164、然而，由于这是一个天使智慧的奥秘，故人无法理解它，除非他的属灵心智被打开。这样一个人凭他与主的结合就是一位天使，能够根据前面的说明来理解接下来的内容，即：
①世人与天使都在主里面，主也在他们里面，一直达到他们与主结合的程度，也就是他们接受来自主的爱与智慧的程度。
②每个人都照着这个结合或对主的接受的品质而在主里面，也就是在天堂里面被分配一个地方。
③每个人在自己的地方都有一个与众不同的具体状态，并照着他的地方、职能和需要而从共同体中获取他的份，正如每个部位在人体中的情形那样。
④每个人都被主照着他的生活领到他自己的地方。
⑤从婴儿期开始，每个人都被引入神性人，这神性人的灵魂和生命就是主；人在主里面，而不是在祂之外出于神性之爱本身，照着神性智慧本身被引领和教导。然而，人不会丧失自由，所以只能在他貌似凭自己接受的程度内被引领和教导。
⑥那些接受（神性之爱和智慧）的人通过无数迂回曲折的路径被引到他们的地方，就跟乳糜通过肠系膜和乳糜管被输送到乳糜池，由此通过胸导管进入血液，从而到达它的目的地差不多。
⑦那些不接受（神性之爱和智慧）的人与那些在神性人里面的人分离，就像粪便和尿液从人体排出一样。
这些都是天使智慧的奥秘，人们能在某种程度上理解它们；但也有许多奥秘是他们所不能理解的。
164. Because this is a secret of angelic wisdom, however, it can be comprehended only by a person who has had his spiritual mind opened, for such a one is, by conjunction with the Lord, an angel. Such a person can, from the foregoing remarks, comprehend the following statements:
1. All people, both mortals and angels, are in the Lord and have the Lord in them to the extent of their conjunction with Him, or in other words, to the extent of their reception of love and wisdom from Him.
[2] 2. Each of these is allotted a place in the Lord, thus in heaven, according to the nature of the conjunction or of his reception of the Lord.
[3] 3. Each has, in his place, his own state, distinct from the state of others; and he draws his sustenance from the whole in accordance with his situation, his function, and his need, just as each part does in the human body.
[4] 4. Every person is introduced into his place by the Lord in accordance with his life.
[5] 5. Every person from early childhood is introduced into that Divine Man whose soul and life is the Lord, and he is led and taught in Him, and not apart from Him, by the Lord's Divine love in accordance with His Divine wisdom. Nevertheless, because a person's freedom is never taken away, he can be led and taught only to the extent of his reception as though of himself.
[6] 6. People who are receptive are conveyed to their places by endless roundabout ways, as though by meandering journeys, almost as chyle is conveyed through the mesentery and the lacteal vessels there into the cisterna chyli, and from this through the thoracic duct into the blood, and so to its home.
[7] 7. People who are not receptive are separated from those in the Divine Man who are, as excrement and urine are separated and discharged from a person.
These are secrets of angelic wisdom which a person can to some extent comprehend, but there are many others which he cannot.
164. However, since this is a secret of angelic wisdom, people cannot understand it unless their spiritual minds have been opened. Such people are angels by virtue of their union with the Lord and will be able to understand what follows on the basis of what has already been said. (a) Both we and angels are in the Lord, and the Lord is in both us and angels, to the extent that we are united with him--that is, to the extent that we accept love and wisdom from him.
[2] (b) Each of us is assigned a place in the Lord--that is, in heaven--according to the quality of that union or acceptance of him.
[3] (c) Each of us has a specific state in that place, a state different from that of anyone else, and from the commonwealth we are granted a livelihood appropriate to our place, our responsibilities, and our needs, just the way it happens in the human body.
[4] (d) Each of us is led into our place by the Lord, in keeping with our lives.
[5] (e) Each of us is introduced at infancy into that divine-human being whose soul and life is the Lord; and we are led and taught out of divine love itself according to divine wisdom itself, within the Lord and not outside him. However, since we are not deprived of our freedom, the only way we can be led and taught is within the limits of our apparently autonomous acceptance.
[6] (f) People who do accept [divine love and wisdom] are brought to their places by countless winding and roundabout ways, almost like the way the chyle is brought through the mesentery and the lacteals into its reservoir, and from there through the thoracic duct into the blood and therefore to its proper place.
[7] (g) People who do not accept [divine love and wisdom] are separated from those who are inside the divine person the way feces and urine are excreted from us.
These are secrets of angelic wisdom that people can understand to some extent; but there are many other secrets that they cannot understand.
164. However, as this is a truth (arcanum) of angelic wisdom it cannot be comprehended by man unless his spiritual mind has been opened; for such a man, by virtue of his conjunction with the Lord, is an angel. Such a man may comprehend the following from what has already been stated:
1. All, men and angels alike, are in the Lord and the Lord is in them according to their conjunction with Him, or, what is the same, according to their reception of love and wisdom from Him.
2. Each of these has a place appointed in the Lord, thus in heaven, according to the nature of this conjunction or reception of Him.
3. Each one in his own place has his state distinct from the state of others; and draws his portion from the common stock according to his position, his function and his need, precisely as each part does in the human body.
4. Everyone is initiated into his place by the Lord according to his life.
5. Everyone from infancy is introduced into that Divine Man whose soul and life is the Lord; and in the Lord, not outside Him, he is led and taught from His Divine Love according to His Divine Wisdom. But as freedom is not taken away from man, he can be led and taught only in the measure that he receives love and wisdom as of himself.
6. Those who receive are conducted to their places through an infinite maze of winding paths, much as the chyle is carried through the mesentery and the lacteal vessels to its cistern, 1and from this through the thoracic duct into the blood, and so to its own place.
7. Those who do not receive are separated from those who are within the Divine Man, as excrement and urine are separated from man.
These are interior truths of heavenly wisdom which man can in some measure comprehend; but there are many more which he cannot.
Footnotes:
1. Cisterna or receptaculum chyli, occasionally called the abdominal cistern.
164. But this is an arcanum of angelic wisdom, and therefore cannot be comprehended by man unless his spiritual mind has been opened,-such a man, by virtue of his conjunction with the Lord, being an angel. Such a man, from what has already been said, is able to comprehend what here follows:
(1) All, both men and angels, are in the Lord and the Lord in them in the measure of their conjunction with Him, or, what is the same, in the measure of their reception of love and wisdom from Him.
(2) Each one of these is allotted a place in the Lord, that is, in heaven, according to the quality of his conjunction with or reception of the Lord.
(3) Each one in his place has his state distinct from the state of others; and draws his portion from the common body according to his location, his function, and his need, precisely as each part does in the human body.
(4) Every man is initiated into his place by the Lord according to his life.
(5) Every one from infancy is introduced into this Divine Man, whose soul and life is the Lord; and in the Lord, not out of Him, is led and taught from the Lord's Divine love according to His Divine wisdom. But as man is not deprived of freedom he can be led and taught only in the measure of his recipiency as if by himself.
(6) Those who receive are borne to their places through infinite turnings, as if by winding ways, much as the chyle is carried through the mesentery and its lacteals into the receptacle, and from this through the thoracic duct into the blood, and thus to its destination.
(7) Those who do not receive are separated from those that are within the Divine Man, as excrement and urine are separated from man. These are arcana of angelic wisdom which man can in some measure comprehend; but there are many others that he cannot.
164. Sed quia hoc est arcanum Sapientiae angelicae, non potest comprehendi ab homine, nisi cui mens spiritualis aperta est, hic enim ex conjunctione cum Domino est angelus; ab illo homine ex praemissis possunt sequentia comprehendi. 1. Quod omnes tam homines quam angeli sint in Domino et Dominus in illis, secundum conjunctionem cum Ipso, seu quod idem, secundum receptionem amoris et sapientiae ab Ipso. [2] 2. Quod quisque 1ex his sortiatur locum in Domino, ita in Coelo, secundum quale conjunctionis, seu receptionis Ipsius. [3] 3. Quod quisque in suo loco habeat suum statum a statu aliorum distinctum; et quod ex communi trahat suum pensum secundum suum situm, suam functionem, et suam necessitatem, prorsus sicut quodlibet in humano corpore. [4] 4. Quod unusquisque homo initietur in suum locum a Domino secundum suam vitam. 2[5] 5. Quod unusquisque homo ab infantia immittatur in Divinum illum Hominem, cujus anima et vita est Dominus, et quod ducatur et doceatur ex Divino Ipsius Amore secundum Divinam Ipsius Sapientiam, in Ipso et non extra Ipsum. Sed quia Liberum homini non aufertur, quod homo non aliter possit duci et doceri, quam secundum receptionem sicut a se. [6] 6. Quod illi qui recipiunt, per infinitas ambages sicut per maeandros ferantur ad sua loca, paene sicut chylus per mesenterium et vasa lactea ibi in cisternam, et ab hac per ductum thoracicum in sanguinem, et sic in suam sedem. [7] 7. Quod illi qui non recipiunt, secernantur ab illis qui intra Divinum Hominem sunt, sicut ab homine secernitur stercus et urina. Haec sunt arcana sapientiae angelicae, quae ab homine aliquantum comprehendi possunt, sed perplura sunt, quae non possunt.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: Quisque
2 Prima editio: vitam,