----中文待译----
1220. And his wife hath made herself ready.- That this signifies that the church is now adorned with truths from good for reception, is evident from the signification of wife, when the Lord is treated of, as denoting the church, concerning which see above (n. 1120); and from the signification of making herself ready, as denoting to be adorned with truths from good for reception; for it is said afterwards, that she was arrayed in fine linen, clean and shining, and by fine linen is signified truth from celestial good. The church, from those truths, receives the Lord; for the Lord enters by influx with man into the good of his love, and is received by man in truths; from this all spiritual conjunction comes. It is said "to be adorned," and this means to be taught and to learn, for in this and in no other way does the church adorn herself, and prepare herself for the nuptials, and for receiving the Lord.
[2] Continuation [concerning Omnipresence and Omniscience].- 2. Spaces and times must be removed from the ideas, in order that the Lord's Omnipresence with all men, collectively and severally, as well as his omniscience of things present and future may be understood.
Since however spaces and times can be removed with difficulty from the ideas of thought in the natural man, it is better that the artless should not think of the Divine Omnipresence and Omniscience from the reasoning of the understanding; it is sufficient for them to believe in simplicity from religion. If such a man thinks from reason, let him acknowledge in his own mind that they exist, because they belong to God, God being everywhere and infinite; and because the Word also teaches this. If again he thinks of them from nature, and from the spaces and times belonging to it, let him acknowledge again in his own mind that they have a miraculous origin. But because at the present day naturalism has almost deluged the church, and can be dispersed only by means of rational arguments which will enable man to see that this is the case, these Divine [attributes] shall therefore be placed in their true light, and cleared of the darkness with which nature overspreads them. This can be done moreover, because, as previously said, the understanding with which man is endowed, is capable of elevation into the interior light of heaven, provided only, from love he desires to know truths. All naturalism arises from thinking of Divine subjects from the properties of nature, which are matter, space, and time. The mind which clings to these properties, and unwilling to believe anything that it does not understand, is bound to obscure its understanding, and from the thick darkness into which it has plunged it, deny that there is any such thing as Divine Providence, and affirm as a consequence that omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience have no existence. These attributes are, nevertheless, precisely as religion teaches, both within nature and above it, but they cannot be comprehended by the understanding unless space and time are removed from its ideas in thinking on the subject; for these properties of matter are, in some way or other, inherent in every idea of thought. If therefore they are not removed, no other thought can be formed than that nature is everything, that it is self-existent, that life is from it, that its inmost is that which is called God, and that all beside it is imaginary. I know that men will also be astonished to hear that there is any existence possible where there is neither time nor space; that the Divine itself exists apart from them; and that spiritual beings are not in them, but merely in the appearances of them - though Divine spiritual things are nevertheless the very essences of all things that have ever existed or that do exist - and that natural things without spiritual things are like bodies without souls, which become mere carcases.
[3] Every man who has become a naturalist, by means of thought from nature, remains such also after death; and he calls all the objects that he sees in the spiritual world natural, because they are similar to those in the natural world. Men of this kind are however enlightened and taught by angels that these objects are not natural, but that they are the appearances of natural things, and they are convinced so far as to affirm that this is the case. Still they relapse and worship nature, as they had done in the world, until at length, separating themselves from the angels, they fall into hell, and cannot be rescued from it to eternity (in aeternum). The reason of this is that their souls are not spiritual but natural, like that of the beasts, with the faculty nevertheless of thinking and speaking, because they were born men. Now because the hells at this day, more than at any former period, are filled with men of this class, it is of importance that darkness so dense caused by nature closing and barring up the entrance to men's understandings, should be removed by means of rational light derived from spiritual.
1220. And His wife hath made herself ready signifies that the church is now adorned with truths from good for receiving Him. This is evident from the signification of "wife," in reference to the Lord as being the church (See n. 1120); also from the signification of "making herself ready," as being to be adorned with truths from good for receiving Him, for it is added, that "she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright," and "fine linen" signifies truth from celestial good. The church receives the Lord by these truths, for the Lord flows in with man into the good of His love, and is received by man in truths, and from this is all spiritual conjunction. The expression "to be adorned" is used, which means to be taught and to learn, for thus and no otherwise does the church adorn herself and make herself ready for the marriage and for receiving the Lord.
(Continuation)
[2] 2. Spaces and times must be removed from the ideas before the Lord's omnipresence with all and with each individual, and His omniscience of things present and future, can be comprehended. But inasmuch as spaces and times cannot easily be removed from the ideas of the thoughts of the natural man, it is better for a simple man not to think of the Divine omnipresence and omniscience from any reasoning of the understanding; it is enough for him to believe in them simply from his religion, and if he thinks from reason, let him say to himself that they exist because they pertain to God, and God is everywhere and infinite, also because they are taught in the Word; and if he thinks of them from nature and from its spaces and times, let him say to himself that they are miraculously brought about. But inasmuch as the church is at present almost overwhelmed by naturalism, and this can be shaken off only by means of rational considerations which enable man to see what is true, it will be well by means of such to draw forth these Divine attributes out of the darkness that nature induces into the light; and this can be done because, as has been said, the understanding with which man is endowed is capable of being raised up into the interior light of heaven if only man desires from love to know truths. All naturalism arises from thinking about Divine things in accord with what is proper to nature, that is, matter, space, and time. The mind that clings to these, and is unwilling to believe anything that it does not understand, cannot do otherwise than make blind its understanding, and from the dense darkness in which it is immersed, deny that there is any Divine providence, and thus deny the Divine omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, although these are just what religion teaches both within nature and above nature. And yet these cannot be comprehended by the understanding unless spaces and times are separated from the ideas of its thought; for these are in some way present in every idea of thought, and unless they are separated man cannot think otherwise than that nature is everything, that it is from itself, and consequently that the inmost of nature is what is called God, and that all beyond it is merely ideal. And such, I know, will wonder how anything can possibly exist where there is no time or space; and that the Divine itself is without them, and that the spiritual are not in them, but are only in appearances of them; and yet Divine spiritual things are the very essence of all things that have existed or that exist, and natural things apart from these are like bodies without souls, which become carcasses.
[3] Every man who has become naturalistic by thoughts from nature continues such after death, and calls all things that he sees in the spiritual world natural, because they are similar. Such, however, are enlightened and taught by angels that these things are not natural, but are appearances of natural things; and they are so far convinced as to affirm that it is so. But they soon fall back and worship nature as they did in the world, and at length separate themselves from the angels and fall into hell, and cannot be taken out to eternity. The reason is that their soul is not spiritual, but natural like the soul of beasts, although with the ability of thinking and speaking because they were born men. And because the hells at this day more than ever before are full of such, it is important that such dense darkness arising from nature, which at present fills and closes up the thresholds of the understanding of men, should be removed by means of rational light derived from spiritual.
1220. "Et uxor Ejus paravit se." - Quod significet quod ecclesia nunc ornetur veris ex bono ad recipiendum, constat ex significatione "uxoris", cum de Domino, quod sit ecclesia (de qua (supra), n. 1120); et ex significatione "parare se", quod sit ornari veris ex bono ad recipiendum, nam sequitur quod "amiceretur byssino mundo et splendido", et per "byssinum" significatur verum ex bono caelesti. Ecclesia ex illis veris recipit Dominum; nam Dominus apud hominem influit in bonum amoris ejus, et ab homine recipitur in veris; inde omnis conjunctio spiritualis. Dicitur "ornari", ac intelligitur doceri et discere, sic enim et non aliter ecclesia ornat se, et parat ad nuptias, et ad recipiendum Dominum,
[2] (Continuatio (de Omnipraesentia et de Omniscientia).)
(2.) Quod spatia et tempora ex ideis removenda sint, ut comprehendatur Domini omnipraesentia apud omnes et singulos, ac omniscientia praesentium et futurorum.- Sed quia spatia et tempora ex ideis cogitationis naturalis hominis aegre removeri possunt, praestat ut homo simplex de Divina omnipraesentia et omniscientia non ex ratione intellectus cogitet; satius est ut ex religione simpliciter illis credat; et si cogitat ex ratione, secum dicat quod sint quia sunt Dei, ac Deus est ubivis ac infinitus, tum quia Verbum hoc docet; et si ex Natura et ejus spatiis et temporibus de illis cogitat, secum dicat quod miraculose fiant. Sed quia hodie naturalismus ecclesiam paene inundavit, et ille non potest nisi quam per rationalia discuti, per quae homo videat quod ita sit, ideo etiam haec Divina e tenebris, quas inducit Natura, per illa in lucem protrahentur; quod etiam fieri potest, quoniam, ut prius dictum est, intellectus homini datus, elevabilis est in interiorem lucem caeli, si homo modo ex amore velit scire vera. Omnis naturalismus est ex cogitatione de Divinis ex Naturae propriis, quae sunt materia, spatium et tempus; mens quae illis inhaeret, et non vult credere nisi quae intelligit, non potest non occaecare intellectum suum, et ex caligine, cui immersit illum, negare quod aliqua providentia Divina sit, et inde nec omnipotentia, omnipraesentia et omniscientia, cum tamen illae sunt prorsus sicut religio docet, tam intra Naturam quam supra illam; sed non possunt comprehendi intellectu, nisi ex ideis cogitationis ejus removentur spatia et tempora, haec enim singulis ideis cogitationis aliquo modo insunt; nam nisi illa removentur, non potest cogitari nisi quam quod Natura sit omne, quod illa ex se, et quod vita ex illa, et inde quod intimum ejus sit quod vocatur Deus, et quod omne ideale sit praeter illam. Scio quod etiam miraturi sint quod aliquod existens detur ubi non tempus et spatium, et quod ipsum Divinum sit absque illis, et quod spirituales non sint in illis, sed modo in apparentiis illorum; cum tamen Divina spiritualia sunt ipsae essentiae omnium quae exstiterunt et quae existunt; et quod naturalia absque illis sint sicut corpora absque anima, quae fiunt cadavera.
[3] Omnis homo qui factus est naturalista per cogitationes ex Natura, manet etiam talis post mortem, et vocat omnia, quae in mundo spirituali videt, naturalia, quia similia sunt; usque tamen illustrantur et docentur ab angelis quod non naturalia sint, sed quod naturalium apparentiae; convincuntur etiam usque ut affirment quod ita sit, sed usque relabuntur, et Naturam sicut in mundo colunt, et tandem separant se ab angelis, et cadunt in infernum, nec inde possunt eximi in aeternum; causa est, quia non illis est anima spiritualis, sed naturalis qualis est bestiis, cum facultate tamen cogitandi et loquendi, quia nati sunt homines. Nunc quia inferna talibus hodie plusquam prius implentur, interest ut tam densae tenebrae ex Natura oriundae, quae limina intellectus hominum hodie obstipant et obsepiunt, per lumen rationale ex spirituali removeantur.