351# 二、信仰真理的排列乃成系列，因而如同成束。
此事至今尚无人知晓；之所以不知，是因为构成整部圣言经纬的属灵真理，由于那种神秘而谜样的信仰——它构成今日神学每一点的全部内容——未能显现出来；于是这些真理便如粮仓沉入地下。
为使人知道“系列”与“束”所指为何，须略作说明。本书第一章论创造者上帝，便分为若干系列：第一，论上帝的独一性；第二，论上帝的存在——雅威；第三，论上帝的无限性；第四，论上帝的本质，即神性之爱与神性智慧；第五，论上帝的全能；第六，论创造。每一项中的条目构成一个系列；这些条目将其中所含之事如同捆束为一束。这些系列，无论总体而言还是个别而言，无论合而观之还是分而察之，都包含真理；这些真理照其丰富与相联，提升并完善信仰。
【2】谁若不知道人的心智是有组织的，或不知道它是一个属灵的有机体，终止于一个属世的有机体，并在其中、且照着它运行其观念或进行思维，他就只能以为：知觉、思想与观念无非是流入头脑之光的射线与变化，并在那里呈现出某些形状，人看见这些形状，并承认它们为理性根据。然而，这乃是妄想。因为人人都知道，头颅充满脑，脑是有组织的，心智居于其中；心智的观念也固定于其中，并照其被接受与确认的样式而存留。
因此问题是：这种组织究竟为何？回答是：它乃是万事排列成系列，如同排列成束；信仰的真理在人的心智中也正是如此被安置。此事可由下列事实加以说明：
【3】脑由两种物质构成：其一是腺状物质，称为皮质或灰质；其二是纤维状物质，称为髓质。第一种物质，即腺状物质，被排列成簇，如葡萄在葡萄树上成串；这些簇集便是它的系列。第二种物质，称为髓质，由从第一种物质的腺体中发出的纤维不断结成束而成；这些束集也是它的系列。凡由此发出、下行入身体以执行各样职能的神经，无非是纤维的束与束集；同样，一切肌肉，并一般而言，身体的一切脏腑与器官亦然。所有这些之所以如此，是因为它们与心智有机体所排列成的系列相对应。
【4】此外，在整个自然界中，没有任何事物不是结成系列之束的。每一棵树、每一丛灌木、每一株小树与菜蔬，甚至每一枝麦穗与每一根草，无论总体还是局部，皆是如此。其普遍原因在于：神性真理就是如此被形成的；因为经上记着说，万物都是藉着圣言，即神性真理而被造的，并且世界也是藉着祂造成的（约1:1及以下）。
由此可见，若人的心智中没有这样一种物质的排列，人便不会有任何理性的分析能力；而这种能力在每个人里面，乃是照着排列的状态而有，也就是说，照着如束相联的真理之丰富而有；并且这种排列，则照着人由自由而运用理性的情形而成。
351# （2）信之真理按系列来排列，因而可以说被捆成捆。这一点至今不为人知，因为由于形成当今神学的每一个要点或每一寸土地的神秘莫测的信仰，构成整部圣言的属灵真理无法被看到；结果，它们就像旧谷仓一样被埋在地里，或像地窖里的粮食一样被储存起来。下面要解释一下系列和捆是什么意思。本书第一章论述了神创造者，它被分成了一系列章节，其中第一节论述了神的一体性，第二节论述了神或耶和华的存在，第三节论述了神的无限，第四节论述了神的本质（即神性之爱和神性智慧），第五节论述了神的全能，第六节论述了创造。每一节的细分就构成了系列，这些系列的内容被捆起来，仿佛被捆成捆。这些系列，无论总体还是细节，因而无论联合还是单独，都包含真理，这些真理照着它们的数量和连贯性而提升并完善信仰。
如果一个人不知道人类心智是有组织的，或它是终止于属世有机体的属灵有机体，心智在属世有机体中并照着属世有机体而产生自己的观念或思考，那么他必以为，感知、思维和观念只是光的辐射和变化，这光流入头脑，并形成或创造人作为推理或思维过程来感知并承认的形式。然而，这是愚蠢的；因为众所周知，头部包含脑，脑是有组织的，心智就住在脑里面，心智的观念照着对它们的接受和确认而固定在那里，并成为永久性的。因此，问题是，这个组织的性质是什么？答案是，它是一切事物按系列，可以说成捆的排列，信之真理以这种方式在人类心智中被排列。情况就是这样，这一点可通过以下考虑来说明。
脑由两种物质构成，其中一种是腺体，被称为皮质和灰质；另一种是纤维，被称为髓质。第一种物质，或腺体，呈簇状排列，就像葡萄藤上的葡萄；这些簇状结构就是腺体的系列。第二种物质，或髓质，由从前一种物质的腺体中发出的不断成捆的小纤维组成；这些捆就是它的系列。从脑中发出，向下传到身体，以履行各种功能的一切神经，都只是纤维的束和捆；一切肌肉，以及总体上身体的一切内脏和器官也是如此。这一切具有这种性质，因为它们对应于心理有机体排列的系列。
此外，在整个自然界中，没有任何东西不是由小束或小捆的系列形成的；一切树木、灌木、青草和植物，事实上一切谷穗和一切草叶，无论整体还是部分，都是如此形成的。其普遍原因是，这是神性真理的构造，或神性真理的塑造方式；因为我们读到：
万物都是藉着圣言，即藉着神性真理创造的，世界也是藉着它造的。（约翰福音1:1等）
由此可见，除非人类心智里面有这种物质排列，否则人将没有分析推理的能力。每个人都照着这种排列，因而照着可以说以捆或束的形式连贯起来的真理的数量而拥有这种能力；这种排列与他出于自由对理性的运用是一致的。
351. [b] Truths of faith come together to form structures that are like fascicles of nerves. People are still not aware of this. They do not know about it, because the spiritual truths that form the whole fabric of the Word have been invisible as a consequence of the mystical and enigmatic faith that takes up every square inch of modern-day theology. The result is that spiritual truths have sunk into the ground like old barns.
So that you will know what I mean by "structures" that are like "fascicles of nerves," I offer this explanation. The first chapter of this book, which is on God the Creator, has parts that form its structure. The first part of that chapter is on the oneness of God, the second on the underlying divine reality or Jehovah, the third on the infinity of God, the fourth on the essence of God, which is divine love and wisdom, the fifth on God's omnipotence, and the sixth on creation. Each of these parts is further subdivided into points that form its structure. These points wrap up the teachings they contain and form something like sheaves. These structures, on both the larger and the smaller scale, both jointly and separately, contain truths that elevate and improve our faith depending on the quantity of truths we have and on the bonds that exist between these truths.
[2] The human mind is structured. It is a spiritual organism that terminates in a physical organism in which and according to which the mind thinks or produces its ideas. People who do not know this cannot help thinking that perceptions, thoughts, and ideas are just rays and variations of light flowing into their heads and creating forms that they see and recognize as the thought process. This is ridiculous. As everyone knows, our heads are full of brains, our brains are structured, our minds live in them, and our ideas become fixed and permanent there as we receive and reinforce these ideas.
The next question is, how is the mind organized? The answer is that all its parts are arranged to form structures that are like fascicles of nerves. The truths that constitute faith are also arranged this way in the human mind.
The truth of this can be illustrated by the following observations.
[3] The cerebrum consists of two substances. One of them is glandular; it is called the cortex or gray-matter. The other is made of fibrils and is called the medullary substance. The first of these two, the glandular substance, is arranged in clusters like grapes on a vine. These clusters, then, constitute the structure of the glandular substance. The other substance, the medullary one, consists of common bundles of fascicles of individual nerve fibrils that come from the glands of the first substance. These common bundles of nerve fascicles, then, constitute the structure of the medullary substance.
All the nerves that come from the brain and go down into the body to perform various functions there are nothing but sheaves and fascicles of fibers. So are all muscles, and all the internal organs and other organs of the body. All these parts have this form because they correspond to the structures of the organism of the mind.
[4] Furthermore, absolutely everything in the whole of nature has a structure that consists of common bundles of fascicles of fibers. Every tree, shrub, bush, and vegetable - in fact, every type of grass and herb - has this characteristic in whole and in part. The overall cause of this is that divine truths are shaped this way. We read that all things were created by the Word, that is, by divine truth; and also that the world was made by the Word (John 1:1 and following). From all this you can see that if the human mind lacked a comparable organization of its substances, we would lack the analytical reasoning power that we all have. This reasoning power depends on how organized our minds are; that is, it depends on our having a quantity of truths that are bound together like strands in a cable. The level of organization in our minds in turn depends on our use of reason in freedom.
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351. (ii) The truths of faith are arranged into groupings, and thus, so to speak, into bundles, a fact that up to the present has been unknown. The reason for this ignorance is that the spiritual truths, out of which the whole of the Word is woven, have been rendered invisible, because of the mystical and enigmatic faith which plays the leading role in present-day theology. As a result, they have sunk into the ground like silos.
It needs to be explained what is meant by groupings and bundles. The first chapter of this book, dealing with God the Creator, is divided into grouped topics, the first of which is on the oneness of God; the second is on the being of God, that is, Jehovah; the third on the infinity of God; the fourth on the essence of God, which is Divine love and Divine wisdom; the fifth on the omnipotence of God; and the sixth on creation. The separate points in each make up the grouping; they tie together the contents, as it were into handfuls. These groupings in common and in particular, so both taken all together and individually, contain truths, which in proportion to their volume and coherence raise the level of faith and bring it to perfection.
[2] If anyone is unaware that the human mind is organised, or is a spiritual organism terminating in a natural organism, in which and controlled by which the mind operates on its ideas or thinks, he cannot help holding the opinion that perceptions, thoughts and ideas are merely rays and variations of light falling upon the head and presenting forms which he sees and acknowledges as reasons. But this is nonsense, for everyone knows that the head is filled with brains, the brains are organised, and the mind lives in them, and its ideas are fixed and remain in it as they are received and proved. So the question is, what sort of organisation is there? The answer is that everything is arranged into groupings, as it were into bundles, and this is how the truths that make up faith are arranged in the human mind. This fact can be illustrated by the following considerations.
[3] The brain consists of two substances, one glandular, called the cortical and grey matter; the other is fibrillary and is called the medullary substance. The first substance, the glandular one, is arranged in clusters like grapes on a vine; these clusters are its groupings. The second substance, called medullary, is composed of continuous bundles of fibres projecting from the glands of the first substance. These bundles are its groupings. All the nerves, which project from those and lead down into the body to perform various functions, are simply handfuls and bundles of fibres; so too are all the muscles, and generally speaking all the viscera and organs of the body. Both classes are of such a nature because they correspond to the groupings in which the mind is organised.
[4] Moreover throughout Nature there is nothing which is not composed of bunches to form groupings. Every tree, every bush, plant and vegetable, indeed every ear of corn or blade of grass is both generally and in detail so constructed. The universal cause of this is that this is the way Divine truths are structured; for we read that all things were created by the Word, that is, by Divine truth, and that the world too was made by the Word (John 1:1ff). These facts can allow us to see that, if the human mind did not contain such an orderly arrangement of substances, human beings would not possess any powers of analytical reasoning. Everyone has such powers in proportion to the orderly arrangement of his mind, and so in proportion to the volume of truths cohering as it were in a bundle; and this arrangement depends upon his free use of his reason.
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351. (2) The Truths of Faith are disposed into Series, thus, as it were into bundles. This has been hitherto unknown. It is unknown because the spiritual truths of which the whole Word is composed could not be seen, owing to the mystical and enigmatical faith which forms every point of the present theology; consequently they have been buried in the earth like storehouses. To make clear what is meant by series and bundles, it shall be explained. The first chapter of this book, which treats of God the Creator, is divided into a series of sections, the first of which treats of the Unity of God, the second the Being of God or Jehovah, the third the Infinity of God, the fourth the Essence of God (which is Divine love and Divine wisdom) the fifth the Omnipotence of God, and the sixth Creation. The arrangement of each section into its articles constitutes the series, and the contents of these are bound together as if into bundles. These series in general and in particular, thus conjointly and separately, contain truths which, according to their abundance and coherence, exalt and perfect faith
[2] He who does not know that the human mind is organized, or that it is a spiritual organism terminating in a natural organism, in which and according to which the mind produces its ideas or thinks, must needs suppose that perceptions, thoughts, and ideas are nothing but radiations and variations of light flowing into the head, and presenting forms which man sees and acknowledges as reasons. But this is foolishness; for everyone knows that the head is full of brains, that the brains are organized, and that in them the mind dwells, and that its ideas are fixed therein, and are permanent so far as they are accepted and confirmed. The question is, therefore, What is the nature of that organization? The answer is, that it is an arrangement of all things in series, as it were in bundles, and that in this way the truths belonging to faith are arranged in the human mind. That it is so, may be illustrated as follows.
[3] The brain consists of two substances, one of which is glandular, and is called the cortical and cineritious substance, and the other fibrillous, and is called the medullary substance. The first, or the glandular substance, is arranged into clusters like grapes on a vine; these clustered formations are its series. The second, or the medullary substance, consists of perpetual bundlings of little fibers issuing from the glandules of the former substance; these bundlings are its series. All the nerves that proceed from the brain, and pass down into the body for the performance of various functions, are nothing but groups and bundles of fibers; in a like manner all the muscles, and in general all the viscera and organs of the body. All these are such because they correspond to the series in which the mental organism is arranged.
[4] Moreover, in all nature there is nothing that is not formed into series of little bundles; every tree, every bush, shrub and plant, nay, every ear of corn and blade of grass in whole and in part, is so formed. The universal cause is, that such is the confirmation of Divine truths; for we read that all things were created by the Word, that is, by Divine truth, and that the world also was made by it (John 1:1 seq.). From all this it can be seen that unless there were such an arrangement of substances in the human mind, man would possess no ability to reason analytically, which everyone has according to this arrangement, thus according to his supply of truths cohering, as it were, in a bundle; and the arrangement is in accord with his use of reason from freedom.
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351. (2) The truths of faith are arranged in series, and thus, as it were, into groups. This has hitherto been unknown, because spiritual truths, of which the whole Word is composed, could not be seen, on account of the mystical and enigmatical faith in which is summarized the whole of present-day theology; and they have, therefore, remained stored away like grain in underground cellars. The following will explain what is meant by series and groups. The first chapter of this book, treating of God the Creator, is divided into series: the first of these treats of the Unity of God; the second, of the Being of God or Jehovah; the third, of the Infinity of God; the fourth, of the Essence of God, which is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom; the fifth, of the Omnipotence of God; and the sixth, of Creation. The subdivisions of each subject form the series, and bind together the contents into groups. These series, in general and in particular, thus conjointly and separately, contain truths which, according to their number and coherence, exalt and perfect faith.
[2] He who does not know that the human mind is organized, or that it is a spiritual organism terminating in a natural organism, in which and according to which the mind operates ideas or thinks, must suppose that perceptions, thoughts and ideas are only radiations and variations of light flowing into the head, and setting up forms which a man perceives and acknowledges as reasons. This, however, is foolishness; for it is universally known that the head contains the brains, that the brains are organized, that the mind has its seat in them, and that its ideas acquire fixity there, becoming permanent according to their reception and confirmation. The question, therefore, arises, What is the nature of this organization? and the answer is, that it is the arrangement of all things in series, and as it were into groups, and that the truths of faith are so arranged in the human mind. That this is the case may be illustrated by the following considerations.
[3] The brain consists of two substances, one of which is glandular, called the cortical and cineritious substance, and the other fibrillous, called the medullary substance. The first, or glandular substance, is arranged in clusters, like grapes on a vine. These clustered formations are its series. The other, called the medullary substance, consists of continual groupings of little fibres proceeding from the glands of the former, and these groupings form its series. All the nerves which proceed from the brain and pass down into the body, for the performance of various functions, are nothing but groups and bundles of fibres, and so are all the muscles, and in general, all the viscera and organs of the body. All these are of such a nature, because they correspond to the series in which the mental organism is arranged.
[4] Moreover, in all nature there is nothing which is not formed in series, composed of little groups; every tree, shrub, herb and plant, in fact every ear of corn and blade of grass, in general and in particular, is so formed. The universal cause of this is that Divine truths have such a conformation; for it is written that all things were created by the Word, that is by Divine Truth, and that the world also was made by it, John 1:1 and following verses. From this it may be seen that, unless there was such an arrangement of substances in the human mind, man would possess no power to reason analytically. This power every one enjoys according to this arrangement, and thus according to the number of truths cohering in group form; and this arrangement is according to his use of reason from freedom.
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351. QUOD DISPOSITIO VERITATUM FIDEI SIT IN SERIES, ITA SICUT IN FASCICULOS; quod ita sit, adhuc ignoratur, et ignoratur quia Veritates spirituales, ex quibus totum Verbum contextum est, propter mysticam et aenigmaticam fidem, quae facit omne punctum Theologiae hodiernae, non potuerunt apparere, et ideo, sicut horrea subsiderunt in terram. Ut sciatur quid intelligitur per series et fasciculos, explicabitur; Primum Caput hujus Libri, quod agit de Deo Creatore, distinctum est in Series, quarum prima est de Unitate Dei, secunda de Esse Dei seu Jehovah, tertia de Infinitate Dei, quarta de Essentia Dei, quae est Divinus Amor et Divina Sapientia, quinta de Omnipotentia Dei, et sexta de Creatione; articulationes cujusvis faciunt series, confasciant illa quae inibi sicut in manipulos. Hae series in communi et in particulari, ita conjunctim et seorsim, continent veritates, quae secundum copiam et simul cohaerentiam exaltant et perficiunt fidem.
[2] Qui non scit, quod Mens humana sit organizata, aut quod sit organismus spiritualis desinens in organismum naturalem, in quo et secundum quem Mens operatur suas ideas seu cogitat, non potest aliter opinari, quam quod perceptiones, cogitationes et ideae non sint aliud quam radiationes et variationes lucis influentes in caput, et sistentes formas, quas homo videt et agnoscit ut rationes; sed hoc delirum est, nam quisque scit, quod Caput sit plenum Cerebris, et quod Cerebra sint organizata, et quod Mens illis inhabitet, et quod ejus ideae inibi figantur et maneant sicut acceptae et confirmatae sunt; quaeritur itaque, qualis est illa organizatio; respondetur, quod sit ordinatio omnium in series, sicut in fasciculos, et quod veritates quae fidei sunt in Mente humana ita dispositae sint: quod ita sit, illustrari potest per sequentia haec,
[3] Quod Cerebrum consistat ex binis substantiis, quarum una est glandularis, et vocatur corticalis et cineritia, ac altera fibrillaris et vocatur medullaris; prima substantia quae est glandularis, disposita est in racemos, sicut uvae in vite; racemationes illae sunt ejus series: altera substantia, quae vocatur medullaris, constat ex perpetuis confasciculationibus fibrillarum prodeuntium ex glandulis prioris substantiae; hae confasciculationes sunt ejus series; omnes Nervi qui inde 1 procedunt, et demittuntur in corpus ad fungendum 2 variis muniis, non sunt nisi quam manipuli et fasciculi fibrarum, pariter omnes musculi, et in genere omnia viscera et organa corporis: haec et illa talia sunt, quia correspondent seriebus, in quas organismus mentis dispositus est.
[4] Praeterea in universa Natura non datur aliquid, quod non confasciculatum est in series: omnis arbor, omne arbustum, virgultum et legumen, imo omnis spica et herba, in communi et in parte, ita est. Causa universalis est, quia Divinae Veritates ita conformatae sunt, nam legitur, quod omnia per Verbum, hoc est, Divinum Verum, creata sint, et quod Mundus etiam per illud factus sit, Johannes 1:1. seq. Ex his videri potest, quod nisi in Mente humana talis ordinatio substantiarum esset, non foret homini aliquod analyticum rationis, quod cuivis est secundum ordinationem, ita secundum copiam veritatum sicut in fasce cohaerentium, et ordinatio secundum usum rationis ex libero.
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