----中文待译----
918. Saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the vintage of the clusters of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. That this signifies that the collecting and separation of the good from the evil may take place, because there are no longer any truths of faith, since there is no spiritual good, which is charity, is evident from the signification of thrusting in the sharp sickle and gathering the vintage, as denoting to collect the good and to separate them from the evil (concerning which see above, n. 911). The same is here signified by gathering the vintage as above by reaping. But gathering the vintage is spoken of, because it relates to clusters and grapes; and reaping is spoken of because it relates to the harvest; and by each is signified to devastate and make an end of the church, which is signified both by the harvest and vintage. And when the church is devastated, and thereby brought to its end, then the good are collected and separated from the evil. What is further signified by gathering the vintage, will be seen in what follows; and from the signification of clusters, as denoting the goods of faith and the truths therefrom, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of, for her grapes are fully ripe, as denoting, because there are no longer any goods of charity, thus because it is the end of the church. From these things it is evident that by, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vintage of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe, is signified that the collecting and separation of the good from the evil may take place, because there are no longer any goods and truths of faith, since there is no spiritual good, which is charity. The reason why there are no truths of faith is that there is no good of charity, and that truth is not possible without good; for truth derives its essence or its life from good. Whence it follows that truths and the faith thereof have no existence, if there is no good or charity.
[2] What charity is, which is the same as spiritual good, shall be briefly explained. Charity, or spiritual good, consists in doing good because it is truth; that is, it is to do truth. And to do truth is to do those things which the Lord has commanded in His Word. It is evident, therefore, that charity is spiritual good. And when a man does good because it is truth, or does truth, then charity becomes moral good, which, in the external form, is like the good that is done at this day with every man who is a moral and civil man. But there is this difference, that genuine moral good is good from the spiritual good from which it proceeds. For spiritual good is from the Lord, but moral good is from man. Therefore, unless the good from man is from the Lord, that is, through man from the Lord, it is not good. The end for the sake of which [a thing is done], declares its quality. Moral good separated from spiritual good, regards man, his honour, profit, and pleasure, as the end for which it is done. But moral good from spiritual good has regard to the Lord, heaven, and eternal life, as the end. These things are said, in order that it may be known, why it is that there is no truth of faith where there is no good of charity; consequently, that where these two do not exist, the church is devastated; this is the subject treated of here and in what now follows in the Apocalypse. That there is no faith where there is no charity, may be seen also in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 33-39).
[3] That clusters and grapes signify the good of charity, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in the following.
In Jeremiah:
"Consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine, neither figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fall off; and I will give them to those who pass by over them" (403).
[4] In Isaiah:
"My beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil, which he fenced about, and gathered out the stones thereof; and he planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it; also he hewed out a wine-press in it, and he waited for it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes" (5:1, 2, 4).
By the vineyard of the beloved, is signified the spiritual church, which was instituted with the sons of Israel. In the horn of a son of oil, signifies, which had truths from the good of charity. Which he fenced about, and gathered out the stones, signifies the guarding it from falsities and evils. He planted it with a noble vine, signifies that it was gifted with genuine truths. He built a tower in the midst of it, signifies the interior things, which receive influx, and by which there is communication with heaven. Also he hewed out a wine-press in it, signifies the production of truth from good. And he waited for it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes, signifies the hope of the fructification of those things from the good of charity; but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good.
[5] In Micah:
"Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; not a cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-fruits. The holy one has perished from the earth, and the upright one amongst men; all lie in wait for bloods" (7:1, 2).
Grief because of the vastation of good and the truth therefrom in the church, is meant and described by, Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage. That there is no longer any spiritual good, nor natural good, from which the Lord is worshipped, is signified by, there is no cluster to eat, my soul desireth the first-fruits. That there is no longer spiritual or natural truth, is signified by the holy one has perished, and the upright one amongst men. That the truths and goods of the Word, and thence of the Church, are destroyed by falsities and evils, is signified by, all lie in wait for bloods.
[6] In Hosea:
"I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; as the first-fruit on the fig-tree in the beginning. I saw your fathers" (9:10).
These things are said concerning the Ancient Church, and its establishment. That church is here meant by Israel; its first state by, in the wilderness, and in the beginning; and the spiritual good with them, by grapes; and the good therefrom arising in the natural man, by the first-fruit in the fig-tree. That the men of the Ancient Church are there meant by Israel in the wilderness, and by their fathers in the beginning, and not the sons of Jacob, is evident in Moses:
[7] "Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, clusters of bitterness to them" (Deuteronomy 32:32).
Here the sons of Jacob are described, such as they were in the wilderness. That religion with them was infernal, because they worshipped the gods and idols of the nations, is signified by their vine being of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah. That instead of the goods of charity, they were given to hatred and to the falsities breaking forth therefrom, instead of truths. This is signified by, their grapes are grapes of gall, clusters of bitterness to them.
[8] In Moses:
"He tieth to the vine his ass, and to the choice vine the son of his she-ass; he washeth his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes" (Arcana Coelestia 6375-6379).
[9] By the blood of the grapes is also signified truth from spiritual good, the same as by wine (also 219, 376). But by clusters or bunches are properly signified the variations of the state of spiritual good, or of the good of charity, because in them many grapes cohere in series. But what is meant by variations of the state of good will be explained elsewhere.
[10] Because the land of Canaan represented and thence signified the church, and the church being a church from spiritual good - for this is the mark of the church, therefore
those who went to explore that land brought from it a cluster of grapes of a remarkable size, which was carried on a staff by two (Numbers 13:23, 24).
This was a representative sign of the church signified by the land of Canaan. The reason why the church is a church from the good of charity is, that this good, strictly considered, is the good of life arising from love to the Lord; consequently, it is the effect of that love. By the good of charity is meant justice, sincerity, and uprightness in every work and in every function, from the love of justice, sincerity, and uprightness; this love comes solely from the Lord.
[11] Because it has been hitherto unknown, what was represented by the Nazarite, and what was signified by his abstaining from grapes and from wine, and by making the hair of his head to grow, it is permitted here to make it known. Concerning his abstinence from grapes and from wine it is thus written:
"He shall abstain from wine and strong drink, vinegar of wine and vinegar of strong drink he shall not drink, yea, he shall not drink any bruising of grapes; the grapes also either fresh or dry he shall not eat. All the days of his Nazariteship, he shall not eat anything that is made of the grape of the vine, from the kernels even to the skin" (66, 555). And because the Sensual is the most external of man's life, where all power resides, therefore the Nazarites had such great strength. That all power resides in the extremes or ultimates, consequently, in the ultimate sense of the Word, this being the sense of the letter, which also corresponds to and signifies hair, may be seen above (n. 340, 417, 567, 666, 726). Such power pertained to the Lord in His childhood, by which He overcame and subjugated the most direful hells, where all are sensual.
This state of the Lord was represented by the days of fulfilment with the Nazarites, which being fulfilled, the Lord entered from the sensual and natural into the spiritual and celestial Divine. Now because that state, together with its good and truth, is signified by grapes and wine, therefore it was not lawful for the Nazarite to eat grapes and drink wine, before he had fulfilled those days.
[12] That afterwards it was lawful for him is evident from the twentieth verse of that chapter, where it is said,
"And after that the Nazarite may drink wine."
That at the end of the days of fulfilment,
he should shave his head, and put the hair of his head upon the fire, which was under the sacrifice of the peace offerings (ver. 18),
represented the sensual, then new, from the celestial Divine; for new hair grew afterwards upon the Nazarite. This also represented that the Lord from ultimate Divine truth, which is the sense of the letter, entered into interior Divine truth, which is the Word in the internal sense, even to the highest there. For the Lord, while He was in the world, was the Word, because He was the Divine truth, and that more interiorly by degrees, as He grew up, even to the highest, which is purely Divine, entirely above the perceptions of the angels.
It must be known that the Lord, during His abode in the world, from infancy to the last day there, successively advanced to union with the very Divine that was in Him from conception (concerning this successive progression see the Arcana Coelestia 1864, 2033, 2632, 3141, 4585, 7014, 10076). From these considerations it is evident, what was represented by its not being granted to the Nazarite to eat anything of the grape, nor to drink anything of wine, before the fulfilment of the days of his Nazariteship.
918. Saying, Send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened, signifies that the collection and the separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "sending the sharp sickle and gathering," as being to collect the good and to separate them from the evil (See above, n. 911). "To gather" has here the same signification as "to reap" above, but "to gather" has reference to clusters and grapes, and "to reap" has reference to the harvest; and both signify to devastate and make an end of the church, which is signified both by "harvest" and "vineyard;" and when the church is devastated, and thus brought to an end, the good are collected and separated from the evil. What is further signified by "gathering" will be seen in what follows. The above is evident also from the signification of "clusters," as being the goods of faith and their truths (of which presently). Also from the signification of "for her grapes are fully ripened," as being, because there are no longer any goods of charity, thus because the church is at its end. From all this it can be seen that "send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened," signifies that the collection and the separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any goods or truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. There are no truths of faith when there is no good of charity, because truth is not given without good, since truth derives its essence or its life from good; from which it follows that there are no truths and no faith in truths when there is no good or charity.
[2] What charity is, which is the same as spiritual good, shall be told briefly. Charity or spiritual good is to do good because it is true; thus it is to do truth, and to do truth is to do what the Lord has commanded in His Word. This shows that charity is spiritual good. And when a man does what is good because it is true, that is, does what is true, charity becomes moral good; and this is similar in external form to the good that every man who is a moral and civil man does at the present day, but with this difference, that genuine moral good is good from the spiritual good from which it proceeds. For spiritual good is from the Lord, but moral good is from man, consequently unless the good that man does is from the Lord, that is, through man from the Lord, it is not good, the end for the sake of which it is done determines its quality. Moral good separated from spiritual good has regard to man, his honor, gain, and pleasure, as the end for which it is done; while moral good from spiritual good has regard to the Lord, heaven, and eternal life, as its end. This has been said to make known why there is no truth of faith where there is no good of charity; consequently where these two are not, the church is laid waste, which is the subject treated of here and in what now follows in Revelation. (That there is no faith where there is no charity can be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39.)
[3] That "clusters" and "grapes" signify the good of charity can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in the following. In Jeremiah:
In consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine, neither figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fade; and I will give them to those who pass over them (403.
[4] In Isaiah:
My beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil, which he fenced, and gathered out the stones, and planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a wine-press in it; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes (Isaiah 5:1, 2, 4).
The "vineyard" that the beloved had signifies the spiritual church which was instituted with the sons of Israel; "in the horn of a son of oil" signifies that it had truths from the good of charity; "which he fenced, and gathered out the stones," signifies that it was protected from falsities and evils; "he planted it with a noble vine" signifies that it had genuine truths; "he built a tower in the midst of it" signifies the interior things that receive influx, and through which there is communication with heaven; "he also hewed out a wine-press in it" signifies bringing forth truth from good; "and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes," signifies a hope of the fructification of truths from the good of charity, but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good.
[5] In Micah:
Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit. The holy one has perished from the earth, and the upright one among men; all lie in wait for bloods (Micah 7:1, 2).
Grief because of the vastation of good and of truth therefrom in the church is meant and described by "Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage." That there is no longer any spiritual good or natural good from which the Lord is worshiped is signified by "there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit;" that there is no longer any spiritual or natural truth is signified by "the holy one has perished, and the upright one among men;" that the truths and goods of the Word and thus of the church are destroyed by falsities and evils is signified by "all lie in wait for bloods."
[6] In Hosea:
I found Israel like grapes in the desert; I saw your fathers like the first ripe fruit on a fig-tree in its beginning (Hosea 9:10).
This is said of the Ancient Church, and its establishment. That church is here meant by "Israel;" its first state by "in the desert," and "in the beginning;" and the spiritual good with them by "grapes;" and the good springing from it in the natural man by "the first ripe fruit on the fig-tree."
[7] That the men of the Ancient Church, and not the sons of Jacob, are here meant by "Israel in the desert," and by "their fathers in the beginning," is evident in Moses:
Their vine was of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes were grapes of gall, their clusters were of bitternesses (Deuteronomy 32:32).
Here the sons of Jacob, such as they were in the desert, are described. That their religion was infernal, because they worshiped the gods and idols of the nations, is signified by "their vine was of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah." That instead of the goods of charity they had hatred, and falsities breaking forth therefrom instead of truths, is signified by "their grapes were grapes of gall, their clusters were of bitternesses."
[8] In Moses:
He bindeth his foal to the vine, and the son of his she-ass unto the choice vine; he washeth his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Genesis 49:11).
This is in the last address of the father Israel to his sons; this was said to Judah, by whom is meant in the highest sense the Lord as to the celestial church and as to the Word; and the "blood of grapes" signifies the Divine truth from His Divine good, and in the relative sense the good of charity. (But this and the other things here said may be seen explained in Deuteronomy 32:14).
[9] The "grapes" signify the good of charity because a "vineyard" signifies the spiritual church, and "vine" the man of that church; and therefore "clusters" or "bunches," and "grapes," which are its fruits, signify the goods which make that church, which are called spiritual goods and also goods of charity. And as all truth is from good, as all wine is from grapes, so "wine" signifies in the Word truth from good. (On this signification of "wine" see above, n. 220, 376) But "clusters" or "bunches" signify strictly the variations of the state of spiritual good, or of the good of charity, because in them many grapes are connected together in order. What is meant by variations of the state of good will be told elsewhere.
[10] As "the land of Canaan" represented and thus signified the church, and the church is a church from spiritual good, for this is the mark of the church, therefore:
The explorers of that land brought back a cluster of grapes of a remarkable size, carried on a pole by two (Numbers 13:23, 24).
This was a representative sign of the church that was signified by "the land of Canaan." The church is a church from the good of charity because that good regarded in itself is the good of life arising from love to the Lord; consequently it is an effect of that love. The good of charity means justice, sincerity, and uprightness in every work and in every function from a love of justice, sincerity, and uprightness, which love is solely from the Lord.
[11] As it has not heretofore been known what was represented by the "Nazirite," and what was signified by his abstaining from grapes and from wine, and making the hair of his head to grow, it may be disclosed here. Of his abstinence from grapes and from wine it is said:
He shall abstain from wine and strong drink, he shall drink no vinegar of wine or vinegar of strong drink, yea, he shall not drink any maceration of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried; all the days of his Naziriteship he shall eat nothing that is made of the grape of the vine, from the kernels even to the skin (66, 555). And as the sensual is the most external part of man's life, and in that all power resides, therefore the Nazirites had so great strength. That all power resides in the most external or ultimate things, consequently in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, and that this is what "hair" corresponds to and signifies, may be seen above (n. 346, 417, 567, 666, 726). Such power the Lord had when He was a boy, and by it He conquered and subjugated the most direful hells, where all are sensual. This state of the Lord was represented by "the days of fulfillment" with the Nazirites, and when these were fulfilled the Lord entered from the sensual and natural into the spiritual and celestial Divine. Now as that state, with its good and truth, is signified by "grapes" and "wine," it was not lawful for the Nazirite to eat grapes or to drink wine until he had fulfilled those days. That it was lawful for him afterwards is evident from the twentieth verse of that chapter, where it is said, "And after that the Nazirite may drink wine."
[12] At the end of the days of fulfillment:
He should shave his head, and put the hair of his head on the fire that was under the sacrifice of peace-offerings (Arcana Coelestia 1864, 2033, 2632, 3141, 4585, 7014, 10076.) This makes clear what was represented by the Nazirite not being allowed to eat anything from the grape, or to drink any kind of wine, until the days of his Naziriteship were fulfilled.
918. "Dicens, Mitte tuam falcem acutam, et vindemia botros terrae, quia maturuerunt uvae ejus." Quod significet quod collectio et separatio bonorum a malis fiet, quia non amplius sunt vera fidei, ex causa quia non bonum spirituale, quod est charitas, constat ex significatione "mittere falcem acutam, ac videmiare", quod sit colligere bonos et separare illos a malis (de qua supra, n. 911); (simile per "vindemiare" hic significatur quod supra per "metere", sed "vindemiare" dicitur quia de botris et uvis, et "metere" quia de messe, et per utrumque significatur devastare et finire ecclesiam, quae tam per "messem" quam per "vineam" significatur; et cum ecclesia devastata est et sic finita, tunc fit collectio bonorum, et separatio illorum a malis; quid porro per "vindemiare" significatur, videbitur in sequentibus;) ex significatione "botrorum", quod sint bona et inde vera fidei (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "quia maturuerunt uvae ejus", quod sit quia non amplius bona charitatis, ita quia finis ecclesiae est: ex his constare potest quod per "Mitte falcem tuam acutam, et vindemia botros terrae, quia maturuerunt uvae ejus", significetur quod collectio et separatio bonorum a malis fiet, quia non amplius bona et vera fidei, ex causa quia non bonum spirituale, quod est charitas.
[2] Quod non vera fidei sint, quia non bonum charitatis, est quia verum non datur absque bono; nam verum trahit suam essentiam seu suam vitam a bono; inde sequitur quod non vera et eorum fides sint, si non bonum seu charitas. Quid charitas, quae idem est cum bono spirituali, paucis dicetur: charitas, seu bonum spirituale, est facere bonum quia verum est, ita est facere verum; ac facere verum est facere illa quae mandata sunt a Domino in Ipsius Verbo; inde patet quod charitas sit bonum spirituale; et cum homo facit bonum quia verum est, seu facit verum, tunc charitas fit bonum morale, quod in externa forma est simile bono, quod apud omnem hominem, qui moralis et civilis homo est, hodie fit; sed differentia est quod bonum morale genuinum sit bonum ex bono spirituali, a quo illud procedit; bonum spirituale enim est ex Domino, at bonum morale est ex homine; quare nisi bonum ex homine sit ex Domino, ita per hominem a Domino, non est bonum; finis propter quem declarat quale est: bonum morale separatum a bono spirituali spectat hominem, ejus honorem, lucrum et voluptatem, ut fines propter quos; at bonum morale ex bono spirituali spectat Dominum, caelum, et vitam aeternam pro fine. Haec dicta sunt ut sciatur unde est quod non verum fidei sit ubi non bonum charitatis; consequenter, quod ubi illa duo non sunt ecclesia devastata sit, de qua re hic et in nunc sequentibus in Apocalypsi agitur. (Quod non fides sit ubi non charitas, videatur in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio 33-39.)
[3] Quod "botrus "et "uva" significent bonum charitatis, constare potest a locis in Verbo ubi nominantur, ut in sequentibus: Apud Jeremiam,
"Consumendo consumam eos, ..non uvae in vite, neque ficus in ficu, et folium defluens, et dabo illis qui transeunt super illos" (8:13):
"non uvae in vite", significat quod non bonum spirituale apud hominem; "non ficus in ficu", significat quod non bonum naturale apud illum; "vitis" et "ficus" significant hominem quoad ecclesiam, ita ecclesiam apud illum; sed haec videantur supra (n. 403 [b]) explicata.
[4] Apud Esaiam,
"Vinea fuit dilecto meo in cornu filii olei; quam circumdedit et elapidavit eam, et plantavit eam vite nobili, ac aedificavit turrim in medio ejus, etiam torcular excidit in ea, et exspectavit ut faceret uvas, sed fecit labruscas" (5:1, 2, 4):
per "vineam" quae fuit dilecto, significatur ecclesia spiritualis, quae apud filios Israelis instituta fuit; "in cornu filii olei", significat cui fuerunt vera ex bono charitatis; "quam circumdedit et elapidavit", significat custoditam a falsis et malis; "plantavit vite nobili", significat cui vera genuina; "aedificavit turrim in medio ejus", significat interiora in quae influxus et per quae communicatio cum caelo; "etiam torcular excidit in ea", significat productionem veri ex bono: "exspectavit ut faceret uvas, sed fecit labruscas", significat spem fructificationis illorum ex bono charitatis, sed incassum, quia iniquum loco boni.
[5] Apud Micham,
"Vae mihi, ..factus sum sicut collectiones aestatis, sicut racemationes vindemiae, non botrus ad comedendum, primitivum desiderat anima mea; periit sanctus e terra, et rectus inter homines [non] ; omnes sanguinibus insidiantur" (7:1, 2):
dolor propter vastationem boni et inde veri in ecclesia intelligitur et describitur per "Vae mihi, factus sum sicut collectiones aestatis, sicut racemationes vindemiae"; quod non bonum spirituale, nec bonum naturale amplius, ex quibus colatur Dominus, significatur per quod "non botrus ad comedendum, primitivum desiderat anima mea"; quod non amplius verum spirituale, nec naturale, significatur per "Periit sanctus, et rectus inter homines non"; quod vera et bona Verbi, et inde ecclesiae, destruantur per falsa et mala, significatur per "Omnes sanguinibus insidiantur."
[6] Apud Hoscheam,
"Sicut uvas in deserto inveni Israelem, sicut primitivum in ficu in initio ejus vidi patres vestros" (9:10):
haec de Ecclesia Antiqua, et de ejus instauratione; illa ecclesia hic intelligitur per "Israelem", primus ejus status intelligitur per "in deserto" ac "in initio", ac bonum spirituaie quod apud illos per "uvas"; ac bonum inde oriundum in naturali homine per "primitivum in ficu."
[7] Quod homines Antiquae Ecclesiae ibi per "Israelem in deserto" ac per "patres in initio" intelligantur, et non filii Jacobi, constat apud Mosen,
"De vite sodomae vitis eorum, et de agris Gomorrhae; uvae 1
eorum uvae fellis, botri amaritudinum illis" (Deuteronomius 32:32):
hic filii Jacobi, quales fuerunt in deserto, describuntur; quod apud illos religio infernalis fuerit, quia gentium deos et idola coluerunt, significatur per quod "vitis Sodomae fuerit vitis eorum, et de agris Gomorrhae"; quod pro bonis charitatis illis fuerint odia, ac pro veris falsa inde erumpentia, significatur per quod "uvae eorum uvae fellis, botri amaritudinum illis."
[8] Apud Mosen,
"Alligat ad vitem asellum suum, et ad vitem praestantem filium asinae suae, lavat in vino vestimentum suum, et in sanguine uvarum velamen suum" (Genesis 49:11):
haec in ultimo sermone Israelis patris ad filios suos; hic ad Jehudam, per quem in sensu supremo intelligitur Dominus quoad ecclesiam caelestem et quoad Verbum; et per "sanguinem uvarum" significatur Divinum Verum ex Divino Bono Ipsius, et in sensu respectivo bonum charitatis. (Sed haec et reliqua, in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 6375-6379, explicata videantur.)
Per "sanguinem uvarum", verum ex bono spirituali, simile quod per "vinum", significatur etiam Deuteronomius 32:14.
[9] Quod "uvae" significent bonum charitatis, est quia per "vineam" significatur ecclesia spiritualis, et per "vitem" homo illius ecclesiae; ideo per "botros" seu " racemos", et per "uvas", quae sunt fructus, significantur bona quae faciunt illam ecclesiam, quae bona vocantur bona spiritualia, et quoque bona charitatis; et quia ex bono omne verum est, sicut ex uvis omne vinum, ideo per "vinum" in Verbo significatur verum ex bono (de qua "vini" significatione videatur supra, n. 2
220 [b] , 376). Per "botros" autem seu "racemos" proprie significantur variationes status boni spiritualis seu boni charitatis, quia in illis plures uvae in serie cohaerent; quid autem per variationes status boni intelligitur, alibi dicetur.
[10] Quoniam per terram Canaanem repraesentabatur et inde significabatur ecclesia, et ecclesia est ecclesia ex bono spirituali, hoc enim est character ecclesiae, ideo
Exploratores ex terra illa retulerunt botrum uvarum magnitudine insigni, portatum in vecte per duos (Numeri 13:23, 24):
hoc signum repraesentativum ecclesiae, per "terram Canaanem" [significatae] , fuit. Quod ecclesia sit ecclesia ex bono charitatis, est quia hoc bonum in se spectatum est bonum vitae oriundum ex amore in Dominum, consequenter est effectus amoris illius. Per bonum charitatis intelligitur justum, sincerum et rectum in omni opere et in omni functione, ex amore justi, sinceri et recti; qui amor unice est a Domino.
[11] Quoniam adhuc ignotum est quid repraesentabatur per Naziraeum, et quid significabatur per quod abstineret ab uvis et a vino, et quod crescere faceret comam capitis sui, licet illud hic detegere. De abstinentia ab uvis et a vino ita legitur,
"A vino et sicera abstinebit se, acetum vini et acetum sicerae non bibet, immo omnem macerationem uvarum non bibet: uvas quoque recentes aut aridas non comedet: omnibus diebus naziraeatus sui, ab omni quod ex uva fit vini, ab acinis usque ad cutem, non comedet" (Numeri 6:3, 4):
haec lex fuit Naziraeo, antequam impleverat dies naziraeatus sui, quia tunc repraesentabat Dominum quoad primum Ipsius statum: primus status fuit Domino, sicut est omni homini, quod fuerit sensualis; omnis enim homo primum est sensualis, postea fit naturalis et rationalis, dein spiritualis, et demum, si tertius gradus apud illum aperitur, fit caelestis, qualis est angelus tertii caeli. Sensuale hominis significatur per "crinem capitis" (videatur supra, n. 66, 555). Et quia sensuale est extremum vitae hominis, ac in extremo residet omnis potentia, ideo Naziraeis fuit tantum robur. Quod in extremis seu ultimis resideat omnis potentia, consequenter in sensu ultimo Verbi, qui est sensus litterae, qui etiam comae correspondet et illam significat, videatur supra (n. 346, 417, 567, 666, 726). Talis potentia fuit Domino cum fuit puer, qua devicit et subjugavit inferna dirissima, ubi omnes sensuales sunt. Hic status Domini repraesentabatur per dies impletionis apud Naziraeos, quibus impletis intravit Dominus a sensuali et naturali in Divinum spirituale et caeleste. Nunc quia ille status ac ejus bonum et verum significatur per "uvas et per "vinum", ideo non licitum fuit Naziraeo comedere uvas et bibere vinum antequam impleverat illos dies; quod postea ei licitum fuerit, patet ex versu 20 illius capitis, ubi dicitur, "Deinceps bibet Naziraeus vinum."
[12] Quod in fine dierum impletionis
Tonderet caput, et daret crinem capitis super ignem qui sub sacrificio pacificorum (vers. 18),
repraesentabat sensuale tunc novum ex Divino caelesti, novus enim crinis postea Naziraeo crevit: et quoque repraesentabat quod Dominus ex Divino Vero ultimo, quod est sensus litterae, intraverit in Divinum Verum interius, quod est Verbum in sensu interno, usque ad supremum ibi: nam Dominus, dum in mundo erat, fuit Verbum, quia Divinum Verum, ac illud interius per gradus sicut adolevit, usque ad supremum ejus, quod est pure Divinum, prorsus supra angelorum perceptiones. Sciendum est quod Dominus, dum fuit in mundo, ab infantia usque ad ultimum diem ibi, successive progressus sit ad unionem cum ipso Divino, quod in Ipso fuit ex conceptione. (De qua successiva progressione videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 1864, 2033, 2632, 3141, 4585, 7014, 10076.) Ex his constare potest quid repraesentabat, quod Naziraeo non concessum fuerit comedere aliquid ex uva, nec bibere aliquid ex vino, ante impletionem dierum naziraeatus sui.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.