BE89.我可以确定并完全相信：“无底坑”除了象征持“龙”之信仰者，别无他意；这信仰的孵出，来自三位上帝的观念，以及无视基督之人身的神性；该信仰被称为让人称义、更新、苏醒、成圣和得救的“唯信”；为此，我被允许考察那个无底坑，与其中的人交谈，还看到由此出来的蝗虫。我已在《揭开启示》中描述了那个大坑和深渊，是本人的亲身见证；由于亲身见证的描述可用来证明一些东西，因此从该书（AR421）中转述以下内容：那个坑，像一个炉窑口，看上去在南方，其下的洞穴向东延伸很远的距离。里面有光，但若从天上来的光被放进来，整个地狱变得黑暗，所以深坑的上方被关闭。其中有一些仿佛砖砌的拱形屋顶的房子，房子里面还分成若干小房间，每小间摆一张桌子，台上有书本纸张。每个人坐在各自的台前，这些人在世时捍卫唯信称义并得救，视義行不过是属世的道德举动，以为義的行为只不过是社会生活的行为，人们借此获得世上的回报。人若为了得救而去做这些行为，他们还诅咒这样的行为，其中有一些人极为严重，因为他们认定这些行为中包含人的动机与意愿。在这坑中的所有人在世都是博学多识者，其中还有一些形而上学者和经院派学者，比其余人更受推崇。当我被许可与其中一些人交谈时，认得其中一些人。然而，他们的命运却是如此：当他们最开始进来时，坐在最前面那一小间里。当他们通过摒弃義的行为来捍卫唯信这一信条时，就离开第一个居所，进入更靠东的小房间，就这样循环往复，直到尽头，那里的人利用圣经来捍卫这些信条。于是，他们禁不住歪曲圣经，他们的房子就消失了，见自己身处荒漠之中。在这个坑的下方还有一个深坑，那里的居民同样捍卫唯信称义并得救，不过在他们独处时，心灵深处却是否认上帝，并且内心嘲笑教会的神圣事物。在那里，除了争吵、撕裂自己的衣裳、爬上桌子、踢人、互相恶言谩骂，就不做别的。不过，不允许伤害其他人的身体，所以他们动嘴巴和挥拳头来彼此威胁。
89. That I might be assured and fully convinced that by the pit of the abyss nothing else is meant than that dragonish faith, which is a faith hatched from the idea of three Gods, and from no idea of the Divinity of Christ's Human Nature, and which is called faith alone as justifying, regenerating, quickening, sanctifying and saving, I was allowed to look into that abyss, to speak with those who are therein, also to see the locusts which came out thence; from which personal observation I have described that pit, together with the abyss, in THE APOCALYPSE REVEALED. And, because a description from personal observation may be relied on, the following passage is transcribed from that work where this description occurs 1.
This pit, which is like the opening of a furnace, appears in the southern quarter, and the abyss beneath it is of great extent towards the east. They have light in there, but if light from heaven is let in, darkness ensues; wherefore, the pit is closed up at the top. In the abyss appear huts roofed as if with bricks. These huts are divided into separate compartments, in each of which is a table whereon lie papers with some books. There sit those, each at his own table, who in this world had confirmed justification and salvation by faith alone, by making charity a merely natural-moral act, and its works only those of civil life, from which men may reap rewards in the world. But if men should do works for the sake of salvation, these inhabitants of the abyss condemn those works, some with vehemence, because human reason and will are in them.
All who are in this abyss were accomplished and learned men in the world, and among them are some metaphysicians and scholars who are there esteemed above the rest. But actually their lot is this: When they are first let down thither they sit down in the first chambers; but, as they confirm faith by excluding works of charity, they leave the first seats and enter rooms nearer the east, and this successively until they come towards the last, where are those who confirm these dogmas from the Word. And, because then they cannot but falsify the Word, their huts vanish and they see themselves in a desert. There is also an abyss beneath that abyss, where are those who in like manner have confirmed justification and salvation by faith alone, but who, in their spirit, have denied the existence of God, and in their heart have laughed at the holy things of the Church. There they do nothing but quarrel, tear their garments, climb upon the tables, stamp with their feet, and assail one another with abusive language; and, because they are not permitted to hurt anyone, they use threatening words and shake their fists at each other.
Footnotes:
1. THE APOCALYPSE REVEALED 421.
89. That I might be confirmed and fully convinced, that by "the pit of the abyss" nothing else is meant than that draconic faith, which is a faith conceived from the idea of three Gods, and from having no idea of the Divinity of the Human nature of Christ, and which is called faith alone justifying, regenerating, quickening, sanctifying, and saving; it was given me to look into that abyss, then to speak with those who are there, and likewise to see the locusts which came out thence; from which ocular demonstration, that pit together with the abyss is described by me in The Apocalypse Revealed; and because a description from ocular demonstration testifies what is certain, it shall be transcribed from that work, where it is described as follows.
"That pit, which is like the mouth of a furnace, appears in the southern quarter; and the abyss beneath it is of great extent towards the east; they have light even there, but if light from heaven be let in, there is immediate darkness; wherefore the pit is closed up at the top. There appear in the abyss huts constructed as of brick, which are divided into distinct cells, in each of which is a table, whereon lie papers, with some books. Everyone there sits at his own table, who in this world had confirmed justification and salvation by faith alone, making charity a merely natural and moral act, and the works thereof only works of civil life, whereby men may reap rewards in the world; but if done for the sake of salvation, they condemn them, and some even rigorously, because human reason and will are in them. All who are in this abyss, have been scholars and learned men in the world; and among them are some metaphysicians and scholastics, who are there esteemed above the rest. But their lot is as follows: when first they come thither, they take their seats in the first cells, but as they confirm faith by excluding the works of charity, they leave the first seats, and enter into cells nearer the east, and thus successively till they come towards the end, where they are who confirm those dogmatic things from the Word; and because they then cannot but falsify the Word, their huts vanish, and they find themselves in a desert. There is also an abyss beneath that abyss, where those are who in like manner have confirmed justification and salvation by faith alone, but who in their spirits have denied God, and in their hearts have made a jest of the holy things of the church; there they do nothing but quarrel, tear their garments, get up on the tables, stamp with their feet, and assail each other with reproaches; and because it is not permitted them to do evil to anyone, they threaten with the mouth and fists.
89. Ut confirmarer et plene convincerer, quod non aliud per Puteum Abyssi, quam Fides illa Draconica, quae est Fides exclusa ex idea trium Deorum, et ex nulla idea Divinitatis de Humana Natura Christi, et vocatur Fides Sola justificans, regenerans, vivificans, sanctificans, et salvans, intelligatur, datum, mihi est intueri in illam Abyssum, tum loqui cum illis qui ibi sunt, et quoque videre Locustas quae inde exiverunt; ex qua Autopsia Puteus ille cum Abysso in APOCALYPSI REVELATA 1a me descriptus est; et quia descriptio ex Autopsia testatur certitudinem, transcribetur hoc inde; haec ibi talis est.
"Puteus ille, qui est sicut apertura fornacis, apparet in plaga meridionali; et Abyssus infra est multae extensionis versus Orientem; est inibi Lux illis, sed si illuc immittitur Lux e Caelo, fiunt ibi tenebrae quare Puteus ille clausus est superne. Apparent in Abysso mapalia lacunata sicut ex lateribus, quae divisa sunt in cellulas et cellulas, et in quavis est mensa, super qua jacent chartae cum aliquibus libris: ad suam sedet quisque, qui in Mundo confirmaverat Justificationem et Salvationem per solam fidem, faciendo Charitatem actum mere naturalem moralem, ac opera ejus modo opera vitae civilis, ex quibus homines aucupare possunt praemia in Mundo; sed si facerent illa propter Salutem, condemnant illa, et quidam 2graviter, quia humana ratio et voluntas est in illis. Omnes qui in hac Abysso sunt, fuerunt docti et eruditi in Mundo; et inter illos aliqui Metaphysici et Scholastici, qui prae reliquis ibi aestimantur. At vero sors illorum, haec est; cum primum illuc immittuntur, sedent in primis cellulis; sed sicut confirmant fidem, excludendo opera charitatis, relinquunt primas sedes, ac intrant cellulas propius ad Orientem, ac ita successive usque versus finem, ubi sunt illi qui dogmatica illa confirmant ex Verbo; et quia tunc non possunt non falsificare Verbum, evanescunt mapalia illorum, ac vident se in deserto. Est quoque Abyssus infra illam Abyssum, ubi sunt illi qui similiter confirmaverunt Justificationem et Salvationem per Solam fidem, sed qui in suo Spiritu negaverunt Deum, et corde suo riserunt ad Sancta Ecclesiae; ibi solum rixantur, dilacerant vestes, scandunt mensas, calcitrant, pugnant inter se vituperiis; et quia non licet alicui malefacere, minantur ore et pugnis."