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创世记 15

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1 这事以耶和华异象中有亚伯兰说:亚伯兰,你不要惧!我是你的盾牌,必大大的赏赐你。

2 亚伯兰耶和华阿,我既无子,你还赐我甚麽呢?并且要承受我家业的是大马色人以利以谢。

3 亚伯兰:你没有儿子;那生在我家中的人就是我的後嗣。

4 耶和华又有对他:这人必不成为你的後嗣;你本身所生的才成为你的後嗣。

5 於是领他走到外边,:你向观看,算众,能得过来麽?又对他:你的後裔将要如此。

6 亚伯兰信耶和华耶和华就以此为他的

7 耶和华又对他:我是耶和华,曾领你出了迦勒底的吾珥,为要将这赐你为业。

8 亚伯兰耶和华阿,我怎能知道必得这地为业呢?

9 :你为我取一只年的母,一只年的母山羊,一只年的公绵,一只斑鸠,一只雏鸽。

10 亚伯兰就取了这些来,每样劈开,分成两半,一半对着一半地摆列,只有没有劈开。

11 有鸷鸟来,落在那死畜的肉上,亚伯兰就把他吓飞了。

12 日头正落的时候,亚伯兰沉沉地睡了;忽然有惊人的黑暗落在他身上。

13 耶和华对亚伯兰:你要的确知道,你的後裔必寄居别人的,又服事那的人;那的人要苦待他们年。

14 并且他们所要服事的那国,我要惩罚,来他们必带着许多财物从那里出来。

15 但你要享大寿数,平平安安地归到你列祖那里,被人埋葬。

16 到了第四,他们必回到此地,因为亚摩利人的罪孽还没有满盈。

17 日落天黑,不料有冒烟的炉并烧着的把从那些肉块中经过。

18 当那日,耶和华亚伯兰立约,:我已赐你的後裔,从埃及直到伯拉

19 就是基尼人、基尼洗人、甲摩尼人、

20 赫人、比利洗人、利乏音人、

21 亚摩利人、迦南人、革迦撒人、耶布斯人之地。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1798

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1798. Abram said, Lo to me Thou hast not given seed. That this signifies that there was no internal of the church, is evident from the signification of “seed,” which is love and faith, spoken of above (n. 255, 256, 1025), and from the signification of an heir, as explained in what follows. That love and the faith derived from it are the internal of the church, has already been several times said and shown. No other faith is meant as being the internal of the church than that which is of love or charity, that is, which is from love or charity.

[2] Faith, in a general sense, is all the doctrinal teaching of the church. But doctrine [doctrinale] separated from love or charity, by no means makes the internal of the church, for doctrine is only knowledge which is of the memory, and this exists also with the worst men, and even with infernals. But the doctrine that is from charity, or that is of charity, does make the internal of the church, for this is of the life. The life itself is the internal of all worship; and so is all doctrine that flows from the life of charity; and it is this doctrine that is of faith which is here meant. That it is this faith which is the internal of the church, may be seen from this consideration alone, that he who has the life of charity is acquainted with all things of faith. If you will, just examine all doctrinal things, and see what and of what quality they are; do they not all pertain to charity, and consequently to the faith that is from charity?

[3] Take only the Precepts of the Decalogue. The first of these is to worship the Lord God. He who has the life of love or of charity worships the Lord God, because this is his life. Another precept is to keep the Sabbath. He who is in the life of love, or in charity, keeps the Sabbath holy, for nothing is more sweet to him than to worship the Lord, and to glorify Him every day. The precept, “Thou shalt not kill,” is altogether of charity. He who loves his neighbor as himself, shudders at doing anything that injures him, still more at killing him. So too the precept, “Thou shalt not steal;” for he who has the life of charity would rather give of his own to his neighbor, than take anything away from him. And so with the precept, “Thou shalt not commit adultery;” he who is in the life of charity the rather guards his neighbor’s wife, lest anyone should offer her such injury, and regards adultery as a crime against conscience, and such as destroys conjugial love and its duties. To covet the things that are the neighbor’s is also contrary to those who are in the life of charity; for it is of charity to desire good to others from one’s self and one’s own; such therefore by no means covet the things which are another’s.

[4] These are the precepts of the Decalogue which are more external doctrinal things of faith; and these are not only known in the memory by him who is in charity and its life, but are in his heart; and he has them inscribed upon himself, because they are in his charity, and thus in his very life; besides other things of a dogmatic nature which he in like manner knows from charity alone; for he lives according to a conscience of what is right. The right and the truth which he cannot thus understand and explore, he believes simply or from simplicity of heart to be so because the Lord has said so; and he who so believes does not do wrong, even though what he thus accepts is not true in itself, but apparent truth.

[5] As for example, if anyone believes that the Lord is angry, punishes, tempts, and the like. Or if he holds that the bread and wine in the Holy Supper are significative, or that the flesh and blood are present in some way in which they explain it-it is of no consequence whether they say the one thing or the other, although there are few who think about this matter, or even if they do think about it, provided this is done from a simple heart, because they have been so instructed, and nevertheless live in charity: these, when they hear that the bread and wine in the internal sense signify the Lord’s love toward the whole human race, and the things which are of this love, and man’s reciprocal love to the Lord and the neighbor, they forthwith believe, and rejoice that it is so. Not so they who are in doctrinal things and not in charity; these contend about everything, and condemn all whoever they may be that do not say (they call it “believe”) as they do. From all this everyone can see that love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor are the internal of the church.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.