194.（1）何为属灵之义。当仔细研究并详细阐述圣言以支持教会的某个信条时，属灵之义并不是那种透过字义就能显现出来的意义；这样的意义可称为基督教会所理解的圣言字义。属灵之义在字义中是看不见的，它在字里面，就像灵魂在身体里面，或理解力的思维显现在眼睛里面，或爱的情感显现在脸上。不仅对世人，而且对天使来说，圣言之所以是属灵的，主要是因为属灵之义。因此，属灵之义使得圣言成为与天堂沟通的一个渠道。由于圣言内义是属灵的，故它纯由对应写成。凡以对应写成的东西，就其最外在意义而言，书写风格都类似先知书、福音书和启示录所用的风格。表面上看，它似乎普普通通，但内在却隐藏着神圣智慧和一切天使智慧。至于对应的性质，大家可参看我的《天堂与地狱》一书（1758年出版于伦敦）；那里有几节（87－102节）论述了天上的一切事物与人里面的一切事物的对应关系，还有几节（102－115节）论述了天上的一切事物与地上的一切事物的对应关系。接下来，我将通过下面从圣言所引用的例子进一步解释对应的性质（196－199节）。
194. (1)什麼是屬靈意義。
屬靈意義並非人細研並解釋聖言,用以支持教會某個教理時從聖言的文字意義中揭示出的意義。那種意義可以稱為教會理解的文字意義。屬靈意義不會顯于文字意義, 而是在文字意義的裡面, 如同靈魂於身體之中, 或者像認知之想法於眼中, 又或者像愛的感覺於臉上。
這層意義是聖言之所以屬靈的首要原因, 不僅對人類, 對天人也是如此。藉此意義, 聖言與天國相連。因為聖言內在的屬靈, 所以全部以對應的方式書寫。以對應方式書寫的內容, 最外在浮現的形式就如同眾先知,福音書和『啟示錄』所用的方式。所有那些內容看起來普普通通, 卻蘊藏著聖智以及所有天人的智慧。
至於什麼是對應, 關於對應的解釋請看『天國與地獄』(1758年倫敦出版), 其中有天國中的萬有與人類的一切之間的對應(87-102), 天國與物质世界事物的對應(102-115)。還可以在接下來的內容中, 看到從聖言中引用的例子來作進一步的論證(196-199)。
194. 1. What the spiritual meaning is. The spiritual meaning is not the meaning that comes to light from the Word's literal meaning when someone examines and explains the Word in order to support some dogma of the church. That meaning could be called "the literal and ecclesiastical" meaning of the Word. The spiritual meaning is not apparent in the literal meaning. It lies inside it the way our soul is in our body, or our intellects thoughts are in our eyes, or our feelings of love are in our face.
The spiritual meaning is the primary thing that makes the Word spiritual, not only for people but also for angels. The Word communicates with the heavens through that meaning. Because the Word is inwardly spiritual, it was written entirely in correspondences. Anything that is written in correspondences has an outermost meaning that is written in a style like the one used by the prophets, by the Gospel writers, and in the Book of Revelation. Although that style appears poor, nevertheless it conceals within itself divine wisdom and all angelic wisdom.
For an explanation of correspondence, go to the work Heaven and Hell, published in London in 1758, and look at the treatment of the correspondence of everything in heaven with everything in the human being (87-102) and the correspondence of heaven with everything earthly (103-115). You will also be able to look more extensively at correspondences in the examples from the Word I am going to present below [196-199].
194. (i) WHAT THE SPIRITUAL SENSE IS.
The spiritual sense is not the one which transparently underlies the literal sense of the Word, when it is scrutinised and expounded to support some dogma of the church; such a sense can be called the literal sense of the Word as understood by the church. But the spiritual sense is not to be seen in the literal sense; it lies within it, like the soul in the body, or as what is thought by the understanding shows in the eyes, or as the affection of love shows in the face. This sense is the principal reason why the Word is spiritual, not only for human beings, but also for the angels. This is why this sense enables the Word to act as a channel of communication with the heavens. Since the Word is inwardly spiritual, it was composed simply by the use of correspondences; anything written by using correspondences emerges in its outermost sense as resembling the style used by the Prophets, the Gospels and Revelation. For all that it seems ordinary, it still has stored within it Divine wisdom and all the wisdom of the angels. The nature of correspondence may be seen from My HEAVEN AND HELL (published in London in 1758), where there is a section (87-102) on the correspondence of everything in heaven with everything in man, and another on the correspondence of everything in heaven with everything on earth (103-115); and it will be further demonstrated by the examples from the Word, which I shall quote below.
194. (1) What the spiritual sense is. The spiritual sense is not the sense that shines forth from the sense of the letter of the Word when one is studying it and so construing it as to confirm some dogma of the church. That may be called the literal and ecclesiastical sense of the Word. The spiritual sense is not apparent in the sense of the letter; it is interiorly within it as the soul is in the body, as the thought of the understanding is in the eyes, or the love's affection in the face. It is that sense chiefly that makes the Word spiritual, not only for men but for angels also; and therefore by means of that sense the Word has communication with the heavens. As the Word is inwardly spiritual it was written purely by correspondences; and because it was written by correspondences in its outmost sense it was written in a style like that of the Prophets, the Gospels, and the Apocalypse, which, although commonplace in appearance, still conceals within it Divine wisdom and all angelic wisdom. What correspondence is can be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, (published in London, 1758), in the chapter on The Correspondence of all things of Heaven with all things in Man (n. 87-102); and on The Correspondence of all things of Heaven with all things on Earth (n. 103-115); and it will be further explained by examples from the Word cited below.
194. (1) WHAT THE SPIRITUAL SENSE IS.
The spiritual sense of the Word is not that which shines from the sense of the Letter when any one searches the Word and explains it to prove some dogma of the Church. This may be called the literal and ecclesiastical sense of the Word; but the spiritual sense is not apparent in the sense of the Letter; it is interiorly within it, as the soul is in the body, or as the thought of the understanding is in the eye, or as the affection of love is in the countenance. It is this sense especially that makes the Word spiritual, not only for men, but also for angels; and therefore the Word by means of this sense communicates with the heavens. Since the interior content of the Word is spiritual, it is written by pure correspondences; and what is thus written exhibits in its ultimate sense the style of the Prophets, the Evangelists and the Revelation. This style, ordinary as it may appear, yet has stored up within it all Divine and angelic wisdom. What is meant by correspondence may be seen in the work entitled, "Heaven and Hell," published in London in 1758, where it treats of the correspondence of all things in heaven with all things in man, (87-202); and the correspondence of all things in heaven with all things on earth, (103-115). This will be more fully explained by examples from the Word; and these will be given presently.
194. I. QUID SENSUS SPIRITUALIS. Sensus spiritualis non est ille, qui e sensu literae Verbi elucet, quando quis scrutatur et explicat Verbum ad confirmandum Ecclesiae quoddam dogma; hic sensus potest vocari sensus Verbi literalis et Ecclesiasticus; sed Sensus spiritualis non apparet in sensu literae; est intus in illo, sicut anima in corpore, sicut cogitatio intellectus in oculis, ac sicut affectio amoris in facie. Ille sensus principaliter facit, ut Verbum sit spirituale, non modo pro hominibus, sed etiam pro angelis; quare Verbum per illum Sensum communicat cum Coelis. Quoniam Verbum interius est Spirituale, ideo per meras Correspondentias conscriptum est, et quod scriptum est per Correspondentias, hoc in sensu ultimo scriptum est tali stylo, quali apud Prophetas, Evangelistas, et in Apocalypsi, qui tametsi apparet vulgaris, usque ille Sapientiam Divinam, et omnem Angelicam in se recondit. Quid Correspondentia, 1 videri potest in Opere de COELO ET INFERNO Londini 1758 2 edito, ubi actum est de Correspondentia omnium Coeli cum omnibus hominis, 87-102. Et de Correspondentia omnium Coeli cum omnibus Telluris, 103-115; et amplius videbitur ab Exemplis e Verbo infra adducendis.
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