BE96.简要分析：当约翰看到“新耶路撒冷由上帝那里从天而降”时，“坐宝座的”（也就是主）向他说了这些话。（关于“新耶路撒冷”象征新教会，将在下一章解释。）至于为何在新教会信仰之教义的真理被揭示和接受之前，当今教会信仰之教义必须首先被揭露和拒绝，原因在于它们这是因为它们没有一点或在任何细节上是一致的，因为当今教会之教义建立在这样的信仰上：是否拥有教会的本质，在这样的信仰中是不可知的。教会的本质——将自身与一位上帝的信仰相结合的诸要素——是義、好行为、悔改、守神性之法的生活；由于这些与信仰一起影响并感动着人的意欲和思维，所以它们使人与主联合，主与人联合。因此，由于这些要素没有一个能迈入当今教会信仰的第一道门槛，也就是与称义的活动都无关，于是就不可能知道这种信到底在人的里面，抑或不在；因此，也就不可能知道它到底是个什么事物，或者仅仅是个概念。因为有人说，人在称义的活动中如同一根木桩或一块石头，就其接受而言，他既不能意欲，也不能思考，更不会合作；甚至不能在最小程度上使自己适合或适应（n.15c，d）。因此，由于没有人能猜出，更不用说知道此信是否在他里面；因而它到底是绘画的一朵花，还是田野里的一朵花在他里面；或者是一只飞过他身边的鸟，还是在他里在已筑巢的鸟；人可以通过什么标志或迹象来知道呢？如果回答说，因着此信产生的義、好行为、悔改和守（神性之）法而知，当他们仍然坚持认为这些事与信仰没有任何关系时，那就留给明事理的人们来决定，看看那些与信仰无关之事是否可以作为证明信仰的标志。因为他们断言，他们的信仰既不需要上述事来被保守，也无需它们来保持（n.12m，n）。由上所述可得出以下结论：在当今教会信仰之中并没有任何属于教会的东西，因而它什么也不是，只是个概念而已。既然如此，那么这样的信仰理所当然被拒绝；诚然，是它拒绝自己，因为当中没有任何值得被教会认可的东西。
96. BRIEF ANALYSIS
He that sat upon the throne, that is, the Lord, said these words to John, when John saw the New Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven. That by the New Jerusalem is meant a New Church, will be shown in the following chapter. The reason why the falsities of the dogmas of the faith of the present Church must first be exposed and rejected, before the truths of the dogmas of the New Church are revealed and received, is because they do not agree in any one point or particular for the dogmas of the present Church are founded upon a faith in which it is unknown whether there is any essential of the Church or not.
The essentials of the Church, which unite themselves with a faith in one God, are charity, good works, repentance, and a life according to Divine laws; and since these, together with faith, affect and move man's will and thought, they unite man to the Lord and the Lord to man. As, therefore, none of these essentials enters into the faith of the present Church in its first reception, which they call the act of justification, it cannot possibly be known whether this faith is in a man or not; consequently, whether it is anything, or only an idea. For it is said that a man in the act of justification is like a stock or stone, and that with respect to its reception he can neither will, think nor co-operate; no, nor even apply or accommodate himself in the smallest degree: see above, 15(c, d). Since, therefore, no one can guess, much less know, whether that faith is in him; thus, whether it is like a painted flower with him, or like a flower of the field in him; or whether it is like a bird flying past him, or like a bird that has built her nest in him; by what tokens or signs will he know? If it be answered that it is to be known by the charity, good works, repentance, and conformity with the law, which result from this faith, when yet they maintain that there is no bond between these things and that faith, I leave it to men of sense to enquire whether anything which has no connection with faith can be a sign testifying to faith. For this faith of theirs is neither preserved nor retained by the above-mentioned works of charity, as may be seen above, 12(m, n).
From what has been said this conclusion is to be drawn, that in the faith of the present Church there is nothing of the Church; consequently it is not anything, but only an idea that it is something. Since, then, this faith is such, it deserves to be rejected; yea, it rejects itself, as that for which there is nothing worthy of commendation by the Church.
96. BRIEF ANALYSIS.
"He that sat upon the throne," that is, the Lord, said these things to John, when he saw "the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven." That by "the New Jerusalem" is meant the New Church, will be shown in the following chapter. The reason why the falsities of the dogmas of the faith of the present church must first be opened and rejected, before the truths of the dogmas of the New Church can be revealed and received, is, because they do not agree together, no not in one single point or particular; for the dogmas of the present church are founded upon a faith, in which it is unknown whether there be any essential of the church, or not. The essentials of the church, which conjoin themselves with a faith in one God, are charity, good works, repentance, and a life according to the Divine laws; and because these together with faith affect and move the will and thought of man, they conjoin man with the Lord, and the Lord with man. Since, therefore, none of these essentials enter into the faith of the present church at its first approach, which is called the act of justification, it cannot possibly be known whether this faith be in man, or not, consequently whether it be anything, or whether it be only an idea; for it is said, that man in that act is like a stock or a stone, and that he can neither will, think, cooperate, no, nor even apply or accommodate himself to the reception thereof in the smallest degree, see above [n. 15 (c) (d)]. Since, therefore, the case is such, that no one can guess, much less know, whether that faith be in him, and thus whether it be in him like a painted flower, or like a flower of the field in him; or whether it be like a bird flying by him, or like a bird that has built her nest in him; I ask by what tokens or signs is this to be known? If it be answered, that it is to be known from charity, good works, repentance, and exercises of the law, which follow after this faith, and yet have no connection with it; I leave it to men of sagacity to determine, whether things that have no connection with faith, can possibly be signs testifying thereof. For this faith of theirs, they say, is neither preserved nor retained by the things above mentioned, see above [n. 12 (m) (n)]. From what has been said we may draw the following conclusion, that in the faith of the present day there is nothing of the church, and thus that it is not anything, but only an idea of something. Since then this faith is of such a nature, it is deservedly to be rejected, yea, it rejects itself, as that of which nothing of the church can be predicated.
96. BREVIS ANALYSIS.
Haec dixit Sedens super Throno, hoc est, Dominus, ad Johannem, cum vidit Novam Hierosolymam descendentem a Deo e Caelo; quod per Novam Hierosolymam intelligatur Nova Ecclesia, in Lemmate sequente demonstrabitur. Quod falsitates Dogmatum fidei hodiernae Ecclesiae primum aperiendae et rejiciendae sint, antequam veritates Dogmatum novae Ecclesiae revelantur et recipiuntur, est quia non in uno puncto aut momento conveniunt; Dogmata enim hodiernae Ecclesiae fundantur super fide, in qua num aliquid Essentiale Ecclesiae sit nescitur; Essentialia Ecclesiae, quae cum fide in unum Deum se conjungunt, sunt Charitas, Bona Opera, Paenitentia, Vita secundum Leges Divinas; et quia haec una cum fide afficiunt et movent voluntatem et cogitationem hominis, conjungunt hominem Domino, et Dominum homini; cum itaque nullum ex illis Essentialibus intrat 1fidem hodiernae Ecclesiae in ingressu ejus, quem vocant actum justificationis, prorsus non sciri potest num illa fides sit in homine, vel non, proinde num sit aliquid, vel num solum idea; fantur enim, quod homo in illo actu sit sicut stipes aut lapis, et quod quoad receptionem ejus ne hilum possit velle, cogitare, cooperari, imo nec se applicare et accommodare, videatur supra n. 15 (c) (d); cum itaque tunc nemo potest augurari, minus scire, num illa fides sit in illo, et sic num sit sicut flos picturae apud illum, aut sicut flos agri in illo num sit sicut avis praetervolans illum, aut sicut avis nidificata in illo, quaeritur ex quibus auguriis aut signis id cognoscet; si respondetur, quod ex charitate, bonis operibus, paenitentia, et legis exercitiis, quae sequuntur illam postea; et tamen isti fidei cum illis non est aliquod vinculum, quare num non vinculum possit esse signum testificans, relinquo sagacibus inquirendum; fides enim ista per supra nominata non conservatur nec retinetur, videatur supra n. 12. (m) (n). Ex his fit haec conclusio, quod in Fide hodierna non sit aliquid Ecclesiae, et sic quod illa non sit aliquid, sed solum idea quod sit; nunc quoniam illa fides talis est, merito rejicienda est, imo illa rejicit seipsam, sicut id cui nihil praedicationis ab Ecclesia inest.
Footnotes:
1. intrat pro intrant.