417、“若愿意，谁都能从自然界的可见事物确认赞成神性。此外，凡出于生命思想神的人都会如此确认。例如，当他观察空中的飞鸟，看到每种鸟都知道吃什么，到哪里觅食；它能凭声音和视觉识别同类，在其它种类当中分辨哪些是友，哪些是敌；它们选择自己的配偶，知道如何交配，能娴熟地建造巢穴，并在里面下蛋，然后卧在这些蛋上；还知道孵化多长时间；孵化期结束后，就孵出雏鸟，然后精心呵护它们，将其聚集在翅膀下面，衔来食物喂养它们，直到它们能自食其力，自己能做这些事，并繁育一个家庭，以延续它们的种类为止之时。凡愿意思考神性经由灵界流入自然界的人，都能在这些事实中看到它。此外，他若愿意，还会发自内心说，这类知识不可能从太阳通过它的光线流入这些鸟；因为自然界从中获得其起源和本质的太阳纯粹是火，所以它的光线完全是死的，毫无生命可言。于是，他就能得出以下结论：这种事是神性智慧流入自然界最低级形式的结果。”
417、每个人若愿意都会在看到自然界中的现象后而确认神性的存在；从生命的角度来思考神的人会这样认为。比如鸟类知道到那去找自己的食物，能够认识自己的同类。能够知道哪些是朋友，哪些是敌人；并能结成对，熟练地筑巢，孵卵，爱护幼鸟，保护它们，喂养它们直到它们能够独立生活繁衍后代。
每个相信从精神世界流入到自然世界的人都会在看到自然界的现象后，心中会想：“这些生命所掌握的知识不可能是从阳光中而来；因为自然界中的太阳只是一团火，它的光是没有生命性。”这样的人会推断出这种现象是神圣智慧流入到自然界的表象之中。
417. 'Anyone can, if he wishes, convince himself in favour of Divine origin by observing nature, and he can also do so if he thinks about God from observation of life. For instance, when he observes the birds of the air, and sees how each species knows what to eat, and where it is to be found. It recognises its kind by sound and sight; and in other species knows which are friends and which enemies. He sees that they pair, know how to mate, construct skilful nests, lay eggs in them, and sit on these; they know how long they take to hatch, and at the end of this period they hatch their chicks, which they love most tenderly, keeping them under their wings, offering food and feeding them. They continue doing this until they are able to fend for themselves and can do the same, bringing up a family to secure their permanence of the race.
Everyone who is willing to think about the way the Divine influence passes through the spiritual world into the natural one can see this in those facts. He can even, if he is willing, say in his heart, "Such knowledge cannot reach them from the sun by the radiation of its light. For the sun, from which nature arises and draws its essence, is undiluted fire, so that the rays of its light are totally devoid of life." Thus they reach the conclusion that such things are the result of Divine wisdom influencing the lowest forms of nature.
417. Everyone can, from the visible phenomena in nature, confirm himself on the side of the Divine if he wills; and everyone also does so confirm himself who thinks of God from the standpoint of life. As for example, when he regards birds of the sky and sees that each species of them knows its own food and where to find it; that each recognizes by sound and appearance its own kind, and which among other species are its friends and which its enemies; that they form nuptial pairs, know how to mate, skillfully build nests, lay their eggs there, brood over them, know how long to incubate them, and at the end of that time hatch out their young, tenderly love them, shelter them under their wings, share their food with them and feed them, and this until they become independent, and can themselves do the like and produce a brood to perpetuate their kind.
Everyone who is willing to think about a Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural one, can see it in these phenomena, and if he will, can say in his heart, "Such instances of knowledge cannot flow into these creatures from the sun through the emanations of its light; for the sun from which nature draws its origin and essence is nothing but fire, and consequently the emanations of its light are altogether without life." Thus these people may also conclude that such phenomena exist from an influx of Divine wisdom into the outmost effects of nature.
417. "Everyone can convince himself about Divinity from what is visible in nature if he wants to, and also, one who thinks about God according to life does convince himself, as when he sees birds in the sky, each species of which knows its food and where it is. It knows its own kind by the sound and look. And it knows which others are friendly and which are unfriendly. They mate, know how to come together, skillfully build nests, lay eggs there, sit on them, know the time of incubation, hatch the young when the time is up, love them tenderly, keep them warm under their wings, offer them food and feed them, until they mature and can do the same things and have a brood to continue the kind. Everyone who wants to think about the Divine influence through the spiritual world into the natural can see it in these things and, if he cares to, can say in his heart, 'Knowledge like that can't radiate into them from the sun through its light rays, because the sun, which nature gets its beginning and essence from, is only fire, and so its light rays are quite dead.' And in this way they can conclude that things like that are from the influence of Divine Wisdom in the lowest level of nature.
417. "From the things visible in nature, every one can confirm himself in favor of the Divine if he will. Moreover, he who thinks of God from life does so confirm himself; as, for example, When he sees the birds of the air, that each species knows its foods and where they are, recognizes its kind by sound and sight, and among other kinds, Which are its friends and which its enemies; that they choose their mates, know how to love, skillfully build nests, there lay their eggs, sit upon them, know the time of incubation, and when this is passed, hatch out their young, love them with the utmost tenderness, gather them under their wings, bring food in their bills and feed them until they come to their own right and can themselves do the same things and Procreate a family to perpetuate the species. Every one who is willing to think of the Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural, can see it in these operations. Moreover, if he will, he can say in his heart, Such knowledge cannot flow into these birds from the sun through its rays of light; for the sun from which nature draws her origin and essence is pure fire; and therefore the rays of its light are absolutely dead. Thus he can conclude that such things are from the influx of Divine Wisdom into the ultimates of nature.
417. "Any one who chooses can confirm himself in favor of the Divine from things to be seen in nature. In fact, whoever thinks of God conceived as life does so confirm himself; as when he beholds the fowls of heaven, how every species of them knows its own food and where to find it; recognizes its kind by sound and sight; also what other species are its friends and which its enemies; how also they mate, know how to copulate, built nests skillfully, lay eggs therein, sit on them, know the period of incubation, on the termination of which they hatch out the young, love them tenderly, cherish them under their wings, fetch food and feed them, and this until they become mature and are able to do the like and to procreate families to perpetuate their kind. Every one who is willing to conceive of a Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural can see such influx in these things. If he will, he can say from the heart: 'Such knowledge cannot flow into these creatures from the sun through its rays of light. For the sun from which nature derives its origin and essence, is mere fire, consequently its rays of light are altogether dead. Thus he can conclude that such things are from the influx of Divine wisdom into the outmosts of nature.
417. 'Everyone can confirm himself in favor of the Divine from the visible things of nature if he will, and he in fact does confirm himself who thinks of God from life; as when he beholds the fowls of heaven, how every species of them knows its own food and where it is; knows its kind by sound and sight; and which among others are their friends and which their enemies; that they mate together, know how to copulate, skillfully build nests, lay eggs therein, sit upon them, know the period of incubation, which accomplished they hatch out the young, tenderly love them, cherish them under their wings, offer them their food and feed them, and this until they become mature and able to do the like and to procreate families to perpetuate their kind. Everyone who will think of the Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural can see it in these things, and can also, if he will, say from his heart: Such knowledge cannot flow into these creatures from the sun through the rays of its light, for the sun from which nature takes its origin and its essence is pure fire, and the rays of its light are therefore, altogether dead; and thus he can conclude that such things come from the influx of Divine wisdom into the ultimates of nature.
417. "Quisque ex visibilibus in Natura potest se confirmare pro Divino, si vult, et quoque se confirmat qui de Deo cogitat ex Vita; ut dum videt Volatilia Coeli, quod quaelibet eorum species sciat sua alimenta, et ubi sunt; cognoscat ex sono et visu consocios; tum inter alios quinam eorum amici, et quinam inimici sunt, quod connubia jungant, congressus sciant, arte struant nidos, ibi ponant ova, incubent illis, tempus incubatus sciant, quo exacto excludunt pullos, illos tenerrime amant, sub alis fovent, escas porrigunt et alunt; hoc usque dum sui juris fiunt et similia possunt agere, et procreare familiam ad perpetuandum genus. Omnis qui vult de influxu Divino per Mundum spiritualem in naturalem cogitare, potest illum in his videre, potest etiam si vult, corde suo dicere, 'tales scientiae non possunt in illos influere ex Sole per ejus lucis radios; est enim Sol, ex quo Natura suum ortum et suam essentiam ducit, purus ignis, et inde radii lucis ejus prorsus mortui;' et sic possunt concludere quod talia sint ex influxu Divinae Sapientiae in ultima naturae.