二、独一上帝是实体与形式本身及受造形像的根源
20# 独一上帝是实体本身，也是形式本身；天使与人都是从祂而出的实体与形式。他们住在祂里面、祂也住在他们里面到何种程度，他们就成为祂的形像与样式到何种程度。
上帝既是 “存在本身”，便也是实体。因为存在若不落实为实体，就只是一个空洞的理性概念 —— 实体乃是独立自存之物。既是实体，便也必是形式，因为实体若不具备形式，同样只是一个空洞的理性概念。因此，二者皆可用来称谓上帝，其核心义涵是：祂是独一的、自性的、原初的实体与形式。
这一形式就是人本身，换言之，上帝就是人本身，祂的一切属性都是无限的。这一点已于 1763 年阿姆斯特丹出版的《圣爱与圣智》中详加阐明。同理，天使与人都是受造的、具备特定组织构造的实体与形式，为要借着灵界领受流入其内的神性。因此，《创世记》中称他们为上帝的 “形像和样式”（1:26-27）；别处经文中又称他们为上帝的儿女，是从祂而生的。人活在神性的治理之下、也就是让自己顺服上帝引导到何种程度，他就从内而外、日加深切地成为祂的形像。这一点将在本书后续章节多处加以阐明。
人若不对上帝建立 “祂是原初的实体与形式”“祂的形式就是人本身” 的正确观念，便极易对上帝本身、对人的起源、对世界的创造生出诸般错谬幻象。论到上帝，他们所得的观念不过是宇宙自然的原初状态，无非是某种广延，甚或虚空与虚无；论到人的起源，只当是元素偶然汇聚而成的形态；论到世界的创造，便以为实体与形式起源于点，继而由几何线条衍生而来 —— 这些事物毫无实质内容，本身不过是虚无。在这等人心中，教会的一切都如同冥河或地狱中的黑暗。
20# （2）这独一神是实质本身和形式本身，天使和世人是来自祂的实质和形式；他们在祂里面，祂在他们里面到何等程度，他们就在何等程度上是祂的形像和样式。既然神是存在，那么祂也是实质，因为除非存在是实质，否则它就是一个想象的实体，或心智的虚构物；事实上，实质就是持续存在的实体，或拥有持续存在。此外，一个人若是一种实质，也是一种形式，因为除非一种实质是一种形式，否则它就是一个想象的实体，或心智的虚构物。因此，实质和形式都可以论及神，但前提是，神是独一的，是真正的、最初的实质和形式。这种形式就是真正的人类形式，也就是说，神是真正的人，在各个方面都是无限的，这一点已经在1763年于阿姆斯特丹发表的《圣爱与圣智》一书说明了；那里还说明，天使和世人是被创造和组织的实质和形式，以接收经由天堂流入他们的神性之物。因此，在创世记，他们被称为“神的形像和样式”（创世记1:26，27）；在别的地方被称为“祂的儿子”、“从祂生的”。在这本书的过程中，它将充分证明，人在神性指导下生活，也就是说，让自己被神引导到何等程度，他就在何等程度上越来越从内层成为神的形像。
如果人们的心智没有形成这个观念：神是最初的实质和形式，祂的形式正是人的形式，那么关于神自己、人的起源和创世，它们很容易陷入幽灵般的幻想。它们对神没有其它概念，只是把祂视为在其最初原则中的自然或宇宙本质，因而视为宇宙的穹苍，或空虚、虚无。它们会认为人的起源就是各个元素偶然汇聚成这种形式；而创世是源于点，后来又源于几何线的实质和形式的组合，这些点和几何线本质上什么都不是，因为没有任何东西能论及它们。在这些心智中，属于教会的一切就像冥河，或塔耳塔洛斯的幽暗。
20. 2. The one God is substance itself and form itself. Angels and people are substances and forms from him. To the extent that they are in him and he is in them, to that extent they are images and likenesses of him. Because God is the underlying reality, he is also substance. Unless the underlying reality becomes substance it is a figment of the imagination; but as a substance it becomes an entity. And one who is substance is also form, for substance without form is another figment of the imagination. We can attribute both of these to God, provided he is seen as the sole, the only, and the archetypal substance and form.
The work Divine Love and Wisdom, published in Amsterdam in 1763, demonstrates that God's form is the human form itself, that is, that God is the Human Being, and all God's attributes are infinite. That work also shows that angels and people are substances and forms that have been created and arranged to receive divine qualities flowing into them through heaven. In the Book of Creation they are called images and likenesses of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Elsewhere they are called God's children and people born of God.
As the sequence of topics in this book will show in many ways, the more we live under divine guidance, meaning the more we submit to God's leading, the more and more deeply we become an image of God.
If human minds do not form an idea of God as the archetypal substance and form, and of God's form as the Human Form itself, they render themselves highly susceptible to delusions and speculations about God, about the development of the human race, and about the creation of the world. Their thought of God is restricted to a thought of the expanse of nature underlying the universe, or else a thought about emptiness or nothing at all. The development of the human race they think of as a lucky coincidence - elements just happened to come together in this form. As for the creation of the world, they see its substances and forms as originating in geometry's points and then lines; and because these are nondimensional and one-dimensional they are actually nothing. In such minds, everything that has to do with the church is like the river Styx or the thick darkness in Tartarus.
20. (ii) THE ONE GOD IS SUBSTANCE ITSELF AND FORM ITSELF, AND ANGELS AND MEN ARE SUBSTANCES AND FORMS DERIVED FROM HIM; TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY ARE IN HIM AND HE IN THEM, SO FAR ARE THEY IMAGES AND LIKENESSES OF HIM.
Since God is Being, He is also substance, for unless being is substance, it is an imaginary entity, for substance is a subsisting entity. One who is substance must also be form, for substance without form is an imaginary entity. Both can therefore be predicated of God, but on condition that He is the sole, very and prime substance and form. It was proved in THE WISDOM OF THE ANGELS ON THE DIVINE LOVE AND THE DIVINE WISDOM (published at Amsterdam in 1763) that this form is the very form of man, that is, God is very man, and all of his attributes are infinite; and likewise that angels and men are substances and forms created and ordered so as to receive the Divine influences reaching them through heaven. In the Book of Creation they are therefore called images and likenesses of God (Genesis 1:26-27); elsewhere they are called His sons and begotten of Him. It will be proved at length in the course of this book that in so far as a man lives under Divine guidance, that is, allows himself to be led by God, so far does he become, more and more inwardly, an image of God.
[2] If the minds of men did not form the idea that God is prime substance and form, and that His form is the very form of man, they would easily fall into fantastic, ghost-like, ideas about God Himself, the origin of man and the creation of the world. They could not avoid thinking of God as the primeval nature of the universe, and consequently as its expanse, or as it were a void or nothingness. They would think of the origin of man as if it were a fortuitous concourse of atoms to make, such a form; of the creation of the world as owing its substances and forms to geometric points and lines, which since they lack attributes are in themselves non-existent. In the case of such people everything relating to the church is like the river Styx or the thick darkness of Tartarus.
20. (2) This One God is Substance itself and Form itself and angels and men are substances and forms from Him, and so far as they are in Him and He in them are images and likenesses of Him. As God is Esse He is also Substance; for unless Esse is substance it is a figment of the reason; for substance has subsistent being. Moreover, one who is a substance is also a form; for unless a substance is a form it is a figment of the reason. Wherefore both substance and form may be predicated of God, but in the sense that He is the only, the very, and the primal Substance and Form. That this Form is the verily Human Form, that is, that God is verily Man, infinite in every respect, has been shown in Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, published at Amsterdam in 1763; where it is also shown that angels and men are substances and forms created and organized for receiving what is Divine flowing into them through heaven. For this reason they are called in the Book of Creation "images and likenesses of God" (Genesis 1:26, 27); and elsewhere "His sons," and "born of Him." In the course of this work it will be fully shown that so far as man lives under Divine direction, that is, suffers himself to be led by God, so far he becomes an image of God more and more interiorly. Unless an idea is formed of God as the primal Substance and Form, and of His Form as the verily Human Form, the human mind may easily involve itself in spectral fancies about God Himself, the origin of man, and the creation of the world. It would then have no other conception of God than as the nature of the universe in its first principles, that is, as its expanse, or else as emptiness or nothingness; nor any other conception of man's origin than as a flowing together of elements into that form by mere chance; nor of the creation of the world than that its substances and forms originated in points, and afterwards in geometrical lines, which are essentially nothing, because nothing can be predicated of them. In such minds everything belonging to the church is like the Styx or like Tartarean darkness.
20. (2) THE ONE GOD IS SUBSTANCE ITSELF AND FORM ITSELF, AND ANGELS AND MEN ARE SUBSTANCES AND FORMS FROM HIM; AND AS FAR AS THEY ARE IN HIM, AND HE IN THEM, SO FAR ARE THEY IMAGES AND LIKENESSES OF HIM.
Since God is Being (Esse), He also is Substance, for unless Being is Substance it is only a figment of the mind. For substance is an entity that subsists; and He who is a substance is also a form, for unless a substance is also a form, it is only a figment of the mind. Therefore both substance and form can be predicated of God, but in such a way that He is the only, the very, and the first Substance and Form. That this Form is the very Human Form, that is, that God is very Man, in whom are all things in an infinite degree, is shown in the work entitled, THE ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING THE DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM, published at Amsterdam, in the year 1763. It is also shown there that angels and men are substances and forms created and organized to receive Divine things flowing into them through heaven; therefore in the Book of Genesis they are called images and likenesses of God, Genesis 1:26-27; and in other places, "His sons," and "born of Him." In the course of this work it will be fully demonstrated that, as far as a man lives under the Divine guidance, that is, as far as he suffers himself to be led by the Lord, so far he becomes, more and more interiorly, an image of Him. Unless the idea were formed of God that He is the first Substance and Form, and that His Form is the very Human Form, the minds of men would readily acquire for themselves vague, fantastic ideas concerning God Himself, the origin of man, and the creation of the world. They would regard God as nature in her first principles, as the expanse of the universe, or as an empty unreality. They would think of the origin of men as a concatenation of elements fortuitously adopting the human form; and of the creation of the world as a combination of substances and forms derived from points and geometrical lines, which, as nothing can be predicated of them, are in themselves nothing. With such minds, everything of the Church is, as it were, involved in Stygian 1 darkness, or gloom of Tartarus. 2
Footnotes:
20. II. QUOD UNUS ILLE DEUS SIT IPSA SUBSTANTIA ET IPSA FORMA, ET QUOD ANGELI ET HOMINES SINT SUBSTANTIAE ET FORMAE EX IPSO; ET QUOD QUANTUM 1 ILLI IN IPSO SUNT, ET IPSE IN ILLIS, TANTUM SINT IMAGINES ET SIMILITUDINES IPSIUS. Quoniam Deus est Esse, etiam est Substantia, nam Esse nisi sit substantia, est ens rationis, substantia enim est ens subsistens; 2 et qui est substantia, etiam est forma, nam substantia nisi sit forma, est ens rationis; quare de Deo praedicari potest utraque, sed ita, quod sit Substantia et Forma unica, ipsa, et prima: quod haec Forma sit ipsa Humana, hoc est, quod Deus sit Ipse Homo, cujus omnia Infinita sunt, 3 in SAPIENTIA ANGELICA DE DIVINO AMORE ET DIVINA SAPIENTIA, Amstelodami Anno MDCCLXIII, vulgata, demonstratum est; similiter quod Angeli et Homines sint substantiae et formae creatae et organizatae ad recipiendum Divina per Coelum influentia in se; quare in Libro creationis vocantur Imagines et Similitudines Dei, Genesis 1:26-27, et alibi, quod sint filii Ipsius et nati ab Ipso; at quod quantum homo sub auspicio Divino vivit, hoc est, patitur se duci a Deo, tantum fiat Ipsius imago interius et interius, in serie hujus Operis, multis demonstrabitur.
[2] Nisi de Deo formetur idea, quod sit prima Substantia et Forma, et de Forma Ipsius quod sit ipsa Humana, Mentes humanae sibi facile inducerent phantasias sicut spectra de Ipso Deo, de exortu hominum, et de Creatione Mundi; de Deo non aliam notionem sibi sumerent, quam sicut de Natura universi in suis primis, ita sicut de ejus Expanso, aut sicut de inani aut nihilo; de exortu hominum, sicut de confluxu elementorum in talem formam ex fortuito; de Creatione 4 Mundi, quod origo substantiarum et formarum ejus sit ex punctis et dein lineis geometricis, quae quia nullius praedicationis, ita in se non aliquid sunt; apud tales est omne Ecclesiae sicut Styx 5 aut caligo in Tartaro. 6
Footnotes:
1. Sic 18. ET QUOD QUANTUM ubi in prima editione ET QUANTUM.
2. Sic Errores Typographici.
3. Prima editio: suat.
4. Primo editio: Creationae.
5. Prima editio: styx.
6. Prima editio: tartaro.