----中文待译----
726. Who is to tend (pascere) all nations with a rod of iron.- That this signifies that this doctrine by the power of natural from spiritual truth will refute and convict those who are in falsities and evils, and yet are in the church in which is the Word, is evident from the signification of tending, as denoting to teach (concerning which see above n. 482), but in this case to refute and convict, because it is said that he is to tend them with a rod of iron; from the signification of all nations, as denoting those who are in falsities and evils (concerning which see above (n. 175, 331, 625); and from the signification of a rod of iron, as denoting the power of natural from spiritual truth, for a rod or staff signifies power, and is predicated of spiritual Divine Truth, and iron signifies truth in the natural man. The power of the truth of the natural from the spiritual man is signified by the rod of iron, because all the power belonging to truths in the natural man is from the influx of truth and good from the spiritual man, that is, from the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord through the spiritual into the natural man; for the Lord alone has power, and He exercises it through the Divine Truth which proceeds from Him.
But in order that these things may be seen more clearly, it must be shown:- (I.) That the Lord possesses infinite power. (II.) That the Lord possesses this power from Himself by means of His Divine Truth. (III.) That all power coexists in ultimates, and that therefore the Lord possesses infinite power from primaries by means of ultimates. (IV.) That so far as angels and men are recipients of Divine Truth from the Lord, so far they are powers. (V.) That power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as he receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man. (VI.) That the truths of the natural man have nothing of power, without that influx.
[2] (I.) The Lord possesses infinite power.- This is evident from the fact that He is the God of heaven and the God of earth; that He has created the universe, so full of stars - which are suns that they cannot be numbered, and in it so many systems, and earths in these systems, which systems and the earths in them exceed in number many hundreds of thousands; and that He alone continually preserves and sustains the same, because He created them. Moreover, He has created not only natural worlds, but also spiritual worlds above them, and these He perpetually fills with angels and spirits to the number of myriads of myriads, and under them He has placed the hells, which are also as many in number as the heavens. And He alone gives life to everything, both collectively and individually, both in the worlds of nature and in the worlds above nature; and because He alone gives life, no angel, spirit, or man, has the power to move hand or foot, except from Him. The nature of the Lord's infinite power is especially evident from this, that all those who come from such a multitude of earths into the spiritual worlds, numbering from our earth alone several myriads every week, and consequently as many myriads from many thousands of earths in the universe, He alone receives, and by a thousand secret ways of Divine Wisdom leads every one to the place of his life, the faithful to their places in the heavens, and the unfaithful to their places in the hells. And again He rules the thoughts, intentions, and wills of all, wherever they may be, both particularly and universally, and causes each and all in the heavens to enjoy their own happiness, and each and all in the hells to be retained in their bonds, in such a way that not one of them ventures to lift a hand, much less to rise up, and do harm to any angel. Also all are thus kept in order, and in bonds, to eternity, howsoever the heavens and the hells may be multiplied. These and many other things too numerous to mention could not possibly exist if the Lord did not possess infinite power. That the Lord alone rules all things, He Himself teaches in Matthew:
"All power is given to me in heaven and on earth" (28:18); and He said that "he is the life" (John 5:26; 11:25, 26; 14:6).
[3] (II.) The Lord possesses infinite power from Himself by means of His Divine Truth.- The reason of this is, that the Divine Truth is the proceeding Divine, and from the Divine which proceeds from the Lord, all those things that have been referred to above concerning His infinite power are effected. Divine Truth considered in itself is the Divine Wisdom, which extends itself in every direction, like the light and heat from the sun in our world. For in the spiritual world, where angels and spirits are, the Lord appears as a sun, from Divine Love; all that proceeds from that sun is called Divine Truth; and that which proceeds also produces, and also that which proceeds is Himself, because it is from Him, therefore the Lord in the heavens is Divine Truth. But in order that it may be known that the Lord does possess infinite power by means of Divine Truth, something shall be said concerning its essence and existence. This can be comprehended from the natural man and his light (lumen) only by means of such things as proceed from the sun of the world, from which and by means of which it possesses all power in its own system, and in the earths which enjoy its heat and light. From the sun of our system, as from their fountain, went forth (exiverunt) auras and atmospheres, which are called ethers and airs. In nearest proximity to the sun therefore is pure ether, at a greater distance from it are ethers less pure, and lastly the airs; but these ethers and airs are around the earths. These ethers and airs when actuated in the total volume (volumatim actae,) produce heat, but when modified in their component parts (singillatim modificatoe) they produce light. Through these the sun exercises all its power, and produces all its effect outside of itself, thus through ethers and airs, through the medium of heat and at the same time through the medium of light.
[4] From these things some idea may be formed of the Lord's infinite power by means of Divine Truth. From Him as the Sun there emanated in a similar manner auras and atmospheres, but spiritual, because from Divine Love, which constitutes that Sun. That there are such atmospheres in the spiritual world, is evident from the respiration of angels and spirits. Those spiritual auras and atmospheres which are nearest to the Lord as the Sun are the purest, but according to the degree in which they are remote from Him, they are less and less pure. Therefore there are three heavens, the inmost heaven in a purer aura, the middle heaven in an aura less pure, and the ultimate heaven in an aura still less pure. When these auras or atmospheres, which are spiritual, because they have come forth (exstiterunt) from the Lord the Sun, are actuated as a whole (communiter) they manifest heat, but when modified separately (singillatim) they manifest light. This heat, which in its essence is love, and this light, which in its essence is wisdom, are called specifically Divine Truth, and taken together with the auras, which are also spiritual, they are called the proceeding Divine. From these then the heavens were created, and worlds also; for all those things which exist in the natural world have been produced from the spiritual world (ex spirituali mundo producta sunt), as effects from their efficient causes. From these things now, the creation of heaven and earth by means of the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord as the sun, which is above the angelic heavens, may be seen as in a natural mirror. It may also in some degree be comprehended, that the Lord possesses infinite power by means of the proceeding Divine, which in general is called Divine Truth. This is also meant by these words in John:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made; and the world was made by him" (1:1, 3, 10).
And in David:
"By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made" (Psalm 33:6).
The Word signifies Divine Truth.
[5] (III.) All power coexists in ultimates, and therefore the Lord possesses infinite power from primaries by means of ultimates. What is meant by ultimates shall first be explained. Primaries are those things which are in the Lord, and which proximately go forth from Him. Ultimates are those things that are most remote from Him, which are in nature, and are the final things therein; these are called ultimates, because spiritual things, which are prior, terminate in them, and subsist and rest upon them as upon their foundations; therefore they are fixed, and are consequently called the ultimates of Divine order. All power is in ultimates because prior things are together in them, for they coexist therein in that order, which is called simultaneous order. For there is a nexus of all things from the Lord Himself through the things belonging to heaven and to the world even to those ultimates; and because prior things, which proceed successively, coexist simultaneously in ultimates, as has been said, it follows that power itself is in ultimates from primaries. But Divine power is power through the proceeding Divine which is called Divine Truth, as shown in the preceding article.
[6] It is for this reason that the human race is related to the heavens as the base to a column, or as a foundation to a palace; consequently, the heavens subsist in order upon those things of the church that are with men in the world, thus upon Divine truths in ultimates, which are such Divine truths as are contained in the sense of the letter of the Word. How great is the force in these truths cannot be described in a few words; they are the ultimates with man into which the Lord flows from Himself, thus from primaries, and rules, and preserves all things in the spiritual world in order and connection.
[7] Now because Divine power itself resides in these ultimates, therefore the Lord Himself came into the world, and became Man, that He might be in ultimates at the same time as in primaries, to the end that He might from primaries by means of ultimates reduce all things that were disorganised into order, namely, all things in the hells, and also in the heavens. This was the reason of the Lord's coming; for at the time immediately before His coming there was no Divine Truth in ultimates with men in the world, and none whatever in the church, which then existed among the Jewish nation, except what was falsified and perverted, and consequently there was no basis for the heavens. Unless therefore the Lord had come into the world, and had thus taken upon Himself an ultimate, the heavens, formed of the inhabitants of this planet (tellus), would have been transferred elsewhere, and the whole human race on the planet would have perished in eternal death. But now the Lord on earth, as in the heavens, is in His fulness, and thus in His Omnipotence, because He is both in ultimates and in primaries. Thus the Lord is able to save all those who are in Divine truths from the Word, and in a life according to them, for He can be present and dwell with such in ultimate truths from the Word, since ultimate truths also are His, and are Himself, because they are from Him, according to His words in John:
"He that hath my commandments, and doeth them, he it is that loveth me; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (14:21, 23).
[8] (IV.) So far as angels and men are recipients of Divine Truth from the Lord, so far they are powers.- This is evident from what has been said above, namely, that the Lord possesses infinite power, and that He alone by means of His Divine Truth has power; also from this, that angels and also men are nothing else but forms recipient of Divine Truth, for this reason angels, in the Word, signify Divine truths, and are called gods. It therefore follows from this, that according to the extent and nature of their reception of Divine Truth from the Lord, they are powers.
[9] (V.) Power resides in the truths of the natural man, so far as he receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man.- This follows logically from those things which precede, namely, that Divine Truths in ultimates from primaries possess all power, the natural man being the receptacle of ultimates. But to the natural mind of man there are two ways, one from heaven, the other from the world; the way from heaven leads through the spiritual into the rational mind, and through this into the natural, and the way from the world is through the sensual mind, which is nearest to the world, and clings to the body. From this it is evident that the Lord flows in with Divine Truth into the natural, only through the spiritual man; and so far as the natural man receives influx therefrom, so far power resides therein. By power in it, is meant power against the hells, which is the power of resisting evils and falsities, and of removing them; and so far as these are resisted and removed, so far man comes into angelic power, and also into intelligence, and becomes a son of the kingdom. Concerning the power of the angels, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 228-233); and concerning their wisdom and intelligence (n. 265-275).
[10] (VI.) The truths of the natural man have nothing of power without that influx.- This also follows as a result of what has been just said. The truths of the natural man, without influx through the spiritual man, have in themselves nothing of the Lord, thus nothing of life; and truths without life are not truths; in fact, viewed interiorly, they are falsities, and falsities have no power whatever, since they are the opposites of truths, to which all power belongs. These things have been here set forth, in order that it may be known what is meant by the power of natural truth from spiritual, which is signified by the rod of iron, with which the male child born of the woman will tend (pascere) all nations.
726. Who is to tend all the nations with an iron rod, signifies that this doctrine by the power of natural truth from spiritual will convince and refute those who are in falsities and evils and yet are in the church where the Word is. This is evident from the signification of "to tend," as being to teach (of which above, n. 482, but here to convince and refute, because it is said that "he is to tend with an iron rod;" also from the signification of "all the nations," as being those who are in falsities and evils (of which above, n. 175, 331, 625); also from the signification of an "iron rod," as being the power of a natural truth from spiritual, for "rod" or "staff" signifies power, and it is predicated of spiritual Divine truth, and "iron" signifies truth in the natural man. It is the power of the truth of the natural man from the spiritual that is signified by the "iron rod," because all the power that truths in the natural man have is from the influx of truth and good from the spiritual man, that is, from the influx of Divine truth from the Lord through the spiritual man into the natural; for the Lord alone has power, and He exercises it through Divine truth that proceeds from Him. But that this may be more clearly perceived it shall be shown:
1. That the Lord has infinite power.
2. That the Lord has this power from Himself through His Divine truth.
3. That all power is together in ultimates, and therefore that the Lord has infinite power from things first through ultimates.
4. That so far as angels and men are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers.
5. That power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as it receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man.
6. That the truths of the natural man without that influx have nothing of power.
[2] 1. That the Lord has infinite power can be seen from this, that He is the God of heaven and the God of earth; that He created the universe filled with numberless stars, which are suns; and in the universe so many systems and earths in these systems; these systems and the earths in them exceeding in number many hundred thousands; also that He alone preserves and continually sustains these because He created them. Moreover, as He created the natural worlds, so He created the spiritual worlds above them, and these He perpetually fills with angels and spirits to the number of myriads and myriads. Under these, again, He has hid away the hells, as many in number as the heavens. And to each and every thing in the worlds of nature and in the worlds above nature He alone gives life; and because He alone gives life, no angel, spirit, or man is able to move a hand or foot except from Him. What infinite power the Lord has is especially evident from this, that all who come from so many earths into the spiritual worlds, numbering some myriads every week from our earth alone, consequently so many myriads from so many thousand earths in the universe, the Lord alone receives, and by a thousand secret ways of Divine wisdom leads everyone to the place of his life; the faithful to their places in the heavens, and the unfaithful to their places in the hells; and the thoughts, intentions, and wills of all, everywhere He rules in most particular and in most universal things; and He causes each and every one in the heavens to enjoy their happiness, and each and every one in the hells to be held in their bonds, even so that not one of them ventures to lift a hand, much less to rise up to do harm to any angel; and all are thus held in order and in bonds, howsoever the heavens and the hells may be multiplied to eternity. These and many other things too numerous to be mentioned, could not possibly be if the Lord did not have infinite power. That the Lord alone rules all things He Himself teaches in Matthew:
All authority is given to Me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).
And that He is the Life (John 5:26; 11:25, 26; 14:6).
[3] 2. The Lord has infinite power from Himself through His Divine truth, because Divine truth is the Divine proceeding, and from the Divine that proceeds from the Lord all those things that have been said above in respect to His infinite power are effected. Divine truth regarded in itself is Divine wisdom, which extends itself in every direction, like the light and heat from the sun in our world; for in the spiritual world, where angels and spirits are, the Lord is seen as a sun, from Divine love; all that proceeds from that sun is called 1Divine truth; and that which proceeds brings forth; also that which proceeds is Himself, because it is from Him; consequently the Lord in the heavens is Divine truth. But that it may be known that the Lord has infinite power through Divine truth, something must be said of its essence and existence. This cannot be comprehended from the natural man and its light but by means of such things as proceed from the sun of the world, from which and by which that sun has all power in its world and in the earths that are under its heat and light. From the sun, of our world auras and atmospheres proceed as from their fountain; these are called ethers and airs. From this source nearest about it is pure ether, at a greater distance from it are less pure ethers, and at length airs; but these ethers and airs are around the earths. These ethers and airs when made active in mass produce heat, but when modified in their least parts give light. Through these the sun exercises all its power and produces all its effect outside of itself, thus through ethers and airs by heat as a means and at the same time by light as a means.
[4] From this some idea can be formed of the Lord's infinite power through Divine truth. Likewise from Him as a sun similar auras and atmospheres emanated, but such as are spiritual, because they are from Divine love, which constitutes that sun. That there are such atmospheres in the spiritual world is clear from the respiration of angels and spirits. Those spiritual auras and atmospheres that are nearest to the Lord as a sun are the most pure; but according to the degrees in which they are removed from Him they are less and less pure. Therefore there are three heavens, the inmost heaven in a purer aura, the middle heaven in an aura less pure, and the lowest heaven in an aura still less pure. These auras or atmospheres, which are spiritual, because they have sprung from the Lord as a sun, when made active in common exhibit heat, but when modified in their least parts exhibit light. That heat, which in its essence is love, and that light, which in its essence is wisdom, are called specifically Divine truth; but together with the auras, which are also spiritual, they are called the Divine proceeding. Now from these the heavens were created, and also the worlds; for all things that exist in the natural world are produced from the spiritual world, as effects from their effecting causes. From this the creation of heaven and earth by means of Divine truth proceed from the Lord as a sun, which is above the angelic heavens, can be seen as in a natural mirror. It can also in some degree be comprehended that the Lord has infinite power by means of the Divine proceeding, which in general is called Divine truth. This also is meant by these words in John:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word; all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the world was made by Him (John 1:1, 3, 10).
And in David:
By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made (Psalms 33:6).
"The Word" signifies Divine truth.
[5] 3. All power is together in ultimates, and therefore the Lord has infinite power from first things through ultimates. What is meant by ultimates shall first be explained. First things are the things that are in the Lord, and those that most nearly proceed 2from Him; ultimates are those that are most remote from Him, that is, the things in nature, and the ultimate things in it. These are called ultimates because spiritual things, which are prior, close into them and rest and repose upon them as upon their foundation; therefore they are immovable, and are called the ultimates of Divine order. All power is in ultimates because prior things are together in them, coexisting therein in an order that is called simultaneous. For there is a connection of all things from the Lord Himself through the things which are of heaven and the things of the world even to these ultimates; and because prior things that proceed successively are together in ultimates, as has been said, it follows that power itself is in ultimates from things first. But Divine power is power by the Divine proceeding, which is called Divine truth, as has been shown in the preceding article.
[6] For this reason the human race is to the heavens as a base to a column, or as a foundation to a palace; consequently the heavens subsist in order upon the things of the church that are with men in the world, thus upon Divine truths in ultimates which are such Divine truths as are in the sense of the letter of the Word. What power there is in these truths cannot be told in a few words; into these ultimates with man the Lord flows in from Himself, thus from things first, and rules and keeps together in order and connection all things in the spiritual world.
[7] Now because Divine power itself resides in these ultimates the Lord Himself came into the world and became Man that He might be in ultimates at the same time as in things first, to the end that through ultimates from things first, He might reduce all things to order that had become disordered, namely, all things in the hells and also all things in the heavens. This was the reason of the Lord's coming, for at the time just before His coming there was no Divine truth in ultimates with men in the world, and none whatever in the church which was then with the Jewish nation, that had not been falsified and perverted, and consequently there was no foundation for the heavens; unless, therefore, the Lord had come into the world and had thus Himself assumed the ultimate, the heavens that were made up of the inhabitants of this earth would have been transferred elsewhere, 3and the whole human race on this earth would have perished in eternal death. But now the Lord, on the earth as in the heavens, is in His fullness, and thus in His omnipotence, because He is in ultimates and in things first. Thus the Lord is able to save all who are in Divine truths from the Word, and in a life according to them, for He can be present and dwell with such in ultimate truths from the Word, because ultimate truths are also His, and are Himself, because they are from Him, according to His words in John:
He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with Him (John 14:21-23).
[8] 4. So far as angels and men are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers. This can be seen from what has been said above, namely, that the Lord has infinite power, and that He alone through His Divine truth has power; also from this, that angels, and men also, are nothing but forms recipient of Divine truth; for this reason angels signify in the Word Divine truths, and are called "gods." It therefore follows that according to the measure and quality of their reception of Divine truth from the Lord they are powers.
[9] 5. Power resides in the truths of the natural man so far as it receives influx from the Lord through the spiritual man. This follows from what precedes, namely, that Divine truths in ultimates from things first have all power, and the natural man is a receptacle of ultimates. But to the natural mind of man there are two ways, one from heaven, the other from the world; the way from heaven leads through the spiritual mind into the rational and through this into the natural, and the way from the world is through the sensual which stands forth nearest to the world and clings to the body. From this it can be seen that the Lord flows in with Divine truth into the natural man only through the spiritual, and so far as the natural man receives influx therefrom is there power in it. By the power in it is meant power against the hells, which is the power to resist evils and falsities, and to put them away; and so far as these are resisted and put away man comes into angelic power and also into intelligence, and becomes "a son of the kingdom." (On the Power of Angels, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 228-233; and on their intelligence and wisdom, n 265-275)
[10] 6. The truths of the natural man without that influx have nothing of power. This follows as a consequence from what has just been said. The truths of the natural man without influx through the spiritual man have in themselves nothing of the Lord, thus also nothing of life; and truths without life are not truths, and in fact when regarded interiorly are falsities, and falsities have nothing whatever of power, since they are opposites of truths, which have all power. These things have been here set forth to make known what is meant by the power of natural truth from spiritual, which is signified by the "iron rod with which the son a male born of the woman is to tend all nations.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin has "all that proceeds from that sun calls."
2. The Latin has "precede from him," for "proceed."
3. The Latin has "from elsewhere."
726. "Qui futurus pascere omnes gentes Virga ferrea." - Quod significet quae potentia veri naturalis ex spirituali convincet et arguet illos qui in falsis et malis sunt, et tamen in ecclesia ubi Verbum, constat ex significatione "pascere", quod sit docere (de qua supra. n. 482); hic autem convincere et arguere, quia dicitur quod "pasturus sit virga ferrea"; ex significatione "omnium gentium", quod sint qui in falsis et malis sunt (de qua etiam supra, n. 175, 331 [b] , 625); et ex significatione "virgae ferreae", quod sit potentia veri naturalis ex spirituali; per "virgam" enim seu "baculum" significatur potentia, et praedicatur de Divino Vero Spirituali, et per "ferrum" verum in naturali homine: quod sit potentia veri naturalis hominis ex spirituali, quae significatur per "virgam ferream", est quia omnis potentia quae est veris in naturali homine, est ex influxu veri et boni e spirituali homine; hoc est, ex influxu Divini Veri a Domino per spiritualem hominem in naturalem; soli enim Domino est potentia, et Ipse illam exercet per Divinum Verum quod procedit ab Ipso. Sed ut haec clarius percipiantur, ostendendum est,
(1) Quod Domino sit infinita potentia.
(2) Quod illa sit Domino ex Se per Divinum suum Verum.
(3) Quod omnis potentia simul sit in ultimis, et quod inde infinita potentia sit Domino ex primis per ultima.
(4) Quod angeli et homines, quantum receptiones sint Divini Veri a Domino, tantum potentiae sint.
(5) Quod potentia resideat in aeris naturalis hominis, quantum is recipit influxum a Domino per spiritualem hominem.
(6) Quod vera naturalis hominis nihil potentiae habeant absque illo influxu.
[2] (1) Quod Domino sit infinita potentia, constare potest ex eo, quod sit Deus caeli et Deus terrae; quod creaverit universum, tot innumerabilibus stellis, quae sunt soles, plenum; ac tot in illo mundos, et in mundis tellures, qui mundi et in illis tellures plura centena millia numero excedunt; et quod eadem, quia illa creavit, solus conservet et continue sustineat. Tum quod sicut mundos naturales, ita quoque mundos spirituales supra illos creaverit, et hos perpetuo impleat angelis et spiritibus, ad numerum myriadum et myriadum: et quod sub illis abdiderit inferna, tot quoque numero quot caeli sunt: et quod omnibus et singulis qui in mundis Naturae, et in mundis supra Naturam sunt, solus det vitam; et quia solus dat vitam, quod nullus angelus, spiritus et homo movere possit manum et pedem nisi ab Ipso. Qualis infinita Domino potentia sit, imprimis patet ex eo, quod omnes qui ex tot terris in mundos spirituales veniunt, qui sunt aliquot myriades ex sola nostra tellure quavis septimana, et consequenter tot myriades ex tot millenis telluribus in universo, solus recipiat, et per millia Divinae Sapientiae arcana ducat, quemque ad locum suae vitae; fideles ad sua loca in caelis, ac infideles ad sua loca in infernis: et utrobivis omnium cogitationes, intentiones, et voluntates singulariter sicut universaliter regat; ac faciat ut omnes et singuli in caelis sua felicitate gaudeant; ac ut omnes et singuli in infernis in suis vinculis sint, usque adeo ut ne quidem unus ex illis hiscat levare manum, minus exsurgere, et alicui angelo damnum inferre: et quod omnes ita in ordine, et in vinculis, teneantur, utcunque multiplicantur caeli et inferna in aeternum. Haec et plura, quae propter copiam enumerari non possunt, non dari possunt nisi infinita Domino potentia sit. Quod Dominus solus regat omnia, docet Ipse apud Matthaeum,
"Data est Mihi omnis potestas in caelo et in terra" (28:18):
et
Quod Ipse sit vita (Johannes 5:26; 11:25, 26; 14:6).
[3] (2) Quod infinita potentia sit Domino ex Se per Divinum suum Verum, est quia Divinum Verum est Divinum procedens; et ex Divino quod procedit ex Domino, omnia quae supra de infinita potentia Domini dicta sunt, fiunt. Divinum Verum in se spectatum est Divina Sapientia, quae se quaquaversum extendit, sicut lux et calor in nostro mundo a sole; apparet enim Dominus in mundo spirituali, ubi sunt angeli et spiritus, ut Sol, ex Divino Amore; omne quod procedit ex illo Sole 1
vocatur Divinum Verum; et quod procedit hoc producit; quod procedit hoc quoque est Ipse, quia ex Ipso; quare Dominus in caelis est Divinum Verum. Ut tamen sciatur quod Domino sit infinita potentia per Divinum Verum, aliquid dicetur de ejus essentia et existentia: hoc ex naturali homine et ejus lumine non comprehendi potest, nisi quam per talia quae procedunt ex sole mundi, ex quibus et per quae est illi omnis potentia in suo mundo, et in telluribus quae sub luce et calore ejus sunt. Ex Sole mundi, ut ex suo fonte, exiverunt aurae et atmosphaerae, quae aetheres et aeres vocantur; unde proxime circum illum est purus aether, et remotius ab illo aetheres minus puri, et tandem aeres, sed hi et illi circum tellures. Illi aetheres et aeres volumatim actae dant calorem, at singillatim modificatae dant lucem; per haec exercet sol ille omnem suam potentiam, et producit omnem suum effectum extra se, ita per aetheres et per aeres medio calore et simul media luce.
[4] Ex his potest aliqua idea formari de infinita potentia Domini per Divinum Verum. Ex Ipso ut Sole emanaverunt Similiter aurae et atmosphaerae, sed spirituales, quia ex Divino Amore, qui facit illum Solem: quod tales atmosphaerae in mundo spirituali sint, constare potest ex respiratione angelorum et spirituum. Aurae et atmosphaerae illae spirituales quae proximae Domino ut Soli sunt, purissimae sunt; at per gradus remotae sunt per gradus minus et minus purae: inde est quod tres caeli sint, intimum caelum in aura puriore, medium caelum in aura minus pura, et ultimum caelum in aura adhuc minus pura. Illae aurae seu atmosphaerae, quae spirituales sunt, quia ex Domino ut Sole exstiterunt, communiter actae sistunt calorem, et singillatim modificatae sistunt lucem; ille calor qui in sua essentia est amor, et illa lux quae in sua essentia est sapientia, in specie vocantur Divinum Verum, ac illa simul cum auris, quae quoque spirituales sunt, vocantur Divinum procedens. Ex his nunc caeli creati sunt, et quoque mundi; nam ex spirituali mundo omnia quae in naturali mundo existunt, producta sunt, sicut effectus ex suis causis efficientibus. Ex his nunc sicut in speculo naturali spectari potest creatio caeli et terrae per Divinum Verum procedens a Domino ut Sole, qui supra caelos angelicos est: et quoque aliquantum comprehendi potest quod Domino infinita potentia sit per Divinum procedens, quod in genere vocatur Divinum Verum. Hoc quoque intelligitur per haec verba [apud Johannem] ,
"In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum; .... omnia per Ipsum facta sunt, et sine Ipso factum est nihil quod factum est: .... et mundus per Ipsum factus est" (1:1, 3, 10):
et apud Davidem,
"Per Verbum Jehovae caeli facti sunt" (Psalms 33:6):
"Verbum" significat Divinum Verum.
[5] (3) Quod omnis potentia simul sit in ultimis, et quod inde infinita potentia Domino sit ex primis per ultima. Quid per ultima intelligitur, primum dicetur. Prima sunt quae in Domino, et quae proxime 2
procedunt ab Ipso; ultima sunt quae remotissima ab Ipso, quae in Natura sunt, et ultima ibi: haec ultima dicuntur, quia spiritualia, quae sunt priora, in illa desinunt, et super illis ut super basibus suis subsistunt et requiescunt; quare sunt immota: haec inde vocantur ultima ordinis Divini. Quod in ultimis sit omnis potentia est quia priora sunt in illis simul, coexistunt enim ibi in ordine, qui vocatur ordo simultaneus; est enim nexus omnium ab Ipso Domino per illa quae caeli sunt et quae mundi usque ad illa ultima; et quia in ultimis priora, quae successive procedunt, simul sunt, ut dictum est, sequitur quod in ultimis a primis sit ipsa potentia; sed potentia Divina est potentia per Divinum procedens, quod vocatur Divinum Verum, ut in mox superiori articulo ostensum est.
[6] Ex eo est quod humanum genus sit quasi basis columnae, aut quasi fundamentum est palatio, pro caelis; consequenter quod caeli ordine subsistant super illis quae ecclesiae sunt apud homines in mundo; ita super Divinis veris in ultimis, quae sunt Divina vera qualia sunt Verbi in sensu ejus litterae. Quale illis robur inest, non paucis describi potest; in illa ultima apud hominem influit Dominus a Se, ita a primis, ac regit, et in ordine inque nexu continet omnia quae in spirituali mundo sunt.
[7] Quia nunc ipsa Divina potentia in ultimis illis residet, ideo Ipse Dominus in mundum venit, et Homo factus est, ut in ultimis simul esset ut est in primis, ob finem ut per ultima ex primis omnia in ordinem, quae inordinata facta sunt, redigere potuisset, nempe omnia in infernis et quoque in caelis: haec causa adventus Domini fuit; nam proxime ante adventum Domini non fuit aliquod Divinum Verum in ultimis apud homines in mundo, et prorsus non in ecclesia, quae tunc fuit apud gentem Judaicam, nisi falsificatum et perversum, ac inde nec fuit aliqua basis caelis; quare nisi Dominus in mundum venisset, et sic Ipse ultimum assumpsisset, translati fuissent caeli, qui ex incolis hujus telluris fuerunt, 3
aliunde, et omne genus humanum in hac tellure periisset morte aeterna. At nunc est Dominus in suo pleno, et sic in sua omnipotentia in terris sicut est in caelis, quia est in ultimis et in primis: ita salvare potest Dominus omnes qui in veris Divinis ex Verbo sunt, et in vita secundum illa; nam apud hos in ultimis veris ex Verbo potest praesens esse et habitare, quoniam ultima vera etiam Ipsius sunt, et sunt Ipse quia ab Ipso, secundum Ipsius verba apud Johannem,
"Qui habet praecepta mea, et facit illa, ille est qui amat Me, .... et Pater meus 4
amabit illum, et ad illum veniemus, et mansionem apud illum faciemus" (14:21, 23).
[8] (4) Quod angeli et homines, quantum receptiones Divini Veri a Domino sunt, tantum potentiae sint, constare potest ex illis quae nunc supra dictum sunt, quod nempe Domino sit infinita potentia, et Ipsi soli potentia per Divinum suum Verum; et ex eo, quod angeli non sint nisi quam formae recipientes Divini Veri, similiter homines; inde est quod per "angelos" in Verbo significentur Divina vera, et quod dicantur "dii": ex eo sequitur quod quantum et qualiter recipiunt Divinum Verum a Domino, tantum et taliter potentiae sint.
[9] (5) Quod potentia resideat in veris naturalis hominis, quantum is recipit influxum a Domino per spiritualem hominem, consequitur ex illis quae praecedunt, quod nempe omnis potentia sit Divinis veris in ultimis ex primis, ac naturalis homo est receptaculum ultimorum. Sed ad naturalem mentem hominis sunt binae viae, una e caelo, altera e mundo; via e caelo ducit per spiritualem mentem in rationalem et per hanc in naturalem; et via e mundo per sensualem, quae proxime exstat mundo et adhaeret corpori: inde constare potest, quod Dominus cum Divino Vero non influat in naturalem hominem nisi per spiritualem, et quantum naturalis homo inde recipit influxum, tantum ibi potentia sit. Per potentiam ibi intelligitur potentia contra inferna, quae est potentia resistendi malis et falsis, et removendi illa; quae quantum resistuntur et removentur, tantum homo in potentiam angelicam venit, et quoque in intelligentiam, et fit "filius regni." (De Potentia Angelorum, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 228-233; et De Intelligentia et Sapientia illorum, n. 265-275.)
[10] (6) Quod vera naturalis hominis nihil potentiae habeant absque illo influxu, sequitur ut consequens ex mox dictis: vera naturalis hominis absque influxu per spiritualem hominem, nihil Domini in se habent, inde quoque nihil vitae; et vera absque vita non sunt vera, immo interius spectata sunt falsa; ac falsis prorsus nihil potentiae est, quia opposita sunt veris, quibus omnis potentia. Haec nunc allata sunt, ut sciatur quid intelligitur per potentiam veri naturalis ex spirituali, quae significatur per "virgam ferream", qua filius masculus ex muliere natus "omnes gentes pasturus est."
Footnotes:
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4. The editors made a correction or note here.