----中文待译----
107. (Verse 6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. That this signifies aversion, derived from the Divine, in regard to those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, from which there is no life, is evident from the signification of "this thou hast, that thou hatest," as being aversion. The reason why it denotes aversion derived from the Divine, is, because it is said, "which I also hate"; and from the signification of works, as being things which pertain to the mind, whence works proceed (concerning which see above, n. 98); and from the signification of the Nicolaitanes, as being those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, those who do this being without life. The reason why those who separate charity from faith are without life, is that all spiritual life pertains to charity, and none to faith separated from charity; for to know and to think pertain to faith, but to will and to do pertain to charity. Those who separate charity from faith cannot possibly know what constitutes heaven and the church with man, thus what constitutes spiritual life, because they do not think within themselves, but extrinsically. To think extrinsically, is to think from the memory only; for the memory is extrinsic to the man, being as it were a court, through which there is an entrance into the house and its inner chambers. Moreover, heaven cannot flow into thought which is extrinsic to a man, for it flows into those things which are within him, and through them into those things that are extrinsic to him. This is why they cannot be instructed in those things that constitute heaven and the church, or life eternal. For every one is instructed from heaven, or through heaven from the Lord, concerning those things that pertain to life eternal, thus through the medium of his life, or through his soul and heart.
He who believes that those can be in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth who separate charity from faith, is much deceived, for they suppose everything to be from themselves, and nothing from heaven. And the things which a man apprehends from self, and not from heaven, are falsities, because he thinks in darkness, and not in the light; all light in those things that pertain to the church, must come from heaven.
[2] There are indeed many in the church who say that charity is the essential of the church and not faith separate from it; but to say this and believe it, and not to live the life of charity, is merely to say that it is, and not to make it the essential; these, therefore, are like those who say that faith is the essential, for with them charity is a matter of faith alone, and not of the life; therefore they cannot be enlightened. In the spiritual world there is seen with such persons something snowy, of light as it were; but the light from which the snowy appearance comes, is natural, this being of such a character, that, on the influx of the light of heaven, which is spiritual, it is changed into darkness. These dwell to the left in the spiritual world, almost in the angle of the north and west. Those only are intelligent who apply the knowledges of truth and good to the life.
[3] All those who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, and not in the good of life in agreement with them, may live a moral life equally with those who are in knowledges, and thereby in the good of life by means of them; but their moral life is natural, and not spiritual, because they do not live sincerely, justly and well from religion; and those who are such cannot be conjoined with heaven, for religion makes man spiritual, and conjoins him with the angels, who are spiritual. To live well from religion, is to think, to will, and to do, because it is so taught in the Word, and because the Lord has commanded it; but not to live from religion, is to think, will, and do, only on account of civil and moral laws. The latter, because they regard nothing else but those laws, are conjoined only with the world, for which those laws are made; but the former look to the Lord, and thence are conjoined to Him.
The reason why the Gentiles are saved, is solely from this fact, that in their life they have regard to religion, thinking and saying, that they ought to act in a certain way and no other, because it is in agreement with the laws of their religion, and such and such things are to be left undone, because they are contrary to those laws, thus against the Divine; and when they so think and act, spiritual life is imparted to them, which is of such a nature with them, that they afterwards receive truths in the spiritual world, more readily than those Christians who, when they do anything, think nothing from the Word, and the doctrine of the church, which is from the Word.
[4] Those who do not think from religion, since they, are not spiritual, have no conscience; if therefore their external bonds, which are fear of the law and of the loss of reputation, were removed, they would rush into every kind of enormity; but, on the other hand, if the external bonds, which are fear of the law and of the loss of reputation, were taken away from those who think from religion, they would still act justly, uprightly, and well; for they fear God, and are kept in a life of obedience and charity by influx out of heaven from the Lord, to whom they are conjoined. The reason why those who separate charity from faith are called Nicolaitanes, is chiefly from the sound of that expression in heaven, for it sounds from truth or faith, and not from good or charity. (That from expressions in the Word it may be known whether they involve good or truth, thus also whether they involve one separate from the other, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 241.)
107. Verse 6. (98); from the signification of the "Nicolaitans," as being those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, such as do this being without life. These have no life, because all spiritual life is from charity, and from faith separate from charity there is no life. For to know and think are of faith, but to will and to do are of charity. Those that separate charity from faith can know nothing whatever of what makes heaven and the church with man, thus of what makes spiritual life; for they do not think within themselves, but outside of themselves. To think outside of oneself is to think from memory only; for the memory is outside of the man, being as it were a court, through which is an entrance into the house and its chambers; and into the thought that is outside of man heaven cannot flow in, for heaven flows into the things that are within man, and through these into the things that are outside of him. Such, therefore, cannot be taught what makes heaven and the church, or life eternal; for everyone is taught from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, about the things that pertain to life eternal; thus he is taught by way of his life, which is by way of his soul and heart. He is greatly deceived who supposes that those who separate charity from faith can be in the knowledges of truth. For such apprehend all things from themselves, and nothing from heaven; and the things that man apprehends from self, and not from heaven, are falsities, because he then thinks in darkness, and not in light. All light in such things as pertain to the church must come from heaven.
[2] It is true that there are many in the church who say that charity is the essential of the church, and not faith separate; but to say this and believe it, and not to live a life of charity, is not to make it the essential, but only to say that it is. Such, therefore, are in the same position as those who say that faith is the essential, for to them charity is a matter of faith alone, and not of life; consequently they cannot be illustrated. About such in the spiritual world something snow-like, as if of light, appears; but the light from which the snow-like appearance is derived is natural; and this light is such that when light from heaven, which is spiritual light, flows in, it is changed into darkness. Such dwell there towards the left, almost in the angle of the north and west. These are intelligent only so far as they have applied the knowledges of truth and good to life.
[3] All who are in the knowledges of truth and good, but not, conformably to these, in the good of life, may live a moral life equally with those who are in knowledges and through these in the good of life; yet their moral life is not spiritual but natural, because in their life they do not live sincerely, justly, and well from religion; and those who do not live well from religion cannot be conjoined with heaven; for it is religion that makes a man spiritual and conjoins him with the angels, who are purely spiritual. To live well from religion is to think, to will, and to do because it has been so enjoined in the Word, and because the Lord has commanded it; but to live not from religion is to think, to will, and to do from a regard solely to civil and moral laws. Such as these, since they have regard only to these laws, conjoin themselves to this world alone, for which these laws are; but the former have regard to the Lord, and thereby conjoin themselves to Him. Gentiles are saved solely by this, that in their life they have regard to religion, thinking and saying that they ought to do thus and not otherwise, because to do otherwise would be contrary to the laws of their religion, thus contrary to the Divine; and when they thus think, and act accordingly, they are endowed with spiritual life, which with them is of such quality that afterwards, in the spiritual world, they receive truths more readily than those Christians who, in what they do, give no thought to the Word, or to the doctrine of the church, which is from the Word.
[4] Those who do not think from religion do not have conscience, because they are not spiritual; consequently, if their external bonds, which are fears respecting the law and reputation, should be loosened with them, they would rush into every wickedness; while on the other hand, if external bonds, which are fears respecting the law and reputation, should be taken away from those who think from religion, they would still act sincerely, justly, and well; for they fear God, and are kept in a life of obedience and charity out of heaven from the Lord, to whom they are conjoined. Those who separate charity from faith are called "Nicolaitans" chiefly from the sound of that word in heaven, for its sound is from truth or faith, and not from good or charity. (That from the expressions in the Word it may be known whether they involve good or truth, thus also whether they involve the one separate from the other, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 241.)
107. (Vers. 6.) "Sed (hoc) habes quod odisti opera Nicolaitarum, 1
quae et Ego odi." - Quod significet aversationem a Divino pro illis qui separant bonum a vero, seu charitatem a fide, e quo non vita, constat ex significatione "habes quod odisti", quod sit aversatio; quod sit aversatio a Divino, est quia dicitur " 2
quae et Ego odi"; ex significatione "operum", quod sint quae sunt mentis, unde opera (de qua supra, n. 98) ex significatione "Nicolaitarum", quod sint qui separant bonum a vero, seu charitatem a fide; qui hoc faciunt, illis non est vita. Quod illis non sit vita, est quia omnis vita spiritualis est charitatis, et nulla fidei separatae; fidei enim est scire et cogitare, at charitatis est velle et facere. Qui separant charitatem a fide, illi prorsus nihil scire possunt quid facit caelum et ecclesiam apud hominem, ita quid vitam spiritualem, quoniam non cogitant intra se sed extra se. Cogitare extra se est solum ex memoria, nam haec est extra hominem sicut est atrium per quod intratur in domum et ejus conclavia; et in cogitationem quae extra hominem caelum non potest influere, nam caelum influit in illa quae intra hominem sunt, et per ea in illa quae extra illum sunt; inde est, quod nec instrui possint quid facit caelum et ecclesiam, seu vitam aeternam; nam unusquisque instruitur e caelo, hoc est, per caelum a Domino, de talibus quae sunt vitae aeternae; ita per viam vitae ejus, quae est per viam animae et cordis ejus. Qui credit quod in cognitionibus veri possint esse qui separant charitatem a fide, multum fallitur; capiunt enim omnia a se et nihil e caelo, et quae homo a se capit et non e caelo haec falsa sunt, quia in tenebris 3
cogitant et non in luce; omnis lux in talibus quae ecclesiae sunt, e caelo veniet.
[2] Sunt quidem in ecclesia plures qui dicunt charitatem esse essentiale ecclesiae et non fidem separatam; sed dicere id et credere id, et non vivere vitam charitatis, est modo dicere illam esse et non facere illam essentiale; quare illi in eodem loco sunt cum illis qui dicunt fidem esse essentiale, est enim illis charitas solius fidei, et non vitae, quapropter nec illi possunt illustrari. In mundo spirituali apparet apud illos niveum quoddam sicut lucis; sed ea lux, ex qua illud niveum, est naturalis, quae talis est, ut influente luce caeli, quae est lux spiritualis, vertatur in tenebras; habitant ad sinistrum ibi paene in angulo septentrionis et occidentis: illi tantum sunt intelligentes quantum cognitiones veri et boni applicuerunt vitae.
[3] Omnes illi qui in cognitionibus veri et boni sunt, et non secundum illas in bono vitae, vivere possunt aeque moralem vitam ac illi qui in cognitionibus sunt et per illas in bono vitae; sed usque moralis illorum vita est naturalis et non spiritualis, quoniam in vita sua non sincere, juste et bene vivunt ex religione; et qui non ex religione bene vivunt, ii non possunt conjungi caelo; nam religio facit hominem spiritualem, et conjungit illum angelis, qui modo spirituales sunt. Ex religione bene vivere, est cogitare, velle et facere, quia ita praeceptum est in Verbo, et quia Dominus id mandavit; at non ex religione vivere, est cogitare, velle et facere solum propter leges civiles et morales. Hi quia non Spectant alio quam ad has, ideo se conjungunt solum mundo, pro quo leges illae sunt; at illi spectant ad Dominum, et inde se conjungunt Ipsi. Quod gentes salventur est unice ex eo, quod in vita sua spectent ad religionem, cogitantes et dicentes quod ita et non aliter faciendum sit, quia est contra leges religionis suae, ita contra Divinum; et cum ita cogitant et inde faciunt, imbuunt vitam spiritualem, quae talis est apud illos ut postea in mundo spirituali recipiant vera prae Christianis illis qui nihil cogitant ex Verbo et ex doctrina ecclesiae quae ex Verbo, dum aliquid faciunt.
[4] Illi qui non ex religione cogitant, quia non spirituales sunt, nec habent conscientiam; quare si externa illorum vincula, quae sunt pro lege et pro fama, illis remitterentur, ruerent in omne nefas: at vicissim, si illis, qui cogitant ex religione, externa vincula, quae sunt timores pro lege et fama, auferrentur, usque sincere, juste et bene agerent; nam timent Deum, et in vita obedientiae et charitatis tenentur e caelo a Domino, cui conjuncti sunt. Quod illi qui separant charitatem a fide dicantur "Nicolaitae", est praecipue ex vocis illius sono in caelo; nam sonat ex vero seu fide, et non ex bono seu charitate. (Quod ex vocibus in verbo sciri possit num involvant bonum aut verum, ita quoque num unum separatum ab altero, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 241.)
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