340、⑶有一个从灵界进入自然界的持续流注。人若不知道灵界的存在，并且灵界不同于自然界，犹如在先之物不同于在后之物，或原因不同于所造成的结果，就不可能知道这种流注。正因如此，那些撰写动植物起源的人只能将这种起源追溯到自然界，即便追溯到神那里，也会以为神从一开始就将产生这些事物的能力植入自然界；他们这样做是因为他们不知道，自然界没有被赋予任何能力；事实上，自然界本身是死的，丝毫无助于这些事物的产生，就跟工具无助于工匠的作品一样，因为工具必须被不断驱动才能活动。正是某种属灵事物，就是从主所在的太阳那里获得自己的起源，并降至自然界的最外层元素的某种事物，产生了动植物的形式，创造了存在于这二者里面的奇迹，以地上的物质充满它们，好叫它们保持固定不变。我们现在因知道灵界的存在，又知道属灵之物来自主所在并从主发出的属灵太阳，正是这属灵之物驱动大自然活动，犹如活物驱动死物，并且存在于灵界的事物和存在于自然界的事物是一样的，故能看出，动植物只能经由灵界从主那里获得自己的存在，并通过灵界获得自己的持续存在，由此就有了从灵界进入自然界的持续流注。这一事实将在下一章得到充分证明。地上的有害物是通过地狱的流注产生的，这一点同样是由于这一许可法：邪恶本身可以从地狱流入人。我们将在《天使智慧之圣治篇》)说明这一法则。
340, 3. There is a constant inflow from the spiritual world into the physical world. Unless people realize that there is a spiritual world and that it is as distinct from the physical world as an antecedent circumstance is from its consequence or a cause from what it causes, they cannot know anything about this inflow. This is why people who have written about the origin of plants and animals have found it necessary to trace them back to nature. If they do trace them back to God, they say that God gifted nature with the ability to bring forth plants and animals in the beginning. They do not realize that nature is not "gifted" with any power. In its own right, it is dead and contributes no more to bringing things forth than a tool contributes to the work of an artisan--if it is to accomplish anything, it needs constantly to be activated. It is spiritual reality, reality that finds its origin in the sun where the Lord is and that goes to the limits of nature, that produces the forms of plants and animals and causes the miracles that we see in both, filling them in with earthly substances so that the forms are stable and enduring.
It is acknowledged, then, that there is a spiritual world, that what is spiritual comes from a sun where the Lord is who is its source, and that this spiritual reality stirs nature into action the way something living stirs something lifeless. It is acknowledged further that there are things in that spiritual world that resemble things in our physical world. We can therefore see that plants and animals have come into being solely from the Lord through that world and that they constantly keep coming into being through it. This means that there is a constant inflow from the spiritual world into the physical one. There will be ample support for this in the next section.
The production of harmful things on earth through an inflow from hell happens by the same law of tolerance that applies to the very evils that flow from hell into people. I will discuss this law in Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence.
340. (3) There is a continual influx from the spiritual world into the natural world. If one is unaware of the existence of the spiritual world, and does not know that it is distinct from the natural world as something prior is from something subsequent, or as a cause is from the effect caused, he cannot know anything about this influx.
It is owing to this that people who have written about the origin of plants and animals have only been able to trace that origin from nature. Or if they have traced it from God, they have supposed that God imparted to nature from the beginning the power to produce such forms.
They have done this in ignorance of the fact that nature has not been endowed with any power; for it is lifeless, and contributes no more to the production of these forms than a tool in the work of a craftsman, which to act must continually be wielded.
It is something spiritual, something which takes its origin from the sun where the Lord is and descends to the outmost elements of nature, which produces the forms of plants and animals and creates the marvels that exist in both, filling them with substances from the earth so that those forms remain fixed and constant.
Because we now know of the existence of the spiritual world, and know that anything spiritual comes from the sun where the Lord is and which emanates from the Lord, and that it is this which impels nature to act, as something living does something lifeless, moreover that forms of a like character exist in that world as in the natural world, it can be seen that plant and animal forms have sprung and continue perpetually to spring from no other origin than the Lord through that world - thus that there is a continual influx from the spiritual world into the natural world.
The reality of this will be attested by a number of evidences of it presented in the next discussion.
The production of harmful forms on the earth by an influx from hell is due to the same law of permission that allows the underlying evils themselves to flow in from there in people (a law that we will speak about in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence).
340. (iii) There is continuous influx from the spiritual world into the natural world. He who does not know that there is a spiritual world, or that it is distinct from the natural world as what is prior is distinct from what is posterior, or as cause from the thing caused, cannot know anything about this influx. This is why those who have written about the origin of vegetables and animals could only deduce that the origin was from nature, and if from God, that God had implanted in nature from the beginning the power of producing such things-not knowing that no power is implanted in nature, for nature in herself is dead and contributes no more to the production of those things than, for instance, a tool does to the work of a mechanic, the tool having to be perpetually moved to cause action. It is the spiritual which derives its origin from the Sun where the Lord is, and proceeds to the ultimates of nature, that produces the forms of vegetables and animals and shows forth the marvels existing in both, and fills the forms with matters from the earth that they may become fixed and enduring. Now because it is not known that there is a spiritual world, and that the spiritual is from the spiritual Sun where the Lord is, and which is from the Lord, and that the spiritual is what impels nature to act, as what is living impels what is dead, also that the same things exist in the spiritual world as in the natural world, it can be seen that vegetables and animals have had their existence only from the Lord through that world, and through that world they have continuous existence. Thus there is continuous influx from the spiritual world into the natural. That this is the case will be abundantly confirmed in the section following. Noxious things are produced on earth through influx from hell by the same law of permission whereby evils themselves inflow from hell into men. This law will be set forth in the ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
340. (3) There is unceasing influx out of the spiritual world into the natural world. He who does not know that there is a spiritual world, or that it is distinct from the natural world, as what is prior is distinct from what is subsequent, or as cause from the thing caused, can have no knowledge of this influx. This is the reason why those who have written on the origin of plants and animals could not do otherwise than ascribe that origin to nature; or if to God, then in the sense that God had implanted in nature from the beginning a power to produce such things, - not knowing that no power has been implanted in nature, since nature, in herself, is dead, and contributes no more to the production of these things than a tool does, for instance, to the work of a mechanic, the tool acting only as it is continually moved. It is the spiritual, deriving its origin from the sun where the Lord is, and proceeding to the outmosts of nature, that produces the forms of plants and animals, exhibiting the marvels that exist in both, and filling the forms with matters from the earth, that they may become fixed and enduring. But because it is now known that there is a spiritual world, and that the spiritual is from the spiritual sun, in which the Lord is and which is from the Lord, and that the spiritual is what impels nature to act, as what is living impels what is dead, also that like things exist in the spiritual world as in the natural world, it can now be seen that plants and animals have had their existence only from the Lord though that world, and through that world they have perpetual existence. Thus there is unceasing influx from the spiritual world into the natural. That this is so will be abundantly corroborated in the next chapter. Noxious things are produced on earth through influx from hell, by the same law of permission whereby evils themselves from hell flow into men. This law will be set forth in the Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Providence.
340. III. Quod influxus continuus sit e Mundo spirituali in Naturalem. Qui non scit quod Mundus spiritualis sit, et ille distinctus a Mundo naturali sicut prius et posterius, seu sicut causa et causatum, non scire aliquid potest de hoc influxu: quae causa est, quod illi qui de ortu vegetabilium 1 et animalium scripserunt, non potuerunt aliter quam deducere illum a natura; et si a Deo, quod Deus ab initio indiderit naturae vim producendi talia: sic non scientes, quod nulla vis indita sit naturae, est enim illa in se mortua, et non plus confert ad producendum illa, quam sicut instrumentum in opere fabri, quod ut agat perpetuo movendum est: est spirituale, quod originem ducit a Sole ubi Dominus, et procedit ad ultima naturae, quod producit formas vegetabilium et animalium, et sistit mirabilia quae in utrisque dantur, ac illas constipat materiis ex tellure, ut formae illae fixae et constantes sint. Nunc quia notum est, quod Spiritualis Mundus detur, et quod Spirituale sit a Sole ubi Dominus et qui a Domino, et quod id agat naturam ad agendum, sicut vivum agit mortuum, tum quod similia in illo Mundo dentur, quae in Mundo naturali, videri potest quod vegetabilia et animalia non aliunde quam per illum Mundum a Domino exstiterint, et quod per illum perpetuo existant; et sic quod influxus continuus sit e Mundo spirituali in naturalem. Quod ita sit in sequente Articulo pluribus confirmabitur. Quod noxia per influxum ex inferno super tellure producantur, est ex eadem lege permissionis, qua ipsa mala inde apud homines influunt: de qua lege in SAPIENTIA ANGELICA DE DIVINA PROVIDENTIA dicetur.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: vegetalium