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867. For they are without blemish before the throne of God. That this signifies that in the sight of the angels they are without falsities from evil, is evident from the signification of being without blemish, as denoting to be without falsities from evil, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of before the throne of God, as denoting in the sight of the angels. That by the throne of God is meant heaven where the angels are, may be seen above (n. 253).
The reason why they appear without blemish in the sight of the angels of heaven is, that they are led by the Lord; and the Lord continually provides that nothing false shall enter their will. It is admitted, indeed, into the thought, but no further; thence it is cast out; and what is cast out from the thought does not defile the man. But what is taken therefrom by his will defiles; for by this it exists, and becomes part of his love, thus of his life, and is also inherent in his deeds; and the removal of this is only possible by a serious and actual repentance of the life. For the will, the love, the life, and the deeds are one in act; and are meant in the Word by the heart. This now is the reason why those who are led of the Lord, or who follow Him, are without blemish.
[2] That a man should think falsity and evil is unavoidable, both because he is born into evils of every kind, and because the doctrines of the church at this day are not doctrines of life, but doctrines of faith only; and the doctrine of faith separated from life does not teach the truths by which a man may be reformed as to his life. However, those who are in the Lord are kept in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in that affection may indeed receive falsities, yet not with their full consent, but only so far as they do not disagree with the good and the truths therefrom. Wherefore when those who are in the spiritual affection of truth meet with falsities of any kind, they easily reject them when they hear truths, both in this world and in the other. Such is the spiritual affection of truth. Those therefore who are in that affection are perfected in intelligence and wisdom to eternity. They also have the power to understand truths. Those, on the other hand, who are not in that affection refuse both to understand and listen to truths; therefore they have no power to understand them. That this is the case has been made clear to me from general experience in the spiritual world.
[3] Now because the angels of heaven do not perceive any thing in man but his love, and his affections, desires, and delights therefrom; consequently his ends, on account of which he thinks in such or such a manner; therefore when they perceive within him the love of truth for the sake of the uses of life, which are ends, then they do not see any falsities from evil. And if perchance they should see falsities which are not from evil, still they know that these falsities do not hurt, because evil is not in them. Falsities from evil are real falsities, which come from hell. The reason is, that those falsities are forms of evil, thus in themselves also evils.
As to being without blemish, this signifies what is entire but in the spiritual sense it signifies to be without falsities from evil. On this account it was among the things forbidden, that any of the seed of Aaron who had blemishes, should come near the altar, or enter within the veil (Leviticus 21:17-23); it was also forbidden that any sacrifice should be made of oxen, calves, goats, or lambs, in which there was a blemish (Leviticus 22:19-25). Mention is also made of spots in many passages of the Word throughout; by all of which are signified falsities and evils of various kinds.
867. For they are spotless before the throne of God, signifies that in the sight of angels they are without falsities from evil. This is evident from the signification of "being spotless," as meaning to be without falsities from evil (of which presently); also from the signification of "before the throne of God," as being in the sight of angels. That "the throne of God" means heaven where the angels are may be seen above n. 253. They appear spotless in the sight of the angels of heaven because they are led by the Lord, and the Lord continually provides that nothing false shall enter their will; falsity is admitted into the thought, but no further, and is cast out therefrom; and what is cast out from the thought does not defile the man. But what is taken therefrom by his will, that defiles; for that belongs to and comes to be of his love, thus of his life, and inheres in his deeds; and this cannot be removed except by an earnest and actual repentance of the life. For the will, and the love and life with it, and also the deeds, act as one, and are meant in the Word by the "heart;" and this is why those who are led by the Lord, or who follow Him, are "spotless."
[2] It is unavoidable that man should think what is false and what is evil, both because he is born into evils of every kind and because the doctrines of the church at this day are not doctrines of life but doctrines of faith only; and the doctrine of faith separated from the life does not teach the truths by which man's life can be reformed. But those who are in the Lord are kept in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in that affection may indeed receive falsities, although not with full consent, and only in such a manner and to such an extent as they agree with good and its truths. Therefore when those who are in the spiritual affection of truth imbibe falsities of any kind they easily reject them when they hear truths, either in this world or in the other. Such is the spiritual affection of truth. For this reason those who are in that affection are perfected in intelligence and wisdom to eternity; and they have also the faculty of understanding truths. But those who are not in that affection refuse both to understand and to listen to truths, and therefore have no faculty of understanding them. That this is so has been made plain to me from general experience in the spiritual world.
[3] Now as the angels of heaven have no perception of anything in man except his love, and his affections, desires, and delights therefrom, and thus his ends, on account of which he thinks in a certain way and in no other, so when they perceive within him the love of truth for the sake of the uses of life, which are ends, they see no falsities from evil; and if they chance to see falsities not from evil they know that these falsities do no harm, because there is no evil in them. Falsities from evil are real falsities, which are from hell; such falsities are in themselves evils because they are forms of evil.
[4] In respect to the term "spotless," it signifies what is entire and without blemish, but in the spiritual sense it signifies to be without falsities from evil. On this account it was among the things forbidden that any of the seed of Aaron who had any blemish should come near the altar or enter within the veil (Leviticus 21:17-23); it was also forbidden to make any sacrifice, as of oxen, calves, goats, or lambs, in which there was any blemish (Leviticus 22:19-25). In both of these passages the blemishes are enumerated, by all of which falsities and evils of various kinds are signified.
867. "Immaculati enim sunt coram throno Dei." Quod significet quod absque falsis ex malo sint in conspectu angelorum, constat ex significatione "immaculatus esse", quod sit esse absque falsis ex malo (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "coram throno Dei", quod sit in conspectu angelorum; quod per "thronum Dei" intelligatur caelum ubi angeli, videatur supra (n. 253 [a]). Quod immaculati appareant in conspectu angelorum caeli, est quia a Domino ducuntur, et Dominus jugiter providet ne aliquod falsum intret voluntatem eorum; admittitur quidem in cogitationem, sed non ultra, ac inde ejicitur; et quod e cogitatione ejicitur, hoc non inquinat hominem; sed quod excipitur inde a voluntate ejus, hoc inquinat, nam hoc est et fit amoris ejus, ita vitae ejus, et quoque factis ejus inhaeret; et hoc removeri non potest nisi quam per seriam et actualem vitae paenitentiam; nam voluntas cum amore et cum vita, tum cum factis, unum agunt, ac intelliguntur in Verbo per "cor"; inde nunc est, quod illi qui a Domino ducuntur, seu Ipsum sequuntur, "immaculati" sint.
[2] Non evitari potest quin homo cogitet falsum et quoque malum, tam quia natus est in omnis generis mala, quam quia doctrinae ecclesiae hodie non sunt doctrinae vitae, sed modo doctrinae fidei; et doctrina fidei separatae a vita non docet vera, per quae homo quoad vitam reformari potest: at qui in Domino sunt, illi in affectione veri spirituali tenentur; et qui in illa affectione sunt, quidem recipere possunt falsa, sed usque non pleno consensu, modo tali ac tantum qualiter et quantum concordant cum bono et inde veris; quare cum illi qui in affectione veri spirituali sunt, hauriunt aliqua falsa, usque faciles sunt ad rejiciendum illa, quando audiunt vera, tam in hoc mundo quam in altero; talis est affectio veri spiritualis; idcirco illi qui in ea affectione sunt, perficiuntur intelligentia et sapientia in aeternum; est quoque illis facultas intelligendi vera: at illi qui non in ea affectione sunt, renuunt vera et intelligere et audire; quare nec in aliqua facultate intelligendi illa sunt; quod ita sit, ex communi experientia in mundo spirituali mihi patuit.
[3] Nunc quia angeli caeli non aliud percipiunt apud hominem quam ejus amorem, et inde ejus affectiones, desideria ac jucunda, proinde ejus fines, propter quos ita et non aliter cogitat, quando itaque apud illum percipiunt amorem veri propter usus vitae, qui sunt fines, tunc non vident aliqua falsa ex malo; et si forte vident falsa ex non malo, usque sciunt quod haec falsa non noceant, quia illis non inest malum: falsa ex malo sunt ipsa falsa quae ex inferno sunt; causa est, quia falsa illa sunt mali formae, ita in se quoque mala.
Quod "immaculatum" attinet; hoc significat integrum et absque naevis, sed in sensu spirituali absque falsis ex malo: propterea inter prohibita fuit, ne aliquis ex semine Aharonis, cui esset macula, accederet ad altare, ac intraret intra velum (Leviticus 21:17-23); et ne aliquod sacrificium, sicut ex bobus, vitulis, capris seu agnis, in quibus esset macula, fieret (Leviticus 22:19-25): utrobivis etiam maculae recensentur, per quas omnes varii generis falsa et mala significantur.