13. The literal or external sense of the Word

The literal sense of the Word accords with appearances in the world: 589, 926, 1832, 1874, 2242, 2520, 2533, 2719-2720, and is suited to the comprehension of the pure in heart: 2533, 9049, 9063, 9086. The Word in its literal sense is natural, see 8783, because what is natural is the final thing upon which spiritual and celestial things come to rest, and upon which they stand like a house on its foundation; furthermore, an internal sense without an external form would be like a house without a foundation: 9360, 9430, 9433, 9824, 10044, 10436. The Word, because that is its nature, is the container of a spiritual sense and a celestial sense: 9407. And because that is its nature, there is a divine holiness in the literal sense extending to every single detail, right down to the last jot: 639, 680, 1869-1870, 9198, 10321, 10637. Although the laws laid down before the children of Israel have now been totally abrogated they are still the holy Word because of the internal sense in them: 9211, 9259, 9349. The laws, judgements, and statutes laid down for the Israelite or Jewish Church, which was a representative church, are in some cases still valid in both senses, the external and the internal; some of them should be wholly observed according to their external sense; some may be of use if people wish; and some have been totally abrogated; about all these: 9349. The Word is divine even as regards those of the above which have been abrogated, because of the heavenly elements which are concealed in their internal sense: 10637.

What the nature of the Word is in its literal sense if it is not understood at the same time in its internal sense; or, expressed otherwise, according to the true doctrine from the Word: 10402. From the literal sense without the internal sense, or without genuine doctrine from the Word, a vast number of heresies comes gushing out: 10400. Those who live in external elements without internal elements cannot uphold the inner parts of the Word: 10694. Such were the Jews, and such are they today: 301-303, 3479, 4429, 4433, 4680, 4844, 4847, 10396, 10401, 10407, 10694, 10705, 10707.

3761. “雅各举起脚” 表属世层的提升. 这从 “举起” 和 “脚” 的含义清楚可知: “举起” 是指提升; “脚” 是指属世层, 如下文所述. 此处所指的提升就是本章所论述的主题, 即从外在真理提升到内在良善. 就至高意义而言, 所论述的主题是主如何照次序通过从外在真理逐步上升到内在良善而将祂的属世层甚至提升到神性; 就代表意义而言, 所论述的主题是主在使人重生时, 如何照同样的次序将人的属世层变成新的. 成年后正经历重生的人照着本章和随后各章的内义所描述的次序发展, 这一事实鲜为人知. 因为很少有人深思这个问题, 如今也很少有人能重生. 当仁不复存在, 随之信也不复存在之时, 教会的末日就到了. 正因如此, 人们甚至不知道何为信, 尽管所有人都声称人因信得救; 他们因此更不知道何为仁. 他们只知道信和仁这两个术语, 却不知道它们的本质是什么, 所以我们才说, 很少有人能深思人被造为新的或重生所遵循的次序, 也很少有人能重生.

由于此处论述的主题是属世层, 而这属世层由雅各来代表, 故经上说的是 “雅各举起脚”, 而不是说他起来, 到了东方之子的地. 这两种表述都表示提升, “起来” 也具有这种含义 (2401, 2785, 2912, 2927, 3171节). 此处之所以说 “雅各举起脚”, 是因为这话论及属世层, “脚” 表示属世层 (2162, 3147节). “脚” 表示属世层或属世之物是由于与大人的对应关系, 大人就是目前各章末尾所论述的主题. 在这个大人里面, 属于脚部区域的, 是那些居于属世之光和少许属灵之光中的人. 这也是为何脚下的部位, 如脚掌和脚跟, 表示最低级的属世之物 (参看259节); 以及在圣言中偶尔被提及的鞋表示肉体属世层, 它是最最低级的部分 (1748节).

9211. 'You shall not charge him interest' means that therefore it must not be done for the sake of gain to be acquired from it. This is clear from the meaning of 'charging someone interest' as doing good for the sake of gain, dealt with immediately above in 9210, at this point not doing it for the sake of gain since it says 'you shall not charge him interest'. From this law about increase and interest the situation with the laws the Israelite people had which were called 'judgements' can be seen. That is, it can be seen that they came to an end along with the sacrifices and every other ritual observance, when the Lord came into the world and disclosed the more internal things within acts of worship, and in general the more internal things of the Word. The more internal things within that law are that good done to the neighbour should come from the heart, and that people should believe that there is no merit at all in deeds which spring from self, only in deeds which spring from the Lord present with them. For only the Lord has earned merit, and only He is righteousness; and when a person believes this he does not attach any merit or reward at all to deeds springing from self but ascribes all good deeds to the Lord. And since the Lord in His Divine mercy is the real doer of that good the person ascribes everything to mercy alone. So it is also that one who is led by the Lord has no thought whatever of reward, and yet from the heart does good to the neighbour.

[2] These are the more internal things from which the law among the Israelite and Jewish nation about lending things at interest comes down. When therefore a person is acquainted with those more internal things that law comes to an end along with the others like it which were referred to as judgements. For the Israelite and Jewish nation was confined to the outward forms that represented internal things. Consequently that law was binding on that nation then, but it is not binding on Christians, to whom the more internal things have been revealed by the Lord. Those who belong to the Church at the present day see this to be so, and this is why laws that have to do with charging interest are altogether different at the present day. Even so, the holiness of that law does not therefore come to an end, as though this part of the Word has been abrogated; for its holiness remains by virtue of the more internal things it holds within it. These more internal holy things continue to stir angels' affections when this part of the Word is read. But let people beware of thinking that the laws of life such as are contained in the Ten Commandments and elsewhere throughout the Old Testament have been abrogated; for those laws have been firmly established in an inward as well as an outward form, because the two are inseparable.