293、对此，我补充天使对人里面的意愿和聪明的观点。他们的观点是：人里面没有一丁点属于他自己的意愿和聪明。他们说，人里面哪怕有一丁点，天堂和地狱都将不复存在，整个人类必灭亡。他们给出的理由是，天堂和地狱都是由无数的人，就是自创世以来出生的所有人构成的；它们自上而下以各自构成一体的方式被排列，天堂形成一个美丽的人，地狱则形成一个畸形的人。两者当中但凡有任何人拥有一丁点属于他自己的意愿或聪明，这一体都是不可能的，而是会分崩离析；随它一道灭亡的，还有神性智慧，因为只有当主是绝对的一切，或说全部事物中的全部，其它一切是绝对无有时，神性智慧才能稳固永久。他们给出的另一个理由是，神性本身就是从它自身思考和意愿，而人性本身是从神思考和意愿；神性本身不可能被归给任何人，因为这意味着人会成为神。要牢记这一点，你若愿意，等死后进入灵界时，就会发现它被天使所证实。
293. I will add to this the opinion of angels regarding the will and intelligence in a person. Their opinion is this, that no person has in him a grain of his own will or of his own prudence. They say that if a grain of either were to exist in anyone, neither heaven nor hell would stand, and the whole human race would perish. The reason, they say, is that millions and millions of people, as many as have been born since the creation of the world, make up heaven and hell, the one under the other in such an order that on either side they form a single person - heaven a single comely person, and hell a single monstrous person. If anyone were to possess a grain of his own will or own intelligence, that single whole could not exist, but would be pulled apart, and with it that Divine form would perish, a form which can stand and continue only when the Lord is the all in all things, and people altogether nothing.
Angels add this reason, too, that to think and will of oneself is in essence Divine, while to think and will from God is the essence of what it is to be human; and what is in essence Divine cannot be transferred to any person, for in that case the person would be God.
Hold on to this, and you will be convinced by angels, if you wish, when after death you enter into the spiritual world.
293. I may add what angels think about volition and intelligence. It is their opinion that none of us has even a grain of volition or prudence that is actually ours. If there were such a grain in anyone, neither heaven nor hell could stand and the whole human race would perish. The reason they give is that heaven and hell are made up of millions of people, all the people who have been born since the creation of the world. Heaven and hell are arranged from top to bottom in a design that makes each a unity, heaven a beautiful person and hell a grotesque person. If there were a single grain of volition or intelligence that belonged to anyone, that unity would not be possible. It would be torn apart, and with it would go the divine form that can stand and endure only when the Lord is absolutely everything, and everything else is absolutely nothing.
Another reason they give is that thinking and intending autonomously is divinity itself, while thinking and intending from God is humanity itself. Divinity itself cannot be claimed by any of us: that would mean that we would be God. Remember this; and if you want to, you will find it corroborated by angels when you arrive in the spiritual world after you die.
293. To this I will add the opinion of angels regarding will and intelligence in man. It is this: There cannot be in any man a grain of will and prudence that is his own. They say that if there were such a grain in any man neither heaven nor hell would continue to exist, and the whole human race would perish. The reason, they say, is that myriads of myriads of men, as many as have been born since the creation of the world, constitute heaven and hell, which are arranged in such an order, the one under the other, that on either side they make a one, heaven forming one beautiful man, and hell one monstrous man. If any individual had a grain of will and intelligence of his own that "one" could not possibly exist, but would be rent asunder; and with it would perish that Divine Form which can only manifest itself and continue in being when the Lord is the All in all men and they 1are absolutely nothing. Another reason, they say, is that to think and to will from self is the essential Divine principle, while to think and to will from God is the essential human principle; and what is essentially Divine cannot be appropriated to any man, for in that case man would be God.
Keep this in mind; and if you wish, you will have it confirmed by angels when after death you enter into the spiritual world.
Footnotes:
1. The translation regards "omnibus" as masculine, as the following pronoun "illi" is masculine. Ager's English version (1899) translates both as neuter. The text is "Dominus est omne in omnibus et illi. . ."
293. To this I will add the angelic view of will and intelligence in man, which is, that not a grain of will or of prudence that is his own is possible in any man. They say that if a grain were possible in any one neither heaven nor hell would continue to exist, and the whole human race would perish; and the reason given is that myriads of myriads of men, as many as have been born since the creation of the world, constitute heaven and hell; which are arranged in such an order, one under another, that on either side they make a one, heaven forming one beautiful Man, and hell one monstrous Man. If any one of these had a grain of will or intelligence of his own that oneness would not be possible, but would be rent asunder; and with it would perish that Divine form, which can have consistence and permanence only when the Lord is the All in all things, and these are utterly nothing. They say further, that this is so because the essential Divine is to think and to will from itself, while the essential human is to think and to will from God; and the essential Divine cannot be appropriated to any man, for if it were man would be God. Keep this in mind, and if you wish you will have it corroborated by the angels when after death you go to the spiritual world.
293. His adjiciam angelicam sententiam de voluntate et de intelligentia apud hominem; illa sententia est haec, quod non detur granum propriae voluntatis et propriae prudentiae apud ullum hominem; dicentes, si daretur granum apud unumquemvis, non consisteret Coelum nec infernum, ac periret totum Genus humanum; causam dicunt, quia myriades myriadum hominum, quot a creatione mundi nati sunt, constituunt Coelum et infernum, quorum unum sub altero in tali ordine est, ut utrinque faciant unum, Coelum unum Hominem pulchrum, et infernum unum Hominem monstrosum; si unicuivis foret granum propriae voluntatis et propriae intelligentiae, illud unum non potuisset dari, sed distraheretur, et cum illo periret Divina illa Forma; quae non aliter constare et permanere potest, quam cum Dominus est omne in omnibus, et illi nihil in toto. Dicunt adhuc causam, quod cogitare et velle ex se, sit ipsum Divinum, ac cogitare et velle ex Deo, sit ipsum Humanum; ac Ipsum Divinum non potest appropriari alicui homini, sic enim homo foret Deus. Tene hoc, et ab angelis, si vis, confirmaberis, dum post obitum in Mundum spiritualem venis.