206# 对应之学——圣言的灵义藉此得以存在——在那些时代以后之所以未被揭示，其原因在于：初代教会的基督徒极其单纯，以致此学不能在他们面前揭示；因为若揭示出来，对他们也毫无用处，且不能被理解。
在他们以后，黑暗兴起，笼罩整个基督教世界；起初是由于许多异端四处散布，随后不久，又由于尼西亚会议关于自永恒以来三位神性位格、以及关于基督之位格为马利亚之子而非雅威神之子的决议与教令。由此便流出现今的称义之信；在此信仰中，人按次序趋近三位神。现今教会的一切和每一事物都依附于此信，如同身体的肢体依附于其头。
又因他们把圣言的一切都用来确认这一错误信仰，灵义便不能被揭示；因为若灵义被揭示，他们也会将此义应用于那信仰，并由此亵渎圣言的神圣，因而将天堂向自己完全关闭，并把主从教会中移除。
206# 在接下来的历史时期，传达或产生圣言灵义的对应知识没有被揭示，因为初期教会的基督徒是极其简单的人，以至于无法向他们透明；即便透露给他们，对他们来说，它也没有什么用处，他们也不会明白。在他们的时代之后，黑暗笼罩着整个基督教界，先是因为许多异端的传播，后是因为尼西亚议会关于来自永恒的三个神性位格，以及基督的位格是马利亚的儿子，而不是耶和华神的儿子的决议和法令。由此产生了当今称义的信仰，这种信仰教导说，要按顺序靠近三个神。当今教会的每一个细节都依赖于这种信仰，就像身体的各个部位都依赖于头部一样。由于圣言的一切都被用来证实这种错误的信仰，所以灵义无法被揭示；如果它被揭示了，他们会把它用于同样的目的，由此亵渎圣言的真正神圣性，从而向自己完全关闭天堂，将主从教会中移除或逐出。
206. In the period of history that came next, the study of correspondences that yields the Word's spiritual meaning was not revealed, because at the time the Christian church began, Christians were so extremely simple that it was not possible to reveal this study to them. If it had been disclosed, it would have been of no use to them and they would not have understood it.
After that time, darkness came over the whole Christian world, first because of scattered heresies on many people's part, and soon afterward because of the Nicene Council's decisions and decrees about three divine persons from eternity and the person of Christ being the Son of Mary rather than the Son of Jehovah God. This led [in turn] to the modern-day faith that by going to three gods, one after the other, we are justified. All aspects of the modern-day church depend on this faith the way our body parts depend on our head. Since people applied everything in the Word to this mistaken faith, its spiritual meaning could not be revealed. If it had been, they would have applied its meaning to their faith, and thereby desecrated the true holiness of the Word. By doing that they would have completely closed heaven to themselves and would have removed the Lord from the church.
206. The reason why the science of correspondences, which allows one to grasp the spiritual sense of the Word, was not revealed after this period was that the Christians of the earliest church were very simple people, so it could not be revealed to them, since, had it been, it would not have been understood and would have been of no use to them. After their times darkness arose to cover the whole Christian world, first by the spread of a number of heresies, and soon afterwards by the decisions and decrees of the Council of Nicaea, about the existence of three Divine Persons from eternity, and about the Person of Christ as being the Son of Mary and not the Son of Jehovah God. That is the source from which gushed forth the current belief in justification, according to which three gods are approached in turn. On this belief depends every single detail of the church to-day, just as all the parts of the body are dependent upon the head. Because they used everything in the Word to prove this erroneous belief, the spiritual sense could not be revealed, for had it been, they would have used this sense for the same purpose. By this they would have profaned the very holiness of the Word, and thus completely closed heaven to themselves and banished the Lord from the church.
206. After these times the knowledge of correspondences, whereby the spiritual sense of the Word is communicated, was not disclosed, for the reason that the Christians of the primitive church were too simple to have it disclosed to them, and if it had been it would neither have been of any use to them nor would have been understood. After those times darkness settled upon the whole Christian world, first because of the spread of many heresies, and soon after by the deliberations and decrees of the Council of Nice respecting three Divine persons from eternity, and respecting the person of Christ as being the Son of Mary and not the Son of Jehovah God. From this springs the modern belief in justification, which teaches that three Gods are to be approached in their order, on which faith each and all things of the present church depend as the members of the body depend on the head. And because all things of the Word have been applied to confirm that erroneous belief, the spiritual sense could not be disclosed, for if it had been they would have applied that sense also to the same purpose, and thereby have profaned the very holiness of the Word, and thus have completely closed up heaven against themselves, and have separated the Lord from the church.
206. The science of correspondences, by which is communicated the spiritual sense of the Word, was not disclosed at that time because the Christians of the primitive Church were extremely simple men, so that it could not be revealed to them; for if it had been revealed, it would have been of no use to them, nor would it have been understood. After their time, darkness settled upon the whole Christian world, first because the heretical opinions of many were spread abroad, and later, because of the decisions and decrees of the Nicene Council concerning three Divine Persons from eternity, and concerning the Person of Christ as the Son of Mary, and not as the Son of Jehovah God. Hence arose the present belief in justification, according to which three gods are approached in their own order. On this faith depends every particular of the Church of to-day, as the members of the body depend on the head; and because men have applied everything in the Word to confirm this erroneous faith, the spiritual sense could not be revealed. If it had been revealed, men would have applied it also to the same purpose; and by this means would have profaned the holiness of the Word, and would thus have completely closed heaven against themselves, and would have removed the Lord from the Church.
206. Quod Scientia Correspondentiarum, per quam datur Sensus spiritualis Verbi, post illa tempora non detecta fuerit, fuit causa, quia Christiani in Primitiva Ecclesia perquam simplices fuerunt, ut coram illis non detegi potuerit, nam si detecta, illis nullius usus fuisset, nec intelligeretur. Post illorum tempora obortae sunt tenebrae super universum Christianum orbem, primum per Haeretica plurium circumsparsa, et mox postea per consulta et decreta CONCILII NICAENI de tribus Personis Divinis ab aeterno, et de Persona Christi ut Filio Mariae, et non ut Filio Jehovae Dei; inde scaturivit Fides justificationis hodierna, in qua adeuntur tres Dii in suo ordine, ex qua fide pendent omnia et singula hodiernae Ecclesiae, sicut membra corporis a suo Capite: et quia omnia Verbi ad confirmandum erroneam hanc Fidem applicuerunt, non potuit Sensus spiritualis detegi, nam si detecta fuisset, ad illam etiam Sensum eum applicuissent, et per id ipsum Sanctum Verbi prophanavissent, et sic sibi Coelum prorsus occlusissent, 1 et Dominum ab Ecclesia removissent.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: occulusissent.