25# 主通过净化的过程来促成他人良善与真理的结合。这种净化通过两种方式实现:试探和发酵。灵性的试探实质上是一场战斗,是人与那些从地狱发出并影响人的邪恶和伪谬之间的斗争。通过这些试探,人得以从邪恶和伪谬中净化,使良善能与真理结合,真理也能与良善结合。灵性的发酵则在天上和地上以多种方式进行,虽然世人并不了解其本质和运作方式。这个过程涉及被注入各个群体中的邪恶及其相应的伪谬,它们的作用就像酵母被加入面粉和新酒中一样:通过发酵过程,异质成分被分离出去,而同质成分则彼此结合,最终产生纯净清澈的结果。这正是主在经文中所说的:“天国好像面酵,有妇人拿来,藏在三斗面里,直等全团都发起来。”(《马太福音》13:33;《路加福音》13:21)
25、主通过洁净提供其他人里面良善与真理的结合。这种情况以两种方式发生:一种是试探,另一种是发酵。属灵的试探无非是与发自地狱并影响一个人的邪恶和虚假争战。人通过这些争战从邪恶与虚假中洁净,并且在他里面,良善与真理结合,真理与良善结合。属灵的发酵以许多方式出现,既出现在天上,也出现在地上;但世人不知道它们是何物,或如何发生。有些邪恶和虚假一起被引入社会时,会起到像加入面粉或葡萄汁中的发酵粉那样的作用。这些东西有助于把异质元素分离出来,并把同质元素结合起来,从而产生纯净和清洁。它们就是主说这些话的意思:
天国好像面酵,有妇人拿来,藏在三斗面里,直等全团都发起来。(马太福音33;路加福音21)
25. The Lord provides for the union of good and truth in others through means of purification, which takes place in two ways, one through temptations or trials, and the other through fermentations.
Spiritual temptations or trials are simply combats against the exhalations of evil and falsity emanating from hell and affecting a person. By these combats a person is purified of evils and falsities, and good is united to truth and truth to good in him.
Spiritual fermentations occur in many ways, both in heaven and on earth, but people in the world do not know what they are or how they take place. For there are evils together with falsities which, on being introduced into societies, have a similar action to ferments introduced into dough or new wine, by which heterogeneous elements are separated and homogeneous elements combined so as to produce purity and clarity.
Such fermentations are those meant by these words of the Lord:
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till all of it was leavened. (Matthew 13:33; cf. Luke 13:21.)
25. The Lord provides for the union of what is good and true in others by purification. This happens in two ways, by temptations and by fermenting. Spiritual temptations are simply battles against the evil and false things that breathe forth from hell and affect us. These battles purify us from things that are evil and false, so that goodness in us is united to truth and truth to goodness.
Spiritual fermenting happens in many ways both in the heavens and on earth, but people in our world do not know what these processes are or how they happen. There are things that are both evil and false that are injected into communities the way agents of fermentation are injected into flour or grape juice. These serve to separate things that do not belong together and unite things that do, so that the substance becomes pure and clear.
These are the processes referred to by the Lord's words,
The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:21)
25. The union of good and truth in others is provided for by the Lord by means of purification; and this is effected in two ways, one by temptations, and the other by fermentations. Spiritual temptations are nothing else than combats against evils and falsities which emanate from hell and make their influence felt. By these combats man is purified from evils and falsities, and good is united to truth in him, and truth to good. Spiritual fermentations are effected in many ways, both in the heavens and on the earth; but in the world it is not known what they are and how they are effected. Now there are evils together with falsities which, when introduced into societies, act like ferments put into meal and juice of the grape. By means of these, discordant things are separated and concordant things are united, and purity and clearness are the result. They are what are meant by these words of the Lord:
The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. (Matthew xiii. 33; Luke xiii. 21).
25. In others the conjunction of good and truth is provided by the Lord by means of purification, which is effected in two ways, one by temptations, and the other by fermentations. Spiritual temptations are nothing else than combats against the evils and falsities that are exhaled from hell and affect man. By these combats man is purified from evils and falsities, and good is conjoined to truth in him, and truth to good. Spiritual fermentations are effected in many ways, both in the heavens and on the earth; but in the world it is not known what they are or how they are effected. For there are evils and falsities together that do a work, when introduced into societies, like that of leaven put into meal, or ferments into new wine, by which heterogeneous things are separated and homogeneous things are conjoined, and purity and clearness are the result. These are meant by these words of the Lord:-
The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:21).
25. A Domino providetur conjunctio boni et veri apud alios per PURIFICATIONEM, quae binis modis fit, uno per Tentationes, et altero per Fermentationes. Tentationes spirituales non aliud sunt, quam pugnae contra mala et falsa, quae exhalantur ab inferno, et afficiunt; per illas purificatur homo a malis et falsis, ac apud illum conjungitur bonum vero ac verum bono. Fermentationes spirituals 1fiunt multis modis, tam in coelis quam in terris; sed in mundo nesciuntur quid sunt, et quomodo fiunt: sunt enim 2mala et simul falsa, quae immissa Societatibus similiter faciunt sicut fermenta immissa farinis et mustis, per quae separantur heterogenea, et conjunguntur homogenea, et fit purum et clarum: illae sunt, quae intelliguntur per haec Domini verba, "Simile est Regnum coelorum fermento, quod accipiens mulier abscondidit in farinae satis tribus, donec fermentaretur totum," Matthaeus 13:33, Lucas 13:21.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: spirituales,
2 Prima editio: �nim