18. 圣经的字义联结着天堂与教会成员。
诸多亲身经历让我得知：圣经向人打开天堂；也就是说，当某人读经或谈论圣经时，就产生与天堂的交流。有一次，我从《以赛亚书》到《玛拉基书》通读先知书，其间让我看出每一章、甚至每一节都被某些天堂的社群所察觉。并且，由于交流的是灵义，而非字义，所以社区中的天使并不知道他们所察觉到的意义来自某个人。看似他们自己正自发地思考圣经所包含的这些内容。
[2] 另有一次，我与来自埃塞俄比亚的非洲灵在一起。一天，他们的耳听被打开，以致可以听到世间有人在殿中诵唱大卫诗篇中的某一篇。这些灵为此所感动，欣喜之余，他们开始随之一同诵唱。不久，他们的耳听再次被关闭，不再从那里听到什么；然后他们仍感觉到更大的喜乐，因为它是灵性之乐。与此同时，他们被聪明所充满，因为诗篇的灵义与主和祂的救赎相关。他们内心欢喜快乐的加增，起因于他们与来自基督教某个天堂社群的交流，他们借着交流而进入类似的状态。由此清晰可见，通过圣经能与全天堂产生交流。
[3] 众多亲身经历向我显明：我们这本圣经的字义就有如此效果；事实上，离开字义的灵义与天堂无法产生交流，因为主从源初流向终端，从祂自己流向圣经的属世意义。于是，主由属世意义引出或展开属灵和属天意义，从而启发、指教并引领天使。这也是为何圣经中主称自己为首先的，末后的 1。
[4] 由此清晰可见，教会的教义若非取自圣经的字义并被字义来证实，它就与天堂没有交流，因此毫无能力。取自字义并与之紧密相连的教义则不然。
Footnotes:
1. 附注：《以赛亚书》41:4, 44:6,48:12，《启示录》1:11,17, 2:8, 22:13。
18. The Conjunction of Heaven with People of the Church Through the Literal Meaning of the Word
I have been given to know from much personal experience that the Word opens heaven to a person. That is to say, when a person reads the Word or speaks from it, communication with heaven is effected. I once read through the prophetic Word from Isaiah to Malachi, and I was given to see that every chapter-indeed, every verse-was perceived in some heavenly society. And because the spiritual meaning is communicated, and not the literal meaning, therefore the angels in the society did not know their perceptions were coming from some person. It seemed to them as if they were thinking spontaneously, of themselves, about such things as are contained within the Word.
[2] Another time I had with me African spirits, from Ethiopia. One day their ears were opened so that they heard people singing one of the Psalms of David in a temple in this world. The spirits were moved with such delight by this that they began to sing along with them. But presently their ears were closed again and they no longer heard anything from there; and then they were affected with a still greater delight, because it was a spiritual delight. And at the same time they were filled with intelligence, because the Psalm in its spiritual meaning had to do with the Lord and redemption by Him. The increase in their delight and joy of heart occurred as a result of their communication with a certain heavenly society from the Christian world, and by that communication they came into a similar state. It was apparent from this that a communication with the whole of heaven takes place by means of the Word.
[3] I omit a thousand other experiences which have confirmed for me that the literal meaning of our Word produces this effect; indeed, that the spiritual meaning without its accompanying natural meaning does not communicate with heaven. The reason is that the Lord flows in from first things through last things, thus from Himself into the natural meaning of the Word; and then from this He draws forth or unfolds its spiritual and celestial meanings so as to enlighten, teach and lead the angels. That is why in the Word the Lord is called the first and the last. 1
[4] It is apparent from the above that unless the doctrine of the church has been taken from and verified by the literal meaning of the Word, it is without power, because it does not communicate [with heaven]. It is otherwise in the case of doctrine taken from the literal meaning and coupled with it.
Footnotes:
1. See Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Revelation 1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13.
18. XVIII. The linking of heaven with a member of the church by means of the literal sense of the Word.
Much experience has allowed me to know that the Word opens heaven to a person. This means that when a person reads the Word or speaks from it, communication is established with heaven. I have read through the prophetic Word from Isaiah to Malachi, and I was allowed to perceive that every chapter, in fact every verse, was perceived in some heavenly community. Because what was communicated was not the literal but the spiritual sense, the angels of that community were unaware that this was coming from a man. It seems to them that they were thinking as if of themselves about the things inwardly contained in the Word.
[2] Some African spirits from Abyssinia were with me, when on one occasion their ears were opened so that they could hear the singing of a Psalm of David in a church in the world. This gave them such joy that they sang along with them. But after a while their ears were closed again, so that none of them could hear the singing from there. Then they felt an even greater joy, because this was spiritual; and at the same time they were filled with intelligence, because in the spiritual sense the Psalm dealt with the Lord and the redemption He effects. The joyful lifting of their hearts was to some small extent communicated to a heavenly community from the Christian world, and this brought this community similar joy. It was plain from this that the whole of heaven is able to communicate by means of the Word.
[3] I pass over many 1other experiences which proved to me that the literal sense of our Word has this effect, in fact, that the spiritual sense unaccompanied by the natural sense does not produce communication with heaven. The reason is that the Lord's influence comes from what is first to what is last, so it proceeds from Himself into the natural sense of the Word, and calls forth or unfolds its spiritual and celestial senses; and thus its enlightenment teaches and guides the angels. The Lord is therefore called in the Word the First and the Last.
[4] This makes it plain that the church's teaching is not valid, unless it is gathered and proved from the literal sense of the Word, because it does not establish communication. But teaching drawn from the literal sense is valid, and acts together with the spiritual sense.
Footnotes:
1. The correct reading is probably multas. -Translator
18. XVIII. THE CONJUNCTION OF HEAVEN WITH THE MAN OF THE CHURCH, BY MEANS OF THE SENSE OF THE LETTER OF THE WORD.
From much experience it has been given me to know that the Word opens heaven to man, that is, that when man reads the Word or speaks from it, communication is effected with heaven. I have read the prophetic Word through from Isaiah even to Malachi, and it was given to perceive that every chapter, yea every verse, was perceived in some heavenly society. And because the spiritual sense and not the sense of the letter is communicated, therefore the angels of the society did not know that these things came from any man. Such things as are inwardly in the Word appear to them as if they thought them from themselves.
[2] There were with me African spirits, from Abyssinia. Their ears were once opened so that they heard singing in a certain temple in the world, from the Psalms of David, and they were affected with such delight that they sang together with the singers. But soon their ears were closed, and they did not hear from there the singing of anyone; and then they were affected with still greater delight, because spiritual; and at the same time they were filled with intelligence, because the Psalm in the spiritual sense treated of the Lord, and of redemption by Him. The delight of their hearts' joy was for a little time communicated with a certain heavenly society from the Christian world, and that society came thereby into similar delight. Hence it was plain, that communication with the whole heaven is given by means of the Word.
[3] I pass over a thousand other experiences by which I have been convinced that the sense of the letter of our Word produces that effect, yea, that the spiritual sense without its companion, the natural sense, does not communicate with heaven. The reason of this is, that the Lord flows in from firsts through ultimates, therefore from Himself into the natural sense of the Word, and from that calls forth, or evolves its spiritual and celestial senses, and thus enlightening, teaches and leads the angels; wherefore the Lord is called in the Word "the First and the Last."
[4] From this it is plain that the doctrine of the church, unless it be gathered and confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, has no power, because it does not communicate; but doctrine from the sense of the letter and together with it does have power.
18. De conjunctione Coeli cum homine Ecclesiae per sensum literae Verbi
[1] Ex multa experientia mihi scire datum est, quod Verbum aperiat coelum homini, hoc est, quod dum homo legit Verbum, aut loquitur ex illo, communicatio fiat cum Coelo; perlegi Verbum propheticum ab Esaja usque ad Malachiam, et datum est percipere, quod unumquodvis caput, imo unusquisque versus, perciperetur in aliqua societate coelesti. Et quia sensus spiritualis communicatur, et non sensus literae, ideo non sciverunt angeli societatis, quod haec ab aliquo homine venirent; apparuit illis sicut a se talia, quae intus in Verbo erant, cogitarent.
[2] Erant apud me spiritus Africani, ex Abysina; illis quondam aperiebantur aures ut audirent cantum in aliquo Templo in mundo ex Psalmis Davidis, quo afficiebantur tali jucunditate, ut una cum illis canerent: sed mox claudebantur aures, ut non audirent inde aliquid, et tunc adhuc majori jucunditate afficiebantur, quia spirituali, et simul implebantur intelligentia, quia Psalmus in sensu spirituali agebat de Domino, ac de redemptione ab Ipso. [Incrementum] jucundi et gaudii cordis illorum datum est per communicationem cum aliqua societate coelesti ex Christiano orbe, et per hanc illi in simile venerunt; inde patuit quod communicatio universi coeli detur per Verbum.
[3] Praetereo mille alias experientias, per quas confirmatus sum, quod sensus literae nostri Verbi illum effectum edat, imo quod sensus spiritualis absque comite sensu naturali non communicetur cum coelo. Causa est, quia Dominus ex primis per ultima influit, ideo a se in sensum naturalem Verbi, et inde evocat aut evolvit sensum spiritualem et coelestem ejus, et sic illustrat, docet et ducit angelos; quare Dominus in Verbo vocatur Primus et Ultimus.
[4] Ex his patet, quod doctrina Ecclesiae nisi collecta sit et confirmata ex sensu literae Verbi, non valeat, quia non communicat, sed doctrina ex sensus literae, et una cum illo.