276. 那些相信依靠自己的聰明就能獲得關於上帝,天國與地獄以及關於教會屬靈方面的知識, 他們意識不到屬世人的自我認識其實與屬靈人截然相反。人的屬世自我要麼試圖去根除,要麼試圖用偽謬來掩蓋進入其思想的任何屬靈事物。這些偽謬如同蛆蟲蠶食蔬菜和穀物的根。此類人就好比夢中人想像自己坐在鷹背上高飛, 又或坐在飛馬之上越過帕拿蘇斯山到埃利孔山。事實上, 他們則如同地獄中的路西弗, 在那裡仍自稱為光明之子(以賽亞書14:12)。他們如同那些在示拿平原建造通天塔的人(創世記11:2, 4)。他們自滿如歌利亞, 怎樣都預想不到, 自己會被一顆小甩石擊中前額而僕地死亡。死後等待他們的命運:最初, 所有這樣的人變得如同酒醉之人, 然後變得愚蠢, 最後成了白癡, 坐在黑暗之中。因此要謹慎, 免得變得如此瘋狂。

4264. 'Thirty milking camels and their colts; forty young cows and ten young bulls; twenty she-asses and ten foals' means things that are subservient, general and specific. This is clear from the meaning of 'camels and their colts', also of 'young cows and young bulls' as well as of 'she-asses and their foals' as things which belong to the natural man. These things have been referred to several times already - 'camels' in 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145; 'young bulls' in 1824, 1825, 2180, 2781, 2830; 'she-asses' in 2781; and these things which belong to the natural man, in relation to other things are subservient, see 1486, 3019, 3020, 3167. Consequently things that are subservient, general and specific, are meant by the animals mentioned here. As regards the numbers of the animals being 200 she-goats, 20 he-goats, 200 sheep, 20 rams, 30 camels and their colts, 40 young cows, 10 young bulls, 20 she-asses and 10 foals, these are arcana which cannot be revealed without much explanation and an extensive drawing of inferences. For all numbers used in the Word mean real things, 482, 487, 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252; and what they mean has been shown where they have occurred in previous chapters.

[2] I have sometimes been amazed that when angels' conversing together came down into the world of spirits their conversation revealed itself in various numbers, and also that when numbers have been read in the Word the angels have understood real things. For no numerical value ever penetrates into heaven since numbers belong to measurements both of space and of time, and these belong to the world and to the natural order to which, in the heavens, states and changes of states correspond. The most ancient people, who were celestial and had communication with angels, were aware of what simple numbers and also compound numbers meant. The meanings of these were conveyed from those people to their descendants and to members of the Ancient Church. These are things which find scarcely any acceptance in the member of the Church at the present day who believes that nothing holier is concealed in the Word apart from that which is seen in the letter.