18、在天堂，主的神性是爱，因为爱是接受一切属天事物的容器，如平安、聪明、智慧和幸福，爱接受一切与之和谐的事物。爱自发地向往、寻找并吸收它们，因为它渴望不断地被它们丰富和完善。｛注1｝
世人也很清楚这一点，因为在人里面，爱可以说在搜索他的记忆仓库，提取与它和谐一致的一切，在自己里面和下面汇集、整理：“在自己里面”是因为它们可以成为自己的；“在自己下面”是因为它们能为自己服务。至于其它不一致的，则丢弃并清除。｛注2｝
在爱的里面拥有充分的能力接受与自己和谐一致的真理、并渴望与它们结合。这一点还被下面的事实所证明，即一些在世上头脑简单的人被接纳进入天堂，而他们在天使当中却进入到天使的智慧和天堂的福乐中，这是因为他们因良善和真理的缘故而热爱良善与真理，并将它们植入到自己的生命中，由此变成接受天堂和其中妙不可言的一切的能力。而那些爱自我爱世界的人却没有能力接受良善和真理的事物，他们厌恶并弃绝它们，刚一接触它们的进入，他们就逃开，与地狱中相同爱欲的人联系在一起。
有些灵人怀疑天堂之爱有如此的能力，很想知道是否属实。于是，他们被带入天堂之爱的状态，当时，一切的对立之物都被移除，然后，他们被带向前方相当远的一段距离，那里有一个天使的天堂。他们在那里与我交谈，声称他们感知到不可言喻的内在的幸福，并为必须回到原来的状态而大大地悲伤。另有一些人被提入更高或更内层的天堂，就越被准许进入更深的聪明和智慧，以致于他们能理解以前是不可思议的事。由此清楚可知，从主发出的爱是接受天堂及其中一切事物的容器。
｛注1｝：爱包含有无数事物，聚拢一切与自己和谐一致的事物到自己里面（2500，2572，3078，3189，6323，7490，7750）。
｛注2｝：【英42】在下文第356节末尾对《属天的奥秘》的引用中，对这个总主题进行了相当详细的探讨。
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18. 在天堂, 主的神性是爱, 因为爱是接受天堂一切事物的容器, 如平安, 聪明, 智慧和幸福. 事实上, 爱乐于接受与之和谐一致的每一个和一切事物. 可以说, 它自然而然地渴望, 寻找并吸收它们, 因为它不断渴望通过它们被丰富和完善. 其实, 世人也十分清楚这一点, 因为在他里面, 爱可以说不停地搜索他存储的记忆, 提取与它自己一致的一切事物, 并在自己里面和之下收集, 整理它们; 在自己里面是为了让它们能成为它自己的, 在自己之下是为了让它们能服务于它. 至于不一致的其它事物, 它则弃绝并逐出. 接受与自己和谐一致的真理的一切本能并与它们结合的渴望就存在于爱里面, 这一点因以下事实变得显而易见: 有些被提入天堂的人在世时心思简单, 然而在天使中间却进入天使的智慧和天上的祝福中. 这是因为他们因良善与真理的缘故而热爱良善与真理, 并将它们植入自己的生命, 由此变得有能力接受天堂和那里无法形容的一切. 而那些爱自己, 爱世界的人却没有获得接受这类事物的能力; 这些人厌恶并弃绝它们; 刚一接触并进入, 他们就逃开, 与地狱中那些其爱与自己类似的人联系在一起. 有些灵人质疑天堂之爱蕴含这种能力, 很想知道事实是否如此. 于是, 他们被带入天堂之爱的状态; 当时, 凡反对之物都被清除; 然后又被带到前面一段距离处, 那里有一个天使天堂. 他们从该天堂与我交谈, 声称他们感受到一种无法用语言形容的内在幸福, 并为必须回到他们原来的状态而大感悲伤. 还有些人被提入天堂; 并且他们被提升得越高或越内在, 就越被准许进入聪明和智慧, 以致他们能顿悟以前对他们来说无法理解的事. 由此清楚可知, 从主发出的爱是接受天堂及其中一切事物的容器.
注: 有无数事物包含在爱里面, 爱将与其和谐一致的一切事物都汇集到自己里面(天国的奥秘 2500, 2572, 3078, 3189, 6323, 7490, 7750节).
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18. 在天國, 主的神性為愛, 愛是承受平安, 聰明, 智慧, 快樂等天國品質的容器。凡是與愛相融者, 皆納入其中。愛渴求並自發吸收這些品質, 並藉此不斷追求豐富與完美。其實人也能意識到這個事實, 打個比方說, 人審閱記憶中的儲存, 將與己欲相符的調取出來, 在己欲之中與之下加以收集整理——在之中, 是為了擁有它們;在之下, 讓它們為己服務。凡是與己欲不合的, 予以拒絕並排除。
對於吸收與之相合之理, 愛有一種充分而固有的能力, 也有一種與理相啟合的渴望。通過觀察已升入天國的人, 這一點顯而易見。即使在世時頭腦單純的普通百姓, 當他們進入天人當中, 也獲得了天人的智慧, 享受著天國的快樂。這是因為他們因善而愛善, 因真而愛理, 並將這些品質溶入自己的生活中, 從而有能力接受天國及其不可言啟的豐盛。
陷於我欲和物欲(我欲就是愛自己, 物欲就是愛世界)中的人卻缺乏這種吸收的能力。他們背道而馳, 但凡接觸善與理就極力啟避, 樂意與地獄中陷入相同欲望之人為伍。
有的靈對天國之愛有如此能力持懷疑態度, 希望求得證實。為此, 在排除掉一切障礙的情形下, 他們被帶進天國之愛的狀態中, 並領他們向天國前行。在此過程中, 他們感受到無法言啟的內在喜樂。然後不得不恢復到之前的狀態, 他們感到十分惋惜。
另有靈也被提到天國, 被提升得越高或進入越深, 他們能領受的聰明和智慧也越高或越深, 能領悟之前無法理解的事情。由此可見從主發出之愛的確是天國及其中一切豐富的容器。
18. The reason the Lord's divine nature in heaven is love is that love is what is receptive of every heavenly quality - that is, of peace, intelligence, wisdom, and happiness. Love is receptive of everything that is in harmony with it. It longs for such things, it seeks them out, it absorbs them spontaneously because it has the constant purpose of uniting itself with them and being enriched by them. 1People actually recognize this fact, since the love within them surveys memory, so to speak, and draws out from it the items that agree with it. It gathers these together and arranges them within and beneath itself - within itself so that it may possess them and beneath itself so that they may serve it. It discards and eradicates, though, the items that do not agree with it.
I have been able to see very clearly that love has a full, intrinsic ability to accept elements of truth that suit it and has also a desire of uniting them to itself. This has become clear from observing people who have been transported into heaven. Even people who were simple folk in this world have arrived at angelic wisdom and heavenly happiness in the company of angels. This was because they loved what is good and true for the sake of what is good and true. They had grafted these qualities into their lives and had thereby become capable of accepting heaven and all its indescribable riches.
People caught up in love for themselves and for the world, however, have no such receptive ability. They turn away from such things, discard them, and at their first touch or inflow try to escape them. They ally themselves with people in hell who are caught up in loves like their own.
There were some spirits who doubted that love was so full and wanted to know whether this was really true. In order that they might find out, they were let into a state of heavenly love with all obstacles removed and were brought forward a considerable distance to an angelic heaven. They talked with me from there and told me that they felt deeper happiness than words could express, sorrowing that they would have to return to their former state. Other people as well have been raised into heaven, and the deeper or higher they have been taken, the deeper and higher they have penetrated into intelligence and wisdom, becoming able to grasp things that were incomprehensible to them before. We can see from this that the love that
emanates from the Lord is open to heaven and all its riches.
Footnotes:
1. Love includes countless elements, and welcomes into itself everything that is in harmony with it: 2500, 2572, 3078, 3189, 6323, 7490, 7750.
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18. The Divine of the Lord in heaven is love, for the reason that love is the receptacle of all the things of heaven, which are peace, intelligence, wisdom and happiness. For love is receptive of each and all things in agreement with it. It desires them, seeks them and imbibes them, as it were, spontaneously, for it desires unceasingly to be enriched and perfected by means of them. 1This, indeed, is well known to man. For with him, love as it were looks into the stores of his memory, drawing forth all things in accord with itself, collecting and arranging them in and under itself-in itself, that they may be its own, under itself, that they may be serviceable to it. Other things not in accord, it rejects and expels. That there is present in love every capacity for receiving truths in agreement with itself and the desire to conjoin them to itself has indeed been made abundantly clear by the experience of some who were taken up into heaven. Although they had been simple-minded when in the world, yet among the angels they came into angelic wisdom and heavenly blessedness. This was because they loved what is good and true for the sake of good and truth, and implanted them in their life, thereby becoming capable of receiving heaven with all that is ineffable there. But those who are in the love of self and of the world have no capacity for receiving such things. They turn from them and reject them, and at the first touch and influx of them they flee away and associate with those in hell who are in loves like their own. There were spirits who were doubtful about there being such capacities in heavenly love, and who desired to know whether it were so. They were therefore brought into a state of heavenly love, whatever opposed being for the time removed. They were then brought forward some distance where there was an angelic heaven, and from it they talked with me, saying that they perceived a more interior happiness than they could express in words, and lamenting greatly that they would be returning to their former state. Others also were taken up into heaven, and the higher or more interiorly they were exalted, the more they were admitted into intelligence and wisdom so that they could perceive what had before been incomprehensible to them. From this it is clear that love, going forth from the Lord, is the receptacle of heaven and of all things therein.
Footnotes:
1. In love there are innumerable things, and love takes to itself all things that agree with it (Arcana Coelestia 2500, 2572, 3078, 3189, 6323, 7490, 7750).
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18. The Divine of the Lord in heaven is love, for the reason that love is receptive of all things of heaven, such as peace, intelligence, wisdom and happiness. For love is receptive of each and all things that are in harmony with it; it longs for them, seeks them, and drinks them in as it were spontaneously, for it desires unceasingly to be enriched and perfected by them. 1This, too, man well knows, for with him love searches as it were the stores of his memory and draws forth all things that are in accord with itself, collecting and arranging them in and under itself-in itself that they may be its own, and under itself that they may be its servants; but other things not in accord with it it discards and expels. That there is present in love every capacity for receiving truths in harmony with itself, and a longing to conjoin them to itself, has been made clear also by the fact that some who were simple-minded in the world were taken up into heaven, and yet when they were with the angels they came into angelic wisdom and heavenly blessedness, and for the reason that they had loved what is good and true for its own sake, and had implanted it in their life, and had thereby become capacities for receiving heaven with all that is ineffable there. But those who are in love of self and of the world have no capacity for receiving what is good and true; they loathe and reject it, and at its first touch and entrance they flee and associate themselves with those in hell who are in loves like their own. There were spirits who had doubts about there being such capacities in heavenly love, and who wished to know whether it were true; whereupon they were let into a state of heavenly love, whatever opposed being for the time removed, and were brought forward some distance, where there was an angelic heaven, and from it they talked with me, saying that they perceived a more interior happiness than they could possibly express in words, and they lamented greatly that they must return into their former state. Others also were taken up into heaven; and the higher or more interiorly they were exalted the more of intelligence and wisdom were they admitted into, such as enabled them to perceive what had before been incomprehensible to them. From this it is clear that the love that goes forth from the Lord is receptive of heaven and all things therein.
Footnotes:
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18. Quod Divinum Domini in caelo sit amor, est quia amor est receptaculum omnium caeli, quae sunt pax, intelligentia, sapientia, ac felicitas amor enim recipit omnia et singula quae sibi conveniunt, desiderat illa, inquirit illa, imbuit illa sicut sua sponte, nam vult continue locupletari et perfici ab illis 1quod etiam notum est homini, nam amor apud illum quasi inspicit et haurit ex rebus memoriae ejus omnia quae concordant, ac illa colligit, et disponit in se et sub se, in se ut sint sua, ac sub se ut sibi inserviant cetera autem, quae non concordant, rejicit et exterminat. Quod amori insit omnis facultas recipiendi vera sibi convenientia, ac desiderium illa sibi conjungendi, patuit etiam manifeste ab illis qui in caelum evecti sunt; illi tametsi simplices in mundo fuerunt, usque in sapientiam angelicam et in felicia caeli venerunt, cum inter angelos: causa fuit, quia amaverunt bonum et verum propter bonum et verum, et implantaverunt illa vitae suae, et per id facultates facti sunt recipiendi caelum cum omni ineffabili ibi. Qui autem in amore sui et mundi sunt, illi in nulla facultate recipiendi illa sunt, aversantur illa, rejiciunt illa, et ad primum tactum et influxum eorum aufugiunt, et se associant illis in inferno, qui in similibus secum amoribus sunt. Fuerunt spiritus qui dubitabant quod talia inessent amori caelesti, et desiderabant scire num ita esset quapropter missi sunt in statum amoris caelestis, remotis interea obstantibus, et perlati antrorsum ad distantiam ubi caelum angelicum, et inde locuti sunt mecum, dicentes quod interiorem felicitatem percipiant, quam vocibus exprimere queunt, dolentes valde quod in pristinum statum redirent. Alii etiam elevati sunt in caelum; et sicut interius seu altius sublati sunt, ita intraverunt in intelligentiam et sapientiam, ut percipere possent, quae prius illis incomprehensibilia fuerunt. Inde patet, quod amor procedens a Domino sit receptaculum caeli et omnium ibi.
Footnotes: