849# 此后，我听见从地狱传来敌意的低语，同时有这些声音说：“行神迹吧，我们就信。”我回答说：“难道那些事不就是神迹吗？”他们回答说：“不是。”我问：“那么，什么才是神迹？”他们说：“显明并启示将来的事，我们就有信心。”
但我回答说：“这样的事，主并不赐下；因为人知道将来的事有多少，他的理性、理智，连同审慎与智慧，就有多少闲置不用、麻木迟钝并趋于崩塌。”
我又问：“那么，我还要行什么别的神迹呢？”这时他们喊道：“行像摩西在埃及所行的那些神迹。”我回答说：“也许你们对那些神迹也会硬着心，像法老和埃及人一样。”他们回答说，不会。
我又说：“你们须向我确证，你们不会围着金牛犊跳舞并敬拜它，像雅各的后裔所行的那样；他们在看见整座西奈山燃烧，并听见耶和华自己从火中说话之后，不过一个月，就这样行了；而那原是最大的神迹。”——“金牛犊”在属灵意义上，是肉体的快感。
于是从地狱有声音回答说：“我们不会像雅各的后裔那样。”
但这时我听见有声音从天上对他们说：“你们若不信摩西和先知，就是不信主的圣言，那么你们因神迹而信，也不会比旷野中雅各的后裔更多；也不会比那些亲眼看见主在世时亲自行神迹的人更多。”
849# 后来，我从下面或较低的地区听到敌意的低语，其中包括这些话：“行神迹，我们就信。”我回答说：“这些事难道不是神迹？”他们回答说：“不是。”我问：“那么，什么是神迹？”他们说：“显明并揭示未来的事，我们就会相信。”但我说：“主不允许这样的事，因为当一个人知道了未来的事时，他的理性和理解力，以及谨慎和智慧就会陷入惰性，停止工作，变得迟钝和衰退。”我又问：“我还要行什么神迹呢？”然后有人喊着说：“就像摩西在埃及所行的。”我回答说：“恐怕你们会像法老和埃及人一样对它们硬着心。”他们回答说，不会。我又说：“你们向我保证，你们不会围着金牛犊跳舞并拜它，像雅各的后代所行的那样，他们在看到整个西乃山燃烧，听到耶和华亲自从火中说话，因而在目睹所有神迹中的神迹后不到一个月，就做出这种事来。”“金牛犊”在灵义上是指肉体的快乐。来自较低地区的回答是：“我们不会像雅各的后代那样。”但就在这时，我听见有声音从天上对他们说：“你们若不相信摩西和众先知，即主的圣言，就不会因神迹而相信，正如雅各的后代在旷野中所行的，或犹太人在亲眼看见主在世时亲自所行的神迹时所行的。”
849. Afterward I heard a hostile murmur from the lower regions, including the following words: "Perform miracles and we will believe!"
"Surely those secrets are miracles," I replied.
"No, they aren't," was their response.
"Then what are miracles?" I asked.
"Disclose and reveal events yet to come, and we will believe," they said.
"The Lord does not allow that," I said. "When we know what is going to happen, our reason, intellect, prudence, and wisdom stop working; they collapse and shut down. "
I asked them again, "What other miracles should I perform?"
They shouted, "Do things like the ones Moses did in Egypt!"
"But what if in response to them you harden your hearts like Pharaoh and the Egyptians did?" I asked.
"We won't!" they said.
I said again, "Tell me for certain that you are not going to dance around a golden calf and worship it, like Jacob's descendants did within a mere month of seeing the whole of Mount Sinai burning and hearing Jehovah himself speak from the fire - in other words, seeing and hearing the greatest miracle of them all!" (In the spiritual meaning, a golden calf is the pleasure of the flesh.)
The response from the lower regions was, "We will not be like the descendants of Jacob. "
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to them, "If you do not believe Moses and the prophets, that is, the Lord's Word, you are not going to believe on the basis of miracles any more than Jacob's descendants did in the desert, or any more than they did when they saw with their own eyes the miracles performed by the Lord himself when he was in the world. "
849. After this I heard a threatening murmur from the underworld, and in it these words: 'Do some miracles, and we shall believe.' 'Are these not miracles?' I asked in reply. 'No,' they answered. 'What miracles then?' I asked. 'Make plain and reveal the future,' they said, 'and we shall have faith in you.' But I answered them: 'Such things are not granted by the Lord, because to the extent that a person knows the future, to that extent his reason and understanding, together with his prudence and wisdom, fall into disuse, he becomes dull and loses his grip.'
Then I asked again, 'What miracles am I to do?' Then a shout went up: 'Do ones like those Moses did in Egypt.' 'Perhaps,' I replied, 'you might harden your hearts at them, as Pharaoh and the Egyptians did.' They replied that they would not. So I said again: 'Promise me that you will not dance around the golden calf and worship it, as Jacob's descendants did within the space of a month after seeing the whole of Mount Sinai ablaze, and hearing Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire, so after the greatest of all miracles.' (The golden calf in the spiritual sense is the pleasure of the flesh.) I received the reply from the underworld: 'We shall not be like the descendants of Jacob.'
But then I heard this message given them from heaven: 'If you do not believe Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, you will no more be made to believe by miracles than were Jacob's descendants in the desert. Nor will you believe any more than those believed who saw with their own eyes the miracles performed by the Lord Himself, when He was in the world.'
849. After this I heard a hostile murmur from the lower regions, and with it these words, "Work miracles and we will believe."
I answered, "Are not these things miracles?"
They replied, "They are not."
I asked, "What then, are miracles?"
They said, "Show and reveal future events, and we will have faith."
But I said, "Such things are not granted by the Lord, because so far as a man knows what is to come his reason and understanding, with his prudence and wisdom sink into inertness and become torpid and collapse."
Again I asked, "What other miracles shall I work."
Then arose the cry, "Such as Moses wrought in Egypt."
And I replied, "Perhaps you would harden your hearts thereat, like Pharaoh and the Egyptians."
The answer was "No."
Again I said, "Assure me that you will not dance about a golden calf and worship it, as the posterity of Jacob did a single month after they had seen all Mount Sinai burning, and had heard Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire, thus after the greatest of all miracles. ("A golden calf" means in the spiritual sense the pleasures of the flesh.)
An answer came from the lower regions, "We will not be like the posterity of Jacob."
At that moment I heard it said to them from heaven, "If you believe not Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, you will not believe on account of miracles, any more than the posterity of Jacob did in the desert, or any more than they believed when with their own eyes they saw the miracles wrought by the Lord Himself when He was in the world."
849. After this I heard a hostile murmur from below, and at the same time these words, "Perform miracles and we will believe." I replied, "Are not those things miracles?" The answer came back, "They are not." I inquired, "What miracles then, do you mean?" "Make manifest and reveal future events, and we will believe," they said. But I answered, "Such things are not allowed by the Lord, because so far as a man knows future events, his reason and understanding, together with prudence and wisdom, sink into indolence, become torpid and decay." I again asked, "What other miracles shall I do?" "Miracles such as Moses performed in Egypt." I replied, "Perhaps you would harden your hearts against them, as Pharaoh and the Egyptians did;" and they answered they would not. I then continued: "Assure me that you will not dance around a golden calf and worship it, as the posterity of Jacob did within a month after they had seen the whole of Mount Sinai on fire, and had heard Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire; thus after the greatest of all miracles." Now a golden calf in the spiritual sense means the pleasure of the flesh. To this a reply came from below, "We will not be like the posterity of Jacob." But at that moment I heard a voice from heaven saying to them, "If ye believe not Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, neither will ye believe from miracles, any more than the posterity of Jacob in the wilderness, or than the Jews when with their own eyes they saw the miracles performed by the Lord Himself when He was in the world."
849. Posthaec audivi infestum murmur ex Inferis, et simul has voces, FAC MIRACULA ET CREDEMUS, et retuli, numne illa sunt Miracula, et responsum est, non sunt: et quaesivi, quae ergo Miracula, et dictum est, manifesta et revela futura, 1 et fidem habebimus, sed respondi, talia a Domino non dantur, quoniam quantum homo scit futura, tantum ejus ratio et intellectus cum prudentia et sapientia cadit in otium, torpet et labefactatur: et iterum quaesivi, quae alia Miracula faciam, et tunc clamatum est, fac similia quae Moses in Aegypto, et respondi, forte ad illa obduraturi estis corda vestra sicut Pharao et Aegyptii, et responsum est, quod non; et iterum dixi, asseverate mihi, quod non saltaturi sitis circum Vitulum aureum, et adoraturi illum, sicut posteri Jacobi, quod fecerunt a Mensis spatio postquam viderunt totum Montem Sinai ardentem, et audiverunt Ipsum Jehovam ex igne loquentem, ita post Miraculum, quod erat omnium maximum; Vitulus aureus in spirituali Sensu est Voluptas carnis; et responsum est ex Inferis, non erimus sicut posteri Jacobi. At tunc audivi hoc e Coelo illis dictum, si non creditis Mosen et Prophetas, hoc est, Verbum Domini, non credetis ex Miraculis plus quam posteri Jacobi in deserto, neve plus quam illi crediderunt, dum suis oculis viderunt Miracula ab Ipso Domino, cum fuit in Mundo, facta.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: futura.