125、外在神圣就像这种虔诚，主要在于：当一个人去教会时，他认为整个神性敬拜就在于神圣行为。但在人那里没有神圣，除非他的内在是神圣的。事实上，人的内在如何，外在就如何，因为外在从内在发出，就像行为从他的灵发出。因此，没有内在神圣的外在神圣是属世的，不是属灵的。正因如此，恶人也能和善人一样表现出外在的神圣；那些将整个敬拜都置于外在神圣的人大多是空虚的，也就是说，缺乏良善和真理的任何知识。然而，各种良善和真理才是真正的圣物；人们应当知道、相信并热爱它们，因为它们来自神性，因而拥有神性在自己里面。内在神圣在于为了良善和真理而热爱良善和真理，为了公义和诚实而热爱公义和诚实。一个人越如此热爱它们，就越属灵，他的敬拜也越属灵，因为他越想知道并实行它们。相反，一个人越不如此热爱它们，就越属世，他的敬拜也越属世，他也越不想知道并实行它们。没有内在的外在敬拜好比靠没有心跳的呼吸存活；但来自内在的外在敬拜好比靠与心跳结合的呼吸存活。
125、外在圣洁和上述的虔诚相似。他把圣洁理解成教堂里所有的崇拜过程。但这不是圣洁，除非他的内在是圣洁的。这是因为人的内在特性决定了他的外在状态，因为外在发自内在，就像行为来自他的灵魂一样。因此没有内在圣洁的外在圣洁是属世的，不是属灵的。
邪恶之人和良善之人一样也有外在的虔诚。那些把外在敬拜当作全部敬拜的人，其敬拜绝大部分是无效的，因为他不知道何为良善和真理。然而良善和真理是真正的圣洁，人应当知道、相信和热爱它们，因为它们来自神，而神就在它们里面。所以，内在圣洁是因为良善和真理而热爱良善和真理，因为正义和真诚而行出正义和真诚。人越因为它们而爱它们，他就越有灵性，他的敬拜也越圣洁，他也因此而日益渴望领悟何为良善，何为真理并行出它们。反之，当人对它们的爱衰退时，他就越加世俗，他的敬拜也更加属世，他就越来越不想知道和行出它们。没有内在敬拜的外在敬拜，可比喻为没有心跳的呼吸；而由内在敬拜激励的外在敬拜就像有心跳的呼吸。
125. Outward holiness is similar to the pious behavior just described (it consists primarily in seeing all worship of God as a matter of the sanctity we experience when we are in church); 1but this is not holy for us unless we are holy inwardly. This is because our inner nature determines our outer nature-the latter comes from the former the way our actions come from our spirit. This means that outward holiness apart from inner holiness is earthly and not spiritual, which is why it can be found just as readily in evil people as in good people. Furthermore, people whose worship is nothing but external are for the most part empty; that is, they have no knowledge of what is good or true, even though goodness and truth are holiness itself. Goodness and truth are what we are to know and believe and love because they come from the Divine and there is therefore something divine within them. To be inwardly holy, then, is to love what is good and true because it is good and true and to love what is right and honest because it is right and honest. The more we love these things for their own sakes, the more spiritual we become. Our devotion to God becomes more spiritual, too, because we become more and more eager to know what is good and what is true and to put them into practice. On the other hand, as our love for these things diminishes, we become more earthly, our devotion to God becomes more earthly, and we become less and less interested in knowing and doing these things.
We could compare outward worship apart from inner worship to having living breath without having a living heart, while outward worship prompted by inner worship is like living breath that is joined to a living heart.
Footnotes:
1. The phrase in parentheses is missing from the first edition but has been supplied on the basis of an errata list sent from Swedenborg to his printer. See Acton 1948-1955, 523-526, for this list and a summary of the printer's attempts to furnish it to readers. [GFD, SS]
125. Outward holiness is similar to religious devotion. It especially means believing that divine worship is just being holy when we are in church. However, this worship is not holy for us unless our deeper self is holy too. Whatever we are like inwardly, that is what we are like outwardly as well, since our outward self comes from our inward self just as our actions come from our spirit. So outward holiness without inward holiness is materialistic, not spiritual.
Harmful people can be just as outwardly holy as good people. When we think that is all there is to worship, we are usually empty — that is, we have no concept of what is good and true. Yet goodness and truth are actually the holy things we should know, believe, and love, because they are from the divine, and so the divine is in them.
Being inwardly holy is loving goodness and truth because they are good and true, and loving fairness and honesty because they are honest and fair. The more we love these qualities, the more we are spiritual and our worship holy, since we want to know and act on them. But the less we love these qualities, the more both we and our worship are materialistic, and the less we want to know and act on them.
Outward holiness without inward holiness is like the life force of our breathing without the life force of our heart. But outward holiness that comes from inward holiness is like the life force of our breathing combined with the life force of our heart.
125. A holy external is like this kind of piety, and consists especially in a person regarding the whole of Divine worship as consisting in holy behaviour when he attends churches. But there is no holiness on a person's part in this, unless his internal is holy. For a person's external is such as his internal is, since the external proceeds from the internal like action from his spirit. So a holy external without a holy internal is natural and not spiritual. It is therefore possible for the evil to exhibit it equally with the good; and those who make it the whole of their worship are for the most part empty, devoid, that is, of any kind of knowledge of good and truth. Yet the various kinds of good and truth are the really holy things, which ought to be known, believed and loved, because they are from the Deity and have divinity in them.
Internal holiness is loving good and truth for their own sakes, and justice and honesty for their own sakes. The more a person so loves these, the more spiritual he is, and so is his worship, for he wishes the more to know them and do them. The less a person so loves them, the more natural he is, and so is his worship, and the less he wishes to know them and do them. External worship without internal can be compared with living by breathing without the heart beating, but external worship which comes from the internal can be compared with living by breathing combined with the heart beating.
125. Outward holiness is like such piety; but it is not holy with a man, unless his Internal is holy; for the quality of a man's External is according to the quality of his Internal, because the former proceeds from the latter, as an action proceeds from its spirit: outward holiness, therefore, apart from inward holiness, is natural, and not spiritual. For this reason it is that such holiness exists among the wicked just as much as among the good; and that those who place in it the whole of worship, are, for the most part, empty, that is, destitute of the knowledges of good and truth; when yet goods and truths are the very holy things which ought to be known, believed, and loved, because they are from the Divine, and because the Divine is thus within them. Inward holiness, therefore, consists in loving good and truth, because they are good and true, and in loving what is just and sincere, because it is just and sincere. So far as a man loves these in such a manner, so far he himself and his worship are spiritual; because so far he wills to know and to do them: but so far as he does not love them in such a manner, he as well as his worship are natural; and so far he does not will to know and to do them. External worship apart from internal worship may be compared to the life of respiration apart from the life of the heart; but external worship which flows from internal worship may be compared to the life of respiration which is conjoined with the life of the heart.
125. External sanctity is like such piety, and especially 1consists in this, that man places all Divine worship in sanctity when he is in temples; but this is not holy with man unless his internal be holy; for such as man is as to his internal, such he also is as to his external, for this proceeds from the former as action does from its spirit; wherefore external sanctity without internal sanctity is natural and not spiritual. Hence it is that external sanctity is given with the evil as well as with the good; and they who place the whole of worship therein are for the most part empty; that is, without the knowledges of good and truth. And yet goods and truths are the real sanctities which are to be known, believed and loved, because they are from the Divine, and thus the Divine is in them. Internal sanctity, therefore, consists in loving good and truth for the sake of good and truth, and justice and sincerity for the sake of justice and sincerity. So far also as man thus loves them, so far he is spiritual, and also his worship, for so far also he is willing to know them and to do them; but so far as man does not thus love them, so far he is natural, and his worship also, and so far also he is not willing to know them and do them. External worship without internal may be compared with the life of the respiration without the life of the heart; but external worship from internal may be compared with the life of the respiration conjoined to the life of the heart.
Footnotes:
1. In the original edition the following words were omitted by the printer, which Swedenborg afterward in a letter supplied to the publisher, "et praecipue consistit in eo, quod homo ponat omnem cultum Divinum in sancto cum est in templis;" and especially consist in this, that man places all Divine worship in sanctity when he is in temples.
125. Sanctum externum est simile pio tali, 1et praecipue consistit in eo, quod homo ponat omnem cultum Divinum in sancto cum est in templis; sed hoc apud hominem non sanctum est, nisi internum ejus sanctum sit, nam qualis homo quoad internum suum est, talis est quoad externum, hoc enim procedit ab illo sicut actio a suo spiritu; quare sanctum externum absque sancto interno est naturale et non spirituale. Inde est quod detur aeque apud malos ac apud bonos; et illi qui in eo omnem cultum ponunt, sunt utplurimum vacui, hoc est, absque cognitionibus boni et veri, et tamen bona et vera sunt ipsa sancta, quae scienda, credenda, et amanda, quia sunt a Divino, et sic Divinum in illis. Sanctum itaque internum est amare bonum et verum propter bonum et verum, ac justum et sincerum propter justum et sincerum; quantum homo haec ita amat, tantum est spiritualis, et quoque ejus cultus, nam tantum etiam vult scire illa et facere illa; at quantum homo illa non ita amat, tantum est naturalis, et quoque ejus cultus, et quoque tantum non vult scire illa et facere illa. Comparari potest cultus externus absque interno cum vita respirationis absque vita cordis, at cultus externus ex interno cum vita respirationis conjuncta vitae cordis.
Footnotes:
1. "et praecipue consistit in eo, quod homo ponat omnem cultum Divinum in sancto cum est in templis":--haec verba, vitio typothetea, editioni principi desunt. Videatur Praefatiuncula Editoris.