8941. “不可用凿过的石头建它” 表它绝不是自我聪明的产物. 这从 “凿过的石头” 的含义清楚可知, “凿过的石头” 是指诸如出于自我聪明的那类事物, 因为 “石头” 是指真理 (8940节); 凿刻或塑造它们表示产生或孵化真理, 或更确切地说, 看似真理, 出于自我, 也就是出于自我聪明的那类观念. 因为凡由自我或自我聪明所产生或孵化的东西都从人那里获得自己的生命, 这种生命根本不是生命, 因为人的自我无非是邪恶 (210, 215, 694, 874-876, 874-876, 987, 1047, 5660, 5786, 8480节); 而不是从自我, 而是从神那里所获得的东西则拥有生命在自己里面, 因为一切生命皆来自神, 或说神是一切生命的源头. 此处论述的主题是源于真理的对主的敬拜, 因为 “石坛” 表示这种敬拜 (8940节).

激发对主的敬拜的真理唯独取自圣言, 因为圣言的一切细节都有来自神的生命在里面. 当真理取自人的自我时, 它们以凌驾于世界上所有人之上的等级和显赫, 以及超越所有人的世俗财物和财富为关注的目的. 因此, 它们含有对自我和世界的爱在里面, 因而含有整体上的一切邪恶 (7488, 8318节). 但源于圣言的真理以永生为关注的目的, 含有对主之爱和对邻之爱在里面, 因而含有整体上的一切良善. 当真理从自我或自我聪明产生或孵化出来时, 它们就是管辖来自神的真理的主人, 因为它们利用后者确认或强化自己. 但情况应该反过来, 也就是说, 来自神的真理当掌权成为主人, 而来自自我聪明的真理当成为仆人. 自我或自我聪明的产物虽名为真理, 其实并不是真理; 它们只是外表看似真理, 因为它们通过利用圣言的字义和推理而被造得看似真理; 内在其实是虚假. 至于这些事物是什么, 是何性质, 可参看前文 (8932节).

世上有两种出于自我聪明的宗教表象. 一种是对自我和世界的爱在其中是一切的宗教表象; 在圣言中, 这种宗教表象被称为 “巴别塔” (Babel). 它内在由于对自我和世界的爱而是亵渎的, 而外在则由于圣言而是神圣的, 人们利用圣言来强化或确认自己的观念. 另一种是自然之光在其中是一切的宗教表象; 具有这种宗教的人不承认他们所不理解的任何东西为真理. 一些属于这种表面宗教的人承认圣言, 然而却利用它来强化或确认自己的观念, 因而对待圣言如自己的奴仆. 然而, 有些人则不承认圣言; 相反, 他们认为神性在于自然界; 事实上, 他们在其中观看的光, 是自然界的光, 只在自然界里面闪光, 无法被天堂之光光照, 变得更加明亮, 因为他们抛弃圣言, 而圣言是一切光照的源头. 那些属于这两种宗教表象的人则在地狱, 因为他们缺乏天上的生命; 他们之所以不能接受天上的生命, 是因为他们已经将圣言抛在一边. 他们当中那些已经利用圣言来强化或确认自己观念的人, 从心里认为圣言一文不值; 但鉴于它在普遍民众当中具有大权威, 大权柄, 所以他们以这种方式利用它来为自己服务, 好叫他们自己的聪明所孵化的虚假观念能由此得以验证, 强化. 由此可见 “不可用凿过的石头建坛” 在灵义上表示什么.

在以下经文中, “凿过的石头” 也表示出于自我聪明的东西:

这众百姓, 就是以法莲和撒马利亚的居民, 都要知道, 他们凭骄傲自大的心说: 砖墙塌了, 我们却要用凿过的石头建筑. (以赛亚书 9:9, 10)

耶利米哀歌:

我哀哭呼求; 祂使我的祷告不得上达, 祂用凿过的石头挡住我的道; 祂翻转我的路. (耶利米哀歌 3:8, 9)

阿摩司书:

你们践踏被压碎的, 向他勒索麦子; 你们用凿过的石头建造房屋, 却不得住在其内. (阿摩司书 5:11)

在这些经文中, “凿过的石头” 表示诸如自我的聪明在信仰问题上所产生的那种事物.

由于 “凿过的石头” 表示这些事物, 故以色列人过了约旦河之后在迦南地首先建造的祭坛, 是由未凿过的石头建的; 因为越过约旦河代表引入主的国度, 这种引入是通过信之真理实现的. 论到这个祭坛, 经上在约书亚记中如此记着说:

约书亚在以巴路山上为耶和华以色列的神筑一座坛, 照耶和华仆人摩西所吩咐以色列人的话, 是用人没有动过铁器的整石头筑的坛. (约书亚记 8:30, 31; 申命记 27:1-8)

耶路撒冷的殿同样是用未凿过的整石头建的. 论到这个殿, 经上在列王纪上中如此记着说:

论到这殿本身, 建殿的时候, 是从那里所来的整块石头建的; 当建的时候, 在殿里没有听见锤子, 斧子和别样铁器的响声. (列王纪上 6:7)

因为主的殿代表神性真理方面的主. 殿代表主, 主自己在约翰福音 (2:19, 21, 22) 教导了这一点; 之所以代表神性真理方面的主, 是因为那里教导的是神性真理; 这也是为何它是用石头建的; 因为 “石头” 表示神性真理 (8940节); 这还解释了为何主被称为 “以色列的石头” (6426节).

由此可见石坛表示什么, 殿的石头表示什么, 以及未凿过的整块石头表示什么, 即: 宗教要由源于主, 因而源于圣言的真理形成, 不可由自我聪明形成. 出于自我聪明的真理在以赛亚书中是如此被描述的:

匠人铸造雕像, 金匠用金包裹, 为它铸造银链. 他寻找熟练的匠人, 预备雕像. (以赛亚书 40:19, 20)

“雕像” 表示出于自我或人自己的某种宗教虚构物, 它被立起来当作神性之物被敬拜 (8869节); “匠人” 表示那些出于自我孵化并产生的事物; 他 “用金包裹”, “铸造银链”, “寻找熟练的匠人” 描述了他们试图使这些事物看似真理.

又:

制造雕像的尽都虚空他的同伴都必羞愧! 匠人们不过是人. 他用火钳塑造铁器, 用锤打出形状, 用他有力的膀臂锤成; 他制作木块, 拉出线绳, 用直尺做记号. 他把它作成角, 用圆规画出模样, 仿照男人的体态, 照着人的美丽, 作成它, 好住在房屋中. (以赛亚书 44:9, 11-13)

这段经文也描述了出于自我聪明的宗教虚构物. 类似的话出现在耶利米书:

列族的风俗是虚空的. 他从森林中砍伐木头, 匠人的手用斧子制成的作品. 他们用银用金妆饰它, 用钉子和锤子钉稳它. (耶利米书 10:3, 4)

以及何西阿书:

现今他们犯罪越来越多, 用银子为自己做铸像, 就是照自己的聪明做偶像, 都是匠人的工作. (何西阿书 13:2)

“偶像”, “外邦的神”, “铸像” 和 “雕像” 表示由自我聪明所孵化, 而非源于圣言的宗教虚构物, 自我的产物不是别的; 因为它们本身是死的, 尽管被当作活的来崇拜.

5280. 'And the abundance of corn in the land will not be known' means that no discernment at all regarding the truth present previously will exist there. This is clear from the meaning of 'being known' as being discerned; from the meaning of 'the abundance of corn' as truth that has been multiplied, dealt with above; in 5276, 5278; and from the meaning of 'the land', in this case the land of Egypt, as the natural mind, also dealt with above, in 5276, 5278, 5279. From these meanings it is evident that 'the abundance of corn in the land will not be known means that no discernment at all regarding the truth present previously will exist in the natural.

[2] This verse deals with the final state of desolation, when despair, which comes immediately before regeneration, is experienced; and this being the matter dealt with in this verse, something must be said about the nature of it. Everyone has to be reformed, and to be born anew or regenerated, so that he may enter heaven, No one, unless he is born again, can see the kingdom of God. John 3:3, 5-6.

The human being is born into sin which has increased as it has come down in a long line of descent from ancestors, grandparents, and parents; it has become hereditary and so has been handed down to offspring. At birth a person is born into so many inherited evils which have gradually increased, as described, that he is nothing but sin; therefore unless he undergoes regeneration he remains wholly immersed in sin. But to be regenerated, he must first undergo reformation, which is effected by means of the truths of faith; for he must learn from the Word, and from teaching drawn from it, what good is. Items of knowledge regarding what is good that have been acquired from the Word - that is, from teaching drawn from there - are called the truths of faith; for all truths of faith well up out of good and flow in the direction of good, good being the end they have in view.

[3] This state comes first and is called the state of reformation. Most people within the Church are introduced into it during the period from young childhood through to adolescence, though few are regenerated because most people within the Church learn the truths of faith - or religious knowledge about what is good - for the sake of reputation and position and for the sake of material gain. Since therefore the truths of faith have been introduced through his love of these things, a person cannot be born anew or be regenerated until that love has been removed. To enable such love to be removed that person is launched into a state of temptation, which takes place in the following way: His love of reputation, position, and material gain is activated by the hellish crew, for that crew's desire is to live immersed in the love of those things. But at the same time angels activate affections for what is true and good which were implanted in the state of innocence during early childhood and then stored away interiorly and preserved there for this particular purpose. As a result conflict between evil spirits and angels takes place, and this conflict taking place within a person is experienced by him as temptation. And because the action at this time involves truths and forms of good, the actual truths which were instilled initially are so to speak banished by the falsities infused by the evil spirits - so banished that they are not seen - dealt with above in 5268-5270. And as the person allows himself at this time to be regenerated, the Lord introduces through an internal route the light of truth radiated from good in the natural, in which light the truths are restored there in their proper order.

[4] This is what happens to a person who is being regenerated, but few at the present day are permitted to enter that regenerative state. So far as they allow it to happen, all people, it is true, start to be reformed through the instruction they receive in the truths and forms of good that belong to spiritual life; but as soon as they reach adolescent years they allow the world to distract them. So they turn away into those parts where hellish spirits are, who gradually alienate these people from heaven; the spirits alienate them so completely that they scarcely believe any longer in the existence of heaven. Consequently those people cannot be launched into any spiritual temptation; for if they were they would go under instantly, in which case their latter state would be worse than their former one, Matthew 12:45. From all this one may see the nature of what the internal sense contains here, namely the state of reformation and the state of regeneration. This particular verse however describes the final state in temptation, which is a state of despair - this state being dealt with immediately above in 5279.