messiah would be the greatest king upon the earth, and would raise them to a height of glory above all the nations and peoples on the whole globe. But when they heard from the Lord Himself that His kingdom is not on earth but in heaven; then neither could they think otherwise than that His kingdom in heaven is altogether like a kingdom on the earth. And therefore James and John asked that in His kingdom the one might sit on His right hand and the other on His left; and the rest of the apostles, who also wanted to become great in that kingdom, had indignation, and disputed among themselves which of them should be greatest there. And as such an idea cleaved to them and could not be rooted out, the Lord indeed said unto them that they should "sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (see Mark 10:37, 41; Luke 22:24, 30; Matt. 19:28); but they did not then know what the Lord meant by the "twelve thrones," and by the "twelve tribes," and by "judgment." [3] From all this it can now be seen what the idea is, and whence it is, concerning the Lord's mediation and intercession with the Father. But he who knows the interior things of the Word has a totally different notion about the Lord's mediation and His intercession, namely, that He does not intercede as a son with a royal father on earth, but as the Lord of the universe with Himself, and as God of Himself, for the Father and He are not two, but are one, as He Himself teaches (John 14:8-11). He is called "Mediator" and "Intercessor," because by "the Son" is meant the Divine truth, and by "the Father" the Divine good (see n. 2803, 2813, 3704), and mediation is effected through the Divine truth, because by means of it access is given to the Divine good; for the Divine good cannot be approached, because it is like the fire of the sun, but the Divine truth, because it is like the light therefrom, which gives to man's sight, which is of faith, passage and access (n. 8644). Hence it can be seen what mediation and intercession are. It shall be told further whence it is that the Lord Himself, who is the Divine good itself and the Sun itself of heaven, is called "a Mediator and Intercessor with the Father." [4] When the Lord was in the world, and before He was fully glorified, He was the Divine truth; wherefore at that time there was mediation, and He interceded with the Father, that is, with the Divine good itself (John 14:16, 17; 17:9, 15, 17). But after He was glorified as to the Human, He is called "Mediator and Intercession" for this reason, that no one can think of the Divine Itself unless he presents to himself the idea of a Divine Man; still less can anyone be conjoined through love with the Divine Itself except by means of such an idea. If anyone without the idea of a Divine Man thinks of the Divine Itself, he thinks indeterminately, and an indeterminate idea is no idea; or he conceives an idea of the Divine from the visible universe without an end, or with an end in obscurity, which idea conjoins itself with the idea of the worshipers of nature, and also falls into nature, and thus becomes no idea. From this it is evident that there would not be any conjunction with the Divine through faith, nor through love. All conjunction requires an object, and the conjunction effected is according to the quality of the object. For this reason the Lord as to the Divine Human is called "a Mediator" and "an Intercessor," but He mediates and intercedes with Himself. That the Divine Itself cannot be apprehended by any idea, is evident from the Lord's words in John:
No one hath ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18). Ye have never heard the voice of the Father, nor seen His shape (John 5:37). [5] Nevertheless, what is remarkable, all who think from themselves or from the flesh about God, think of Him indeterminately, that is without any determinate idea; whereas they who think of God not from themselves, nor from the flesh, but from the spirit, think about Him determinately, that is, they present to themselves an idea of the Divine under a human form. So the angels in heaven think of the Divine, and so the wise ancients thought, to whom also, when the Divine Itself appeared, it appeared as a Divine Man; for the Divine passing though heaven is a Divine Man. The reason is that heaven is a Grand Man, as has been shown at the end of many chapters. From all this it is evident of what sort are the intelligent of the world, and of what sort are the intelligent of heaven; namely, that the intelligent of the world remove from themselves the idea of the human; and consequently between their minds and the Divine there is no mediation, whence they have thick darkness; whereas the intelligent of heaven have an idea of the Divine in the Human; thus the Lord is to them mediation, and consequently in their minds there is light.
Elliott(1983-1999) 8705
8705. 'And you are to bring matters to God' means mediation and intercession. This is clear from the meaning of 'bringing matters to God', when said in reference to Divine Truth, as mediating with the Divine Himself and interceding; for one who mediates and intercedes brings matters to Him who offers aid. Mediation and intercession are the work of Divine Truth because it exists nearest Divine Good, which is the Lord Himself. The reason why Divine Truth exists nearest Divine Good, which is the Lord, is that it goes forth directly from Him.
Since the opportunity is provided, the nature of the Lord's mediating and interceding will be stated here. People who believe that three persons constitute the Godhead, yet taken together are called one God, derive from the literal sense of the Word no other idea of mediation and intercession than this: The Lord sits on His Father's right hand and speaks to Him in the way that one human being does to another, bringing people's supplications to Him, and asking the Father for His sake, because He endured the Cross for the human race, to pardon and have mercy. An idea of intercession and mediation such as this every simple person derives from the literal sense of the Word.
[2] But it should be recognized that the literal sense accords with simple people's level of understanding, in order that they may be led into more internal truths which are actual truths. The simple cannot picture the heavenly kingdom except as an earthly kingdom, the Father except as a king on earth, and the Lord except as the king's son who is heir to the throne. The fact that such ideas are what simple people possess is plainly evident from the ideas the Lord's actual apostles had regarding His kingdom. Initially they believed, like all other Jews, that since He was the Messiah the Lord was going to be the greatest king on earth and was going to exalt them to a position of glory above all the nations and peoples throughout the entire world. But when they heard from the Lord Himself that His kingdom was not on earth but in heaven they could do no other than think that His kingdom in heaven was going to be exactly like a kingdom on earth. This also explains why James and John asked that they might sit one on His right and the other on His left in His kingdom, and why the rest of the apostles, who also wished to become great in that kingdom, were angry and argued with one another about which of them was to be the greatest there; and since such ideas were firmly fixed in them and could not be rooted out the Lord also told them that they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel, see Mark 10:37, 41; Luke 22:24, 30; Matt 19:28. But they did not at that time know what the Lord really meant by 'twelve thrones', 'the twelve tribes', and 'judging'.
[3] From all this one may now see what people's ideas about the Lord's mediating and interceding with the Father are like, and where they come from. But anyone who is acquainted with the more internal truths of the Word has an altogether different conception of the Lord's mediation and of His intercession. They conceive of Him interceding not as a son does on earth with his king and father, but as the Lord of all things with Himself, and as God by Himself; for the Father and He are not two but one, as He Himself teaches, John 14:8-11. The reason why He is called Mediator and Intercessor is that 'the Son' is used to mean Divine Truth, and 'the Father' Divine Good, 2803, 2813, 3704, and mediation is done by Divine Truth, through which lies access to Divine Good Divine Good, being like the fire of the sun, is unapproachable; but Divine Truth, being like the light from the sun, is approachable. It provides a person's inner eye - the eye of faith - with a means and access to [Divine Good], 8644. From this one may see what mediation and intercession are.
[4] Something must also be said now about how the Lord, who is Himself Divine Good and the Sun of heaven, comes to be called One who mediates and intercedes with the Father. While He was in the world, before He was fully glorified, the Lord was Divine Truth; during that time therefore mediation took place, and He interceded with the Father, that is, with Divine Good itself, John 14:16, 17; 17:9, 15, 17. But now, ever since His Human has been glorified, He is called the Mediator and Intercessor because no one can think of the Divine Himself unless he envisages Him as a Divine Man (Homo). Still less can anyone be joined in love to the Divine Himself unless He is envisaged as such. The ideas of anyone who thinks of the Divine Himself without envisaging Him as a Divine Man, lack definition, and an idea in which nothing definite is seen is not an idea. Alternatively, to conceive of the Divine he may think of the visible universe stretching out endlessly or ending in obscurity. Such an idea ties up with that which worshippers of nature have; it also reduces the idea of the Divine to nature, and so ceases to be an idea of Him. From this it is evident that nobody with such ideas could be joined to the Divine through faith, or through love. Any joining together requires an object, and such joining depends on the essential nature of the object. So it is that in respect of the Divine Human the Lord is called Mediator and Intercessor, though He mediates and intercedes with Himself. The truth that no ideas can be formed to picture the Divine Himself is clear from the Lord's words in John,
Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.
And in the same gospel
You have never heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.
[5] However, it is a remarkable fact that none of those whose thought about God springs from self or the flesh have any definite mental picture of Him when they think about Him, whereas those whose thought about God does not spring from self or the flesh but from the spirit do have a definite mental picture when they think about Him, that is, they envisage the Divine within a human shape. That is the way in which the angels in heaven think about the Divine, and it was the way in which the wise people of old thought about Him. Furthermore whenever the Divine Himself appeared to them He did so as Divine Man; for the Divine as He passes through heaven is Divine Man. The reason for this is that heaven is the Grand Man, as has been shown at the ends of quite a number of chapters. From all this one may see what the intelligent in the world are like and what the intelligent in heaven are like. That is to say, one may see that the intelligent in the world dismiss the idea of the human; as a result of this no mediation takes place between their mind and the Divine, and they are therefore in thick darkness. But the intelligent in heaven picture the Divine within the Human; thus for them mediation resides in the Lord, and their minds as a result have light.
Latin(1748-1756) 8705
8705. `Et adducas tu verba ad Deum': quod significet mediationem et intercessionem, constat ex significatione `adducere verba ad Deum' cum de Divino Vero dicitur, quod sit mediare apud ipsum Divinum et intercedere, nam qui mediat et intercedit, is adducit res ad Ipsum Qui opem fert; mediatio et intercessio est Divini Veri, quia hoc proxime est apud Divinum Bonum, quod est Ipse Dominus; {1}quod Divinum Verum sit proxime apud Divinum Bonum, quod Dominus, est quia illud immediate procedit ab Ipso. Quomodo cum mediatione et cum intercessione Domini se habet, hic, quia occasio datur, dicetur: qui credunt quod tres personae sint qui constituunt Divinum et simul vocantur unus Deus, illi ex sensu {2}litterae Verbi non aliam de mediatione et intercessione ideam habent quam quod Dominus sedeat ad dextram Patris Sui, et loquatur cum Ipso sicut homo cum homine, et adducat supplicationes hominum ad Patrem, et roget ut propter Se, quia passus est crucem pro genere humano, condonet et misereatur; talis idea de intercessione et mediatione est cuivis simplici ex sensu {3}litterae Verbi; sed sciendum quod 2 sensus {4}litterae sit secundum captum hominum simplicium, ut introducantur in ipsa vera interiora; simplices enim non aliam ideam possunt habere de regno caelesti quam sicut de regno terrestri, nec aliam de {5} Patre quam sicut de rege in terra, et de Domino quam sicut de filio regis, qui heres regni {6}; quod talis idea simplicibus sit, patet manifeste ex idea ipsorum apostolorum Domini de regno Ipsius; primum enim crediderunt illi, sicut reliqui Judaei, quod Dominus, quia Messias, futurus esset rex maximus in terra, et evecturus {7}illos ad fastigium gloriae super omnes gentes et populos in universo terrarum orbe; at cum audiverunt ab Ipso Domino quod regnum Ipsius non esset in terra sed in caelo, tunc illi nec aliter potuerunt cogitare quam quod regnum Ipsius in caelo futurum esset prorsus sicut regnum {6} in terra; quapropter etiam Jacobus et Johannes petierunt ut in regno Ipsius unus sederet a dextris et alter a sinistris; et reliqui apostoli, qui etiam magni in illo regno voluerunt fieri, indignati sunt, et inter se litigaverunt quis eorum ibi major fieret; et quia talis idea inhaerebat, nec {8}poterat exstirpari, etiam Dominus dixit illis quod sederent super duodecim thronis judicaturi duodecim tribus Israelis, videatur Marc. x 37, 41; Luc. xxii 24, 30; Matth. xix 28; et tunc non sciebant quid per `duodecim thronos,' perque `duodecim tribus,' et per `judicium,' a Domino intellectum est. 3 Ex his nunc constare potest qualis idea est, et unde illa, de mediatione et intercessione Domini apud Patrem; at qui interiora Verbi scit, is prorsus aliam notionem de mediatione Domini et de Ipsius intercessione habet, quod nempe non (x)intercedat sicut filius apud patrem regem in terra, sed sicut Dominus universi apud Se, et sicut Deus a Se, nam non sunt duo Pater et Ipse, sed sunt unum, ut Ipse docet, Joh. xiv 8-11; quod dicatur Mediator et Intercessor, est quia per `Filium' intelligitur Divinum Verum, et per `Patrem' Divinum Bonum, n. 2803, 2813, 3704, et mediatio fit per Divinum Verum, nam per id datur aditus ad Divinum Bonum; Divinum enim Bonum non adiri potest, quia est sicut ignis solis, sed Divinum Verum, {9}quia hoc est sicut lux inde, quae dat hominis visui, qui est ex fide, transitum et (x)aditum, n. 8644; inde constare potest quid mediatio et intercessio. (s)Porro {10}dicendum est undenam est, quod Ipse Dominus, Qui est ipsum Divinum Bonum ac ipse Sol caeli, dicatur mediator et intercessor 4 apud Patrem; Dominus cum in mundo fuit, antequam plene glorificatus est, {11}fuit Divinum Verum, quare tunc mediatio fuit, et intercessit apud Patrem, hoc est, apud ipsum Divinum Bonum, Joh. xiv 16, 17, xvii 9, 15, 17; at postquam glorificatus est quoad Humanum, tunc dicitur Mediator et Intercessor ex eo quod de ipso Divino nullus cogitare possit nisi sistat sibi ideam Divini Hominis, minus aliquis potest per amorem conjungi ipsi Divino nisi per talem ideam; si quis absque idea Divini Hominis cogitat de ipso Divino, cogitat interminate, et {12}idea interminata est nulla; (m)vel capit ideam de Divino ex universo aspectabili absque fine vel cum fine in obscuro, quae idea conjungit se cum idea cultorum naturae, cadit etiam in naturam, et sic fit nulla;(n) inde {13}patet quod non foret aliqua conjunctio cum Divino per fidem, nec per amorem; omnis conjunctio requirit objectum, et secundum objecti quale fit conjunctio; inde est quod Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum dicatur Mediator et Intercessor, sed mediat et intercedit apud Se; quod ipsum Divinum non {14}per aliquam ideam capi possit, constat (c)ex Domini verbis apud Johannem, Deum nemo vidit unquam; Unigenitus Filius, Qui in sinu Patris est, Ille exposuit, i 18:et apud eundem, Non vocem Patris audivistis unquam, neque speciem Ipsius vidistis, v 37. 5 Attamen, quod memorabile, omnes qui ex se seu ex carne cogitant de Deo, cogitant de Ipso interminate, hoc est, absque ulla idea terminata, at qui non ex se nec ex carne sed ex spiritu cogitant de Deo, cogitant de Ipso determinate, hoc est, sistunt sibi ideam Divini sub specie humana; ita angeli in caelo cogitant de Divino, {15}ac ita antiqui sapientes cogitarunt, quibus etiam, cum ipsum Divinum apparuit, sicut Divinus Homo apparuit, nam Divinum transiens per caelum est Divinus Homo; causa est quia caelum est Maximus Homo, ut ad finem plurium capitum ostensum est; {16} ex his patet quales intelligentes mundi sunt, et quales intelligentes caeli, quod nempe intelligentes mundi removeant a se ideam humani; inde est quod inter mentem illorum et inter Divinum non sit mediatio, unde illis caligo; at intelligentes caeli habent ideam Divini in Humano, sic Dominus est illis mediatio, ac inde mentibus illorum est lux. (s) @1 et$ @2 literali$ @3 literali altered to literae$ @4 literalis altered to literae$ @5 i Deo$ @6 i est$ @7 populum illum$ @8 potuit$ @9 quod est sicut Lux, dat hominis visui qui est ex fide, aditum ad ipsum Divinum, intercessio tunc non aliud est quam Misericordia, haec cum fit a Divino Bono per Divinum Verum, sistitur ei qui ideam de Regno coeleste habet sicut de Regno terrestri, tanquam intercessio Filii apud Patrem Regem$ @10 ut sciatur$ @11 After Verum$ @12 cogitatio$ @13 nec$ @14 aliqua idea$ @15 etiam antiqui sapientes ita de Divino cogitarunt, cum etiam Ipsum Divinum apparuit illis, apparuit ut Divinus Homo$ @16 A has the following marginal additions with marks for insertion here: Divinus ille Homo, qui Jehovah transiens per coelum, fuit Dominus ab aeterno, hoc est, Ipse Jehovah in forma humana;$