四、神性广大与永恒超越空间与时间
31# 上帝的无限，就空间维度而言称为广大，就时间维度而言称为永恒；二者虽有称谓上的分别，但祂的广大并非空间的广大，祂的永恒也非时间的永恒。
上帝的无限就空间维度称名广大，是因“广大”指向大小、宽博与延展，天然对应空间范畴；就时间维度称名永恒，是因“永恒”指向存续的连续进程——这类进程可借时间度量，本身却无有穷尽。以地球为例，其球体本身承载空间属性，其自转与公转则承载时间属性；空间与时间皆由此生发，并经由感官投射于能反思的心智之中。然而如前所述，上帝之中并无任何时空属性，时空的终极源头却出自于祂。由此可知，上帝的无限仅就对应维度而言，分别立名为广大与永恒。
【2】在天堂中，天使由上帝的广大所领悟的，是就其存在（Esse）而言的神性；由上帝的永恒所领悟的，是就其显现（Existere）而言的神性。进而言之，由广大领会神性就其爱而言的本质，由永恒领会神性就其智慧而言的本质。这是因为天使已从神性观念中抽离了时空的限定，方能达成这般领悟。
而人只能以时空所建构的观念进行思考，故此无法领会上帝先于空间的广大，也无法领会上帝先于时间的永恒。事实上，人若试图参透此理，心智便会陷入昏沉茫昧——恰似遭海难溺入深水之人，又如遇地陷遭吞没之人。倘若执意穷究到底，极易陷入神智迷乱，甚而由此走向对上帝的否定。
【3】我也曾一度陷入类似的思虑，揣度上帝自永恒以来的作为——创世以先，祂是否曾筹划创造、拟定造化的秩序？在绝对的虚空之中，是否能有筹谋审度？诸如此类，尽是徒劳无益的追问。
为免我被这些思绪拖入迷乱，主将我提升至内层天使所处的属灵光境之中。当我此前思想所依托的时空概念，在彼处稍被消解，我便领悟到：上帝的永恒绝非时间性的绵延；既然创世以先本无时间，一切关于上帝的此类揣度尽属虚妄。我同时领会到：神性之永恒乃是抽离于一切时间的，无关乎日、年、世代，这一切在上帝眼前不过瞬息。由此我得出结论：上帝并非在时间之中创造世界，而是随创造一同将时间引入世间。
【4】在此我还要补记一件奇事：灵界的一隅有两座形如怪人的雕像，口部大张、喉管洞开，仿佛要将那些对上帝的永恒怀有虚妄狂想的人吞噬下去。实则这只是幻象——是那些对创世以先的上帝妄加揣度、生出谬见的人，自心所感召的幻象。
31# （4）与空间相关的神的无限被称为无垠，与时间相关的神的无限被称为永恒；尽管它们如此关联，但神的无垠完全没有空间，祂的永恒也完全没有时间。与空间相关的神的无限被称为无垠，因为“无垠”论及宏大和广大之物，也论及延伸及其宽敞。而与时间相关的神的无限被称为永恒，因为“永恒”论及用时间来衡量的无尽发展之物。例如，空间关系论及被视为一个球体的地球，而时间关系论及地球的自转和在轨道上的运动。事实上，后者制造了时间，或说是时间的原因，而前者制造了空间，或说是空间的原因；因此，它们以这种方式通过感官呈现给反思它们的心智的感知。但如刚才所示，神里面完全没有空间和时间；然而，时空却始于神，或说源于神。由此可知，无垠是指与空间相关的神的无限，永恒是指与时间相关的神的无限。
但对天上的天使们来说，神的无垠是指在其神性存在方面的祂的神性，祂的永恒是指在其出现方面的祂的神性。而且，无垠是指在爱方面的祂的神性，永恒是指在智慧方面的祂的神性。这是因为天使们将空间和时间从神性中抽离出来，随后就产生了这些概念。但由于人只能出于诸如源于空间和时间的那类观念来思考，所以他对先于空间的神的无垠，或先于时间的神的永恒无法形成任何概念。事实上，当他试图形成这些概念时，他的心智仿佛陷入昏厥，几乎就像一个因船只失事而掉进水里的人，或像一个即将在地震中被吞没的人。此外，人若坚持进一步深入探讨这个主题，很容易失去理智，由此被引向对神的否认。
我自己就曾处于这种状态，那时我在思想神自永恒都做了什么，或祂在创世之前做了什么，祂是否深思过创造，并想出一个计划；深思熟虑在纯粹的真空中是否可能，以及其它徒劳无用的猜测。但为了避免这类揣测把我逼疯，我被主提升到内层天使所在的气场和光明中；我先前的时空观念被部分地移除后，我得以理解神的永恒不是时间的永恒；由于在创世之前，时间并不存在，所以以这种方式思想神是完全徒劳的。此外，由于来自永恒的神性，也就是说，从一切时间中抽离出来的神性并不涉及日、年和时代，但对神来说，这一切都是现在，或说只是一瞬间，所以我得出的结论是，神不是在时间中创造世界的，而是时间随着创世被神引入。
对此，我补充这一难忘的事实：在灵界的一极，可以看到两尊巨大的人形雕像，嘴巴张开，喉咙敞开；那些对永恒之神抱有无用和疯狂想法的人，觉得自己似乎被这两尊雕像吞噬了。但这只是那些对创世之前的神怀有荒谬和不恰当想法的人所陷入的幻觉。
31. 4. God's infinity in relation to space is called immensity; in relation to time it is called eternity. Yet although these are related, there is nonetheless no space in God's immensity, and no time in his eternity. God's infinity in relation to space is called "immensity" because immense is associated with "large" and "huge," and also with extension and spaciousness within extension. God's infinity in relation to time, however, is called eternity because the phrase "to eternity" means "in an endless succession of stages measurable in units of time. " To clarify: we describe the earth itself and its surface in spatial terms and the earths rotation and orbit in temporal terms. The earths motions anchor our measurements of time, and the earth itself anchors our measurements of space. In consequence of our senses, space and time are also present in a similar way in the perception of our minds as we reflect. In God, however, there is no space and time, as I have shown just above, yet space and time originate from God. Therefore "immensity" means his infinity in relation to space, and "eternity" means his infinity in relation to time.
[2] Angels in heaven see God's immensity as the divineness of his underlying reality and God's eternity as the divineness of his capacity to become manifest. They also see God's immensity as the divineness of his love and God's eternity as the divineness of his wisdom. The reason is that angels remove space and time from divinity; this gives rise to the concepts just mentioned. Since we on earth cannot help basing our thinking on ideas that are spatial and temporal, we cannot conceive of the immensity of God before there was space or the eternity of God before there was time. In fact, if we try to conceive of them, our mind more or less loses consciousness, like a shipwrecked person who has fallen in the ocean or like someone being swallowed in an earthquake. Indeed, if we rashly persevere in that pursuit, we can easily go insane and end up denying the existence of God.
[3] Once I myself was in a state like that. I thought and thought about what God did from eternity, what he did before the world was constructed. I wondered whether he debated the act of creation and worked out a sequence he would follow. I pondered whether mental debate was possible in a pure vacuum, and other useless questions. To prevent these considerations from driving me insane, the Lord lifted me into the atmosphere and light of inner angels. As factors related to space and time in my former thinking were somewhat removed there, I became able to understand that God's eternity is not an eternity of time. Since there was no time before the world came about, I realized that it was completely pointless to ponder such questions about God. Furthermore, since the Divine "from eternity," that is, the Divine independent of time, did not involve days, years, and centuries - they were all an instant for God - I concluded that God did not create the world in a preexisting context of time; time was first introduced by God as part of creation.
[4] In addition, I would like to relate something worth mentioning. At one extreme end of the spiritual world, two statues of monstrous human forms appear with wide open mouths and gaping jaws. People whose thinking about God from eternity is pointless and insane seem to themselves to be swallowed up by these statues. The statues are really the delusions people hurl themselves into when they think discordant and unseemly thoughts about God before he created the world.
31. (iv) THE INFINITY OF GOD AS PREDICATED OF SPACE IS CALLED IMMENSITY, AND AS PREDICATED OF TIME IS CALLED ETERNITY. DESPITE THESE PREDICATIONS HIS IMMENSITY IS TOTALLY DEVOID OF SPACE AND HIS ETERNITY IS TOTALLY DEVOID OF TIME.
The reason why the infinity of God predicated of space is called immensity, is that the term 'immense' is used of what is great and large, and also what is extensive and in this respect spacious. But the reason why the infinity of God predicated of time is called eternity is that 'for eternity' is used of progressive stages, which are measured by time, without end. For example: the globe with its land and sea surfaces is in itself what enables objects to be regarded as spatial; and its rotation and motion in orbit is what enables them to be regarded as temporal. These movements create periods of time and the surface of the globe creates distances, and they are so perceived through the senses in the minds of those that reflect on them. But as shown above, there is no space or time in God, yet space and time begin from Him. Hence it follows that immensity means His infinity predicated of space, and eternity His infinity predicated of time.
[2] The angels in heaven understand by the immensity of God the Divinity as to Its Being (Esse), and by His eternity the Divinity as to Its Coming-into-Being (Existere); also by immensity they understand the Divinity as to Love and by eternity the Divinity as to Wisdom. This is because the angels banish space and time from their ideas of the Divinity, and this is the result. But because human beings are incapable of thinking except by means of ideas formed from spatial and temporal concepts, they cannot form any idea of the immensity of God before space existed or His eternity before time existed. In fact, when the human mind wishes to form such an idea, it is as if it lapsed into unconsciousness, almost like a shipwrecked mariner who has fallen into the water, or someone swallowed up by the earth in an earthquake. Indeed, if the mind persists in the attempt to penetrate these mysteries, it can easily become deranged, and thus be led to deny the existence of God.
[3] I too was once in a state like this, when I was thinking what God did from eternity, or before the world was made: did He deliberate about creation and work out the order to be followed? was deliberative thought possible in a total vacuum? and other useless speculations. But to prevent me becoming deranged by such speculations, I was lifted up by the Lord into the sphere and light enjoyed by the interior angels; and when the idea of space and time which had previously restricted my thinking was there to a small extent removed, I was allowed to grasp that the eternity of God is not an eternity of time, and that because time did not exist before the creation of the world it was quite useless to engage in such speculations about God. But because the Divine from eternity, and so regarded as separate from all time, does not involve the existence of days, years and centuries, but these are to God a single instant, I concluded that the world was not created by God in time, but that time was introduced by God together with creation.
[4] I will add this account of an experience.
At one end of the spiritual world are to be seen two statues of a monstrous human shape with open mouths and gaping jaws. Those who have useless and mad thoughts about God from eternity imagine themselves being swallowed by these statues. But this is mere imagination into which those plunge who have absurd and improper thoughts about God before the creation of the world.
31. (4) In relation to spaces God's Infinity is called Immensity, while in relation to times it is called Eternity; but although they are so related, there is nothing of space in His Immensity, and nothing of time in His Eternity. In relation to spaces God's infinity is called immensity, because "immense" is a term applied to what is great and large, and to extension and its spaciousness. But in relation to times God's infinity is called eternity, because "to eternity" is an expression applied to what is progressive, which is measured by time without limit. For example: Of the terraqueous globe, as such, things pertaining to space are predicated; while of its rotation and progression things pertaining to time are predicated. In fact, the latter are what make times, and the former are what make spaces, and in this way they are presented through the senses to the perception of reflecting minds. But in God, as has just been shown, there is nothing of space and time; nevertheless, the beginnings of these are from God; and from this it follows that by immensity His infinity in relation to space is meant, and by eternity His infinity in relation to times.
[2] But to the angels in heaven the immensity of God means His Divinity in respect to His Esse, and His eternity His Divinity in respect to His Existere. Also immensity means His Divinity in respect to love, and eternity His Divinity in respect to wisdom. This is because angels abstract space and time from Divinity, and such conceptions then follow. But as man can think only from ideas drawn from such things as belong to space and time, he is unable to form any conception of God's immensity antecedent to space, or His eternity antecedent to time; and when he seeks to do this it is as if his mind were falling into a swoon, almost like a shipwrecked man in the water, or like one who is about to be swallowed up in an earthquake; and if one persists in penetrating further into the subject, he may easily fall into a delirium, and from this be led into a denial of God.
[3] I was once myself in such a state, thinking about what God was from eternity, what He did before the world was created, whether He deliberated about creation, and thought out the order to be pursued; whether deliberative thought would be possible in a vacuum; with other vain things. But lest I should be driven to madness by much speculations I was raised up by the Lord into the sphere and light in which the interior angels dwell; and when the idea Of space and time in which my thought was dwelling had been somewhat removed, it was given me to comprehend that the eternity of God is not an eternity of time; and as there was no time before the world was created, it is utterly vain to think about God in any such way. Moreover, as the Divine from eternity, that is, abstracted from all time, does not involve days, years, or ages, but to God all these are present, I concluded that God did not create the world in time, but that times were introduced by God with creation.
[4] To all this I will add this memorable fact:
At one extremity of the spiritual world there are seen two statues in monstrous human form, with open mouths and gaping throats, and those who indulge in useless and senseless thoughts about God from eternity seem to themselves to be swallowed up by these; but they are the hallucinations into which those cast themselves who cherish absurd and improper thoughts about God before the creation of the world.
31. (4) THE INFINITY OF GOD IN RELATION TO SPACE IS CALLED IMMENSITY, AND IN RELATION TO TIME, ETERNITY; AND ALTHOUGH THESE RELATIONS EXIST, YET THERE IS NOTHING OF SPACE IN HIS IMMENSITY, AND NOTHING OF TIME IN HIS ETERNITY.
The infinity of God in relation to space is called immensity because "immense" is predicated of what is great and ample, and also of what is extended, and, in this respect, of what is spacious. On the other hand, the infinity of God in relation to time is called eternity, because "to eternity" is predicated of things whose unending progress is measured by time. For example, spatial relations are predicated of the earth regarded as a globe, and temporal relations with respect to its rotation and progression, the latter being the cause of times and the former of spaces; and so they are represented by the senses to the perception of reflecting minds. In God, however, there is nothing of space and time, as was shown above, and yet these have their origin from God. Hence it follows that His infinity in relation to space is meant by immensity, and His infinity in relation to time, by eternity. But in heaven the angels understand by the immensity of God His Divinity as to His Being (Esse), and by eternity, His Divinity as to His Existing (Existere); and also by immensity His Divinity as to Love, and by eternity His Divinity as to Wisdom. Those conceptions result because they remove space and time from the idea of Divinity. Since, however, man can think only from such ideas as are derived from space and time, he can comprehend nothing of the immensity of God before the existence of space and nothing of His eternity before the existence of time. Indeed, when he tries to form such conceptions, his mind as it were sinks into a swoon. He is like one who has fallen into the water from a wrecked ship, or like one who is being swallowed up by an earthquake. Moreover, should he persist in his speculations, he might easily lose his reason and be led to the denial of God. I was once in a state like this, thinking what God was from eternity, what He did before the creation of the world, whether He deliberated about creation, and thought out a plan for it; whether deliberative thought was possible in a pure vacuum, and other vain conceits. But lest I should be driven mad by such speculations, I was raised into the sphere and light in which the interior angels are; and after my former ideas of space and time were partly removed, it was granted me to see that the eternity of God is not an eternity of time; and because time did not exist before the creation of the world, that it was utterly vain to think of God in this way. Moreover, because the idea of the Divine from eternity, thus apart from time, does not involve days, years and ages, as all these are but a moment to God, I concluded that the world was created by God, not in time, but that time was introduced by God with creation.
In this connection I shall mention this noteworthy circumstance.
MEMORABILIA.
At one extremity of the spiritual world there appear two statues in monstrous human form, with open mouths and distended jaws, which seem to devour those who imagine vain and senseless ideas about God from eternity. These statues represent the illusions into which they plunge themselves who indulge in absurd and groundless speculations concerning God before He created the world.
31. IV. QUOD INFINITAS DEI RESPECTIVE AD SPATIA DICATUR IMMENSITAS, ET RESPECTIVE AD TEMPORA DICATUR AETERNITAS, ET QUOD TAMETSI HI RESPECTUS SUNT, USQUE NIHIL SPATII SIT IN IPSIUS IMMENSITATE ET NIHIL TEMPORIS IN IPSIUS AETERNITATE. Quod Infinitas Dei respective ad spatia dicatur Immensitas, est quia Immensum praedicatur de Magno et Amplo, et quoque de Extenso, et in hoc de Spatioso: quod autem Infinitas Dei respective ad tempora dicatur Aeternitas, est quia in Aeternum, praedicatur de progressivis, quae per tempora mensurantur, absque fine: ut pro exemplo: de Orbe terraqueo in se spectato praedicantur illa quae spatii sunt, et de ejus rotatione et progressione praedicantur illa quae temporis sunt; haec quoque faciunt tempora, et illa faciunt spatia, ac sistuntur ita ex sensibus in perceptione mentium reflectentium; at in Deo nihil spatii et temporis est, ut supra ostensum est, et tamen a Deo sunt initia illorum; inde sequitur, quod Infinitas Ipsius respective ad spatia intelligatur per Immensitatem, et quod Infinitas Ipsius respective ad tempora intelligatur per Aeternitatem.
[2] At in Coelo ab Angelis per Immensitatem Dei percipitur Divinitas quoad Esse, et per Aeternitatem Divinitas quoad Existere; tum etiam per Immensitatem Divinitas quoad Amorem, et per Aeternitatem Divinitas quoad Sapientiam; causa est, quia Angeli a Divinitate abstrahunt spatia et tempora, et tunc illae notiones resultant. Sed quoniam homo non potest aliter quam ex ideis e talibus quae spatii et temporis sunt captis cogitare, non potest de Dei Immensitate ante spatia, et de Ipsius Aeternitate ante tempora aliquid percipere; imo cum vult illa percipere, est sicut mens ejus cadat in deliquium, paene sicut qui illapsus aquis in statu naufragii est, aut in motu terrae subsidens in statu absorptionis est; imo si usque instat penetrare in illa, potest facile contrahere delirium, et ex hoc inferri in negationem Dei.
[3] Semel etiam ego in simili statu fui, cogitando quid Deus ab aeterno, quid ante Mundum conditum, egit, numne deliberavit de Creatione, et excogitavit ordinem secundum quem, Numeri in pure vacuo dabilis esset cogitatio deliberativa, praeter irrita alia; sed ne per talia auferrer in deliria, a Domino elevatus sum in sphaeram et lucem, in qua sunt angeli interiores, et postquam idea spatii et temporis, in qua prius cogitatio mea fuit, ibi paulo remota est, datum est comprehendere, quod Aeternitas Dei non sit aeternitas temporis, et quod quia tempus non fuit ante Mundum, prorsus vanum esset de Deo cogitare aliqua talia; tum quia Divinum ab aeterno, ita ab omni tempore abstractum, non involvit dies, annos et saecula, sed quod omnia haec essent Deo Instans, conclusi quod Mundus a Deo creatus sit, non in tempore, sed quod tempora a Deo cum creatione introducta sint.
[4] His adjiciam hoc Memorabile; apparent binae Statuae in humana monstrosa forma cum diductis oribus et dilatatis faucibus in una extremitate Mundi Spiritualis, a quibus videntur sibi deglutiri, qui de Deo ab aeterno vana et dementia cogitant; sed sunt phantasiae, in quas se conjiciunt illi, qui de Deo ante Mundum creatum absona et indebita cogitant.