189# 那因承认上帝而成为属灵之人，并因摒弃自我而获得智慧的人，在整个世界以及其中的一切事物中，无不看到天命的作为。无论他观察自然界、社会生活还是灵性事务，都能在其中看到天命的运作；而且这种看见不仅体现在同时发生的事物中，也体现在先后发展的过程中，无论是目的、原因、结果、功用、形态，还是在宏观与微观之中，都能见到天命的存在。尤其是在人的得救上，他更能清楚地看到：耶和华赐下了圣言，通过圣言教导人认识上帝、天堂与地狱、永恒的生命，并且祂亲自降世，为使人得以救赎与拯救。这些以及更多的事，属灵之人都能在自然之光中凭着属灵之光看到天命的安排。
而纯粹属自然的人则对这些全然无感。他就像一个走进宏伟圣殿、聆听被神光照耀的讲道者讲道的人，回到家却只觉得自己见到了一座石头房子，只听到了些有节奏的声音。又如一个近视的人走进果实累累的美丽花园，回家后却只说自己看见了一片树林和几棵树。那些在世时否认主的天命的人，死后成为灵魂，被带到天使所居的天堂，那里的万物都以爱与智慧的形态表现出来，他们却什么也看不到，甚至感受不到自己在那里。我亲眼见过许多这样的人，他们在世时否认了主的天命。
189、通过承认神而变得属灵，通过弃绝其自我而变得智慧的人，在整个世界及其中一切事物中都看到圣治。看到属世事务时，他看见圣治；看到文明事务，看见它；看到属灵事务，看见它；在事物的同步和连续关系中，在目的、原因、结果、功用、形式，以及大大小小的事物中看见它。他尤其在人类的救赎中看见它，如：耶和华赐下圣言，并通过圣言教导世人关于神，天堂和地狱，永生，以及祂亲自降世赎回和拯救世人的事实。人凭属灵之光而在属世之光中看见这些和其它许多事，并看到它们里面的圣治。
然而，纯属世人，或严格的唯物主义者对这些事一无所见。他就像一个人走进一座美丽的大教堂，听见一位被光照的牧师传讲神性事物，回家却声称，除了一座石头房子外，他什么也没看见，除了复杂的噪声外，他什么也没听见。或者，他就像一个视力不好的人，走进结满各种果实的果园，回家却声称，他只看见树林和一些树。当这些人死后成为灵人时，当他们被提到天堂，那里的一切事物在形式上都是爱与智慧的代表时，他们什么也看不见，甚至看不见它们的存在。我曾看见这种情形发生在许多否认主的圣治之人身上。
189. 1A person who has become spiritual by his acknowledgement of God and wise by his renunciation of his native character, sees Divine providence in the whole world and in each and every constituent of it. If he contemplates natural phenomena he sees it. If he contemplates civil affairs he sees it. If he contemplates spiritual matters he sees it. And this in both the concurrent and sequential occurrences of things. In ends, in causes, in effects, in useful endeavors, in forms, in things great and small, he sees it. Especially does he see it in the salvation of people - as in the fact that Jehovah provided the Word, that by it He taught them about God, heaven and hell, and eternal life, and that He came into the world to redeem and save mankind.
These things and more, and the Divine providence in them, the person sees from spiritual light in natural light.
[2] The merely natural person, however, sees none of these things. He is like one who sees a magnificent temple and hears a preacher enlightened in Divine matters, and says at home that he saw only a stone building and heard only someone talking. Or he is like a nearsighted person who goes into a garden filled with fruits of every kind, and afterward goes home and reports that he saw only a wood and trees.
After death, too, when people like this, having become spirits, are raised into the angelic heaven where all things exist in forms representative of love and wisdom, they do not see any of them, not even that they exist - as I have observed to be the case with many who have denied the Lord's Divine providence.
Footnotes:
1. The number 188 in the sequence was accidentally omitted.
189. People who have become spiritual by virtue of their recognition of God and have become wise by casting off their sense of self-importance see divine providence in the whole world and in every least part of it. They see it if they look at natural events, they see it if they look at civic events, they see it if they look at spiritual events, in the way things coincide and the way they follow in sequence, in purposes and means and results, in useful events, in forms, in things great and things small. They see it especially in our salvation, in the fact that Jehovah gave us the Word that tells us about God, heaven, hell, and eternal life, and that he himself came into the world to redeem and save us. All this and much more, and the divine providence within it all, people see from spiritual light within earthly light.
The strict materialist, though, sees none of this.
[2] The materialist is like someone who goes to a beautiful cathedral and hears an enlightened minister preach about divine matters and then goes home and says, "All I saw was a stone building, and all I heard was some complicated noise." Or the materialist is like someone with poor eyesight who goes into an orchard gleaming with all kinds of fruit and then goes home and says, "All I saw was some forest and some trees." When people like this become spirits after death and are raised up into an angelic heaven where everything is in forms that portray love and wisdom, they do not see any of it. They do not even see that there is anything there. I have seen this happen with any number of people who have denied the Lord's divine providence.
189. 1The man who has become spiritual by the acknowledgment of God and wise by the rejection of his proprium sees the Divine Providence in the whole world and in all things therein in general and in particular. If he looks at natural things he sees it; if he looks at civil matters he sees it; if he looks at spiritual things he sees it; and this in things both in their simultaneous and in their successive relationships. He sees it in ends, in causes, in effects, in uses, in forms, in things great and small. Especially does he see it in matters concerning the salvation of men, as that Jehovah gave the Word, taught men by it concerning God, heaven and hell and eternal life, and that He Himself came into the world that He might redeem and save men. These things and many others, and the Divine Providence in them, man sees from spiritual light in natural light.
[2] The merely natural man, however, sees none of these things. He is like one who sees a magnificent temple and hears a preacher enlightened in Divine things, but who declares, when he returns home, that he saw nothing but a rock-built house, and heard nothing but a succession of sounds. Or he is like a near-sighted person who goes into a garden with a remarkable variety of fruits, and who on returning home declares he saw only a wood and trees. When such persons after death have become spirits, and when they are raised into the angelic heaven where all things are in forms representative of love and wisdom they see none of these things, and do not even see that they exist. This I have seen happen with many who denied the Divine Providence of the Lord.
Footnotes:
1. This number follows 187, as in Original Edition.
189. The man who has become spiritual by the acknowledgment of God, and wise by a rejection of what is his own (proprium), sees the Divine providence in the whole world, and in all and each of the things in it. When he looks at natural things he sees it; when he looks at civil matters he sees it; when he looks at spiritual things he sees it; he sees it alike in the simultaneous and the successive relations of things, in ends, in causes, in effects, in uses, in forms, in things great and small. Especially does he see it in the salvation of men, as that Jehovah gave the Word, taught men by it respecting God, heaven and hell, and eternal life, and came Himself into the world to redeem and save men. These things and many others, and the Divine providence in them, man sees from natural light in spiritual light. But the merely natural man sees none of these things.
[2] He is like one who sees a magnificent temple, and hears a preacher enlightened in Divine things, and at home declares that he has seen nothing but a house of stone, and has heard nothing but an articulate sound. Or he is like a near-sighted person who goes into a garden remarkable for fruits of every kind, and returning home says that he has seen only trees and woods. When such persons after death have become spirits, and when they are raised up into the angelic heaven, where all things are in forms representative of love and wisdom, they see nothing, not even that they exist; as I have seen tried with many who have denied the Lord's Divine providence.
189. 1Homo qui spiritualis factus est per agnitionem Dei, et sapiens per rejectionem proprii, in universo Mundo ac in omnibus et singulis ejus videt Divinam Providentiam; si spectat naturalia videt illam; si spectat civilia videt illam; si spectat spiritualia videt illam; et hoc tam in simultaneis quam in successivis rerum; in finibus, in causis, in effectibus, in usibus, in formis, in magnis et parvis, videt illam; imprimis in Salvatione hominum, ut quod Jehovah dederit Verbum, per id docuerit illos de Deo, de Coelo et Inferno, de Vita aeterna, et quod Ipse in mundum venerit, ut homines redimeret et salvaret: haec et plura, et Divinam Providentiam in illis, videt homo ex luce spirituali in luce naturali.
[2] At homo mere naturalis nihil ex his videt; est sicut qui videt magnificum Templum, et audit Praedicatorem in Divinis illustratum, [qui] dicit domi, quod non viderit nisi quam domum saxeam, et non audiverit nisi quam sonum articulatum: aut sicut myops [qui] intrat hortum insignem fructibus omnis generis, et dein venit domum et narrat quod viderit solum sylvam et arbores: Tales etiam post mortem facti spiritus, cum in Coelum Angelicum elevantur, ubi omnia in formis repraesentativis amoris et sapientiae sunt, non vident quicquam, ne quidem quod sint; ut factum vidi cum pluribus, qui Divinam Providentiam Domini negaverunt.
Footnotes:
1 Numerus 188 in ordine per errorem praeteritus est.