上一节　 下一节　 回首页

《天堂与地狱》 第307节

（简释本，2022）

307、至于天堂如何通过圣经与人类结合，我会通过一些经文予以说明。启示录以这些话来描述“新耶路撒冷”：

　　我又看见一个新天新地，先前的天和先前的地已经过去了。我又看见圣城新耶路撒冷由上帝那里从天而降。城是四方的，长宽一样。一个天使用苇子量那城，共有一万二千斯塔德（stadia）；长、宽、高都是一样。又量了城墙，按着人的尺寸，就是天使的尺寸，共有一百四十四肘。墙的构造是碧玉的，但城本身是精金的，如同明净的玻璃。城墙的根基是用各样宝石修饰的。十二个门是十二颗珍珠；城内的街道是精金，好像明透的玻璃。（启示录21:1-2，16-19，21）｛注1｝

　　当人阅读这些话时，仅仅照着字义理解它们，也就是：可见的天和地将要毁灭，一个新天将要建立，圣城耶路撒冷将要降在新的地球上，城的所有尺寸都和这里描述的一样。但与人同在的天使却以完全不同的方式理解这些话，也就是说，人属世地理解一切，天使则属灵地理解一切。

　　[2]对天使来说，“新天新地”表示新教会；“由上帝那里从天而降的耶路撒冷城”表示由主所启示的新教会的属天教义；“长、宽、高都是一样”，“共有一万二千斯塔德”表示作为综合体的该教义的一切良善和真理；“城墙”表示保护它的真理；“城墙的尺寸，按着人的尺寸，就是天使的尺寸，共有一百四十四肘”表示作为一个整体的所有进行保护的真理以及它们的特性；“十二个门是十二颗珍珠”表示入门的真理，“珍珠”表示这类真理；“城墙的根基是用各样宝石修饰的”表示该教义立于其上的知识；构成城和城内街道、好像明透玻璃的“精金”表示使该教义及其真理透明的爱之良善。天使就是如此感知所有这些事物的；因而与世人的感知不一样。人的属世观念就这样转变成天使里面的属灵观念，而天使丝毫不知道圣经的字义，如“新天新地”、“新耶路撒冷及其城墙，城墙的根基、尺寸”等。然而，天使的思想和人的思想却成为一体，因为它们相对应；它们构成一体的方式，差不多就跟发言者的言语与只专注于言下之意（不关注言语）的听者所理解的意思构成一体一样。这一切都表明天堂是如何通过圣经与人类结合的。

　　[3]让我们从圣经中再举一例：

　　当那日，必有从埃及通往亚述去的大道，亚述要进入埃及，埃及也要进入亚述，埃及人要服侍亚述人。当那日，以色列必与埃及、亚述并列为三，成为大地上蒙福的，因为万军之耶和华赐福给他们说，埃及我的百姓，亚述我手的工作，以色列我的产业，都有福了！（以赛亚书19:23-25）

　　在读这些文字时，世人是如何思想的，天使又是如何思想的，这从圣经的字义和内义可以看出来。世人根据字义认为埃及人和亚述人要皈依上帝，得蒙悦纳，然后与以色列民族合而为一。但天使根据内义却认为，此处在内义上描述了属灵教会的人，他们的属灵层面是“以色列”，属世层面是“埃及人”，其理性层面，也就是中间层面，是“亚述人”。｛注2｝尽管如此，这两种含义却是合一的，因为它们对应。因此，当天使这样属灵地思考、人这样属世地思考时，它们几乎如同灵魂与身体那样结合。事实上，圣经的内义就是它的灵魂，而字义则是它的身体。圣经处处都是这样。这表明，圣经是天堂与人类结合的媒介，其字义充当基础和根基。

｛注1｝：【英199】原版引文未包括第19和21节。【中】“一万二千斯塔德”约为 2220公里（参看第197节注释），和合本译为“四千里”，但原文包含“12”这个非常神圣的数字，因为它表示信的神圣事物（参见第263节注释）。

｛注2｝：在圣经中，“埃及”和“埃及人”表示属世层面及其知识（4967，5079，5080，5095，5160，5460，5799，6015，6147，6252，7355，7648，9340，9391）。“亚述”表示理性层面（119，1186）。“以色列”表示属灵层面（5414，5801，5803，5806，5812，5817，5819，5826，5833，5879，5951，6426，6637，6862，6868，7035，7062，7198，7201，7215，7223，7957，8234，8805，9340）。

------------

（一滴水译本，2020）

307. 至于天堂如何通过圣言与人类联结, 我会通过一些经文予以说明. 启示录以这些话来描述“新耶路撒冷”:

我又看见一个新天新地. 因为先前的天和先前的地已经过去了. 我又看见圣城新耶路撒冷由神那里从天而降. 城是四方的, 长宽一样大. 天使用苇子量那城, 共有一万二千斯他丢; 长, 宽, 高都是一样. 又量了城墙, 按着人的尺寸, 就是天使的尺寸, 共有一百四十四肘. 墙的构造是碧玉的, 城是精金的, 如同明净的玻璃. 城墙的根基是用各样宝石修饰的. 十二个门是十二颗珍珠; 城内的街道是精金, 好像明透的玻璃. (启示录 21[1], 2, 16-19, 21)

阅读这些话的人纯粹照着字义理解它们, 即: 可见的天与地将要毁灭, 一个新天将要建立; 圣城耶路撒冷将降在新地上, 城的所有尺寸都和描述的一样. 但与人同在的天使却以完全不同的方式理解这些话, 也就是说, 人以属世之义来理解的一切, 他们都以属灵之义来理解.

对天使来说, “新天新地”表示一个新教会; “由神那里从天而降的耶路撒冷城”表示由主所启示的新教会的属天教义; “长, 宽, 高都是一样”, “共有一万二千斯他丢”表示作来一个整体的该教义的一切良善和真理; “城墙”表示保护它的真理; “城墙的尺寸, 按着人的尺寸, 就是天使的尺寸, 共有一百四十四肘”表示作为一个整体的所有进行保护的真理, 以及它们的品质; “十二个门是十二颗珍珠”表示入门的真理, 珍珠就表示这类真理; “城墙的根基是用各样宝石修饰的”表示该教义基于其上的知识; 构成城和城内街道, 好像明透玻璃的“精金”表示使该教义及其真理透明的爱之良善. 天使就是如此理解所有这些事物的; 因而与世人的理解不一样. 人的属世观念就这样转变成天使当中的属灵观念, 而天使丝毫不知道圣言的字义, 如“新天新地”, “新耶路撒冷及其城墙, 城墙的根基, 尺寸”等. 然而, 天使的思维与人的思维却构成一体, 因为它们相对应; 它们构成一体的方式, 就跟发言者的话语和只专注于意思, 而非这些话本身的听者的理解构成一体的方式差不多. 这一切表明天堂如何通过圣言与人类联结.

从圣言再举一例:

当那日, 必有从埃及通亚述去的大道, 亚述人要进入埃及, 埃及人也要进入亚述, 埃及人要服侍亚述人. 当那日, 以色列必与埃及, 亚述三国一律, 使地当中的人得福, 因为万军之耶和华赐福给他们说, 埃及我的百姓, 亚述我手的工作, 以色列我的产业, 都有福了! (以赛亚书 19:23-25)

当这些话被阅读时, 世人是如何思想的, 天使又是如何思想的, 这从圣言的字义和内义可以看出来. 世人根据字义认为埃及人和亚述人要皈依神, 得蒙悦纳, 然后与以色列民族合而为一. 但天使根据内义却认为, 此处在内义上描述了属灵教会的人. 他们的属灵层是“以色列”, 其属世层是“埃及人”, 其理性层, 也就是中间层, 是“亚述人”. 尽管如此, 这两层含义却是一, 因为它们相对应. 因此, 当天使像这样作属灵的思考, 人作属世的思考时, 它们便几乎如同灵魂与身体那样结合. 事实上, 圣言的内义就是它的灵魂, 而字义则是它的身体. 圣言处处都是这样. 这表明, 圣言是天堂与人类联结的媒介, 其字义充当一个基础和根基.

注: 在圣言中, “埃及”和“埃及人”表示属世层及其知识(天国的奥秘 4967, 5079, 5080, 5095, 5160, 5460, 5799, 6015, 6147, 6252, 7355, 7648, 9340, 9391节). “亚述”表示理性层(天国的奥秘 119, 1186节). “以色列”表示属灵层(天国的奥秘 5414, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833, 5879, 5951, 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 7957, 8234, 8805, 9340节).

------------

（思想者译本，2015）

307. 讓我引用幾段經文, 以說明天國是如何藉聖言與人類相通的。

啟示錄如此描述新耶路撒冷:"我又看見一個新天新地, 因為先前的天地已經過去了…我又看見聖城新耶路撒冷由上帝那裡從天而降…城是四方的, 長寬一樣。天人用葦子量那城, 共有一萬二千斯塔德, 長寬高都是一樣。又量了城牆, 按著人的尺寸, 就是天人的尺寸, 共有一百四十四肘。牆是碧玉造的。城是精金的, 如同明淨的玻璃。城牆的根基是用各樣寶石修飾的…十二個門是十二顆珍珠, 每門是一顆珍珠。城內的街道是精金, 好像明透的玻璃。"

(啟示錄21:1-2, 16-19)世人讀之, 只是解其字義, 就是可見的天地將要毀滅, 全新的天國將要建立, 聖城耶路撒冷將降於新地, 城的大小將如所描述的那樣。與人同在的天人卻作完全不同的理解, 人是取其屬世義, 天人卻是取其屬靈義。

對天人而言,"新天新地"指新的教會;"由上帝那裡從天而降的耶路撒冷"指主將啟示與新教會的屬天的教義;"其長寬高皆為一萬二千斯塔德"指新教義所包含的全部良善和真理, 作為一個整體;"城牆"指守護該教義的真理;"城牆的尺寸, 按著人的尺寸, 就是天人的尺寸, 共有一百四十四肘,"指所有守護性的真理及其屬性,

作為一個整體;"十二個門是十二顆珍珠"指引導性的真理;"城牆的根基是用各樣寶石修飾的"指該教義得以立定的基本認知;"城內的街道是精金, 好像明透的玻璃"指使得該教義及其真理明透的仁之善。這是天人所理解的, 與世人所理解的不同。人的物質觀念就這樣轉變成了天人的心靈觀念, 至於聖言的字義, 如新天新地, 新耶路撒冷, 城牆, 城牆的根基, 尺寸等等, 天人一無所取。但是天人的思想與人的思想是合為一體的, 因為兩者彼此對應, 正如言者所說文字與聽者所解含義(只注意言下之意, 不注意文字本身的聽者)是一個整體。由此可見, 天國是如何藉聖言與人類相通的。

再引用一段經文:"當那日必有從埃及通亞述去的大道。亞述人要進入埃及, 埃及人也進入亞述, 埃及人要與亞述人一同敬拜耶和華。當那日以色列必與埃及亞述三國一律, 使地上的人得福, 因為萬軍之耶和華賜福給他們, 說:埃及我的百姓, 亞述我手的工作, 以色列我的產業, 都有福了！"(以賽亞書19:23-25)

比較聖言的字義和靈義, 可知人和天人在讀該段經文時各是如何思維的。從字義來看, 人將之理解為埃及人和亞述人都將皈依上帝, 受上帝悅納, 並與以色列人合而為一。然天人卻本乎靈義思考, 在靈義上, 此處所描述的是屬靈教會中的人, 其屬靈的層面為"以色列,"其屬世的層面為"埃及,"其理性的層面, 即中間層面, 為"亞述"。属灵属世两种含義是一體的, 因為彼此對應。所以, 當天人作屬靈的思考, 而人作屬世的思考時, 兩者是合為一的, 正如靈魂與身體合為一。聖言的靈義是其靈魂, 字義是其身體。聖言處處皆是如此。由此可見, 聖言的確是天國與人類相通的一個媒介, 字義起到一個根基的作用。

上一节　 目录　 下一节

Heaven and Hell #307 (NCE, 2000)

307. I should like to use a few passages to show how heaven is united with us through the Word. The New Jerusalem is described in the Book of Revelation as follows:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the former heaven and former earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. The city was foursquare, its length equal to its breadth. And the angel measured the city with the reed at twelve thousand stadia; the length, breadth, and height were equal; and he measured its wall, 144 cubits, the measure of a human being, which was that of the angel. The construction of the wall was jasper, but the city itself was pure gold and like pure glass; and the foundation of the wall was decorated with every precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, and the street of the city was pure gold like transparent glass. (Revelation 21:1-2, 16-18,)

People who read this understand it simply according to its literal meaning, namely that this visible sky and earth are going to perish and that a new heaven is going to be established, that on a new earth the holy city Jerusalem is going to descend, and that all its measurements will be as described. But the angels who are with us understand it very differently, understanding spiritually what we take in a natural sense.

[2] For them, the new heaven and the new earth mean a new church; the city Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven means its heavenly doctrine revealed by the Lord; its length, breadth, and height, which are equal at twelve thousand stadia, mean all the good and true elements of that doctrine grasped as a single whole; the wall means the truths that protect it; the measure of the wall being 144 cubits, which was the measure of a human being, that is, of the angel, means all those protective truths grasped as a single whole, and their quality; the twelve gates made of pearls mean introductory truths (pearls mean that kind of truth); the foundations of the wall that were of precious stones mean the acknowledgments on which that doctrine is based; and the gold like pure glass of which the city and its streets were made means the good of love that makes doctrine and its truths transparent. This is how angels understand all these things, so it is not the way we do. This is how our natural concepts are transformed into spiritual concepts among angels without their knowing anything about the literal meaning of the Word - about the new heaven and the new earth, for example, or the new city Jerusalem, its wall, the foundations of the wall, and its measurements. Still, the angels' thoughts form a unity with ours because they correspond. They form a single whole almost like the words of a speaker and the understanding of those words by a listener who is focused not on the words themselves but on understanding them. This may enable us to see how heaven is united to us through the Word.

[3] For another example from the Word,

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be a third for Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the middle of the land, whom Jehovah of hosts will bless, saying, "Blessed is my people Egypt, and the work of my hands Assyria, and my inheritance Israel." (Isaiah 19:23-25)

We can see how people on earth think and how angels think when they read this if we look at the literal meaning of the Word and at its inner meaning. We think, on the basis of its literal meaning, that Egypt and Assyria are going to be converted to God and received, and that they will become united to the Israelite nation. The angels, though, think on the basis of its inner meaning about people of the spiritual church, who are being described here in that inner meaning. Their spiritual level is Israel, their natural level is Egypt, and their rational level, which is the intermediate level, is Assyria. ¹Still, these two meanings are one because they correspond. Consequently, when angels are thinking spiritually like this and we are thinking naturally the way we do, we are united almost like a soul and a body. The inner meaning of the Word is its soul, and the literal meaning is its body.

The Word is like this throughout; so we can see that it is a means of heaven's union with us and that the literal meaning serves as its basis and foundation.

Footnotes:

------------

Heaven and Hell #307 (Harley, 1958)

307. How heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word I will illustrate by some passages from it. "The New Jerusalem" is described in Revelation in these words:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. The city was foursquare, its length as great as its breadth; and an angel measured the city with a reed, twelve thousand furlongs; the length, the breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The building of the wall was of jasper; but the city itself was pure gold, and like unto pure glass; and the foundations of the wall were adorned with every precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Revelation 21:1-2, 16-19, 21.

When man reads these words he understands them merely in accordance with the sense of the letter, namely, that the visible heaven with the earth is to perish, and a new heaven is to come into existence; and upon the new earth the holy city Jerusalem is to descend, with all its dimensions as here described. But the angels who are with man understand these things in a wholly different way, namely, every particular detail that man understands naturally they understand spiritually.

[2] By "the new heaven and the new earth" they understand a new Church; by "the city Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven" they understand its heavenly doctrine revealed by the Lord; by "its length, breadth, and height, which are equal", and "twelve thousand furlongs", they understand all the goods and truths of that doctrine in the complex; by its "wall" they understand the truths protecting it; by "the measure of the wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel", they understand all those protecting truths in the complex and their character; by its "twelve gates, which were of pearls", they understand introductory truths, "pearls" signifying such truths; by "the foundations of the wall, which were of precious stones", they understand the knowledge on which that doctrine is founded; by "the gold like unto pure glass", of which the city and its street were made, they understand the good of love which makes the doctrine and its truths transparent. Thus do angels perceive all these things; and therefore not as man perceives them. The natural ideas of man thus pass into the spiritual ideas with the angels without their knowing anything of the sense of the letter of the Word, that is, about "a new heaven and a new earth", "a new city Jerusalem", its "wall, the foundations of the wall, and its dimensions". And yet the thoughts of angels make one with the thoughts of man, because they correspond; they make one almost as the words of a speaker make one with the understanding of them by a hearer who attends solely to the meaning and not to the words.

[3] All this shows how heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word. Let us take another example from the Word:

In that day there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall serve Assyria. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land, which Jehovah of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be My people the Egyptian, and the Assyrian the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance. Isaiah 19:23-25.

What man thinks when these words are read, and what the angels think, can be confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word and from its internal sense. Man, from the sense of the letter, thinks that the Egyptians and Assyrians are to be converted to God and accepted, and are then to become one with the Israelitish nation; but angels, in accordance with the internal sense, think of the man of the spiritual Church who is here described in that sense, whose spiritual is "Israel", whose natural is the "Egyptian", and whose rational, which is the middle, is the "Assyrian". ¹Nevertheless, these two senses are one because they correspond; and therefore when the angels thus think spiritually and man naturally they are conjoined almost as body and soul are; in fact, the internal sense of the Word is its soul and the sense of the letter is its body. Such is the Word throughout. This shows that it is a medium of conjunction of heaven with man, and that the sense of the letter serves as a basis and foundation.

Footnotes:

------------

Heaven and Hell #307 (Ager, 1900)

307. How heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word I will illustrate by some passages from it. "The New Jerusalem" is described in the Apocalypse in these words:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. The city was foursquare, its length as great as its breadth; and an angel measured the city with a reed, twelve thousand furlongs; the length, the breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The building of the wall was of jasper; but the city itself was pure gold, and like unto pure glass; and the foundations of the wall were adorned with every precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (Revelation 21:1-2, 16-19, 21).

When man reads these words he understands them merely in accordance with the sense of the letter, namely, that the visible heaven with the earth is to perish, and a new heaven is to come into existence; and upon the new earth the holy city Jerusalem is to descend, with all its dimensions as here described. But the angels that are with man understand these things in a wholly different way, that is, everything that man understands naturally they understand spiritually.

[2] By "the new heaven and the new earth" they understand a new church; by "the city Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven" they understand its heavenly doctrine revealed by the Lord; by " its length, breadth, and height, which are equal," and "twelve thousand furlongs," they understand all the goods and truths of that doctrine in the complex; by its "wall" they understand the truths protecting it; by "the measure of the wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel," they understand all those protecting truths in the complex and their character; by its "twelve gates, which were of pearls," they understand introductory truths, "pearls" signifying such truths; by "the foundations of the wall, which were of precious stones," they understand the knowledge on which that doctrine is founded; by "the gold like unto pure glass," of which the city and its street were made, they understand the good of love which makes the doctrine and its truths transparent. Thus do the angels perceive all these things; and therefore not as man perceives them. The natural ideas of man thus pass into the spiritual ideas with the angels without their knowing anything of the sense of the letter of the Word, that is, about "a new heaven and a new earth," "a new city Jerusalem," its "wall, the foundations of the wall, and its dimensions." And yet the thoughts of angels make one with the thoughts of man, because they correspond; they make one almost the same as the words of a speaker make one with the understanding of them by a hearer who attends solely to the meaning and not to the words. All this shows how heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word:

[3] Let us take another example from the Word:

In that day there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall serve Assyria. In that day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land, Which Jehovah of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be My people the Egyptian, and the Assyrian the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:23-25).

What man thinks when these words are read, and what the angels think, can be seen from the sense of the letter of the Word and from its internal sense. Man from the sense of the letter thinks that the Egyptians and Assyrians are to be converted to God and accepted, and are then to become one with the Israelitish nation; but angels in accordance with the internal sense think of the man of the spiritual church who is here described in that sense, whose spiritual is "Israel," whose natural is the "Egyptian," and whose rational, which is the middle, is the "Assyrian." ¹

Nevertheless, these two senses are one because they correspond; and therefore when the angels thus think spiritually and man naturally they are conjoined almost as body and soul are; in fact, the internal sense of the Word is its soul and the sense of the letter is its body. Such is the Word throughout. This shows that it is a medium of conjunction of heaven with man, and that its literal sense serves as a base and foundation.

Footnotes:

------------

De Coelo et de Inferno #307 (original Latin)

307. Quomodo conjungitur caelum cum homine per Verbum, velim ex aliquibus locis inde illustrare. Describitur Nova Hierosolyma in Apocalypsi his verbis:

"Vidi caelum novum et terram novam, et prius caelum et prior terra abierat...: et vidi sanctam civitatem Hierosolymam... descendentem a Deo e caelo... Civitas quadrangularis erat, ejus longitudo quanta latitudo; et "angelus" mensus est calamo civitatem ad stadiorum duodecim millia longitudo, latitudo et altitudo... aequales. Et mensus est murum ejus centum quadraginta quatuor cubitorum; mensura hominis quae est angeli:... erat structura muri ex jaspide; ipsa vero civitas aurum purum, et similis vitro puro: et fundamenta muri... omni lapide pretioso ornata Duodecim portae duodecim margaritae erant et platea civitatis aurum purum tanquam vitrum pellucidum," (21:1-2, 16-18 [, 21:19, 21]).

Homo qui haec legit, non aliter illa intelligit quam secundum sensum litterae, nempe quod periturum sit caelum aspectabile cum terra, et novum caelum exstiturum, et quod super novam terram descensura sit sancta civitas Hierosolyma, et quod illa futura sit quoad omnes suas mensuras secundum descriptionem. Sed angeli qui apud hominem sunt, prorsus aliter illa intelligunt, nempe, singula spiritualiter quae homo naturaliter.


[2] Per "novum caelum et novam terram" intelligunt novam ecclesiam; per "civitatem Hierosolymam descendentem a Deo e caelo," intelligunt caelestem ejus doctrinam revelatam a Domino; per "longitudinem," "latitudinem," et "altitudinem" ejus, quae aequales, et duodecim millia stadiorum, intelligunt omnia bona et vera illius doctrinae in complexu; per "murum" ejus intelligunt vera tutantia illam per mensuram muri centum quadraginta quatuor cubitorum," quae "mensura hominis, hoc est, angeli," intelligunt omnia illa vera tutantia in complexu, et quale eorum; per "duodecim portas" ejus quae ex margaritis, intelligunt vera introducentia, "margaritae" etiam significant talia vera; per "fundamenta muri" quae ex lapidibus pretiosis, intelligunt cognitiones super quibus doctrina illa fundatur; per "aurum simile vitro puro," ex quo civitas et ex quo platea ejus, intelligunt bonum amoris, ex quo pellucet doctrina cum suis veris. Ita percipiunt angeli omnia illa, proinde non sicut homo ideae hominis naturales ita transeunt in ideas spirituales apud angelos, praeter quod sciant aliquid de sensu litterae Verbi, ut de novo caelo et de nova terra, de nova civitate Hierosolyma, de muro ejus, de fundamentis muri, ac de mensuris. Usque tamen angelorum cogitationes, unum faciunt cum cogitationibus hominis, quia correspondent; unum faciunt paene sicut voces loquentis et intellectus earum apud audientem qui non attendit ad voces sed solum ad intellectum.


[3] Inde patet, quomodo caelum conjungitur cum homine per Verbum. Sit adhuc exemplum ex Verbo,

"In die illo erit semita ab Aegypto ad Aschurem, et veniet Aschur in Aegyptum, et Aegyptus in Aschurem, et servient Aegyptii Aschuri: in die illo erit Israel tertius Aegypto et Aschuri, benedictio in medio terrae, cui benedicet Jehovah Zebaoth, dicendo, Benedictus populus meus Aegyptius, et opus manuum mearum Assyrius, et hereditas mea Israel," (Esaias 19:23-25).

Quomodo homo cogitat, et quomodo angeli, cum haec leguntur, constare potest ex sensu litterae Verbi, et ex sensu ejus interno: homo cogitat ex sensu litterae, quod Aegyptii et Assyrii ad Deum convertendi sint, et acceptandi, et quod unum facturi cum gente Israelitica: sed angeli cogitant secundum sensum internum de homine ecclesiae spiritualis, qui in eo sensu ibi describitur, cujus spirituale est Israel, naturale est Aegyptius, et rationale, quod medium, est Aschur. ¹Hic et ille sensus usque unum sunt, quia correspondent; quare cum angeli ita spiritualiter cogitant, et homo ita naturaliter, conjuncti sunt paene sicut anima et corpus; sensus etiam internus Verbi est ejus anima, et sensus litterae est ejus corpus. Tale est Verbum ubivis: inde patet, quod sit medium conjunctionis caeli cum homine, et quod sensus litterae ejus inserviat pro basi et fundamento.


Footnotes: