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

3938. 'And Leah said, In my blessedness! for the daughters will call me blessed' in the highest sense means eternity, in the internal sense the happiness of eternal life, in the external sense the delight that belongs to the affections. This is clear from the meaning of 'blessedness', and from the meaning of 'the daughters will bless me'. That 'blessedness' in the highest sense means eternity cannot be seen except from its correspondence with the things which exist with man, for the mind cannot have any grasp of things that are Divine or infinite except through those that are finite, of which man is able to have mental images. Without mental images formed from finite things, and especially images formed from things that exist within space and time, man cannot begin to comprehend Divine things, let alone the Infinite. Without mental images formed from space and time man is not even capable of thinking anything, 3404, for as to the body, and so as to thoughts which are formed from external sensory impressions, he dwells within the confines of time. But angels, since they are not bounded by time or space, have mental images formed from states of being. This is why spatial or temporal references in the Word mean states, see 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 3827.

[2] But there are two states - a state which corresponds to space and a state which corresponds to time. The state which corresponds to space is a state in regard to being, while the state which corresponds to time is a state in regard to manifestation, 2625. There are two entities which constitute man, namely being (esse) and manifestation (existere). Man's being is nothing else than a recipient of the eternal which proceeds from the Lord. Indeed men, spirits, or angels are nothing else than recipients - that is, recipient forms - of life from the Lord. The actual reception of life is what the term manifestation refers to. Man imagines that he has being, and indeed that he is self-existent, when in fact he is not a self-existent being but, as has been stated, one who manifests being. Self-existent BEING occurs solely in the Lord, and that BEING is called JEHOVAH. This BEING which is JEHOVAH is the source from which all things that seem to be self-existent derive their being. But the Lord's or Jehovah's actual BEING cannot possibly be imparted to any, except to the Lord's Human. This Human was made the Divine Being, that is, it was made Jehovah. On the point that the Lord is Jehovah as to both Essences, see 1736, 2004, 2005, 2018, 2025, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035.

[3] Manifestation too is used of the Lord, but only of the time when He was in the world and there assumed the Divine Being. But ever since He was made the Divine Being the term Manifestation could no longer be used of Him except to refer to whatever proceeds from Him. That which proceeds from Him seems like a Manifestation within Him, but it is not. Rather it is that which goes forth from Him and causes men, spirits, and angels to be forms manifesting His Being, that is, to have life. In so manifesting His Being man, spirit, or angel has life, and the life he has is eternal happiness. The happiness of eternal life is what eternity, the source of which is the Lord's Divine Being, corresponds to in the highest sense. The fact that the happiness of eternal life is what is meant in the internal sense by 'blessedness' is evident from this, as also is the fact that the delight which belongs to the affections is meant in the external sense, and so is evident without explanation.

[4] But it is the delight belonging to the affections for truth and good, a delight which corresponds to the happiness of eternal life, that is meant. All affections have their own delights, but the nature of the affections determines that of the delights. The affections for evil and falsity have their own delights as well, and before a person is regenerated and receives from the Lord the affections for truth and good those delights seem to be the only delights, so much so that people believe that no other delights are possible, and consequently that if these were taken away from them they would perish completely. But people who do receive from the Lord the delights which belong to the affections for truth and good gradually see and perceive the true nature of the delights of that life which they had believed to be the only possible delights - that they are by comparison worthless, indeed foul. But the more he enters into the delights that belong to the affections for truth and good the more a person begins to despise those delights in evil and falsity, and at length to loathe them.

[5] I have on occasions spoken to spirits in the next life whose delights have been those of evil and falsity, and I have been allowed to tell them that they do not have life until these delights are taken away from them. But as with people like them in the world those spirits have said that if they were deprived of such delights they would no longer have any life at all. I have been allowed to reply however that that is just when that life begins, and with that life happiness such as exists in heaven, which compared with any other happiness defies description. But this they have been unable to grasp because of unbelief in anything which they do not actually know. They are like all those in the world who are governed by self-love and love of the world and who do not therefore have any charity. They know the delight that belongs to self-love and love of the world, but not the delight that belongs to charity. Consequently they have no knowledge at all of what charity is, and have less idea still of any delight residing within charity, when in fact the delight belonging to charity is the delight which fills the whole of heaven and is the producer of the blessedness and happiness there. And if you are willing to believe it, it is also the producer of intelligence and wisdom together with the delights that go with them, for the Lord enters with the light of truth and with the flame of good, and therefore with intelligence and wisdom, into the delights belonging to charity. But falsities and evils reject, stifle, and pervert those delights, and thereby cause stupidity and madness. These considerations show the identity and the nature of the delight which belongs to the affections and corresponds to the happiness of eternal life.

[6] People of the present day and age imagine that if only a person has the confidence received through faith even in his final hour before death, then regardless of whatever affection has been pre-eminent throughout the whole course of his life, he can enter heaven. I have on occasions spoken to spirits who have lived and believed as these people do. When they enter the next life they at first think of nothing else than of being able to enter heaven, irrespective of their previous life, that is to say, irrespective of the fact that by means of that life they have acquired the delight that belongs to the affection for evil and falsity arising out of self-love and love of the world, which loves constituted the ends they had in view. I have been allowed to tell them that everyone is able to be admitted into heaven, for the Lord denies heaven to none. But whether they have the ability to live in that place they will be able to know if admitted. Some who were resolute in the belief were admitted. But because the life that belongs to love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour reigns in heaven, which life enters into the whole sphere of life and the happiness there, when they arrived they began to feel a pain, for they were unable to breathe in such a sphere and began to become aware of the foulness of their own affections, and so to suffer hellish torment. As a consequence they hurried away from there, saying that they wanted to get right away from it, amazed that heaven should be what to them was hell. This shows the essential nature of the two different delights, and that people whose delight has been that of the affection for evil and falsity cannot in any way be among those whose delight has been that belonging to the affection for good and truth, and that the two delights are opposites, like heaven and hell, see 537-539, 541, 547, 1397, 1398, 2130, 2401.

[7] Furthermore as regards the happiness of eternal life, no one who is moved by the affection for good and truth is able when he is living in the world to perceive that happiness, but only a certain delight instead. The reason why he is unable to do so is that he is confined to the body, and when confined in the body he is subject to worldly cares and as a consequence to anxieties. These prevent the happiness of eternal life, which is inwardly present in him, being manifested in any other way, for when that happiness passes from the inward parts of his being into cares and anxieties which reside in his outward parts, it sinks into the cares there and the anxieties, and becomes a kind of obscure delight. Nevertheless it is a delight that holds blessedness within it, and happiness within that. Being content in God constitutes such happiness. But once a person casts aside the body, and at the same time those worldly cares and anxieties, the happiness which has been so lying hidden in obscurity within his more internal man comes forward and reveals itself.

[8] As the term affection is used so often, let a definition of what that term means be given here. Affection is nothing else than love, yet it is an extension branching out of it. For the affection anyone has, whether for evil and falsity or for good and truth, stems from love. And as this love is present with and exists in every single part of a person it, is not perceived as love but is varied according to circumstances and according to the states, and the changes of these states, through which that person is passing. And this is unceasingly the case in everything he wills, thinks and does. This extension from love is what is called affection, and it is this extension which reigns in a person's life and which produces every delight residing with him. And in producing his every delight it produces his actual life, for a person's life is nothing else than the delight which belongs to his affection, and so is nothing else than the affection which belongs to his love. Love constitutes man's willing, and from this his thinking, and thereby his acting.