193. 聖言有屬靈意義 至今不為人知
聖言是神性的, 有屬靈的核心。當這樣告訴我們時, 我們當然都會承認並贊同。不過至今為止, 到底何為聖言的屬靈核心,藏在聖言何處, 何人知道呢？在本章結尾, 我會藉著親身的經歷來闡述何為屬靈之核心。接下來先說說, 這屬靈之核心藏在聖言何處。
因為聖言自主耶和華,經天人的天國降下, 因此其至深處定有屬靈的內核。當聖言降下時, 原本無法比擬和領會的神性自身變得適於天人,甚至最後適於世人來理解。因此定有屬靈的意思藏於屬世的意思之中, 如同靈魂藏在人的裡面, 或者認知的想法藏於言辭之中, 意志的情感藏于行為之中。
如果我們用物质世界眼見之物作比方:屬靈意義在屬世意義之中, 就像整個大腦在腦膜或某種包裹物之中; 或者像樹的枝條在其外皮和內皮之中。
不過至今為止, 尚無人知道聖言的屬世意義與其屬靈意義之間存在這樣的關係。因此有必要將這個奧秘清晰顯明出來, 這比至今所揭示的所有奧秘更為緊要。按下列順序展示, 將一目了然:
(1)什麼是屬靈意義。
(2)全部聖言,甚至每個細節都有屬靈意義。
(3)屬靈意義令聖言的啟示神性,並令所有話語神聖。
(4)屬靈意義至今不為人知。
(5)從現在開始, 屬靈意義只賜給那些有從主而來純正真理之人。
(6)因其屬靈意義, 聖言有令人驚奇的效果。
193. 2. The Word Has a Spiritual Meaning That Has Not Been Known until Now
Because the Word is divine, it has a spiritual core. When we are told this, surely we all acknowledge it and agree. Up until now, though, has anyone known what that spiritual core is and where it is hidden in the Word? What the spiritual core is, I will show in a memorable occurrence at the end of this chapter. Where it lies hidden in the Word, I will explain now.
The Word has a spiritual core because it came down from the Lord Jehovah and passed through the angelic heavens. As the Word came down, the divinity itself, which was originally inexpressible and imperceptible, became adapted to the awareness of angels and, further on, to the awareness of human beings. As a result, the Word has a spiritual meaning that is present within its earthly meaning much the way our soul is present in us, the thoughts of our intellect are present in what we say, and the feelings of our will are present in what we do.
If I may make comparisons with things that appear before our eyes in the physical world, the spiritual meaning is contained in the earthly meaning the way the whole brain is wrapped in its meninges or membranes; or the way the branch of a tree is wrapped in its inner and outer bark; or the way everything necessary for a chick's development is contained within the shell of its egg; and so on.
Until now no one has divined that this type of relationship exists between the Word's spiritual meaning and its earthly meaning. Therefore this secret needs to be made clear to the intellect, because it takes fundamental precedence over all the other secrets I have disclosed until now. It will become clear if it is laid out in the following order:
1. What the spiritual meaning is.
2. There is a spiritual meaning throughout the Word and in every part of it.
3. It is the spiritual meaning that makes the Word divinely inspired and holy in every word.
4. The spiritual meaning has been unknown until now.
5. From this point on, the spiritual meaning will be given only to people who have genuine truths from the Lord.
6. The Word has amazing qualities because of its spiritual meaning.
These points will now be unfolded one by one.
193. II. The Word contains a spiritual sense unknown up to the present.
Is there anyone who does not acknowledge and assent to the proposition that the Word, being Divine, is in its inmost spiritual? But who up to now has known what spiritual means, and where it is hidden in the Word? It will be shown in an experience recounted at the end of this chapter [280] what spiritual means; where it lies hidden in the Word will be revealed in the following paragraphs.
The reason why the Word is spiritual in its inmost is that it has come down from the Lord Jehovah and has passed through the heavens of the angels; and the actual divinity, which in itself is beyond expression and perception, has become as it came down adapted so as to permit angels, and finally men, to grasp it. Thus there is a spiritual sense, which is inside the natural sense like the soul in a person, or like the thinking of the understanding in speech, and the affection of the will in actions. If we may compare it with the kinds of things to be seen in the natural world, the spiritual sense is within the natural sense like the whole brain inside its membranes or integuments; or like the shoots of a tree within its bark and bast, or, rather, like everything needed to produce a chick inside the eggshell, and so on. But no one up to the present has guessed that the natural sense of the Word contains a spiritual sense of this kind. It is therefore necessary to make plain to the view of the understanding this secret, which is in itself far superior to all secrets disclosed so far. This can be achieved by expounding the matter in the following sequence:
(i) What the spiritual sense is.
(ii) This sense is present in every part and detail of the Word.
(iii) It is this which makes the Word divinely inspired and holy in every word.
(iv) This sense has up to the present been unknown.
(v) It will in future only be granted to those who are in possession of genuine truths from the Lord.
(vi) Remarkable effects produced by the Word from its spiritual sense.
These I shall now discuss one by one.
193. II. IN THE WORD THERE IS A SPIRITUAL SENSE HITHERTO UNKNOWN.
When it is asserted that inasmuch as the Word is Divine it is in its bosom spiritual, who does not acknowledge and assent to the statement? But who has known as yet what the spiritual is, and where in the Word it is stored up? What the spiritual is will be made clear in the Memorable Relation at the end of this chapter; and where it is hidden in the Word shall be shown in what now follows. The Word in its bosom is spiritual, because it descended from Jehovah the Lord, and passed through the angelic heavens; and in its descent the Divine itself, which in itself is ineffable and unperceivable, became adapted to the perception of angels, and finally to the perception of men. From this is the spiritual sense, which is inwardly in the natural, as the soul is in man, as the thought of the understanding is in speech, and as the will's affection is in action; and if it is permissible to compare it with such things as appear to the eye in the natural world, the spiritual sense is in the natural sense as the whole brain is within its meninges or matres, or as a tree's branches are within their barks and coats, or as all things needful for the production of a chick are within the shell of the egg, and so on. But that there is such a spiritual sense of the Word in its natural sense no one as yet has divined; and for that reason it is necessary that this arcanum (which in itself stands pre-eminent over all arcana hitherto disclosed) should be made clear to the understanding, as it will be when explained in the following order:
(1) What the spiritual sense is.
(2) This sense is in each and every part of the Word.
(3) It is because of this sense that the Word is Divinely inspired, and holy in every word.
(4) Heretofore this sense has been unknown.
(5) Henceforth it will be given only to such as are in genuine truths from the Lord.
(6) Wonderful things respecting the Word, from its spiritual sense.
These propositions will now be unfolded separately.
193. II. IN THE WORD THERE IS A SPIRITUAL SENSE, HITHERTO UNKNOWN.
Who does not acknowledge, and agree when it is asserted, that the Word, because it is Divine, is in its inmost content spiritual? But who has hitherto known what the spiritual is, and where in the Word it lies concealed? What the spiritual is will be shown in a narrative at the conclusion of this chapter, and where it lies concealed in the Word in what now follows. The Word is spiritual in its inmost content because it descended from Jehovah the Lord, and passed through the angelic heavens; and the Divine Itself, which in itself is ineffable and incomprehensible, was adapted in its descent to the perception of angels, and lastly to that of men. Hence the Word has a spiritual sense which is within the natural sense just as the soul is in man, or as the thought of the understanding is in speech, or as the affection of the will is in act. And if we may compare it with visible things in the world of nature, the spiritual sense is within the natural sense as the whole of the brain is within its enveloping membranes or coverings, or as the young shoots of a tree are within their coverings of bark, or as the embryo of the chicken is within the shell of the egg: and so on. As the fact that there is such a spiritual sense has not hitherto been made known by any one through Divine inspiration, this truth, in itself surpassing all truths that have so far been revealed, must now be made clear to the understanding. This will be done as it is explained in the following articles:
(1) What the spiritual sense is.
(2) This sense is in the whole of the Word, and in every part of it.
(3) Because of this sense the Word is Divinely inspired, and holy in every word.
(4) This sense has hitherto been unknown.
(5) Hereafter it will be made known only to those who are in genuine truths from the Lord.
(6) Some wonderful things concerning the Word from its spiritual sense.
Each of these articles will now be treated separately.
193. II.
Quod in Verbo Sensus Spiritualis sit, hactenus ignotus.
Quis non agnoscit et annuit quando dicitur, quod Verbum, quia est Divinum, in sinu suo spirituale sit; sed quis huc usque scivit, quid Spirituale, et ubinam illud in Verbo reconditum est; sed quid Spirituale, in MEMORABILI post hoc Caput manifestabitur, et ubinam illud in Verbo latet, in nunc sequentibus. Quod Verbum in sinu spirituale sit, est quia descendit a Jehovah Domino, ac pertransiit Coelos Angelicos, et ipsum Divinum, quod in se est ineffabile et imperceptibile, in descensu factum est adaequatum perceptioni Angelorum, et demum perceptioni hominum, inde est Sensus spiritualis qui est intus in Naturali, quemadmodum anima in homine, cogitatio intellectus in loquela, et affectio voluntatis in actione; et si comparare licet cum talibus, quae ante oculos in Mundo naturali apparent, est Sensus spiritualis in Sensu naturali, sicut Universum Cerebrum intra Meninges aut Matres suas; aut sicut palmites arboris intra libros et philyras suas, imo sicut omnia generationis pulli intra testam ovi, et sic porro. Sed quod talis sit Sensus spiritualis Verbi in Sensu naturali ejus, a nemine huc usque divinatum est, quare necessum est, ut hoc Arcanum, quod in se eminens est prae omnibus Arcanis hactenus detectis, pateat coram intellectu, quod fiet, dum in hoc ordine illud exponitur, I. Quid Sensus spiritualis. II. Quod ille Sensus in omnibus et singulis Verbi sit. III. Quod ex illo sit, quod Verbum Divinitus inspiratum sit, ac in omni voce sanctum. IV. Quod ille Sensus hactenus ignotus fuerit. V. Quod non alicui posthac detur, nisi qui in genuinis veris a Domino est. VI. Mirabilia de Verbo ex Sensu spirituali ejus. Haec nunc singulatim evolventur.