7、神性，或神，不在空间中，尽管祂全在，与世界上的每个人，天堂里的每位天使，以及天堂之下的每个灵人同在；这一点不能以纯属世观念来理解，但能以属灵观念来理解。这一点不能以属世观念来理解，是因为属世观念含有空间概念在里面；由于一个观念是由诸如在世上和肉眼所看见的每一个事物中的那类事物形成的，所以空间是存在的。在世上，一切或大或小的事物都是空间的；一切或长，或宽，或高的事物也都是空间的；简言之，世上的一切尺寸、形状和形式都是空间的。这就是为何我们说，以纯属世观念无法理解：神性不在空间中，尽管可以说它无处不在。
然而，只要允许些许属灵之光进入属世思维，人也能以属世思维领悟这一点。因此，有必要先说说属灵的观念，以及由此而来的思维。属灵的观念并不从空间获得任何事物，而是从状态获得它的一切。状态则涉及爱、生命、智慧、情感，以及由此而来的喜乐；总体上涉及良善与真理。对这些事物的真正属灵观念与空间毫不相干；它更高级，视空间观念在它之下，如同天堂俯视大地。
但由于天使和灵人用眼睛来看，和世人一样，还由于物体若非在空间中就无法被看到，所以天使和灵人所在的灵界也会出现空间，与地上的空间很相似；然而，它们并不是空间，只是表象；它们不像地上的空间那样固定不变，而是既能伸长，也能缩短，还能变化多端。因此，在灵界，它们无法以尺寸来确定，故不能以任何属世观念来理解，只能以属灵观念来理解。涉及空间距离的属灵观念和涉及良善距离，或真理距离的是一样的，它们的亲密度与相似性取决于良善与真理的状态。
7. Divinity is not in space. Given the divine omnipresence--presence with everyone in the world, with every angel in heaven, and with every spirit under heaven--there is no way a merely physical image can compass the thought that Divinity, or God, is not in space. Only a spiritual image will suffice. Physical images are inadequate because they involve space. They are put together out of earthly things, and there is something spatial about absolutely every earthly thing we see with our eyes. Everything that is large or small here involves space, everything that is long or wide or high here involves space--in a word, every measurement, every shape, every form here involves space. This is why I said that a merely physical image cannot compass the fact that Divinity is not in space when the claim is made that it is everywhere.
Still, we can grasp this with our earthly thinking if only we let in a little spiritual light. This requires that I first say something about spiritual concepts and the spiritual thinking that arises from them. Spiritual concepts have nothing to do with space. They have to do solely with state, state being an attribute of love, life, wisdom, desires, and the delights they provide--in general, an attribute of what is good and true. A truly spiritual concept of these realities has nothing in common with space. It is higher and looks down on spatial concepts the way heaven looks down on earth.
However, since angels and spirits see with their eyes the way we do on earth, and since objects can be seen only in space, there does seem to be space in the spiritual world where angels and spirits are, space like ours on earth. Still, it is not space but an appearance of space. It is not fixed and invariant like ours. It can be lengthened and shortened, changed and altered; and since it cannot be defined by measurement, we here cannot grasp it with an earthly concept, but only with a spiritual one. Spiritual concepts are no different when they apply to spatial distances than when they apply to "distances" of what is good and "distances" of what is true, which are agreements and likenesses as to state.
7. The Divine does not exist in space. The Divine, or God, does not exist in space, even though He is omnipresent, and is with every person in the world, with every angel in heaven, and with every spirit beneath heaven. This cannot be comprehended if a merely natural idea is formed of it, but it can be if a spiritual idea is formed.
It cannot be comprehended if a natural idea is formed of it for the reason that a natural idea has in it a notion of space. For it is formed on the basis of such things as exist in the world, and each and every element of them that the eyes behold involves space. All magnitude there, great or small, is a matter of space. Every dimension there, of length, breadth and height, is a matter of space. In a word, every measure, figure or form there is a matter of space. That is why we say that if a merely natural idea is formed of it, it cannot be comprehended that the Divine does not exist in space when we are told that He is everywhere.
[2] Still, however, people can comprehend this while thinking naturally of it provided that they admit into that thought some ray of spiritual light. Therefore we must first say something about spiritual ideas and the spiritual thinking resulting from them.
A spiritual idea derives none of its character from space, but draws all of its character from state. State is predicated of love, life, wisdom, affections, their resulting joys - of good and truth in general. A truly spiritual idea of these has no characteristic in common with space. It is a higher idea, and it regards ideas of space as beneath it in the way that heaven regards the earth.
[3] Nevertheless, because angels and spirits see with their eyes just as people do in the world, and because objects can be seen only as being in space, therefore in the spiritual world where spirits and angels are, intervals of space appear, like intervals of space on earth. But still they are not intervals of space, but appearances, for they are not fixed and constant as they are on earth. Indeed, they may become longer or shorter; they may change or vary. And because their extents as a result cannot be ascertained by any measure, they cannot be comprehended there by forming a natural idea of them, but only by forming a spiritual idea of them, which regards intervening intervals of space as intervening intervals of good or intervening intervals of truth, whose affinities and similarities vary in accordance with people's states.
7. THE DIVINE IS NOT IN SPACE
That the Divine, or God, is not in space, although He is Omnipresent and with every man in the world, with every angel in heaven, and with every spirit under heaven, cannot be comprehended by a merely natural idea, but it can by a spiritual idea. It cannot be comprehended by a natural idea because in that there is [the idea] of space. For an idea is formed out of such things as are in the world, and in each and all of these things which are seen by the eyes, there is space. In the world, everything great and small is spatial; everything long, broad, or high there, is spatial; in a word, every measure, figure and form in the world is spatial. This is why it has been said that it cannot be comprehended by a merely natural idea that Divine is not in space although it is said to be everywhere. But yet a man can comprehend this by natural thought provided he admit into it something of spiritual light (lux); therefore, something will first be said concerning the idea and the spiritual thought therefrom. The spiritual idea does not derive anything from space but it derives its all from state. State is predicated of love, of life, of wisdom, of the affections, of the joys therefrom; in general, of good and truth. A truly spiritual idea of these things has nothing in common with space; it is higher, and regards ideas of space under it as heaven regards the earth. But because angels and spirits see with eyes the same as men do in the world, and objects cannot be seen except in space, therefore in the spiritual world where angels and spirits are, there appear spaces similar to those on earth, and yet they are not spaces but appearances; for they are not fixed and constant as they are on earth. For they can be lengthened or shortened; they can be changed and varied. And so, because they cannot be determined by measure, they cannot be comprehended there by any natural idea but only by a spiritual idea. And the spiritual idea concerning distances of space is the same as that concerning distances of good or distances of truth which are affinities and likenesses in accordance with their states.
7. THE DIVINE IS NOT IN SPACE.
That the Divine, that is, God, is not in space, although omnipresent and with every man in the world, and with every angel in heaven, and with every spirit under heaven, cannot be comprehended by a merely natural idea, but it can by a spiritual idea. It cannot be comprehended by a natural idea, because in the natural idea there is space; since it is formed out of such things as are in the world, and in each and all of these, as seen by the eye, there is space. In the world, everything great and small is of space; everything long, broad, and high is of space; in short, every measure, figure and form is of space. This is why it has been said that it cannot be comprehended by a merely natural idea that the Divine is not in space, when it is said that the Divine is everywhere. Still, by natural thought, a man may comprehend this, if only he admit into it something of spiritual light. For this reason something shall first be said about spiritual idea, and thought therefrom. Spiritual idea derives nothing from space, but it derives its all from state. State is predicated of love, of life, of wisdom, of affections, of joys therefrom; in general, of good and of truth. An idea of these things which is truly spiritual has nothing in common with space; it is higher and looks down upon the ideas of space which are under it as heaven looks down upon the earth. But since angels and spirits see with eyes, just as men in the world do, and since objects cannot be seen except in space, therefore in the spiritual world where angels and spirits are, there appear to be spaces like the spaces on earth; yet they are not spaces, but appearances; since they are not fixed and constant, as spaces are on earth; for they can be lengthened or shortened; they can be changed or varied. Thus because they cannot be determined in that world by measure, they cannot be comprehended there by any natural idea, but only by a spiritual idea. The spiritual idea of distances of space is the same as of distances of good or distances of truth, which are affinities and likenesses according to states of goodness and truth.
7. QUOD DIVINUM NON SIT IN SPATIO. Quod Divinum seu Deus non sit in spatio, tametsi est Omnipraesens, et apud unumquemvis hominem in mundo, et apud unumquemvis angelum in Coelo, et apud unumquemvis spiritum sub Coelo, non potest idea mere naturali comprehendi, sed potest idea spirituali: quod id non possit idea naturali comprehendi, est quia in illa est spatium; formata enim est ex talibus quae in mundo sunt, in quorum omnibus et singulis, quae spectantur oculis, est spatium; omne magnum et parvum ibi est spatii, omne longum, latum et altum ibi est spatii, verbo omnis mensura, figura et forma ibi est spatii; quare dictum est, quod non possit idea mere naturali comprehendi, quod Divinum non sit in spatio, cum dicitur quod sit ubivis.
[2] Sed usque potest homo comprehendere id cogitatione naturali, modo in illam admittat aliquid lucis spiritualis; quare primum aliquid dicetur de idea et inde cogitatione spirituali: idea spiritualis non trahit aliquid ex spatio, sed omne suum trahit ex statu: status dicitur de amore, de vita, de sapientia, de affectionibus, de gaudiis inde, in genere de bono et de vero; idea vere spiritualis de illis non commune habet cum spatio; est superior, et spectat ideas spatii sub se sicut coelum spectat terram.
[3] At quia angeli et spiritus aeque vident oculis ut homines in mundo, et objecta non videri possunt nisi in spatio, ideo in Mundo spirituali, ubi spiritus et angeli sunt, apparent spatia similia spatiis in terris, at usque non sunt spatia, sed apparentiae; non enim sunt fixa et stata sicut in terris; possunt enim elongari et contrahi, possunt mutari et variari; et quia sic non possunt mensura determinari, non possunt ibi aliqua idea naturali, sed solum idea spirituali comprehendi, quae non alia est de distantiis spatii, quam sicut de distantiis boni aut de distantiis veri, quae sunt affinitates et similitudines secundum status eorum.