87.没有真理的良善和出于良善的真理之间的区别可从人身上的情形清楚看出来。在人里面，一切良善皆居于其意愿，一切真理皆居于其觉知；若非藉着觉知，意愿凭其良善什么也做不了；它不能行动、说话和感受；它的一切能力和力量都是凭着觉知，因而凭着真理，因为觉知是真理的容器和居所。这就象心肺在人体内的运作方式。心脏若不伴随肺呼吸，就无法产生任何活动与感觉，这二者是心脏所发出的肺呼吸的结果。这一点从人窒息或溺水时丧失知觉的情形明显看出来，这时，呼吸停止，然而心脏仍在跳动。众所周知，在这些情况下，人既无活动，也无感觉。这与母亲子宫内的胎儿一个道理，原因在于，心对应于意愿及其各种良善，而肺则对应于觉知及其真理。在灵界，真理的力量尤为明显。通过主拥有神圣真理的天使尽管身体柔弱似婴儿，却能击溃成群的看似亚衲族人和拿非利人（即巨人）的地狱灵，将其赶到地狱，迫使他们进入地狱洞穴；当这些地狱灵从洞穴中出没时，他们不敢靠近这位天使。凡通过主拥有神圣真理的，在灵界都象狮子，尽管他们的身体和绵羊一样没有力量。那些通过主拥有神圣真理的世人同样拥有对抗恶与假，因而对抗密集排列的魔鬼的力量。这些魔鬼就其本质而言，无非是恶与假。神圣真理之所以有这样的力量，是因为神是良善本身和真理本身；祂正是藉着神圣真理创造了整个宇宙；祂维护整个宇宙所凭借的一切秩序法则就是真理，故约翰福音上说：
万物是藉着祂造的，没有一样不是藉着祂造的。（约翰福音1:3，10）
诗篇：
诸天藉耶和华的言语（Word，道）而造，万象藉祂口中的气而成。（诗篇33:6）
87. 人可以用來作為明顯的例子, 用來區別離開真理的良善和源自良善的真理,兩者之間性質的截然不同。我們一切的良善存在于意志之中, 而所有的真理則於認知之中。離開認知, 我們的意志無法將任何良善行出來, 無法活動,無法言語,無法感受。意志的所有力量與能力都來自於我們的認知, 也就是來自於我們的真理, 因為認知是真理的容器和居所。
我們意志和認知的情形, 類似於身體裡心與肺的功能。除非伴隨著肺的呼吸, 心臟就不能產生任何運動與感覺, 因心跳動而發生的肺呼吸導致了這些運動與感覺。人窒息或溺水後喪失知覺就是個例子, 那時呼吸停止, 但心臟的收縮活動仍在持續。我們知道, 他們失去了活動的知覺和能力。這樣的情形如同在母親子宮中的胎兒。這是由於心對應于意志,以及所含的各種良善; 肺則對應於認知,以及所含的各種真理。
聖理的能力可以心靈世界明顯感受得到。一個天人擁有從主而來的聖理, 哪怕身體纖弱得像個嬰孩, 仍舊能夠擊潰一大群從地獄而來的惡靈, 儘管它們看起來像亞納人和拿非利人那樣的巨人, 並趕它們下地獄,回到洞穴中去。那些惡靈就再不敢露面去接近那天人。
若誰擁有從主而來的聖理, 在那個世界行若獅子, 儘管他們身體軟弱得比不過綿羊。類似地, 在世間, 擁有從主而來的聖理之人, 有能力對抗惡與偽, 就是對抗蜂擁而上的本質為惡偽的魔鬼。
聖理有如此力量的原因, 是在於上帝是聖善之本和聖理之本。祂藉著聖理創造了宇宙, 維持宇宙的一切聖規法則都是真理的表現。這就是為何在『約翰福音』裡說:"萬物都是藉著祂造的, 沒有一樣不是藉著祂造的"(約翰福音1:3, 10)。還有, 在大衛的『詩篇』:"諸天藉著耶和華的話(Word, 道)而造, 萬象藉著祂口中的氣而成"(詩篇33:6)。
87. Human beings provide an obvious example of the nature of goodness without truth as opposed to the nature of truth that is connected with goodness. All our goodness resides in our will; all our truth resides in our intellect. For all its goodness, our will cannot accomplish anything whatever without our intellect. It cannot function; it cannot talk; it cannot sense. All its force and power comes through our intellect, that is, through our truth, since the intellect is truths vessel and its dwelling place.
The situation with our will and our intellect is similar to the functioning of the heart and the lungs in our bodies. When the lungs are not breathing, the heart is incapable of producing any bodily movement or sensation. What produces movement and sensation is the breathing of the lungs in connection with the heart. A proof of this is the loss of consciousness experienced by people who suffocate or fall in the water, when their breathing stops but the systolic activity of their heart continues. As we know, they lose sensation and the ability to move. Their condition is similar to embryos in mothers' wombs. The reason for it is that the heart corresponds to the will and its goodness, while the lungs correspond to the intellect and its truths.
The power of truth is perfectly obvious in the spiritual world. Individual angels who have divine truths from the Lord, even if their physique is as feeble as that of a baby, can take on a whole squadron of infernal spirits that look like giants, like the Anakim and the Nephilim. One angel can force such spirits to flee, chase them to hell, and push them down into underground caves there. Whenever those spirits come out of the caves they do not dare come near the angel.
In that world those who have divine truths from the Lord are like lions, even if in physique they are no stronger than sheep. Even in this world the same is true for people in relation to evils and falsities. People who have divine truths from the Lord have the power to fight devils who are in full battle formation. Essentially those devils are nothing but evils and falsities.
Divine truth has this kind of strength because God is absolute goodness and absolute truth. He created the universe by means of divine truth, and all the laws of the divine design through which he preserves the universe are truths. This is why it says in John, "All things were made by the Word, and nothing that was made was made without it" (John 1:3, 10); and in David, "By the Word of Jehovah the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Psalms 33:6).
87. The difference between good without truth and truth coming from good can be clearly seen in the case of man. All his good is located in the will, and all his truth in the understanding; and the will cannot act to the slightest extent as a result of its good, except through the understanding. It cannot act, speak or feel. All its ability and power come through the understanding, consequently through truth, for the understanding is the container and dwelling-place of truth. It is like the way the heart and lungs work in the body. The heart unless accompanied by the breathing of the lungs cannot produce any movement or any sensation, but both of these are the product of the breathing of the lungs proceeding from the heart. This is evident in the loss of consciousness in cases of suffocation or drowning, when the breathing stops, though the systolic action of the heart continues. It is well known that in these cases there is neither movement nor sensation. It is the same with an embryo in the mother's womb. The reason is that the heart corresponds to the will and the various kinds of good it contains, the lungs to the understanding and the various kinds of truth it contains.
[2] The power of truth is very clearly to be seen in the spiritual world. An angel who possesses Divine truths from the Lord, even if physically as weak as a child, can still put to rout a crowd of spirits from hell, though they look like the Anakim and Nephilim, that is, like giants, and pursue them down to hell and force them into its caverns; and when they emerge from these they do not dare to approach the angel. Those who possess Divine truths from the Lord behave in that world like lions, though they have no more strength in their bodies than sheep. Likewise, human beings who possess Divine truths from the Lord have power against evils and falsities, and so they have against serried ranks of devils, who regarded as they are in essence are simply evils and falsities. The reason there is such strength in the Divine Truth is that God is Good itself and Truth itself, and He created the universe by means of the Divine Truth; and all the laws of order by which He preserves the universe are instances of truth. This is why it is said in John that 'all things were made through the Word, and without Him was nothing made that was made' (John 1:3, 10); and in the Psalms of David:
Through the Word of Jehovah the heavens were made, and through the breath of His mouth the whole company of the heavens, Psalms 33:6.
87. What good is, apart from truth, and what truth is, apart from good, can be seen clearly in man. All good in man has its seat in his will, and all truth in his understanding; and the will from its good can do nothing whatever except by means of the understanding; it cannot work, it cannot speak, it cannot feel; all of its virtue and power is by means of the understanding, consequently by means of truth; for the understanding is the receptacle and abode of truth. It is with these precisely as with the action of the heart and lungs in the body. Without the respiration of the lungs not a motion or a sensation is produced by the heart; but both motion and sensation are produced from the heart by the respiration of the lungs, as is evident in the swooning of persons who have been suffocated or have fallen into the water, whose respiration ceases, although the systolic activity of the heart still continues. That such persons have neither motion nor sensation is known. It is the same with the embryo in the mother's womb. This is because the heart corresponds to the will and its various kinds of good, and the lungs to the understanding and its truths.
In the spiritual world the power of truth is especially conspicuous. An angel who is in Divine truths from the Lord, although in body as weak as an infant, can nevertheless put to flight a troop of infernal spirits that look like Anakim and Nephilim, that is, like giants, and can pursue them to hell, and thrust them into their caverns there; and when they emerge therefrom they dare not come near the angel. Those who are in Divine truths from the Lord are in that world like lions, although in body they have no more strength than sheep. Men who are in Divine truths from the Lord have a like power against evils and falsities, and consequently against cohorts of devils, who, regarded in their essence, are nothing but evils and falsities. There is such strength in Divine truth because God is good itself and truth itself; and it was by means of Divine truth that He created the universe; and all the laws of order by means of which He preserves the universe are truths. Therefore it is said in John:
That all things were made by the Word, and without Him was nothing thing made that was made (1:3, 10).
And in David:
By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6).
87. The quality that pertains to good when separate from truth, and to truth when separate from good, may be clearly seen from the nature of man. For all his good resides in the will, and all his truth in the understanding; and the will from its own good can do nothing unless through the understanding; that is, it cannot act, speak or feel; all its virtue and power become effective through the understanding and therefore through the truth, of which the understanding is the receptacle and abode. It is the same with these principles and their faculties as with the action of the heart and lungs in the body; for the heart, without the respiration of the lungs, effects neither motion nor sensation; but the respiration of the lungs from the heart produces both. This is evident in cases of swooning with those who have fallen into water and are being suffocated. Their respiration ceases, but the systolic action of the heart continues; and it is well known that they are not capable of motion or sensation. It is the same also with the embryo in the mother's womb; and the reason is that the heart corresponds to the will and its good, and the lungs to the understanding and its truth. In the spiritual world the power of truth is particularly conspicuous. An angel who is in Divine truths from the Lord, although in body as weak as a little child, can yet put to flight a troop of infernal spirits even of gigantic stature, in appearance like the Anakim and Nephilim. He can pursue them to hell and force them into caverns there; and should they come forth, they dare not approach him. In that world those who are principled in Divine truths from the Lord are like lions, although they are in body no stronger than sheep. Men who are in Divine truths from the Lord have a similar power against evils and falsities, and consequently against hosts of devils, for these, regarded in their true character, are nothing but evils and falsities. Such power resides in the Divine Truth because God is Good itself and Truth itself and by means of the Divine Truth He created the universe; and all the laws of order, by which He preserves the universe, are truths. Therefore it is said in John that "by the Word all things were made, and without it not anything was made that was made." John 1:3, 10, and in David:
"By the Word of JEHOVAH were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" Psalms 33:6.
87. Quale Bonum est absque Vero, et quale Verum ex bono, manifeste apparet ex homine; omne bonum ejus residet in Voluntate, et omne verum ejus in Intellectu, ac Voluntas ex bono suo ne hilum potest agere nisi per Intellectum, non potest operari, non potest loqui, nec potest sentire; omnis virtus et potentia ejus est per intellectum, proinde per verum, nam intellectus est receptaculum et habitaculum veri. Cum his simile est quemadmodum cum operatione Cordis et Pulmonis in Corpore; Cor absque respiratione Pulmonis non aliquem motum, nec aliquem sensum producit, sed haec duo facit respiratio pulmonis ex corde, quod evidens est in deliquiis apud suffocatos ac illapsos aquis, in quibus cessat respiratio, perstante adhuc systolica activitate cordis; quod illis non sit motus nec sensus, notum est; simile est cum embryonibus in uteris matrum; causa est, quia Cor correspondet Voluntati et ejus bonis, et Pulmo Intellectui et ejus veris.
[2] In Mundo spirituali maxime conspicua est potentia veri; Angelus qui in Divinis Veris a Domino est, tametsi quoad corpus invalidus est sicut infans, potest usque turmam spirituum infernalium, apparentium sicut Enakim et Nephilim, hoc est, sicut Gigantes, dejicere in fugam, persequi ad Infernum, ac detrudere in cavernas ibi; e quibus dum exeunt, non hiscunt accedere ad angelum. Sunt illi qui in Divinis veris a Domino sunt, in illo Mundo sicut leones, tametsi quoad corpora non plus valent quam oves. Simile est cum hominibus, qui in Divinis veris a Domino sunt, contra mala et falsa, proinde contra phalanges diabolorum, qui in sua essentia spectati non aliud sunt quam mala et falsa. Quod Divino Vero tale robur insit, est causa, quia Deus est ipsum Bonum et ipsum Verum, et per Divinum Verum Creavit Universum; et omnes leges ordinis, per quas conservat universum, sunt veritates; quare dicitur apud Johannem, Quod per Verbum omnia facta sint, et sine Illo factum sit nihil quod factum est, Johannes 1:3, 10, et apud Davidem, "Per Verbum Jehovae Coeli facti sunt, et per Spiritum oris Ipsius omnis exercitus 1 eorum," Psalm 33:6.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: excercitus.