461.记事三：
有一次，我在灵里深入灵界的南部地区，进入那里的一个乐园。我发现这个乐园比我之前造访的那些还要好。原因在于，乐园意味着智慧，凡具有杰出智慧者都被送到南方。亚当及其妻子所在的伊甸园没有别的意思。因此，他们被逐出暗示着他们失去智慧，因而失去正直的生活。我在这个南方乐园漫步，发现有些人正坐在月桂树下吃无花果。我走到他们面前，请求他们给我一些无花果。于是，他们给了我；看哪，无花果在我手里立刻变成了葡萄，我对此惊讶不已。站在我旁边的一位天使灵说：“你手中的无花果变成葡萄，是因为无花果对应的含义是属世人或外在人中的各种仁之善和由此而来的信之善，葡萄则表示属灵人或内在人中的各种仁之善和由此而来的信之善。由于你热爱属灵之物，所以这事才在你身上发生。因为在我们的世界，一切事物都会根据对应而发生、存在，并且还会经历变化。”
突然间，我有一种渴望，想知道人如何行出来自神的良善，然而又完全象是凭自己行出的。于是，我就问那些正在吃无花果的人是如何理解这个问题的。他们说，他们只能这样理解：神在人不知不觉的情况下在人的内在操作这一切。因为如果人意识到这一点，并在此状态下行善，他只会行看得见的良善，而这样的良善内在是邪恶。他们说：“凡出于人的一切事物皆出于他的自我（自我中心），而这自我（自我中心）生来就是邪恶。来自神的良善和来自人的邪恶怎会结合，并因此联合进入行为呢？人的自我在救恩的事上不断寻求功德；他越这样做，就越从主那里夺走祂的功德，而这是最不公正、最不敬的。总之，若神在人里面所行的良善真要流入人的意愿，并因此流入他的行为，这良善就会被彻底玷污和亵渎。而神永远不会允许这种事发生。人当然能认为他所行的良善来自神，还能说它是藉着他所行的神的良善。事实的确如此，只是我们还不能理解。”
于是，我敞开心扉说：“你们不理解，是因为你们根据表象思考，通过表象所确认的思维是谬误。你们之所以会卷入这种表象和随之的谬误，是因为你们以为人所思所愿，并由此所行所言的一切都在他自己里面，因而来自他自己。而事实上，除了接受所流入之物的状态外，这一切无一在他里面。人本身不是生命，只是接受生命的一个工具或器官。主本身才是生命，正如祂在约翰福音中所说的：
因为父怎样在自己有生命，就赐给祂儿子也照样在自己有生命。（约翰福音5:26；还有别外，如11:25；14:6，19）
“有两样事物构成生命，即爱和智慧，或也可说，爱之善和智之真。这两样事物从神那里流入，并被人接受，仿佛它们是人自己的；由于它们给人这样的感觉，所以它们从人发出时，仿佛是人自己的。它们给人的这种感觉是主的恩赐，为的是所流入之物能感染人，从而被接受和保留。但由于邪恶也是这样从地狱而非神那里流入，并以快乐被接受（因为人生来就是这样的工具或器官），所以从神所接受的良善与此人仿佛凭自己所除去的邪恶成正比。而这一切是通过悔改加上对主的信实现的。
“爱与智慧，信与义，或更通俗地说，爱与仁之善和智与信之真都是流进来的，所流入之物在人里面看似完全是他自己的，因而仿佛出于他自己。所有这一切可从视、听、嗅、味、触等感觉清楚看出来。这些感觉器官所产生的所有感觉都出自外在源头，并在相关的器官中被感受到。内在感觉器官也是同样的道理，唯一不同之处在于，流入这些内在感官的，是不易察觉的属灵之物，而流入外在感官的，则是易察觉的属世之物。总之，人就是从神那里接受生命的工具或器官；因此，人越弃绝邪恶，就越接受良善。主将弃绝邪恶的能力赐给每个人，因为主赐给他意愿和理解力的能力。凡人出于意愿照理解力所行的，也就是说，凡他出于自由意愿照理解力的理性所行的，都是永恒的。主正是通过这种方式把人带入与祂自己结合的状态，并在这种状态下改造、重生和拯救人。
“流入人内的生命就是从主发出的生命，这生命也被称为神的灵，圣言说圣灵和这生命启发人，使人复活，甚至在他里面作工。但这生命会根据他的爱所带来的组织而变化和更改。你们也许还知道，一切爱与仁之善和一切智与信之真都是流入进来的，其实（最初）并不在人里面。这一点从以下事实可以得知：即人若认为自创造时人里面就有这类事物，最终必会得出这样的结论：神将祂自己灌输到人里面，因而人在某种程度上就是神明。然而，凡由于这种坚定信念而这样思想的人都变成了魔鬼，在我们的世界象尸体一样恶臭。
“此外，人的行为不就是心智的活动吗？心智意愿和思考什么，就会藉着它的工具，即肉体说出来、行出来。因此，当心智被主引导时，其行为和言语也被主引导。当信主时，行为和言语就是被主引导。否则，请尽可能地告诉我，为何主在祂的圣言中千百次地叮嘱人要爱自己的邻舍，行出仁爱的好行为，象树那样结果子，要遵守祂的诫命，所有这一切都为了人能得救？还有，为何祂说要照各人的行为报应各人，行善的进天堂得生命，作恶的下地狱得死亡？如果从人发出的一切势必邀功，因而是邪恶的，那祂怎会说这种话？所以，你们要知道，若心智是仁爱，行为也是仁爱；若心智是唯信，就是脱离属灵仁爱的信，那行为也是唯信。”
听到这番话，那些坐在月桂树下的人说：“我们知道你说得对，却不理解。”我回答说：“你们能知道我说得对，凭借的是一种普遍感知，当人闻听真理时，他通过天堂所流入的光而拥有这普遍感知；而你们不能理解是由于自我的感知，人通过尘世所流入的光而拥有自我感知。在智者里面，这两种感知，即内在的和外在的，或属灵的和属世的，合为一体。若注目于主，除去邪恶，你们也能使它们合而为一。”由于他们能理解这一点，于是，我便从葡萄树上拧下几根枝子，递给他们说：“你们认为这是出于我，还是出于主？”他们说：“是出于主而通过你。”看哪，他们手中的枝子长出了葡萄。离别之际，我看到被葡萄藤蔓所缠绕的、茂盛的橄榄树下有一张香柏木桌子，桌子上有一本书。我一看，惊奇地发现这本书就是我所写的名为《属天的奥秘》那本书。我说，这本书充分证明，人是接受生命的工具或器官，本身并非生命；生命无法被创造出来，因而无法在人里面被制造出来，就象光无法在眼睛里面被制造出来一样。
461. 第三個經歷:
有一次在靈裡, 我往靈界的南面深處漫遊, 走進一個花園。這個花園好過我之前參觀過的任何公園。因為花園表示智慧, 在智慧上超群的那些人都被送到南方。
亞當與他妻子所在的伊甸園正是此意; 他們被逐出園子意味著他們失去智慧, 因而也失去完全的生活。
當我行走在南面的園子裡, 注意到有些人坐在月桂樹下吃無花果。我上前去請他們給些果子。他們給了, 無花果在我手裡立即變成了葡萄。對此我大為吃驚, 不過在我旁邊的天人靈對我說:"無花果在你手裡變成葡萄, 因為無花果的意思對應於我們屬世或外在人裡面與義相關,因而與信相關的善行。而葡萄, 對應於我們屬靈或內在人的這些屬性。此事發生在你身上, 是因為你熱愛屬靈的事物。在我們的世界裡, 萬事的發生,成立以及變化, 都與對應保持一致。"
[2]突然間我有一種衝動, 很想知道一個人如何如同出於自己那樣行出源於上帝的善。於是我詢問那些正在吃無花果之人如何理解這一點。他們說:"我們只能把它理解成上帝在我們裡面並通過我們產生這些效果, 而我們察覺不到。因為如果我們意識到這點, 並在此狀態下行出來, 我們所行的善就只是看起來似乎是善, 內在卻是惡。所有來自我們自己的都是來自於我們的利己(或自我), 從出生時起這就是惡。從上帝來的善與從自己來的惡怎麼聯合並共同轉為行為呢？在得救一事上, 人的利己(或自我)不斷地尋求獲得功勞。只要我們的利己越是尋求得功, 就越從主那裡拿走祂的功勞, 這種盜竊是不公平與不虔誠的極端表現。簡言之, 如果上帝在我們裡面所行之善流入到我們所想與所行之中, 便是徹底地污穢和褻瀆這些善, 這是上帝絕不容許的。我們當然會認為我們所行之善來自於上帝, 並稱之為上帝通過我們行善, 不過我們實際上並不理解這些。"
[3]於是, 我敞開心扉說:"你們不理解, 是因為你們的思維基於表面現象, 這類的思維如果以論證來支持就成了謬誤。你們捲入表象,以及由此引起的謬誤, 是因為你們相信一個人所願所思,因而所行所言, 都在他裡面, 因此從他而來。然而實際上沒有一丁點在他裡面, 他的裡面只是接受外來流注的環境。人在自己並不是生命, 但他是接受生命的器具。主在自己才是生命, 正如祂還在『約翰福音』中說:'因為父怎樣在自己有生命, 就賜給祂兒子也照樣在自己有生命'(約翰福音5:26;以及其它地方, 例如約翰福音11:25; 14:6, 19)。
[4]"有兩樣事物構成生命:仁愛與智慧; 或者同樣的, 與仁愛相關的良善以及與智慧相關的真理。這些由上帝注入, 被人接收, 如同是他自己的。正因如此感覺, 當它們從一個人散發時, 好像真是他自己的。主許可人有這樣的感覺, 是為了讓所注入的能對他產生效果,被接受和保留下來。不過, 因為一切的邪惡也是如此注入, 不過並非來自於上帝, 而是來自於地獄。接受邪惡能帶來快樂, 因為人出生時就是這樣的器皿。因此, 一個人能從上帝接收的良善不能多過此人除掉的惡(就像靠自己除掉, 其實是靠悔改與信主來完成除惡的動作)。
[5]"仁愛與智慧, 信與義, 或更普遍的說法, 仁與義的良善和智與信的真理, 流注入一個人裡面。注入到人裡面的, 從表面上看似乎全是他自己的; 因此從他往外散發的, 也像是他自己的。這樣的事實可以用視,聽,聞,嘗,觸等感覺來類比。以這些感覺器官所感受的一切是從人的外部流入, 但感覺像在人裡面。內在感覺的器官也是如此, 只有一個分別:屬靈與無形的事物流注到人的內在感覺器官, 而屬世和有形的事物流注到人的外在感覺器官。
"簡言之, 每一個人都是從上帝接受生命的器具。因此, 人按著他停止作惡的程度來接受良善。停止作惡的能力是主賜給每一個人的禮物。祂賜給人們去意志和認知的能力。一個人照他的認知按自己的意志(或者換個說法, 照著他認知之中理性的能力按自己的自由去意志)而做的任何事情, 會永久成為此人的一部分。主藉此把一個人帶到與祂自己聯合的狀態中, 在此狀態中, 祂改造,更新與拯救他。
[6]"流入的生命來自於主, 上帝的靈表示這生命; 在聖言中, 被稱為"聖靈"。聖言中說聖靈光照人並帶來生命, 甚至在人裡面作工。但是, 人作為接受的器皿, 其構造的不同, 使流入的生命不同, 並被改變。
"一切仁與義的良善以及智與信的真理都是注入的,而非真實地在人的裡面, 可從以下事實得知:任何人如果認為從被造時起就有這樣的能力, 他就不可避免地認為上帝將自己注入到人裡面, 以至於人在一定程度上也是神明。但是這樣認為並確信之人會成為魔鬼, 與我們一起時會發出死屍般惡臭。
[7]"此外, 除了思想的行為, 人的行為是什麼呢？思想所意志與所認知的, 通過它的工具(身體)來行動與說出。因此, 當思想被主引領時, 行動與言語也被引領; 當主被信靠時, 行動與言語就被祂引領。
"如果不是這樣, 請告訴我, 為什麼主在祂的聖言中三番五次地命令人當愛鄰舍如己, 要有好行為, 要像樹那樣結果子, 要遵守祂的誡命, 並說這樣做就能得救？還有, 為何祂說一個人要按他的行為或他所做的受審判, 那些有好行為之人上天國得生命, 那些作惡之人下地獄受死？如果人所做的行為是為獲得功勞,並因而是惡的, 主怎麼會如此說呢？因此你們應當知道, 如果所想的為義, 那麼所行的也是; 但如果所想的只是信, 也就是信與屬靈之義分離, 所行的也是如此之信。"
[8]聽到這些話後, 那些坐在月桂樹下的人說:"我們認同你剛才所說的內容是真的, 只是我們還不能領會其意。"
"你們能認同我所說的是真的, "我回答:"是因為所有人聽到某些真的內容時, 都能享受從天國注入之光所產生的普遍感知。你們不能領會其意, 起因於你們自己的個人感知——每個人都擁有的從世界之光注入而產生的個人感知。對於智者來說, 這兩樣的感知, 也就是內在的與外在的,或者屬靈的與屬世的感知, 能聯合行動如一。如果仰望主並棄絕惡, 你們也能使它們聯合。"
由於他們明白這一點, 我便從葡萄樹上掰下幾個枝子, 伸給他們, 說:"你們認為這是來自於我還是來自於主？"
他們說:"通過你, 來自於主。"
在他們手中的枝子突然長出葡萄！
當我離開時, 看見一個香柏木做成的桌子, 上面有一本書。桌子在一棵茂盛的橄欖樹下, 有葡萄枝子繞著樹幹。我再走近看, 讓我驚奇的是, 這本書居然是借我之手寫出來的『屬天的奧秘』！我告訴他們, 那本書詳盡地證明了人只是接受生命的器皿, 並不是生命本身。此書還說明, 生命本身不能被製造出來, 因而不能造在人的裡面, 這與光不能在眼睛裡被製造出來一樣。
461. The third memorable occurrence. Once I was carried in spirit to a paradise in the southern part of the spiritual world. I observed that this paradise was more magnificent than all the rest I had seen up to that point. The reason for its magnificence was that a garden means intelligence, and all the people who are exceptionally intelligent are moved to the south.
The Garden of Eden of Adam and his wife has exactly this meaning. Their expulsion from the garden means being taken away from intelligence and therefore from wholeness of life as well.
As I was walking around in this southern paradise I noticed some people sitting under a laurel tree eating figs. I went over to them and asked if I could have some figs. They gave me some. In my hand, however, the figs turned into grapes! Since I was astounded by this, an angelic spirit who was standing next to me told me, "The figs became grapes in your hand because figs correspondentially mean good actions related to goodwill, and therefore to faith, in our earthly or outer self. Grapes, however, mean good qualities related to goodwill, and therefore to faith, in our spiritual or inner self. This happened to you because you love spiritual things. In our world everything happens, takes shape, and also changes according to correspondences. "
[2] At that point an avid desire suddenly came over me to know how people can do what is good from God and yet do it completely as if they were on their own, so I asked the people eating figs how they understood this. They said, "We have no other way to understand this except to think that God produces this effect inside us and through us when we are unaware of it; because if we knew about it and did it, the good we did would be only something seemingly good that was actually evil inwardly. Everything that comes from ourselves comes from our self-interest, which is evil from the day we are born. How could goodness from God and evil from ourselves become united and move together into action? When it comes to salvation, our self-interest is constantly seeking to earn merit. The more merit our self-interest seeks, the more merit it takes away from the Lord; this theft is the ultimate injustice and ungodliness. Briefly put, if the goodness that God produces in us were to flow into something we wanted and did, we would pollute and desecrate that goodness in every way, which God would never allow. We can of course think that the goodness we do comes from God and call it God's goodness acting through us, but we don't actually understand that. "
[3] Then I opened my mind and said, "You don't understand it, because your thinking is based on the way things appear, and thinking that is based on an appearance is mistaken. You have this mistaken view because you believe that everything we intend and think, and everything we do and say, is inside us and therefore comes from us, when in fact none of it is inside us except a condition that enables us to receive what flows in. We are not life in itself; we are just organs that receive life. The Lord is life in itself, as in fact he says in John: 'As the Father has life in himself, so he has also given the Son to have life in himself' (John 5:26; ; , ).
[4] "There are two things that constitute life: love and wisdom, or what is the same thing, goodness related to love and truth related to wisdom. These two qualities flow in from God. We receive them as if they were ours. In fact, because we feel them that way, they emanate from us as if they really were our own. The Lord grants us this feeling so that what flows in will have an effect on us, and be accepted and stay with us. All that is evil also flows in, not from God but from hell. We feel pleasure as we take evil in, because we were born that way. Therefore we receive no greater amount of goodness from the Lord than the amount of evil we have removed as if we were removing it on our own. It is our repentance and our faith in the Lord that does this removing.
[5] "Love and wisdom, and goodwill and faith, or (to put it even more generally) the goodness of love and goodwill and the truth of wisdom and faith, flow in. Things that flow in seem to us to be totally our own, and therefore they go out from us as if they were our own. The truth of this can be clearly seen by analogy with sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Everything that is perceived by the organs of these senses flows in from outside us but feels like it is inside us. The same is true for our organs of inner sensation, with just one difference: things that are spiritual and intangible flow into our organs of inner sensation, while things that are earthly and tangible flow into our organs of physical sensation.
"Briefly put, each of us is an organ that receives life from God. Therefore we become receptive to goodness depending on how thoroughly we stop doing evil. The power to stop doing evil is something the Lord grants to every one of us. He gives us the ability to intend and to understand. Whatever we do intentionally, based on our understanding (or to put it another way, using our free will and following the reasoning of our intellect) becomes a permanent part of us. The Lord uses these abilities to bring us to a state of partnership with him; in this state he then reforms us, regenerates us, and saves us.
[6] "The life that flows into us comes from the Lord. This life is also called the spirit of God. In the Word it is called the Holy Spirit. The Word says that the Holy Spirit enlightens us and brings us to life, and even that it works inside us. This life is varied and modified, however, by the structure that is created in us by what we love.
"nother way to tell that all the goodness of love and goodwill and all the truth of wisdom and faith flow in rather than coming from ourselves is this: People who think that goodness and truth have been in us since creation eventually cannot avoid thinking that God poured himself into us and therefore we are partly gods. Yet people who think this and believe it become devils. When they are among us, they reek like corpses.
[7] "Further, what else is human action except the mind acting? Whatever the mind intends and thinks, it does and says through its organ, the body. Therefore when our mind is led by the Lord, our words and actions are also led by the Lord; our words and actions are led by the Lord when we believe in him.
"If this is not true, tell me - if you can - why the Lord has commanded us in a thousand passages in his Word to love our neighbor, to perform acts of goodwill, to bear fruit like a tree, to obey what he commands, and to do all this so that we will be saved. For another thing, why did he say that we are judged by the actions and works we have done - people who do good things being judged to heaven and to life while people who do evil things are judged to hell and to death? The Lord would not say things like these if everything we accomplished was done to earn merit and was therefore evil. It is important for you to know, therefore, that if the mind is goodwill, then the action is goodwill; but if the mind is faith alone, which is also faith separated from spiritual goodwill, the action is also that same faith. "
[8] The people sitting under the laurel tree then said, "We understand that you have spoken the truth - we just don't understand what you said. "
"You understand that I spoke the truth," I replied, "because of the general awareness that people have from the light that flows in from heaven when they hear something true. You don't understand it because of your own awareness, which is something people have from the light that flows in from the world. These two kinds of awareness, an inner one and an outer one, or a spiritual one and an earthly one, become united in people who are wise. You too can unite them if you focus on the Lord and remove evils. "
Since they understood this point, I pulled some branches from a grapevine and held them out to these people. "Do you believe these are coming to you from me or from the Lord?" I said.
They said, "They are coming from the Lord by means of you. "
The branches in their hands suddenly grew grapes!
As I was leaving, I saw a cedar table that had a book on it. It was under a thriving olive tree that had vines wrapped around its trunk. I looked more closely, and the book turned out to be one written through me called Secrets of Heaven! I told the people that the fact that we are organs that receive life rather than life itself was fully demonstrated in that book; the book also shows that life itself cannot be fabricated, and thus cannot reside as a fabricated thing within a person, any more than light can in an eye.
461. The third experience 1 .
Once when I was in the spirit I travelled deep into the southern region in the spiritual world, and came into a park there; and I saw that this one was better than the others I had so far visited. The reason was that a garden means intelligence; and it is to the south that all are sent who are especially intelligent. It was this that was meant by the Garden of Eden, where Adam lived with his wife; so their being driven out implies that they were deprived of intelligence, and thus also of uprightness of life. As I was walking in this southern park I noticed some people sitting under a laurel-bush eating figs. I went up to them and asked them to give me some figs. They did so, and at once the figs in my hand turned into grapes. I was surprised by this, but an angelic spirit standing next to me said: 'The figs in your hand turned into grapes, because the meaning of figs by their correspondence is the kinds of good of charity and hence of faith in the natural or external man, and grape means the kinds of good of charity and hence of faith in the spiritual or internal man. As you love what is spiritual, so this happened to you. For in our world everything happens and comes into existence, and also undergoes change, in accordance with correspondences.'
[2] I was at once struck with a keen desire to know how a person can do good coming from God, and yet do it exactly as if of himself. So I asked those who were eating figs how they understood the point. They said that they could only understand this as meaning that God performs this inwardly in a person while he is unaware of it. For if he were conscious of it, and did it in that state, he would do only apparent good, which is inwardly evil. 'Everything,' they said, 'which comes from man comes from his self (proprium), and this is evil from birth. How then can good coming from God and evil coming from man be linked, and so jointly proceed to action? A person's self in matters of salvation is constantly seeking merit; and in so far as he does so, he takes away from the Lord His merit, which is the height of injustice and impiety. In short, if the good which God performs in a person were to flow into his willing and thence into his doing, that good would be utterly defiled and profaned, something God never permits. A person can of course think that the good he does comes from God, and call it God's good done by his means; still we do not understand that it is good.'
[3] Then I disclosed what I was thinking and said: 'You do not understand because your thinking is based upon appearances, and this sort of thinking if supported by argument is fallacy. The appearance and hence the fallacy you are involved in is because you believe that everything a person wills and thinks, and so does and says, is in him and consequently comes from him. Yet in fact nothing of this is in him, except the condition of receiving what flows in. Man is not life in himself, but he is an instrument for receiving life. The Lord is life in Himself, as He also says in John:
As the Father has life in Himself, so He granted to the Son to have life in Himself, John 5:26; and elsewhere, for instance John 11:25; 14:6, 19.
[4] 'There are two things which produce life, love and wisdom, or, what is the same, the good of love and the truth of wisdom. These flow in from God, and are received by a person as if they were his own; and because they are felt like this, they also come from a person as if they were his. The Lord grants that they are felt like this by a person, so that what flows in affects him, and so by being accepted remains with him. But because all evil also flows in, not from God, but from hell, and accepting this gives pleasure, man being by birth such an instrument, for this reason only so much good can be accepted from God as there is evil taken away by the person as if by himself, which is achieved by repentance together with faith in the Lord.
[5] 'It can be plainly seen from a consideration of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch that love and wisdom, charity and faith, or to use a more general expression, the good of love and charity, and the truth of wisdom and faith, flow into a person; and that what flows in appears in a person as if it were entirely his own, and it proceeds from him as if it were his own. All the sensations produced in the organs of those senses come from an external source and are felt in the organs concerned. It is the same with the organs of the internal senses, the only difference being that these are affected by spiritual things, which are undetectable, flowing in, whereas the external senses are affected by natural things, which are detectable. In short, man is an instrument for the reception of life from God; it follows that he receives good to the extent that he desists from evil. Everyone is granted by the Lord the potentiality of desisting from evil, because he is granted the power to will and to have understanding; and whatever a person does from his will in accordance with his understanding, or what is the same thing, from his freedom to will in accordance with the power of reason in his understanding, is permanent. By this means the Lord brings a person into a state of being linked with Himself, and in this state He reforms, regenerates and saves him.
[6] 'The life which flows in is life coming forth from the Lord; this life is also called the Spirit of God, and in the Word the Holy Spirit, and of this it is said that it enlightens and quickens, in fact that it works on him. But this life varies and is modified depending on the organisation brought about by love. You can also know that all the good of love and charity, and all the truth of wisdom and faith flow in and are not actually in the person, if you reflect that when anyone thinks that man has such a capability from creation, he must inevitably think that God poured Himself into man, so that people are partially gods. Yet those who think this as a result of firm belief become devils, and in our world stink like corpses.
[7] 'Moreover, what is human action but a mind acting? What the mind wills and thinks, it does and speaks by means of its instrument, the body. When therefore the mind is guided by the Lord, so is its action and speech. Action and speech are guided by the Lord, when He is believed in. If this were not so, tell me if you can, why did the Lord in thousands of places in His Word order man to love his neighbour, perform the good deeds of charity, to produce fruit like a tree and keep His commandments, and to do both one and the other in order to be saved? Again, why did He say that a person would be judged according to his deeds or what he had done, those whose deeds were good going to heaven and life, those whose deeds were wicked going to hell and death? How could the Lord have said such things, if everything coming from a person was done to acquire merit and therefore wicked? You ought therefore to know that if the mind is charity, so too is action; but if the mind is faith alone, and this too is faith separated from spiritual charity, action also is that faith.'
[8] On hearing this those who were sitting under the laurel said: 'We grasp that you have spoken fairly, but still we do not grasp the point.' 'You grasp,' I answered them, 'that I have spoken fairly by means of the general perception which all people enjoy as the result of the light which flows in from heaven when they hear something true. Your failure to grasp the point is due to your own personal perception, which everyone has as a result of light flowing in from the world. In the case of the wise those two kinds of perception, internal and external, or spiritual and natural, act as one. You too can make them act as one, if you look to the Lord and put away evils.' Since they understood this, I took some shoots off a vine and held them out to them saying, 'Do you think this is from me or from the Lord?' They said it was from the Lord through me; and at once the shoots in their hands put forth grapes.
When I left, I saw a table of cedar-wood, on which was a book, under a flourishing olive-tree with a vine wound about its trunk. When I looked, I saw to my surprise that the book was the one written through me called ARCANA CAELESTIA 2 . I said that that book contained a full demonstration that man is an instrument for the reception of life, and was not himself life; and that life could not be created and so by being created be in man, any more than light could be created in the eye.
Footnotes:
461. Third Memorable Relation
I was once carried away in spirit to the southern quarter of the spiritual world, and into a certain paradise there; and I saw that this paradise excelled all that I had before surveyed. This was because a garden signifies intelligence, and because all those who are pre-eminent in intelligence are conveyed to the south. The garden of Eden, in which were Adam and his wife, has no other significance; so their expulsion therefrom involved expulsion from intelligence, and thus also from integrity of life. While I was walking in this southern paradise, I noticed certain persons sitting under a laurel eating figs. I turned to them and asked them for some figs, which they gave me; and lo, in my hand the figs became grapes.
As I wondered at this, an angelic spirit who stood near me said, "The figs became grapes in your hand because figs by correspondence signify the goods of charity and of faith therefrom in the natural or external man, while grapes signify the goods of charity and of faith therefrom in the spiritual or internal man; and this has happened to you because you love spiritual things; for in our world all things occur and come forth, and are also changed, in accordance with correspondences."
[2] Then suddenly there came upon me a desire to know how man can do good from God, and yet do it altogether as if of himself. I therefore asked those who were eating the figs how they understood the matter.
They said that they could understand it only in this way, that God effects this inwardly in man and through man when he is ignorant of it; because if man were conscious of it, and in that state were to do good, he would do only apparent good, which inwardly is evil. "For all that goes forth from man goes forth from his own [proprium], and this is evil from birth; and how can good from God and evil from man be conjoined, and thus conjointly go forth into act? What is man's own in matters pertaining to salvation constantly breathes forth a sense of merit, and so far as it does this, it detracts from the Lord His own merit; and this is the height of injustice and impiety. In a word, if the good which God works in man, were to inflow into man's willing and thence into his doing, the good would assuredly be defiled and also profaned, and this God never permits. Man can think, indeed, that the good he does is from God, and can say that it is essentially God's; but still that it is so we do not comprehend."
[3] Then I opened my mind and said, "You do not comprehend this because you think from appearance, and thought confirmed from appearance is fallacy. To you there is such appearance and consequent fallacy because you believe everything that a man thinks and wills and does and says therefrom, is in himself, and consequently from himself, when in fact there is no part of them in him except the state to receive what inflows. Man is not life in himself, but an organ receptive of life. The Lord is life in Himself, as He says in John:
As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself, John 5:26 here, as in John 11:25; 14:6, 19.
[4] "There are two things that constitute life, namely, love and wisdom, or what is the same thing, the good of love and the truth of wisdom. These flow in from God, and are received by man as if they were his; and because they are so felt by man they go forth from man as if they were his. Their being so felt by man is the Lord's gift, to the end that what flows in may affect man, and so be received and remain. But inasmuch as all evil likewise flows in, not from God but from hell, and is received with delight (because man is such an organ by birth), so good is received from God only in proportion as evil is removed by man as if of himself; and this is done by repentance coupled with faith in the Lord.
[5] That love and wisdom, charity and faith, or, more generally speaking, the good of love and charity, and the truth of wisdom and faith, flow in, and that what flows in appears in man to be wholly his own, and thus goes forth from his own, all this can clearly be seen from the sense of sight, of hearing, of smell, of taste, and of touch. All things that are felt in the organs of those senses flow into those organs from without and are felt within them. It is the same in the organs of the internal senses, with the sole difference that spiritual things, which are not manifest, flow into the former. In a word, man is an organ receptive of life from God; consequently, so far as he refrains from evil, he is a recipient of good.
"The power to refrain from evil the Lord gives to every man, because He gives him the power to will and to understand; and whatever man does from his will in accord with his understanding, or, what is the same, from freedom of will in accord with reason of the understanding, is permanent. It is by means of this that the Lord brings man into a state of conjunction with Himself, and in that state reforms, regenerates, and saves him.
[6] "The life that flows into man is life that goes forth from the Lord, which life is also called the Spirit of God, and in the Word the Holy Spirit, and this life is said to enlighten and vivify man, and even to work in him. But his life is varied and modified according to the organization induced by means of his love. You may also know that all the good of love and charity, and all the truth of wisdom and faith flow in, and are not in man [originally]. This may be known from the fact that he who thinks that there is anything of the kind in man by creation must needs conclude at last that God has infused Himself into man, and thus that men are partly gods; and yet those who so think from faith become devils, and with us smell like corpses.
[7] "Furthermore, what is man's action but the mind acting? For what the mind wills and thinks it does and says by means of its organ the body; so when the mind is led by the Lord, action and speech are also led by Him; and these are by Him when man believes in Him. If this were not so, explain, if you can, why the Lord, in thousands of places in His Word, has commanded man to love his neighbor, to perform the good works of charity, to bear fruit like a tree, and to keep the commandments, and all this that he may be saved. And again, why He has said that man shall be judged according to his deeds or works, those who do good to heaven and life, and those who do evil to hell and death. How could the Lord have said such things, if all that goes forth from man must need be a matter of merit, and therefore evil? Be it known to you, then, that if the mind is charity, the action is charity also; but if the mind is faith alone, which is faith separate from spiritual charity, the action also is that faith."
[8] Hearing this, those sitting under the laurel said, "That you have spoken rightly we comprehend, and yet do not comprehend."
I replied, "You comprehend that I have spoken rightly from the general perception that man has from the influx of light from heaven when he hears any truth; but your failure to comprehend is from the self-perception that man has from the influx of light from the world. In wise men these two kinds of perception, internal and external, or spiritual and natural, make one. You also can make them one if you look to the Lord and put away evils."
Because they understood this, I plucked some twigs from a vine and handed them to them, saying, "Do you believe that this is of me, or of the Lord?"
They said that it was from me, but of the Lord. And lo, the twigs put forth grapes in their hands.
But as I withdrew I saw under a green olive tree around which a vine had entwined itself, a cedar table on which there was a book. I looked and lo, it was a book written by me, entitled Arcana Coelestia and I said that it was fully shown in that book that man is not life but an organ receptive of life; also that life cannot be created and when so created be in man, any more than light in the eye.
461. The third experience. I was once carried away in the spirit to the southern region of the spiritual world to a garden which far excelled all that I had ever seen, for a garden signifies intelligence, and the south is the quarter where all are settled who surpass others in intelligence. This is the signification of the Garden of Eden in which Adam and his wife were placed; and consequently their expulsion from it implied that they had fallen from intelligence and integrity of life. As I was walking about in this garden of the south, I observed some persons sitting under a laurel eating figs. I went up to them, and asked them for some, which they gave me, and lo! in my hand they became grapes. When I expressed my surprise at this an angelic spirit who stood near said to me, "The figs became grapes in your hand because figs, from correspondence, signify the good of charity and of faith derived from charity in the natural or external man; whereas grapes signify the good of charity and of faith derived from charity in the spiritual or internal man; and because you love spiritual things this change took place for you. For in our world things become, exist and change according to correspondences."
[2] At that moment I felt a strong desire to know how a man can do good from God, and yet altogether as of himself; so I asked those who were eating figs how they understood this. They replied that they could understand it only in this way: "God brings it about within man and through his instrumentality, while man is unaware of His activity. For if man were conscious of it, and acted under this consciousness, what he did would only be apparent good, being interiorly evil; because what proceeds from a man proceeds from his proprium, which by birth is evil. How then, can good from God and evil from man be united, and having been thus united, proceed into act? Moreover, a man's proprium, in matters relating to salvation, is ever full of the idea of merit, and as far as this is so, it takes away His merit from the Lord; and this is the height of injustice and impiety. In a word, if the good which God works in a man were to enter by influx into his will and thence into his actions it would be utterly defiled and profaned; but this God never permits. A man may indeed think that the good he does is from God, and call it God's good performed through him; but still we do not understand that it is so."
[3] I then explained what was in my mind, and said: "You do not understand because you think from appearances, and such thought, when confirmed, is fallacy. To you it is an appearance, and consequently a fallacy, because you believe that all things that a man wills and thinks, and hence does and says, are in himself, and consequently from himself; whereas there is none of them in himself; there is only the disposition which renders possible the reception of what flows into him. Man is not life in himself, but is an organ receptive of life. The Lord is life in Himself, as He also says in John:
"As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself" 5:26; and in other places, as John 11:25 and John 14:6, 19.
[4] "There are two things which constitute life, love and wisdom, or what is the same, the good of love and the truth of wisdom. These two flow in from God, and they are received by man as if they were his own; and because they are felt as his own, they proceed from him as if they were his own. The Lord has granted that man should have this feeling in order that what flows in should impress itself upon him, and so should be received and remain with him. On the other hand, all evil also flows in, not from God but from hell; and man receives it with delight; such is his nature by birth. He, therefore, receives good from God only in the measure that he removes evil as of himself; and this is effected by repentance and at the same time by faith in the Lord.
[5] "Love and wisdom, charity and faith, or, to speak in more general terms, the good of love and charity, and the truth of wisdom and faith, enter a man by influx; and whatever enters in this way appears in him entirely as if it were his own, and proceeds from him as his own. This is very evident from sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch; for everything that is perceived in the organs of these senses flows in from without, and is perceived in them. It is the same with the organs of the internal senses, with this difference only, that the spiritual things which flow into them are not apparent, like the natural things which flow into the organs of the external senses. In a word, a man is an organ receptive of life from God, and consequently he is receptive of good in proportion as he desists from evil. The Lord gives to every man the power to desist from evil, because He gives him will and understanding; and whatever a man does from his will according to his understanding, or, what is the same, from the freedom of his will according to the reason of his understanding, becomes permanent; and by it the Lord introduces the man into a state of conjunction with Himself, in which He reforms, regenerates and saves him.
[6] "The life which flows into man is life proceeding from the Lord, and is called the Spirit of God, and in the Word, the Holy Spirit; and it is also said that it enlightens, quickens and operates in him; but this life is varied and modified according to changes in the mental constitution induced by love. You may also know that all the good of love and charity, and all the truth of wisdom and faith, flow into, and are not in, a man from a consideration of the following. He who thinks that these things are implanted in man by creation must ultimately think that God infused Himself into men so that they were partly gods. But all who think and believe this become devils, and with us they emanate an odor of corpses.
[7] "Besides, what is human action but the mind acting? For what the mind wills and thinks, this it does and speaks by means of its organ the body. Therefore, when the mind is under the Lord's guidance, so also are action and speech; and action and speech are under the Lord's guidance when the man believes on Him. Unless this were so can you say why the Lord in a thousand places in His Word has commanded that a man should love the neighbor, perform the good works of charity, bring forth fruit like a tree, keep the commandments, and all that he may be saved? Why also did He say that a man would be judged according to his deeds, that is, his works, he who does good to heaven and life, but he who does evil to hell and death? How could the Lord have spoken thus if all that proceeds from man were merit-seeking and consequently evil? Know, therefore, that if the mind is charity so also is the action; but if the mind is faith alone, that is, faith separated from spiritual charity, so also is the action."
[8] On hearing these things, those who were sitting under the laurel said: "We comprehend that you have spoken justly, and yet we do not comprehend." I replied: "You comprehend that I have spoken justly by virtue of that universal perception which every man has from the influx of light from heaven when he hears any truth; but you do not comprehend because of the perception, proper to his nature, which man has from the influx of light from the world. These two perceptions, the internal and the external, or the spiritual and the natural, make one with the wise. You also may make them one, if you look to the Lord, and put away evils."
Seeing that they understood this, I plucked off some twigs from a vine, which I handed to them, saying, "Do you suppose that this is from me or from the Lord?" They answered that it was through me from the Lord; and lo! these twigs in their hands put forth grapes. As I withdrew, I saw a table of cedar wood on which lay a book, under a green olive-tree, whose trunk was entwined by a vine. I looked and saw it was a book written by me, 1 entitled Arcana Caelestia. I told them that in that book it was fully proved that a man is an organ recipient of life, and not life itself; and that life cannot be created and be in man any more than light can be in the eye.
Footnotes:
1. In the APOCALYPSE REVEALED 875, where this passage first appears, the title of the book is given as ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING THE DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM: and also CONCERNING THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
461. TERTIUM MEMORABILE: Quondam in spiritu provectus sum in Plagam meridionalem in Mundo spirituali, et in quendam Paradisum ibi, ac vidi quod hic excelleret reliquis, quos hactenus lustravi; causa erat, quia Hortus significat Intelligentiam, ac in Meridiem transferuntur omnes, qui prae aliis intelligentia pollent; Hortus Edenis, in quo Adam cum Uxore sua fuit, nec aliud significat, quare quod expulsi ab illo fuerint, involvit, quod ab intelligentia, at sic quoque ab integritate vitae. Dum in meridionali hoc Paradiso ambularem, animadverti aliquos sedentes sub quadam lauru comedentes ficus; ad illos secessi, et petivi ab illis ficus, et dederunt; et ecce Ficus in manu mea factae sunt Uvae, quod cum miratus sum, dixit mihi Spiritus angelicus, qui juxta me stetit, Ficus in manu tua factae sunt Uvae, quia Ficus ex correspondentia significant bona Charitatis et inde Fidei in naturali seu externo homine, ac Uvae bona Charitatis et inde Fidei in spirituali seu interno homine; et quia amas spiritualia, ideo ita factum est tibi; in nostro enim Mundo omnia fiunt et existunt, et quoque mutantur, secundum correspondentias.
[2] Illico tunc supervenit me avidum sciendi, quomodo homo potest facere bonum a Deo, et tamen prorsus ut a se; quare interrogavi comedentes ficus, quomodo illi id comprehendunt; hi dixerunt, quod non possint id aliter comprehendere, quam quod Deus operetur id intus in homine, ac per hominem quando ille id nescit, quoniam si homo id consciret, et sic faceret, non faceret bonum nisi modo apparens, quod intus est malum; omne enim quod ab homine procedit, procedit a proprio ejus, et hoc a nativitate malum est; quomodo potest tunc bonum a Deo, et malum ab homine conjungi, et sic conjunctim procedere in actum; ac proprium hominis in rebus salutis continue spirat meritum, 1 et quantum hoc facit, tantum derogat Domino Ipsius meritum, quod est summa injustitia et impietas: Verbo, si bonum, quod Deus in homine operatur, in hominis velle et inde facere influeret, id bonum omnino conspurcaretur, et quoque prophanaretur, quod tamen Deus nusquam permittit: potest quidem homo bonum quod facit, cogitare quod sit a Deo, et id vocare bonum Dei per se, at usque, quid 2 sit, non comprehendimus.
[3] Sed tunc aperui mentem, et dixi, non comprehenditis, quia cogitatis ex apparentia, et cogitatio ex apparentia confirmata est fallacia; apparentia et inde fallacia vobis est, quia creditis, quod omnia, quae homo vult et cogitat, et inde facit et loquitur, sint in ipso, et consequenter ex ipso, cum tamen nihil eorum est in illo, praeter statum recipiendi quod influit; homo non est vita in se, sed est organum recipiens vitae; Dominus est Vita in se, ut quoque dicit apud Johannem, Quemadmodum Pater habet Vitam in Seipso, ita quoque dedit Filio Vitam habere 3 in Seipso, Cap. 5:26, praeter alibi, ut Johannes 11:25; 14:6, 19. 4
[4] Sunt duo quae faciunt Vitam, Amor et Sapientia, seu quod idem, Bonum amoris et Verum sapientiae; haec influunt a Deo, et recipiuntur ab homine sicut forent ejus, et quia sentiuntur ita, etiam procedunt ab homine sicut ejus; quod ita sentiantur ab homine, datum est a Domino, ut id quod influit, afficiat illum, et sic recipiatur ac remaneat. Sed quia omne malum etiam influit, non a Deo, sed ab Inferno, et hoc recipitur cum jucunditate, quia homo tale Organum est natus, quare non plus boni recipitur a Deo, quam quantum mali removetur ab homine ut ab illo, quod fit per Poenitentiam, et simul per Fidem in Dominum.
[5] Quod Amor et Sapientia, Charitas et Fides, 5 seu communius loquendo, Bonum amoris et Charitatis, ac Verum sapientiae et fidei, influant, et quod quae influunt, appareant in homine prorsus sicut ejus, et inde procedant sicut ejus, manifeste videri potest ex visu, auditu, odoratu, gustu, et tactu; omnia quae in illorum sensuum Organis sentiuntur, influunt ab extra, et sentiuntur in illis; similiter in sensuum internorum Organis; cum sola differentia, quod in haec influant Spiritualia quae non apparent, in illa autem Naturalia quae apparent: verbo, homo est Organum recipiens vitae a Deo, consequenter est recipiens boni, quantum desistit a malo; posse desistere a malo, dat Dominus cuivis homini, quia dat velle et intelligere, et quicquid homo ex voluntate secundum intellectum, seu quod idem, quicquid ex libero voluntatis secundum rationem intellectus agit, hoc permanet; per id Dominus inducit homini statum conjunctionis Secum, et in hoc illum reformat, regenerat, et salvat.
[6] Vita, quae influit, est Vita procedens a Domino, quae Vita etiam vocatur Spiritus Dei, in Verbo Spiritus Sanctus, de quo etiam dicitur, quod illustret et vivificet, imo quod operetur in illo; sed Vita haec variatur et modificatur secundum Organizationem 6 inductam per amorem. Potestis etiam scire, quod omne bonum amoris et charitatis, et omne verum sapientiae et fidei influant, et non sint in homine, ex eo, quod qui cogitat quod tale homini insit a creatione, denique non possit aliter cogitare, quam quod Deus infuderit se homini, et sic quod homines quoad partem forent Dii, et tamen qui hoc ex fide cogitant, fiunt diaboli, et apud nos putent sicut cadavera.
[7] Praeterea quid actio hominis nisi Mens agens, quod enim Mens vult et cogitat, hoc agit et loquitur per Corpus suum organum, quare dum Mens ducitur a Domino, ducitur etiam Actio et Loquela, ac Actio et Loquela ducuntur a Domino, cum creditur in Ipsum. Nisi ita foret, dicite si potestis, cur Dominus in Verbo suo millenis in locis mandavit, ut homo amaturus sit proximum, operaturus sit bona charitatis 7 ac fructus sicut arbor, ac facturus praecepta, et hoc et illud, ut salvetur; tum cur dixit, quod homo secundum facta seu opera sua judicaretur, qui bona facit ad Coelum et Vitam, et qui mala ad Infernum et Mortem; 8 quomodo potuerat Dominus talia loqui, si omne, quod procedit ab homine, foret meritorium et inde malum. Sciatis itaque, quod si Mens est Charitas, etiam Actio sit Charitas, si autem Mens est sola Fides, quae etiam est Fides separata a Charitate spirituali, etiam Actio sit illa Fides.
[8] His auditis, dixerunt sedentes sub Lauru, comprehendimus quod juste loquutus sis, sed usque non comprehendimus; quibus respondi, comprehenditis quod juste loquutus sim ex communi perceptione, quae est homini ex influxu lucis e Coelo, cum aliquod verum audit; at non comprehenditis ex propria perceptione, quae est homini ex influxu lucis e Mundo; binae illae perceptiones, nempe interna et externa, seu spiritualis et naturalis, unum faciunt apud sapientes; vos quoque potestis illas unum facere, si spectatis ad Dominum, et removetis mala. Haec quia intellexerunt, desumsi termites ex quadam Vite, et porrexi illis, et dixi, Numeri creditis quod hoc a me sit, vel a Domino, et dixerunt, quod ex me a Domino; et ecce termites illi in manibus illorum extruserunt uvas. At cum recessi, vidi Mensam cedrinam, super qua erat Liber, sub Olea virente, cujus truncum circum ligabat Vitis; aspexi, et ecce erat Liber per me scriptus, vocatus ARCANA COELESTIA, et dixi, quod in illo Libro plene ostensum sit, quod Homo sit Organum recipiens vitae, et non vita; et quod haec non possit creari, et sic creata inesse homini, plus quam lux oculo.
Footnotes:
1. Sic Errores Typographici.
2. Prima editio: quod.
3. Prima editio: babere.
4. Prima editio: 6, 9.
5. Prima editio: Fdes.
6. Prima editio: Organitazionem.
7. Prima editio: charitatis.
8. Prima editio: Mottem.