----中文待译----
1154. Beasts of burden and sheep.- That these signify worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual-natural origin, profaned, is evident from the signification of beasts of burden, which denote the truths that have reference to charity, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of sheep, which denote the goods of charity, as is evident from all the passages in the Word where they are mentioned; as in the following: 375:42, 376:30, 444:14, where that parable is explained.
The signification of beasts of burden when asses are meant, may be seen above, n. 31:8, 140. It is said that beasts of burden and sheep signify truths and goods from a spiritual-natural origin, because here those goods and truths are meant that pertain to those who are in the external church of the Lord, and thence in the first or ultimate heaven; these are natural, but still receptive of the Spiritual, and therefore they are called spiritual-natural. Here, however, as elsewhere, it is meant that worship from such truths and goods is profaned.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- The operation of the Divine Providence, notwithstanding that man is ignorant of it, shall be illustrated by two comparisons. It is like a gardener who collects the seeds of shrubs, fruit-trees, and flowers of every kind, and provides himself with spades, rakes, and various other implements for preparing the ground. He afterwards brings his garden into a state of cultivation, digging it, cutting it in to beds, putting in the seeds, and smoothing the ground. This is as it were the gardener's own work; but it is the Lord who causes the seeds to take root, to spring out of the earth, to put forth leaves and then flowers, and lastly to yield new seeds, which are for the gardener's benefit. It is also like a man who is about to build a house. He provides himself with the requisite materials, such as timber, rafters, stone, mortar, and various other things. But the Lord while man is ignorant of it afterwards builds the house from the foundation to the roof entirely suited to the man. From these comparisons it follows that unless a man provides himself with the requisites for his garden or his house, he will have neither the former with the advantage of its fruits, nor the latter to afford him a dwelling. So is it in the case of reformation.
[3] Those things with which a man must provide himself are the knowledges of truth and good obtained from the Word, from the doctrine of the church, from the world, and from his own study; the Lord does the rest without man's knowledge. It must, however, be borne in mind that all the requisites for sowing a garden or building a house, which, as was said, are the knowledges of truth and good, are merely the necessary materials, which have no life until man uses them, or lives according to them as if from himself. When this is the case, then the Lord enters, imparts life, and builds, that is, reforms. The garden, or the house, is man's understanding; for in it dwells his wisdom which derives all that it has from love.
1154. Beasts of burden and sheep signifies profaned worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual-natural origin. This is evident from the signification of "beasts of burden," as being the truths that look to charity (of which presently); also from the signification of "sheep," as being the goods of charity, as can be seen from all the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. (As in the following: 375, 376, 444), where this is explained. What "beasts of burden" signify when asses are meant may be seen (n. 31, 140). It is said that "beasts of burden and sheep" signify truths and goods from a spiritual-natural origin, because such goods and truths are meant as are in those who are in the Lord's external church, and thus in the first or lowest heaven. These are natural, and yet they receive the spiritual, and are therefore called spiritual-natural. But here, as elsewhere, profaned worship from such truths and goods is meant.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[2] The operation of the Divine providence, man not knowing it, may be illustrated by two comparisons. It is like a gardener collecting the seeds of shrubs, fruit trees, and flowers of all kinds, and providing himself with spades, rakes, and other tools for working the land, and then fertilizing his garden, digging it, dividing it into beds, putting in the seeds, and smoothing the surface. All these things man must do as if of himself. But it is the Lord who causes the seeds to take root, to spring forth out of the earth, to shoot forth into leaves, and then into blossoms, and finally to yield new seeds for the benefit of the gardener. Again, it is like a man about to build a house, who provides himself with the necessary materials, as timber, rafters, stones, mortar, and other things. But afterwards the Lord builds the house from foundation to roof exactly adapted to the man, though the man does not know it. From this it follows, that unless a man provides the necessary things for a garden or a house, he will have no garden with the benefit of its fruits, and no house and thence no habitation.
[3] So it is with reformation. The things that man must provide himself with are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, from the doctrine of the church, from the world, and by his own labor. The Lord does everything else while man is ignorant of it. But it is to be known, that all things necessary to planting a garden or building a house, which, as has been said, are the knowledges of truth and good, are nothing but the materials, and have no life in them until man does them or lives according to them as if of himself. When that is done the Lord enters and vivifies and builds, that is, reforms. Such a garden, or such a house is man's understanding, for therein is his wisdom, which derives from love all that it is.
1154. "[Et] jumenta et 1
oves." - Quod significet cultum ex veris et bonis quae ex origine spirituali naturali sunt, profanatum, constat ex significatione "jumentorum", quod sint vera quae spectant charitatem (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "ovium", quod sint bona charitatis, ut constare potest ex omnibus locis in Verbo, ubi nominantur (Ut in sequentibus, Matthaeus 7:15; 9:36; 10:5, 6, 16; 12:10-12; 15:21-29; 18:12, 13; 25:31-41 ; cap. 26:31; Marcus 6:34; 14:27; Johannes 10:1-18, 26-31; 21:15-17: praeter apud Prophetas pluries): ibi per "oves" significantur illi qui in bono charitatis sunt; inde in sensu abstracto per "oves" significantur bona charitatis. Per "jumenta" autem significantur vera quae spectant bona charitatis, et intelliguntur imprimis asini, super quibus equitabant, et qui portabant, per quos significabantur talia quae usus sunt, et quae instructionis:
– Ut apud Esaiam,
"Portant super humero jumentorum opes suas" (30:6);
"opes" sunt cognitiones. Et apud Lucam,
Samarita sustulit vulneratum a latronibus super proprium jumentum (10:34):
quod per "ponere illum super proprium jumentum" significetur illum secundum suam facultatem instruere, videatur [supra] (n. 375 [e] 376 [e] 444 [c]), ubi illa explicata sunt. Quid per "jumenta", dum per illa intelliguntur asini, significatur, videatur [supra] (n. 31 [b] , 140). Dicitur quod per "jumenta et oves" significentur vera et bona ex origine spirituali naturali, quia intelliguntur vera et bona, qualia sunt apud illos qui in externa ecclesia Domini sunt, et inde in primo seu ultimo caelo; illi naturales sunt, sed usque recipiunt spirituale; inde vocantur spirituales naturales: hic ut alibi intelligitur quod cultus ex illis veris et bonis sit profanatus.
[2] (Continuatio de Fide Athanasiana, et de Domino.)
Operatio Divinae providentiae, homine nesciente, per binas comparationes illustrabitur. Est sicut homo hortulanus colligit semina arbustorum, fruticum et florum omnis generis, et comparat sibi rutra, rastra et plura instrumenta manus pro elaboranda terra, et postea fecundat hortum, effodit illum, secat in areas, immittit semina, et humum explanat; haec sunt hominis sicut a se: Dominus autem facit ut semina radicem agant. exeant e terra, germinent in folia, et dein in flores, ac demum in nova semina, quae dantur hortulano. Est quoque sicut homo aedificaturus domum, comparat sibi requisita, ut ligna, asseres, lapides, calcem, et plura; Dominus autem postea, homine nesciente, aedificat domum a fundo ad tectum, plane accommodatam homini. Ex quibus sequitur quod nisi homo comparet sibi requisita ad hortum vel ad domum, non sit ei hortus et inde nec usus fructus, aut non sit ei domus et inde nec habitatio.
[3] Ita in reformatione: illa quae homo sibi comparaturus est, sunt cognitiones veri et boni ex Verbo, ex doctrina ecclesiae, ex mundo, ex proprio labore; reliqua operatur Dominus, homine nesciente. At sciendum est quod omnia illa requisita ad conserendum hortum aut ad aedificandum domum, quae, ut dictum est, sunt cognitiones veri et boni, sunt modo penaria, quae non viva sunt antequam homo facit illa, aut vivit secundum illa sicut a se; cum hoc fit, tunc Dominus intrat, ac vivificat et aedificat, hoc est, reformat. Hortus ille, aut domus illa, est intellectus hominis, est enim ibi sapientia ejus, quae omne suum trahit ex amore.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.