520. 在教会, 众所周知, 人生来皆倾向于各种罪恶, 因此从在母亲子宫时起, 人无非就是恶。 这一事实广为人知, 因为教会的宗教会议与领袖已将这样的观念传了下来, 即亚当的罪传给了他所有的后代, 这是他之后的每个人, 连同他一起受诅的唯一原因; 生来就存在于每个人里面的正是这罪。 而且, 教会的大量教导都基于这种说法, 例如它教导, 被称为洗礼的重生的洗是由主设立的, 以便除去这罪; 这也是主来的原因; 对主之怜悯的信靠就是除去这罪的方法, 还有很多基于这种说法的教义。
但466节的内容足以证明, 并不存在出自那源头的遗传邪恶。 该节说明了, 亚当不是第一个人类, 亚当及其妻子作为象征被用来描述地上的首个教会, 伊甸园描述了该教会的智慧, 生命树描述了它注目于要来的主, 善恶知识树描述它注目于自我, 而不是主。 伦敦出版的《属天的奥秘》一书通过圣言的众多类似经文证实, 创世记第一章是对首个教会的象征性描述。 一旦理解和接受了这一点, 此前所持的观点 (即人遗传父母的邪恶来自那源头), 就会轰然倒塌, 而事实上, 它有着截然不同的源头。 自由选择那一章已充分说明, 生命树与善恶知识树存在于每个人里面, 说它们被放在花园意指人有自由去选择是转向主还是背离主。
520. From Birth We Have a Tendency toward Evils of Every Kind. Unless We at Least Partly Lay Them Aside through Repentance, We Remain in Them, and If We Remain in Them We Cannot Be Saved
We are all born with a tendency toward evils. As is recognized in the church, from our mother's womb we are nothing but evil. Now, the reason this is recognized is that the church councils and leaders have passed down to us the notion that Adam's sin has been passed on to all his descendants; in this view, this is the sole reason why Adam and everyone since has been condemned; and this damnation clings to us all from the day we are born. Many teachings of the church are based on these assertions. For example, [we are told that] the Lord instituted the washing of regeneration that is called baptism so that this sin would be removed. This sin was also the reason for the Lord's Coming. Faith in his merit is the means by which this sin is removed. The churches have many other teachings as well that are based on this notion.
[2] Nevertheless, the teachings that were brought forward above in 469 make it clear that there is no such thing as evil that we inherit from Adam. Adam was not the first human being. "Adam" and "his wife" are used symbolically to describe the first church on this planet. The Garden of Eden symbolizes the wisdom of the people in that church; the tree of life symbolizes their focus on the Lord who was to come; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil symbolizes their focus on themselves instead of the Lord. Secrets of Heaven, which was published in London, uses many parallel passages found elsewhere in the Word to demonstrate thoroughly that the first chapters of Genesis describe this church in symbolic terms. Once people comprehend and absorb the teachings presented in that work, they experience a collapse of their formerly cherished opinion that the evil bred into us by our parents comes from [Adam's sin]; they realize that inherited evil comes not from Adam but from some other source.
As was amply demonstrated in the chapter on free choice [466-469], the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil exist within every human being; and the fact that these trees are said to have been placed in a garden means that we have free choice to turn ourselves toward the Lord or to turn ourselves away from him.
520. IV. Man is born with a tendency to every kind of evil, and if he does not partially remove evils by repentance, he remains subject to them, and if so cannot be saved.
It is well known in the church that man has by birth a tendency to evils, and so from his mother's womb he is nothing but evil. This fact has become well known because the councils and leaders of the churches have laid it down that Adam's sin has been transmitted to all his descendants; and that this is the sole reason why every person after Adam has been damned along with him, this being something inherent in everyone from birth. Moreover, much of the church's teaching is based upon this assertion. For instance, it is taught that the washing of regeneration called baptism was instituted by the Lord to remove this sin; this was the reason for the Lord's coming; faith in His merit is the means by which it is removed; and there are many more doctrines based by the churches on this assertion.
[2] What has been shown above (in 466ff) is enough to prove that there is no hereditary evil from that source. It was shown that Adam was not the first human being, but Adam and his wife are used as representatives to describe the first church in this world; the Garden of Eden describes its wisdom, the tree of life its looking to the Lord who was to come, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil its looking to itself instead of the Lord. ARCANA CAELESTIA, published in London, proved by many parallel passages in the Word that the first chapters of Genesis are a representative description of this first church. Once this is understood and accepted, the view so far cherished collapses, that evil from this origin is innate in man from his parents, when in fact it has a quite different origin. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil exist for everyone, and their being said to be placed in a garden means that he has freedom to choose whether he turns towards the Lord or away from Him. This was fully proved in the chapter on free will [463-508].
520. IV. MAN IS BORN [WITH AN INCLINATION] TO EVILS OF EVERY KIND; AND UNLESS HE TO SOME EXTENT REMOVES HIS EVILS BY REPENTANCE, HE REMAINS IN THEM; AND HE WHO REMAINS IN EVILS, CANNOT BE SAVED.
That every man is born [with an inclination] to evils, so that he is nothing but evil from his mother's womb, is well known in the church; and it has become known because it has been handed down by the councils and leaders of the churches, that the sin of Adam was transmitted to all his posterity; and that for this sin alone every man after him has been damned along with him; and that it is this sin that is inherent in every man by birth. On this assertion, moreover, other things taught by the churches are based, as that the washing of regeneration, which is called baptism, was instituted by the Lord in order that this sin might be removed; that this was the reason for the Lord's coming; and that faith in His merit is the means whereby it is removed, besides other doctrines which have been based by the churches upon this assertion. But that there is no inherited evil from that origin can be seen from what has been shown above (n. 466, seq.), that Adam was not the first man, but that the story of Adam and his wife representatively describes the first church on this earth -the garden of Eden its wisdom, the tree of life its looking to the Lord who was to come, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil its looking to self and not to the Lord. That this church is what is representatively described by the first chapters of Genesis has been clearly proven by many parallel passages from the Word in the Arcana Coelestia, published at London. When these things are understood and accepted the opinion heretofore entertained that the evil innate in man from his parents is from that source falls to the ground, for that evil has a different origin. In the chapter on Freedom of Choice it has been fully shown that the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are in every man, and that they are said to be located in a garden to signify man's freedom of choice to turn to the Lord or to turn away from Him.
520. IV. MAN IS BORN TO EVILS OF EVERY KIND, AND UNLESS HE REMOVES THEM ON HIS PART BY REPENTANCE, HE REMAINS IN THEM; AND WHOEVER REMAINS IN THEM CANNOT BE SAVED.
It has been made known in the Church that every man is born to evils, and consequently that from his birth he is nothing but evil. This has been handed down by the councils and prelates of the various Churches teaching that the sin of Adam has been transmitted to all his posterity; and that, on account of this alone, every man after him as well as himself has been condemned; and that this is what is inherent in every man from birth. There are many other teachings of the Church based on this assertion; as that the washing of regeneration called baptism was instituted by the Lord to remove that sin; that this was the cause of His coming; and that faith in His merit is the means for its removal; besides the many other doctrines which the Church has based on the same assertion.
Hereditary evil, however, does not spring from that origin; for as may be evident from 466 and following Numbers Adam was not the first of men. Adam and his wife representatively describe the first Church on this earth; the Garden of Eden, its wisdom; the tree of life, its looking to the Lord who was to come; and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, its looking to itself and not to the Lord. That this Church is representatively described in the first chapters of Genesis has been proved by many parallel passages from the Word in the Arcana Caelestia, published in London. When these things are understood and accepted, the opinion hitherto entertained, that Adam's sin is the source of the evil innate in man from his parents, falls to the ground; for that evil has a different origin. In the chapter on Free Will it has been fully shown that the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which are in every man and which are said to have been placed in a garden, signified man's free will in turning to the Lord and away from Him.
520. Quod homo nascatur ad omnis generis mala, et quod nisi removeat illa quoad partem per poenitentiam, maneat in illis, et qui manet in illis, non potest salvari.
Quod omnis homo nascatur ad mala, ita quod ab utero matris non sit nisi quam malum, in Ecclesia notum est; et notum factum est ex causa, quia a Conciliis et a Praesulibus Ecclesiarum traditum est, quod peccatum Adami traductum sit in omnem posteritatem, et quod hoc unicum sit, propter quod omnis homo post illum una cum illo damnatus sit, et quod hoc sit quod cuivis a nativitate inhaeret: praeterea super hac assertione fundata sunt plura, quae Ecclesiae docent, ut quod Lavacrum regenerationis, quod vocatur Baptisma, a Domino institutum sit, ut hoc peccatum removeatur; et quod hoc fuerit causa Adventus Domini, et quod Fides in meritum Ipsius, sit medium per quod removetur, praeter plura, quae Ecclesiae super hac assertione fundaverunt.
[2] Sed quod ex illa origine non sit aliquod malum haereditarium, constare potest ex illis, quae supra n: 466 seqq. ostensa sunt, quod Adamus non fuerit Primus hominum, sed quod per Adamum et ejus uxorem repraesentative describatur prima Ecclesia in hoc Orbe, et per Hortum Edenis ejus sapientia, et per Arborem vitae ejus aspectus ad Dominum venturum, et per Arborem scientiae boni et mali, ejus aspectus ad se et non ad Dominum; quod haec Ecclesia per prima Capita Geneseos repraesentative descripta sit, in ARCANIS COELESTIBUS Londini editis ex multis paralelis locis e Verbo evictum est. Ex his intellectis et assumptis cadit opinio hactenus fota, quod malum homini a parentibus innatum inde sit, cum tamen non inde sed aliunde suam originem trahit. Quod Arbor vitae et Arbor scientiae boni et mali 1 sint apud unumquemvis hominem, et quod dicantur positae in aliquo horto, significaverint Liberum arbitrium se vertendi ad Dominum, et se avertendi ab Ipso, in Capite de LIBERO ARBITRIO plene demonstratum est.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: mali.