461.启9:21.“又不悔改他们那些凶杀、邪术、奸淫、偷窃的事”表唯信这一异端邪说只会在他们心里引发愚蠢、悖逆和刚硬，以致他们不去思想十诫，事实上也不去思想因站在魔鬼一边并反对神而当逃避的任何罪。至“凶杀”、“奸淫”和“偷窃”在各层意义上分别表示什么，可参看《新耶路撒冷教义之十诫篇》，那里已经说明，故在此无需重复解释；不过，下一节将解释“邪术”（或译法术、巫术等）（enchantments）表示什么。“唯信”在那些身处新教教会之人心里之所以会引发愚蠢、悖逆和刚硬，是因为在唯信盛行之处，生活的良善没有成为宗教信仰；若生活的良善没有成为宗教信仰，那么十诫的第二块石版，也就是悔改的石版，就如同一块无字的空石版。十诫的第二块石版是一块悔改的石版，这是显而易见的，因为这块石版没有提到当做的善行，而是提到不可做的恶行，如“不可杀人”、“不可奸淫”、“不可偷盗”、“不可作假见证”、“不可贪恋邻舍一切所有的”；若这些事不构成宗教信仰，结果就如此处所说的：“不悔改他们那些凶杀、邪术、奸淫、偷窃的事”。下文将清楚说明，在唯信盛行之处，生活的良善没有成为宗教信仰。
461. And they did not repent of their murders or their enchantments or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (9:21) This symbolically means that the heretical belief in faith alone induces in their hearts stupidity, backsliding, and intransigence, so that they give no thought to the Ten Commandments, not even to any sin as something to be shunned because it is on the side of the Devil and against God.
The symbolic meanings of murder, sexual immorality or licentiousness, and thefts may be seen in The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem in Accordance with the Precepts of the Decalogue, where they are shown. Therefore we need not explain them here.
As for enchantments, we will say in the next number what they symbolize.
Faith alone induces stupidity, backsliding, and intransigence in the hearts of people found in Protestant Reformed churches because goodness of life does not constitute religion where faith alone prevails; and if goodness of life does not constitute religion, then the second table of the Ten Commandments, a table calling for repentance, is as though an empty one, in which no writing appears.
It is apparent that the second table of the Ten Commandments is a table calling for repentance, since it does not say that good works should be done, but that evil works must not be done, namely, that you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet things that are your neighbor's. If these are not matters of religion, then the case is as stated: "And they did not repent of their murders or their enchantments or their sexual immorality or their thefts."
In subsequent explanations we will see that goodness of life does not constitute religion where faith alone prevails.
461. [verse 21] 'Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms, nor of their thefts' signifies that the heresy concerning faith alone induces on their hearts such a dullness, fickleness, and hardness, that they think nothing of the precepts of the Decalogue, nor indeed of any sin that there should be a fleeing from it because it is on the side of the devil and against God. What murders, whoredoms and thefts signify in every sense may be seen in THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM DERIVED FROM THE PRECEPTS OF THE DECALOCUE, where it has been shown. There is therefore no need for them to be expounded here; but what 'enchantments' signify shall be stated in the following paragraph. Faith alone induces dullness, fickleness, and hardness in the hearts of those who are in the Church of the Reformed because, where there is faith alone, good of life is not the religion; and if good of life is not the religion, then the second table of the Decalogue, which is the table of repentance, is like a clean slate with nothing written on it. That the second table of the Decalogue is the table of repentance is plain, since it is not said therein that good works are to be done, but that evil works are not to be done, as, 'Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit whoredom, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet the things that are the neighbour's.' And if religion does not have these things, it becomes this: 'Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms, nor of their thefts.' That good of life is not the religion, where there is faith alone, will be seen clearly in the things following.
461. Verse 21. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms, nor of their thefts, signifies that the heresy of faith alone induces on their hearts stupidity, tergiversation, and hardness, so that they do not think anything concerning the precepts of the Decalogue, nor indeed concerning any sin, that it ought to be shunned because it is with the devil and against God. What murders, whoredoms, and thefts, signify in every sense, may be seen in The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem from the Precepts of the Decalogue, where it is shown; therefore it is unnecessary to repeat the explanation here; but what is signified by enchantments shall be explained in the following article. Faith alone induces stupidity, tergiversation, and hardness in the hearts of those who are in the churches of the Reformed, because the good of life is not the religion where faith alone prevails; and if the good of life is not the religion, then the second table of the Decalogue, which is the table of repentance, is like an erased tablet on which no writing appears. That the second table of the Decalogue is a table of repentance, is evident, because it is not there said that good works are to be done, but that evil works are not to be done, as, "Thou shalt not kill," "thou shalt not commit whoredom," "thou shalt not steal," "thou shalt not bear false witness," "thou shalt not covet the things which are thy neighbor's;" and if these things do not constitute the religion, the result is as here stated: "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their enchantments, nor of their whoredoms, nor of their thefts." That the good of life is not the religion where faith alone prevails, will be clearly shown in what follows.
461. (Vers. 21.) "Et non egerunt paenitentiam ex homicidiis suis, neque ex incantationibus suis, neque ex scortationibus suis; neque ex furtis suis," significat quod haereticum de sola fide inducat cordibus stupiditatem, tergiversationem et duritiem, ut non cogitent aliquid de praeceptis Decalogi, ne quidem de ullo peccato, quod fugiendum sit quia est cum Diabolo et contra Deum. - Quid "homicidia," "scortationes," et "furta" in omni sensu significant, videatur in Doctrina Vitae pro Nova Hierosolyma ex Praeceptis Decalogi, ubi ostensum est; quare non opus est, ut hic explicentur: quid autem "incantationes" significant, in sequente articulo dicetur. Quod sola fides inducat stupiditatem, tergiversationem, et duritiem cordibus illorum qui in Ecclesiis Reformatorum sunt, est quia Bonum vitae non est Religio, ubi sola fides est; et si non Bonum vitae est Religio, tunc Tabula secunda Decalogi, quae est Tabula Paenitentiae, est sicut tabula rasa, in qua non apparet aliquid scriptum: quod Tabula secunda Decalogi sit Tabula Paenitentiae, patet, quoniam in illa non dicitur quod bona opera facienda sint, sed quod mala opera non facienda, ut, "Non occides," "non scorta" non furaberis, "non false testaberis," "non concupisces illa quae proximi sunt;" et si haec non Religionis sunt, fit hoc, "Et non egerunt paenitentiam ex homicidiis suis, neque ex incantationibus suis, neque ex scortationibus suis, neque ex furtis suis." Quod Bonum vitae non sit Religio, ubi sola fides est, in sequentibus clare videbitur.