188、我不知道迄今为止，人们对离散层级，或高度层级了解多少，还是只知道连续层级，或广度层级。然而，没有这两种层级的知识，就无从知道关于原因的真相。因此，整个这一部分将论述这些层级。因为写这本书的目的就是为了揭示原因，并从原因的角度来看结果，从而驱散笼罩教会之人的黑暗；这些黑暗涉及神和主，以及总体上被称为属灵事物的神性事物。我可以报告如下：天使因地上的黑暗而悲伤；声称他们几乎处处看不到光明，世人急切地抓住谬误，为之辩护，从而使谬误一个接一个，层出不穷；他们利用基于虚假和被歪曲的真理的推理来寻求论据，以证实这些谬误；由于他们在原因方面的黑暗和在真理方面的无知，这些论据无法被驳倒。天使尤其哀叹人们确认支持与仁分离之信和唯信称义，以及他们对神、天使和灵人的观念，对爱和智慧的无知。
188. I am not aware that anything about distinct or vertical levels has yet come to people's attention--only things about gradual or horizontal levels. Yet nothing about causes can come to light in truth without familiarity with both kinds of level. That is why this whole part is devoted to this subject. After all, the purpose of this modest work is to uncover causes and to see effects on that basis, thereby dispelling the darkness that envelops people in the church concerning God, the Lord, and the divine matters in general that we refer to as "spiritual."
This I can relate, that angels are struck with sorrow at the darkness on earth. They say that they hardly see any light anywhere and that people are latching onto illusions and "proving" them so that they pile distortion on distortion. In order to prove their distortions, they use reasoning based on illusions and on distorted truths to investigate things that cannot be cleared up because of the darkness that surrounds causes and because of their ignorance of truths. Angels expressed the greatest grief over their "proof" of faith separated from charity and over justification by faith, as well as over [mistaken] concepts of God, angels, and spirits, and over ignorance of the nature of love and wisdom.
188. I do not know whether anything has been well known heretofore regarding discrete degrees or degrees of height, or only regarding continuous degrees or degrees of breadth. And yet nothing of any cause in its true nature can be learned without a concept of both kinds of degrees. Therefore we mean to deal with them throughout this part of the work. For the purpose of this volume is to uncover causes and from their standpoint view effects, and thus dispel the darkness which envelops the person of the church in regard to God, to the Lord, and to those Divine matters in general which are called spiritual.
I can report the following, that angels sorrow on account of the darkness in this world. They say that scarcely anywhere do they see light; that people seize on fallacious appearances and defend them, and in so doing multiply falsities, one after another; and that in order to support these, they employ reasonings based on false assumptions and falsified truths to find arguments which, owing to the darkness they are in in regard to causes and their ignorance in regard to truths, can never be dispelled.
Especially do angels lament over people's arguments in support of faith separated from charity and of justification by it, including as well their ideas of God, their ideas of angels and spirits, and their ignorance of what love and wisdom are.
188. I am not aware that anything has been known so far about discrete degrees or degrees of height, but only about continuous degrees or degrees of breadth. And yet nothing can become known of the real nature of cause without a knowledge of degrees of both kinds. Therefore the whole of this Part shall deal with these; for it is the purpose of this little work to uncover causes so that effects from them may be seen, and thus the darkness in which the man of the Church is about God and the Lord, and about Divine things in general which are called spiritual may be dispelled. I may mention this, that the angels are in sorrow about the darkness on earth. They say that hardly anywhere do they see light, and that men seize upon fallacies, confirm them, and by this means multiply falsities upon falsities; and to confirm these, men explore, by means of reasonings from untruths and from truths falsified, such things as cannot be
Dispelled owing to the darkness regarding causes and the ignorance regarding truths. The angels specially lament over confirmations about faith separate from charity and justification thereby. They also lament men's ideas about God, angels and spirits, and about their ignorance of what love and wisdom are.
188. I am not aware that anything has been known hitherto about discrete degrees or degrees of height, only continuous degrees or degrees of breadth have been known; yet nothing of the real truth about cause can become known without a knowledge of degrees of both kinds. These degrees therefore shall be treated of throughout this Part; for it is the object of this little work to uncover causes, that effects may-be seen from them, and thus the darkness may be dispelled in which the man of the church is in respect to God and the Lord, and in respect to Divine things in general which are called spiritual things. This I may mention, that the angels are in grief for the darkness on the earth; saying that they see light hardly anywhere, and that men eagerly lay hold of fallacies and confirm them, thereby multiplying falsities upon falsities; and to confirm fallacies men search out, by means of reasonings from falsities and from truths falsified, such things as cannot be controverted, owing to the darkness in respect to causes and the ignorance respecting truths. The angels lament especially over confirmations respecting faith separate from charity and justification thereby; also over men's ideas about God, angels and spirits, and their ignorance of what love and wisdom are.
188. Non scio an hactenus aliquid innotuerit de Gradibus discretis seu altitudinis, sed solum de gradibus continuis seu latitudinis; et tamen non aliquid causae in sua veritate potest innotescere absque cognitione graduum utriusque generis; ideo de illis in tota hac Parte agendum est: nam finis hujus Opusculi est, ut detegantur causae, et ex illis videantur effectus, et sic discutiantur tenebrae, in quibus homo Ecclesiae est de Deo, deque Domino, et in genere de Divinis quae Spiritualia vocantur. Hoc possum memorare, quod Angeli in maestitia sint propter tenebras in tellure[;] dicunt, quod vix ullibi videant lucem, et quod homines fallacias arripiant et illas confirment, et per id multiplicent falsitates super falsitates, et ad confirmandum illas indagent per ratiocinia ex falsis et ex veris falsificatis talia, quae propter tenebras de causis, et propter ignorantiam de veritatibus, discuti nequeunt: maxime lamentantur super confirmationibus de fide separata a charitate, et de 1 justificatione per illam; tum de ideis de Deo, de Angelis et Spiritibus, et de ignorantia quid amor et sapientia.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: super