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1114. Render unto her even as she hath rendered unto you. That this signifies infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds, is evident from the signification of rendering to any one as he hath rendered or done, as denoting to make retribution according to the law of retribution, that is, to mete out punishment corresponding to evil deeds. But because these things are said to those who have gone out of Babylon according to exhortation, that is, who have renounced that religion, and are on their guard against it, and because these do not punish, for they are in charity, and consequently not revengeful, therefore those words signify infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds. That it is said of them they should render to her, and also afterwards, they should double to her double according to her works, and mix to her double in the cup which she hath mingled, is in conformity with the style of the Word in the sense of its letter - which is written according to appearances - namely, that they should avenge the unjust things done to them. In the same sense also the Lord Himself is said to be angry, to punish, and to act from revenge, when notwithstanding anger and revenge have no existence in the Lord, nor consequently, in those who are led by the Lord and live from Him.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- Some, in the Christian world, have formed the idea that God is a universal [force]; some, that He is nature in what is most interior; some think of Him as a cloud in some realm of the ether; some, as of a bright ray of light; and some have no idea at all; while scarcely any have formed the idea that God is Man, when nevertheless God is Man.
There are several reasons why Christians have formed such ideas of God. The first is, that according to their doctrine they believe that there are three Divine persons distinct one from another - the Father an invisible God, also the Lord, but that as to His Human He is not God. The second is, that they believe God to be a spirit; and they think of a spirit as of wind, air, or ether, when the fact is every spirit is a man. The third is, that Christians, in consequence of their faith alone without life, have become worldly, and from the love of self they have become corporeal; and a worldly and corporeal man sees God only from space, thus as all that which is most interior in the universe or in nature, consequently as that which is extended, when nevertheless God is not to be seen from space, for there is no space in the spiritual world, space there being an appearance from similarity (ex simili). Every sensual man regards God in the same way, because he thinks little above speech, and the thought of his speech says to itself, "What the eye sees and the hand touches, this I know exists," and everything else it sets aside as merely speculative questions: These are the reasons why in the Christian world there is no idea of God as a Man. That there is no such idea, in fact, that there is a repugnance to it, you will know if you examine yourself, and think of the Divine Human, when nevertheless the Human of the Lord is Divine. But it is not so much the simple minded who hold the above ideas as the intelligent; for many of the latter are blinded by the pride which they have in their own intelligence, and they are consequently infatuated by knowledge (scientia), according to the Lord's words (Matthew 11:25; 13:13-15). But let such know, that all those who see God as a Man, see Him from the Lord, others see Him from themselves; and those who see from themselves, do not see.
1114. Verse 6. Render unto her even as she hath rendered unto you, signifies infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds. This is evident from their signification of "rendering to one even as he hath rendered (or done)," as being to make retribution according to the law of retaliation, thus to render punishment corresponding to evil deeds. But as this was said to those who according to the exhortation have gone forth out of Babylon, that is, have left that religious persuasion, and are on their guard against it, and as such are in charity, and consequently are not revengeful and therefore do not punish others, so these words signify infernal punishment corresponding to evil deeds. These expressions, that such "would render unto her," also "would double unto her double according to her works," and "would mingle to her double in the cup that she hath mingled," are in accord with the style of the Word in the sense of its letter, which is according to appearances, that is, that they would avenge the injustices done to themselves; as also in the same sense it is attributed to the Lord Himself that He is angry, that He punishes, and thus that He acts from revenge; and yet anger and revenge are not possible in the Lord, and consequently not in those who are led by the Lord and live from Him.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)
[2] Some in the Christian world have formed to themselves an idea of God resembling their idea of the universe, others like the idea of nature in her inmosts, others like the idea of a cloud in some ethereal space, others like the idea of a beam of light, and others no idea at all, and few an idea of God as Man; and yet God is Man. There are several reasons why Christians have formed such ideas of God. The first is that they believe from their doctrine in three Divine Persons distinct from each other; in the Father as the invisible God, and in the Lord, but not God as to His Human. The second reason is that they believe God to be a Spirit, and they conceive of a spirit as wind or as air or ether, and yet every spirit is a man. The third reason is that Christians, in consequence of their faith alone without life, have become worldly, and from the love of self have become corporeal, and the worldly and corporeal man does not see God except from space, thus as the whole inmost in the universe or in nature, consequently as extended. But God must not be regarded from space, for in the spiritual world there is no space; space there is an appearance from something like it.
[3] In this way does every sensual man see God, because he has little thought above his speech; and the thought that pertains to speech says to itself, "What the eye sees and the hand touches, that I know to be," and everything else it sets aside as mere words. These are the reasons why there is no idea of God as Man in the Christian world. That there is no such idea, yea that there is a repugnance to it, will be seen if you will examine yourself, and think of the Divine Human; and yet the Lord's Human is Divine. But these ideas of God are not so much the ideas of the simple as of the intelligent, for many of the intelligent are blinded by the pride of self intelligence, and are in consequence infatuated by what they know, according to the Lord's words in Matthew (Matthew 11:25; 13:13-15). But let it be known that all who see God as Man see Him from the Lord, and all others see Him from self; and those who see from self do not see.
1114. [Vers. 6.] "Reddite illi quemadmodum illa reddidit vobis." - Quod significet poenam infernalem malefactis illorum correspondentem, constat ex significatione "reddere alicui sicut ille reddidit", seu fecit, quod sit retribuere secundum jus talionis, ita reddere poenam malefactis correspondentem: sed quia haec dicta sunt ad illos qui secundum exhortationem exiverunt ex Babylone, hoc est, qui relinquerunt id religiosum, et qui sibi cavent ab illo, et hi non illos puniunt, sunt enim in charitate et inde non in vindicta, ideo per illa verba significatur poena infernalis malefactis correspondens; quod hoc dicatur de illis, quod "illi redderent", sicut etiam in sequentibus, quod "duplicarent ei dupla secundum opera, et miscerent ei duplum in poculo quo miscuit", est secundum stylum Verbi in sensu litterae ejus, qui est secundum apparentias, nempe quod vindicaturi sint injustitias sibi factas; sicut etiam in eodem sensu tribuitur Ipsi Domino quod irascatur et puniat, et sic quod ex vindicta agat; cum tamen ira et vindicta non dantur in Domino, consequenter non apud illos qui a Domino ducuntur et vivunt.
[2] (Continuatio de Fide Athanasiana, et de Domino.)
Quidam in Christiano orbe ideam Dei sibi comparaverunt sicut de universo, quidam sicut de Natura in intimis, quidam sicut de nube in quodam spatio aetheris, quidam sicut de jubare lucis, et quidam non aliquam, ac pauci ideam de Deo ut de Homine; cum tamen Deus est Homo. Quod Christiani tales ideas Dei sibi comparaverint, sunt plures causae. Prima est, quia ex doctrina sua credunt tres personas Divinas inter se distinctas, Patrem ut Deum invisibilem, Dominum etiam, sed quoad Humanum suum non Deum. Secunda est, quod credant Deum esse spiritum, et de spiritu cogitant sicut de vento, aut de aere aut de aethere, cum tamen omnis spiritus est homo. Tertia est, quod Christianus ex sua fide sola et non vita factus sit mundanus, et ex amore sui corporeus; et homo mundanus et corporeus non videt Deum nisi ex spatio, ita Deum ut omne intimum in universo, aut in Natura, proinde ut extensum, cum tamen Deus ex spatio non videndus est, non enim est spatium in mundo spirituali; spatium ibi est apparentia ex simili.
[3] Deum similiter videt omnis sensualis homo, quia is cogitat parum supra loquelam, et cogitatio loquelae secum dicit, "Quod oculus videt et manus tangit, hoc scio quod sit", ac reliqua dissipat quasi sint modo dici. Hae sunt causae quod in Christiano orbe non sit idea de Deo ut Homine. Quod non sit, immo quod repugnet, explora te, cogita modo Divinum Humanum, et scies; cum tamen Humanum Domini est Divinum. Verum illae ideae Dei non ita sunt simplicium, sed intelligentium; nam horum multos fastus propriae intelligentiae occaecavit, et inde scientia infatuavit, secundum Domini verba (Matthaeus 11:25; 13:13-15). Sed sciant quod omnes qui vident Deum ut Hominem, videant Ipsum a Domino, reliqui a semet; et qui a semet, non vident.