404、有一些灵人自以为比别人受的教育更好，声称他们在世时就相信天堂的欢乐唯独在于赞美和荣耀上帝，这将是一种积极的生活。但他们被告知，赞美和荣耀上帝并不是那么积极的生活，上帝也不需要赞美和荣耀，｛注1｝但祂的旨意是他们当发挥功用，从而行出被称为仁爱之良善的善举。但他们不能把仁爱的良善与任何天堂喜乐的观念联系起来，只能将其与奴役的观念联系在一起，尽管天使见证了这种喜乐是最自由的，因为它出于内在的情感，并与妙不可言的快乐结合在一起。
｛注1｝：【英245】史威登堡在他1768年的著作《婚姻之爱》的开篇，讲述了一系列关于人们被允许体验他们想象中的天堂的故事，在每种情况下，几天后都变成了噩梦（2-25）。其中一个例子表明人们不再相信这个观念，即天堂是永远不断地敬拜和颂赞神（1-3、9）。
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404. 有些灵人自以为比别人更有见识, 声称他们在世时就相信天堂的喜乐唯独在于赞美和荣耀神, 并以为这是一种积极的生活. 但他们被告知, 准确来说, 赞美和荣耀并不是一种积极的生活, 因为神不需要赞美和荣耀. 相反, 神想让他们为彼此发挥功用, 做有价值的事, 也就是所谓的仁之良善. 然而, 他们无法将仁之良善或善行与天堂喜乐的观念联系起来, 只是认为那是一种奴役, 尽管天使见证说, 这种喜乐是最自由的, 因为它出于一种内在情感, 并伴随着无法形容的快乐.
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404. 有的靈自以為比別人有智慧, 在世時曾聲稱, 天國之樂純粹在於讚美上帝, 並以為這是一種積極的生活。他們被告知, 讚美上帝並非一種積極的生活, 因為上帝不需要人的讚美。相反, 上帝希望我們彼此服務, 多行仁愛, 多做有意義之事。可是他們無法將天國之樂與仁愛之行聯繫起來, 反以為那是一種奴役。天人卻見證說, 那的確是最自由的生活, 因為它出於內在的情感, 伴隨著無以言啟的快樂。
404. Some spirits who thought themselves better informed than others claimed that in the world they had held to the belief that heavenly joy consisted solely in praising and glorifying God, and that this was an active life. They have been told, though, that praising and glorifying God is not an appropriate kind of active life, since God has no need of praise and glorification. Rather, God wants us to be useful to each other, to do the worthwhile things that are called works of charity. However, they could not connect any notion of heavenly joy with thoughtful good deeds, only a notion of slavery. The angels, though, bore witness that it was the freest life of all because it stemmed from a deep affection and was invariably accompanied by an indescribable pleasure.
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404. There were some spirits who thought themselves better instructed than others, and who said that they had believed in the world that heavenly joy would consist solely in praising and giving glory to God, and that this would be an active life. But these were told that praising and giving glory to God is not such an active life, also that God has no need of praises and glorification but it is His will that they should perform uses, and thus the good works that are called goods of charity. But they were unable to associate with goods of charity any idea of heavenly joy, but only of servitude, although the angels testified that this joy is most free because it comes from an interior affection and is conjoined with ineffable delight.
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404. There were some spirits who thought themselves better instructed than others, and who said that they had believed in the world that heavenly joy would consist solely in praising and giving glory to God, and that this would be an active life. But these were told that praising and giving glory to God is not a proper active life, also that God has no need of praises and glorification, but it is His will that they should perform uses, and thus the good works that are called goods of charity. But they were unable to associate with goods of charity any idea of heavenly joy, but only of servitude, although the angels testified that this joy is most free because it comes from an interior affection and is conjoined with ineffable delight.
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404. Spiritus qui se credebant instructiores aliis, dicebant quod fides illorum fuerit in mundo, quod gaudium caeleste consisteret in eo solum, ut laudarent et celebrarent Deum, et quod ea esset vita activa; sed illis dictum est, quod laudare et celebrare Deum non sit talis vita activa, et quod Deus nec opus habeat laudibus et celebratione, sed quod velit ut praestent usus, ac ita bona quae vocantur bona charitatis: at illi non potuerunt habere in bonis charitatis aliquam ideam gaudii caelestis, sed servitutis; verum quod liberrimum sit, quia ex affectione interiore, et cum ineffabili jucunditate conjunctum, testati sunt angeli.