236.有必要举例说明，当世人阅读圣言时，属灵天使如何通过属世之义感知自己的意义，而属天天使又如何通过这属世之义感知他们自己的意义。以十诫中的四条诫命为例。第五条是“不可杀人”。世人不仅将其理解为不可杀人，还理解为不可心怀仇恨和报复欲，甚至到了杀人的地步；属灵天使将“杀人”理解为扮演魔鬼和谋杀人灵魂的角色；而属天天使将“杀人”理解为仇恨主和圣言。
第六条诫命是“不可奸淫”。世人将“奸淫”理解为淫行、淫乱、淫荡的话题、淫秽的思想；属灵天使将其理解为玷污圣言的良善，歪曲圣言的真理；而属天天使将其理解为否认主的神性和亵渎圣言。
第七条诫命是“不可偷盗”。世人将偷盗理解为偷窃、骗取、以某种借口夺走邻人的财物；属灵天使则将其理解为利用邪恶和虚假夺走别人的信之真理和良善；而属天天使则将其理解为将属于主的东西据为己有并为自己声称主的公义和功德。
第八条诫命是“不可作假见证”。世人将“作假见证”理解为说谎和诽谤；属灵天使将其理解为言说并说服他人相信虚假就是真理，邪恶就是良善，反之亦然；而属天天使则将其理解为亵渎主和圣言。
从这几个例子可以看出，属灵和属天之物如何从包含它们的圣言属世之义中演变和提取出来。神奇的是，天使提取属于他们自己的意义时，并不需要知道阅读的世人正在思想什么。然而，天使与世人的思维通过对应构成一体，就像目的、起因和结果那样。此外，目的其实就居于属天国度，起因居于属灵国度，而结果居于属世国度。人类以这种方式通过圣言与天使联系在一起。
236. 舉些例子來說明一下這些如何發生, 就是當一個人讀聖言時, 屬靈的天人如何領受他們的意思, 屬天的天人如何領受他們的意思, 兩樣意思都是由屬世(文字) 意思而起。
讓我們以十誡中的四條誡命為例來說明:
第五誡是"不可殺人"。人由此理解為不可殺人, 且恨人與心懷報復之念與謀殺無異。屬靈天人所理解的殺人為扮演魔鬼角色來殺死一個人靈魂。而屬天的天人所理解的殺人為憎恨主和聖言。
[2]第六誡是"不可姦淫"。人所理解的姦淫為濫交的行為,淫穢的舉動,下流的聯想和骯髒的想法。屬靈的天人所理解的姦淫為摻雜聖言的良善和歪曲聖言的真理。而屬天的天人則理解姦淫為否定主的神性以及褻瀆聖言。
[3]第七誡是"不可偷盜"。世人理解的偷盜就是以某些托詞來偷竊,欺騙與剝奪別人的東西。而屬靈天人所理解的偷盜則是通過偽謬與邪惡來剝奪別人的真理以及別人所信的不同類型的良善。然而屬天天人理解的偷盜則是將屬於主的歸給自己, 將祂的公義與憐憫索為己有。
[4]第八誡是"不可作假見證"。世人理解的作假見證就是說謊和誹謗某人。屬靈天人理解為說服其他人視偽謬為真理,邪惡為良善, 反之亦然。而屬天天人理解的作假見證則是誹謗主和聖言。
[5]由以上這些例子, 能看出屬靈與屬天之意如何從包含它們的屬世之意中解開和引出。一個值得注意的事實, 天人引出他們自己的意思, 無需知道讀經之人當時所想。不過, 天人和世人的思想是藉著對應而合為一的, 正如為達到一個目的而使原因和結果合為一。實際上, 目的在屬天的國度中, 原因在屬靈的國度中, 結果在屬世的國度中。於是用這樣的方式, 人類藉著聖言而與天人聯合。
236. Examples will illustrate how spiritual angels receive their meaning and heavenly angels receive theirs from the earthly meaning when we read the Word. Four of the Ten Commandments will provide examples.
Take the fifth commandment, "You will not murder. " We take this to mean not only murdering but also hating and longing for revenge even to the point of death. Spiritual angels take "murdering" to mean acting like a devil and killing someone's soul. Heavenly angels take "murdering" to mean hating the Lord and the Word.
[2] The sixth commandment, "You will not commit adultery. " We take "committing adultery" to mean whoring, doing obscene things, saying lustful things, and having filthy thoughts. A spiritual angel takes "committing adultery" to mean contaminating the good things taught by the Word and falsifying its truths. A heavenly angel takes "committing adultery" to mean denying the Lord's divinity and desecrating the Word.
[3] The seventh commandment, "You will not steal. " We take "stealing" to mean stealing, cheating, and using any excuse to take our neighbors' possessions. A spiritual angel takes "stealing" to mean using things that are false and evil to deprive others of the true and good things in their faith. A heavenly angel takes "stealing" to mean attributing to ourselves what belongs to the Lord and claiming his justice and merit for ourselves.
[4] The eighth commandment, "You will not testify falsely. " We take "testifying falsely" to include lying and libeling. A [spiritual] angel takes "testifying falsely" to mean saying and convincing people that falsity is truth and evil is good, and the reverse. A heavenly angel takes "testifying falsely" to mean slandering and blaspheming the Lord and the Word.
[5] This shows how spiritual and heavenly meanings are unfolded from and drawn out of the Word's earthly meaning, which contains them. An astounding thing is that the angels receive their meanings independently of their knowing what we are thinking. Yet the angels' thoughts and ours are united through correspondences like a purpose, its means, and its result. In fact, purposes actually exist in the heavenly kingdom, means actually exist in the spiritual kingdom, and results actually exist in the earthly kingdom. That is how we now associate with angels through the Word.
236. Examples will be given to illustrate how, when a person reads the Word, the spiritual angels perceive their sense and the celestial angels theirs, each arising from the natural sense. Let us take as examples four of the Ten Commandments. The fifth is 'You are not to kill.' A man understands by this not one killing, but hating and harbouring thoughts of revenge going as far as murder. A spiritual angel by killing understands playing the part of the devil and murdering a person's soul. A celestial angel, however, by killing understands hating the Lord and the Word.
[2] The sixth commandment is 'You are not to commit adultery.' A man by committing adultery understands promiscuous behaviour, obscene acts, improper suggestions and filthy thoughts. A spiritual angel by committing adultery understands adulterating the good of the Word and falsifying its truths. A celestial angel, however, by committing adultery understands denying the divinity of the Lord and profaning the Word.
[3] The seventh commandment is 'You are not to steal.' A man by stealing understands stealing, defrauding and depriving the neighbour of his goods on some pretext. A spiritual angel by stealing understands depriving others of the truths and different kinds of good of his faith by falsities and evils. A celestial angel, however, by stealing understands attributing to oneself what is the Lord's and claiming for oneself His righteousness and merit.
[4] The eighth commandment is 'You are not to bear false witness.' A man by bearing false witness understands telling lies and slandering someone. A [spiritual] angel by bearing false witness understands saying and persuading others that falsity is truth and evil is good, and vice versa. A celestial angel, however, by bearing false witness understands blaspheming against the Lord and the Word.
[5] From these examples it can be seen how the spiritual and celestial contents are unwrapped and drawn out of the natural sense of the Word, which contains them. It is a remarkable fact that the angels draw out their own senses without knowing what the person reading is thinking. Yet the thoughts of angels and men make one by means of correspondences, just as do an end, its cause and its effect. In fact the ends are in the celestial kingdom, the causes in the spiritual kingdom and the effects in the natural kingdom. So it is in this way that human beings are associated with angels by means of the Word.
236. But how from the natural sense the spiritual angels perceive their sense, and the celestial angels theirs, when man is reading the Word, shall be illustrated by examples. Let four of the commandments of the Decalogue serve as examples. The Fifth Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" - By this man understands not only killing but also cherishing hatred and longing for revenge even to murder. A spiritual angel understands "killing" to mean acting the devil and murdering a man's soul; while a celestial angel understands "killing" to mean hating the Lord and the Word.
[2] The Sixth Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery": Man understands "committing adultery" to mean whoredom, obscene actions, lascivious conversation, and filthy thoughts. A spiritual angel understands "committing adultery" to mean adulterating the goods of the Word, and falsifying its truths; while a celestial angel understands "committing adultery" to mean denying the Divine of the Lord and profaning the Word.
[3] The Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal": Man understands "stealing" to mean stealing, defrauding, and depriving the neighbor of his goods by any pretext. A spiritual angel understands "stealing" to mean depriving others of their truths and goods of faith by means of evils and falsities; while a celestial angel understands "stealing" to mean attributing to oneself what belongs to the Lord, and claiming for oneself the Lord's righteousness and merit.
[4] The Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness" - Man understands "bearing false witness" to mean lying and defaming anyone; a spiritual angel understands "bearing false witness" to mean saying and persuading that falsity is truth and evil is good, and the converse; while a celestial angel understands "bearing false witness" to mean blaspheming the Lord and the Word.
[5] These examples show how what is spiritual and celestial is evolved and drawn forth from the natural sense of the Word, within which they are. And what is wonderful, the angels draw forth what belongs to them without knowing what the man is thinking; and yet the thoughts of angels and men make one by correspondences, like end, cause, and effect. Moreover, ends actually reside in the celestial kingdom, causes in the spiritual kingdom, and effects in the natural kingdom. From this comes the affiliation of men with angels by means of the Word.
236. Some examples will show how spiritual and celestial angels perceive their own sense from the natural sense, when a man reads the Word. Let us take as examples four Commandments of the Decalogue, beginning with the fifth, "Thou shalt not kill." By this a man understands not only to kill, but also to cherish hatred and breathe revenge even to death. By killing, a spiritual angel understands acting like a devil, and destroying the soul of a man; and by killing, a celestial angel understands hating the Lord and the Word.
[2] The sixth Commandment is: "Thou shalt not commit adultery." By committing adultery a man understands committing whoredom, and indulging in obscene practices, lascivious conversation, and filthy thoughts; a spiritual angel understands the adulteration of the good of the Word, and the falsification of its truth; and a celestial angel understands the denial of the Lord's Divinity, and the profanation of the Word.
[3] The seventh Commandment is: "Thou shalt not steal." By stealing, a man understands stealing, defrauding, and depriving a neighbor of his property under any pretext whatever; a spiritual angel understands depriving others of the truth and good of their faith, by means of falsity and evil; and a celestial angel understands attributing to oneself what belongs to the Lord, and claiming for oneself the Lord's righteousness and merit.
[4] The eighth Commandment is: "Thou shalt not bear false witness." By bearing false witness, a man understands lying, and defamation; a [spiritual] angel understands declaring and persuading that falsity is truth, and evil good, and the reverse; and a celestial angel understands blaspheming the Lord and the Word.
[5] From these examples it may be seen how the spiritual and celestial senses are unfolded and drawn from the natural sense of the Word which contains them. And what is wonderful, the angels draw out their own senses without knowing what the man's thoughts are. Still, the thoughts of angels and men make one by correspondence, like end, cause and effect; for ends actually exist in the celestial kingdom, causes in the spiritual kingdom, and effects in the natural kingdom. In this way, then, association of men with angels results through the instrumentality of the Word.
236. Sed illustrabitur per Exempla, quomodo Angeli spirituales percipiunt suum Sensum, et Angeli Coelestes suum, ex Sensu naturali, quando homo legit Verbum; Exemplis sint quatuor praecepta decalogi; ut QUINTUM PRAECEPTUM, Non occides; homo per hoc non modo intelligit occidere, sed etiam odio habere, et vindictam spirare usque ad necem: Angelus spiritualis pro occidere intelligit diabolum agere, et necare animam hominis: Angelus autem coelestis pro occidere intelligit Dominum odio habere, et Verbum.
[2] SEXTUM PRAECEPTUM, Non adulteraberis; homo per adulterari intelligit scortari, obscaena facere, lasciva loqui, et spurca cogitare: Angelus spiritualis pro adulterari intelligit adulterare bona Verbi, et falsificare vera ejus: Angelus autem coelestis pro adulterari intelligit negare Divinum Domini, et prophanare Verbum.
[3] SEPTIMUM PRAECEPTUM, Non furaberis; homo per furari intelligit furari, defraudare, et sub aliqua specie proximo auferre sua bona: Angelus spiritualis pro furari intelligit deprivare alios suae fidei veris et bonis per falsa et mala; Angelus autem coelestis pro furari intelligit attribuere sibi illa quae Domini sunt, ac vindicare sibi justitiam et meritum Ipsius.
[4] OCTAVUM PRAECEPTUM, Non false testaberis; homo per false testari etiam intelligit mentiri, et aliquem diffamare: Angelus [spiritualis] 1 pro false testari intelligit dicere et persuadere, quod falsum sit verum, ac malum sit bonum, et vicissim: Angelus autem coelestis pro false testari intelligit blasphemare Dominum, et Verbum.
[5] Ex his videri potest, quomodo evolvitur et extrahitur spirituale et coeleste ex Sensu naturali Verbi, cui insunt; et quod mirabile est, Angeli extrahunt sua, praeter quod sciant, quid homo cogitat; at usque cogitationes Angelorum et hominum unum faciunt per Correspondentias, sicut finis, causa, et effectus; fines etiam actualiter sunt in Regno coelesti, causae in Regno spirituali, et effectus in Regno naturali; inde nunc est consociatio hominum cum Angelis per Verbum.
Footnotes:
1. Sic De Doctrina de Scriptura Sacra 67.