40# 约翰福音另有经文记载：“父怎样在自己里面有生命，也照样赐给子在自己里面有生命”（约 5:26）。
此经文深意在于：亘古自有之神性本体，于自身内具足生命；祂于时间之中所取的人性，亦同样在自身之内拥有生命。所谓 “在自身中的生命”，乃是独一无对、自性本有的生命，一切天使与人，皆仰赖此生命方能存活。人可借自然界太阳所发之光，窥见此理：光本身不可被造，唯有承接光的形器方是受造之物。眼睛便是承接光明的形器，日光流入眼目，方才使人得见万物。生命之理亦是如此；前文已然阐明，生命即是灵性世界之太阳所放射的光，其本身非受造，恒常向外流注。此光既启明人的理智，亦赋予理智真实生命。
由是可知，光、生命、智慧本为一体，智慧不可被造；同理，信仰、真理、仁爱、仁义、良善皆非受造之物，唯有承接这一切的形器才是受造。人的心智、天使的心智，便是这般承载流注的形器。
【2】是以人当谨慎自省，不可自欺，以为自身凭己自有生命、自有智慧，凭己相信、爱人、辨明真理、发愿并践行良善。人若执此妄念，便是将心智自天上抛掷于尘世，由属灵沦为属世、感官与肉体之态；因其封闭心智高层，遂对一切关乎上帝、天堂与教会之事全然昏昧。彼时他对这类事理的思索、推论与言谈，尽属愚妄，身处黑暗之中，却生出虚妄自信，自认所持便是智慧。
心智高层本是生命真光居所，一旦闭塞，心智低层便全然敞开，仅能接纳尘世之光。此光一旦与属天真光隔绝，便是愚昧之光。在此光中，伪谬看似真理，真理反倒如同伪谬；依托伪谬而生的推演宛若智慧，依循真理而生的论断却被视作癫狂。这般人自以为目光如鹰，可洞察万物，实则面对属天智慧之事，所见竟不及蝙蝠身处白日之所见。
40# 我们在约翰福音中还读到：
父怎样在自己有生命，就赐给儿子也照样在自己有生命。（约翰福音5:26）
这句话的意思是，来自永恒的神性本身怎样在自己有生命，祂在时间中所取的人身也照样在自己有生命。在自己的生命是生命本身和独一的生命，或说是绝对和独一的生命，所有天使和世人都从这生命中拥有生命或活着。人类理性从自然界的太阳发出的光中就能看到这一点，因为这光是无法被创造出来的，但接受它的形式已经被创造出来了。例如，眼睛是接受这光的形式，从太阳流入的光使它们看见。这同样适用于生命；如前所述（TCR 39节），这生命是灵界的太阳发出的光；这光也是无法被创造出来的，但它会持续不断地流入；它既照亮人的理解力，也赋予它生命。因此，由于光、生命和智慧为一，所以智慧是无法被创造出来的。信仰、真理、爱、仁爱和良善也是无法被创造出来的；但接受它们的形式已经被创造出来了；这些形式就是人类和天使的心智。因此，要让每个人都务必小心，不要说服自己相信他从自己那里活着，有智慧，有信仰，热爱，感知真理，意愿和实行良善。事实上，任何人说服自己相信这些事到何等程度，他就在何等程度上把他的心智从天上扔到地上，从属灵的变成属世、感官和肉体的；因为他关闭了其心智的高层区域，从而使自己在与神、天堂和教会有关的一切事上变得盲目。这时，关于这些主题，他碰巧所思考、推理和所说的一切都是荒谬的，或都只是愚蠢，因为这一切都是在黑暗中完成的。而与此同时，他却自信满满或自欺欺人地认为，这都属于智慧，或这都是智慧的结果。因为当心智的高层区域，就是生命的真光所住的地方被关闭时，这些区域下面的心智区域就打开，只有世界的光被允许进入这个区域；当世界的光与高层区域的光分离时，它就是一种幻光，微弱并具有欺骗性；在这幻光中，虚假看似真理，真理看似虚假；基于虚假的推理看似智慧，基于真理的推理看似愚蠢或疯狂。在这种情况下，人自以为具有鹰一般的敏锐视力；而事实上，他看属于智慧的东西，几乎等于蝙蝠在白天看东西。
40. We also read in John, "As the Father has life in himself, so he also granted the Son to have life in himself" (John 5:26). This means that as the Divine itself that has existed from eternity is alive in itself, so also the human aspect that it acquired in time is alive in itself. "Life in itself" means the absolute and only life from which all angels and people on earth are alive.
Our reason is capable of seeing this in relation to the light that radiates from the sun in the physical world. That light cannot be created, but the forms for receiving it can. Our eyes are forms tuned to receive that light. When the light flows in from the sun, we see. It is similar with life. Life, as I just pointed out [39], is light radiating from the sun in the spiritual world. That light too cannot be created, but it is at all times flowing in. As it enlightens our intellect, it also brings it to life. Because light, life, and wisdom are one, wisdom cannot be created either, nor can faith, truth, love, goodwill, or goodness; but forms for receiving those things have been created. They are human and angelic minds.
Be very careful, then, not to convince yourself that you are alive from yourself - do not think you are wise, have faith, are loving, perceive truth, or will or do what is good from yourself. As people do convince themselves of these things, they cast their mind down from heaven to earth and change from being spiritual to being oriented to nature, their own senses, and their own body. They close the higher regions of their mind. Doing so blinds them to everything having to do with God, heaven, or the church. Then whatever they happen to think, reason, or say on these subjects is ridiculous, because they are in the dark. At the same time, ironically, they gain greater confidence in the wisdom of their perspective. Since the higher regions of their mind are closed, where the true light of life makes its home, a lower region of their mind opens up that is attuned only to the glimmer of the world. That glimmer, devoid of light from the higher regions, is faint and deceptive. In it, false things seem true and true things false; argumentation on false premises seems like wisdom, and on true premises seems like madness. People like this truly believe they have the visual powers of an eagle, when in fact they cannot see what comes from wisdom any more than a bat can see in broad daylight.
40. We also read in John:
As the Father has life in Himself, so did He grant the Son to have life in Himself, John 5:26.
This means that just as the Divine itself, which existed from eternity, has life in itself, so has the Human which it assumed in time. Life in itself is the very, sole life which enables angels and men to live. Human reason can grasp this by considering the light radiated by the sun of the natural world. This light is not capable of being created, but the forms which receive it are created; the eyes are designed to receive light, and it is the light radiated by the sun which enables them to see. It is the same with life, which, as said before, is light radiated by the sun of the spiritual world; this is not capable of being created, but by its continuous radiation as it were lights up and gives life to men's understanding. It follows that since light, life and wisdom are one, wisdom too cannot be created; and the same is true of faith, truth, love, charity and good. It is the forms which receive them which are created, namely, the minds of men and angels.
[2] Let everyone therefore beware of convincing himself that he owes his life to himself, or his intelligence, belief, love, perception of truth or his willing and doing good. In so far as he convinces himself of these ideas, so far does he cast down his mind earthwards from heaven, and from being spiritual becomes natural, influenced by the senses and the body. For he thus shuts off the higher regions of his mind, so that he becomes blinded to everything which relates to God, heaven and the church. Everything he may then think, reason and say is mere foolishness, because he is in darkness; yet at the same time he becomes confident that these are the products of wisdom. For when the higher regions of the mind, the abode of the true light of life, are shut off, the region of the mind below these, which is illuminated only by the faint glimmer of the world, is opened up. This glimmer, unsupported by the light of the higher regions, is a misleading illumination, in which falsities look like truths, and truths like falsities; reasoning from falsities looks like wisdom, and from truths like madness. Then a person believes himself to have the keenness of sight of an eagle, though he can see no more of wisdom than a bat in daytime.
40. We also read in John:
As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son also to have life in Himself (5:26),
which means that just as the Divine Itself, which was from eternity, has life in itself, so the Human, which He took on in time, has life in itself. Life in itself is the very and only life, from which all angels and men have life. This can be seen by human reason from the light that goes forth from the sun of the natural world, in that this light is not creatable, but that forms for receiving it have been created. For example, the eyes are forms for receiving this light, and light flowing in from the sun is what makes them to see. The same is true of life which (as has been said) is the light that goes forth from the sun of the spiritual world, in that it is not creatable, but flows in unceasingly, and as it illuminates it also vivifies man's understanding. So in consequence, as sight and life and wisdom are one, wisdom is not creatable, neither is faith, nor truth, nor love, nor charity, nor good; but forms for receiving these have been created; and these forms are human and angelic minds. Therefore let everyone beware of persuading himself that he lives from himself, or that he is wise, believes, loves, perceives truth, and wills and does good, from himself. For so far as anyone is so persuaded he casts his mind down from heaven to earth, and from being spiritual becomes natural, sensual, and corporeal; for he shuts up the higher regions of his mind, and thus makes himself blind in regard to every thing relating to God, heaven, and the church; and then all that he happens to think, reason, and say about these things is done in darkness and consequently in foolishness; while at the same time he adopts a confidence that it all belongs to wisdom. For when the higher regions of the mind, where the true light of life resides, are closed up, the region of the mind below these opens, into which the light of the world only is admitted; and when this light is separated from the light of the higher regions it is a delusive light, in which what is false seems true and what is true seems false, and reasoning from what is false appears to be wisdom, and from what is true to be folly. Then man believes himself to be endowed with the keen vision of an eagle, although he sees what belongs to wisdom no better than a bat sees in the light of day.
40. It is also written in John:
"As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself" 5:26.
By this is meant that as the Divine itself, which was from eternity, lives in itself, so also the Human, which it assumed in time, lives in itself. Life in itself is life itself and the only life, from which all angels and men live. Human reason may see this from the light which proceeds from the sun of the natural world. This light is not creatable, but the forms which receive it are created; for the eyes are its recipient forms, and the light flowing into them from the sun causes them to see. It is similar with life which, as has been said, is the light which proceeds from the Sun of the spiritual world. This light is not creatable, but continually flows in, and both illumines and vivifies the understanding of man. Consequently, since light, life and wisdom are one, wisdom is not creatable, nor are faith, truth, love, charity and good; but their recipient forms are created, and these forms are the minds of men and of angels. Let each one therefore beware lest he persuade himself that he lives from himself and that he is wise from himself: that he believes, loves, perceives truth, and wills and does good from himself. For as far as any one indulges in such persuasions so far does he turn his mind downward from heaven to earth, and from being spiritual he becomes natural, sensual and corporeal. In effect he closes the higher regions of his mind, and thus becomes blind to all that belongs to God, to heaven and to the Church. Then whatever he may happen to think, reason or say about these things is nothing but foolishness, because all is done in darkness; and yet he deludes himself that it is the result of wisdom. For when the higher regions of his mind are closed, where dwells the true light (lux) of life, there opens up below these a region of the mind to which only the light (lumen) of the world is admitted. When separated from the light (lux) of the higher regions this is a delusive light (lumen), in which falsities appear as truths and truths as falsities; and reasoning from falsities appears as wisdom and from truths as madness. In this case a man believes he possesses the keen sight of an eagle, whereas he no more sees the realities of wisdom than a bat sees in the light of noon-day.
40. Apud Johannem etiam legitur; Quemadmodum Pater habet vitam in Seipso, ita dedit etiam Filio vitam habere in Seipso, 5:26 per quod intelligitur, quod quemadmodum ipsum Divinum quod fuit ab aeterno, vivit in Se, ita quoque Humanum, quod suscepit in tempore, vivat in Se; Vita in se, est ipsa et unica Vita, e qua omnes angeli et homines vivunt. Ratio humana potest hoc videre ex Luce quae procedit ex Sole Mundi naturalis, quod haec non creabilis sit, sed quod formae recipientes illam creatae sint, oculi enim sunt ejus formae recipientes, et lux influens e Sole facit, ut illi videant: simile est cum Vita, quae, ut dictum, est Lux procedens ex Sole Mundi spiritualis, quod non creabilis sit, sed quod influat continue, ac sicut illuminat, etiam vivificet Intellectum hominis: consequenter, quod quia Lux, Vita, et Sapientia, unum sunt, Sapientia non creabilis sit, similiter nec fides, nec verum, nec amor, nec charitas, nec bonum, sed quod formae recipientes illa, creatae sint; Mentes humanae et angelicae sunt formae illae.
[2] Caveat itaque sibi quisque, ut persuadeat sibi, quod vivat ex se, tum quod sapiat, credat, amet, verum percipiat, et bonum velit et faciat ex se; quantum enim quis illa sibi persuadet, tantum mentem suam e Coelo in terram dejicit, et a spirituali fit naturalis, sensualis, et corporeus, occludit enim superiores regiones Mentis suae, unde quoad omnia quae Dei, quae Coeli, et quae Ecclesiae sunt, fit caecus, et tunc omne, quod de illis forte cogitat, ratiocinatur, et loquitur, fit in fatuitate, quia in tenebris, et tunc simul attrahit fiduciam quod illa sint sapientiae; occlusis enim regionibus mentis superioribus, ubi lux vitae vera habitat, aperit se regio mentis infra illas, in quam modo lumen Mundi admittitur, et hoc lumen separatum a luce superiorum, est lumen fatuum, in quo falsa apparent sicut vera, et vera sicut falsa, ac ratiocinatio ex falsis sicut sapientia, et ex veris sicut insania, et tunc ille credit se acie aquilae pollere, tametsi illa quae sapientiae sunt, non plus videt quam vespertilio in luce diurna.