------------
576. 六十, 地狱灵的恶毒和令人发指的诡计
凡深入思考, 对人心智的运作有所了解的人, 都能看出并明白灵人如何优越于世人. 因为人一分钟内在脑海里所能仔细考虑, 反复掂量并最终决定的东西, 比他花半小时以言语和文字所表达的还要多. 这表明人在灵里, 因而成为灵时何等优越. 因为进行思考的是灵, 身体只是灵用来以言语或文字表达自己思维的工具. 正因如此, 当人死后成为天使时, 他便处在与他活在世上时的聪明和智慧相比无法形容的聪明和智慧之中. 当他活在世上时, 他的灵被绑在他的身体上, 由此而在自然界. 所以, 当灵作属灵的思考时, 这些思维就都流入属世概念; 而属世概念相对笼统, 粗糙和模糊, 不能接受属于属灵思维的无数事物. 它们还将属灵思维浸没于尘世的忧虑所产生的晦暗或盘根错节中. 一旦灵从身体当中得以释放, 进入自己的属灵状态, 也就是当它离开自然界进入它所属的灵界时, 情况就不同了. 从前面的阐述可以看出, 这时, 它的思维和情感的状态远远胜过它之前的状态. 正因如此, 天使的思维是无法形容, 难以言表的, 因而无法进入人的属世思维. 而事实上, 每位天使都曾生而为人, 并作为一个人生活过; 那时, 他觉得自己并不比其他人更有智慧.
------------
576. 地獄之靈的惡毒和詭詐
能反觀內省, 對心靈的運作有所瞭解的人, 不難看出靈是遠勝於人的。彈指之間, 人在靈裡所作的思維, 考慮, 決定, 比他一時半刻所能表達的還要多。這顯示人在靈裡具有何等的優越性(故也顯示人成為靈以後具有何等的優越性), 因為進行思考的是靈, 肉體只是靈用來表達其思維的工具。
正因如此, 當人成為天人以後, 他將獲得不可思議的聰明和智慧, 是他在人間的聰明智慧所不可比擬的。此前, 他的靈被局限於肉體內, 被禁錮於物質中。靈雖作心靈的思考, 卻陷入相對籠統,
粗糙, 模糊的物質觀念, 無法接收靈性思維裡的無限元素, 同時也被困在了世俗的眾多煩惱之中。但是, 人一旦從物質世界進入心靈世界, 靈從肉體中獲得解脫, 進入靈性的狀態以後, 情況就不同了。彼時, 其思想和情感的狀態將遠勝從前。正因如此, 天人的思維是不可言傳, 無法描述的, 與物質的思維格格不入。而事實上, 每位天人都曾生而為人, 彼時他並不覺得自己的智慧異于常人。
576. The Malice and Unspeakable Skills of Hellish Spirits
Anyone who thinks deeply and knows anything about the workings of the human mind can see and understand how significantly superior spirits are to other people. In a minute, we can consider and turn over and decide in our minds more than we can express in speech or writing in half an hour. This shows how much better we are when we are in the spirit and therefore when we become spirits, since it is the spirit that thinks and the body is what the spirit uses to express its thoughts in speech or writing.
This is why people who become angels after death have access to indescribable intelligence and wisdom relative to the intelligence and wisdom they had while they were living in the world. While they were living in the world, their spirits were confined in a body and by that means were in the natural world. So when the spirit did think spiritually, the thoughts flowed into natural concepts that are relatively general, crude, and hazy. This means they are not open to the countless elements characteristic of spiritual thought. They also immerse them in the thickets of the cares of the world. It is different once the spirit has been freed from the body and has arrived at its own spiritual state, which happens when it crosses from the natural world to the spiritual world that is appropriate to it. We can see from what has already been said that its state in regard to thoughts and affections is far better than its former state. This is why angels think thoughts that are unutterable and indescribable, things that cannot come through to our natural thoughts. Yet in fact, every angel was born a person on earth and lived as such, and then seemed to himself or herself to be no wiser than anyone else.
------------
576. THE MALICE AND NEFARIOUS ARTS OF INFERNAL SPIRITS
In what way spirits are superior to men anyone can see and comprehend who thinks interiorly and knows anything of the operation of his own mind; for in his mind he can consider, evolve, and form conclusions upon more things in a single moment than he can utter or express in writing in half an hour. Hence is clear the superiority of man when he is in his spirit, and therefore when he becomes a spirit. For it is the spirit who thinks, and it is the body by which the spirit expresses his thoughts in speech or writing. In consequence of this, the man who becomes an angel after death is in intelligence and wisdom ineffable in comparison with his intelligence and wisdom while he lived in the world; for while he lived in the world his spirit was bound to his body, and was thereby in the natural world; and therefore whatever he thought spiritually flowed into natural ideas, which are comparatively general, gross, and obscure, and do not receive the innumerable things that pertain to spiritual thought, and which involve spiritual thought in the obscurities that arise from worldly cares. It is otherwise when the spirit is released from the body and comes into its spiritual state, which takes place when he passes out of the natural world into the spiritual world to which he belongs. From what has already been said it is evident that his state as to thoughts and affections is then immeasurably superior to his former state. Because of this the thoughts of angels are ineffable and inexpressible, and are therefore incapable of entering into the natural thoughts of man; and yet every angel was born a man, and has lived as a man, and he then seemed to himself to be no wiser than any other similar man.
------------
576. THE MALICE AND HEINOUS ARTIFICES OF INFERNAL SPIRITS
In what way spirits are superior to men everyone can see and comprehend who thinks interiorly and knows any thing of the operation of his own mind; for in his mind he can consider, evolve, and form conclusions upon more subjects in a single moment than he can utter or express in writing in half an hour. This shows the superiority of man when he is in his spirit, and therefore when he becomes a spirit. For it is the spirit that thinks, and it is the body by which the spirit expresses its thoughts in speech or writing. In consequence of this, when man after death becomes an angel he is in intelligence and wisdom ineffable in comparison with his intelligence and wisdom while he lived in the world; for while he lived in the world his spirit was bound to his body, and was thereby in the natural world; and therefore whatever he thought spiritually flowed into natural ideas, which are comparatively general, gross, and obscure, and which are incapable of receiving innumerable things that pertain to spiritual thought; and which infold spiritual thought in the obscurities that arise from worldly cares. It is otherwise when the spirit is released from the body and comes into its spiritual state, which takes place when it passes out of the natural world into the spiritual world to which it belongs. From what has already been said it is evident that the state of its thoughts and affections is then immeasurably superior to its former state. Because of this the thoughts of angels are ineffable and inexpressible, and are therefore incapable of entering into the natural thoughts of man; and yet every angel was born a man, and has lived as a man, and he then seemed to himself to be no wiser than any other like man.
------------
576. [LX] DE MALITIA ET ARTIBUS NEFANDIS SPIRITUUM INFERNALIUM.
Qualis excellentia spirituum est prae hominibus, quisque qui interius cogitat, et aliquid de operatione suae mentis novit, videre et comprehendere potest: homo enim mente sua plura intra minutum potest versare, evolvere, et concludere, quam potest intra semihorium eloqui et scriptura exprimere: inde patet, quantum excellet homo, quando in suo spiritu est, proinde quantum cum fit spiritus nam spiritus est qui cogitat, et corpus est per quod spiritus exprimit sua cogitata loquendo aut scribendo. Inde est, quod homo, qui fit angelus post mortem, in intelligentia et sapientia sit ineffabili respective ad intelligentiam et sapientiam ejus cum vixit in mundo spiritus enim ejus, cum vixit in mundo, vinctus fuit corpori, et per illud fuit in naturali mundo quapropter quod tunc spiritualiter cogitavit, influxit in ideas naturales, quae respective communes, crassae et obscurae sunt ac innumera, quae spiritualis cogitationis sunt, non recipiunt, et quoque involvunt densis quae sunt ex curis in mundo. Aliter cum spiritus solutus est a corpore, ac in suum spiritualem statum venit quod fit. cum ex naturali mundo in spiritualem, qui ei proprius est. transit. Quod tunc status ejus quoad cogitationes et affectiones immensum excellat prae statu ejus priori, ex nunc dictis patet. Unde est, quod angeli cogitent ineffabilia et inexpressibilia proinde talia, quae non intrare possunt in cogitationes naturales hominis cum tamen unusquisque angelus natus est homo, et vixerat homo, ac tunc sibi non plus sapere quam similis alius homo visus est.