220、⑷短暂事物和永恒事物在人里面的结合就是主的圣治。然而，这些事无法进入理解力的最初感知，除非按顺序排列它们，并按这顺序展开并清楚解释之，故顺序如下：①按照圣治，人通过死亡脱去属世和短暂之物，披上属灵和永恒之物。②主通过祂的圣治照着功用或服务，通过属灵事物与属世事物结合，通过永恒事物与短暂事物结合。③主通过对应，因而通过表象，照着人对这些表象的确认程度而与功用或服务结合。④短暂和永恒事物的这种结合就是圣治。这些事需通过解释才能被置于更清晰的光中。
①按照圣治，人通过死亡脱去属世和短暂之物，披上属灵和永恒之物。属世和短暂之物是指人首先进入的最外层和最末后的事物；人一出生就进入其中，以便他今后能被引入更内在、更高级的事物。因为最表层和最末后的事物是容器，这些东西在自然界。这就是为何没有哪个天使或灵人是如此直接被造的，而都是先生而为人，从而被引入更高级的事物。因此，他们都拥有最外层和最末后的事物，这些事物本身是稳定不变的，他们的内层在它们里面并通过它们才能保持联结。
然而，一开始，人会披上自然界更粗糙的事物；这些事物构成他的肉体；但他通过死亡脱去这些事物，只保留自然界中最接近属灵事物的更纯净的事物，然后这些事物成为他的容器。此外，一切内层或高级事物同时存在于最外层或最末后的事物中，如前所示（108，119节）。因此，主所做的一切事，都是从开始和最后同时来做的，因而都是完整的。然而，自然界的最外层或最末后事物无法接受如在自己里面那样的属灵和永恒事物，人类心智就是为这些事物形成的，而人生来是要变得属灵并活到永远的。因此，人会脱去这些事物，只保留与属灵和属天之物适合并一致的内在属世事物，这些事物作为容器而服务于它们。这一切是通过抛弃短暂和属世的物质，也就是肉体的死亡而实现的。
②主通过祂的圣治照着功用或服务，通过属灵事物与属世事物结合，通过永恒事物与短暂事物结合。属世和短暂事物不仅是指那些适合自然界的事物，还指那些适合自然界的人的事物。人通过死亡脱去这两类事物，并披上对应于它们的属灵和永恒事物。人照着功用或服务披上这些事物，这在前面已大量说明。适合自然界的属世事物一般涉及时间和空间，尤其涉及地上所看见的事物。人通过死亡把这些事物抛在身后，并接受属灵事物以取代之，属灵事物只是外在或表面相似，但内在和本质并不相同，这一点在前面（102-110节）也已说明。
适合自然界的人的短暂事物一般涉及地位和财富，尤其涉及每个人的必需品，也就是食物、衣服和住所。人也是通过死亡脱去这些东西，并留在身后；然后披上并接受外在或表面相似，但内在和本质不同的事物。这一切事物都从世上短暂事物的功用或服务中获得其内在和本质。功用或服务就是那被称为仁之良善的良善。由此可见，主通过祂的圣治照着功用或服务，将属灵和永恒事物与属世和短暂事物结合起来。
③主通过对应，因而通过表象，照着人对这些表象的确认程度而与功用或服务结合。由于在那些对何为对应和表象没有一个清晰概念的人看来，这一点必显得晦涩难懂，所以我需要举例来说明并解释。圣言中的一切事物纯粹是属灵和属天事物的对应，并因是对应，故也是表象；也就是说，圣言中的一切事物都是神性之爱的神性良善和神性智慧的神性真理；它们本身是裸露的，但被包裹在圣言字义中。因此，它们看上去就像一个穿着衣服的人，而这衣服就对应于他的爱与智慧的状态。这一切清楚表明，一个人将表象视为事实，就好像断言衣服是这个人。于是，表象就变成了谬论或幻想。如果人寻求真理，并在表象里面看见它们，情况就不同了。
由于人向邻舍所履行的一切功用或服务，也就是仁之真理和良善，要么是照着这些表象行的，要么是照着圣言中的真理本身行的，所以当他照着他视之为事实的表象来行时，就陷入了谬论或幻想；但当他照着真理来行时，就是在如他应该的那样行它们。这一切清楚表明，“主通过对应，因而通过表象，照着人对这些表象的确认程度而与功用或服务结合”这句话是什么意思。
④短暂和永恒事物的这种结合就是圣治。为使理解力清楚明白这一点，有必要举两个例子来说明，其中一个例子涉及地位和荣耀，一个涉及财富和资源。两者在外在形式上都是属世和短暂的，但在内在形式上却是属灵和永恒的。当人在地位及其荣耀里只关注他本人，不关注公众福祉和功用或服务时，它们就是属世和短暂的。因为这时，人心里必然会想，公众福祉是为他存在的，而不是他为公众福祉存在。他就像一个国王认为王国和所有百姓都是为他存在的，而不是他为王国和百姓存在。
然而，当人视他本人是为公众福祉和功用或服务存在的，而不是它们为他存在时，这些地位及其荣耀就是属灵和永恒的。当人如此行时，他就拥有真理，以及地位和荣耀的本质；然而，在前一种情况下，他拥有的是（地位和荣耀的）对应和表象；他若把它们当成事实，就会陷入谬论或幻想，并且只能像那些陷入虚假和由此而来的邪恶之人那样与主结合；因为谬论或幻想就是与邪恶结合的虚假。诚然，这样的人也发挥功用或履行服务，做出好行为，却都是从他们自己，而不是从主来做的；因此，他们将自己摆在了主的位置上。
财富和资源差不多也是这样。它们可能是属世和短暂的，也可能是属灵和永恒的。对那些只关注它们和它们里面的自己，唯独以它们为快乐和喜悦的人来说，它们是属世和短暂的。但对那些关注它们里面良善的功用，并以这些功用为快乐和喜悦的人来说，它们是属灵和永恒的。此外，对这些人来说，外在的快乐和喜悦也变得属灵，短暂的变成永恒的。因此，死后他们就在天堂，在那里住在宫殿中，宫殿的摆设因黄金和宝石而金光闪闪。然而，他们只是把这些东西看作从其内在，也就是功用中闪耀出来的金碧辉煌的外在；他们从这些功用中获得真正的快乐和享受；这些本身就是天堂的幸福和极乐。那些为了财富和资源，为了自己，因而为了外在，而非同时为了内在而关注它们的人，其命运恰恰相反。这意味着这些人照着它们的表象，而不是照着它们的本质来看待它们。当他们脱去这些表象时（这是他们死亡时发生的情形），就会披上属于它们的内在；这些内在因不是属灵的，故只能是属地狱的。财富和资源的内容必要么是这个，要么是那个，因为两者是无法共存的。因此，他们拥有的是穷困，而不是财富，是悲惨，而不是资源。
功用不仅是指生活必需品，如人和依靠他的那些人的食物、衣服和住所，还指国家、社会和同胞的利益。当商业是至爱，金钱是次要、从属的爱时，只要商人避开并远离如罪的欺诈和邪恶的手段，商业就是有益的。当金钱是至爱，商业是次要、从属的爱时，情况就不同了；因为这是贪婪，贪婪是诸恶的根源。对此，可参看路加福音（12:15）和关于它的比喻（路加福音12:16-21）。
220. (4) The conjoining of temporal and eternal ends in a person is the Lord's Divine providence. As it is not possible, however, for this to fall within the immediate perception of the intellect unless the subject is first reduced into an organized form and developed and demonstrated accordingly, therefore it must be organized as follows:
1. It is of Divine providence that a person by death puts off natural and temporal things and puts on spiritual and eternal ones.
2. Through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins Himself with natural things by means of spiritual ones, and with temporal things by means of eternal ones, in accordance with their applications.
3. The Lord conjoins Himself with their applications through correspondences, and so through appearances according to a person's affirmations of those appearances.
4. This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is Divine providence.
But explanations will put these points into a clearer light.
[2] FIRST, that it is of Divine providence that a person by death puts off natural and temporal things and puts on spiritual and eternal ones: Natural and temporal things are the outmost and lowest ones into which a person first comes, as he does when he is born, in order to make it possible for him to be afterward introduced into interior and higher ones. For outmost and lowest things are containing vessels, and these exist in the natural world.
So it is that no angel or spirit was created directly, but that they were all born people first and in this way introduced into interior and higher things. This provides them with outmost and lowest constituents which in themselves are fixed and set, within which and by which their inner constituents can be held in connection.
[3] First, however, a person puts on the grosser elements of nature, his body being composed of them. But he puts these off by death, and retains the purer things of nature which are closest to spiritual things, and these then are his containing vessels.
Moreover, present in the outmost or lowest things are all the interior or higher things simultaneously, as we have previously shown in their own places. Consequently every operation of the Lord proceeds from first things and last things simultaneously, thus in fullness.
Still, because the outmost and lowest things of nature are incapable of receiving the spiritual and eternal things for which the human mind was formed as these are in themselves, and yet a person is born to become spiritual and live to eternity, therefore a person puts them off and retains only the interior natural things which conform and accord with spiritual and celestial ones and serve them as containing vessels. This is accomplished by a casting off of temporal and lowest natural things, which is the body's death.
[4] SECOND, that through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins Himself with natural things by means of spiritual ones, and with temporal things by means of eternal ones, in accordance with their applications: Natural and temporal things are not only those which are properties of nature, but those as well which are properties of people in the natural world. A person puts off all of these by death and puts on the spiritual and eternal things corresponding to them. That he does this in accordance with their applications is something we have shown many times in previous considerations.
Natural things which are properties of nature have relation in general to intervals of time and space, and in particular to such things as are visible on the earth. These a person leaves behind by death, and in their stead acquires spiritual things, which in their outward aspect or appearance are similar, but not in their inward aspect or real essence. This is a subject we have also discussed above.
[5] The temporal things that are properties of people in the natural world have relation in general to advancements and riches, and in particular to things necessary to everyone, namely food, clothing, and shelter. These, too, are put off and left behind by death, and put on and acquired are such things as are similar in outward aspect or appearance, but not in their inward aspect or essence.
All of these take their inward aspect or essence from the uses served by temporal things in the world. Useful services are the goods called goods of charity.
It can be seen from this that through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins spiritual and eternal things with natural and temporal things in accordance with their applications.
[6] THIRD, that the Lord conjoins Himself with their applications through correspondences, and so through appearances according to a person's affirmations of those appearances: As this cannot but seem obscure to people who do not yet have a clear idea of what we mean by correspondence and by appearance, we must therefore illustrate and so explain them by example.
All the constituents of the Word are nothing but things that correspond to spiritual and celestial things, and because they correspond they are also appearances. That is to say, all the constituents of the Word are Divine goods belonging to Divine love, and Divine truths belonging to Divine wisdom, which in themselves are naked goods and truths, but which in the literal sense of the Word are clothed. Consequently they appear as a person does when dressed in clothing that corresponds to the state of his love and wisdom. It is apparent therefore that if a person affirms the appearances, it is the same as his affirming that people's clothes are the people. Thus do appearances become fallacies. The case is otherwise if a person searches for truths and sees them in the appearances.
[7] Now because all the useful services or truths and goods of charity that a person does for the neighbor may be done by him either in accordance with the appearances in the Word or in accordance with the real truths there, if he does them in accordance with appearances that he has affirmed in him he is caught up in fallacies, but if he does them in accordance with truths, he does them as he ought.
It can be seen from this what we mean in saying that the Lord conjoins Himself with applications through correspondences, and so through appearances according to a person's affirmations of those appearances.
[8] FOURTH, that this conjunction of temporal and eternal things is Divine providence: To present this in some light to the sight of the intellect, we must illustrate it by two examples, one having to do with advancements and honors, the other having to do with wealth and riches. Both are in outward form natural and temporal, but in inward form spiritual and eternal.
Advancements with their accompanying honors are natural and temporal when a person regards himself personally in them, and not the public welfare and the useful opportunities in them; for in that case the person cannot help but think inwardly to himself that the public exists for him and not himself for the public. He is like a king who thinks that the kingdom and all the people in it exist for his sake, and not that he exists for the sake of the kingdom and its people.
[9] On the other hand, those same advancements with their accompanying honors are spiritual and eternal when a person regards himself personally as existing to serve the public and the useful opportunities in the advancements, and does not regard them as existing to serve him. If he does this, the person is in that case impelled by the truth and embraces the essential nature of his advancement and honor. But if he does the other, he is then caught up in the corresponding form and appearance, and if he affirms these in him, he is impelled by fallacies and has conjunction with the Lord only as those do who are caught up in falsities and their resulting evils. For fallacies are falsities with which evils conjoin themselves. Such people have indeed performed useful services and good deeds, but from themselves and not from the Lord. Thus they have substituted themselves for the Lord.
[10] It is the same with wealth and riches. These, too, are natural and temporal, and also spiritual and eternal. Wealth and riches are natural and temporal in the case of people who have regard only for them and for themselves in them, and in them find all their pleasure and delight. But the same wealth and riches are spiritual and eternal in the case of people who regard the good and useful opportunities in them, and find their interior pleasure and delight in those opportunities. In their case the outward pleasure and delight becomes also spiritual, and the temporal condition becomes eternal. Consequently, after death they are also in heaven and live in palaces there, the useful forms of which glisten with gold and precious stones. And yet they regard these only as the glistening and translucent outward forms of the inward ones which are useful ends, from which they derive their real pleasure and delight, a pleasure and delight that in themselves constitute the happiness and felicity of heaven.
The contrary is the lot for people who have regarded wealth and riches only for the sake of wealth and riches and for the sake of themselves, thus for external considerations and not at the same time for internal ones - in accordance with appearances therefore, and not in accordance with their essential purposes. When such people put off those appearances, as they do when they die, they take on the internal forms of these; and because the internal forms are not spiritual, they cannot but be hellish. For either the one or the other is present in them. Both cannot be present together. Consequently instead of wealth they experience poverty, and instead of riches, hard times.
[11] By useful ends we mean not only life's necessities, which relate to food, clothing, and shelter for oneself and one's dependents, but we mean also the good of the country, the good of society, and the good of one's fellow citizen.
Such a good is the conduct of business, when the conduct of business is the overriding love, and money an intermediate, subservient love - provided the businessman refrains from and shuns fraudulent practices and evil schemes as being sins. The case is otherwise when money is the final love and the conduct of business the intermediate, subservient love. For this is avarice, which is the root of evils, 1concerning which see Luke 12:15, and the parable regarding it, in Luke 12:16-21.
Footnotes:
220. 4. The union of temporal and eternal matters in us is the Lord's divine providence. This will elude even the first grasp of discernment, though, unless it is broken down into a sequence and explained clearly step by step. The following is the necessary sequence. (a) It is by divine providence that we divest ourselves of what is physical and time-bound by dying, and put on what is spiritual and eternal. (b) Through his divine providence, the Lord unites himself to what is physical through what is spiritual, and to what is time-bound through what is eternal, doing so according to acts of service. (c) The Lord unites himself to acts of service by means of their correspondence, which means that he does so by means of appearances, depending on the extent to which we take them as fact. (d) This kind of union of temporal and eternal things is divine providence.
These propositions need to be brought into clearer light by explanations, though.
[2] (a) It is by divine providence that we divest ourselves of what is physical and time-bound by dying, and put on what is spiritual and eternal. The physical and time-bound things are the outermost and final substances that we first enter when we are born, in order eventually to be brought into deeper and higher things. The outermost and final things are what hold us together, and they are found in this physical world. This is why no angel or spirit has been created as such directly. Rather, all of them first came about by being born human. As a result, they all have outermost and final substances, essentially stable and constant, within which and by which their more inward substances can be held together.
[3] We ourselves, however, are clothed with even cruder elements of the material world at first. That is what our bodies are made of. We divest ourselves of them at death, though, and keep the purer elements of the material world that are closest to spiritual elements. These are what then hold us together.
Further, all the deeper and higher parts of us are present at once in these outermost or final elements, as was noted in the appropriate place above [108, 119]. As a result, everything the Lord does he does from beginnings and endings at once, and therefore completely.
However, the outermost and final substances of the material world cannot accept the spiritual and eternal things for which the human mind is formed, not as they are in essence, even though we are born to become spiritual and to live to eternity. We therefore divest ourselves of them and keep only the inner substances of the material world that are adapted and congenial to what is spiritual and heavenly. These serve to hold us together. We do this by casting off the limiting time-bound, physical substances, a process that we call physical death.
[4] (b) Through his divine providence, the Lord unites himself to what is physical through what is spiritual and to what is time-bound through what is eternal, doing so according to acts of service. The physical and time-bound things we are talking about are not just those that are proper to the physical world but those that are proper to us in this physical world as well. We divest ourselves of both when we die and put on corresponding spiritual and eternal things. We put them on according to our acts of service, as I have already explained a number of times.
In general, the natural elements that are proper to the physical world involve time and space. More specifically, they are the things we see on earth. We leave them behind when we die and receive spiritual things in their stead, things that are much the same in their outer guise or appearance but not in their inner guise or actual essence. I have already spoken of this as well [102-110].
[5] The time-bound things that are proper to us in this physical world are, broadly speaking, matters of eminence and wealth, and more specifically, the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter. These too we shed and leave behind at death, putting on and receiving things that are similar in their outward guise and appearance but not in their inward guise and in their essence. They all get their inward guise and essence from acts of service in temporal matters in this world. These acts of service are good actions, the good effects of our caring.
This may serve to show that through his divine providence, the Lord unites spiritual and eternal things to physical and time-bound things, doing so according to acts of service.
[6] (c) The Lord unites himself to acts of service by means of their correspondence, which means that he does so by means of appearances, depending on the extent to which we take them as fact. Since these thoughts cannot help but seem obscure to people who have no clear notion of what correspondences and appearances are, I need to illustrate and thereby explain them with an example. All the things we read in the Word are simply images that correspond to spiritual and heavenly realities; and since they correspond, they are appearances. That is, everything in the Word is divine good coming from divine love and divine truth coming from divine wisdom. In their own right, these things are naked, but in the Word they are clothed with a literal meaning, so they look like a fully dressed person. This means that to us, they look as though they were dressed in clothes that correspond to our own states of love and wisdom. We can see, then, that if we take these appearances as fact, it is like believing that the clothes are the person. The appearances become illusions. It is different if we are looking for truths and see them within the appearances.
[7] Now since all the acts of service, all the true and good deeds of caring that we do for our neighbor, we do either in keeping with appearances or in keeping with actual truths from the Word, therefore if we do them in keeping with the appearances we have taken as fact, we are mired in illusions, while if we do them in keeping with the truths, we do them as we should. We can tell from this what it means to say that the Lord unites himself to acts of service by means of their correspondence, which means that he does so by means of appearances, depending on the extent to which we take them as fact.
[8] (d) This kind of union of temporal and eternal things is divine providence. To bring this into some mental light, I need to illustrate it with two examples, one having to do with eminence and rank and the other with wealth and resources. Both of these are physical and time-bound in their outward form and spiritual and eternal in their inward form.
Both eminence and the rank it offers are physical and time-bound when we focus on ourselves and our role in them and not on the state and service. Then we cannot help but think to ourselves that the state exists for our sake and not that we exist for the sake of the state. It is like monarchs who think that the realm and all its citizens exist for their sake and not that they are monarchs for the sake of the realm and its citizens.
[9] The very same eminence and rank are spiritual and eternal, though, when we see ourselves and our role as existing for the sake of the state and service, and not the state and service for our own sake. If we do this, then we have the truth and the essence of our eminence and rank. Otherwise, we have the image and appearance; and if we take them as fact, then we are mired in illusions, and are no more united with the Lord than people who are bent on distortion and its consequent evil. After all, illusions are the distortions that evils seek out as consorts. We may actually do some good and useful things, but we do them from ourselves and not from the Lord; so we put ourselves in place of the Lord.
[10] It is much the same with wealth and resources. These are also both earthly and time-bound on the one hand and spiritual and eternal on the other. Wealth and resources are earthly and time-bound if we focus on them alone and on ourselves in them and look only for our own comfort and pleasure in both. They are spiritual and eternal if we focus on the good we can do with them and look for a deeper comfort and pleasure in that good. In that case, even the outer comfort and pleasure is spiritual, and the time-bound is eternal. This means also that after death, people of the latter sort are in heaven, living in mansions whose useful furnishings gleam with gold and jewels. Yet all they see is an outer beauty and translucence shining through from what lies within, which is the usefulness that is the basis of their real comfort and pleasure, the essential blessedness and happiness of heaven.
The opposite lot falls to people who focused on their wealth and resources solely for the sake of the wealth and resources and for themselves. This means that they valued them for their outward worth and not for their inward worth as well, guided by their appearance and not by their essence. When they are divested of them, which happens when they die, they put on what was within them; and since this was not spiritual it can only be hellish. The contents of wealth and resources must be either one or the other; they cannot coexist. So instead of wealth they have poverty, and instead of resources they have misery.
[11] Useful things include not only the necessities of life--food, clothing, and shelter for oneself and one's own--but also the good of the country, community, and fellow citizen. Business is useful when it is the real love and money is a subservient, supporting love, provided the merchant avoids and recoils from fraud and deceptive practices as sins. It is different when money is the real love and business is the subservient, supporting love. This is greed, the root of evils. See Luke 12:15 and the parable about greed in verses 16-21.
220. IV. THE CONJUNCTION OF TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL THINGS IN MAN IS THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE OF THE LORD. As, however, these things cannot fall within the first perception of the understanding unless they have been previously arranged in order and then unfolded and explained according to that order, the following will be the order of their exposition:
1. It is from the Divine Providence that man by death puts off what is natural and temporal, and puts on what is spiritual and eternal.
2. The Lord by His Divine Providence conjoins Himself to natural things by means of spiritual things, and to temporal things by means of eternal things, according to uses.
3. The Lord conjoins Himself to uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances in accordance with the confirmations of these by man.
4. This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine Providence.
But these things will be set in clearer light by explanation.
[2] First: It is from the Divine Providence that man by death puts off what is natural and temporal, and puts on what is spiritual and eternal. Natural and temporal things are the outermost and ultimate things into which man first enters; and this he does at birth, to the end that he may afterwards be introduced into interior and higher things; for the outermost and ultimate things are containants; and these are in the natural world. This is the reason why no angel or spirit was created such immediately, but all were born first as men and so introduced into higher things. Hence they have outermost and ultimate things which in themselves are fixed and stabilised, and within and by them interior things can be held in their series.
[3] Man first puts on the grosser substances of nature, of which his body is constituted; but these he puts off by death, retaining the purer substances of nature which are nearest to spiritual things, and these then become his containants. Moreover, in outermost or ultimate things are simultaneously all interior or higher things, as was duly shown before. Therefore, every operation of the Lord is from first things and last things simultaneously, and thus in fullness. Since, however, the outermost and ultimate things of nature cannot receive the spiritual and eternal things for which the human mind was formed, as they are in themselves, and yet man was born to become spiritual and live for ever, therefore man puts them off and retains only the interior natural things which are suitable and in harmony with spiritual and celestial things, and which serve them as containants. This is effected by the rejection of temporal and natural ultimates, which is the death of the body.
[4] Second: The Lord by His Divine Providence conjoins Himself to natural things by means of spiritual things, and to temporal things by means of eternal things, according to uses. Natural and temporal things are not only those which are proper to nature, but also those which are proper to men in the natural world. Both of these man puts off by death, and puts on the spiritual and eternal things which correspond to them. That he puts on these according to uses has been shown in many places in what has gone before. The natural things that are proper to nature relate in general to times and spaces, and in particular to the things that are seen on the earth. These man leaves behind by death and receives in their stead spiritual things that are similar in their external aspect or appearance but not in their internal aspect and essential nature. This has also been treated above.
[5] The temporal things that are proper to men in the natural world relate in general to dignities and wealth, and in particular to everyone's necessities, which are food, clothing and habitation. These also are put off by death and left behind; and such things are assumed and received as are similar to them in external aspect or appearance, but not in their internal aspect and essential nature. All these derive their internal aspect and essential nature from the uses to which temporal things have been put in the world. Uses are the goods that are called the goods of charity. Hence it may be evident that the Lord by His Divine Providence conjoins to natural and temporal things spiritual and eternal things according to uses.
[6] Third: The Lord conjoins Himself to uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances in accordance with the confirmation of these by man. As this cannot but seem obscure to those who have not yet acquired a clear idea of what is meant by correspondence and appearance, it must be illustrated by example and so explained. All things in the Word are pure correspondences of spiritual and celestial things, and because they are correspondences they are also appearances; that is, all things of the Word are the Divine Goods of the Divine Love and the Divine Truths of the Divine Wisdom. These in themselves are unveiled, but they are clothed in the sense of the Letter of the Word. They therefore appear like a man in clothing which corresponds to the state of his love and wisdom. From this it is clear that if a man confirms in himself appearances it is as if he were to believe that clothes are the men; thus appearances become fallacies. It is otherwise if a man seeks for truths and sees them in the appearances.
[7] Now since all the uses, that is, the truths and goods of charity, that a man does to the neighbour may be done either according to appearances or according to the truths themselves in the Word: if he does them according to appearances confirmed in himself he is in fallacies; but if he does them according to truths he does them as he ought. From these considerations it may be evident what is meant when it is said that the Lord conjoins Himself to uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances according to the confirmation of these by man.
[8] Fourth: This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine Providence. In order that this may be set before the understanding in some degree of light, it may be illustrated by two examples, one of which concerns dignities and honours, and the other riches and wealth. Both of these in their external form are natural and temporal, but in their internal form are spiritual and eternal. Dignities with their honours are natural and temporal when man regards himself personally in them and not the commonwealth and uses. For in that case man cannot but think interiorly within himself that the state exists for the sake of him, and not he for the state. He is like a king who thinks that the kingdom and all the people in it exist for the sake of him and not he for the sake of the kingdom and its people.
[9] These same dignities, however, with their honours are spiritual and eternal when man regards himself personally as existing for the sake of the state and uses, and does not regard them as existing for the sake of himself. If a man does this he is then in the truth and essence of his dignity and honour. If, however, he does the former he is in the correspondence and appearance; and if he confirms these in himself he is in fallacies. He is thus in conjunction with the Lord only as those are who are in falsities and evils derived from these; for fallacies are falsities with which evils unite themselves. Such persons have indeed performed uses and good works, but from themselves and not from the Lord; and, therefore, they have put themselves in the place of the Lord.
[10] It is the same with regard to riches and wealth; for these also are natural and temporal as well as spiritual and eternal. Riches and wealth are natural and temporal with those who have regard to these only and to themselves in them, finding in them their whole pleasure and delight. These same things, however, are spiritual and eternal with those who have regard to good uses in them, finding in uses interior pleasure and delight. Moreover, with such persons the outward pleasure and delight become spiritual, and the temporal becomes eternal. Therefore, after death they are in heaven; and there they live in palaces, the useful furnishings of which are resplendent with gold and precious stones. These things, however, they regard only as externals resplendent and translucent from their internals which are uses; and from these uses they derive real pleasure and delight, which in themselves are the blessedness and joy of heaven. The opposite is the lot of those who have regarded riches and wealth for the sake of such things alone as they affected themselves, and thus for the sake of what is external and not at the same time for the sake of what is internal, thus according to appearances and not according to essential realities. When such men put off these appearances, as happens when they die, they put on the internals that pertain to them; and as these are not spiritual they must of necessity be infernal; for either one or other of these principles is in them, since the two cannot exist together. Consequently, in place of riches they have poverty and in place of wealth wretchedness.
[11] By uses are meant not only the necessaries of life which have relation to food, clothing and habitation for oneself and one's dependents, but also the good of one's country, of society, and of one's fellow-citizens. Business is such a good when business is the supreme love and money is a mediate and subservient love, provided the business man shuns and turns his back on fraud and evil practices as sins. It is otherwise when money is the supreme love and business is a mediate and subservient love; for this is avarice, which is a source of evils. Concerning this see Luke 12:15, and the parable relating to it, verses 16-21.
220. (4.) The conjunction of temporal things and eternal things in man is the Lord's Divine providence. But as these things cannot enter even into the first perception of the understanding until they have been arranged in order, and unfolded and made clear according to that order, let them be set forth as follows:-
(1) It is from the Divine providence that by death man puts off what is natural and temporal, and puts on what is spiritual and eternal.
(2) Through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins Himself with natural things by means of spiritual things, and with temporal things by means of eternal things, according to uses.
(3) The Lord conjoins Himself with uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances, in accordance with the confirmations of these by man.
(4) This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine providence.
But let these things be brought into clearer light by explanations.
[2] First: It is from the Divine providence that by death man puts of what is natural and temporal, and puts on what is spiritual and eternal. Natural and temporal things are the extremes and outmosts into which man first enters; and this he does at birth, to the end that he may be able afterwards to be introduced into things more internal and higher. For extremes and outmosts are containants; and these are in the natural world. And this is why no angel or spirit was created such immediately, but were all born first as men, and were thus led into higher things. From this they have extremes and outmosts which in themselves are fixed and established, within which and by which interiors can be held together in connection.
[3] But at first man puts on the grosser things of nature; these constitute his body; but by death he puts these off, and retains the purer things of nature which are nearest to spiritual things; and these then become his containants. Furthermore, all interior or higher things are simultaneously in extremes or outmosts, as has already been shown; and consequently the entire working of the Lord is from first principles and from outmosts simultaneously, thus in fulness. But inasmuch as the extremes or outmosts of nature are not receptive of the spiritual and eternal things in conformity to which the human mind was formed, as these are in themselves, and yet man was born to become spiritual and to live for ever, therefore these are put off by man, and he retains only the interior natural things that agree and harmonize with the spiritual and celestial, and serve them as containants. This is accomplished by the rejection of temporal and natural outmosts, which is the death of the body.
[4] Secondly: Through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins Himself with natural things by means of spiritual things, and with temporal things by means of eternal things, according to uses. Natural and temporal things are not only such as are proper to nature, but also such as are proper to men in the natural world. Both of these man puts off by death, and puts on the spiritual and eternal things that correspond to them. That these are put on in accordance with uses has been abundantly shown heretofore. The natural things that are proper to nature have relation in general to times and spaces, and in particular to the things that are seen on the earth. It is these that man leaves by death, and in place of them he takes on spiritual things, which are similar in outer aspect or appearance, but not in inner aspect and very essence (which also has been treated of above).
[5] The temporal things that are proper to men in the natural world have relation in general to dignities and possessions, and in particular to every one's necessities, which are food, clothing, and habitation. These also are put off by death and left behind; and things are put on and received that are similar in outer aspect or appearance, but not in inner aspect and essence. All these have their inner aspect and essence from the uses of temporal things in the world. Uses are the goods that are called the goods of charity. From all this it can be seen that through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins spiritual and eternal things with natural and temporal things according to uses.
[6] Thirdly: The Lord conjoins Himself with uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances in accordance with the confirmations of these by man. As this must needs seem obscure to those who have not yet gained a clear notion of what correspondence is and what appearance is, they must be illustrated by example, and thus explained. All things of the Word are pure correspondences of spiritual and celestial things, and because they are correspondences they are also appearances; that is, all things of the Word are the Divine goods of the Divine love and the Divine truths of the Divine wisdom, which in themselves are naked, but in the sense of the letter of the Word are clothed. They therefore appear like a man in clothing that corresponds to the state of his love and wisdom. All this makes evident that when a man confirms appearances it is the same as asserting that the clothes are the man. It is thus that appearances are converted into fallacies. It is otherwise when man is seeking for truths and sees them in the appearances.
[7] Since, then, all uses, that is, the truths and goods of charity that a man does to the neighbor, may be done either in accordance with these appearances or in accordance with the truths themselves in the Word, when he does them in accordance with the appearances confirmed in himself he is in fallacies; but when he does them in accordance with truths he does them as he ought. All this makes clear what is meant when it is said that the Lord conjoins Himself with uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances in accordance with the confirmations of these by man.
[8] Fourthly: This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine providence. To set this before the understanding with some clearness let it be illustrated by two examples, one relating to dignities and honors, and the other to riches and possessions. Both of these are, in external form, natural and temporal, but in internal form are spiritual and eternal. Dignities with their honors are natural and temporal when in them man regards himself personally, and not the commonwealth and uses; for then man must needs think interiorly in himself that the commonwealth is for his sake, and not he for the commonwealth's sake. He is like a king who thinks that the kingdom and all the people in it exist for his sake, and not he for the sake of the kingdom and the people.
[9] But these same dignities with their honors are spiritual and eternal when man regards himself personally as existing for the sake of the commonwealth and uses, and not that they exist for his sake. When man does this he is in the verity and in the essence of his dignity and honor; but in the former case he is in the correspondence and appearance [of dignity and honor]; and if he confirms these in himself [as the truth] he is in fallacies, and is in conjunction with the Lord only as those are who are in falsities and in evils therefrom; for fallacies are falsities with which evils are conjoined. They have, indeed, promoted uses and good works, but from themselves and not from the Lord; thus they have put themselves in the Lord's place.
[10] It is the same with riches and possessions, which also may be natural and temporal or spiritual and eternal. They are natural and temporal with those who look solely to them, and to themselves in them, finding in these their sole pleasure and delight. But these same things are spiritual and eternal with those who look to good uses in them, and find in these uses interior pleasure and delight. With such, moreover, the outward pleasure and delight become spiritual, and the temporal becomes the eternal. Therefore such after death are in heaven; and there they live in palaces, the furnishings of which are forms resplendent with gold and precious stones; but these they regard only as externals, resplendent and translucent from their internals which are uses, and from these uses they have essential pleasure and enjoyment; and these in themselves are the happiness and bliss of heaven. The reverse is the lot of such as have looked to riches and possessions solely for their sake and for the sake of self, thus for the sake of externals and not for the sake of internals also; thus according to the way they appear and not according to their essences. When such put off these appearances, which they do at death, they put on the internals belonging to them; and as these are not spiritual they must needs be infernal, for one or the other of these must be in them, since the two cannot exist together. Consequently in place of riches they have poverty, and in place of possessions wretchedness.
[11] By uses are not meant merely the necessaries of life, which have relation to food, clothing, and habitation for man and for those dependent on him, but also the good of one's country, of society, and of the fellow citizen. Business is such a good when that is the final love, and money is a mediate and subservient love, provided the business man shuns and turns away from frauds and evil devices as sins. It is otherwise when money is the final love, and the business is the mediate and subservient love; for this is avarice, which is the root of evils (respecting which see Luke 12:15, and the parable relating to it, Luke 12:16-21).
220. IV. Quod temporariorum ac aeternorum conjunctio apud hominem sit Divina Domini Providentia: sed haec quia non in primam intellectus perceptionem possunt cadere, nisi prius redigantur in ordinem, ac secundum illum evolvantur et demonstrentur, quare hic erit illorum ordo. 1. Quod ex Divina Providentia sit, quod homo per mortem exuat naturalia ac temporaria, ac induat spiritualia ac aeterna. 2. Quod Dominus per Divinam suam Providentiam conjungat Se 1naturalibus per spiritualia, ac temporariis per aeterna, secundum usus. 23. Quod Dominus conjungat Se 3usibus per correspondentias, et sic per apparentias secundum confirmationes ab homine. 4. Quod talis conjunctio temporariorum ac aeternorum sit Divina Providentia. Sed haec mittentur in clariorem lucem per explicationes.
[2] PRIMUM. Quod ex Divina Providentia sit, quod homo per mortem exuat naturalia et temporaria, ac induat spiritualia ac aeterna: naturalia et temporaria sunt extrema ac ultima, in quae homo primum intrat, quod fit cum nascitur, ob causam ut dein possit introduci in interiora et superiora; extrema enim ac ultima sunt continentia; et haec sunt in naturali mundo: inde est quod nullus angelus et spiritus immediate creatus sit, sed quod omnes illi primum nati sint homines, et sic introducti; inde illis sunt extrema ac ultima, quae in se sunt fixa et stata, intra quae et a quibus interiora in nexu possunt contineri.
[3] Sed homo primum induit crassiora naturae; ejus corpus ex illis est; sed haec per mortem exuit, ac retinet puriora naturae, quae proxima spiritualibus sunt, et haec sunt tunc ejus continentia. Praeterea in extremis seu ultimis sunt omnia interiora seu superiora simul, ut prius in suis locis ostensum est; quare omnis operatio Domini est a primis et ultimis simul, ita in pleno. Sed quia extrema ac ultima naturae non possunt recipere spiritualia ac aeterna, ad quae mens humana formata est, sicut illa in se sunt, et tamen homo natus est ut fiat spiritualis ac vivat in aeternum, ideo homo illa exuit, et retinet modo naturalia interiora, quae spiritualibus et coelestibus conveniunt et concordant, ac illis inserviunt pro continentibus; hoc fit per rejectionem temporariorum et naturalium ultimorum, quae est mors corporis.
[4] SECUNDUM. Quod Dominus per Divinam suam Providentiam Se 4conjungat naturalibus per spiritualia, ac temporariis per aeterna, secundum usus: naturalia et temporaria non sunt solum illa quae propria naturae sunt, sed etiam illa quae propria hominum sunt in Mundo naturali; haec et illa exuit homo per mortem, ac induit spiritualia ac aeterna illis correspondentia; quod induat haec secundum usus, multis in antecedentibus ostensum est. Naturalia quae propria naturae sunt, se referunt in genere ad tempora et spatia, et in specie ad illa quae super tellure conspiciuntur; haec homo per mortem relinquit, ac loco illorum accipit spiritualia, quae quoad faciem externam seu apparentiam similia sunt, sed non quoad faciem internam et ipsam essentiam; de qua re etiam supra actum est.
[5] Temporaria, quae propria hominum in mundo naturali sunt, in genere se referunt ad dignitates et opes, et in specie ad cujusvis hominis necessitates, quae sunt victus, amictus et habitatio; haec quoque exuuntur et relinquuntur per mortem, ac induuntur et accipiuntur talia, quae quoad externam faciem seu apparentiam similia sunt, non autem quoad internam faciem et quoad essentiam: omnia haec suam internam faciem et essentiam habent ex usibus temporariorum in mundo: usus sunt bona quae vocantur bona charitatis. 5Ex his constare potest, quod Dominus per Divinam suam Providentiam conjungat naturalibus et temporariis spiritualia ac aeterna secundum usus.
[6] TERTIUM. Quod Dominus conjungat Se 6usibus per correspondentias, et sic per apparentias secundum confirmationes illarum ab homine: sed quia haec non possunt non videri obscura illis qui nondum claram notionem ceperunt, quid correspondentia et quid apparentia, quare illa per exemplum illustranda et sic explicanda sunt: omnia Verbi sunt merae correspondentiae spiritualium et coelestium, et quia correspondentiae sunt etiam apparentiae sunt: hoc est, omnia Verbi sunt Divina Bona Divini Amoris 7ac Divina Vera Divinae Sapientiae, quae nuda sunt in se, sed in Verbi sensu literae investita; quare apparent sicut homo in veste, quae statui amoris et sapientiae ejus correspondet; ex quo patet, quod si homo confirmat apparentias, sit simile sicut confirmet quod vestes sint homines; inde apparentiae fiunt fallaciae: aliter si homo inquirit veritates et has videt in apparentiis.
[7] Nunc quia omnes usus, seu vera et bona charitatis, quae homo facit proximo, illa vel faciat secundum apparentias, vel secundum ipsas veritates 8in Verbo, si illa secundum apparentias apud se confirmatas facit, in fallaciis est, at si secundum veritates, illa facit sicut oportet: ex his constare potest, quid intelligitur per quod Dominus se conjungat usibus per correspondentias et sic per apparentias secundum confirmationes illarum ab homine.
[8] QUARTUM: Quod talis Conjunctio temporariorum ac aeternorum sit Divina Providentia: Haec ut in quadam luce coram intellectu sistantur, illustranda sunt per bina exempla, per unum quod concernit Dignitates et honores, et per alterum quod concernit Divitias et opes; utraque sunt in externa forma naturales et temporariae, in interna autem forma sunt spirituales et aeternae. 9Dignitates cum honoribus illarum naturales et temporariae sunt, quando homo spectat se quoad personam in illis, et non Rempublicam et usus in 10illis, tunc enim homo non potest aliter secum interius cogitare, quam quod Respublica sit propter se et non ille propter Rempublicam; est sicut rex qui cogitat, quod regnum et omnes homines ibi sint propter se, et non ille propter regnum et homines ejus.
[9] At eaedem dignitates cum honoribus illarum, spirituales ac aeternae sunt, quando homo spectat se quoad personam propter Rempublicam et usus, et non haec propter se; si hoc facit, tunc homo est in veritate et in essentia dignitatis suae et honoris sui; si autem illud, tunc est in correspondentia et apparentia, quas si apud se confirmat, est in fallaciis, et non aliter in conjunctione cum Domino, quam sicut illi qui in falsis sunt et inde malis, nam fallaciae sunt falsa cum quibus mala se conjungunt: praestiterunt quidem usus et bona, sed a se et non a Domino; ita seipsos posuerunt loco Domini.
[10] Simile est cum divitiis et opibus, quae etiam naturales et temporariae, tum spirituales et aeternae sunt; divitiae et opes sunt naturales et temporariae apud illos, qui unice illas et se in illis spectant, et in his duobus omne suum volupe et jucundum; at eaedem sunt spirituales et aeternae apud illos, qui spectant usus bonos in illis, et in his interius volupe et jucundum; apud hos etiam exterius volupe et jucundum fit spirituale, ac temporarium fit aeternum; quare etiam hi post mortem in coelo sunt, et ibi in palatiis, quorum formae utensiles splendent ex auro et ex lapidibus pretiosis; quae tamen non aliter spectant quam externa splendentia ac pellucentia ab internis, quae sunt usus, ex quibus illis sunt ipsa voluptas et jucunditas, quae in se sunt faustitas et felicitas coeli: sors contraria est illis, qui spectaverunt divitias et opes solum propter illas et propter se, ita propter externa et non simul interna, ita secundum apparentias, et non secundum essentias illarum; illi dum exuunt illas, quod fit dum moriuntur, induunt interna illarum, quae quia non spiritualia sunt, non possunt esse nisi quam infernalia, nam sive unum sive alterum inest; non potest utrumque simul; unde pro divitiis sunt illis egestates, et pro opibus miseriae.
[11] Per usus intelliguntur non solum necessaria vitae, quae se referunt ad victum, amictum et habitationem pro se et suis, sed etiam intelligitur bonum patriae, bonum societatis, et bonum concivis. Tale bonum est negotiatio, cum illa est amor finalis, ac pecunia amor medius inserviens, modo negotiator defraudationes et malas artes ut peccata fugit et aversatur; aliter cum pecunia est amor finalis, ac negotiatio amor medius inserviens, nam hoc est avaritia, quae est radix malorum, de qua videatur Lucas 12:15, et parabola de illa, Vers. 16-21.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: se
2 Prima editio: usus,
3 Prima editio: se
4 Prima editio: se
5 Prima editio: charitatis (absque interpuncto, ut videtur)
6 Prima editio: se
7 Prima editio: Amoris
8 Prima editio: veritases
9 Prima editio: aeternae (absque interpuncto, ut videtur)
10 Prima editio: in in