3122. With regard to this truth, by which charity is meant, there is more to be said: The most ancient people, who were celestial, understood nothing else by mercy and truth from the Lord than the reception ¹ of the influx of love to the Lord and from this of charity towards the neighbour; but the ancients, who were spiritual, took mercy and truth present with them from the Lord to mean charity and faith. The reason for this was that those who were celestial never thought about the things that are matters of faith or truth but about those that are matters of love or good, as becomes clear from what has been stated already about the celestial man in 202, 337, 2669, 2715. Furthermore it was by means of charity towards the neighbour that celestial people were led into love to the Lord when they were being reformed and regenerated. From this it is evident that 'mercy from the Lord' is used to mean nothing else than a perception of the influx of love to Him, and 'truth' to mean the influx of charity towards the neighbour from that inflowing love.

[2] With those who are spiritual however it is different. These do think about the things that are matters of faith, and when they are being reformed and regenerated it is by means of the things which are matters of faith that they are led into charity towards the neighbour. Consequently when spiritual people are the subject 'mercy from the Lord' is used to mean the influx of charity towards the neighbour, and 'truth' to mean the influx of faith. Nevertheless once the spiritual man has been regenerated this faith becomes charity, for now he acts from charity, so much so that anyone among them who does not act from charity is not regenerate, whereas anyone who does act from charity is regenerate. Also, he now has no interest at all in matters of faith or truth, for his life springs from the good of faith, and no longer from the truth of faith. Indeed truth has now so joined itself to good that it ceases to be seen except as the form which good takes, that is, faith is now nothing else so to speak than the form which charity takes.

[3] From this one may see what the most ancient people meant, and what the ancients meant, by mercy and truth which are mentioned so many times in the Word, as in David,

The king will dwell for ever before God. Prepare mercy and truth, let them watch over him. Psalms 61:7.

In the same author,

Mercy and truth will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Psalms 85:10.

In the same author,

The Lord God is great in mercy and truth. Psalms 86:15.

In the same author,

My truth and My mercy will be with Him. Psalms 89:24.

In the same author,

Jehovah has remembered His mercy and His truth to the house of Israel. Psalms 98:3.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your mercy and Your truth. Psalms 115:1.

In Micah,

Jehovah God will give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old. Micah 7:20.

Here 'Jacob' stands for the Lord's external man, 'Abraham' for the internal as regards the human. In Hosea,

Jehovah's controversy with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth, and no mercy, and no knowledge of God. Hosea 4:1.

'No truth' stands for no reception of the influx of charity, 'no mercy' for no reception of the influx of love, 'no knowledge of God' for no reception of the influx of the truth of faith.

脚注:

人与人之间的婚姻--无论是在圣经中还是在生活中--都代表着精神上的婚姻。女人代表着成为好人和做善事的愿望；男人代表着对如何成为好人和如何做善事的理解。我们每个人，无论男女，如果我们努力学习主，献身于执行他的旨意，就能在我们内心体验到这种婚姻。

(参考: 属天的奥秘490, 属天的奥秘2557, 创世记20:12; 诗篇45:9)

就像自然婚姻会产生孩子一样，属灵婚姻也会产生孩子。女儿代表情感，即我们对美好事物和积极思想的情感反应。儿子代表那些积极的想法、事实和知识，导致更大的理解。

如果你想一想，这是有道理的。如果在生活中，你正在努力成为一个好人，并考虑如何做到这一点，那么在圣经中找到智慧的小块--或从其他来源--是一件快乐的事情。找到一种方法对某人好，为他们服务，也是一件快乐的事（如果他们欣赏它，那就有帮助，但这不是真正的重点）。这种快乐，这种对真实和美好事物的喜爱，是 "女儿"。

在更广泛的层面上，女儿有时也代表教会，因为教会是建立在对真理的喜爱上。和所有的代表一样，"女儿 "的意思也可以反过来，代表邪恶的刺激。

(参考: 属天的奥秘489, 490, 属天的奥秘568, 2461, 属天的奥秘3024 [1-6], 3622, 4185, 4429, 4677 [2], 4843 [2], 6729, 6775, 8993 [1-2]; 详解启示录395 [8])