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349. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth unto ages of ages. That this signifies humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart of all those who are in truths from good, that the Lord alone liveth, and that from Him alone is life eternal, is clear from the signification of four-and-twenty elders, as denoting all those who are in truths from good (concerning which see above, n. 271); from the signification of falling, down and worshipping, as denoting humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart, that all good and truth that have life in themselves, are from the Lord (concerning which also see above, n. 290, 291); and from the signification of Him that liveth, when said of the Lord, as denoting that He alone lives, and that from Him is life eternal (concerning which also see above, n. 82, 84, 186, 289, 291).
[2] Since it is at this day believed in the world, that the life which every one has, is given and implanted, and is thus his own, and that it does not flow in continually, I wish to say something respecting it. That it is believed that life is in man so as to be man's, is only an appearance arising from the perpetual presence of the Lord, and from His Divine love, willing to be conjoined with man, to be in him, and impart to him its own life, for such is the nature of the Divine love; and because this is perpetual and continuous, man supposes that the life thus in him is his own; notwithstanding it is known that there is no good and truth in man that does not come from above, and thus flow in. Similarly love and faith; for the whole of man's love is from good, and the whole of his faith is from truth; for what a man loves is to him good, and what he believes is to him truth. Hence it is in the first place evident, that no good and no truth, so neither love nor faith, is in man, but that they flow in from the Lord, life itself being in good and truth, and not elsewhere. The receptacle of the good of love with man is the will, and the receptacle of the truth of faith with him is the understanding; and to will good is not of man, neither to believe truth. These two faculties are those in which all the life of man is, outside of them there is none; hence also it is evident that the life of those faculties, consequently, the life of the whole man, is not in man, but flows in. That evil and falsity, or the will and the love of evil, and the understanding and the faith of falsity, are with man, is also from influx; but that influx is from hell. For man is kept in the freedom of choosing, that is, of receiving good and truth from the Lord, or of receiving evil and falsity from hell, and man is kept in this for the sake of reformation, for he is kept between heaven and hell, and hence in spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom. This freedom itself is not in the man, but it is together with the life which flows in. (Concerning the freedom of man, and its origin, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 293, 537, 540, 541, 546, 586-603, and in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem [n. 141-147].)
[3] Those who are in hell also live from the influx of life from the Lord, for good and truth similarly flow into them; but they turn the good into evil, and the truth into falsity; and this is done because they have inverted their interior recipient forms by a life of evil; and all influx is varied according to the forms. In the same way also man's thought and will [are varied] when they act in members distorted from the birth, or in injured organs of sensation. And similarly also the light of heaven when it flows into objects whose colours vary, and the heat of heaven when it flows into the same whose odours are varied, according to the interior receptive forms. But it should be known, that the life itself is not changed and varied, but that by means of it there is presented an appearance of the recipient form, through which and from which the life passes, nearly in the same manner as every one appears by the same light in a mirror according, to his own quality.
[4] Moreover, all man's senses, namely, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are not in the man, but are excited and produced from influx; in the man there are only organic receptive forms; these possess no sense until something adequate from without flows in. It is the same with the internal organs of sensation of the thought and affection, which receive influx from the spiritual world, as with the external organs of sensation that receive influx from the natural world. That there is one only fountain of life, and that all life is thence, and continually flows in, is well known in heaven, and is never called in question by any angel of the higher heavens, for they perceive the influx itself. That all lives are like streams from one only and perpetual fountain of life, has been also rendered evident to me from much experience, and has been seen in the spiritual world with those who believed that they lived from themselves, and would not believe that they lived from the Lord. These, when the influx into the thought was withheld from them as to some part, lay deprived of life, as it were, and presently on the influx approaching, they revived, as it were, from death; and they afterwards confessed that the life in them was not their own, but flowed continuously into them, and that men, spirits, and angels were only forms receptive of life.
[5] The wise, there, conclude that it is so from this fact, that nothing can exist and subsist from itself, but from what is prior to itself, and thence that neither can that which is prior exist from itself, save in successive order from a First; and thus life itself, viewed in itself, is only from Him, who alone is Life in Himself. Hence also they know, and likewise from a spiritual idea perceive, that everything must be in connection with a First in order that it may be something, and that it is something only as it is in such connection. From these considerations it is evident how foolishly they think who derive the origin of life from nature, and suppose that man learns to think through the influx of interior nature and its order, and not from God, who is the very Being (Esse) of life, and from whom is all the order of both worlds, - the natural and the spiritual, - according to which the life flows in, - life eternal into those who can be disposed to receive life according to Divine order, but an opposite life, which is called spiritual death, into those who cannot be so disposed, thus who live contrary to Divine order. The Divine good which proceeds from the Lord, is that from which order exists, and Divine truths are the laws of order. (As may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 279.)
[6] Let every one take heed lest he believe that the Divine Life with any one, even indeed with the evil and in hell, is changed; for, as said above, the life itself is not changed or varied, but by it an appearance of the receptive form is presented, through which and from which it passes; nearly in the same manner as every one appears in a mirror according to his own quality, by light, which still remains in its own state, and only produces the form to the sight; and as the same life presents itself to be felt according to the form of the organ of the body, thus after one manner in the eye, after another in the hearing, and otherwise in the smell, taste, and touch. If it is believed that the life is varied and changed, it is from the appearance, which is a fallacy like the fallacy from the appearance that influx is physical, whereas influx is spiritual. (Concerning this matter more may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 9; to which may be added what is adduced concerning the influx of life, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem from the Arcana Coelestia 277, 278; and concerning the influx of life with animals, in the Arcana Coelestia 5850, 6211; and in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 39, 108, 110, 435, 567; likewise in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 25.)
[7] These things are said in order that it may be known, that there is one only Life, and that whatever things live, live from it. It shall now be shown that the Lord is that Life itself, or that He alone lives, since this is signified by Him that liveth unto ages of ages. That there is one only Divine, and that this is not distinguished into three persons, according to the faith of Athanasius, is evident from what has been frequently said above, and especially from what will be specifically said upon this subject at the end of this work; and because the Lord's Divine, which is the one only Divine, assumed the Human, and made this also Divine, therefore each is the Life from which all live. That this is the case may be known from the words of the Lord Himself, in the following passages. In John:
"As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, so also the Son quickeneth whom he will. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (5:21, 26).
By the Father is here meant the Lord's very Divine which assumed the Human, for this Divine was in Him from conception, and because He was conceived from it, therefore He called this the Father, and not another. By the Son is meant the Lord's Divine Human; that this also is life itself, the Lord teaches in express words, by saying as the Father quickeneth, the Son also quickeneth whom He will; and, as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. To have life in Himself is to be Life itself; others however are not life, but have life thence.
[8] In the same:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (14:6).
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, are spoken of the Lord's Human; for He also says, "No one cometh unto the Father, but by me," His Father being the Divine in Him, which was His own Divine; whence it is evident, that the Lord also as to His Human is the Life, consequently, that it also is Divine.
[9] In the same:
"Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (11:25, 26).
These words also the Lord spake concerning His Human; and because He is Life, and all have life from Him, and those who believe in Him have life eternal, therefore He says that "He is the resurrection and the life," and that "he who believeth in me shall never die." By believing in the Lord is signified to be conjoined with Him in love and faith; and by never dying is signified not to die spiritually, that is, to be damned, for the life of the damned is called death.
[10] In the same:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (1:1, 4, 14).
That by the Word is meant the Lord, is known; that His Human is the Word, is evident, for it is said that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and that His Human was equally Divine with the Divine itself which assumed the Human, is evident from this circumstance, that a distinction is made between them, and that each is called God, for it is said, "the Word was with God, and the Word was God; and in him was life." That all live from Him is meant by, the life was the light of men. The light of men is the life of their thought and understanding; for the proceeding Divine, which is specifically meant by the Word, appears in heaven as the light by which the angels not only see, but also think and understand, and are wise according to its reception (see the work concerning 8:12).
[11] And He is also called, in the same, the Bread of life.
"The bread of God is he who cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the Bread of life" (6:33, 35, 47, 48, 51).
The Bread of God and the Bread of life is that from which all have life. Since life, which is called intelligence and wisdom, is from the Lord, it follows also that life in general is from Him; for the particulars of life which make its perfection, and are insinuated into man according to reception, are all things of the general life. It is perfected in proportion as the evils into which man is born are removed from it.
[12] That those who are conjoined with the Lord by love and faith receive life eternal, that is, the life of heaven, which is salvation, is evident from the following passages. In John:
"I am the Vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth, and as a branch he is withered" (15:5, 6).
In the same:
"Every one who believeth on me, hath life everlasting (3:14-16).
In the same:
"He that believeth on the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (3:36).
"Whoever believeth on the Son, hath life eternal, and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:40, 47, 48).
In the same:
"The sheep follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (10:27, 28).
And in the same:
"Search the Scriptures; they testify of me; but ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life" (5:39, 40).
Mention is made in the Word of believing in God, and of believing the things which are from God; and to believe in God is the faith which saves, but to believe the things that are from God is an historical faith, which without the former does not save, and therefore, is not true faith; for to believe in God is to know, to will, and to do; but to believe the things that are from God, is to know, which is possible without willing and doing. Those who are truly Christians know, will, and do; but those who are not truly Christians, only know; but the latter are called by the Lord foolish, and the former wise (Matthew 7:24, 26).
349. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, signifies the humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart of all who are in truths from good, that the Lord alone lives, and that from Him alone is eternal life. This is evident from the signification of "four and twenty elders," as being all who are in truths from good (of which above, n. 270; from the signification of falling down and worshiping, as being humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart that every good and truth that has life in itself is from the Lord (of which see above, n. 290-291); and from the signification of "Him that liveth," as being, when said of the Lord, that He alone lives, and that from Him is eternal life (of which also above, n. 82, 84, 186, 289, 291).
[2] Since it is at this day believed in the world that the life that each one has was given and implanted, and is thus one's own, and does not flow in continuously, I desire to say something respecting it. The opinion that life is in man in such a way as to be his own is merely an appearance that springs from the perpetual presence of the Lord, and from His Divine love, in that He wills to be conjoined to man, to be in him, and to impart to him His life, for such is the Divine love; and because this is perpetual and continuous man supposes that life is in him as his own; yet it is known that there is not a good or a truth in man, but that they come from above, thus that they flow in. It is the same with love and faith; for everything of man's love is from good, and everything of his faith is from truth; for what a man loves is good to him, and what he believes is truth to him. This makes clear in the first place that no good and no truth, so neither love nor faith, is in man, but that they flow in from the Lord. Life itself is in good and truth, and nowhere else. The receptacle of the good of love with man is the will, and the receptacle of the truth of faith with him is the understanding; and to will good does not belong to man, nor to believe truth. These are the two faculties in which is the whole life of man; outside of these there is no life. This also makes clear that the life of these faculties, and accordingly the life of the whole man, is not in man but flows in. It is also by influx that evil and falsity, or the will and love of evil and the understanding and faith of falsity, are with man; but this influx is from hell. For man is kept in the freedom of choosing, that is, of receiving good and truth from the Lord or of receiving evil and falsity from hell, and man is kept in this for the sake of reformation, for he is kept between heaven and hell, and thence in spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom. Neither is this freedom itself in the man, but it is together with the life that flows in. (On Man's Freedom and its origin, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 293, 537, 540-541, 546, 589-596, 597-603; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 141-147.)
[3] Those also who are in hell live by the influx of life from the Lord, for good and truth in like manner flow into them; but the good they turn into evil, and the truth into falsity; and this takes place because they have inverted their interior recipient forms by a life of evil, and all influx is varied according to the forms. It is the same as when man's thought and will act upon members distorted from birth, or upon injured organs of sensation; and as when the light of heaven flows into objects that vary in their colors, and as when the heat of heaven flows into the same, which vary in their odors according to their interior receptive forms. But it should be known that the life itself is not changed and varied, but the life produces an appearance of the recipient form by which and from which the life is transmitted; much as by the same light different persons appear in a mirror each such as he is.
[4] Moreover, all the senses of man, namely, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are none of them in man, but are excited and produced from influx; in man there are only the organic recipient forms, in these there is no sense until what is adapted thereto from without flows in. The like is true of the internal organs of sensation which belong to thought and affection and receive influx from the spiritual world, as of the external organs of sensation which receive influx from the natural world. That there is one only fountain of life, and that all life is therefrom and flows in continually, is well known in heaven, and is never called in question by any angel in the higher heavens, for these perceive the influx itself. That all lives are streams, as it were, from the only and perennial fountain of life, has been testified to me also from much experience, and seen in the spiritual world with those who believed that they lived from themselves, and were not willing to believe that they lived from the Lord. When influx into the thought was in some part withheld from these, they lay as if deprived of life, but as soon as the influx reached them, they as it were revived from death; and then the same confessed that the life in them is not theirs, but continually flows into them, and that men, spirits, and angels are only forms receptive of life.
[5] That this is so the wise there conclude from this: that nothing can exist and subsist from itself but only from what is prior to itself, so neither can what is prior exist and subsist from itself but only in successive order from a First; and thus life itself, regarded in itself, is only from Him who alone is Life in Himself. From this, moreover, they know, and from a spiritual idea they also perceive, that every thing, that it may be anything, must be in connection with a First, and that it is, according as it is in this connection.
From this it is clear how foolishly those think who derive the origin of life from nature, and believe that man learns to think by an influx of interior nature and its order, and not from God, who is the very Esse of life, and from whom is all the order of both worlds, the spiritual as well as the natural, in accordance with which life flows in, life eternal with those who can be disposed to receive life according to Divine order, but the opposite life, which is called spiritual death, with those who cannot be so disposed, thus who live contrary to Divine order. The Divine good that proceeds from the Lord is that from which order comes, and the Divine truths are the laws of order (as may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 279).
[6] Everyone should guard against the belief that the Divine life with anyone, even with the evil and in hell, is changed; for, as was said above, the life itself is not changed or varied, but the life produces an appearance of the recipient form, through which and from which the life is transmitted; much as everyone appears in a mirror such as he is through the light, the light remaining unchanged, and simply presenting the form to the sight; and just as the same life presents itself to be perceived according to the form of the bodily organ, thus after one manner in the eye, after another manner in the hearing, and otherwise in the smell, taste, and touch. The belief that life is varied and changed is from an appearance, which is a fallacy like the fallacy from the appearance that influx is physical, when yet influx is spiritual. (But on this subject see further in Heaven and Hell 9; to which may be added what is cited from Arcana Coelestia, respecting the influx of life, in Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 277, 278; and on the Influx of Life with animals, in Arcana Coelestia 5850, 6211; and in Heaven and Hell 39, 108, 110, 435, 567; likewise in Last Judgment 25.)
[7] These things have been said to make known that there is one only life, and that whatever things live, live from that life. It shall now be shown that the Lord is that Life itself, or that He alone lives, since this is what is signified by "Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages." That there is one only Divine, and that is not to be divided into three persons according to the faith of Athanasius, can be seen from what has been several times said above, and especially from what will be said particularly on this subject at the end of this work. And as the Lord's Divine, which is the one only Divine, took on a Human, and made that also Divine, therefore both of these are the Life from which all live. That this is so may be known from the words of the Lord Himself, in the following passages. In John:
As the Father raiseth the dead and maketh them live, so also the Son maketh whom He will to live. As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:21, 26).
"Father" here means the Lord's Divine Itself, which took on the Human, for this Divine was in Him from conception, and because He was conceived from this, He called it, and no other, "Father." The "Son" means the Lord's Divine Human; that this, in like manner, is life itself, the Lord teaches in express words, saying, "as the Father maketh to live, the Son also maketh whom He will to live;" and "as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself." "To have life in Himself" is to be Life itself; the others are not life, but they have life from that Life.
[8] In the same:
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one cometh unto the Father but through Me (John 14:6).
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," was said of the Lord's Human; for He also says, "no one comes unto the Father but through Me," His "Father" being the Divine in Him, which was His own Divine. This makes clear that the Lord also, in respect to His Human, is Life, consequently that His Human also in like manner is Divine.
[9] In the same:
Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the Life; he that believeth in Me, though he die yet shall he live. Everyone that liveth and believeth in Me shall not die forever (John 11:25-26).
This, too, the Lord said of His Human; and as He is Life Itself, and all have life from Him, and those who believe in Him have life eternal, therefore He says that He is "the Resurrection and the Life," and "he that believeth in Me shall not die forever;" "to believe in the Lord" signifies to be conjoined to Him in love and faith, and "not to die" signifies not to die spiritually, that is, not to be damned, for the life of the damned is called "death."
[10] In the same:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us (John 1:1, 4, 14).
It is known that "the Word" means the Lord; His Human is evidently the Word, for it is said, "the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us;" and that His Human was equally Divine with the Divine Itself that took on the Human is evident from this, that a distinction is made between them, and that each is called God, for it is said, "the Word was with God, and God was the Word," and "in Him was life." That all live from Him is meant by "the life was the light of men;" "the light of men" is the life of their thought and understanding; for the Divine Proceeding, which is specially meant by "the Word," appears in heaven as the light which enables angels not only to see, but also to think and understand, and according to its reception to be wise (See John 8:12).
[11] He is also called "the bread of life" in the same:
The bread of God is he that cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the Bread of life (John 6:33, 35, 47-48, 51).
"The Bread of God" and "the Bread of life" is that from which all have life. Since the life that is called intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord, it follows also that life in general is from Him; for the particular things of life, which make its perfection and which are insinuated into man according to reception, all belong to the general life. This life is perfected to the extent that the evils into which man is born are removed from it.
[12] That those who are conjoined to the Lord by means of love and faith receive eternal life, that is, the life of heaven, which is salvation, is evident from the following passages. In John:
I am the Vine, and ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye cannot do anything. If a man abide not in Me he is cast forth, and as a branch he withereth (John 15:5-6).
In the same:
Everyone who believeth in Me hath eternal life (John 3:14-16).
In the same:
He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the anger of God abideth on him (John 3:36).
In the same:
Whoever believeth on the Son hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40, 47-48, 54).
In the same:
The sheep follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall not perish forever (John 10:27-28).
And in the same:
Search the Scriptures, they bear witness of Me: but ye will not come unto Me, that ye may have life (John 5:39-40).
"To believe in God" and "to believe the things that are from God" are mentioned in the Word; and "to believe in God" is the faith that saves, but "to believe the things that are from God" is an historical faith, which without the former does not save, and therefore is not true faith; for "to believe in God" is to know, to will, and to do; but "to believe the things that are from God" is to know, and this is possible without willing and doing. Those who are truly Christians know, will, and do; but those who are not truly Christians only know; but the latter are called by the Lord "foolish," and the former "prudent" (Matthew 7:24, 26).
349. "Et viginti quatuor seniores prociderunt et adoraverunt Viventem in saecula saeculorum." - Quod significet humiliationem et agnitionem ex corde omnium qui in veris ex bono sunt, quod Dominus solus vivat, et quod ab Ipso solo sit vita aeterna, constat ex significatione "viginti quatuor seniorum", quod sint omnes qui in veris ex bono sunt (de qua supra, n. 270 1
); ex significatione "procidere et adorare", quod sit humiliatio et agnitio corde quod omne bonum et verum, quae vitam in se habent, sint a Domino (de qua etiam supra, n. 290, 291); et ex significatione "Viventis", cum de Domino, quod sit quod solus vivat, et quod ex Ipso sit vita aeterna (de qua etiam supra, n. 82, 84, 186 [c] , 289, 291).
[2] Quoniam hodie in mundo creditur quod vita, quae est cuique, sit data ac indita, et sic propria, et quod non influat continue, velim aliquid de eo dicere:- Quod credatur quod vita sit in homine, adeo ut sit hominis, est modo apparentia oriunda ex perpetua praesentia Domini, et ex Ipsius Divino Amore quod velit conjungi homini, et esse in illo, et dare ei suam vitam, talis enim est Divinus Amor; et quia hoc perpetuum et continuum est, putat homo quod vita insit ei ut propria. Notum tamen est quod omne bonum et omne verum non sit in homine, sed quod veniat desuper, ita quod influat; similiter amor et fides, nam omne amoris hominis est ex bono, et omne fidei ejus est ex vero, quod enim homo amat hoc ei est bonum, et quod homo credit hoc ei est verum: inde primum patet quod non bonum et non verum, sicut nec amor et fides, sint in homine, sed quod influant a Domino. In bono et vero est ipsa vita, et non alibi. Receptaculum boni amoris apud hominem est voluntas, et receptaculum veri fidei apud illum est intellectus, et velle bonum non est hominis, nec credere verum. Illae binae facultates sunt in quibus omnis vita hominis est, extra illas est nulla; inde etiam patet quod vita illarum facultatum, proinde vita totius hominis, non sit in homine sed influat. Quod autem malum et falsum, seu voluntas et amor mali ac intellectus et fides falsi, sint apud hominem, est quoque ex influxu, sed is influxus est ex inferno: homo enim tenetur in libero eligendi, hoc est, recipiendi bonum et verum a Domino aut recipiendi malum et falsum ab inferno; in hoc tenetur homo propter reformationem, tenetur enim inter caelum et infernum, et inde in aequilibrio spirituali, quod est liberum. Ipsum hoc liberum nec est in homine, sed est una cum vita quae influit. (De Libero Hominis et ejus Origine, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 293, 537, 540, 541, 546, 589-596, 597-603 et in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, [n. 141-147] .)
[3] Illi qui in inferno sunt etiam vivunt ex influxu vitae a Domino, influit enim apud illos similiter bonum et verum; sed bonum vertunt in malum ac verum in falsum, et hoc fit quia inverterunt suas formas recipientes interiores per vitam mali; et omnis influxus variatur secundum formas: similiter ac cogitatio et voluntas hominis dum agunt in membra a nativitate contorta, aut in sensoria laesa; ac similiter ac lux caeli dum influit in objecta quae variantur quoad colores, ac calor caeli in eadem quae variantur quoad odores secundum formas interiores recipientes. At sciendum est quod non ipsa vita mutetur et varietur, sed quod per illam sistatur apparentia formae recipientis per quam et e qua vita transit; paene sicut quisque apparet per eandem lucem in speculo qualis est.
[4] Praeterea omnes sensus hominis, nempe visus, auditus, olfactus, gustus et tactus, non sunt in homine, sed excitantur et producuntur ex influxu: in homine sunt modo formae organicae quae sunt recipientes; hae nullius sensus sunt, priusquam adaequatum ab extra influit. Simile est cum sensoriis internis, quae sunt cogitationis et affectionis, quae ex spirituali mundo recipiunt influxum, sicut cum sensoriis externis quae e naturali mundo. Quod unicus vitae fons sit, et omnis vita inde sit, et continue influat, notissimum est in caelo, et a nullo angelo in superioribus caelis in dubium vocatur, percipiunt enim illi ipsum influxum. Quod omnes vitae sint sicut rivi ex unico ac perenni fonte vitae, ex pluri experientia etiam mihi testatum factum est, ac in mundo spirituali visum apud illos qui crediderunt se vivere ex se, ac non voluerunt credere quod a Domino: illi, quum eis ademptus est quoad aliquam partem influxus in cogitationem, jacuerunt sicut exanimi; et mox accedente influxu, quasi ex morte revixerunt; ac iidem dein confessi sunt quod vita non sit illorum in illis, sed influat continue in illos, et quod homines, spiritus et angeli sint modo formae recipientes vitae.
[5] Sapientes ibi concludunt quod ita sit ex eo, quod nihil existere et subsistere possit ex se, sed a priori se, et inde quod nec prius a se, nisi in ordine successivo a Primo, et quod sic ipsa vita in se spectata non sit nisi ab Ipso qui solus est Vita in Se: inde etiam sciunt, et quoque ex idea spirituali percipiunt, quod omne erit in nexu cum Primo ut sit aliquid, et quod sit sicut est in nexu.
Ex his patet quam fatue cogitant qui originem vitae ducunt ex Natura, et quod homo discat cogitare per influxum interioris Naturae et ejus ordinis, et non a Deo qui est ipsum Esse vitae, et ex quo omnis ordo utriusque mundi tam spiritualis quam naturalis, secundum quem influit vita; vita aeterna apud illos qui disponi possunt ad recipiendum vitam secundum Divinum ordinem, at vita opposita, quae vocatur mors spiritualis, apud illos qui non disponi possunt, ita qui vivunt contra Divinum ordinem. Divinum Bonum quod procedit a Domino est ex quo ordo, ac Divina Vera sunt leges ordinis (videatur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 279 2
).
[6] Caveant sibi ne credant quod Divina vita apud aliquem, ne quidem apud malos et in inferno, mutetur; nam, ut supra dictum est, ipsa vita non mutatur aut variatur, sed per illam sistitur apparentia formae recipientis per quam et e qua transit; paene sicut quisque apparet in speculo qualis est per lucem, quae usque manet in suo statu, et modo producit formam ad visum, et sicut eadem vita se sistit sentiri secundum formam organi corporis; ita aliter in oculo, aliter in auditu, et aliter in olfactu, gustu et tactu. Si credatur quod vita varietur et mutetur, est ex apparentia quae est fallacia, similis fallaciae ex apparentia quod influxus physicus sit, cum tamen est influxus spiritualis. (Sed de hac re videantur plura in opere De Caelo et Inferno 9; quibus adjiciantur quae De Influxu Vitae in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, ex Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 277, 278, allata sunt; et De Influxu Vitae apud Animalia in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 5850, 6211; ac in opere De Caelo et Inferno 39, 108, 110, 3
435, 567; tum in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio n. 25.)
[7] Haec dicta sunt ut sciatur quod unica vita sit, et quod ex illa, quotcunque vivunt, vivant. Nunc ostendetur quod Dominus sit ipsa illa Vita, seu quod Ipse solus vivat, quoniam hoc significatur per "Viventem in saecula saeculorum." Quod unicum Divinum sit, et hoc non distinctum in tres Personas secundum fidem Athanasii, constare potest ex illis quae supra aliquoties dicta sunt, et imprimis ex illis quae ad finem hujus operis in specie de illa re dicentur. Et quia Divinum Domini, quod est unicum Divinum, assumpsit Humanum, et hoc quoque Divinum fecit, ideo utrumque est Vita, ex qua vivunt omnes. Quod ita sit, sciri potest ex Ipsius Domini verbis in his locis:
Apud Johannem,
"Quemadmodum Pater suscitat mortuos et vivificat, ita etiam Filius quos vult vivificat:.... quemadmodum Pater habet Vitam in Se Ipso, ita dedit Filio Vitam habere in Se Ipso" (5 [21,] 26):
per "patrem" hic intelligitur ipsum Divinum Domini quod assumpsit Humanum, hoc enim Divinum erat in Ipso ex conceptione; et quia ex illo conceptus fuit, ideo hoc vocavit "Patrem", et non aliud: per "Filium" intelligitur Divinum Humanum Domini; quod hoc similiter ipsa Vita sit, docet Dominus manifestis verbis, dicendo, "Quemadmodum Pater vivificat etiam Filius quos vult vivificat"; et "Quemadmodum Pater habet Vitam in Se Ipso, ita dedit Filio habere Vitam in Se Ipso": "Vitam habere in Se Ipso" est esse ipsa Vita; reliqui autem non sunt Vita sed vitam inde habent.
[8] Apud eundem,
"Ego sum Via, Veritas et Vita; nemo venit ad Patrem nisi per Me" (14:6):
"Ego sum Via, Veritas et Vita", dicta sunt de Humano Domini; nam dicit etiam, "Nemo venit ad Patrem nisi per Me"; "Pater" enim Ipsius erat Divinum in Ipso, quod suum Divinum erat: unde patet quod Dominus etiam quoad Humanum suum sit Vita, consequenter quod illud similiter Divinum sit.
[9] Apud eundem,
"Jesus dixit, Ego sum Resurrectio et Vita; qui credit in Me etsi moriatur vivet; omnis qui vivit et credit in Me, non morietur in aeternum" (11:25, 26):
haec quoque Dominus de Humano suo dixit, et quia Ipse est Vita, et omnes ex Ipso habent vitam, et qui credunt in Ipsum vitam aeternam, ideo dicit quod sit "Resurrectio et Vita", et "Qui credit in Me non morietur in aeternum"; per "credere" in Dominum significatur Ipsi conjungi amore et fide, et per "non mori" significatur non mori spiritualiter, hoc est, damnari; nam vita damnatorum vocatur "mors."
[10] Apud eundem,
"In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum, .... in Ipso Vita erat, et Vita erat lux hominum:.... et Verbum Caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis" (1:1, 4, 14):
quod per "Verbum" intelligatur Dominus, notum est; quod Humanum Ipsius sit Verbum, patet, nam dicitur quod "Verbum Caro factum sit et habitaverit in nobis"; et quod Humanum Ipsius aeque Divinum fuerit ut Ipsum Divinum quod assumpsit Humanum, patet ex eo, quod distinguatur inter utrumque, et quod utrumque dicatur "Deus"; dicitur enim, "Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum"; et "in Ipso Vita erat": quod omnes ex Ipso vivant intelligitur per "Vita erat lux hominum": "lux hominum" est vita cogitationis et intellectus eorum; Divinum enim procedens, quod in specie ibi intelligitur per "Verbum", apparet in caelo sicut lux, quae dat angelis non solum videre sed etiam cogitare et intelligere, et secundum receptionem sapere (videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 126-140); lux illa procedens a Domino est ipsa Vita, quae non modo illuminat intellectum, sicut sol mundi oculum, sed etiam vivificat illum secundum receptionem: et cum lux illa recipitur vita, tunc vocatur "Lux vitae", apud eundem,
Jesus dixit, "Ego sum Lux mundi; qui Me sequitur non ambulat in tenebris, sed habebit lucem vitae" (8:12);
[11] et quoque vocatur "Panis vitae", apud eundem,
"Panis Dei est qui descendit e caelo, et vitam dat mundo;.... Ego sum Panis vitae" (6:33, 35, 47, 48, 51):
"Panis Dei" et "Panis vitae" est ex quo omnibus vita. Quoniam vita quae vocatur intelligentia et sapientia est a Domino, sequitur etiam quod vita in communi sit ab Ipso; nam singularia vitae, quae faciunt perfectionem ejus, ac insinuantur homini secundum receptionem, omnia sunt vitae communis; haec, quantum ex ea removentur mala, in quae homo nascitur, tantum perficitur.
[12] Quod illi qui per amorem et fidem conjunguntur Domino vitam aeternam accipiant, hoc est, vitam caeli, quae est salvatio, patet ex his locis:
Apud Johannem,
"Ego sum Vitis et vos palmites; manens in Me, et Ego in illo, hic fert fructum multum, quia sine Me non potestis facere quicquam: si non quis manserit in Me, ejicitur foras, et sicut palmes exarescit" (15:5, 6):
apud eundem,
"Omnis qui credit in" Me ".... habet vitam aeternam" (3:14-16):
apud eundem,
"Qui credit in Filium habet vitam aeternam, qui vero non credit Filio non videbit vitam, sed ira Dei manet super eo" (3:36):
apud eundem,
"Quisquis credit in Filium, habet vitam aeternam, et suscitabo illum extremo die" (6:40, 47, 48, [54]);
apud eundem,
"Oves.... sequuntur Me, et Ego vitam aeternam do illis, nec peribunt in aeternum" (10:27, 28);
et apud eundem,
"Scrutamini scripturas, .... illae testantur de Me: sed non vultis venire ad Me ut vitam habeatis" (5:39, 40).
Dicitur in Verbo "credere in Deum" et "credere illa quae a Deo"; et "credere in Deum" est fides quae salvat; at "credere illa quae a Deo" est fides historica, quae absque priore non salvat, quare non est vera fides; nam "credere in Deum" est scire, velle et facere, at "credere illa quae a Deo" est scire, quae dabilis est absque velle et facere. Qui vere Christiani sunt, illi sciunt, volunt et faciunt; at qui non vere Christiani sunt, hi modo sciunt; sed hi a Domino vocantur "stulti", illi vero "prudentes" (Matthaeus 7:24, 26).
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.