961.对此，我补充两个记事。记事一：
有一次，一觉醒来，我便陷入对神的沉思默想。我举目观看，发现上空有一道极亮的、椭圆形的光。当我定睛注视时，这光向周边逐渐退却，进入四围。然后，看哪！天堂向我敞开了，我看到壮观的景象；天使在开口的南边站成一圈，互相交谈。我很想听听他们在谈论什么，于是首先被恩准倾听声音，那声音充满天堂之爱；接着被恩准倾听所说的话，那些话充满源于那爱的智慧。他们一起谈论了一位神、与祂的结合从而得救。他们所谈论的那些事妙不可言，绝大多数无法以任何属世语言的词句来表达。不过，我曾数次与处于天堂本身的天使们交往，那时因处于相似的状态而与他们有过类似的交谈，所以我能听懂他们的话，并从他们的谈话中摘选一些能以属世语言的词句来理性表述的内容。
他们说，神性存在（Divine Esse 或Being）是一，是同一个，是本我（very Self），不可分割；神性本质也是如此，因为神性存在就是神性本质；神也是如此，因为神性本质，也就是神性存在，就是神。他们用属灵的概念来说明这一点，声称神性存在不可能分成若干个，其中每一个都有神性存在，然而本身又是一，那同一个，是本我，且不可分割：因为每一个都出于自己本身的存在并凭自身来思考。即便那时他同时通过并藉由其他人一致思考，那也会是多个一致的神，而不是一位神。事实上，一致因是许多人的共同感觉，同时又是每一个自身，以及独自的感觉，故不符合神的一体性，只与多神相符。他们不会说“诸神”，因为做不到；事实上，其思维所源于并其交谈所发自的天堂之光会抵制。他们还说，当他们想要谈论“诸神”，并且谈论他们每一个都独自为一个位格时，这话努力自动落入“一”，事实上落入“一位神”。
对此，他们补充说，神性存在是神性存在本身，并非来自它本身。因为“来自它本身”就已经假定了它里面还有一个存在，而它便来自这个存在，因而假定了来自神的一位神，这是不可能的。来自神之物不能被称为神，但可被称为神性；何为来自一位神的一位神？因而何为来自从永恒所生的一位神的一位神呢？又何为从一位神藉着自永恒所生的一位神发出的一位神呢？不都是些其中没有丝毫天堂之光的话吗？在主耶稣基督里面就不一样了。祂里面有万物所来自的神性本质本身，人里面的灵魂本身就对应于这神性本质；祂里面还有神性人身（Divine Human），人里面的身体就对应于这神性人身；祂里面又有神性发出，人里面的活动就对应于这神性发出。这三位一体是一体，因为神性发出源于藉着神性人身（万物所来自）的神性。而天使和世人都是（神的）形像，故每一位天使和每一个世人里面也都有一个灵魂、一个身体和活动，这三者构成一体，因为灵魂衍生身体，而活动则源于藉着身体的灵魂。
他们进一步说，本身为神的神性存在是那同一个，不是简单的同一个，而是无限的同一个，也就是说，是自永恒至永恒的同一个；处处的同一个，是与每个人在一起并在每个人里面的同一个；一切变化和不同都在于接受者，是接受者的状态造成这一切。至于本身为神的神性存在是本我（very Self），他们是这样证明的：神是本我（very Self），因为祂是爱本身，智慧本身，良善本身，真理本身，生命本身。若非这些是神里面的本我，它们在天堂和世上什么也不是，因为它们里面没有与祂自己有关的任何事物。每种品质都通过来自它所源于的为本我之物的衍生物而获得自己的品质，并与这为本我之物相关，以至于具有这种性质。这本我，也就是神性存在，并不在空间中，而是照着接受而与那些在空间中的人同在，并在他们里面；因为神里面的本我属于爱与智慧，并良善与真理，事实上就是神自己；那里不会论及空间，也不会论及从一个地方到另一个地方的进程，而是没有空间，全在由此而来；所以主说：“祂在他们中间”，以及“祂自己在他们里面，他们在祂自己里面”。
不过，由于诸如在自己里面的祂无法被任何人接受，所以祂以天使天堂之上的太阳来显现诸如祂在自己里面的样子。作为光从此太阳发出时，祂就是本我的智慧，作为热发出时，祂就是本我的爱。本我不是这太阳；而是从围绕祂最紧密的本我发出的神性之爱和神性智慧在天使面前显为太阳。在这太阳中的祂自己是人。祂就是我们的主耶稣基督的神性（万物皆来自这神性）和神性人身，因为本我，也就爱本身和智慧本身，就是其来自父的灵魂，因而是本身为生命的神性生命。这在每个人里面则不然。在人里面，灵魂并非生命，而是生命的接受者。主也教导了这一点，祂说：
我就是道路，真理和生命。（约翰福音14:6）
别处：
父怎样在自己有生命，就赐给祂儿子也照样在自己有生命。（约翰福音5:26）
“在自己所有的生命”就是神。对此，他们补充说，凡处于属灵之光的人，都能通过这些事领悟到：神性存在，也就是神性本质，因是一，是同一个，是本我，因而不可分割，故无法增多；如果真要这么说的话，那么任何额外的说明都会有明显的矛盾。、
当我听完这番话后，天使发觉我在思想神，就是基督教会关于在统一体中的三位格三一体及其三一体中统一体的普遍观念；于是，他们说：“你在想什么？你这不是在出于和我们的属灵之光不一致的属世之光思考吗？这光与我们的属灵之光不一致。所以，如果你不摒弃这些思想观念，我们只好向你关闭天堂并离开。”不过，我对他们说：“请更深地进入我的思维，或许你们会发现一致性。”他们照做了，于是明白，我将三个位格理解三个发出的神性属性，也就是创造、救赎和改造，这些是那一位神的属性；将神儿子自永恒的出生理解为自永恒所预见的祂的出生，并在时间中成就。然后，我告诉他们说，关于三位格的三一体和统一体，以及神儿子自永恒的出生，我曾有过自己的属世思维，这些思维源于名为《亚他尼修信经》的教义信之教义；只要将三位格的三一体理解为一位格的三一体，并且这一位格的三一体唯独在主耶稣基督里面，将神儿子自永恒的出生理解为自永恒所预见的祂的出生，并在时间中成就，这个教义就是合理正确的，因为就祂在时间中为自己所取的人身而言，祂明明地被称为“神的儿子”。
然后，天使说：“很好。”他们要我从他们的口声明，人若不靠近天地之神祂自己，就无法进入天堂，因为天堂之所以为天堂，凭的是来自那独一无二之神的衍生物；那神就是耶稣基督，祂是主耶和华，自永恒就是创造者，时间中的救主和直到永恒的改造者；因而祂同时是父、子和圣灵。这些事过后，先前所看到在那开口上方的天堂之光又回来了，并逐渐从上方降下来，充满我心智的内层，光照我关于神的统一体和三一体的观念。于是，我便看到起初所持关于它们的纯属世观念被分离出去，如同糠秕被转动的风扇从麦子中被扬出去，又似乎被风吹到天空的南方，然后消散。
961. To this I will append two narrative accounts. Here is the first:
Once, on awakening from sleep, I fell into a profound meditation regarding God. And when I looked up, I saw in the sky above me a bright, oval-shaped light. Then, as I fixed my gaze on the light, the light ebbed toward the circumference and entered the perimeter. And suddenly heaven opened to me and I saw some magnificent sights, with angels standing around in a circle on the southern side of the opening and conversing together. Because I burned with a desire to hear what they were saying, I was therefore first granted to hear the sound, which was full of heavenly love, and afterward the words, which were full of wisdom arising from that love. They were talking together about the oneness of God, conjunction with Him, and so salvation.
What they were saying is beyond description. Most of it cannot be put into the words of any natural language. But because I had been myself a number of times in the company of angels in heaven, and had then used the same language as they, being in the same state, I was consequently able to understand them now and to take from their conversation some thoughts that I could express in rational terms in the words of a natural language.
They were saying that the Divine being is one, unchanging, absolute, and indivisible, and so is also the Divine essence, inasmuch as the Divine being is the Divine essence, thus also God, because the Divine essence, which is at the same time the Divine being, is God.
[2] This the angels illustrated using spiritual ideas, saying that the Divine being cannot evolve into a number of Divines, each of which possesses the Divine being, and still be one, unchanging, absolute, and indivisible. Indeed, each would think, of Himself and by Himself, from His own being. If He should then think also at the same time unanimously with others and in harmony with others, the result would be a number of like-minded gods and not one God. For unanimity is the consensus of a number, and at the same time the consensus of each one, of himself and by himself, and this does not accord with the unity of God, but with a plurality of beings. They did not say, with a plurality of gods, because they could not, since the light of heaven resisted it, being the light in accord with which they formed their thinking and in which their discussion proceeded. They even said that when they tried to say "gods," with each one a person by himself, their effort to say it turned instantly and spontaneously into their saying one God, indeed into saying the one and only God.
[3] The angels said in addition that the Divine being is a Divine being in itself, not one derived from itself, because to say one derived from itself supposes a being in itself as its origin, thus a God derived from God, which is not possible. Something derived from God is not called God but rather Divine. For what is a God derived from God? What then is a God born from eternity from God? And what is a God emanating from God through a God born from eternity? They are but words that contain not a spark of light from heaven.
"Not so," they said, "in the case of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him is the Divine being itself from which all else springs, to which the soul corresponds in man. He has also a Divine humanity, to which the body corresponds in man. And from Him is also the emanating Divine, to which the activity of soul and body corresponds in man. This trine is a unit, because from the originating Divine springs the Divine humanity, and from the originating Divine through the Divine humanity springs as a consequence the emanating Divine.
"For this reason, too, every angel and every person, being an image of the Divine, has a soul, body and activity which constitute a unit, since from the soul springs the body, and from the soul through the body springs the consequent activity."
[4] The angels said further that the Divine being, which in itself is God, is unchanging - not unchanging statically, but infinitely, that is, unchanging from eternity to eternity. It is the same everywhere, and the same for every individual and in every individual, with all variation and capability of variation resting in the recipient. The state of the recipient is responsible for this.
That the Divine being, which in itself is God, is absolute, they illustrated as follows:
"God is absolute," they said, "because He is love itself, wisdom itself, good itself, truth itself, and life itself. If these were not absolute in God, they would have no reality in heaven or in the world, as they would have no relation to anything absolute. Every quality is accorded its quality from the fact that there is something absolute from which it springs and to which it has relation so as to be what it is.
"This absolute entity, which is the Divine being, does not exist space, but is present with people and in people who live in space, in accordance with their reception, since love and wisdom, and goodness and truth, which are absolute in God, indeed which are God Himself, cannot have location predicated of them, or a progression from place to place, but are independent of space, and so omnipresent. Therefore the Lord says that He is in the midst of His disciples, and that He is in them and they in Him. 1
[5] "However, because no one can receive Him as He is in Himself, He appears, such as He is in Himself, as a sun above the angelic heavens, and the light emanating from that sun is the Lord in respect to wisdom, and its warmth the Lord in respect to love.
"The Lord is not a sun, but the Divine love and wisdom radiating immediately from Him and surrounding Him appear to angels as the sun. He himself in the sun is human. He is our Lord Jesus Christ, both in respect to the originating Divine and in respect to His Divine humanity, since the originating Divine, which is love itself and wisdom itself, was the soul He had from the Father, thus Divine life, which is life in itself. Not so in any other person. The soul in him is not life, but a recipient of life. This is also something the Lord taught, saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 2And in another place, "As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself." 3He who has life in Himself is God."
To this the angels added that it is possible for someone who possesses some spiritual light to perceive from this that because the Divine being, which is also the Divine essence, is one, unchanging, absolute, and so indivisible, it cannot possibly exist in a plurality of persons. And that if someone were to say it could, there would be manifest contradictions in any added qualifications.
[6] Having said this, the angels perceived in my thought the usual notions in the Christian Church regarding a trinity of Persons in union and their union in the trinity, regarding God, and regarding as well the birth of the Son of God from eternity. And they said then, "What are you thinking? Are you not forming your thoughts from a natural sight, with which our spiritual sight does not accord? Therefore, if you do not rid yourself of those ideas in your thinking, we will close heaven to you and go away."
But to that I said to them, "Pray enter more deeply into my thinking, and perhaps you will see an agreement."
They then did so, and they saw that by three Persons I mean three succeeding Divine attributes, namely creation, salvation, and reformation, and that these are the attributes of a single God. They saw, too, that by the birth of the Son of God from eternity I mean His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time. And I told them then that I acquired my natural thought regarding a trinity of Persons and their union, and the birth of a Son of God from eternity, from the church's doctrinal creed, called the Athanasian Creed, and that the doctrine in it is right and correct, provided that for the trinity of Persons in it one substitutes the trinity of a Person, which exists only in the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the birth of the Son of God, His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time. For it is in relation to the humanity He assumed in time that He is plainly called "the Son of God."
[7] At that the angels said, "Good!" And they asked me to say on their authority that if someone does not turn to the God Himself of heaven and earth, he cannot enter heaven, because heaven is heaven owing to this one and only God, and that this God is Jesus Christ, who is the Lord Jehovah, our Creator from eternity, our Savior in time, and our Reformer to eternity, thus who is at once the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
After that the heavenly light that I saw before came back over the opening in the sky, and it gradually descended from there and filled the interiors of my mind, enlightening my natural ideas regarding the union and trinity of God. And the ideas I had initially acquired about these, which were merely natural, I then saw separated, as the chaff is separated from the wheat when shaken in the wind, and these ideas were carried off as though by a wind into the northern zone of heaven and vanished.
Footnotes:
1. Matthew 18:20, John 14:20; 17:23.
2. John 14:6.
3. John 5:26.
961. To these things I will add two MEMORABLE OCCURRENCES.
This is the first. Once having awakened out of sleep I fell into a profound meditation about God; and when I looked up I saw above me in heaven a very bright white light in an oval form. And as I fixed my attention on that light, it was receding to the sides and entering into the circumferences, and then behold, heaven was open to me, and I saw some magnificent things, and angels standing in the form of a circle on the south side of the opening, and they were talking among themselves. And because I was fired with the desire to hear what they were talking about, it was therefore given me first to hear the sound, which was filled with heavenly love, and afterwards to hear the speech, which was filled with wisdom derived from that love. They were talking together of THE ONE GOD, of CONJUNCTION WITH HIM, and of SALVATION thereby. They were speaking ineffable things, most of which cannot find an utterance in the words of any natural language. But because I had on several occasions been in association with angels in heaven itself, and had then been in similar speech with them because in a similar state, I could now therefore understand them, and select some things out of their conversation which can be expressed rationally with words of natural language.
[2] They were saying that THE DIVINE ESSE (Being) IS ONE, THE SAME, THE VERY SELF, AND INDIVISIBLE; thus also the Divine Essence, because Divine Esse (Being) is Divine Essence; thus also God, because Divine Essence, which also is Divine Esse (Being), is God. They were illustrating this by means of spiritual ideas, saying that the Divine Esse (Being) cannot fall into many, every one of them having the Divine Esse, and yet Itself be One, the Same, the Very Self, and Indivisible: for each would think out of its own Esse of itself and by itself. If then also he should think at the same time from and by means of the others unanimously, there would be many unanimous gods and not the One God. For unanimity, because it is the common feeling of many, and at the same time of each one of himself and by himself, does not agree with the Unity of God, but with a plurality. They did not say 'of Gods,' because they could not; for the light of heaven from which their thought was derived, and in which their conversation was proceeding, resisted. They were also saying that when they want to speak of 'Gods' and of each one of them as a Person by himself, the effort of utterance spontaneously falls into 'One,' indeed into 'the Only God.
[3] To these things they were adding that the Divine Esse (Being) is Divine Esse in Itself, not from Itself, because 'from Itself' postulates an Esse in Itself from Which it is, thus it postulates a God from God, which is not given. That which is from God is not called 'God' but is called 'Divine'; for what is 'a God from a God,' thus what is 'a God from a God born from eternity,' and what is 'a God proceeding from a God by means of a God born from eternity,' but words in which there is not a vestige of light out of heaven? It is otherwise in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him there is the Divine Esse Itself from Which [all things are], to Which in a man the soul corresponds; there is the Divine Human, to Which in a man the body corresponds; and there is the Divine proceeding, to Which in a man activity corresponds. This Trine is a one, because from the Divine from Which [all things are] by means of the Divine Human is derived the Divine proceeding. Therefore also in every individual angel and in every individual man, because they are images, there is a soul, a body, and activity, which make a one, since from the soul is derived the body, and from the soul by means of the body is derived the activity.
[4] They were saying further that the Divine Esse (Being), which in itself is God, is THE SAME, the Same not simple (simplex) but Infinite, that is, the Same from eternity to eternity; the Same everywhere, and the Same with each individual and in each individual; but that everything diverse and subject to change is in the recipient, the recipient's state bringing this about. That the Divine Esse (Being), which is God in Himself, is THE VERY SELF they were illustrating in this way: God is the Very Self because He is Love Itself, Wisdom Itself, Good Itself, Truth Itself, Life Itself. Unless these were the Very Self in God they would not be anything in heaven and the world, because there would not be anything in them in relation to Himself. Every quality gets its own quality by derivation from that which is the Very Self from which it is derived, and to which it is related so as to be such. This Very Self, which is the Divine Being (Esse Divinum), is not in space but, in accordance with reception, is with those and in those who are in space; since of the Love and Wisdom and of the Good and Truth which are the Very Self in God, indeed are God Himself, there can be predicated neither space nor progression from one place to another, but absence of space, whence there is Omnipresence; and therefore the Lord says that 'He is in the midst of them,' also 'Himself in them and they in Himself.
[5] But because such as He is in Himself He cannot be received by anyone, He appears such as He is in Himself as the Sun above the angelic heavens. Proceeding as light from this He is the Very Self as to Wisdom, and proceeding as heat He is the Very Self as to Love. The Very Self is not the Sun; but Divine Love and Divine Wisdom going forth from the Very Self very closely round about Him appear before the angels as the Sun. He Himself in the Sun is Man. He is our Lord Jesus Christ both as to the Divine from Which [all things are] and as to the Divine Human, since the Very Self, Which is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, was His soul from the Father, thus the Divine Life that is Life in itself. It is otherwise in each individual man. In him the soul is not life but a receiving of life. The Lord also taught this, saying:
I am the Way, the Truth (veritas) and the Life [John 14:6]; and elsewhere:
As the Father has Life in Himself, so also has He given to the Son to have Life in Himself [John 5:26].
Life in Himself is God. To these things they added that he who is in any spiritual light is able to perceive from these things that the Divine Esse (Being), which also is Divine Essence, because it is One, the Same, the Very Self, and consequently Indivisible, cannot be multiplied (dari in pluribus); and that if it should be said to be so there would be manifest contradictions in any additional statements.
[6] When I had heard these things, the angels perceived in my thought concerning God the general ideas of the Christian Church concerning the Trinity of Persons in Unity and their Unity in the Trinity, as also concerning the birth of a Son of God from eternity; whereupon they said, 'What are you thinking? Are you not thinking those things out of a natural light with which our spiritual light does not agree? And therefore unless you remove the ideas of that thought, we close heaven to you and go away.' But then I said to them, 'Please enter more deeply into my thought, and maybe you will see an agreement.' And they did so, and saw that by the three Persons I understood three proceeding Divine Attributes, which are Creation, Salvation and Reformation, and that those are Attributes of the One God; and that by the birth of the Son of God from eternity I understood His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time. And then I told them that I had my natural thought concerning the Trinity and Unity of Persons, and concerning the birth of the Son of God from eternity., derived from the Church's doctrine of faith, which has its name from Athanasius; and that that doctrine is just and right, provided that instead of a Trinity of Persons there is understood the Trinity of Person that is given solely in the Lord Jesus Christ and instead of the birth of the Son of God [from eternity] there is understood His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time, because as to the Human that He took to Himself in time He is openly called 'the Son of God.
[7] The angels then said, 'It is well'; and they asked that from their mouth I might state that if anyone does not approach the God of heaven and earth Himself he cannot come into heaven, because heaven is heaven by derivation from the One and Only God; and that that God is Jesus Christ Who is Jehovah the Lord, from eternity the Creator, in time the Saviour, and to eternity the Reformer; thus He Who is at once Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After these things the heavenly light formerly seen above the opening came back again, and gradually sank down therefrom and filled the interior things of my mind and enlightened my natural ideas about the Unity and Trinity of God. And then I saw the ideas about them held at the beginning, which had been merely natural, separated as chaff from wheat by the motion of a fan and carried away as if by a wind into the north of heaven, and dispersed.
961. To this I will add two Relations. The first is this. Once on waking from sleep, I fell into a profound meditation concerning God; and when I looked up, I saw above me in heaven a very bright light in an oval form; and when I fixed my attention on that light, it receded to the sides, and entered into the circumference. And then behold, heaven was opened to me, and I saw some magnificent things, and angels standing in the form of a circle on the southern side of the opening, speaking with one another. And because I was enkindled with the desire of hearing what they were saying, it was therefore given me first to hear the sound, which was full of heavenly love, and afterwards their speech, which was full of wisdom from that love. They were talking with one another of the One God, of Conjunction with Him, and of Salvation thence. They spoke ineffable things, the most of which cannot be expressed by any natural language. But as I had many times been in consociation with angels in heaven itself, and then in similar speech with them, because in a similar state, I could therefore now understand them, and gather some things from their discourse, which can be expressed rationally in the words of natural language.
[2] They said that the Divine Esse is One, the Same, the Itself, and Indivisible; thus also the Divine Essence, because the Divine Esse is the Divine Essence; and thus also God, because the Divine Essence, which is also the Divine Esse, is God. They illustrated this by spiritual ideas, saying that the Divine Esse cannot fall into many, everyone of which has the Divine Esse, and yet be One, the Same, Itself, and Indivisible; for each would think from his Esse from himself and by himself; if he should at the same time also think from the others and by the others unanimously, there would be many unanimous gods, and not one God. For unanimity, as it is the consent of many, and at the same time of each one from himself, and by himself, does not agree with the unity of God, but with a plurality, they did not say of gods, because they could not; for the light of heaven, from which was their thought, and in which their discourse proceeded, resisted.
They also said, that when they want to speak of "Gods," and each one of them as a Person by Himself, the effort of utterance spontaneously falls into "One," indeed, into "the Only God."
[3] To this they added that the Divine Esse is the Divine Esse in Itself, not from Itself; because from Itself supposes an Esse in Itself, from which it is, and thus supposes a God from God, which is not given. That which is from God is not called God, but is called the Divine; for what is a God from God; and thus what is a God from God born from eternity; and what is a God from God proceeding through a God born from eternity, but words in which there is not the least light from heaven? It is otherwise in the Lord Jesus Christ; in Him is the Divine Esse Itself from which all things are, to which the soul in man corresponds, the Divine Human, to which the body in man corresponds, and the Divine proceeding, to which activity in man corresponds. This Trine is a one, because from the Divine from which all things are is the Divine Human, and thence from the Divine from which all things are, through the Divine Human is the Divine proceeding. Therefore also, in every angel and in every man, because they are images, there is a soul, a body, and activity, which make one; since from the soul is the body, and from the soul through the body is the activity.
[4] They said further, that the Divine Esse, which in Itself is God, is the Same; not the Same simply, but Infinite; that is, the same from eternity to eternity; it is the Same everywhere, and the Same with everyone and in everyone; but that all the variety and variableness is in the recipient; the state of the recipient does this.
That the Divine Esse, which is God in Himself, is the Itself they illustrated thus. God is the Itself, because He is Love Itself, Wisdom Itself, Good Itself, Truth Itself, Life Itself; which unless they were the Itself in God, would not be anything in heaven and in the world; because there would not be anything of them having relation to the Itself. Every quality derives its quality from this, that there is an Itself from which it is, and to which it has relation, that it may be such. This Itself, which is the Divine Esse, is not in place, but is with those and in those who are in place, according to reception; since of love and wisdom, and of good and truth, which are the itself in God, yea, are God Himself, place cannot be predicated, or progression from place to place, but without place, whence is omnipresence. Wherefore the Lord says, that "He is in the midst of them;" also "He in them, and they in Him."
[5] But because He cannot be received by anyone as He is in Himself, He appears as He is in Himself as the sun above the angelic heavens, the proceeding from which as light is Himself as to wisdom, and as heat is Himself as to love. He Himself is not the sun; but the Divine love and Divine wisdom going forth from Himself proximately, round about Himself, appear before the angels as the sun. He Himself in the sun is a Man, He is our Lord Jesus Christ both as to the Divine from which, and as to the Divine Human; since the Itself, which is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, was His soul from the Father, and thus the Divine Life, which is Life in itself. It is otherwise in every man; in him the soul is not life, but a recipient of life. The Lord also teaches this, saying:
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, (John 14:6);
As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself, (John 5:26).
Life in Himself is God. They added to this, that he who is in any spiritual light, can perceive that the Divine Esse, which is also the Divine Essence, because it is One, the Same, the Itself, and thence Indivisible, cannot be given in many; and that if it were said to be given, manifest contradictions would follow.
[6] After hearing these things, the angels perceived in my thought the common ideas of the Christian church concerning a Trinity of Persons in Unity and their Unity in Trinity, respecting God, as also concerning the birth of a Son of God from eternity; and they then said, "What are you thinking of? Are you not thinking those things from natural light, with which our spiritual light does not agree? Wherefore, unless you remove the ideas of that thought, we close heaven to you, and go away." But I then said to them, "Enter, I pray, more deeply into my thought and perhaps you will see agreement." And they did so, and saw that by three Persons I understand three proceeding Divine attributes, which are creation, salvation, and reformation; and that these attributes are of the one God; and that by the birth of a Son of God from eternity I understood His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time. And I then related that my natural thought concerning a Trinity and Unity of Persons, and concerning the birth of a Son of God from eternity, I received from the doctrine of faith of the church, which has its name from Athanasius; and that that doctrine is just and right, provided that instead of a Trinity of Persons there be there understood a Trinity of Person, which is given only in the Lord Jesus Christ; and instead of the birth of a Son of God there be understood His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time; because as to the Human, which He took to Himself in time, He is called openly the Son of God.
[7] The angels then said, "Well;" and they requested that I would say from their mouth, that if anyone does not go to the God of heaven and earth Himself, he cannot come into heaven; because heaven is heaven from that only God; and that that God is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah the Lord, Creator from eternity, Savior in time, and Reformer to eternity; thus who is at the same time the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. After this the heavenly light before seen above the opening returned, and gradually descended, and filled the interiors of my mind, and enlightened my natural ideas of the Unity and Trinity of God; and then the ideas received about them in the beginning, which were merely natural, I saw separated, as the chaff is separated from the wheat by the motion of a fan, and carried away as by a wind into the north of heaven, and dispersed.
961. His adjiciam duo Memorabilia; PRIMUM hoc:-
Quondam experrectus e somno incidi in profundam meditationem de Deo; et cum suspexi, vidi supra me in Caelo lucem candidissimam in forma ovali; et cum fixi intuitum in luce illa, recedebat lux ad latera, et intrabat in peripherias: et tunc ecce patuit mihi Caelum, et vidi aliqua magnifica, et angelos stantes in forma circi a latere meridionali aperturae, et loquebantur inter se. Et quia accendebar desiderio audiendi quid loquebantur, ideo dabatur mihi primum audire sonum qui plenus erat amore caelesti, et postea loquelam quae plena erat sapientia ex illo amore Loquebantur inter se de Deo uno, de Conjunctione cum Ipso, et inde Salvatione; loquebantur ineffabilia, quorum pleraque non possunt cadere in voces alicujus linguae naturalis. Sed quia aliquoties fueram in consortio cum angelis in ipso Caelo, et tunc in simili loquela cum illis, quia in simili statu, ideo potui nunc intelligere illos, et ex sermone illorum desumere aliqua quae possunt expromi vocibus linguae naturalis rationaliter.
Dicebant quod Divinum Esse sit Unum, Idem, Ipsum, et Individuum; ita quoque Divina Essentia, quia Divinum Esse est Divina Essentia; ita quoque Deus, quia Divina Essentia, quae etiam est Divinum Esse, est Deus. Haec illustrabant per ideas spirituales; dicendo, quod Divinum Esse non possit cadere in plures, quorum unicuique sit Divinum Esse, et tamen illud esse Unum, Idem, Ipsum, et Individuum, cogitaret enim quisque et suo Esse et se et per se; si tunc etiam simul et alteris et per alteros unanimiter, forent plures Dii unanimi, et non Deus Unus. Nam unanimitas, quia est consensus plurium, et simul cujusvis ex se et per se, non concordat cum unitate Dei, sed cum pluralitate (non dixerunt Deorum, quia non potuerunt, Lux enim Caeli, et qua erat cogitatio illorum, et in qua procedebat sermo illorum, contra nitebatur).
Dicebant etiam quod cum vellent enuntiare Deos, ac quemlibet ut Personam per se, cadat conatus enuntiandi illico et se in Unum, imo in Unicum Deum. His addebant, quod Divinum Esse sit Divinum Esse in Se, non a Se; quia a Se ponit Esse in Se a Quo; ita ponit Deum a Deo, quod non datur. Quod a Deo est, hoc non vocatur Deus sed vocatur Divinum; quid enim est Deus a Deo, ita quid Deus a Deo natus ab aeterno, et quid Deus a Deo per Deum natum ab aeterno procedens, nisi voces quibus ne hilum lucis e Caelo inest? Aliter in Domino Jesu Christo; in Illo est Ipsum Divinum Esse a Quo, Cui in homine correspondet anima, est Divinum Humanum, Cui in homine correspondet corpus, et est Divinum procedens, Cui in homine correspondet activitas; hoc Trinum est unum, quia et Divino a Quo est Divinum Humanum, et inde et Divino a Quo per Divinum Humanum est Divinum procedens. Ideo etiam in unoquovis angelo et in unoquovis homine, quia sunt imagines, est anima, corpus et activitas, quae unum faciunt; quoniam et anima est corpus, et ex anima per corpus est activitas.
Porro dicebant quod Divinum Esse, quod in Se est Deus, sit Idem; non Idem simplex, sed Infinitum, hoc est, Idem ab aeterno in aeternum; est Idem ubivis, ac Idem apud unumquemvis et in unoquovis: sed quod omne varium et variabile sit in recipiente; status recipientis hoc facit.
Quod Divinum Esse, quod est Deus in Se, sit Ipsum, ita illustrabant: -"Deus est Ipsum, quia est Ipse Amor, Ipsa Sapientia, Ipsum Bonum, Ipsum Verum, Ipsa Vita; quae nisi forent Ipsum in Deo, illa non forent aliquid in Caelo et in mundo; quia non foret aliquod illorum relativum ad Ipsum. Omne quale sortitur suum quale ex eo, quod sit Ipsum ex quo est, et ad quod se refert ut sit tale. Hoc Ipsum, quod est Esse Divinum, non est in loco, sed apud illos et in illis qui sunt in loco, secundum receptionem"; quoniam de Amore et Sapientia, et de Bono et Vero, quae sunt Ipsum in Deo, imo Ipse Deus, non praedicari potest locus, seu progressio e loco in locum; sed absque loco, unde Omnipraesentia. Quare dicit Dominus, quod 'Sit in medio illorum;' tum 'Ipse in illis et illi in Ipso.' At quia non recipi ab ullo potest qualis in Se est, apparet qualis in Se est ut Sol supra Caelos angelicos, a quo procedens ut lux est Ipse quoad sapientiam, ac ut calor est Ipse quoad Amorem. Ipse non est Sol, sed Divinus Amor et Divina Sapientia exiens ab Ipso proxime, circum circa Ipsum, coram angelis apparent ut Sol. Ipse in Sole est Homo; est Dominus noster Jesus Christus, tam quoad Divinum a Quo quam quoad Divinum Humanum: quoniam Ipsum, quod est Ipse Amor et Ipsa Sapientia, fuit anima Ipsi a Patre, ita Divina Vita, quae est Vita in se. Aliter in unoquovis homine; in illo anima non est vita, sed recipiens vitae. Dominus etiam hoc docuit, dicendo Ego sum Via, Veritas, et Vita:'
et alibi,
'Quemadmodum Pater habet Vitam in Se Ipso, ita dedit etiam Filio Vitam habere in Se Ipso;
'Vita in Se Ipso' est Deus."
His addiderunt, quod qui in aliqua luce spirituali est, ex his possit percipere, quod Divinum Esse, quod etiam est Divina Essentia, quia est Unum, Idem, Ipsum, et inde Individuum, non possit dari in pluribus; et quod si diceretur dari, forent manifestae contradictiones in adjectis.
His auditis, perceperunt Angeli in cogitatione mea ideas communes Ecclesiae Christianae de Personarum Trinitate in Unitate et illarum Unitate in Trinitate de Deo; tum etiam de Nativitate Filii Dei ab aeterno: et tunc dixerunt, "Quid cogitas; cogitasne illa ex luce naturali, cum qua Lux nostra spiritualis non concordat; quare nisi removes illius cogitationis ideas, claudimus tibi Caelum et abimus.
"Sed tunc dixi illis, "Intrate quaeso penitius in cogitationem meam, et forte videbitis concordantiam." Et fecerunt ita, et viderunt, quod per tres Personas intelligam tria Attributa Divina procedentia, quae sunt Creatio, Salvatio, et Reformatio, et quod illa Attributa sint Unius Dei; et quod per Nativitatem Filii Dei ab aeterno intelligam Nativitatem Ipsius ab aeterno praevisam et in tempore provisam: et tunc narravi, quod naturalis mea cogitatio de Personarum Trinitate et Unitate, et de Nativitate Filii Dei ab aeterno, fuerit mihi ex Doctrina fidei Ecclesiae, quae ab Athanasio nomen habet; et quod illa Doctrina sit justa et recta, modo pro Trinitate Personarum ibi intelligatur Trinitas Personae, quae unice datur in Domino Jesu Christo; et pro Nativitate Filii Dei intelligatur Nativitas Ipsius ab aeterno praevisa et in tempore provisa; quia quoad Humanum, quod in tempore suscepit, aperte vocatur Filius Dei.
Tunc dixerunt angeli, "Bene;" et rogaverunt ut ex ore illorum dicam, quod si quis non adit Ipsum Deum Caeli et Terrae, non possit in Caelum venire, quia Caelum est Caelum ex Unico Illo Deo, et quod Ille Deus sit Jesus Christus, Qui est Jehovah Dominus ab aeterno Creator, in tempore Salvator, et in aeternum Reformator; ita Qui simul est Pater, Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus.
Post haec Lux caelestis prius visa super aperturam rediit, et successive se inde demisit, ac implevit interiora mentis meae, ac illustravit ideas meas naturales de Unitate et Trinitate Dei; et vidi tunc ideas de illis initio captas, quae fuerant mere naturales, separatas sicut separantur paleae a tritico et ventilabro agitato, et ablatus sicut vento in septentrionem Caeli, et disparatas.