422、“的确，有些人将某些可见事物归于自然界是情有可原的，因为他们不知道主所在的灵界太阳和由此而来的流注，也不知道灵界本身及其状态，更不知道它与人同在的事实。因此，他们只会以为：属灵物是一种更纯粹的属世物，因而天使要么居于以太，要么居于众星辰；至于魔鬼，他要么是人的罪恶，要么，若真的存在，就居于空气，或深渊；死后，人类灵魂要么居于地心，要么居于某个阴间，直到审判之日；还有其它类似观念，都是由他们的幻想出于对灵界及其太阳的无知而引发的。这就是为何那些以为自然界凭着自创造时就被植入它的某种能力产生其可见事物的人值得原谅的原因。然而，那些因确认赞成自然界而使自己沦为无神论者的人，就不可原谅了，因为他们原本能够确认赞成神性。无知纵然值得原谅，但这不会拿走已被确认的虚假，因为这虚假与邪恶黏在一起，而邪恶则与地狱黏在一起。”
422、我们要原谅一些人将一切现象归于自然。因为他们可能并不知道主所在的精神世界的太阳。不知道精神世界的状况以及来自于其中的各种影响。因此他们会认为一切都是自然的；认为天使只存在于别的星球上；若恶魔存在，他们或是人类中的恶人，或者是他们存在于地面深入，人死后的灵魂或是存在于地球中间，或是飘荡着等着审判之日的到来等等他们所认为的事情，都是因为他们缺乏对精神世界及其太阳的了解。
生来就将看到的现象归为自然的人应该得到原谅，而自然主义者却不能被原谅。他们是自大的，他们的错误是与罪恶相联系的。
422. 'Some people are indeed to be forgiven for ascribing some of what they see to nature, because they have known nothing about the sun of the spiritual world, in which the Lord is, and the influence which comes from it; nor anything about that world and conditions there, or even its presence with human beings. As a result they have been unable to think otherwise than that the spiritual is a purer kind of the natural, and so that angels must live in the ether or in the stars. Again they know nothing about the devil, thinking either that he is a person's evil, or if he really came into existence, he would live in the air or in the depths. They believed that after death men's souls were either in the bowels of the earth, or in somewhere called Pu, 1awaiting the day of judgment, and other similar beliefs which their imagination supplied as the result of their ignorance of the spiritual world and its sun. This is why those are to be forgiven who have believed that nature produces what is to be seen by an ability implanted in it from creation. But still those are not to be forgiven who have become atheists by seeking proofs in favour of nature, because they could have convinced themselves in favour of the Divine. Ignorance may certainly excuse, but it does not remove a false idea which has been confirmed, for this falsity is inseparable from evil, and evil is inseparable from hell."
422. Some people must indeed be pardoned for having attributed certain visible phenomena to nature, for the...reason...that they have not known anything about the sun of (the spiritual world) where the Lord is, and the influx from it; nor anything about (that) world and its state, nor, indeed, of its presence with man. And therefore they could not help but think that anything spiritual was a purer form of something natural; thinking thus that angels existed either in the stratosphere or in the stars; and in regard to the devil, either that it was the evil in man, of if he actually existed, that he existed either in the air or in the depths of the earth; also that people's souls after death existed either at the center of the earth or in some limbo or other to the Day of Judgment; and other like things, which their fancy persuaded them of owing to their ignorance of the spiritual world and its sun....
(For this reason) they must be pardoned who have believed that nature produces the phenomena they see by a power implanted from creation. However, those who by confirmations on the side of nature have made themselves atheists, cannot be pardoned, because they could have confirmed themselves on the side of the Divine. Ignorance, indeed, excuses, but it does not take away falsity that has been confirmed; for such falsity is bound together with evil, (and evil) with hell.
422. Certainly others are to be excused for attributing to nature certain things they see because they know nothing about the sun of the spiritual world, where the Lord is, and the influence from there, nor anything about that world and its condition, nor anything, in fact, about its presence among people, so that they could only think that spiritual is a purer natural, and thus that angels are either in space or among the stars, and about the devil, that he is either an evil person or, if he really exists, is in the air or in the depths. And that after death people's souls are either deep in the earth or in some indefinite place until Judgment Day. And other things like that which imagination has introduced from ignorance of the spiritual world and its sun. This is the reason why those who have believed that nature produces the things you see by something implanted from creation are to be excused. But still, those who have made themselves atheists by confirming themselves in favor of nature are not to be excused, because they could have confirmed themselves in favor of Divinity. Ignorance does indeed excuse, but it does not take away the confirmed falsity, for this falsity clings to evil, and evil to hell.
422. "Some indeed are to be pardoned for having ascribed certain visible things to nature, in that they have not known anything about the sun of the spiritual world where the Lord is, and about influx therefrom; nor anything about that world itself and the state thereof, no, nor anything about its presence with men. Thus they could not have thought otherwise than that the spiritual was a purer natural, and that angels were either in the ether or in the stars; and of the devil, that either he was man's evil or, if he actually existed, that he was in the air or in the deep; and that after death the souls of men are either in the inmost part of the earth or in some Ubi or Pu, until the day of judgment; and other like notions which fantasy has induced from ignorance of the spiritual world and of its sun. This is the reason why they are to be pardoned who have believed that nature produces her visible things from something implanted from creation. But those are not to be pardoned who by confirmations in favor of nature have made themselves atheists; for they could have confirmed themselves in favor of the Divine. Ignorance does indeed excuse, but it does not take away the falsity that has been confirmed, for this coheres with evil, and evil with hell."
422. Some 1indeed are to be pardoned for having ascribed certain visible things to nature. For they have known nothing about the sun of the spiritual world where the Lord is, or about influx from it; or about that world and the state of it, or about its presence with men. They could not but think of the spiritual as a purer natural, and therefore that angels either are in the ether or in the stars; and of the devil, that either he is the evil in man or, if he actually exists, that he is in the air or in the deep; and that the souls of men after death are either deep in the earth, or in some indefinite place until the judgment-day. They could not but entertain other like notions which fancy has induced in want of information about the spiritual world and its sun. For this reason they are to be pardoned who have believed that nature produces what they see from something inherent from creation. But still those who by confirmations in favor of nature have made themselves atheists cannot be pardoned, for they could have confirmed themselves in favor of the Divine. Ignorance indeed excuses, but it does not take away such confirmed falsity, for such falsity coheres with evil and evil with hell.
Footnotes:
1. For the substance of this paragraph see Divine Love and Wisdom,350.
422. Some indeed are to be pardoned for having ascribed certain visible things to nature, for the reason that they have not known anything about the sun of the spiritual world where the Lord is and of influx therefrom; nor anything about that world and the state of it, no, nor of its presence with men; and that therefore, they could not but think of the spiritual as a purer natural, and so that angels either were in the ether or in the stars; and of the devil, that either he is the evil of man, or, if he actually exists, that he is in the air or in the deep; and that the souls of men after death are either in the inmost of the earth, or in a somewhere or other (in aliquo ubi seu pu), until the day of judgment; and other like notions that fancy has induced from want of knowledge of the spiritual world and of its sun. This is the reason why they are to be pardoned who have believed that nature produces the things that they see from something inherent from creation. But still they cannot be pardoned who by confirmations in favor of nature have made themselves atheists; because they could have confirmed themselves in favor of the Divine. Ignorance indeed excuses but does not take away the confirmed falsity; for this falsity coheres with evil and evil with hell.
422. "Ignoscendi 1quidem sunt aliqui, quod Naturae adscripserint quaedam visibilia, ex causa, quod non sciverint aliquid de Sole Mundi spiritualis, ubi est Dominus, et de influxu inde; nec aliquid 2de illo Mundo, et ejus statu, imo nec de praesentia ejus apud hominem; et quod inde non aliter cogitare potuerint, quam quod spirituale esset purius naturale; et sic quod Angeli essent vel in aethere, vel in stellis; tum de Diabolo, quod vel esset hominis malum, vel si actualiter existeret, esset vel in aere, vel in profundis; tum quod animae hominum post mortem vel essent in intimo terrae, vel in aliquo ubi seu pu usque ad diem judicii; et similia alia, quae phantasia induxit ex ignorantia Mundi spiritualis et ejus Solis: haec causa est quod ignoscendi sint, qui crediderunt quod Natura producat visibilia ex insito a creatione: sed usque illi, qui per confirmationes pro natura se atheos fecerunt, non ignoscendi sunt, quia potuerunt se confirmare pro Divino; ignorantia quidem excusat, sed non tollit falsum confirmatum, nam hoc falsum cohaeret cum malo, ac malum cum Inferno."
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Ingnoscendi
2. Prima editio: aliquld