406、我有时与一些刚从尘世来的灵人谈论永生的状态，说知道谁是一国之君、有什么样的政府和政府的形式是很重要的。在世间，当人们进入另一个国家时，再也没有比知道国君是谁、其性情如何、政府是什么样的以及其它涉及该国的其它细节更重要的了，而对于他们将要永远生活在其中的国度，了解这一切必定是更加重要！因此，他们应当知道，是主在掌管天堂和宇宙，因为掌管这一个的，也必掌管那一个，这意味着他们现在所在的国度是主的，其律法就是永恒的真理，这一切真理都基于爱主高于一切以及爱邻如己这一律法。不仅如此，他们若要像天使一样，就必须爱邻舍胜过爱自己。他们一听到这话，无言以对，因为他们活在肉身时听过类似这样的话，却不相信，想知道天堂里怎么会有这样的爱，怎么可能有人爱邻舍胜过爱自己。但他们被告知，在来世，每种良善都会无限地增长，他们活在肉身时无法做到比爱邻如己更进一步，是因为他们沉溺在与肉体有关的事物中。然而，一旦这些东西被抛弃，他们的爱就会变得更纯粹，最终变成天使那样的，也就是爱邻胜己。因为在天堂，向别人行善是一种快乐，向自己行善则不是，除非为了使它成为别人的，也就是为了别人的缘故。这就是爱邻胜己。
他们被告知这种爱的可能性在世上的表现，如可以从一些人的婚姻之爱中看出来，这些人宁死也要保护配偶不受伤害；从父母对子女的爱中看出来，母亲宁愿自己挨饿，也不愿看到她的孩子挨饿；还有，从真正的友谊中看出来，人会为朋友奋不顾身面对危险；即使在假装的礼节性的友谊中，人们也试图以诚相待，把更好的东西送给那些他们声称想要帮助的人，然后把这种善意挂在嘴上而不是放在心上。最后，从爱的本质来看，爱的喜乐在于服务他人，但不是为了自己的缘故，而是为了他人的缘故。不过，那些爱自己胜过爱别人的人和活在肉身时贪得无厌的人，尤其是守财奴，对这一切是不可理解的。
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406. 我曾与一些刚从尘世来的灵人谈论永生的状态. 我强调说, 知道谁是一国之主, 政府是什么样, 政府形式又是什么样, 是很重要的. 在世间, 当人们进入另一个国度时, 再没有比知道国王是谁, 其秉性如何, 政府是什么样, 以及其它涉及该国度的细节更重要的了. 在他们将要生活到永永远远的国度, 这一切必是何等重要得多! 因此, 他们有必要知道, 是主在掌管天堂和宇宙, 因为掌管这一个的, 也必掌管那一个. 这意味着他们现在所在的国度属于主, 而该国度的律法就是永恒的真理; 这一切真理都基于爱主高于一切, 以及爱邻如己这一律法. 不仅如此, 他们若想像天使一样, 就必须爱邻胜己. 当听到这最后一点时, 他们无言以对, 因为他们活在肉身时听过这样的话, 却不相信. 他们想知道天堂是否真有这种爱, 人是否真的能爱邻胜己. 但他们被告知, 在来世, 每种良善都会无限增长. 他们活在肉身时无法做到爱邻如己, 是因为他们沉浸于涉及肉体的事物; 然而, 一旦抛弃这些东西, 他们的爱就会变得更纯粹, 最终变成天使那样的, 也就是爱邻胜己. 因为在天堂, 向别人行善是一种快乐, 向自己行善则不是, 除非是为了让这良善变成别人的, 因而是为了别人的缘故. 这就是爱邻胜己. 他们被告知, 在世间, 这种爱的可能性从一些人对彼此所拥有的婚姻之爱就能推断出来; 这些人宁死也不让配偶受到伤害. 或者, 他们可以想想父母对子女的爱, 母亲宁愿自己挨饿, 也不愿看到她的孩子挨饿; 或者, 想想真正的友谊会让人为朋友挺身面对危险; 甚至可以想想伪装的礼貌友谊, 具有这种友谊的人也试图以诚相待, 把更好的东西送给他们声称想要帮助的人, 然后把这种善意挂在嘴上, 尽管不是发自内心; 最后想想爱的性质, 爱具有这样的性质: 它的喜乐就是服务他人, 但不是为了自己, 而是为了他们. 不过, 那些爱自己胜过他人的人并不理解这一切; 活在肉身时贪得无厌的人, 尤其吝啬鬼, 更不明白.
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406. 我曾與一些剛剛進入心靈世界的人談論永生。我強調說, 瞭解誰是一國之君, 政府體制如何, 這很重要。當人們遊歷他國, 最重要的莫過於瞭解國君為人如何, 政府體制如何, 以及其它許多的細節。人間尚且如此, 何況將來永遠生活的心靈世界！他們有必要知道是主掌管天國和宇宙, 因為掌管其一者也必掌管其二。這意味著他們現在已進入的國屬於主, 而這個國的律法是永恆的真理。這一切真理以愛主至上及愛鄰如己為總綱。不僅如此, 他們若希望成為天人, 就應該愛人勝於愛己。
聽到最後一點時, 他們懵了。因為他們在肉身時聽過這些道理, 只是從未信受。他們懷疑天國是否真能如此, 人是否真能愛鄰過於愛己。他們被告知, 在心靈世界, 每樣善都將有無限的增長。活在肉身時, 人難以做到愛鄰過於愛己, 因有肉身上的許多顧慮。這些一旦被除去, 愛將變得更加純粹, 至終成為天人那樣的愛, 即愛鄰勝於愛己。因為在天國, 利人是一種快樂, 而利己只有在以利人為目的的前提下才是。這就是愛鄰勝於愛己。
至於這種愛的可能性, 可從世間一些夫婦的愛得到證明。他們情願犧牲自己, 也不要配偶受到傷害。或者想想父母對子女的愛, 母親寧願餓死, 也不要自己的孩子挨餓。真正的友情也能讓人義赴友難。甚至可以想想偽裝的友情, 雖然不是出於真心, 但是他們克己禮讓, 試圖表現真正的友情, 然後以此自誇。最後, 他們可以想想愛的本質。愛的本質是在為人服務不求利己中獲得快樂。不過, 這種快樂是愛己過於愛人者所無法領會的, 貪圖財利者也無法領會, 守財奴就更不用說了。
406. I once talked with some spirits who had just arrived from the world about the state of eternal life. I emphasized the fact that it is important to know who the lord of a kingdom is, what the government is like, and what the forms of government are. It is the same when people are visiting a foreign country in this world. Nothing is more critical for them than to know who the king is and what his character is, what the government is like, and a great many more details about the nation. How much more important must this be in the kingdom where they are going to live forever! They should realize, then, that it is the Lord who governs heaven - and the universe, for whoever rules the one rules the other as well. This means that the kingdom where they now find themselves belongs to the Lord and that the laws of this kingdom are eternal truths all based on the law that they should love the Lord above all and their neighbor as themselves. Not only that, but if they wanted to be like angels, they needed to love their neighbor more than themselves.
When they heard this last point they were unable to respond, because they had heard something like this during their physical lives but had not believed it. They wondered whether there was that kind of love in heaven, whether it was possible for anyone to love her or his neighbor more than herself or himself. They were told, though, that in the other life everything good increases immensely. Life in a physical body cannot by nature progress beyond loving one's neighbor as the self, because it is immersed in physical concerns. Once these are removed, though, the love becomes purer and ultimately angelic, which is loving one's neighbor more than oneself. This is because in the heavens doing good for someone else is a delight and doing good for oneself is not unless it is to give to another and therefore for the sake of the other. This is loving one's neighbor more than oneself.
As for the possibility of this love, it was said that in this world it might be gathered from the marriage love some people have for each other, people who would rather die than allow their spouse to be hurt. Or they might consider the love of parents for their children, the mother who would rather starve than see her children go hungry; or the true friendship that leads people to face peril for the sake of their friends. They might even consider the simulated friendship of formal courtesy, in which people try to imitate the real thing by offering the better portions to people they claim to want to help and then make noise about it, though it is not from their hearts. Lastly, they might consider the nature of love, whose nature is to find joy in serving others for their sake and not for its own.
However, the ones who loved themselves more than others could not grasp this, nor could the ones who had been keen on profit taking during their physical lives; and least of all, misers.
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406. With spirits who had recently come from the world I have talked at times about the state of eternal life, saying that it is important to know who is the Lord of the kingdom, and what kind and what form of government it has. As nothing is more important for those entering another kingdom in the world than to know who and what the king is, and what the government is, and other particulars in regard to the kingdom, so is it of still greater consequence in regard to this kingdom in which they are to live to eternity. Therefore, they should know that it is the Lord who governs both heaven and the universe, for He who governs the one governs the other, thus that the kingdom in which they now are is the Lord's, and that the laws of this kingdom are eternal verities, all established by the law that the Lord must be loved above all things and the neighbour as themselves. And even more than this, if they would be like the angels, they ought to love the neighbour more than themselves. On hearing this they could make no reply, for the reason that, although they had heard in the life of the body something like this, they had not believed it, wondering how there could be such love in heaven, and how it could be possible for anyone to love his neighbour more than himself. But they were told that every good grows immeasurably in the other life, and that while they cannot go further in the life of the body than to love the neighbour as themselves, because they are immersed in what concerns the body, yet when this is set aside their love becomes more pure, and finally becomes angelic, which is to love the neighbour more than themselves. For in the heavens, there is joy in doing good to another, but no joy in doing good to self unless with a view to its becoming another's, and thus for another's sake. This is loving the neighbour more than oneself. They were told that the possibility of such a love is shown in the world from the conjugial love of some who have suffered death to protect a consort from injury, from the love of parents for their children, which is such that a mother would rather starve than see her child go hungry; and from the sincere friendship, in which one friend will expose himself to danger for another; and even in polite and pretended friendship that wishes to emulate sincere friendship, in offering the better things to those to whom it professes to wish well, and bearing such good will on the lips though not in the heart. Finally, from the nature of love, which is such that its joy is to serve others, not for its own sake but for theirs. But all this was incomprehensible to those who loved themselves more than others, and in the life of the body had been greedy of gain; most of all to the avaricious.
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406. I have talked at times with spirits that had recently come from the world about the state of eternal life, saying that it is important to know who the Lord of the kingdom is, and what kind and what form of government it has. As nothing is more important for those entering another kingdom in the world than to know who and what the king is, and what the government is, and other particulars in regard to the kingdom, so is it of still greater consequence in regard to this kingdom in which they are to live to eternity. Therefore they should know that it is the Lord who governs both heaven and the universe, for He who governs the one governs the other; thus that the kingdom in which they now are is the Lord's; and that the laws of this kingdom are eternal truths, all of which rest upon the law that the Lord must be loved above all things and the neighbor as themselves; and even more than this, if they would be like the angels they must love the neighbor more than themselves. On hearing this they could make no reply, for the reason that although they had heard in the life of the body something like this they had not believed it, wondering how there could be such love in heaven, and how it could be possible for any one to love his neighbor more than himself. But they were told that every good increases immeasurably in the other life, and that while they cannot go further in the life of the body than to love the neighbor as themselves, because they are immersed in what concerns the body, yet when this is set aside their love becomes more pure, and finally becomes angelic, which is to love the neighbor more than themselves. For in the heavens there is joy in doing good to another, but no joy in doing good to self unless with a view to its becoming another's, and thus for another's sake. This is loving the neighbor more than oneself. They were told that the possibility of such a love is shown in the world in the marriage love of some who have suffered death to protect a consort from injury, in the love of parents for their children, as in a mother's preferring to go hungry rather than see her child go hungry; in sincere friendship, in which one friend will expose himself to danger for another; and even in polite and pretended friendship that wishes to emulate sincere friendship, in offering the better things to those to whom it professes to wish well, and bearing such good will on the lips though not in the heart; finally, in the nature of love, which is such that its joy is to serve others, not for its own sake but for theirs. But all this was incomprehensible to those who loved themselves more than others, and in the life of the body had been greedy of gain; most of all to the avaricious.
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406. Cum spiritibus qui e mundo recentes venerunt, aliquoties locutus sum de statu vitae aeternae, quod nempe scire interest 1quis Dominus regni, quale regimen, et quae regiminis forma; sicut qui in mundo in aliud regnum veniunt, iis nihil prius est quam scire quis et qualis rex, quale regimen, et plura quae istius regni sunt; magis in hoc regno, in quo in aeternum victuri sunt. Sciant itaque, quod Dominus sit qui regit caelum, et quoque universum, nam qui regit unum regit alterum; ita quod regnum, in quo nunc sunt, sit Domini, et quod hujus regni leges sint veritates aeternae, quae omnes fundantur in ea lege, ut ament Dominum supra omnia, et proximum ut semet immo nunc adhuc magis si velint esse sicut angeli, quod amare debeant proximum plus quam semet.
[2] Cum haec audiverunt, nihil respondere potuerunt, quia in vita corporis tale quid audiverunt, sed non crediderunt, mirati quod talis amor sit in caelo, et quod dabilis 2ut quisquam amet proximum plus quam semet sed informati sunt, quod omnia bona immensum crescant in altera vita, et quod talis vita sit in corpore, ut non ultra progredi possint quam amare proximum ut semet, quia in corporeis at his remotis tunc amor magis purus fit, et tandem angelicus, qui est amare proximum plus quam semet: nam in caelis jucundum est bonum facere alteri, et non jucundum facere sibi bonum, nisi ut fiat alterius, ita propter alterum et quod id sit amare proximum plus quam semet.
[3] Quod talis amor dabilis sit, dicebatur quod in mundo constare possit ex quorundam amore conjugiali, quod praetulerint mortem quam ut laederetur conjux; ex amore parentum erga liberos, quod mater potius famem patiatur, quam ut videat infantem esurire; ut et ab amicitia sincera, quod pro amicis pericula subeant; et ex amicitia civili et simulata, quae aemulari vult sinceram, quod potiora offerant illis quibus dicunt bene velle, et quoque quod tale ore ferant tametsi non corde; demum ex natura amoris, quae talis est, ut gaudium ejus sit inservire aliis, non sui sed ejus causa. Verum haec non potuerunt capere illi qui se prae aliis amabant, et qui lucri avidi in vita corporis fuerunt, omnium minime avari.
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