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真实的基督教 第420节

(一滴水译,2017)

仁爱和善行如祝愿和行善那样是两回事


  420.人皆有一个内在和一个外在。被称为内在人的,就是内在,被称为外在人的,就是外在。人若不知道何为内在人和外在人,或许以为内在人就是进行思考和意愿的那一个,而外在人则是进行言说和行动的那一个。不可否认,言语和行为是外在人的功能,思维和意愿是内在人的功能;不过,本质上构成内在人和外在人的,并不是它们。众所周知,人的心智就是内在人;不过,心智本身被分为两个区域:其中更高更内层的那一个是属灵的,更低更外层的那一个是属世的。属灵的心智专注于灵界,注意的对象是灵界事物,无论是天堂中的,还是地狱里的;天堂和地狱都是灵界的一部分。然而,属世的心智专注于尘世,注意的对象是尘世事物,无论善的还是恶的。人的一切行为和话语都直接出自其心智的低层区域,间接出自高层区域,因为心智的低层区域更接近身体感觉,而高层区域则离它们更远一些。人类心智有这样的划分,是因为他们同时被造为属灵和属世的,因而不是动物,而是人类。
  这清楚表明,首先关注尘世和自己的人是外在人,因为无论身体还是心智,他都是属世的。首先关注属天堂和教会之物的人是内在人,因为无论身体还是心智,他都是属灵的;他在身体方面也是属灵的,因为他的行为和话语都是从其属灵的高层心智经由属世的低层心智发出的。众所周知,结果是从身体发出的,产生结果的原因是从心智发出的;并且原因是结果的全部。人的心智就是如此划分的,这可从以下事实明显看出来:人能戴上面具,扮演谄媚者、伪君子和演员的角色;他能表面上同意别人说的话,暗地里却嘲笑它;嘲笑出自他的高层心智,同意出自他的低层心智。

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真实的基督教 #420 (火能翻译,2015)

420. 每一個都有個內在與外在。內在也可稱為"內在人", 外在也可稱為"外在人"。人若不知道內在人與外在人是什麼, 可能會認為內在人是意志與認知的源頭, 而動作與言辭來自外在人。不可否認, 動作與言辭是外在人的功能, 認知與意志是內在人的功能; 不過, 它們並非構成內在與外在人的本質。通常的理解, 人的思想便是內在人。不過思想本身被分為兩個區域:其中在上在內的那個區域是屬靈的, 在下在外的另一個是屬世的。屬靈的思想主要專注於屬靈世界(或心靈世界), 專注的對象是屬靈世界的事物, 不管是存在于天國的, 還是存在於地獄的(天國與地獄都是屬靈世界的一部分)。另一方面, 屬世思想主要關注於屬世的(世俗的或物質的)世界, 涉及的是這個世界上的事物, 不管是善的還是惡的。

一個人所有的動作與言辭直接來自於他思想的低層區域, 間接來自於高層區域, 因為思想的低層區域與肉體的感覺更接近, 而高層區域離肉體感覺則更遠。人類思想如此被分開, 因為他們被同時造為屬靈與屬世, 因而不是動物, 而是人。

由此明顯看出, 一個首要專注世界和自己的人是個外在之人, 因為不論是身體還是思想, 他都是屬世的。一個首要專注天國與教會之事的人是內在之人, 因為不論是身體還是思想, 他都是屬靈的。身體也是屬靈, 因為他的動作與言辭從高層思想(屬靈的),經過低層思想(屬世的)而來。眾所周知, 這些結果來自於身體, 而造成結果的原因來自於思想, 並且原因決定結果的各方各面。

人的思想如此劃分, 可從以下事實明顯看出:人能夠假裝,諂媚,偽善與表演。儘管認為別人的觀點荒謬可笑時, 卻能表示贊同; 取笑來自於高層的思想, 贊同來自低層思想。


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True Christianity #420 (Rose, 2010)

420. Goodwill and Good Actions Are Two Distinct Things: Wishing People Well and Treating Them Well

All people have an inner level and an outer level. Their inner level is called the inner self and their outer level is called the outer self. Nevertheless, someone who does not know what the inner and outer selves are could believe that our inner self is the source of our thinking and willing and our outer self is the source of our speaking and action. These are indeed inner and outer aspects of us, but they do not constitute the essence of our inner and outer selves. The human mind is indeed commonly held to be the inner self, but in actuality the mind is divided into two regions. One of the regions is spiritual; it is higher and farther within. The other is earthly; it is lower and farther outside. Our spiritual mind focuses principally on the spiritual world. It deals with the things in that world, whether they are the kind that exist in heaven or the kind that exist in hell. (Both kinds are in the spiritual world.) The earthly mind, on the other hand, focuses principally on the earthly realm. It deals with the things in this world, whether good or evil.

All our action and speaking emanates from the lower region of our mind through a direct route. Ultimately, however, it comes from the higher region of our mind, although the route is indirect because the lower region is closer to the senses in our body, while the higher region is farther away from them. This division within our mind exists because we have been created to be spiritual and earthly at the same time, and therefore to be human, not animal.

These points make it clear that people who focus primarily on themselves and worldly things are external people. They are earthly not only in body but also in mind. People who focus primarily on things that relate to heaven and the church are internal people. They are spiritual in both mind and body. They are spiritual in body as well because their actions and words come from their higher mind, which is spiritual, through their lower mind, which is earthly. (As people generally know, effects come from our body, while the causes that produce those effects come from our mind; the cause shapes every aspect of the effect.)

It is obvious that the human mind has been divided in this way from the fact that people are able to pretend, to flatter, to be hypocritical, or to playact. They can agree with what someone else is saying and nevertheless view it as ridiculous. They do the former in their lower mind, the latter in their higher one.

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True Christian Religion #420 (Chadwick, 1988)

420. VII. Charity and good deeds are two different things, as are wishing well and doing good.

Everyone has an internal and an external. The internal is what is called the internal man, the external is what is called the external man. Anyone who is unaware of what the internal and external man are, might think that the internal man is the one who thinks and wills, and the external man is the one who speaks and acts. Admittedly speech and action are functions of the external man, and thought and will of the internal man; but they are not essentially what constitute the external and internal man. As commonly understood it is a person's mind which is the internal man; but the mind itself is divided into two zones, and the one which is higher and interior is spiritual, the other which is lower and exterior is natural. The spiritual mind concentrates on the spiritual world and the objects of its attention are the contents of that world, either the kind of things to be found in heaven, or the kind to be found in hell; both heaven and hell are part of the spiritual world. The natural mind, however, concentrates upon the natural world, and the objects of its attention are the contents of that world, whether good or evil. Every action and utterance by a person comes directly from the lower zone of his mind, and indirectly from the higher zone, since the lower zone of the mind is closer to the bodily senses, and the higher zone is more distant from them. Human beings have this division of the mind, because they were created to be simultaneously spiritual and natural, and thus not animals but human beings.

[2] This shows plainly that a person who looks to the world and himself in the first place is an external man, because he is natural not only in body but also in mind, while a person who looks in the first place to what belongs to heaven and the church is an internal man, because he is spiritual in both mind and body. He is spiritual in body too, because his actions and utterances come from his higher mind, which is spiritual, by way of the lower mind, which is natural. For it is well known that effects come from the body, and the causes which produce them from the mind, and the cause is wholly in the effect. This division of the human mind is obvious from the fact that a person can put on a pretence, or play the part of a toady, hypocrite and actor; he can assent to another's statements, while yet laughing at them. The laughter comes from his higher mind, the assent from the lower.

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True Christian Religion #420 (Ager, 1970)

420. VII. CHARITY AND GOOD WORKS ARE TWO DISTINCT THINGS, LIKE WILLING WELL AND DOING WELL.

In every man there is an internal and an external. His internal is what is called the internal man, and his external what is called the external man. But one who does not know what the internal man and the external man are, may suppose that it is the internal man that exercises thought and will, and the external that speaks and acts. These latter belong, indeed, to the external man, and the former to the internal; yet they are not what essentially constitute the external and internal man. In common perception indeed man's mind is his internal man, but the mind is itself divided into two regions; the one region which is higher and more internal is spiritual; and the other which is lower and more external is natural. The spiritual mind looks mainly to the spiritual world, and has for its objects the things that are there, either such as are in heaven or such as are in hell; for both are in the spiritual world. But the natural mind looks mainly to the natural world, and has for its objects the things that are there, whether good or evil. All of man's action and speech proceeds from the lower region of the mind directly, and indirectly from its higher region, since the lower region of the mind is nearer to the bodily senses, and the higher region more remote from them. There is this division of the mind in man, because he was so created as to be both spiritual and natural, and thus a man and not a beast. All this makes clear that the man who looks primarily to himself and the world is an external man, because he is natural, not only in body but also in mind; while the man who looks primarily to the things of heaven and the church is an internal man, because he is spiritual both in mind and body. He is spiritual even in body, because his actions and words proceed from the higher mind, which is spiritual, through the lower, which is natural. For it is known that effects proceed from the body, and the causes that produce the effects proceed from the mind; also that the cause is everything in the effect. That the human mind is so divided is clearly evident from the fact that a man can act the part of a dissembler, a flatterer, a hypocrite, or an actor; and that he can assent to what another says and yet laugh at it; doing one from the higher mind and the other from the lower.

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True Christian Religion #420 (Dick, 1950)

420. VII. CHARITY AND GOOD WORKS ARE TWO DISTINCT THINGS, LIKE WILLING WHAT IS GOOD AND DOING WHAT IS GOOD.

With every man there is an internal and an external. His internal is what is called the internal man, and his external the external man. He who does not know what the internal man is, and what the external, may suppose that the internal man is that which thinks and wills, and the external that which speaks and acts. It is true, indeed, that speech and action are of the external man, and thought and will of the internal; but nevertheless, these are not what essentially constitute the external and the internal man. According to the common idea, man's mind is the internal man. The mind itself, however, is divided into two regions, namely, the spiritual region, which is higher and interior, and the natural region, which is lower and exterior. The spiritual mind looks principally to the spiritual world, and has for its objects the things of that world, whether they are in heaven or in hell; for both these are in the spiritual world. The natural mind, however, looks principally to the natural world, and has for its objects the things of that world, whether good or evil. All man's action and speech proceed directly from the lower region of the mind, and indirectly from the higher region, since the lower region of the mind is nearer to the bodily senses, and the higher region more remote from them. Man's mind is thus divided, because he was created to be both spiritual and natural, and thus a man and not a beast.

From this it is evident that a man who primarily regards the world and himself is an external man, because he is natural not only in body but also in mind; while the man who primarily looks to the things of heaven and the Church is an internal man, because he is spiritual both in mind and in body. He is spiritual even in body, because his actions and speech proceed from the higher mind which is spiritual, through the lower which is natural; for it is well known that effects proceed from the body, and the causes which produce them, from the mind, and that the cause is wholly in the effect. It is evident that the human mind is thus divided, because a man has the power to play the part of a dissembler, a flatterer, a hypocrite, or an actor; and while assenting to what another says, he may hold it in ridicule. In this case he ridicules it from his higher mind, and assents to it from the lower.

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Vera Christiana Religio #420 (original Latin,1770)

420. Apud unumquemvis hominem est Internum et Externum; Internum ejus est quod vocatur Internus homo, et Externum quod vocatur Externus homo: sed qui non scit quid homo internus et externus, potest credere, quod homo internus sit qui cogitat et vult, et externus qui loquitur et agit; haec quidem sunt Externi hominis et illa Interni, sed usque non essentialiter faciunt Externum et Internum hominem; Mens hominis est quidem 1 in communi perceptione 2 Internus homo, sed ipsa Mens est divisa in duas Regiones; una Regio, quae est superior et interior, est spiritualis, altera quae est inferior et exterior est naturalis; Mens spiritualis spectat principaliter in Mundum spiritualem, et pro objectis habet illa, quae ibi sunt, sive sint talia quae in Coelo, sive talia quae in Inferno, utrumque enim in Mundo spirituali est, Mens autem naturalis spectat principaliter in Mundum naturalem, et pro objectis habet illa quae ibi sunt, sive bona sint sive mala; omnis actio et loquela hominis procedit ex regione inferiore mentis directe, et ex regione superiore 3 ejus indirecte, quoniam regio mentis inferior est propior sensibus corporis, et regio superior est remotior ab illis: haec divisio mentis est apud hominem, quia creatus est ut sit spiritualis et simul naturalis, et sic homo et non bestia.

[2] Ex his patet, quod homo qui spectat Mundum et se primario, sit Externus homo, quia naturalis non modo corpore sed etiam mente, et quod homo qui spectat ad illa quae Coeli et Ecclesiae sunt primario, sit Internus homo, quia spiritualis et mente et corpore; quod etiam corpore, est quia ejus actiones et loquelae procedunt a Mente superiore quae est spiritualis 4 per mentem inferiorem quae est naturalis; notum enim est, quod e corpore procedant effectus, et e mente causae quae illos producunt, et quod causa sit omne in effectu. Quod Mens humana ita divisa sit, patet evidenter ex eo quod homo possit agere simulatorem, assentatorem, hypocritam, ac histrionem, et quod possit annuere alterius dictis, et tamen ridere ad illa; hoc 5 facit ex mente superiore, illud autem ex 6 inferiore.

Footnotes:

1. Prima editio: quidcm.
2. Prima editio: perceptiore.
3. Prima editio: superione.
4. Prima editio: sdiritualis.
5. Prima editio: hoe.
6. Prima editio: cx.


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