SS108.下面的经历有助于说明这个问题。一些来自阿比西尼亚的非洲灵人与我同在。在某一个时刻，他们的耳朵被打开了，因此他们听见地上某个敬拜的地方正在唱大卫诗篇。这一切以如此的快乐打动他们，以致他们加入唱诗。然而，过了没多久，他们的耳朵被关闭了，以致他们听不见任何唱诗声；但那时他们却被一种更大的快乐打动，因为这种快乐是属灵的，同时他们充满聪明，因为该诗篇论述了主与救赎。快乐的这种增长的原因是，与天上的某个社群，就是与那些在世上正在唱这诗篇的人结合的社群的交流向他们打开了。我从这个经历和其它许多类似经历清楚看出，与整个天堂的交流通过圣言实现。由于这个原因，按照主的旨意，欧洲国家，尤其阅读圣言的国家，与教会之外的各民族之间存在一种普遍的互动关系。
108. Another experience may serve to illustrate the same thing. There were some African spirits with me, from Abyssinia. At one point their ears were opened so that they heard one of the Psalms of David being sung in a house of worship on earth. This moved them with such pleasure that they joined in the singing. Before long, though, their ears were closed so that they could not hear anything from that house of worship; but when that happened they were moved by a pleasure that was even greater because it was spiritual, and were flooded with understanding at the same time because the psalm was about the Lord and redemption. The reason they felt more pleasure was that they were granted communication with the community in heaven that was united with the people who were singing the psalm in this world. It has become clear to me from this and from many other experiences that there is communication with the whole heaven through the Word.
For this reason, there is, by the Lord’s divine providence, a universal interaction between the countries of Europe (especially those where the Word is read) and the nations outside the church.
108. The same phenomenon can also be illustrated by the following experience:
I had with me African spirits from Ethiopia. One day their ears were opened so that they heard people singing one of the Psalms of David in a temple in this world. The spirits were moved with such delight by this that they began to sing along with them. But presently their ears were closed again, so that they no longer heard anything from there; and then they were affected with a still greater delight, because it was a spiritual delight. And at the same time they were filled with intelligence, because the Psalm had to do with the Lord and redemption. Their increased delight was owing to the fact that they were given a communication with the society in heaven which was in conjunction with those who were singing the Psalm in the world.
It was apparent from this experience and many others that a communication with the whole of heaven takes place by means of the Word.
It is for the same reason that, of the Lord’s Divine providence, there exists a universal commerce of the kingdoms of Europe, principally of those where the Word is read, with nations outside the church.
108. The same may also be illustrated by the following experience. There were with me African spirits from Abyssinia. On a certain occasion their ears were opened that they might hear singing in a temple in the world from a Psalm of David. They were moved by this with such delight that they joined in the singing. However, soon their ears were closed so that they no longer heard anything from the temple. But they were then moved with a delight still greater because spiritual; and they were at the same time filled with intelligence, because that Psalm treated of the Lord and of redemption. The reason for their increased delight was that communication was given them with that society in heaven which was in conjunction with those who were singing that Psalm in the world. From this experience and many others it was made evident to me that communication with the whole of heaven is effected through the Word. For this reason, by the Lord's Divine Providence, there is universal intercourse of the kingdoms of Europe, chiefly of those where the Word is read, with nations outside the Church.
108. The same thing may be illustrated by the following experience. African spirits from Abyssinia were present with me. On a certain occasion their ears were opened so that they heard the singing of a Psalm of David in some place of worship in this world, which affected them with such delight that they too sang along with that congregation. Presently their ears were closed so that they heard nothing of the singing, but they were then affected with a delight which was still greater, because spiritual, and they were at the same time filled with intelligence, because that Psalm treated of the Lord and of redemption. The cause of this increase of delight was that there was opened to them a communication with that society in heaven which was in conjunction with those in this world who were singing that Psalm. From this and many other such experiences it has become evident to me that communication with the universal heaven is effected by means of the Word. And for this reason there exists of the Lord's Divine Providence a universal commercial exchange of the kingdoms of Europe - and chiefly of those where the Word is read - with the nations outside the church.
108. Idem etiam illustrari potest ab hac experientia. Erant apud me spiritus Africani ex Abyssinia. Illis quondam aperiebantur aures, ut audirent cantum in aliquo templo in mundo ex Psalmo Davidis; ex quo afficiebantur tali jucunditate, ut 1una cum illis canerent. Sed mox claudebantur aures, ut non audirent inde aliquid; at tunc adhuc majore jucunditate afficiebantur, quia spirituali; et simul implebantur intelligentia, quia Psalmus ille agebat de Domino, et de Redemptione: causa crescentis jucunditatis erat, quod illis data sit communicatio cum illa societate in caelo quae in conjunctione erat cum illis qui in mundo Psalmum illum canebant. Ex hac et plure alia experientia, patuit quod communicatio cum universo caelo detur per Verbum. Propter illam causam, ex Divina Domini providentia, commercium universale regnorum Europae, principaliter illorum ubi Verbum legitur, est cum gentibus extra ecclesiam.
Footnotes:
1. ut pro "et"