----中文待译----
971. (Verse 5) And I heard the angel of the waters saying. That this signifies the preaching of the Lord's justice from His spiritual kingdom, is evident from the signification of the angel of the waters, as denoting the Lord's spiritual kingdom. For by an angel, in the Word, is signified somewhat of the Lord, likewise a heavenly society, and also heaven. Here by the angel of the waters the heavens of which the Lord's spiritual kingdom consists are signified, because waters signify truths, thus things spiritual. For the Divine truth in the heavens is called spiritual; but the Divine Good is called celestial.
All the heavens are divided into two kingdoms. One is called the spiritual kingdom, the other the celestial kingdom. The spiritual kingdom consists of the heavens and the angels there who are in Divine truth, those heavens being in the southern and northern quarters. But the celestial kingdom consists of the heavens and the angels there who are in Divine good; these heavens being in the eastern and western quarters. The spiritual kingdom, therefore, consisting of the heavens and the angels there who are in Divine truth, is meant by the angel of the waters; but the celestial kingdom consisting of the heavens and the angels there, who are in Divine Good, is meant by the angel out of the altar, treated of in the seventh verse which follows; for by the altar is signified Divine good.
That the angel of the waters preached the Lord's justice, is evident from the things said by that angel, and which will be explained presently.
Continuation concerning the Fifth Precept:-
[2] So far as a man desists from evils, and shuns and turns away from them as sins, so far good flows in from the Lord. The good that flows in is the affection of knowing and understanding truths, and the affection of willing and doing goods. But a man cannot desist from evils by shunning and turning away from them of himself; for he is in evils from his birth, and, consequently, from his nature; and evils cannot of themselves shun evils, for this would be as though he were to shun his own nature, which is impossible. Therefore it must be the Lord, who is Divine Good and Divine truth, who causes a man to shun them. But a man ought, nevertheless, to shun evil as of himself; for what a man thus does as of himself becomes his own, and is appropriated to him as his own. But what he does not as of himself never becomes his own, and is never appropriated to him. What comes from the Lord to man must be received by him; and it cannot be received unless he is conscious of it, that is, as of himself; this reciprocity is necessary for reformation. This is why the Ten Precepts were given, and why it is therein commanded that a man shall not worship other gods; shall not profane the name of God; shall not steal; shall not commit adultery; shall not kill; shall not covet the house, wife, or servants, of others; thus, that man shall desist from doing those things even in thought, when the love of evil allures and incites; and that they are not to be done, because they are sins against God, and in themselves infernal.
So far, therefore, as a man shuns sins, so far the love of truth and good enters from the Lord; and this love causes a man to shun, and at length to turn away from those evils as sins. And because the love of truth and good puts those evils to flight, it follows that a man does not shun them from himself, but from the Lord; for the love of truth and good is from the Lord. If a man shuns them merely through fear of hell, evils are indeed removed, but still good does not succeed in their place; for when the fear departs, the evils return.
[3] It is given to man alone to think as of himself concerning good and evil; thus that good is to be loved and done, because it is Divine and remains to eternity; and that evil is to be hated and not to be done, because it is diabolical and remains to eternity. No beast has the power to think in this way. A beast can indeed do good and shun evil, but not of itself; but either from instinct, or from use, or from fear; but never from the thought that it is such a good, or such an evil; thus, from itself. Therefore, those who maintain that a man does not shun evils as of himself, nor do goods as of himself, but from imperceptible influx, or from the imputation of the Lord's merit, also hold that a man lives like a beast, without the thought, perception, and affection of truth and good.
That this is the case has been made clear to me from much experience in the spiritual world. Every man after death is there prepared either for heaven or hell. Evils are removed from the man who is being prepared for heaven, and goods are removed from him who is being prepared for hell; all such removals are effected by the persons themselves. Similarly, those who do evils are brought by means of punishments to reject them as of themselves; if they do not reject them as of themselves, the punishments are of no avail. It was therefore made evident that those who hang down their hands, waiting for influx, or the imputation of the Lord's merit, remain in the state of their evil, and hang down their hands to eternity.
[4] To shun evils as sins is to shun the infernal societies which are in them. And a man cannot shun them unless he holds them in aversion, and turns himself away from them. And from aversion a man cannot turn away from them unless he loves good, and, from that love, does not will evil. For he either wills evil or wills good; and so far as he wills good so far he does not will evil. And it is possible to will good by making the precepts of the Decalogue a part of his religion, and living in accordance with them.
[5] Because a man must desist from evils as sins as of himself, therefore these Ten Precepts were inscribed by the Lord on two tables, and they were called a Covenant. For this covenant is entered upon in the same way as covenants between two parties have to be entered upon, where one proposes and another accepts, and where he who accepts consents; if he does not consent, the covenant is not valid. To consent, in the present case, is to think, will, and do, as of himself.
When a man thinks in order to shun evil and do good as of himself, it is not the man who does this, but the Lord. The reason why it is the Lord who thus acts is for the sake of reciprocation and thence conjunction. For the Lord's Divine Love is such that He desires what is His own to be a man's. And whereas they cannot be a man's, because they are Divine, He therefore causes them to be as it were a man's.
Hence it is that reciprocal conjunction is effected; that is, that a man is in the Lord, and the Lord in him, according to the words of the Lord Himself in John (14:20). This would not be possible were there not something as it were of man's in the conjunction. What a man does as of himself, he does as of his will, his affection, his freedom, consequently, as of his life. Unless these were present on man's part as his own, there would be no receptivity, because nothing re-active; nor, consequently, would there be any covenant or conjunction. In fact, there could never be any ground for imputing that he had done evil or good, or that he had believed truth or falsity; nor, consequently, would any one be in hell on account of evil works, nor in heaven from grace on account of good works.
971. Verse 5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, signifies preaching of the Lord's justice from His spiritual kingdom. This is evident from the signification of "the angel of the waters," as being the Lord's spiritual kingdom; for "angel" signifies in the Word something pertaining to the Lord, also a heavenly society, also heaven; here "the angel of the waters" signifies the heavens of which the Lord's spiritual kingdom consists, for "waters" signify truths, thus things spiritual, since the Divine truth in the heavens is called spiritual, while the Divine good is called celestial. All the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, one called the spiritual kingdom, the other the celestial kingdom. The spiritual kingdom consists of the heavens and the angels there that are in the Divine truth, and those heavens are in the southern and northern quarters. The celestial kingdom consists of the heavens and the angels there that are in the Divine good, and these heavens are in the eastern and western quarters. Therefore the spiritual kingdom, which consists of the heavens and the angels there, that are in the Divine truth, is meant by "the angel of the waters;" while the celestial kingdom, which consists of the heavens and the angels there that are in the Divine good, is meant by "the angel from the altar" (described in the seventh verse of this chapter), since the "altar" signifies the Divine good. That "the angel of the waters" preached the Lord's justice is evident from the things said by that angel that now follow.
(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)
[2] So far as man refrains from evils and shuns and turns away from them as sins, good flows in from the Lord. The good that flows in is the affection of knowing and understanding truths, and the affection of willing and doing goods. But man cannot refrain from evils by shunning and turning away from them of himself, for he himself is in evils from his birth, and thus from nature; and evils cannot of themselves shun evils, for this would be a like a man's shunning his own nature, which is impossible; consequently it must be the Lord, who is the Divine good and the Divine truth, who causes man to shun them. Nevertheless, man ought to shun evils as if of himself, for what a man does as if of himself becomes his and is appropriated to him as his own; while what he does not do as if of himself in no wise becomes his or is appropriated to him. What comes from the Lord to man must be received by man; and it cannot be received unless he is conscious of it, that is, as if of himself. This reciprocation is a necessity to reformation. This is why the ten commandments were given, and why it is commanded in them that man shall not worship other gods, shall not profane the name of God, shall not steal, shall not commit adultery, shall not kill, shall not covet the house, wife, or servants of others, thus that man shall refrain from doing these things by thinking, when the love of evil allures and incites, that they must not be done because they are sins against God, and in themselves are infernal. So far, therefore, as a man shuns these evils so far the love of truth and good enters from the Lord; and this love causes man to shun these evils, and at length to turn away from them as sins. And as the love of truth and good puts these evils to flight, it follows that man shuns them not from himself but from the Lord, since the love of truth and good is from the Lord. If a man shuns evils merely from a fear of hell they are withdrawn; but goods do not take their place; for as soon as the fear departs the evils return.
[3] To man alone is it granted to think as if of himself about good and evil, that is, that good must be loved and done because it is Divine and remains to eternity, and that evil must be hated and not done because it is devilish and remains to eternity. To think thus is not granted to any beast. A beast can do good and shun evil, yet not of itself, but either from instinct or habit or fear, and never from the thought that such a thing is a good or an evil, thus not of itself. Consequently one who would have it believed that man shuns evils or does goods not as if of himself but from an imperceptible influx, or from the imputation of the Lord's merit, would also have it believed that man lives like a beast without thought of, or perception of, or the affection of truth and good. That this is so has been made clear to me from manifold experience in the spiritual world. Every man after death is there prepared either for heaven or for hell. From the man who is prepared for heaven evils are removed, and from the man who is prepared for hell goods are removed; and all such removals are effected as if by them. Likewise those who do evils are driven by punishments to reject them as if of themselves; but if they do not reject them as if of themselves the punishments are of no avail. By this it was made clear that those who hang down their hands, waiting for influx, or for the imputation of the Lord's merit, continue in the state of their evil, and hang down their hands forever.
[4] To shun evils as sins is to shun the infernal societies that are in them, and man cannot shun these unless he repels them and turns away from them; and a man cannot turn away from them with repulsion unless he loves good and from that love does not will evil. For a man must either will evil or will good; and so far as he wills good he does not will evil; and it is granted him to will good when he makes the commandments of the Decalogue to be of his religion, and lives according to them.
[5] Since man must refrain from evils as sins as if of himself, these ten commandments were inscribed by the Lord on two tables, and these were called a covenant; and this covenant was entered into in the same way as it is usual to enter into covenants between two, that is, one proposes and the other accepts, and the one who accepts consents. If he does not consent the covenant is not established. To consent to this covenant is to think, will, and do as if of oneself. Man's thinking to shun evil and to do good as if of himself is done not by man, but by the Lord. This is done by the Lord for the sake of reciprocation and consequent conjunction; for the Lord's Divine love is such that it wills that what is its own shall be man's, and as these things cannot be man's, because they are Divine, it makes them to be as if they were man's. In this way reciprocal conjunction is effected, that is, that man is in the Lord and the Lord in man, according to the words of the Lord Himself in John (John 14:20); for this would not be possible if there were not in the conjunction something belonging as it were to man. What man does as if of himself he does as if of his will, of his affection, of his freedom, consequently of his life. Unless these were present on man's part, as if they were his there could be no receptivity, because nothing reactive, thus no covenant and no conjunction; in fact, no ground whatever for the imputation that man had done evil or good or had believed truth or falsity, thus that there is from merit a hell for anyone because of evil works, or from grace a heaven for anyone because of good works.
971. [Vers. 5.] "Et audivi angelum aquarum dicentem." - Quod significet praedicationem justitiae Domini e regno Ipsius spirituali, constat ex significatione "angeli aquarum", quod sit regnum spirituale Domini; nam per "angelum" in Verbo significatur aliquid Domini, tum societas caelestis, et quoque caelum; hic per "angelum aquarum" significantur caeli ex quibus regnum spirituale Domini consistit; per "aquas" enim significantur vera, ita spiritualia; nam Divinum Verum in caelis est quod vocatur spirituale, Divinum autem Bonum vocatur caeleste. Sunt omnescaeli in bina regna distincti; unum vocatur regnum spirituale, alterum regnum caeleste: regnum spirituale consistit ex caelis et ibi angelis qui in Divino Vero sunt, ac illi caeli sunt in plaga meridionali et in plaga septentrionali; at regnum caeleste consistit ex caelis et ibi angelis qui in Divino Bono sunt, ac illi caeli sunt in plaga orientali et occidentali: regnum itaque spirituale, quod consistit ex caelis et ibi angelis qui in Divino Vero sunt, intelligitur per "angelum aquarum"; at caeleste regnum, quod consistit ex caelis et ibi angelis qui in Divino Bono sunt, intelligitur per "angelum ex altari", (de quo in versu septimo sequente, ) per "altare" enim significatur Divinum Bonum.
Quod "angelus aquarum" praedicaverit justitiam Domini, constat ex illis quae ab eo angelo dicta sunt, et quae sequuntur.
[2] (Continuatio de Quinto Praecepto.)
Quantum homo desistit a malis, ac fugit et aversatur illa ut peccata, tantum influit bonum a Domino; bonum quod influit, est affectio sciendi et intelligendi vera, et affectio volendi et faciendi bona. Sed homo non desistere potest a malis fugiendo et aversando illa a se, ipse enim est in malis ex nativitate, et inde ex natura; et non possunt mala ex se fugere mala, hoc enim foret sicut homo naturam suam fugeret, quod non datur: quapropter erit Dominus, qui Divinum Bonum ac Divinum Verum est, qui faciet ut homo illa fugiat: sed usque debet homo fugere mala sicut a se; quod enim homo facit sicut a se, hoc fit ejus, ac ei appropriatur sicut suum; quod autem facit non sicut a se, hoc nusquam fit ejus, et ei appropriatur. Quod a Domino venit ad hominem, hoc recipiendum est ab homine; et non recipi potest nisi illo conscio, hoc est, sicut a se; hoc reciprocum ad reformationem necessarium est. Inde est quod decem praecepta data sint, et quod ibi mandatum quod homo non colet alios deos, non profanabit nomen Dei, non furabitur, non adulterabitur, non occidet, non concupiscet domum, uxorem, servos aliorum; ita quod homo desistet ab illis faciendis, cogitando, quando amor mali allectat et incitat, quod non facienda sint quia sunt peccata contra Deum, ac in se infernalia. Quantum itaque homo fugit illa, tantum intrat amor veri et boni a Domino; et hic amor facit ut homo fugiat et tandem aversetur mala illa sicut peccata: et quia amor veri et boni fugat illa mala, sequitur quod homo non a se sed a Domino fugiat illa; nam amor veri et boni est a Domino: si homo fugit illa ex solo timore pro inferno, mala quidem removentur, sed tamen loco illorum bona non succedunt, nam cum recedit timor redeunt mala.
[3] Soli homini datum est cogitare sicut ex se de bono et malo; ita quod bonum amandum et faciendum sit quia est Divinum ac permanet in aeternum, et quod malum odio habendum sit et non faciendum quia est diabolicum et permanet in aeternum. Ita cogitare non datum est alicui bestiae; bestia quidem potest facere bonum et fugere malum, sed non a se, verum vel ex instinctu, vel ex usu, vel ex timore; sed nusquam a cogitatione quod sit tale bonum aut quod sit tale malum, ita a se: quare qui volunt ut homo non fugiat mala sicut a se, nec faciat bona sicut a se, sed ex influxu imperceptibili, aut ex imputatione meriti Domini, illi volunt ut homo absque cogitatione, perceptione et affectione veri et boni vivat, sicut bestia. Quod ita sit, ex multiplici experientia in mundo spirituali mihi manifestatum est. Omnis homo post mortem ibi praeparatur vel ad caelum vel ad infernum; ei homini qui praeparatur ad caelum, removentur mala; et ei qui praeparatur ad infernum, removentur bona; et omnes remotiones fiunt sicut ab illis. Similiter illi qui mala faciunt, per poenas adiguntur ut rejiciant illa sicut a se; si non sicut a se, poenae nihil conducunt. Inde patuit quod qui remittunt manus, exspectando influxum aut imputationem meriti Domini, permaneant in statu sui mali, ac remittant manus in aeternum.
[4] Fugere mala ut peccata est fugere societates infernales quae in illis sunt; et fugere illas non potest homo nisi aversetur illas, et inde se avertat ab illis, et ex aversatione avertere se ab illis non potest homo nisi amet bonum, et ex illo amore non velit malum: nam homo sive volet malum, sive volet bonum; quantum vult bonum tantum non vult malum, ac velle bonum datur per facere praecepta decalogi suae religionis, ac vivere secundum illa.
[5] Quoniam homo desistet a malis ut peccatis sicut a se, ideo decem illa praecepta fuerunt a Domino inscripta binis tabulis, et illae vocatae foedus; ita namque initum est hoc foedus, sicut solent iniri foedera inter binos, quod nempe unus dicat et alter acceptet, et qui acceptat consentiat; si non consentit, foedus non constabilitum est; consentire hic est cogitare, velle et facere sicut a se. Ut homo cogitet fugere malum et facere bonum sicut a se, hoc non homo facit, sed Dominus: quod Dominus hoc faciat, est propter reciprocum et inde conjunctionem; nam Divinus Domini Amor talis est ut velit ut sua sint hominis; et quia non possunt esse hominis, sunt enim Divina, ideo facit ut sint sicut hominis. Ex eo fit conjunctio reciproca; nempe, ut homo sit in Domino ac Dominus in homine, secundum Ipsius Domini verba apud Johannem (14:20); hoc non dari potest, nisi aliquid sicut hominis sit in conjunctione. Quod homo facit sicut ex se, hoc facit sicut ex sua voluntate, ex sua affectione, ex suo libero, proinde ex sua vita; haec nisi afforent a parte hominis sicut ejus, non esset receptivum, quia non aliquod reactivum, inde nec foedus, nec conjunctio; immo nusquam aliqua imputatio quod fecerit malum aut bonum, seu quod crediderit verum aut falsum, ita quod alicui infernum sit propter mala opera ex merito, aut quod alicui caelum sit propter bona opera ex gratia.