274# 我曾蒙准看见一些生于岛屿之民，他们在公民事务上颇具理性，却对上帝毫无所知。在灵界中，他们显现如斯芬克斯；然而，由于他们生而为人，因而具有接受属灵生命的能力，故受天使教导，并藉着关于主为人的知识而被赋予生命。
人凭自身究竟为何等样，最明显地显现于地狱中之人；其中甚至有些主教与博学之士，他们连听见上帝之名也不愿意，因此也不能称上帝之名。我曾见过他们，并与他们交谈；我也曾与另一些人交谈，他们一听见有人论及主，便陷入愤怒与暴烈之火中。由此请思量：若一人从未听闻上帝，将会是何等样的人？何况竟有这样一些人，他们曾论说上帝，书写上帝，并宣讲上帝。
他们之所以如此，乃由于意志，而此意志是恶的；并且，如前所言，意志引导理智，并夺去其中由圣言而来的真理。若人凭自身能够知道上帝存在，并知道死后生命，为什么他竟不知道人死后仍为人？为什么他相信自己的灵魂或灵，如风或以太一般，既不能以眼看见，不能以耳听见，也不能以口说话，直至它重新与自己的尸体和骸骨结合并合为一体之后，才如此呢？
因此，假设有一种教义，完全由理性之光推出，岂不必然导向人崇拜自己吗？这是历代以来已经发生的事，今日也仍发生在那些虽由圣言知道唯有上帝当受敬拜者中间。由人的自身所出的敬拜，不可能是别的敬拜；甚至连对太阳与月亮的敬拜，也不可能由此产生。
274# 我被恩准看到那些出生在偏远岛屿上的人，他们在民事问题上是理性的，但对神一无所知。在灵界，这些人看起来像狒狒；但他们生而为人，因而具有接受属灵生命的官能，故被天使教导，并通过关于主是一个人的知识而活过来，或说当他们形成主是一个人的理性概念时，生命就被赋予他们。人凭自己是什么样，这一点从那些在地狱里的人身上清楚看出来。在这些人当中，有些领袖和学者甚至不想听到关于神的任何话，因而不能说出神这个词。我见过这些人，并与他们交谈过。我还与一些当听到有人谈论主时，就怒火中烧的人交谈过。那么请想一想，当一些曾谈论过神、写神、讲神的人尚且是这个样子时，一个从未听说过神的人又会是什么样呢？他们因其意愿而是这个样子，这意愿是邪恶的，并引导理解力，如前所述，夺走它从圣言中所拥有的任何真理。如果人凭自己能知道有一位神和死后的生活，那么为什么他不知道人死后仍是人呢？为什么他认为他的灵魂或灵，就像纯粹的风或以太，没有眼睛看、没有耳朵听，没有嘴巴说话，直到它与自己的尸体或骨架重新结合，并构成一体呢？因此，想象一下只从理性之光中孵化出来的教义，它岂不会教导当敬拜自我吗？事实上，这种教义已经被教导了几个世纪了，现在仍被那些从圣言中知道唯独要敬拜神的人所教导。从人的自我中生不出其它敬拜，甚至连对日月的敬拜都生不出来。
274. I have been given the opportunity to see people born on islands who were reasonable about civic issues but knew nothing at all about God. In the spiritual world they look like baboons. Because they have been born human and therefore have a capacity for receiving spiritual life, they are taught by angels and are brought to life by concepts of the Lord as a human being.
What human beings are like when left to themselves becomes obvious from the people who are in hell. Some such people are scholars and leaders of the church who do not want even to hear about God; they certainly cannot mention God themselves. I have seen people like this and have talked to them. I have also talked to people who would explode with rage and anger when they heard anyone talk about the Lord.
On this basis, then, consider what people would be like if they had never heard about God, when this is what some people are like even though they have spoken about God, written about God, and preached about God.
People are like this because of their wills, which are evil. Their wills, as I said before, control their intellects and take away the truth that is in them from the Word.
If people had the capability of knowing on their own that there is a God and a life after death, why would they not know that we live on as people after death? Why would they believe that our soul or spirit is like wind or ether? Why would they imagine the spirit to be something that has no eyes to see with, no ears to hear with, no mouth to speak with - at least not before it rejoins its corpse and skeleton?
Imagine a body of teaching that was hatched solely by the light of our own reason. Would it not teach that the proper object of worship ought to be we ourselves? This has in fact been taught for centuries and is still being taught now by people who know from the Word that God alone is to be worshiped. No other form of worship generated by us is possible - not even worship of the sun or the moon.
274. I have been allowed to see peoples born in the islands 1 , who had reasonable ideas of civil life, yet were totally ignorant about God. In the spiritual world they look like baboons. But because they were born human beings, and consequently have the faculty of receiving spiritual life, they are taught by angels and endowed with life by learning about the Lord as Man. What a person is like left to himself is plainly to be seen by considering those in hell, who include some leaders of the church and scholars. These are not even willing to listen to anything about God, and therefore neither can they name God. I have seen these people and talked with them. I have also talked to people who became fired with anger and wrath, when they heard anyone speaking of the Lord. Imagine then what a person would be like who had heard nothing about God, when people are in such a condition who have talked about God, written about God, and preached about God. Their nature is the result of their will, which is evil; and the will, as said before, guides the understanding, and carries away the truth from the Word that there is there. If a person could know by himself that God exists and there is life after death, why would he not know that a person remains a person after death? Why does he believe that his soul, that is, his spirit, is like wind or ether, with no eyes to see, no ears to hear and no mouth to speak with, until it is joined and coalesces with his corpse or skeleton? Suppose then a doctrine hatched from nothing but the enlightenment of reason - would it not prescribe the worship of oneself? That is what has happened for ages, and is what is still done to-day by people who have learned from the Word that God alone is to be worshipped. No other kind of worship could exist based upon the human self, not even a worship of the sun and the moon.
Footnotes:
1. i.e. of the Pacific.
274. It has been granted me to see people who were born on islands, and who were rational in civil matters, but knew nothing whatever about God. In the spiritual world these look like sphinxes; but as they were born men, and thus have a capacity to receive spiritual life, they are instructed by angels, and are made alive by knowledge about the Lord as a Man. What man is of himself is made clear from those who are in hell. Among these there are some leaders and learned men who are not willing even to hear about God, and therefore cannot even utter the word God. These I have seen, and I have talked with them. I have also talked with some who burned with anger and fury when they heard anyone speaking about the Lord. Consider then, what kind of man one would be who had never heard anything about God, when such is the character of some who have talked about God, written about God, and preached about God. Such they are from their will, which is evil, and which, as before said, leads the understanding, and takes away any truth there is in it from the Word. If man of himself had been able to know that there is a God and a life after death, why has he not known that man is a man after death? Why does he believe that his soul or spirit is like mere wind or ether, having no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no mouth to speak, until it is joined with and made one with its corpse and skeleton? Given therefore, a doctrine hatched solely from the light of reason, would it not teach that self should be worshiped? This has been done for ages, and is still done now by those who know from the Word that God alone ought to be worshiped. From the selfhood of man no other worship can spring, not even the worship of the sun and moon.
274. It has been granted me to see people, born in remote islands, who were rational in civil matters, and yet knew nothing about God. In the spiritual world they appear like apes; but being men, born with the capacity to receive spiritual life, they are instructed by angels, and that life is imparted to them as they form rational conceptions of the Lord as a Man. What a man is of himself is very evident from those in hell, where there are also prelates and scholars, who do not wish even to hear of God, and therefore cannot utter His name. I have seen these, and conversed with some of them. I have also spoken with some who burned with anger and fury when they heard any one speaking of the Lord. Consider, therefore, what that man would be like who never heard of God, when this is the character of some who have spoken of God, and written and preached about Him. They are such from an evil will and the will, as was said before, leads the understanding, and deprives it of any truth it may have from the Word. If man could have known of himself that there is a God and a life after death, why has he not discovered that a man is a man after death? Why does he imagine that his soul or spirit is like wind or ether, which neither sees with eyes, nor hears with ears, nor speaks with a mouth, until it is reunited with its own dead body and skeleton? Imagine, therefore, a doctrine derived from the light of reason alone; would it not teach that self should be worshiped, as has been done for ages, and is still done to-day by some who know from the Word that God alone is to be worshiped? No other worship can be derived from man's proprium, not even that of the sun and moon.
274. Datum est videre Populos in Insulis natos, quoad civilia rationales, qui ne hilum sciverunt de Deo; illi in Mundo spirituali apparent sicut Sphinges, at quia homines nati sunt, et inde in facultate recipiendi vitam spiritualem, instruuntur ab Angelis, et per cognitiones de Domino ut Homine vivificantur. Qualis est homo ex se, apparet evidenter ex iis, qui in Inferno sunt, inter quos etiam aliqui Antistites et Eruditi sunt, qui ne quidem volunt audire de Deo, et propterea nec possunt nominare Deum; hos vidi, et cum illis loquutus sum; et quoque loquutus sum cum illis, qui in ignem irae et excandescentiae venerunt, cum audiverunt aliquem loquentem de Domino: expende itaque, qualis homo foret, qui nihil audivit de Deo, cum quidem tales sunt, qui loquuti sunt de Deo, scripserunt de Deo, et praedicaverunt de Deo. Quod tales sint, est ex voluntate, quae mala est, et haec, ut prius dictum est, ducit Intellectum, et aufert verum, quod ibi est ex Verbo. Si homo ex se potuisset scire, quod Deus sit, et quod Vita post mortem, cur non sciverat, quod homo sit homo post mortem; cur credit quod anima seu spiritus ejus sit sicut ventus aut aether, qui non videt oculis, et audit auribus, et loquitur ore, priusquam 1 conjungitur et coalescit cum suo cadavere et cum suo sceleto. Pone itaque Doctrinam ex solo Lumine rationali exclusam, annon foret ut ipse coleretur, ut factum est a saeculis, et quoque hodie fit ab illis, qui sciunt ex Verbo, quod Solus Deus colendus sit: cultus alius ex proprio hominis non dari potest; ne quidem cultus solis et lunae.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: priusquum.