13.⑹一切神性工作都关注无限和永恒。在天上和地上所看见的事物中有许多这方面的证据。无论在天上还是在地上，永远没有两样完全相同的事物；没有两张完全相同的面孔，永远也不会有；同样，永远没有两个完全相同的心智。因此，有多少人，多少天使，就有多少面孔，多少心智。任何人，虽然都包含构成其身体的无数部分和构成其心智的无数情感，但他里面永远不会有一样东西与别人里面的完全相似或相同。这就是为何每个人都过着与众不同的生活。这种情形同样存在于自然界的每个细节里面。这种无限多样性就在细节中，因为它们都来源于无限的神性。因此，一个无限的形像无处不在，好叫神性可以视一切事物为祂自己的工作，同时一切事物作为祂的工作可以关注神性。
为说明自然界中的一切事物如何关注无限和永恒，我们举一个很平凡普通的例子。任何种子，无论是树种，谷种还是花种，都是以这种方式被造的：它能无限繁殖，并且持续到永远。一粒种子会产出许多粒，或五粒，或十粒，或二十粒、一百粒，其中每粒种子又产出更多种子。一粒种子如此结实，只需一个世纪，就会覆盖地球的整个地表，甚至覆盖数以万计的星球地表；这些种子被如此创造，以致它们能持续到永远。由此明显可知，它们是如何包含无限和永恒的形像，或说无限和永恒的概念是如何在它们里面的；其它所有例子也一样。天使天堂是宇宙万物为之创造的目的，因为人类正是由于这个目的而存在的，人类是创造可见的天和它所包括的星球过程中所关注的目的。因此，这神性工作，即天使天堂，主要关注无限和永恒，因而关注它永无止境的繁衍，因为神性本身就住在其中。由此清楚可知，人类永远不会停止，因为人类若真的停止，神性工作就会局限于一定数量，从而不再关注无限。
13. 6. Every divine work aims at what is infinite and eternal. This is shown by many things that occur both in heaven and in this world. In both, there is never anything that is exactly like or identical to anything else. There is never a face exactly like or identical to any other and there never will be to eternity. By the same token, there is no one whose character is exactly like that of anyone else; as many people as there are-and the same is true for angels as well-that is how many different faces and different characters there are. Despite the fact that there are countless parts that constitute the body and countless feelings that constitute the lower mind, no one person ever has anything exactly like or identical to what is within anyone else. That is why every individual leads a life that differs from the life of everyone else. The same holds true throughout the physical world and in all its details. The cause underlying such an infinite variety in absolutely everything is that everything originates in the Divine, and the Divine is infinite. That is why there is some image of the Infinite everywhere-so that the Divine will look upon everything as its own handiwork, and everything, being the work of the Divine, will look toward the Divine.
To illustrate how everything in the physical world looks toward what is infinite and eternal, let us take just the following rather mundane example. Every seed, whether it is from a fruit tree, a grain, or a flower, has been created in such a way that it could multiply to infinity and go on forever. One seed leads to many more-five, ten, twenty, or even a hundred-and each of these leads in turn to as many more. Let this fruitfulness from a single seed continue unchecked each year, and in just a hundred years it could fill not only the whole surface of this earth but the surfaces of tens of thousands of earths. 1By the same token these types of vegetation have been created to go on forever. This shows us then how they contain an image of what is infinite and eternal, and it is the same in all other cases as well.
The heaven of angels is the reason why everything in the universe was created, because a heaven of angels is the reason for humankind and humankind is the reason for the heavens we see above us and the planets they contain. So this divine work, the heaven of angels, looks above all toward what is infinite and eternal, and therefore looks toward multiplying without end, because heaven is where the Divine itself dwells. We can conclude from this that humankind will never come to an end; because if it did, the divine work would come to a halt at a specific quantity and would cease to look toward infinity.
Footnotes:
1. Swedenborg's reference to “tens of thousands” of planets is an understatement, or perhaps should not be taken literally, being the equivalent of our colloquial expression “millions and millions.” Over even a twenty-year period of unchecked reproduction, a single plant that occupies one square inch and bears a hundred seeds each year would yield a number of plants sufficient to cover 1022 (ten thousand million million million) earth-sized planets. [JSR]
13. Every work of God reflects infinity and eternity. There are many proofs of this among things to be seen both in heaven and on earth. In either place there is never anything exactly like or identical with another. There is not a face exactly like or identical with another, nor will there ever be. Equally one person's character is not exactly like another's. Consequently there are as many faces and as many characters as there are human beings and angels. In one person, who contains countless parts making up the body and countless affections making up the character, there is never one thing which is exactly like and identical with another's. That is why every individual lives a life different from anyone else's. The situation is similar in every detail of Nature.
Such an infinite variety in details is caused by the fact that all things owe their origin to the Divine, who is infinite. There is thus a certain image of the infinite everywhere, so that all things may be looked upon by the Divine as His work, and at the same time that all things may reflect the Divine as being His work.
A rather trivial example may serve to illustrate how everything in Nature reflects infinity and eternity. Every seed, whether the fruit of a tree, a cereal or a flower, is so created that it is capable of infinite multiplication and eternal duration. For a single seed may produce many more, perhaps five or ten or twenty or a hundred, and each of these may produce as many more. If the fruitfulness of a single seed continued without a break, it might in only a hundred years cover the surface of not merely one planet, but of tens of thousands of planets. The seeds too are so created that they can continue in existence for ever. So it is plain how these contain the idea of infinity and eternity; and likewise other things.
The heaven of angels is the reason why everything in the universe has been created. For the heaven of angels is the purpose for which the human race was created, and the human race is the purpose for which the visible heavens and the planets it contains were created. Consequently that work of God, the heaven of angels, primarily has regard to infinity and eternity, and thence to its unlimited reproduction, for it is there the Divine Himself resides. From this it may be established that the human race will never come to an end; for if it did, the work of God would be restricted to a fixed number, and thus would cease to reflect infinity.
13. V. Every Divine work has respect to infinity and eternity, is evident from many things which exist both in heaven and in the world: in neither of them is there ever given one thing exactly similar to, or the same as, another: no two faces are either alike or identical, nor will be to eternity: in like manner the mind of one is never altogether like that of another; wherefore there are as many faces and as many minds as there are men and angels. There never exists in any one man (in whom yet there are innumerable parts which constitute his body, and innumerable affections which constitute his mind) any one thing quite alike, or identical with any one thing in another man; hence it is that every one leads a life distinct from the life of another. The same order exists in the whole and in every part of nature. That such infinite variety is in each and in all, is because they all originate from the Divine, which is infinite; hence there is a certain image of infinity everywhere, to the end that the Divine may regard all things as His own work, and at the same time, that all things, as His work, may have respect to the Divine. A familiar instance may serve to illustrate the manner in which every thing in nature has respect to infinity and eternity. Any seed, be it the produce of a tree, or of grain, or of a flower, is so created, that it may be multiplied to infinity, and endure to eternity. For from one seed are produced many, five, ten, twenty, a hundred, and from each of these again as many more; such fructification from one seed continuing but for a century, would cover the surface not only of one, but of myriads of earths, the same seeds are so created, that their durations may be eternal. Hence it is evident, how the idea of infinity and eternity is in them; and the like is true in all other cases. The angelic heaven is the end for which all things in the universe were created, for it is the end on account of which the human race exists, and the human race is the end regarded in the creation of the visible heaven, and the earths included in it. Where fore that Divine work, namely, the angelic heaven, primarily has respect to infinity and eternity, and therefore to its multiplication without end, for the Divine Himself dwells therein. Hence also it is clear, that the human race will never cease, for were it to cease, the Divine work would be limited to a certain number, and thus its looking to infinity would perish.
13. ((v.)) Quod omne opus Divinum spectet Infinitum et Aeternum, constare potest ex multis tam quae in caelo existunt quam quae in mundo; utrobivis nusquam datur unum prorsus simile seu idem cum altero; non datur una facies prorsus similis seu eadem cum alterius, nec dabitur in aeternum; pariter non datur unius animus prorsus similis alterius; quare quot homines, tum quot angeli, tot facies et tot animi; nusquam datur in uno homine, in quo tamen innumerabiles partes sunt quae constituunt corpus, et innumerabiles affectiones quae constituunt animum, aliquod prorsus simile aut idem quod in altero; inde est, quod unusquisque vitam distinctam ab alterius vita agat. Similis res est in omnibus et singulis naturae. Quod talis infinita varietas sit in omnibus et singulis, ducit causam ex omnium origine ex Divino, quod Infinitum est; inde est quaedam imago Infiniti ubivis, ob finem ut omnia spectentur a Divino ut suum opus, et simul ut omnia spectent Divinum ut Ejus opus. Quomodo unumquodvis in natura spectat Infinitum et Aeternum, inserviat illustrationi leve quoddam argumentum: quodlibet semen, sive sit fructus arboris, sive messis, sive floris, ita creatum est, ut multiplicari possit in infinitum, et durare in aeternum; ex uno enim semine nascuntur plura, usque ad quinque, decem, viginti, centum; ex singulis his etiam totidem, talis fructificatio ex uno semine continue perstans modo intra centum annos posset implere non solum unius telluris superficiem, sed etiam superficies tellurum usque ad myriades: eadem etiam ita creata sunt, ut durationes eorum sint aeternae: inde patet, quomodo in his est idea infiniti et aeterni: similiter in reliquis. Caelum angelicum est, propter quod omnia in Universo creata sunt; nam caelum angelicum est finis propter quod genus humanum, et genus humanum est finis propter quod caelum aspectabile, et inibi tellures; quapropter id opus Divinum, nempe caelum angelicum, primario spectat Infinitum et Aeternum, proinde multiplicationem ejus absque fine, nam ibi ipsum Divinum habitat: inde quoque constare potest, quod genus humanum nusquam desiturum sit; nam si desineret, finiretur opus Divinum per certum numerum, et sic periret respectus infiniti.