191# 然而，属世之人仍不能由此信服：圣言乃神性真理本身，其中有神性智慧与神性生命；盖其观圣言，唯取其文体，而于此文体之中并不见其所有。然圣言之文体，即神性文体本身；凡他种文体，无论其外观如何崇高卓越，皆不可与之比拟。圣言之文体，其性质如此：圣性寓于每一层意义、每一词语之中，甚至在某些处寓于字母本身之中；故圣言使人与主相结合，并开启天堂。
从主发出者有二：神性之爱与神性智慧；或曰同一之义，即神性之善与神性之真。圣言就其本质而言，正是此二者。又因圣言如前所言，使人与主相结合，并开启天堂，故圣言以爱之良善与智慧之真理充满人：以爱之良善充满其意志，以智慧之真理充满其理性；人由是藉圣言而有生命。
然须审知：唯有那些诵读圣言，其目的在于从其中汲取神性真理，如从本源汲取一般，并且同时其目的在于将由此汲取之神性真理施用于生活者，方由圣言得生命。至于那些诵读圣言，仅以猎取尊荣、谋取世利为目的者，则其所成者正相反。
191# 然而，这一切经文不会让属世人确信，圣言是神性真理本身，其中既有神性智慧，也有神性生命；因为他从圣言的风格来看待圣言，在其中看不到这些事物。然而，圣言的风格是神性风格本身，其它任何风格都无法与之相比，无论它看起来多么崇高和卓越。圣言的风格是这样：在每一句话，每一个词，甚至有些地方在每一个字母里面都有一种神圣性；因此，圣言将人与主相结合，并打开天堂。有两样事物从主发出，即神性之爱和神性智慧，或也可说，神性良善和神性真理。圣言本质上就是这两者；由于如刚才所说的，圣言将人与主相结合，并打开天堂，所以它用爱之良善和智慧之真理充满人：用爱之良善充满他的意愿，用智慧之真理充满他的理解力；人就这样通过圣言获得生命。但必须清楚理解的是，只有那些为了从圣言中，如同从其源头中汲取神性真理，同时为了将从中汲取的真理应用于生活而阅读圣言的人才能从圣言获得生命；而对那些仅仅为了获得世俗的荣誉和财富而阅读圣言的人来说，情况正好相反（参看马太福音16:26; 马可福音8:36; 路加福音9:25）。
191. Our earthly self, however, is incapable of being convinced by these quotations that the Word is divine truth itself in which there is divine wisdom and divine life. Our earthly self evaluates the Word on the basis of style and does not see those qualities in its style. Nevertheless, the style of the Word is the divine style itself. There is no comparison between it and all other styles, no matter how sublime and excellent they may seem. The nature of the Word's style is that it has holiness in every meaning and every word; in fact, in some passages there is holiness in the very letters. As a result, the Word connects us to the Lord and opens heaven.
There are two things that emanate from the Lord: divine love and divine wisdom (or what amounts to the same thing, divine goodness and divine truth). In its essence the Word is each of these. Because the Word connects us to the Lord and opens heaven, as I just said, therefore the Word fills us with love for what is good and wisdom about what is true. It fills our will with love for what is good and our intellect with wisdom about what is true. This is how we receive life through the Word.
It is very important to realize, however, that the only people who receive life from the Word are those who read it for two purposes: to draw divine truths from it because it is the fountain of truth; and to apply to their life the divine truths they have drawn. The opposite happens to people who read the Word only with the purpose of increasing their status and gaining the world [see Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25].
191. But the natural man still cannot be convinced by these quotations that the Word is Divine truth itself, containing Divine wisdom and Divine life, because he looks at it from the point of view of its style, and in this he cannot see these things. However, the style of the Word is the actual style of God, beyond comparisons with any other style, however high-flown and magnificent. Such is the style of the Word that there is holiness in every sentence, every word, in some places even every letter. Thus the Word forms a link between man and the Lord, and opens the way to heaven. There are two things which proceed from the Lord, Divine love and Divine wisdom, or in other words Divine good and Divine truth. The Word is in its essence both of these; and because it forms a link between man and the Lord, and opens the way to heaven, as I have said, the Word therefore fills man with the good affections of love and the truths of wisdom, his will with good affections of love, his understanding with the truths of wisdom. This is how man has life by means of the Word. But it ought properly to be known that the only people to have life from the Word are those who read it with the intention of drawing Divine truths from it, like water from the spring, and at the same time with the intention of putting the Divine truths drawn from it into practice in their lives. The reverse happens to those whose only intention in reading the Word is to win honours and gain worldly advantages.
191. Nevertheless, all this does not convince the natural man that the Word is Divine truth itself, in which there is Divine wisdom and Divine life; for he estimates it by its style, in which these are not seen by him. Yet the style of the Word is the Divine style itself, with which no other style can be compared, however sublime and excellent it may seem. The style of the Word is such that there is a holiness in every sentence and in every word, and even in some places in the very letters, and thereby the Word conjoins man with the Lord and opens heaven. There are two things that go forth from the Lord, Divine love and Divine wisdom, or what is the same thing, Divine good and Divine truth. In its essence the Word is both of these; and because, as just said, it conjoins man with the Lord and opens heaven, it fills man with the goods of love and the truths of wisdom-his will with the goods of love and his understanding with the truths of wisdom; thus by means of the Word man has life. But it must be clearly understood that those only have life from the Word who read it for the purpose of drawing from it Divine truths as from their proper fountain, and at the same time for the purpose of applying to the life the truths drawn therefrom; while with those who read the Word solely with a view to gaining worldly honors and riches the opposite effect follows.
191. The natural man, however, still cannot be persuaded that the Word is Divine Truth itself, in which is Divine Wisdom as well as Divine Life; for he regards it from the style, in which he does not see those things. Yet the style in which the Word is written is the Divine style itself, with which no other can be compared, however sublime and excellent it may appear. The style of the Word is such that it is holy in every sentence, in every word, and even in some instances in the very letters; consequently the Word unites man to the Lord, and opens heaven. There are two things which proceed from the Lord, Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, or what is the same, Divine Good and Divine Truth: the Word in its essence is both. Because the Word unites man to the Lord and opens heaven, as was observed, therefore it fills man with the goods of love and the truths of wisdom-his will with the goods of love and his understanding with the truths of wisdom; thus man has life through the Word. But it should be clearly understood that only those have life from the Word who read it for the purpose of drawing Divine truths from it as from their fountain head, and applying them to life; and that the reverse takes place with those who read the Word merely for the purpose of acquiring honors and gaining the world.
191. Sed homo naturalis ex his usque non persuaderi potest, quod Verbum sit ipsum Divinum Verum, in quo Divina Sapientia est et Divina Vita, spectat enim illud a Stylo, in quo non videt illa. Sed stylus Verbi est ipse Stylus Divinus, cum quo omnis alius Stylus, utcunque sublimis et excellens apparet, non comparari potest. Stylus Verbi talis est, ut Sanctum sit in omni sensu, inque omni voce, imo alicubi in ipsis literis; inde Verbum conjungit hominem Domino, et aperit Coelum. Sunt duo, quae procedunt a Domino, Divinus Amor et Divina Sapientia, seu quod idem, Divinum Bonum et Divinum Verum; Verbum in sua Essentia est utrumque hoc; et quia illud conjungit hominem Domino, et aperit Coelum, ut dictum est, ideo Verbum implet hominem Bonis Amoris et Veris sapientiae, Voluntatem ejus bonis amoris, ac Intellectum ejus veris sapientiae, inde homini est vita per Verbum. At probe sciendum est, quod illis solis sit vita ex Verbo, qui illud legunt propter finem, ut Divina Vera ex illo ut ex suo Fonte hauriant, et simul propter finem, ut Divina Vera inde hausta applicent vitae: et quod contrarium fiat illis, qui Verbum legunt duntaxat propter finem, ut aucupent honores, et lucrentur Mundum.