154、表面上看，人被自己引领和教导；而事实上，他唯独被主引领和教导。那些只确信表象，不相信真相的人，不能移走自己身上如罪的邪恶；但那些既确信表象，也确信真相的人能做到这一点。因为表面上看，是人移走了如罪的邪恶；而事实上，是主如此行。后者能被改造，前者则不能。
那些只确信表象，不相信真相的人，内在都是偶像崇拜者，实际上拜的是自己和世界。他们若没有宗教信仰，就会拜自然界，从而成为无神论者。他们若有宗教信仰，就会拜人和像。如今的这些人就是十诫中的第一诫所描述的人，即拜别神的人。但那些确信表象，也确信真相的人则敬拜主，因为主会把他们从陷入表象或幻觉的自我中提升出来，引领他们进入围绕真理并且就是真理的光中。主能使他们从内在发觉，他们不是被自己，而是被祂引领和教导。
在大多数人看来，这两种人的理性看似相同，其实并不相同。那些既处于表象，也处于真相的人，其理性是属灵的；而那些只处于表象，未处于真相的人，其理性是属世的。属世的理性好比冬光里的花园，而属灵的理性好比春光里的花园。接下来我们按以下顺序详细说明这一点：
⑴人唯独被主引领和教导。
⑵人唯独被主通过并从天使天堂引领和教导。
⑶人被主通过流注引领，通过光照教导。
⑷人被主通过圣言和基于圣言的教义和讲道教导，因而唯独被主直接教导。
⑸表面上看，人于外在被主引领和教导，似乎是他在被自己引领和教导。
154. It Is a Law of Divine Providence That a Person Be Led and Taught by the Lord from Heaven Through the Word and Through Doctrine and Preaching from the Word, and this to All Appearance as Though of Himself
The appearance is that a person leads and teaches himself, but in reality a person is led and taught by the Lord alone. People who affirm in themselves the appearance and not at the same time the reality, are unable to put away evils from themselves as sins. By contrast, those who affirm in themselves the appearance and at the same time the reality are able to do so, for evils are put away as sins apparently by the person, but in reality by the Lord. The latter people can be reformed, but not the former.
[2] People who affirm in themselves the appearance and not at the same time the reality are interiorly idolaters, for they are worshipers of themselves and the world. If they do not have any religion, they become worshipers of nature and thus atheists. If, on the other hand, they do have some religion, they become worshipers of people and at the same time of images. Such are the people now meant in the first commandment of the Decalogue by those who worship other gods. In contrast, people who affirm in themselves the appearance and at the same time the reality become worshipers of the Lord; for the Lord elevates them from their native character, which is caught up in the appearance, and conveys them into a light which contains the truth and which is the truth, and He grants them to perceive interiorly that they are not led and taught by themselves but by the Lord.
[3] The rational faculty of the one kind of people and that of the other may appear to many as being alike, but they differ. The rational faculty of those who affirm the appearance and at the same time the reality is a spiritual rationality, while the rational faculty of those who affirm the appearance and not at the same time the reality is a natural rationality. But the latter rationality may be likened to a garden as it is in wintry light, whereas a spiritual rationality may be likened to a garden as it is in the light of spring.
More on this subject, however, in the discussions that follow, under the following series of headings:
(1) A person is led and taught by the Lord alone.
(2) A person is led and taught by the Lord alone through the angelic heaven and from it.
(3) The Lord leads a person by influx and teaches him by enlightenment.
(4) The Lord teaches a person through the Word and through doctrine and preaching from the Word, thus directly from Himself alone.
(5) A person is led and taught by the Lord in outward respects to all appearance as though of himself.
154. It Is a Law of Divine Providence That We Should Be Led and Taught by the Lord, from Heaven, by Means of the Word, and Teaching and Preaching from the Word, and That This Should Happen While to All Appearances We Are Acting Independently
To all appearances, we are leading and teaching ourselves, while the truth is that we are being led and taught by the Lord alone. If we convince ourselves only of the appearance and not of the truth along with it, we cannot get rid of our evils as sins. On the other hand, if we convince ourselves of both the appearance and the truth, we can get rid of them, because getting rid of evils as sins is accomplished apparently by our own efforts, but actually by the Lord. In the latter case we can be reformed; in the former case we cannot.
[2] People who convince themselves of the appearance alone and not of the truth along with it are all idolaters on a deeper level. They actually worship themselves and the world. If they have no religion, they worship the material world and are therefore atheists. If they have any religion, then they worship individuals and images alike. These are the people in our own times who are intended in the first of the Ten Commandments, the ones who worship other gods. However, people who convince themselves of both the appearance and the truth worship the Lord because the Lord is raising them above that sense of self-importance that is caught up in the illusion; the Lord leads them into the light that surrounds truth and that is truth. This gives them a profound sense that they are being led and taught not by themselves but by the Lord.
[3] The rational processes of these two kinds of individual look alike to most people, but they are not. The rational processes of individuals who entertain both the appearance and the truth are spiritual, while the rational processes of people who entertain the appearance but not the truth are bound by the material world. These latter processes could be compared to a garden as we see it in the light of winter, while the former could be compared to a garden as we see it in the light of springtime.
There is more to be said about this next, in the following sequence.
1. We are led and taught by the Lord alone.
2. We are led and taught by the Lord alone through and from the angelic heaven.
3. We are led by the Lord through an inflow and taught by being enlightened.
4. We are taught by the Lord through the Word, and teaching and preaching from the Word, and therefore directly by the Lord alone.
5. Outwardly, we are led and taught by the Lord to all appearances as though we were leading and teaching ourselves.
154. 4. IT IS A LAW OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT MAN SHOULD BE LED AND TAUGHT BY THE LORD FROM HEAVEN BY MEANS OF THE WORD, AND DOCTRINE AND PREACHING FROM THE WORD, AND THIS TO ALL APPEARANCE AS OF HIMSELF.
The appearance is that man is led and taught of himself; but the truth is that he is led and taught by the Lord alone. Those who confirm in themselves the appearance and not at the same time the truth, are unable to remove from themselves evils as sins; but those who confirm in themselves the appearance and at the same time the truth, are able to do so, for in appearance it is man who puts away evils as sins, but in truth it is the Lord. Those who belong to the latter class can be reformed, but not those who belong to the former.
[2] Those who confirm in themselves the appearance and not at the same time the truth are all interior idolaters, for they are worshippers of self and the world. If they have no religion they become worshippers of nature, and thus atheists; but if they have a religion they become worshippers of men and also of images. Such are they at the present day who are meant in the first commandment of the Decalogue, who worship other gods. Those, however, who confirm in themselves the appearance and also the truth become worshippers of the Lord; for the Lord raises them up from their proprium which is in the appearance, and brings them into the light in which is truth and which is truth; and He enables them to perceive interiorly that they are not led and taught of themselves, but by Him.
[3] To many the rational of both classes may appear to be similar, but it is not similar. The rational of those who are in the appearance and at the same time in the truth is a spiritual rational, while the rational of those who are in the appearance and not at the same time in the truth is a natural rational. This natural rational may be compared to a garden as it is in the light of winter, while the spiritual rational may be compared to a garden as it is in the light of spring. But more will be said on these matters in what follows in this order:
I. Man is led and taught by the Lord alone.
II. Man is led and taught by the Lord alone through the angelic heaven and from it.
III. Man is led by the Lord by means of influx, and taught by means of enlightenment.
IV. Man is taught by the Lord by means of the Word, and by doctrine and preaching from the Word, thus immediately by Himself alone.
V. Man is led and taught by the Lord in externals to all appearance as of himself.
154. IT IS A LAW OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT MAN SHOULD BE LED AND TAUGHT BY THE LORD FROM HEAVEN BY MEANS OF THE WORD AND BY MEANS OF DOCTRINE AND PREACHINGS FROM THE WORD, AND THIS TO ALL APPEARANCE AS IF BY HIMSELF.
The appearance is that man is led and taught by himself; but the truth is that he is led and taught by the Lord alone. Those who confirm in themselves the appearance and not also the truth are unable to put away from themselves evils as sins; but those who confirm in themselves both the appearance and the truth are able to do so, for in appearance it is man who puts away evils as sins, but in truth it is the Lord. This latter class can be reformed, the former cannot.
[2] Those who confirm in themselves the appearance and not also the truth are all interior idolaters, since they are worshipers of self and the world. If they have no religion they become worshipers of nature and thus atheists; while if they have a religion they become worshipers of men and also of images. Such at the present day are meant by those described in the first commandment of the Decalogue, who worship other gods. But those who confirm in themselves both the appearance and the truth become worshipers of the Lord; for they are raised up by the Lord out of what is their own (proprium), which is in the appearance, and are brought into the light in which is truth and which is truth; and the Lord enables them to perceive interiorly that they are led and taught by Him, and not by themselves.
[3] To many the rational of both classes seems to be the same, but it is different. The rational of those who are both in the appearance and in the truth is a spiritual rational, while the rational of those who are in the appearance apart from the truth is a natural rational. This natural rational may be likened to a garden as it is in the light of winter, while the spiritual rational may be likened to a garden as it is in the light of spring. But more about this in what follows, and in this order:-
(1) Man is led and taught by the Lord alone.
(2) Man is led and taught by the Lord alone through the angelic heaven and from it.
(3) Man is led by the Lord by means of influx, and taught by means of enlightenment.
(4) Man is taught by the Lord by means of the Word, and by means of doctrine and preachings from the Word, thus immediately by the Lord alone.
(5) In externals man is led and taught by the Lord in all appearance as if by himself.
154. Quod Lex Divinae Providentiae sit, ut homo a
Domino e Coelo ducatur et doceatur, per
Verbum, doctrinam et praedicationes ex
Illo, et hoc in omni apparentia
Sicut a semet
Ex apparentia est, quod homo ducatur et doceatur a semet, et ex veritate est, quod homo ducatur et doceatur a Solo Domino: illi qui apparentiam apud se confirmant, et non simul veritatem, non possunt mala ut peccata a se removere; at illi qui apparentiam et simul veritatem apud se confirmant, illi possunt, nam mala ut peccata removentur in apparentia ab homine, et in veritate a Domino; hi possunt reformari, illi autem non possunt.
[2] Qui apparentiam et non simul veritatem apud se confirmant, illi sunt omnes idololatrae 1interiores, sunt enim cultores sui et mundi; si illis non religio est, fiunt cultores naturae et sic athei; at si illis religio est, fiunt cultores hominum et simul simulachrorum; hi sunt qui nunc intelliguntur in Primo praecepto decalogi, qui alios deos colunt; at qui apud se confirmant apparentiam et simul veritatem, illi fiunt cultores Domini, nam Dominus illos elevat a proprio illorum, quod in apparentia est, et adducit illos in lucem, in qua veritas, et quae veritas est, et dat illis interius percipere, quod non ducantur et doceantur a se, sed a Domino.
[3] Rationale horum et illorum 2potest apparere multis sicut 3simile, sed est dissimile; rationale illorum, qui in apparentia sunt et simul in veritate, est rationale spirituale; at rationale illorum, qui in apparentia sunt et non simul in veritate, est rationale naturale; sed hoc rationale comparari potest horto qualis est in luce hyemali; at rationale spirituale comparari potest horto qualis est in luce vernali. Verum de his plura in sequentibus, in hoc ordine.
I. Quod homo a solo Domino ducatur et doceatur.
II. Quod homo a solo Domino ducatur et doceatur per coelum angelicum et ex illo.
III. Quod homo a Domino ducatur per influxum, et doceatur per illustrationem.
IV. Quod homo a Domino doceatur per Verbum, doctrinam et praedicationes ex illo, sic immediate ab Ipso Solo.
V. Quod homo a Domino in externis ducatur et doceatur in omni apparentia sicut a semet.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: idolotatrae
2 Prima editio: illornm
3 Prima editio: sicnt