560、在进一步展开之前，有必要提一下大洪水前的教会是何情形。总的来说，它和以后的教会一样，如主降临前的犹太教会和主降临后的基督教会；也就是说，人们败坏并玷污了对真信的认知。尤其对大洪水之前的教会成员来说，随着时间推移，他们逐渐孕育可怕的说服，将信之良善与真理浸没于污秽的欲望，甚至到了他们里面的余剩几乎荡然无存的地步。一旦进入这种状态，他们可以说将自己窒息了，因为没有余剩，没有人能存活。事实上，如前所述，正是余剩使得人的生命优于动物的生命。正是从余剩，也就是通过余剩从主，人才能为人，能知道何为良善和真理，反思各种问题，从而思考和推理。因为唯有余剩包含属灵和属天的生命。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]560. Inner Meaning
BEFORE going any further, let me mention the situation of the church that came before the Flood. Its situation was much like that of later churches, such as the Jewish church before the Lord's Coming and the Christian church afterward: all of them perverted and adulterated true religious knowledge.
In specific regard to the people of the church before the Flood, they conceived appalling delusions as time passed. The goodness and truth that belong to faith they merged so thoroughly with their foul desires that almost no trace of either was left to them. When they reached this point, they virtually suffocated themselves. A person lacking any remnant [of goodness or truth], after all, cannot survive. Such a remnant, as noted earlier [530], is what lifts human life above animal life. A remnant, or rather the Lord working by means of a remnant, is what allows a person to seem human, to learn what is good and true, to reflect on particular instances of it, and so to think and reason. This remnant alone has spiritual and heavenly life in it.
Potts(1905-1910) 560
560. THE INTERNAL SENSE Before proceeding further we may mention how the case was with the church before the flood. Speaking generally, it was as with succeeding churches, as with the Jewish Church before the Lord's advent, and the Christian Church after His advent, in that it had corrupted and adulterated the knowledges of true faith; but specifically, as regards the man of the church before the flood, he in course of time conceived direful persuasions, and immersed the goods and truths of faith in foul cupidities, insomuch that there were scarcely any remains in them. When they came into this state they were suffocated as if of themselves, for man cannot live without remains; for, as we have said, it is in the remains that the life of man is superior to that of brutes. From remains, that is, through remains from the Lord, man is able to be as man, to know what is good and true, to reflect upon matters of every kind, and consequently to think and to reason; for in remains alone is there spiritual and celestial life.
Elliott(1983-1999) 560
560. THE INTERNAL SENSE Before one can go any further, reference must be made to the Church as it was before the Flood. In general it went the same way as subsequent Churches, as the Jewish Church before the Lord's Coming and the Christian Church after; that is, people corrupted and adulterated the cognitions of true faith. In particular as regards the member of the Church before the Flood, he conceived dreadful persuasions in the process of time and immersed the goods and truths of faith in filthy desires, to such an extent that scarcely any remnants resided with him. And once they had become such those people suffocated themselves so to speak, for nobody can live without remnants. Indeed, as already stated, it is remnants that make man's life superior to that of animals; it is from remnants, or from the Lord through them, that anyone is enabled to be a human being, to know what good and truth are, and to reflect on individual things, and so to think and to reason. For remnants alone are what contain spiritual and celestial life.
Latin(1748-1756) 560
560. SENSUS INTERNUSAntequam ulterius progredi licet, memorandum quomodo se res habuit cum Ecclesia ante diluvium; in genere se habuit sicut cum Ecclesiis postea, ut cum Judaica ante Adventum Domini, et cum quam post Adventum, quod verae fidei cognitiones depravaverint et adulteraverint: in specie, quod hominem Ecclesiae antediluvianae attinet, is successu temporis diras concepit persuasiones, et bona et vera fidei foedis cupiditatibus immersit, usque adeo ut vix aliquae 'reliquiae' apud eos essent; et cum tales facti, a semet quasi suffocati sunt; nam homo absque reliquiis non vivere potest; 'reliquiae' enim sunt, ut prius dictum, quibus vita hominis prae brutis inest; ex reliquiis seu per reliquias a Domino, potest homo esse sicut homo, scire quid bonum et verum, reflectere super singula, proinde cogitare et ratiocinari; nam reliquiis solis vita spiritualis et caelestis inest.