210. Ⅶ. 사람은 스스로 생각하고 스스로 모든 것을 지시한다는 가상이 들지 않으면 이 모든 일은 하나도 이루어질 수 없는 것.

[1] 앞에서 충분히 입증한 것은 사람은 자기 스스로 사는 것이 그에게 보이지 아니하면, 그러므로 그 스스로 생각하고 뜻하고 말하고 행동하는 듯 보이지 아니하면 사람일 수 없을 것이라 하였다. 이로써 사람은 그 자신의 분별력으로 그의 직업과 생활에 속한 모든 것을 지시하는 듯 보이지 아니하면, 그는 하나님의 섭리에 의해서 인도되거나 지시를 받을 수 없는 것이 분명하다. 왜냐하면 그는 축 늘어진 손을 하고, 입은 벌린 채, 눈을 감고, 숨은 들이마시고, 줄 것이나 기다리고 우두커니 서 있는 사람과 같을 것이기 때문이다. 이리하여 그는 스스로 살고, 생각하고, 뜻하고 말하고, 행동하는 듯 보이는 지각과 느낌을 갖는 인간성을 스스로 포기할 것이다. 그는 또 그것이 있어 짐승과 구분되는 자유성과 합리성의 두 기능까지도 포기할 것이다. 이 가상이 없으면 사람에게는 받아들이고 협력하는 어떠한 기능 곧 영혼불멸도 갖지 못할 것이라는 것은 이 책 위와 <하나님의 사랑과 하나님의 지혜> 안에서 입증한 바 있다.

[2] 그러므로 여러분이 만일 하나님의 섭리를 따르려 한다면 주인의 선을 착실하게 실천하는 종과 하인처럼 분별력을 쓰시기만 하면 될 것이고, 이 분별력은 그것을 가지고 장사하라고 하였으나 그 빚을 갚아야 하는 달란트인 것이다 (누가복음 19:13-25; 마태복음 25:14-31).

분별력 자체는 사람에게는 그의 것같이 보인다. 그리고 그는 하나님과 하나님의 섭리에 그것을 자기 것같이 믿는다. 이것은 나면서부터 모든 사람의 내성에 자리 잡고 있다. 만일 여러분이 그것을 알아차리지 못한다면 (그것은 알려지려 하지 않기 때문에) 그것은 안전하게 거처하여 사람이 그 문을 열거나 그리하여 주께서 그것을 밖으로 내던져버리지 않도록 문을 잠그고 있는 것이다. 사람은 그가 주님으로부터 한다는 인식 아래 스스로 하는 듯 악을 죄로 알고 끊음으로써 이 문을 열어젖힐 수 있다.

112. (Verse 8) And unto the angel of the church of the Smyrnaeans write. That this signifies for remembrance to those within the church who wish to understand the Word, and do not yet understand it, and therefore have as yet but little knowledge of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire in heart is evident from the signification of writing as being for remembrance (see above, n. 95); and from the signification of the angel of the church of the Smyrnaeans, as being those within the church who wish to understand the Word and do not yet understand it, and therefore have but little knowledge of truth and good, which, nevertheless, they desire in heart. That these are meant by the angel of the church of the Smyrnaeans is evident from the things written to that angel, which follow. For it cannot be known who are meant by the angels of the several churches, except from the internal sense of the things written to them.

[2] In the things written to the angel of the church of Ephesus, treated of above, those are described who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, and not at the same time, or not yet, in a life in agreement with them; and now those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good and at the same time in a life in agreement with them; the latter therefore are those who have the affection of truth from a spiritual origin, but the former are those who have the affection of truth from a natural origin. In general, the affection of truth has two origins, namely, a natural origin and a spiritual origin. Those who have the affection of truth from a natural origin, primarily regard themselves and the world, and consequently are natural; but those who have the affection of truth from a spiritual origin, primarily regard the Lord and heaven, and consequently are spiritual. A man's affection or love looks either downwards or upwards; those who regard themselves and the world look downwards, but those who have regard to the Lord and to heaven look upwards. The interiors of a man's mind actually look to where his love or affection is, for his love determines them; and according to the determination of his interiors such is the man after death, and such he remains to eternity. To look downwards or upwards is to look from the love by means of the understanding, thus by means of those things which form and constitute the understanding, these being the knowledges of truth and good.

[3] The reason why that which is written to the angel of the church of Ephesus is concerning those within the church who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good and not at the same time, or not as yet, in a life according to them, thus concerning those who are in the affection of truth from a natural origin; and now, in what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrnaeans, concerning those who are in the knowledges of truth and good and at the same time in a life in agreement with them, thus concerning those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual origin, is, that the former is the first principle of the church, and the latter is the second. For no one can be introduced into the church, and formed for heaven, except by means of knowledges from the Word, without which a man would not know the way to heaven, and without which the Lord cannot dwell with him. That without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word no one can know anything concerning the Lord, the angelic heaven, or charity and faith, may easily be known; and what a man does not know, he cannot think about, and thus cannot will, therefore neither can he believe or love. It is therefore evident that a man by means of knowledges learns the way to heaven. That without the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, the Lord cannot be present with a man and lead him, is also known; for in the case of him who knows nothing concerning the Lord, concerning heaven, charity and faith, the spiritual mind, which is the higher mind, and is intended to see by the light of heaven, is void and has nothing from the Divine in it, and yet the Lord cannot dwell with a man except in that which is His own, that is, in those things which are from Him; hence it was said, that the Lord cannot dwell with man unless he be in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and thence in the life thereof.

From these considerations taken together it follows, that the natural man can by no means become spiritual without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word.

[4] The reason why by the angel of the church of the Smyrnaeans are meant those within the church who are willing to understand the Word, and do not as yet understand, and consequently are, as yet, but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire, is, that they are in the spiritual affection of truth, and such also live the life of charity; for they have spiritual affection as a result of this, because there can be nothing spiritual in man but from charity. They who are in that affection study the Word, and desire nothing more than that they may understand it, and this because there are innumerable things in it which they do not understand, because the Word in its bosom is spiritual, involving infinite arcana. While therefore a man lives in the world, and sees from the natural man, he can be but little established in the knowledges of truth and good, but only in the generals, in which, however, innumerable things may be implanted when he comes into the spiritual world, or heaven.

[5] The man who is in the affection of truth from a spiritual origin, then knows much more than he knew before; for the general knowledges which he has are vessels, as it were, that can be filled with many things, and which actually are filled, when he comes into heaven. That this is the case is evident from this circumstance alone, that all the angels in heaven are from the human race, and yet their wisdom is such as can be described only by things inexpressible and incomprehensible, as is well known. (That the angels of heaven have no other origin than the human race, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 311-317; and in the small work, The Last Judgment 14-22.) The infilling with intelligence and wisdom above referred to, is meant by the words of the Lord in Luke:

"Good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall be given into your bosom" (6:38).

In Matthew:

"Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance" (13:12; 25:29).

And in Luke:

"The Lord said to the servant who, from the pound given to him, gained ten pounds, Because thou hast been faithful in little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities (19:16, 17).

By ten is there signified what is much and full, and by cities intelligence and wisdom. (That ten signify much and full, may be seen,Arcana Coelestia 1988, 3107, 4638; and that cities signify those things which belong to intelligence and wisdom, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 3584, 4492, 4493, 5297.)