5954. “又给他们各人一套新衣服” 表始于良善的真理。这从 “衣服” 的含义清楚可知, “衣服” 是指真理, 如下文所述。因此, “新衣服” 是指新真理; 当真理在良善中开始时, 它们就变新, 因为那时它们获得了生命。所论述的主题是属世人与属灵人, 或外在人与内在人的联结。当联结正在实现时, 真理就会发生变化并变新, 因为它们从流入它们的良善那里获得了生命, 如刚才所述 (5951节)。“换衣服” 代表披上神圣真理, 这也是 “换衣服” 的起源 (参看4545节)。

在圣言中, “衣服 (或译衣裳）” 之所以表示真理, 是因为真理包裹良善, 几乎如同血管包裹血液, 或纤维包裹灵。“衣服” 有真理的意思, 是因为灵人, 以及天使看上去都穿着衣服, 并且各自都照着属于他的真理而着装。看上去身穿白衣的, 那些处于作为通向良善之路的信之真理的灵人或天使; 而看上去身穿闪亮衣服的, 是那些处于从良善发出的信之真理的灵人或天使。因为良善通过真理发光, 产生光辉 (参看5248节)。

灵人和天使看上去穿着衣服, 这一点从圣言中提到天使显现的地方也能看出来, 如马太福音:

坐在主坟墓上的天使像貌如同闪电, 衣服洁白如雪。(马太福音 28:3)

启示录:

我看见二十四位长老坐在宝座上, 身穿白衣。(启示录 4:4)

启示录:

骑在白马上的穿着溅了血的衣服; 祂的名称为神之道。在天上的众军骑着白马, 穿着细麻衣, 又白又洁, 跟随祂。(启示录 19:11, 13, 14)

“衣服洁白如雪” 和 “白色的细麻衣” 表示神圣真理, 因为洁白和闪亮论及真理 (3301, 3993, 4007, 5319节), 原因是它们最靠近光, 从主发出的光就是神性真理。这解释了为何当主变了形像时, 祂衣服显如光; 马太福音:

耶稣就变了形像, 脸面明亮如日头, 衣裳洁白如光。(马太福音 17:2)

在教会, 众所周知, “光” 是指神性真理; 但从诗篇清楚看出来, 它被比作 “衣裳”:

耶和华披上亮光, 如披衣裳。(诗篇 104:2)

“衣服或衣裳” 是指真理, 这一点从圣言中的许多经文明显看出来, 如马太福音:

王进来观看宾客, 见那里有一个没有穿礼服的人。就对他说, 同伴哪, 你到这里来, 怎么不穿礼服呢？于是, 他就被丢在外边的黑暗里。(马太福音 22:11-13)

至于 “不穿礼服的人” 是谁, 可参看前文 (2132节)。以赛亚书:

锡安哪！你要醒来; 醒来; 披上你的能力。圣城耶路撒冷啊, 穿上你华美的衣服！因为从今以后, 未受割礼、不洁净的, 必不再进入你中间。(以赛亚书 52:1)

“华美的衣服 “表示源于良善的真理。

以西结书:

我也使你身穿绣花衣服, 穿上海狗皮鞋, 并用细麻布给你束腰, 用丝绸披在你身上。你的衣服是细麻布和丝绸并绣花衣; 吃的是细面、蜂蜜并油。(以西结书 16:10, 13)

这论及耶路撒冷, 耶路撒冷在此表示属灵的古教会, 该教会是在上古教会气绝之后由主建立的。赋予该教会的真理以 “衣服” 来描述; “绣花衣” 是指记忆知识, 当记忆知识是纯正的时, 它在来世看似绣花衣, 又看似有网眼的织物, 正如我蒙允许所看到的。“细麻衣和丝绸” 是指源于良善的真理; 但在天堂, 这些织物是极其明亮和透明的, 因为它们在天堂之光中。

同一先知书:

你的帆是用埃及绣花细麻布做的; 你的篷是用以利沙岛的蓝色、紫色布做的。(以西结书 27:7)

这论及推罗, 推罗代表对真理与良善的认知 (1201节)。当这些认知是纯正的时, 它们就是 “埃及绣花细麻布”; “蓝色、紫色布” 表示由此衍生的良善, 或真理之良善。

诗篇:

王女极其荣华, 她的衣服是用金线绣的; 她要穿刺绣衣服, 被引到王前。(诗篇 45:13, 14)

“王女” 表示对真理的情感; “她的衣服是用金线绣的” 表示拥有良善在里面的真理; “刺绣衣服” 表示最低级的真理。

启示录:

然而在撒狄, 你还有几个名字是未曾污秽自己衣服的; 他们要穿白衣与我同行, 因为他们是配得过的。凡得胜的, 必穿白衣。(启示录 3:4, 5)

“未曾污秽衣服” 表示没有用虚假玷污真理。

启示录:

那儆醒, 看守衣服, 免得赤身而行, 叫他们见他羞耻的, 有福了。(启示录 16:15)

“衣服” 以同样的方式表示真理。这就是 “那儆醒, 看守衣服, 免得赤身而行, 叫他们见他羞耻的” 所表示的。

撒迦利亚书:

约书亚穿着污秽的衣服, 站在使者面前。使者吩咐站在他面前的说, 你们要脱去他污秽的衣服。又对约书亚说, 看哪, 我使你的罪孽离开你, 要给你换上衣服。(撒迦利亚书 3:3, 4)

“污秽的衣服” 表示被源于邪恶的虚假玷污的真理; 因此, 当脱去这些衣服, 穿上其它衣服时, 经上说: “看哪, 我使你的罪孽离开你”。谁都能知道, 罪孽不会因换了衣服就消失; 谁也都能由此得出结论: 换衣服是代表行为, 正如洗衣服也是代表行为一样, 当百姓自洁时, 如当他们靠近西乃山时 (出埃及记 19:14), 当他们从污秽之物中洁净时 (利未记 11:25, 40; 14:8, 9; 民数记 8:6, 7; 19:21; 31:19-24), 就会被吩咐洗衣服。

事实上, 从污秽之物中洁净是通过信之真理实现的, 因为这些真理教导何为良善, 何为仁爱, 何为邻舍, 何为信仰, 以及主、天堂和永生的存在。没有教导人的真理, 人们就不知道这些事, 甚至不知道它们的存在。凭自己, 除了爱自己爱世界的良善是属于人的唯一良善外, 谁还知道别的？因为这二者构成他生命的快乐。若不通过信之真理, 谁能知道还有别的良善能被赋予人, 即对神之爱的良善, 或对邻之仁的良善？有谁知道这些良善拥有天上的生命在里面, 或这些良善在此人不再爱自己胜过他人, 爱世界胜过天堂的范围内从主经由天堂流入？由此清楚可知, 洗衣服所代表的洁净通过信之真理实现。

3387. 'For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah' means that it was impossible for Divine Truths themselves to be disclosed, and so for Divine Good to be received. This is clear from the meaning of 'being afraid to say' as an inability to disclose; from the meaning of 'wife', who is Rebekah here, as the Lord's Divine Rational in respect to Divine Truth, dealt with in 3012, 3013, 3077; from the meaning of 'killing me' as good not being received, for 'Isaac', to whom 'me' refers here, represents the Divine Good of the Lord's Rational, 3012, 3194, 3210 - good being said 'to be killed' or to perish when it is not received, for it ceases to exist with that person; and from the meaning of 'the men of the place' as people who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith, dealt with just above in 3385. From these meanings it is now evident what the internal sense of these words is, namely: If Divine truths themselves were disclosed they would not be received by those who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith because those truths go beyond the whole range of their rational grasp of things, and so go beyond the whole of their faith, and as a consequence of this no good at all could flow in from the Lord. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, cannot flow in except into truths, for truths are the vessels for good, as shown many times.

[2] Truths or appearances of truth are given to a person to enable Divine Good to develop the understanding part of his mind, and so the person himself, for truths exist to the end that good may flow in. Indeed without vessels or receptacles good has nowhere to go, for it can find no condition answering to itself. Where no truths exist therefore, that is, where they have not been received, neither does any rational or human good exist; and as a consequence the person does not possess any spiritual life. Therefore, so that a person may nevertheless possess truths, and from these receive spiritual life, appearances of truth are given, to everyone according to his ability to grasp them; and these appearances are acknowledged as truths because they have the capacity to hold Divine things within them.

[3] So that it may be known what appearances are and that they are what serve a person as Divine truths, let the following be used by way of illustration: If man were told that in heaven angels have no concept of place, and so no concept of distance, but that instead they have concepts of state, he could not possibly grasp it, for he would suppose from this that nothing distinct and separate existed but that everything was fused together, that is to say, all the angels were together in a single place. Yet everything there is so distinct and separate that nothing could ever be more so. Places, distances, and intervals of space which exist in the natural order exist in heaven as states, see 3356. From this it is evident that all the things that are stated in the Word about places and intervals of space between objects, also ideas that are formed from these and expressed through them, are appearances of truth; and unless everything were stated by means of those appearances it would in no way be received and would as a consequence be scarcely anything; for the concept of space and time is present in almost every single detail of a person's thought as long as he is in the world, that is, living within space and time.

[4] The fact that the Word speaks according to appearances involving space is clear from almost every single part of it, as in Matthew,

Jesus said, How is it that David says, The Lord [said] to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Matthew 22:43-44.

Here the expression 'sitting at the right hand' is derived from the concept of place and so according to the appearance - when in fact it is a state of the Lord's Divine power which is described by that expression. In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matthew 26:64.

Here similarly 'sitting at the right hand' and also 'coming on clouds' are expressions derived from men's concept of place, whereas the concept angels have is one of the state of the Lord's power. In Mark,

The sons of Zebedee said to Jesus, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus replied, To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark 10:37, 40.

From this it is evident what kind of concept the disciples had of the Lord's kingdom, that is to say, one that involved sitting on the right hand and on the left. Such being the concept they had of it the Lord also replied to them in a way they could understand and so by an appearance that could be seen by them.

[5] In David,

Like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, he rejoices as a mighty man to run the course. From the end of the heavens is His going forth, and His circuit to the ends of them. Psalms 19:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, the state of whose Divine power is described by means of such things as belong to space. In Isaiah,

How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawn! You said in your heart, I will go up into the heavens, above the stars of God ¹ I will raise my throne. I will go up above the heights of the clouds. Isaiah 14:12-14.

'Falling from heaven', 'going up the heavens', 'raising a throne above the stars of God', 'going up above the heights of the clouds' are all expressions derived from the concept and appearance of space or a place, and are used to describe self-love profaning holy things. Since celestial and spiritual things are presented to man by means of and according to visual objects like these, heaven too is therefore described as being on high when in fact it is not on high but in that which is internal, 450, 1380, 2148.

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