237、这三个高度层级被称为属世、属灵和属天(如232节所述)。人一出生,首先进入属世层;这一层级在他里面照着他的知识和通过知识所获得的理解力连续增长,甚至达到被称为理性层的理解力的顶点。然而,被称为属灵层的第二层级却不能以这种方式被打开。属灵层通过对功用的爱照着理解力的事物被打开,但只能通过对功用的属灵之爱,就是对邻之爱被打开。属灵层同样照连续层级增长到顶点,并且通过积累对真理与良善的概念,也就是属灵真理增长。
但即便如此,被称为属天层的第三个层级仍无法通过这类真理被打开;因为属天层通过对功用的属天之爱,就是对主之爱被打开;而对主之爱无非是将圣言的诫命付诸于生活,而这些诫命的总纲就是避开邪恶,因为它们是属地狱和魔鬼的;践行良善,因为良善是属天堂和神性的。这三个层级以这种方式在人里面被依次打开。
237. As noted in 232 above, these three vertical levels are called earthly, spiritual, and heavenly. When we are born, we come first into the earthly level, which gradually develops within us in keeping with the things we learn and the intelligence we gain through this learning, all the way to that summit of intelligence called rationality. This by itself, though, does not open the second level, the one called spiritual. This level is opened by a love for being useful that comes from our intelligence; but the love for being useful is a spiritual one, a love for our neighbor.
In the same way, this level can develop by incremental steps all the way to its summit; and it does so by our discovering what is true and good, or by spiritual truths. Even so, these do not open that third level that is called heavenly. This is opened by a heavenly love for being useful that is a love for the Lord; and love for the Lord is nothing but applying the precepts of the Word to our lives, these precepts being essentially to abstain from evil things because they are hellish and demonic and to do good things because they are heavenly and divine. This is how the three levels are opened in us sequentially.
237. We call these three degrees of height natural, spiritual, and celestial, as we said above in no. 232.
When a person is born, he comes first into the natural degree, and this grows in him by a continuous progression according to his accumulations of knowledge and the understanding he acquires by means of them, until it reaches the highest point of understanding called rationality.
But still this does not result in the opening of the second degree, which we call spiritual. This degree is opened by a love of useful endeavors in accord with one's intellectual attainments - only by a spiritual love of useful endeavors, a love which is love for the neighbor. This degree may likewise grow by a continuous progression of the degree until it reaches its highest point, and it grows by the accumulation of concepts of truth and good, or of spiritual truths.
[2] But even so, these still do not bring about the opening of the third degree, which we call celestial. Rather this degree is opened by a celestial love of useful endeavors, a love which is love toward the Lord; and love toward the Lord is nothing other than to commit the precepts of the Word to life, the sum of which is to refrain from evils because they are hellish and diabolical, and to do good things because they are heavenly and Divine.
These three degrees are thus progressively opened in a person.
237. These three degrees of height are called natural, spiritual and celestial, as stated above (232). When man is born he comes first into the natural degree and this increases with him by continuity according to his knowledge and the understanding acquired thereby even to the highest point of the understanding which is called the rational. Yet the second degree which is called the spiritual is not opened by this means. It is opened by a love of uses in conformity with the things acquired by the understanding, but a spiritual love of uses which is love towards the neighbour. This degree can grow in like manner by continuous degrees even to its highest point, and it increases by cognitions 1 of truth and good, that is, by means of spiritual truths. Yet not even by these is the third degree, which is called celestial, opened. But it is opened by the celestial love of uses, which is love to the Lord. And love to the Lord is nothing else than committing to life the precepts of the Word, which in all, are to shun evils because they are hellish and devilish, and to do good because it is heavenly and Divine. These three degrees are thus successively opened in man.
Footnotes:
1. This term is generally used by Swedenborg to indicate interior spiritual knowledge, or knowledge from understanding and reflection, as distinct from external factual knowledge.
237. These three degrees of height are called natural, spiritual, and celestial (as was said above, n. 232). When man is born he comes first into the natural degree, and this grows in him, by continuity, according to his knowledges and the understanding acquired by means of knowledges even to the highest point of understanding, which is called the rational. Yet not by this means is the second degree opened, which is called the spiritual. That degree is opened by means of a love of uses in accordance with the things of the understanding, although by a spiritual love of uses, which is love towards the neighbor. This degree may grow in like manner by continuous degrees to its height, and it grows by means of knowledges of truth and good, that is, by spiritual truths. Yet even by such truths the third degree which is called the celestial is not opened; for this degree is opened by means of the celestial love of use, which is love to the Lord; and love to the Lord is nothing else than committing to life the precepts of the Word, the sum of which is to flee from evils because they are hellish and devilish, and to do good because it is heavenly and Divine. In this manner these three degrees are successively opened in man.
237. Tres illi Gradus altitudinis nominantur Naturalis, Spiritualis et Coelestis, ut supra 232 1 dictum est: homo dum nascitur, primum venit in Gradum naturalem, et hic apud illum crescit per continuum secundum scientias ac secundum intellectum per illas acquisitum, usque ad summum intellectus quod vocatur rationale: sed usque per id non aperitur alter Gradus, qui vocatur Spiritualis[;] hic aperitur per amorem usuum ex intellectualibus, sed per amorem usuum spiritualem, qui amor est amor erga proximum; hic Gradus similiter potest crescere per Gradus continuum usque ad ejus summum, et crescit per cognitiones veri et boni, seu per veritates spirituales.
[2] At 2 usque per has non aperitur tertius Gradus, qui vocatur Coelestis, sed hic aperitur per coelestem amorem usus, qui amor est amor in Dominum, et amor in Dominum non aliud est, quam praecepta Verbi mandare vitae, quae in summa sunt fugere mala quia infernalia et diabolica, ac facere bona quia coelestia et Divina. Tres illi gradus ita successive apud hominem aperiuntur.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 232,
2. Prima editio: At,