258# 确认圣言中的真理表象之所以有害，乃因由此产生谬见，并使内藏其中的神性真理遭毁灭。其真正原因在于：圣言字义之一切及其每一细目，皆与天堂相交通；盖如前所示，圣言字义之一切及其每一细目，皆内含属灵意义，而此属灵意义在人所读之言传至天堂时便被开启；属灵意义中的一切，皆为纯正真理。
故当人在伪谬中，并将圣言字义应用于其伪谬时，其中便有伪谬；而伪谬一旦进入，真理即被驱散。此事发生于从人到天堂的途中。其情形可比作：一个光洁的囊泡，内满苦胆，投向他人；未及至彼，即在空中破裂，苦胆四散。对方一觉空气为苦胆所染，便转身避之，并闭口不使其沾染舌头。又如一皮囊，外以香柏木楔环束，内盛满生虫之醋；行途中皮囊破裂，其恶臭为他人所闻；彼即因作呕，立刻以扇拂散其臭气，不使之流入鼻孔。又如一枚杏仁，壳中所藏并非杏仁，乃是一条初生小蛇；及其壳被剥开，小蛇显出，似为风吹入他人眼中；彼必转身避之，不令其如此。此事自明。
人若在伪谬中读圣言，并将圣言字义的若干处应用于自己的伪谬，亦复如是：此等读法在通往天堂途中即被弃绝，免得此类事物流入天堂而侵扰天使。盖伪谬一触真理，犹如针尖触及神经细丝，或触及眼之瞳仁；神经细丝立刻卷缩成螺旋而收回自身，此为人所知；眼睛一受其触，眼睑亦立即覆闭，同样为人所知。
由此可见，被歪曲之真理会夺去人与天堂的交通，并使天堂向人关闭。这就是确认任何异端伪谬之所以有害的原因。
258# 确认圣言中的真理的表象是有害的，这会导致谬误产生，从而导致隐藏在这些表象里面的神性真理被摧毁；其根本原因是，圣言字义的一切，无论总体还是细节，都与天堂相通。因为前面（TCR 196-200，248-253节）已经说明，在字义的每一个和一切细节里面都有一个灵义或属灵意义，这灵义在从人到天堂的路上被打开。灵义的一切都是真正的真理；因此，当人处于虚假，并将字义应用于这些虚假时，这些虚假就会进入灵义；当它们进入时，真理就会消散，这种事发生在从人到天堂的路上。这就好像一个装满胆汁的闪光皮囊被一个人扔向另一个人，在到达另一个人之前在空中爆裂，胆汁四射。于是，当对方闻到被胆汁污染的空气时，他转过身去，闭上嘴巴，以免胆汁沾到他的舌头上。这一点也可以比作一个用香柏树的枝条绑住的皮瓶，里面装着满了虫子的醋，这瓶子在路上爆裂了，它的臭味被另一个人闻到了，结果他恶心作呕，急忙扇走，防止臭味进入他的鼻孔。这一点还可以比作杏仁壳，里面不是杏仁，而是一条新生的蛇；这壳被敲破，这条小蛇就被风吹向另一个人的眼睛，对方自然会转身避开它。当一个处于虚假，将圣言字义的某个部分用来确认其虚假的人阅读圣言时，情况就是这样；在这种情况下，在通往天堂的路上，圣言就会被弃绝，以免任何这样的东西或污染流入并侵扰天使。因为当虚假触及真理时，这就像针尖触及神经纤维或瞳孔一样；众所周知，神经纤维会立即卷曲成螺旋状，缩回到自己里面，眼睛刚一触到，就会闭上眼睑。这一切清楚表明，被歪曲的真理会破坏与天堂的沟通渠道，并关闭天堂。这就是为何确认任何异端的虚假都是有害的。
258. Becoming adamant about apparent truths in the Word leads us to damnation because it takes those apparent truths in the wrong way and destroys the divine truth they have inside. The reason for this is that each and every thing in the Word's literal meaning communicates with heaven. As I have shown above [196-200, 248-253], within each and every detail of the literal meaning there is a spiritual meaning. The spiritual meaning opens as the literal meaning passes from us to heaven. Everything in the spiritual meaning is genuinely true. For this reason, when we have false ideas and apply the literal meaning to them, then our reading becomes entangled in false ideas; and when false ideas come in, true ideas are lost along the way between us and heaven.
For an analogy to this interaction, imagine someone throwing a balloon full of bile toward you, but before it reaches you the balloon bursts in midair and the bile goes in all directions. Aware that there is bile in the air, you turn away and shut your mouth so the bile will not touch your tongue.
Or imagine traveling with a jar that is cushioned by boughs of cedar. Inside the jar there is vinegar that is full of worms. During the journey, the jar breaks. Another passenger catches a whiff of it and, feeling nauseous, immediately grabs something to fan the smell away before it becomes overwhelming.
Or imagine an almond shell that has a tiny newborn snake inside it instead of an almond. Someone breaks open the shell and the wind carries the tiny snake right toward your eyes. Clearly, you would try to turn away before it hit you.
Similar things happen when the Word is read by people who have false ideas and who apply statements from the Word's literal meaning to those false ideas. En route to heaven, their reading is rejected to prevent it from flowing in and assaulting the angels. When falsity touches truth, it is like the point of a needle touching a fibril of your nervous system or the pupil of your eye. Science knows that the fibril of a nerve will immediately recoil and bunch up. In a similar way, as soon as something touches your eye, your eyelid closes. Clearly then, truth that has been falsified breaks and closes the channel of communication with heaven. This is why it is damning to become adamant about some heretical falsity.
258. The reason why it is injurious to confirm the appearances of truth in the Word, thus leading to the creation of a fallacy and so the destruction of the Divine truth hidden within it, is precisely because every detail of the literal sense of the Word communicates with heaven. For, as was shown above, every detail of its literal sense contains a spiritual sense, which is revealed in passing from man to heaven. Everything in the spiritual sense is a genuine truth. Therefore, when a person with false beliefs applies the literal sense to confirm them, then there are falsities in it; and when falsities come in, the truths are scattered, as happens on the passage from man to heaven. This may be compared to a shiny bladder full of gall being tossed to another person, but before reaching him it bursts in the air and the gall is sprinkled around; on this happening, when the other person becomes aware of the air being polluted with gall, he turns away and shuts his mouth to prevent it touching his tongue. Again it is like a leather bottle bound with cedar twigs containing vinegar full of worms; and if the bottle is shattered on the road and another person smells the stench, it immediately makes him feel sick and he fans the air to prevent the stench entering his nostrils.
[2] Again it is like an almond in its shell, but instead of an almond there is a newly hatched viper inside; when the shell is broken open, the tiny viper seems to be blown by the wind into another person's eyes, but he turns away to prevent this happening. This is self-evident. It is similar when the Word is read by a person with false beliefs, who applies some things in its literal sense to confirm his falsities; then the Word is rejected on the way to heaven, to prevent anything of the kind affecting the angels and distressing them. For when falsity comes into contact with truth, it is like the point of a needle touching the fibril of a nerve, or the pupil of the eye. It is well known that the nerve fibril immediately curls up and retreats into itself; and likewise the eye as soon as it is touched covers itself with the eyelids. These comparisons make it plain that the falsification of truth breaks communication with heaven and shuts it off. This is why it is injurious to confirm any heretical falsity.
258. The essential reason why it is hurtful to confirm the appearances of truth that are in the Word, which thereby become fallacies, and thus the Divine truth concealed within the appearances is destroyed, is that each thing and all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, communicate with heaven. For it has been shown above that within each thing and all things of the sense of the letter there is a spiritual sense, and this sense is opened in passing from man to heaven. All things of the spiritual sense are genuine truths; so when man is in falsities and applies the sense of the letter to those falsities, the falsities enter into that sense, and when they enter truths are dissipated, which is done on the way from man to heaven. This may be compared to a shining bladder filled with gall which is thrown towards another, and which bursts in the air before reaching him, and the gall is scattered about; whereupon the other, when he smells the air infected with the gall, turns away, and shuts his mouth lest it should touch his tongue. Or it may be compared to a leather bottle girt with wicker-work of cedar and containing vinegar full of worms, and the bottle bursts on the way, and its stench is perceived by the other, who is nauseated by it and instantly fans it away that it may not enter his nostrils. It is also like an almond shell, within which instead of an almond is a newly-born snake, and the shell being broken, the little serpent appears to be carried by the wind towards the eyes of another, who obviously would turn away to avoid it. It is the same when the Word is read by a man who is in falsities, and who adapts to his falsities something of the sense of the letter of the Word, in which case it is rejected on the way to heaven, lest any such thing should flow in and infest the angels. For when falsity touches truth, it is like the point of a needle touching the fibril of a nerve or the pupil of the eye; it is known that the fibril instantly coils itself up spirally and withdraws within itself and that the eye at the first touch covers itself with its lids. All this makes clear that truth falsified takes away communication with heaven and closes heaven. This is why it is hurtful to confirm any heretical falsity.
258. It is hurtful to confirm the appearances of truth in the Word, since fallacy thereby results, and in this way also the Divine Truth which lies within them is destroyed. The reason is that all things in the sense of the Letter of the Word, both in general and in particular, communicate with heaven; for as was shown above there is in every detail of the sense of the Letter a spiritual sense, which is opened up as it passes from man to heaven; and all the contents of the spiritual sense are genuine truths. When therefore a man is principled in falsities, and applies the sense of the Letter to confirm them, then falsities permeate that sense; and when these enter, truths are dissipated. This takes place on the way from man to heaven. It is as if a shining bladder filled with gall is thrown by one person to another, and bursts in the air before it reaches him, and scatters the gall. Thereupon when he smells the air tainted with gall, he turns away and shuts his mouth lest it should touch his tongue. It may also be compared to a leather bottle bound with cedar twigs, containing vinegar full of worms, which bursts on the way. Nauseated by the odor, the other instantly fans it away to prevent the stench from entering his nostrils. It may further be compared to an almond shell, within which, instead of the almond, there is a newly born serpent. On the shell being broken, this is carried by the wind towards the eyes of the other, who naturally turns aside to avoid it. So it is with the reading of the Word by one who is principled in falsities, and who applies any portion of the sense of the Letter of the Word to confirm them. The Word is then turned back on the way to heaven lest any contamination should enter and distress the angels. For when falsity comes into contact with truth, it is like the point of a needle touching the fibril of a nerve, or the pupil of the eye. As is well-known the fibril at once coils itself into a spiral, withdrawing within itself; and the eye, at the first touch of the needle, covers itself with its lids. From these examples it may be evident that truth falsified destroys communication with heaven, and closes it. This is the reason why it is hurtful to confirm any heretical falsity.
258. Quod damnosum sit confirmare 1 apparentias veri, quae in Verbo sunt, quoniam per id fit fallacia, et sic Divinum Verum, quod intus latet, destruitur, ipsa causa est, quia omnia et singula Sensus literae Verbi communicant cum Coelo, nam ut supra ostensum est, omnibus et singulis sensus literae ejus inest sensus spiritualis, et hic aperitur dum transit ab homine ad coelum; ac omnia Sensus spiritualis sunt genuina vera; quare dum homo in falsis est, et applicat sensum literae ad illa, tunc inibi falsa sunt, et dum intrant falsa, dissipantur vera; quod fit in via ab homine ad coelum; et hoc fit comparative sicut vesica nitida felle repleta, projicitur ad alterum, quae antequam ad illum venit, in aere frangitur, et fel circumspargitur, ad quod, dum alter aerem felle infectum sentit, se avertit, et quoque occludit os, ne tingat linguam ejus; et est sicut Uter cinctus termitibus cedri, in quo acetum vermiculis plenum est, ac uter in via rumpitur, ac nidor ejus sentitur ab altero, qui tunc illico ex nausea, nidorem ejus, ne influat in nares ejus, quodam ventilabro dissipat.
[2] Est quoque sicut amygdalum 2 in crusta, intra quam loco amygdali est coluber recens natus, et crusta illa evellitur, et colubellus ille apparet vento ferri in oculos alterius, quod hic se avertat, ne id fiat, ex se patet. Simile est cum lectione Verbi ab homine, qui in falsis est, et ad falsa sua applicat aliqua sensus literae Verbi, quod tunc rejiciatur in via ad Coelum, ne tale quid influat, ac Angelos infestet; falsum enim dum tangit verum, est sicut acumen acus dum tangit fibrillam nervi, aut pupillam oculi; quod fibrilla nervi se illico revolvat in spiram et se in se recipiat, notum est; similiter quod oculus ad primum tactum ejus palpebris se obvolvat. Ex his patet quod verum falsificatum auferat communicationem cum Coelo, et claudat illud. Haec causa est, quod confirmare aliquod falsum haereticum, damnosum sit.
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