----中文待译----
1193. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints.- That this signifies violence offered by them to every truth and thence to the good of the Word, is evident from the signification of blood, as denoting Divine Truth, and, in the opposite sense, violence offered to it (concerning which see above, n. 329, 476, 748); from the signification of prophets, as denoting those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word, and, in the abstract sense, the truths of doctrine (see above, n. 624, 999); and from the signification of saints, as denoting those who are in Divine truths from the Word, and, in the abstract sense, Divine truths therein (concerning which see above, n. 204, 325, 973); and from the signification of being found in her, as denoting that violence was offered thereto from the doctrine and religion meant by Babylon. It is evident from this, that by the blood of prophets and of saints found in her is signified the violence offered by them to every truth and thence to the good of doctrine from the Word.
[2] Continuation.- Something shall now be said concerning the uses, by means of which men and angels have wisdom. To love uses is the same thing as to love the neighbour, use in the spiritual sense being the neighbour (proximus). This may be seen from the fact that every man loves another, not for his face and person, but for his will and understanding, for he loves him who wills well and understands well, and does not love him who wills well and understands ill, nor him who understands well and wills ill. And because man is loved or not loved from these faculties, it follows that the neighbour is that quality, from which every one is a man, and this is his spiritual nature. Place ten men before you, in order to select one of them to be your colleague in any office or business; will you not first examine them, and select him who comes nearest to your wishes with regard to the use which is to be performed? He therefore would be your neighbour in preference to the rest, and would be the object of your love. Or, again, approach ten maidens, for the purpose of choosing one of them for your wife, would you not first examine the qualities of each, and, if she consented, betroth the one who became the object of your love? She, therefore, would be your neighbour in preference to the rest. Were you to say to yourself, "Every man is my neighbour, and is therefore to be loved without distinction," in this case a devil incarnate might be loved as much as an angel in human form, and a harlot as much as a virgin.
The reason why use is the neighbour is, that every man is valued and loved, not for his will and understanding alone, but for the uses which he performs, or is able to perform, from them. A man of use is therefore a man according to use, and a man not of use is a man who is not really a man; for of the latter it is said that he is not useful for any thing. Although such a one is tolerated in a community in the world, while he lives from his own principle, still after death, when he becomes a spirit, he is cast out into a wilderness.
[3] Man therefore is of the same quality as his use. Uses are, however, manifold; they are, in general, heavenly and infernal. Heavenly uses are those which serve the church, one's country, society, and one's fellow-citizen, and which do this more or less, and more nearly or more remotely for the sake of such objects as ends. Infernal uses, on the contrary, are those which minister only to one's self and to those with whom one is connected; and when they do promote the welfare of the church, of one's country, of society, or of a fellow-citizen, it is not for the sake of these as ends, but for the sake of self as an end. It is nevertheless the duty of every one, from love, though not from self-love, to provide the necessaries and requisites of life for himself and those dependent on him.
[4] When man loves uses in the first place by doing them, and loves the world and himself in the second place, then the former is his spiritual and the latter is his natural [principle]; in this case the spiritual rules, and the natural serves. It is therefore evident what the spiritual, and what the natural are. This is what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:
"Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens, and its justice, and all things shall be added unto you" (6:33).
The kingdom of the heavens is the Lord and His church, and justice is spiritual, moral, and civil good; and every good which is done from the love of these is use. The reason why all things shall then be added is that when use is in the first place, then the Lord, from whom all good comes, is in the first place, and rules, imparting whatever conduces to eternal life and happiness; for, as was observed, all things relating to the Divine Providence of the Lord with man regard what is eternal. All the things that shall be added are here spoken of with reference to food and clothing; because food also means every thing internal that nourishes the soul, while clothing means every thing external that clothes it as the body. Every thing internal has reference to love and wisdom, and every thing external to opulence and eminence. From these observations it is now evident, what is meant by loving uses for the sake of uses, and what the uses are from which man derives wisdom - that wisdom from which and according to which, every one has eminence and opulence in heaven.
1193. Verse 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints signifies violence offered by them to every truth and thus to every good of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "blood," as being the Divine truth, and in the contrary sense violence offered to the Divine truth (See n. 329, 476, 748); also from the signification of "prophets," as being those who are in truths of doctrine from the Word, and in an abstract sense truths of doctrine (See n. 624, 999); also from the signification of "saints," as being those who are in Divine truths from the Word, and in an abstract sense Divine truths in the Word (See n. 204, 325, 973); also from the signification of "found in her," as being that violence was offered to these from the doctrine and religious persuasion meant by Babylon. From all this it is clear that "the blood of prophets and of saints found in her" signifies the violence offered by them to every truth and thus to every good of doctrine from the Word.
(Continuation)
[2] Something shall now be said about the uses through which men and angels have wisdom. To love uses is nothing else than to love the neighbor, for use in the spiritual sense is the neighbor. This can be seen from the fact that everyone loves another not because of his face and body, but from his will and understanding; he loves one who has a good will and a good understanding, and does not love one with a good will and a bad understanding, or with a good understanding and a bad will. And as a man is loved or not loved for these reasons, it follows that the neighbor is that from which everyone is a man, and that is his spiritual. Place ten men before your eyes that you may choose one of them to be your associate in any duty or business; will you first find out about them and choose the one who comes nearest to your use? Therefore he is your neighbor, and is loved more than the others. Or become acquainted with ten maidens with the purpose of choosing one of them for your wife; do you not at first ascertain the character of each one, and if she consents betroth to you the one that you love? That one is more your neighbor than the others. If you should say to yourself, "Every man is my neighbor, and is therefore to be loved without distinction," a devil-man and an angel-man or a harlot and a virgin might be equally loved. Use is the neighbor, because every man is valued and loved not for his will and understanding alone, but for the uses he performs or is able to perform from these. Therefore a man of use is a man according to his use; and a man not of use is a man not a man, for of such a man it is said that he is not useful for anything; and although in this world he may be tolerated in a community so long as he lives from what is his own, after death when he becomes a spirit he is cast out into a desert.
[3] Man, therefore, is such as his use is. But uses are manifold; in general they are heavenly or infernal. Heavenly uses are those that are serviceable more or less, or more nearly or remotely, to the church, to the country, to society, and to a fellow-citizen, for the sake of these as ends; but infernal uses are those that are serviceable only to the man himself and those dependent on him; and if serviceable to the church, to the country, to society, or to a fellow citizen, it is not for the sake of these as ends, but for the sake of self as the end. And yet everyone ought from love, though not from self-love, to provide the necessaries and requisites of life for himself and those dependent on him.
[4] When man loves uses by doing them in the first place, and loves the world and self in the second place, the former constitutes his spiritual and the latter his natural; and the spiritual rules, and the natural serves. This makes evident what the spiritual is, and what the natural is. This is the meaning of the Lord's words in Matthew:
Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens 1and its justice, and all things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
"The kingdom of the heavens" means the Lord and His church, and "justice" means spiritual, moral, and civil good; and every good that is done from the love of these is a use. Then "all things shall be added," because when use is in the first place, the Lord, from whom is all good, is in the first place and rules, and gives whatever contributes to eternal life and happiness; for, as has been said, all things of the Lord's Divine providence pertaining to man look to what is eternal. "All things that shall be added" refer to food and raiment, because food means everything internal that nourishes the soul, and raiment everything external that like the body clothes it. Everything internal has reference to love and wisdom, and everything external to wealth and eminence. All this makes clear what is meant by loving uses for the sake of uses, and what the uses are from which man has wisdom, from which and according to which wisdom everyone has eminence and wealth in heaven.
Footnotes:
1. The photolithograph has "kingdom of the heavens." Schmidius also has it. The Greek is "Kingdom of God."
1193. [Vers. 24.] "Et in ea sanguis prophetarum et sanctorum inventus est." - Quod significet violentiam ab illis illatam omni vero et inde bono Verbi, constat ex significatione "sanguinis", quod sit Divinum Verum, et in opposito sensu violentia Divino Vero illata (de qua [supra] , n. 329, 476, 748); ex significatione "prophetarum", quod sint illi qui in veris doctrinae ex Verbo sunt, et in sensu abstracto vera doctrinae (de qua [supra] , n. 624 [b-e] , 999 1
); ex significatione "sanctorum", quod sint illi qui in Divinis veris ex Verbo sunt, et in sensu abstracto Divina vera ibi (de qua [supra] , n. 204, 325 [a] , 973); et ex significatione "inveniri in ea", quod sit quod violentia illis illata [sit] ex doctrina et religioso, quae per "Babylonem" intelliguntur. Ex quibus patet quod per "sanguinem prophetarum et sanctorum inventum in illa", significetur violentia ab illis illata omni vero et inde bono doctrinae 2
ex Verbo.
[2] (Continuatio.) [De Usibus.]
Nunc aliquid dicetur de usibus, per quos homini et angelo est sapientia. Amare usus non aliud est quam amare proximum; usus in spirituali sensu est proximus. Hoc videri potest ex eo, quod quisque alterum amet non ex facie et corpore ejus, sed ex voluntate et intellectu ejus; amat illum qui vult bene et intelligit bene, et non amat illum qui vult bene et intelligit male, nec qui intelligit bene et vult male; et quia homo ex illis amatur et non amatur, sequitur quod proximus sit id ex quo unusquisque est homo, et hoc est spirituale ejus. Siste decem viros ante oculos tuos, ut eligas unum ex illis tibi consocium in munere aut in negotiatione; nonne primum exploras illos, et eligis illum qui proxime tibi usui est? quare hic prae reliquis est tibi proximus et amatur. Aut adi decem virgines, ut eligas unam tibi in uxorem; annon primum exploras qualis una et qualis altera est, ac si consentit despondes tibi illam quae tui amoris est? haec tibi est proxima prae reliquis. Si diceres tecum, "Omnis homo est mihi proximus, ac ideo indistincte amandus", tunc posset homo diabolus aeque amari ac homo angelus, ac meretrix aeque ac virgo. Quod usus sit proximus, est quia omnis homo non ex voluntate et intellectu solis aestimatur et amatur, sed ex usibus, quos ex illis praestat aut praestare potest: inde homo usus est homo secundum usum, et homo non usus est homo non homo: de hoc enim dicitur non est utilis ad quicquam; is tametsi toleratur in civitate in mundo, dum ex suo vivit, usque post obitum, dum fit spiritus, ejicitur in desertum.
[3] Homo itaque est qualis ille est usus. Sed usus sunt multiplices; in genere sunt caelestes et sunt infernales. Usus caelestes sunt qui inserviunt ecclesiae, patriae, societati et concivi, magis et minus, ac propius et remotius, propter illos ut fines; at usus infernales sunt, qui solum inserviunt sibi et suis; et dum ecclesiae, patriae, societati et concivi, non est propter illos ut fines, sed propter se ut finem: quisque tamen debet prospicere sibi et suis necessitates et requisita vitae ex amore, sed non ex amore sui.
[4] Quando homo primo loco amat usus faciendo illos, et secundo loco amat mundum et semet, tunc illud est spirituale et hoc est naturale ejus, ac spirituale dominatur, et naturale servit: inde patet quid spirituale est, et quid naturale. Hoc intelligitur per Domini verba apud Matthaeum,
"Quaerite primo regnum 3
caelorum, et justitiam ejus, et..omnia adjicientur vobis" (6:33):
"regnum caelorum" est Dominus et Ipsius ecclesia, et "justitia" est bonum spirituale, morale et civile; ac omne bonum, quod ex amore illorum fit, est usus: quod tunc "adjicientur omnia", est quia dum usus est primo loco, Dominus, ex quo est omne bonum, est primo loco et dominatur, ac dat quicquid ad aeternam vitam et felicitatem conducit; nam, ut dictum est, omnia Divinae providentiae Domini apud hominem spectant aeternum; "omnia, quae adjicientur", ibi dicuntur de cibo et de veste, quia per "cibum" etiam intelligitur omne internum quod nutrit animam, et per "vestem" omne externum quod, sicut corpus, induit illam; omne internum se refert ad amorem et sapientiam, et omne externum ad opulentiam et eminentiam. Ex his nunc patet quid intelligitur per amare usus propter usus, et quinam usus sunt ex quibus homini sapientia, ex qua et secundum quam est cuivis eminentia et opulentia in caelo.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.