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1177. Because in one hour they are devastated.- That this signifies lamentation over the loss and destruction of everything is evident from those things that have been explained above (n. 1136, 1168).
Continuation.- 1. The Lord teaches no one without the use of means, but by such means as are within man's reach resulting from his hearing and sight; this follows from what has been said above. To this must be added, that there is no direct revelation, except that which has been given in the Word, of which kind is that contained in the Prophets and Evangelists, and in the historical parts of the Word. Its nature is such, that every man may be taught from it according to the affections of his love, and the thoughts of his understanding derived therefrom. Those who are not in the good of life can be taught very little; but those who are in the good of life can be taught much, for they are taught by enlightenment from the Lord.
[2] The nature of enlightenment is as follows: Light conjoined to heat enters by influx through heaven from the Lord. This heat, which is the Divine Love, affects the will, from which man derives his affection for good. This light, which is the Divine Wisdom, affects the understanding, from which man derives the thought of truth. From these two sources - the will and understanding - all things belonging to man's love and knowledge (scientia) are influenced, but those only which refer to the subject are called forth, and are present. Enlightenment is in this way effected by the Lord through the Word, in which every thing derived from the spiritual contained therein is in communication with heaven, and the Lord enters by influx through heaven, and into that which is at the time the subject of man's contemplation. The influx is also continual and universal, extending in the case of every one to the most minute particulars. It resembles the heat and light proceeding from the sun of the world, which acts upon all the objects that grow upon the earth, collectively and particularly, and cause them to vegetate according to the quality of their seed and their reception. What then must be the operation of the heat and light from the Divine Sun, from which all things live!
To be enlightened through heaven by the Lord is to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit; for the Holy Spirit is the Divine proceeding from the Lord as the Sun, from which heaven is. It is therefore evident, that the Lord teaches the man of the church mediately through the Word, according to that love of his will which he acquires by means of his life, and according to that light of his understanding, which he receives from his love by means of his knowledge (scientia); and it is further evident that it cannot be communicated in any other way, because this is the Divine order of influx.
[3] This now is the reason why the Christian religion is divided into churches, and into heresies within them, generally and particularly. On the other hand, those who are not within the boundaries of the Christian world, nor in possession of the Word, are also taught in the same way; for they are taught by means of the religion which they have instead of the Word, and which is partly derived from it.
The religion of the Mahometans was in some respects taken from the Word of both the Old and New Testaments. In the case of others their religion is derived from the ancient Word, which was afterwards lost. With some, their religious belief is from the Ancient Church, which was in possession of that ancient Word, and extended throughout much of the continent of Asia, and was divided into many, like the church in our day. From these were derived the religious beliefs of many nations, but in process of time these, in many cases, became more or less idolatrous.
[4] Those whose forms of worship are from this origin, are taught by the Lord mediately through their own religion, in the same way as Christians are taught through the Word. This is effected, as was said, by the Lord through heaven, and thence by calling their will and understanding into exercise. But enlightenment by means of those forms of religion is not like that received through the Word. In the former case it is like the evening, when the moon shines with more or less brightness; but in the latter case it is like the day, when the sun shines with more or less brightness from morning till noon. Hence the Lord's church, extending throughout the whole world, resembles as to its light - which is Divine Wisdom - the day from noon to evening until night; and as to its heat, which is Divine Love, the year from spring to autumn, and until winter.
1177. For in one hour they were devastated signifies over the loss and destruction of all things, that is, lamentation over them, as is evident from the explanations above (n. 1136, 1168), where like words occur.
(Continuation)
1. That the Lord teaches no one immediately, but mediately through those things in man that are from the hearing and sight. This follows from what has been said above; to which it must be added that immediate revelation is not granted to man except that which has been given in the Word, such as it is in the prophecies and gospels and histories; which is such that everyone may be taught according to the affections of his love and the consequent thoughts of his understanding, those who are not in good of life receiving very little, but those who are in good of life receiving much, for these are taught through enlightenment by the Lord.
[2] The enlightenment is as follows: Light conjoined with heat flows in through heaven from the Lord. This heat, which is the Divine love, affects the will, from which man has the affection of good; and this light, which is the Divine wisdom, affects the understanding, from which man has the thought of truth. From these two fountains, which are the will and understanding, all things of man's love and all things of his knowledge are affected; but only those things that pertain to the subject are called up and presented to view. In this way is enlightenment effected by the Lord by means of the Word, in which everything, from the spiritual that is in it, communicates with heaven, and the Lord flows in through heaven into that which is at the time under man's view; and the influx in everyone is continual and universal even to the minutest particulars. It is comparatively like the heat and light from the sun of the world, which operate upon each and every thing of the earth and give life according to the quality of the seed and the reception. What, then, must be the effect of the heat and light from the Divine sun, from which all things live? To be enlightened by the Lord through heaven is to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is the Divine that proceeds from the Lord as a sun, from which is heaven. From this it is clear that the Lord teaches the man of the church mediately by means of the Word according to the love of his will that comes from his life, and according to the light of his understanding that he gains by means of knowledge; and that this cannot be otherwise, because this is the Divine order of influx.
[3] And this is why the Christian religion has been divided into churches, and into heresies in general and in particular within the churches. Neither can those who are outside the Christian world, and who do not have the Word, be taught in any other way, for they are taught through the religious principle that they have instead of the Word, which is in part from the Word. The religious principle with the Mohammedans was in some respects taken from the Word of both Testaments. Others have a religious principle derived from the ancient Word that was afterwards lost. With some it was from the Ancient Church that extended over a great part of the continent of Asia, which, like our church at the present day, was divided into many, all of them having that ancient Word. From these the religious principles of many nations were derived, although in process of time these became in many cases more or less idolatrous.
[4] Those whose worship is from that origin are taught by the Lord mediately by means of their religious principle the same as Christians are by the Word; and this is done, as has been said, by the Lord through heaven, and thus by a stirring up of their will and also of their understanding. But enlightenment by means of those religious principles is not like enlightenment by means of the Word. It is like enlightenment at evening when the moon is shining more or less brightly, while enlightenment by means of the Word is like enlightenment in the daytime from morning to noon, when the sun is shining more or less brightly. Thus it is that the Lord's church which, as to its light, which is Divine wisdom, extends through the entire globe, is like the day from noon to evening, and even to night; while as to its heat, which is Divine love, it is like the year from spring to autumn, and even to winter.
1177. "Quia una hora devastati 1
sunt", - Quod significet super jacturam et exitium omnium, nempe, lamentationem, constat ex illis, quae supra (n. 1136., 1168) explicata sunt, ubi similia.
(Continuatio.)
(1.) Quod Dominus neminem immediate doceat, sed mediate per illa quae apud hominem sunt ex auditu et visu, sequitur ex supradictis; quibus addendum est quod immediata revelatio non detur, nisi quae data est in Verbo, et qualis illa est apud Prophetas et Evangelistas, et in Historicis; illa talis est ut unusquisque possit doceri secundum sui amoris affectiones, et inde sui intellectus cogitationes, perparum illi qui non in bono sunt quoad vitam, multum autem illi qui sunt; hi docentur per illustrationem a Domino.
[2] Illustratio talis est: influit lux conjuncta calori per caelum a Domino; calor illo qui est Divinus Amor, afficit voluntatem, unde homini est affectio boni; ac lux illa, quae est Divina Sapientia, afficit intellectum, unde homini est cogitatio veri; ex his binis fontibus, qui sunt voluntas et intellectus, afficiuntur omnia amoris et omnia scientiae hominis, sed excitantur modo illa quae subjecti sunt, et sistuntur praesentia. Ita fit illustratio per Verbum a Domino, in quo unumquodlibet ex spirituali, quod in illo est, communicat cum caelo, et Dominus influit per caelum, et in id quod tunc sub visu hominis est, ac influxus est continuus et universalis ex singularissimis apud unumquemvis: est comparative sicut calor et lux e sole mundi, quae in omnia et singula telluris operantur, et illa secundum quale seminis illorum et receptionem vegetant; quid non calor et lux ex Divino Sole, ex quibus omnia vivunt? Illustrari per caelum a Domino est illustrari per Spiritum sanctum, nam Spiritus sanctus est Divinum procedens a Domino ut Sole, ex quo est caelum. Inde patet quod Dominus doceat hominem ecclesiae mediate per Verbum secundum voluntatis ejus amorem, qui illi est per vitam, et secundum intellectus ejus lucem, quae illi est inde per scientiam; et quod non dari possit aliter, quia ille est Divinus ordo influxus.
[3] Haec nunc causa est quod Christiana Religio sit divisa in ecclesias, et intra illas in haereses, in communi et in particulari. Illi autem qui extra Christianum orbem sunt, quibus non est Verbum, nec aliter docentur, fit enim per religiosum quod illis est loco Verbi, et quoad partem ex Verbo; religiosum apud Mahumedanos in quibusdam desumptum est ex Verbo utriusque Testamenti; apud alios est religiosum ex Verbo vetusto, quod postea deperditum est; apud quosdam est religiosum ab Ecclesia Antiqua, quae per multum orbis Asiatici extensa fuit, quae similiter ut hodie nostra ecclesia in plures divisa fuit, in qua fuit illud Verbum vetustum. Ex his derivata sunt religiosa plurium gentium, quae tamen apud multos temporis tractu facta sunt idololatrica minus et magis.
[4] Illi, quibus cultus ex illa origine sunt, docentur a Domino mediate per religiosum suum, similiter ut Christiani per Verbum; quod fit, ut dictum est, a Domino per caelum, et inde per excitationem voluntatis et simul intellectus eorum. Sed illustratio per religiosa illa non est sicut illustratio per Verbum; illustratio per religiosa est sicut vespere luna lucente minus aut magis, illustratio autem per Verbum est sicut diu sole lucente a mane ad meridiem, ita quoque minus aut magis. Inde fit quod ecclesia Domini per universum terrarum orbem extensa quoad lucem suam, quae est Divina Sapientia, sit sicut est dies a meridie ad vesperam usque ad noctem; et quoad calorem, qui est Divinus Amor, sit sicut est annus a vere ad autumnum usque ad hiemem.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.