836# 凡承认并敬拜一位创造宇宙之上帝的人，都怀有关于上帝为人的观念；他们说，没有人能对上帝怀有其他观念。当他们听说许多人对上帝怀有如同以太或云雾的观念时，就问这些人在哪里；当有人告诉他们这些人在基督徒中间时，他们便否认这是可能的。但有人回答说，他们之所以有这样的观念，是因为上帝在圣言中被称为灵，而他们想到灵时，只想到如同以太的物质，或某种云雾的形态，却不知道每个灵和每位天使都是人。然而，仍有人查验过，他们的属灵观念是否与他们的属世观念相似；结果发现，在那些内在地承认救主主为天地之上帝的人那里，并不相似。
我听见一位长老说，没有人能有关于神性之人的观念；于是我看见他被带到各民族那里，先到较内在者那里，又到更内在者那里，也到他们的天堂那里，最后到基督徒的天堂那里；无论到哪里，他都被准许与他们对上帝的内在知觉相交流；于是他觉察到，他们对上帝并没有别的观念，只有关于神性之人的观念；并且，人若不是从这样的观念出发，就不可能被造为上帝的形像和样式。
836# 所有承认和敬拜一位神，宇宙创造者的人，都持有神是一个人的观念；他们宣称，没有人能对神持有其它任何观念。当他们听说，有许多人认为神就像以太或云时，他们就问这些人在哪里；当被告知他们就在基督徒当中时，他们说这肯定是不可能的。但他们被告知，一些基督徒从以下事实中得到这种观念：在圣言中，神被称为一个灵（约翰福音4:24），而他们认为灵是一种以太物质或某种形式的云；殊不知，每个灵人和每位天使都是一个人。当他们进一步询问他们的属灵观念是否与他们的属世观念相似时，他们发现那些从内在承认主救主是天地之神的人是不一样的。我曾听一个基督教牧师说，没有人能持有一个神性人身的观念；我看到他被带到各个外邦社群，它们越来越内在，直到他被带到他们的天堂，最后被带到基督天堂。无论在哪里，他们对神的内在感知都传给了他；他观察到，他们对神没有其它观念，只有一个神性人的观念，唯独祂才能按照自己的形像和样式创造人。
836. All non-Christians who acknowledge and worship one God as the Creator of the universe think of God as a human being. They say that no one could have any other idea of God. When they are told that many people think of God as ether or a cloud, they ask, "Where are there people like that?"
When they are told that some Christians are like that, they say, "That can't be right!"
They are told that some Christians get this idea from the fact that the Word refers to God as a spirit [John 4:24], and the only concept they have of a spirit is that it is like the material that ether is made of, or like some sort of cloud. These Christians do not know that every spirit and every angel is a human being. They are examined, however, to see whether the spiritual idea they have of God is the same as their earthly idea of him; it has been discovered that people who inwardly acknowledge the Lord our Savior as the God of heaven and earth have a spiritual idea of God that differs from their earthly idea of him.
I once heard a Christian minister saying that no one was capable of having the idea of a divine human being. I saw him taken around to various groups of non-Christians, each one of a deeper nature than the last, until he reached their heavens, and then eventually came to the Christian heaven; at every stage he was allowed to sense their inner awareness of God. To his surprise, all of them shared the view that God is a divine human being, and that we could not have been created by any other kind of God, since we are in his image and likeness.
836. All who acknowledge one God as Creator of the universe, and worship Him, entertain the idea of God as a human being; they say that no one can have any other idea of God. When they hear that many people have an idea of God as like ether or cloud, they ask where such people are to be found. On being told that they are among the Christians, they say that this is impossible. But they receive the reply that these people have acquired such an idea because God is called in the Word a Spirit; and they cannot think of spirit as anything but like the substance of the ether or some form of cloud, being unaware that every spirit and every angel is a human being. Still they were put to the test to see whether their spiritual idea resembled their natural one, and it was discovered that it is not similar in the case of those who inwardly acknowledge the Lord the Saviour as the God of heaven and earth. I heard a certain priest saying that no one can have any idea of the Divine Human. I saw him being taken to visit various nations, who lived further and further in, and also to their heavens, finally reaching the Christian heaven; everywhere he was allowed to share their inner perception of God, and he observed that they had no other idea of God than as a Divine human being; and that no other God could have created human beings, who are His image and likeness.
836. All who acknowledge and worship one God, the Creator of the universe, cherish an idea of God as being a Man; they say that no one can have any other idea of Him. When they hear that many cherish the idea that God is like ether or a cloud, they ask where such people are; and when told that they are among the Christians they deny that it is possible. But they are told that they get this idea from God's being called in the Word a Spirit, and of spirit they have no other idea than that it is an ethereal substance, or some kind of a cloud, not knowing that every spirit and every angel is a man. When a further inquiry is made to ascertain whether their spiritual idea is similar to their natural idea, it is found to be different with those who interiorly acknowledge the Lord as the God of heaven and earth. I heard a certain elder saying that no man could conceive of a Divine Human; and I saw him taken among different Gentile peoples, to the more and more interior of them, also to their heavens, and finally to the Christian heaven, and their interior perception of God was everywhere communicated to him; and he observed that they had no other idea of God than that of a Divine Man, and that by no other God could man, who is an image and likeness of God, have been created.
836. All who acknowledge and worship one God, the Creator of the universe, entertain the idea of God as Man; and they declare that no one can have any other idea, of God. When they hear that many entertain the idea of God as ether or cloud, they inquire where such people are; and when they are told that they are among Christians, they say that it is surely impossible. They are informed, however, that some Christians derive such an idea from the fact that God in the Word is called a Spirit, and they conceive spirit to be an ethereal substance, or some form of cloud; not knowing that every spirit and every angel is a man. When they inquire further whether the spiritual idea among them of God is similar to this natural idea, they learn that it is not the same with those who interiorly acknowledge the Lord the Savior as God of heaven and earth. I heard a certain clergyman say that no one can have an idea of a Divine Human; and I saw him conducted to various Gentile societies, to some more and more interior, and also to their heavens, and finally to the Christian heaven. Everywhere their interior perception of God was communicated to him; and he observed that they had no other idea of God than that of a, Divine Man, who alone could have created man in His own image and likeness.
836. Omnes qui unum Deum Creatorem Universi agnoscunt et colunt, ideam Hominis de Deo fovent; dicunt, quod nemo aliam de Deo possit habere: cum audiunt, quod plures de Deo foveant ideam sicut Aetheris aut Nubis, quaerunt ubinam illi sunt, et cum dicitur, quod sint inter Christianos, negant quod dabile sit; sed respondetur, quod sit illis talis idea ex eo, quod Deus in Verbo dicatur Spiritus, et de spiritu non aliter cogitant, quam sicut de substantia Aetheris, aut de aliqua forma Nubis, non scientes quod omnis Spiritus et omnis Angelus sit Homo; at usque exploratum est, num spiritualis illorum idea sit similis ideae illorum naturali, et compertum est, quod non similis sit apud illos, qui Dominum Salvatorem pro Deo Coeli et Terrae interius agnoscunt. Audivi quendam Presbyterum dicentem, quod nemo possit habere ideam Divini Humani, et vidi illum translatum ad varias Gentes ad interiores et interiores, et quoque ad Coelos illorum, et tandem ad Coelum Christianum, et ubivis data est communicatio perceptionis interioris illorum de Deo, et animadvertit, quod non alia illis idea Dei esset quam idea Divini Hominis, et quod non ab alio potuisset creari homo, qui imago et similitudo.