1636、下面的例子清楚向我表明，要让人们相信灵人和天使的存在是多么困难，更不用说相信有人能与他们交谈了。有些灵人活在肉身时属于受过良好教育的人，那时我也认识他们（因为我与几乎所有活在肉身期间我就认识的人交谈过，有的持续数周，有的持续一年，就好像他们仍活在肉身一样）。这些灵人曾被带入类似他们活在世上时所拥有的那种思维状态；在来世，这种事是很容易做到的。当他们处于这种状态时，一个问题微妙地浮现在他们的脑海中，即：他们是否相信有人能和灵人说话。他们说，在这种状态下，相信这种事一定是上当受骗了，并且他们十分顽固地坚持自己的观点。我由此得以认识到，让一个人相信与灵人对话对人来说是可能的，有多么困难。原因在于，人们不相信灵人的存在，更不相信死后他们自己就会来到灵人中间。甚至就连这些灵人自己都对这种不信感到震惊；然而，他们还是一些受过良好教育的人，经常公开谈论来世、天堂和天使；人们由此以为他们完全知道这是一个简单的事实，尤其从圣言熟知，因为圣言经常提到与灵人的这种对话。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1636. The following example made it clear to me how hard it is to convince people that spirits and angels exist, let alone that anyone can talk to them. There was a group of spirits I had known when they lived in the body who had been among the better-educated. (I have spoken with almost all those I had known during their physical lives 钬?with some for several weeks and with some for a year 钬?exactly as though they were living in their bodies.) They were once led into the same patterns of thought they had had when they lived in the world 钬?an easy change to accomplish in the other life. The question was then suggested to them, "Do you believe anyone can talk to spirits?" "You would have to be deluded to believe such a thing," they said then, in that condition, and doggedly continued to assert their opinion. The experience showed how difficult it is to convince anyone that any speech between people and spirits is possible. The reason for the difficulty is that people do not believe in the existence of spirits, let alone in their own future arrival among spirits after death. This disbelief afterward shocked even the spirits themselves. Yet they were some of the better-educated and had often spoken publicly about the next life, and about heaven and angels. One would have assumed that the idea was very familiar to them as a simple fact, especially from the Word, where it comes up frequently.{*1}
Footnotes:
{*1} In the Bible, angels appear to and speak with Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18; 22:1-19); Lot (Genesis 19:1-26); Hagar (Genesis 16:7-13; 21:17-20); Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15); Gideon (Judges 6:11-23); Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson (Judges 13); Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-20); Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21; 2:13, 19-20); Mary (Luke 1:26-38); and others. [LHC, LSW]
Potts(1905-1910) 1636
1636. How difficult it is for men to be brought to believe in the existence of spirits and angels, and still more that anyone can speak with them, has been evidenced to me by the following example. There were certain spirits who when they lived in the body had been among the more learned, and had then been known to me (for I have spoken with nearly all with whom I was acquainted during their bodily life, with some for several weeks, with others for a year, exactly as if they had been living in the body). These spirits were once brought into a state of thought similar to that which they had had while they lived in the world: in the other life this is easily done. The inquiry was then suggested, whether they believed that any man can speak with spirits. They then said, in that state, that it was a phantasy to believe any such thing; and this they asserted very persistently. From this it was given to know with how much difficulty a man can be brought to believe that any speaking with spirits is possible to man, for the reason that men do not believe in the existence of spirits, and still less that they are themselves to come among them after death. And at this these same spirits then wondered greatly; and yet they were among the more learned, and had spoken much in public concerning the other life, and concerning heaven and the angels; so that this might have been thought to be most fully known to them as a matter of memory-knowledge, especially from the Word, where it is frequently met with.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1636
1636. How difficult it is for people to be brought to believe that spirits and angels exist, let alone that anyone can speak to them, was made clear to me by the following example: There were certain spirits who during their lifetime had belonged among the more learned and whom I had known at the time (for I have spoken to almost all the people with whom I was acquainted during their lifetime, to some for several weeks, to others for a year, just as if they were still living in the body). They were at one point brought into a state of thought similar to that which had been theirs when they lived in the world, a step that is easily taken in the next life. While they were in this state the question was subtly raised in their minds whether they believed it possible for anyone on earth to talk to spirits. They said, while in this state, that it was a delusion to believe any such thing; and this they asserted most persistently. From this I was led to realize how difficult it is for anyone to be brought to believe that any speaking to spirits is possible to man, the reason being that men do not believe in the existence of spirits, still less that after death they themselves will come among spirits. These particular spirits were utterly amazed at this; and yet they belonged among the more learned who have spoken a lot in public about the next life and about heaven and angels, from which one might have been led to think that they knew about it fully as a fact, especially from the Word where such speaking to spirits is mentioned frequently.
Latin(1748-1756) 1636
1636. Quam aegre homines possint adduci ad credendum quod spiritus et angeli sint, et minus quod aliquis cum illis loqui possit, constare mihi potuit ex hoc exemplo; erant quidam spiritus, inter doctiores cum vixerunt in corpore, tunc mihi noti (locutus enim sum fere cum omnibus quos cognovi in vita corporis eorum, cum quibusdam per aliquot septimanas, cum quibusdam per annuum tempus, prorsus sicut in corpore vixissent); illi adducti semel in similem cogitationis statum quem habuerunt cum vixerunt in mundo, quod facile fit in altera vita, tunc insinuatum iis num credant quod aliquis homo cum spiritibus loqui posset; dicebant tunc in illo statu quod phantasia sit tale quid credere, et hoc satis constanter asseverabant; inde datum scire quam difficile adduci queat homo ad credendum quod aliqua loquela possit dari homini cum spiritibus, ex causa quia non credunt spiritus duri, minus se inter spiritus venturos post mortem, quod etiam iidem maximopere tunc mirati; et usque erant inter doctiores; et multum coram populo locuti de altera vita, deque caelo et angelis; sic ut iis id scientifice notissimum fuisse autumari potuisset, imprimis ex Verbo ubi id frequenter occurrit.