191.引用这些经文并不能使属世人确信，圣言就是包含神圣智慧和神性生命的神圣真理本身。因为他从风格的角度来看待圣言，并且在其中看不到这些事。然而，圣言的风格其实是神的风格，决非其它风格所能比拟的，无论其它风格多么高端、壮观。圣言的风格乃是这样：每句话，每个词，甚至有些地方的每个字母都是神圣的。因此，圣言是联结人与主的纽带，并打开通往天堂的道路。有两样事物从主发出，即：神性之爱和神圣智慧（简称圣爱和圣智），或换句话说，神圣良善和神圣真理（简称圣善和圣真）。因为如我刚才所说，圣言是联结人与主的纽带，并打开通往天堂的道路。故它以爱之善与智之真充满人：以爱之善充满他的意愿，以智之真充满他的理解力；人就这样凭圣言而拥有生命。但必须清楚知道，只有那些为了从圣言，如同从他们的泉源汲取神圣真理而阅读圣言，同时将所汲取的真理应用于生活的人才能从圣言拥有生命。而对那些阅读圣言仅仅为了取得世俗荣耀和利益的人而言，情况恰好相反（参看马太福音16:26；马可福音8:36；路加福音9:25）。
191. 然而, 通過以上引用的話語, 仍不能說服屬世之人去相信聖言就是聖理之本,有聖智和生命在裡頭。因為他們只從表面的文體來看聖言, 由此看不出這些性質。不過, 聖言的文體的確是神聖之文體, 任何其它文體都無法與之相比, 無論其它的看起來多麼超群出色。聖言文體的特性是:每一句話,每個詞語, 有些地方甚至每個字母, 都是神聖的。因此, 聖言是人與主之間的紐帶, 打開通往天國的道路。
有兩樣從主發出:聖仁與聖智, 或者说聖善與聖理。聖言, 就本質而言, 是此二者。如剛才所說, 聖言是人與主之間的紐帶, 打開通往天國之路。因此, 聖言以仁之善和智之理來充滿我們; 以仁之善來填充我們的意志,以智之理來填充我們的認知。這就是人如何從聖言獲得生命。
然而, 一個非常重要,值得注意的事實是:只有那些讀聖言,並期盼從中汲取聖理(如同從泉源汲水), 同時將所取真理實際踐於生活之中, 這樣的人方可從聖言獲得生命。只是藉著讀聖言來贏得榮譽和獲取世間利益者, 情況就完全相反了(見馬太福音16:26;馬可福音8:36;路加福音9:25)。
191. Our earthly self, however, is incapable of being convinced by these quotations that the Word is divine truth itself in which there is divine wisdom and divine life. Our earthly self evaluates the Word on the basis of style and does not see those qualities in its style. Nevertheless, the style of the Word is the divine style itself. There is no comparison between it and all other styles, no matter how sublime and excellent they may seem. The nature of the Word's style is that it has holiness in every meaning and every word; in fact, in some passages there is holiness in the very letters. As a result, the Word connects us to the Lord and opens heaven.
There are two things that emanate from the Lord: divine love and divine wisdom (or what amounts to the same thing, divine goodness and divine truth). In its essence the Word is each of these. Because the Word connects us to the Lord and opens heaven, as I just said, therefore the Word fills us with love for what is good and wisdom about what is true. It fills our will with love for what is good and our intellect with wisdom about what is true. This is how we receive life through the Word.
It is very important to realize, however, that the only people who receive life from the Word are those who read it for two purposes: to draw divine truths from it because it is the fountain of truth; and to apply to their life the divine truths they have drawn. The opposite happens to people who read the Word only with the purpose of increasing their status and gaining the world [see Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25].
191. But the natural man still cannot be convinced by these quotations that the Word is Divine truth itself, containing Divine wisdom and Divine life, because he looks at it from the point of view of its style, and in this he cannot see these things. However, the style of the Word is the actual style of God, beyond comparisons with any other style, however high-flown and magnificent. Such is the style of the Word that there is holiness in every sentence, every word, in some places even every letter. Thus the Word forms a link between man and the Lord, and opens the way to heaven. There are two things which proceed from the Lord, Divine love and Divine wisdom, or in other words Divine good and Divine truth. The Word is in its essence both of these; and because it forms a link between man and the Lord, and opens the way to heaven, as I have said, the Word therefore fills man with the good affections of love and the truths of wisdom, his will with good affections of love, his understanding with the truths of wisdom. This is how man has life by means of the Word. But it ought properly to be known that the only people to have life from the Word are those who read it with the intention of drawing Divine truths from it, like water from the spring, and at the same time with the intention of putting the Divine truths drawn from it into practice in their lives. The reverse happens to those whose only intention in reading the Word is to win honours and gain worldly advantages.
191. Nevertheless, all this does not convince the natural man that the Word is Divine truth itself, in which there is Divine wisdom and Divine life; for he estimates it by its style, in which these are not seen by him. Yet the style of the Word is the Divine style itself, with which no other style can be compared, however sublime and excellent it may seem. The style of the Word is such that there is a holiness in every sentence and in every word, and even in some places in the very letters, and thereby the Word conjoins man with the Lord and opens heaven. There are two things that go forth from the Lord, Divine love and Divine wisdom, or what is the same thing, Divine good and Divine truth. In its essence the Word is both of these; and because, as just said, it conjoins man with the Lord and opens heaven, it fills man with the goods of love and the truths of wisdom-his will with the goods of love and his understanding with the truths of wisdom; thus by means of the Word man has life. But it must be clearly understood that those only have life from the Word who read it for the purpose of drawing from it Divine truths as from their proper fountain, and at the same time for the purpose of applying to the life the truths drawn therefrom; while with those who read the Word solely with a view to gaining worldly honors and riches the opposite effect follows.
191. The natural man, however, still cannot be persuaded that the Word is Divine Truth itself, in which is Divine Wisdom as well as Divine Life; for he regards it from the style, in which he does not see those things. Yet the style in which the Word is written is the Divine style itself, with which no other can be compared, however sublime and excellent it may appear. The style of the Word is such that it is holy in every sentence, in every word, and even in some instances in the very letters; consequently the Word unites man to the Lord, and opens heaven. There are two things which proceed from the Lord, Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, or what is the same, Divine Good and Divine Truth: the Word in its essence is both. Because the Word unites man to the Lord and opens heaven, as was observed, therefore it fills man with the goods of love and the truths of wisdom-his will with the goods of love and his understanding with the truths of wisdom; thus man has life through the Word. But it should be clearly understood that only those have life from the Word who read it for the purpose of drawing Divine truths from it as from their fountain head, and applying them to life; and that the reverse takes place with those who read the Word merely for the purpose of acquiring honors and gaining the world.
191. Sed homo naturalis ex his usque non persuaderi potest, quod Verbum sit ipsum Divinum Verum, in quo Divina Sapientia est et Divina Vita, spectat enim illud a Stylo, in quo non videt illa. Sed stylus Verbi est ipse Stylus Divinus, cum quo omnis alius Stylus, utcunque sublimis et excellens apparet, non comparari potest. Stylus Verbi talis est, ut Sanctum sit in omni sensu, inque omni voce, imo alicubi in ipsis literis; inde Verbum conjungit hominem Domino, et aperit Coelum. Sunt duo, quae procedunt a Domino, Divinus Amor et Divina Sapientia, seu quod idem, Divinum Bonum et Divinum Verum; Verbum in sua Essentia est utrumque hoc; et quia illud conjungit hominem Domino, et aperit Coelum, ut dictum est, ideo Verbum implet hominem Bonis Amoris et Veris sapientiae, Voluntatem ejus bonis amoris, ac Intellectum ejus veris sapientiae, inde homini est vita per Verbum. At probe sciendum est, quod illis solis sit vita ex Verbo, qui illud legunt propter finem, ut Divina Vera ex illo ut ex suo Fonte hauriant, et simul propter finem, ut Divina Vera inde hausta applicent vitae: et quod contrarium fiat illis, qui Verbum legunt duntaxat propter finem, ut aucupent honores, et lucrentur Mundum.