4317. 就内在历史意义而言, “因为那人在坐骨神经筋上将雅各的大腿窝摸了一把” 表由于他们具有一种无法通过重生被根除的遗传性, 因为他们不允许这种事发生. 这从 “大腿” 的含义清楚可知, “大腿” 是指婚姻之爱, 因而是指一切属天和属灵之爱 (参看4280节); 因为 “大腿窝” 就是婚姻之爱, 以及一切属天, 属灵之爱与属世良善结合的地方 (4277, 4280节). 因此, “摸它”, 或损害它, 以至于瘸了是指摧毁从这些爱所流出的良善. 由于这事发生在雅各身上, 故它表示这种性质从他传到他的后代那里, 因而具有遗传性. “坐骨神经筋” (nerve of that which was displaced) 表示虚假 (参看4303节), 在此表示源自遗传之恶的虚假. 由此和整个思路可知, 这种遗传性无法通过重生根除, 因为他们不允许这种事发生.

他们具有这种遗传性, 并且无法重生; 这一点从圣言中有关他们的一切记载, 尤其摩西五经中的以下经文看得非常清楚:

摩西召了以色列众人来, 对他们说, 耶和华在埃及地, 在你们眼前向法老和他众臣仆, 并他全地所行的一切事, 你们都看见了; 但耶和华到今日没有使你们心能明白, 眼能看见, 耳能听见. (申命记 29:2, 4)

又:

我未领他们到我所起誓应许之地以先, 这百姓今日里所作的计画我都知道了. (申命记 31:21)

又:

我要向他们掩面, 看他们的结局如何. 他们本是极乖僻的一代, 心中无诚实的儿女. 我要除灭他们, 使他们的名从人间消失, 惟恐仇敌惹动我. 因为他们是缺乏智谋的民族, 他们里面毫无聪明. 他们的葡萄树是所多玛的葡萄树, 他们的葡萄是蛾摩拉田园出的; 他们的葡萄是苦毒的, 全挂都是苦的. 他们的酒是大蛇的毒气, 是虺蛇残害的头. 这不都是积蓄在我这里, 封锁在我府库中吗? (申命记 32:20, 26-34)

其它地方, 尤其耶利米书中的部分经文也提到这些事.

“摸雅各的大腿窝”, 然后他就瘸了, 就表示他们的遗传性; 这一点明显可见于何西阿书:

耶和华与犹大争辩, 必照雅各所行的惩罚他, 按他所做的报应他. 他在腹中抓住哥哥的脚跟, 壮年的时候与神较力; 与天使较力, 并且得胜, 哭泣恳求. (何西阿书 12:2-5)

就内在历史意义而言, 此处 “与神较力” 是指他们坚持认为教会的代表要存在于他们当中 (参看4290, 4293节). 由此明显可知, 他们所拥有的这种遗传性源自雅各自己, 这一点从更多目前不得不忽略过去的经文明显看出来.

关于具体的遗传性, 在当今的教会, 人们都以为一切遗传之恶皆来自第一代父母, 所有人都因此在遗传之恶方面受到诅咒. 但事实并非如此. 每个人里面的遗传之恶的源头在于他的父母和父母的父母, 也就是在于祖父母和历代先祖. 他们通过实际生活所获得, 通过频繁实践或习惯可以说已经成为其秉性一部分的一切邪恶都会传给他的儿女, 在他们里面变成遗传, 这恶还伴随着从祖父母和先祖植入在父母里面的东西. 来自父亲的遗传之恶更为内在, 来自母亲的遗传之恶更为外在. 前者无法轻易根除, 而后者则能. 当人正在经历重生时, 来自最近父母的根深蒂固的遗传之恶就会被根除; 但对那些未经历重生的人, 或不能重生的人来说, 它依然存留. 这就是遗传之恶 (参看313, 494, 2122, 2910, 3518, 3701节). 这个问题对于能反省的人, 以及从以下事实也是显而易见的, 即: 每个家族都有某种特定邪恶或良善, 该家族凭此而有别于其它家族; 这种特性如众所周知的, 是从父母和先祖遗传来的. 这同样适用于如今仍旧存留的犹太民族, 该民族与其它民族截然不同, 不仅能从它特有的性情被识别出来, 还可以从它的习俗, 言语和面貌被识别出来.

不过, 很少有人知道何为遗传之恶. 人们以为遗传之恶在于行恶, 而事实上, 它在于意愿, 因而思想邪恶. 遗传之恶就在意愿本身和源于此的思维中; 它就是在它们里面, 甚至在此人行善时也会将自己附着上的向恶的实际倾向. 它通过当邪恶临到别人身上时所感觉到的快乐可被识别出来. 这根深深向下隐藏, 因为接受来自天堂, 也就是经由天堂来自主的良善与真理的内在形式本身被扭曲, 可以说已经扭曲得变形了; 以致当良善与真理从主流入时, 它们要么被反射回去, 要么被歪曲, 要么被窒息. 正是由于这个原因, 如今对良善与真理的觉知不存在了, 对重生之人来说, 取而代之的是良心; 良心承认从父母和老师那里所学到的为良善与真理. 爱自己胜过他人, 若其他人不尊敬我们, 就向他们意愿邪恶, 以报复为乐, 以及爱世界胜过天堂, 就出自遗传之恶; 一切恶欲或邪恶情感也出自这一源头. 人不知道这类事物就存在于遗传之恶里面, 更不知道它们是天上情感的对立面. 然而, 在来世可以清楚显明, 每个人通过实际生活引向自己的源自遗传之物的邪恶何等之多, 以及他因来自这一源头的邪恶情感而距离天堂何等遥远.

雅各后代里面的遗传之恶无法通过重生而根除, 因为他们不允许这种事发生. 这一事实从圣言中的历史描述明显看出来; 因为他们在旷野的一切试探中都屈服了, 如摩西五经所记载的; 后来在迦南地, 一看不到神迹, 也会屈服. 然而, 这些试探都是外在的, 而不是内在的或属灵的. 他们在属灵的事上不能受试探, 因为他们不知道内在真理, 也没有任何内在良善, 如前所示; 除了在他所知道或所拥有的事物方面外, 没有人能受试探. 试探就是实现重生的实际手段. 这些事就是他们不允许重生的意思. 关于他们在来世的状态和命运, 可参看前文 (939-941, 3481节).

大人和对应 (续)

此处关于与总体上感官的对应

4311. In the internal historical sense 'for I have seen God face to face, and my soul is delivered' means His presence through representations. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing God face to face' when used in reference to the state which Jacob's descendants were passing through, as the Lord's presence through representations, for if anyone 'sees God face to face' in an external form, and with his physical sight, it is not God Himself that he sees present then, 4299. The fact that He was not present with those people then, as He is with those who are regenerate and who for that reason are governed by spiritual love and by faith, is evident from what has been stated about that nation in 4281, 4288, 4290, 4293, namely about their worship being external and not at the same time internal; or what amounts to the same, about their being governed by bodily and worldly love and not by spiritual and celestial. With such people the Lord cannot possibly be present except through representations.

[2] What presence through representations is must be discussed briefly. Anyone who is governed by bodily and worldly love, and not at the same time by spiritual or by celestial love, does not have any but evil spirits with him, even when external holiness exists with him. Good spirits cannot in any way be present with such a person, for they perceive in an instant the kind of love which governs a person. There is a sphere emanating from the interior parts of him which the spirits perceive as plainly as man by his sense of smell perceives offensive and foul odours floating around him in the air. This is what the state of good and truth, or love and faith, was like with that nation dealt with here. But in order that they might nevertheless play the part of a representative of the Church, the Lord made provision in a miraculous way so that when an external holiness existed with them, and at the same time they were surrounded by evil spirits, that holiness existing with them might nevertheless be raised up to heaven. But this was effected through good spirits and angels who were not within them but outside them, for within them there was nothing but an empty void or else uncleanness. For this reason there was no communication with any person himself, only with the holiness which existed with them when they observed ordinances and commandments, all of which were representative of the spiritual and celestial things of the Lord's kingdom. This is what is meant by the Lord's presence with that nation through representations. But He is present in a different way with those within the Church in whom spiritual love and therefore faith are present. With these people good spirits and angels are present not only within external worship but also at the same time within internal, and therefore in their case the communication of heaven is with those persons themselves. Indeed the Lord is flowing in by way of heaven through their internals into their externals. For these latter people the holiness of worship is of value to them in the next life, but of no value to the former.

[3] It is similar with priests and ministers who preach about holy things and yet live wickedly and believe in what is wicked. With them no good spirits are present, only evil ones, even when they officiate at external acts of worship in a manner which is outwardly holy. For it is self-love and love of the world - that is, love directed towards the attainment of prominent positions and love directed towards the acquisition of gain and so of reputation - which fires them and is the reason for their display of holiness. Sometimes such ambitions are so great that those priests and ministers do not see any false presence in themselves, nor at the same time do they believe that such presence can even exist. Yet in fact they are in the midst of evil spirits whose state is at that time the same as theirs and who serve as their aspiration and inspiration. The presence of evil spirits in that kind of state - when priests or ministers officiate at external acts of worship and when a brake is put on their self-love and love of the world - I have been allowed to know from a considerable amount of experience, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be described further on at the ends of chapters. Those priests and ministers do not themselves have any communication with heaven, but those who hear and receive the words coming from their lips do so if internal reverence and holiness exists with them. For it does not matter at all who declares what is good and true, provided their lives are not openly wicked, because that would give offence.

[4] This was the situation with the nation descended from Jacob; that is to say, they were surrounded by evil spirits and yet the Lord was present with them through representations, as becomes clear from many places in the Word. In their hearts they did anything but worship Jehovah, for as soon as miracles ceased they instantly turned to other gods and became idolaters, which was a sure sign that in their hearts they worshipped other gods and made mere lip confession to Jehovah; and they made this to Him solely for the reason that they might be the greatest and be pre-eminent over all the nations round about them. The fact that this nation - Aaron included - in their hearts worshipped an Egyptian idol and made mere lip confession to Jehovah because of His miracles, is plainly evident from the golden calf which Aaron made for them, one month after they had seen such great miracles on Mount Sinai, in addition to those they had seen previously in Egypt - see Exodus 32. That Aaron too was like this is explicitly stated in verses 2-5 of that same chapter, and especially in Verse 35. The same traits in that nation are in addition evident from many other places in Moses, in the Book of Judges, in the Books of Samuel, and in the Books of the Kings.

[5] It is also evident that their worship was solely external and not at all internal from the fact that they were forbidden to go near Mount Sinai when the Law was being proclaimed, and that if they touched the mountain they would certainly die, Exodus 19:11-13; 20:19. The reason they were forbidden to do so was that internally they were unclean. It is also stated in Moses that Jehovah dwelt with them in the midst of their uncleannesses, Leviticus 16:16. What that nation was like is also clear from the Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:15-43, and from many places in the Prophets. From this it can be recognized that no Church resided with that nation but merely a representative of the Church, and that the Lord was present with it merely through representations.

[6] See also what has been presented already regarding these people,

With the descendants of Jacob a representative of the Church existed but not a Church, 4281, 4288.

A representative of the Church was not established among them until they had been vastated altogether as regards internal holiness, otherwise they would have profaned holy things, 3398, 4289.

When they adhered to ordinances they were able to play a representative role, but not when they deviated from them, 3881 (end).

Therefore they were kept strictly to religious observances and were coerced by external means, 3147, 4281.

So that they could play the part of a representative of the Church their worship became external worship devoid of internal, 4281.

Therefore also interior things of the Church; were not disclosed to them, 301-303, 2520, 3398, 3479, 3769.

They were of such a nature that they were better able than others to have external holiness devoid of internal, 4293.

This is why they have been preserved even to the present day. 3479.

Their external holiness made no difference to their souls, 3479.