2967. “商人通用” 表适合他们的状态. 这从 “商人”, 因而 “商人通用” 的含义清楚可知. 在圣言中, “商人” 表示那些拥有良善与真理的认知之人, 而他们的货物则表示那些认知本身. 因此, “商人通用的银子” 表示尽管可能被接受的真理, 或也可说, 适合各人状态和能力的真理. 谁都能看出, 所加上的这个词含有某种奥秘.

下面会说明 “商人” 和 “货物” 的具体含义, 不过, 整个词语总的含义乃是这样: 凡正被改造和重生的人都被主赋予仁与信, 但各人照自己的能力和状态来接受. 因为人从小所吸收的邪恶与虚假使得一个人接受被赋予之物的方式不同于其他人的. 在人能被重生之前, 这些邪恶与虚假必须先被消磨掉. 消磨后剩余的属天和属灵生命的量就决定了剩下的东西能被真理照亮, 并富含良善的程度. 这就是余留, 也就是主储存在人里面, 那时接受生命的良善与真理. 这些良善与真理是从婴幼儿甚至直到改造之时所获得的, 并且在这个人身上可能多一些, 在那个人身上可能少一些. 它们被保存在他的内在人里面, 无法被带出来, 除非他的外在人被带入与内在人相对应的状态, 这种对应状态主要通过试探, 以及多种多样的消磨实现. 事实上, 在违背良善与真理 (这就是构成我欲和物欲的渴望的性质) 的渴望沉寂之前, 属于对良善与真理情感的属天和属灵的渴望无法流入进来. 这就是为何各人照自己的状态和能力被改造的原因. 这也是主针对往国外去的人以比喻所教导的:

他就叫了仆人来, 把他的家业交给他们; 按着各人的才干, 一个给了五千, 一个给了二千, 一个给了一千. 那领五千的拿它们做买卖, 另外赚了五千; 那领二千的也照样另赚了二千. (马太福音 25:14-17等)

对于十个仆人, 也是这样教导的: 他交给他们十锭银子, 好叫他们拿去作生意 (路加福音 19:12-13等).

“商人” 表那些拥有良善与真理的认知之人, “货物” 表这些认知本身. 这从刚才所引用的马太福音和路加福音的经文, 以及下面这些经文明显看出来. 以西结书:

对推罗说, 推罗啊, 你居住海口, 是众民的商埠, 交易通到许多海岛, 他施人因你多有各类的财物, 就作你的客商, 拿银, 铁, 锡, 铅兑换你的货物. 雅完人, 土巴人, 米设人都与你交易; 他们用人口 (soul of man) 和铜器兑换你的货物. 底但人与你交易; 许多海岛作你手下的码头. 亚兰人因你的手工品很多, 就作你的客商. 犹大和以色列地都与你交易; 他们用米匿的麦子, 饼, 蜜, 油, 乳香兑换你的货物. 大马色人因你的手工品很多, 又因你多有各类的财物, 就拿黑本酒和白羊毛与你交易. 威但人和雅完人拿纺成的线兑换你的货物. 底但人用骑马的坐垫与你交易. 亚拉伯人和基达的一切首领都作你手下的客商, 用羊羔, 公绵羊, 公山羊与你交易. 示巴和拉玛的商人与你交易, 他们用各类上好的香料跟你交易. 亚述人, 基抹人与你交易. 这些商人以美好的货物与你交易. (以西结书 27:3, 12-13, 15-24).

这几节经文论及推罗, “推罗” 表示良善与真理的认知 (参看1201节), 这从所有细节明显看出来. 此处所提到的 “交易”, “货物” 和 “器物” 无非是指这些认知, 推罗因此被称为 “居住海口” 的 (“水” 表认知, “海” 表这些认知的汇集, 参看28节). 推罗还被称为 “众民的商埠, 交易通到许多海岛”, 也就是说, 甚至延伸到那些在敬拜上更遥远的人那里, “海岛” 表示更遥远的敬拜形式 (参看1158节). 至于 “他施” 表示什么, 这在前面已解释过 (1156节). 他施的 “银, 铁, 锡, 铅” 表甚至直到最后的感官真理都井然有序的真理. 从前文可以看出 “银子” 表示什么 (1551, 2048节), “铁” 表示什么 (425, 426节), 以及 “雅完人, 土巴人, 米设人” 又表示什么 (1151-1153, 1155节). “人口” (soul of man) 和那些地方的铜器表示与属世生命有关的事物, “灵魂” (soul) 表来自主的一切生命 (参看1000, 1040, 1436, 1742节); “铜器” 表示从那生命所接受的属灵良善 (425, 1551节). 前面解释了 “底但” (参看1172节) 和 “亚兰” (Syria, 参看1232, 1234节) 的含义. “犹大和以色列地用米匿的麦子, 饼, 蜜, 油, 乳香与你交易” 表示来自主的属天和属灵之物. 所提到的其它民族及其货物则表示真理与良善的各种属和种类, 因而表示 “推罗” 所指的那些人具有的认知.

智慧和聪明就出自这类认知, 这明显可见于以西结书, 在那里, 经上如此说:

人子啊, 你对推罗君王说你靠自己的智慧聪明得了资财, 得了金银财宝, 收入库中. 你靠自己的大智慧和贸易增添资财, 又因资财心里高傲. 所以, 看哪, 我必使外邦人, 就是列族中凶暴的人临到你这里. (以西结书 28:2, 4-7)

显然, 他们交易的货物表示良善与真理的认知, 因为智慧和聪明由此而来, 并非出自其它源头. 故经上说 “你靠自己的智慧聪明得了资财, 得了金银财宝, 收入库中”. 不过, 若出于自私的目的寻求这些认知, 如为了显赫, 为了赚取名声或财富, 那么它们就没有任何生命可言, 那些拥有它们的人也会完全丧失它们. 在世时, 他们通过信奉虚假而非真理, 信奉邪恶而非良善丧失这些认知, 在来世甚至会完全推动那些真实事物. 这就是为何经上说 “又因资财心里高傲, 所以, 看哪, 我必使外邦人 (即虚假), 就是列族中凶暴的人 (即邪恶) 临到你这里”.

在同一先知书的另一处:

推罗就像在海中沉寂的一座城; 你由海上运出货物, 就使许多国民充足; 你以许多资财, 货物, 使地上的君王丰富. 你在深水中被海浪打破的时候, 你的货物和你中间所有的同伴, 就都沉下去了; 各民中的客商都向你发嘶声. (以西结书 27:32-34, 36)

以赛亚书:

关于推罗的预言. 沿海的居民当静默无言; 西顿的商人横渡洋海的人充满了你; 在大水之上, 西曷的种, 尼罗河的庄稼是她的进项, 作列族的商埠. 谁策划这事来攻击推罗呢? 她是赐自己冠冕的, 她的商人是王子. (以赛亚书 23:2-3, 8)

这论述的是推罗的荒凉.

“交易” 和 “货物” 同样用来论及 “巴比伦”, 不过, 它们是被玷污的良善的认知和被歪曲的真理的认知. 如启示录:

巴比伦使列族喝她邪淫大怒的酒, 地上的君王与她行淫, 地上的客商因她极度奢华就发了财. 地上的客商也都为她哭泣悲哀, 因为没有人再买他们的货物了; 这货物就是金, 银, 宝石, 珍珠, 细麻布, 紫色料, 绸子, 朱红色料. 这些物件的商人藉着她发了财, 因怕她的折磨, 必远远地站着哭泣悲哀. (启示录 18:3, 11, 15)

“巴比伦” 表敬拜, 其外在看似神圣, 但内在却是污秽的 (参看1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1306, 1326节). 由此明显可知其 “交易” 和 “货物” 是什么.

“商人” 表示为自己获取真理与良善的认知, 并由此获得聪明和智慧的人. 这可从主在马太福音中的话明显看出来:

天国又好像商人寻找好珠子, 遇见一颗重价的珠子, 就去变卖他一切所有的, 买了它. (马太福音 13:45-46);

“好珠子” 就是仁爱, 或信之良善.

一切良善与真理的认知皆来自主, 这在以赛亚书中有所教导:

耶和华如此说, 埃及劳碌得来的和古实的货物必归你, 身量高大的西巴人必过来归你, 也要属你. 他们必随从你, 又向你下拜, 向你祈求你说, 神真在你们中间, 此外再没有别神! (以赛亚书 45:14)

这论述的是主的神性人.

综上所述, 可以看出 “交易”, 也就是买卖, 是什么意思; 也就是为自己获取良善与真理的认知, 并利用它们获得良善本身 . 这良善唯独从主那里获得, 这清楚可见于同一先知书:

你们一切干渴的都当就近水来, 没有银钱的, 你们也来买了吃; 你们要来, 买酒和奶, 不用银子, 也不用付钱. (以赛亚书 55:1-2)

此处 “买” 表为自己获取; “酒” 表属灵的真理 (1071, 1798节); “奶” 表属灵的良善 (2184节). 谁都能看出, “就近水来” 在此并不是指就近水, “买” 不是指购买, “银子” 不是指银子, “酒和奶” 也不是指酒和奶, 这些事物各自表示在内义上与其相对应的某种事物. 因为圣言是神性, 其中所用的一切表述尽管都来自尘世和人的感官印象, 但都具有与其相对应的神性属灵和属天之物. 圣言是以这种方式而非其它方式成为神性启示的.

3318. 'And he was weary' means a state of conflict. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'weary' or weariness as the state following conflict. Here however, because the subject is a state of conflict in which good and truth within the natural man are joined together, the state of conflict itself is meant. As regards 'weary' here meaning a state of conflict, this is not apparent except from the train of thought in the internal sense, and in particular from the fact that without conflicts, or what amounts to the same, without temptations, good is unable to be joined to truth in the natural man.

[2] So that the nature of this state may be known - though only as man experiences it - let a brief statement be made regarding it. Man is nothing other than an organ or vessel which receives life from the Lord, for man does not live of himself, 290, 1954, 2021, 2536, 2706, 2886-2889, 3001. The life flowing in with man from the Lord comes from His Divine Love. This Love, that is, the life from it, flows in and applies itself to the vessels that are in man's rational and that are in his natural. On account of the hereditary evil into which man is born, and on account of the evil of his own doing which man acquires to himself, these vessels with him are set the wrong way round for receiving that life. But insofar as it is possible for this inflowing life to do so, it resets those vessels to receive it. These vessels within the rational man and within his natural are such as are called truths. In themselves they are nothing else than perceptions of the variations in form possessed by those vessels and of the changes of state which in different ways give rise to those variations, which are produced in the most delicate of organic substances, and in ways that defy description, 2487. Good itself, which possesses life from the Lord, that is, which is life, is that which flows in and resets them.

[3] When therefore those vessels, varying in the forms they take, are set and turned, as has been stated, the wrong way round for inflowing life, they clearly have to be re-positioned to receive that life, that is, to be controlled by it. This cannot possibly be effected as long as the person remains in that condition into which he was born or which he has brought upon himself. Indeed at that time they are unsubmissive because they resolutely withstand and harden themselves against the heavenly order governing the way that life acts. Indeed the good which moves them, and to which they are subservient, is that which stems from self-love and love of the world. From the dull warmth it contains that good makes these vessels what they are. Consequently before they can be made submissive and capable of receiving any of the life that belongs to the Lord's love, they have to be softened. The only ways that such softening can be achieved is by temptations, for temptations take away the things that constitute self-love and contempt for others in comparison with oneself, consequently that constitute self-glory, and also hatred and revenge on account of that. When therefore they have to some extent been subdued and mellowed by means of temptations those vessels start to become yielding and compliant to the life which belongs to the Lord's love and which is constantly flowing in with man.

[4] From this point onwards good, first of all in the rational man and then in the natural, starts to be joined to the truths there, for as has been stated, truths are nothing else than perceptions of the variations in form which are determined by the states that are changing all the time - those perceptions being a product of the life that is flowing in. This is the reason why a person is regenerated, that is, is made new, by means of temptations, or what amounts to the same, by means of spiritual conflicts, and after that receives an inward disposition different from before, that is to say, becomes gentle, humble, single-minded, and contrite at heart. From these considerations one may now see the use served by temptations, which is that good from the Lord may not only flow in but also render the vessels subservient and so join itself to them. For truths are the recipient vessels of good, see 1496, 1832, 1900, 2063, 2261, 2269. Here therefore, since the subject is the joining together of good and truth in the natural man, and since the first stage of that conjunction comes about through the conflicts brought about by temptations, 'he was weary' clearly means a state of conflict.

[5] As for the Lord however, who is the subject here in the highest sense, He so imposed Divine order on everything within Himself by means of the very severe conflicts that went with temptations that nothing remained of the human He had derived from the mother, 1444, 1573, 2159, 2574, 2649, 3036, so that He was not made new as any other human being but was made altogether Divine. For man, who is made new through regeneration, nevertheless retains within himself the inclination towards evil; indeed he retains the evil itself but is withheld from it by the influx of the life that is the life of the Lord's love, and by an extremely powerful force. But the Lord cast out completely everything evil that was His by heredity from the mother and made Himself Divine, doing so even as to the vessels, that is, as to the truths. This is what in the Word is called Glorification.