398、天堂的快乐既妙不可言，又数不胜数。但是，仅仅以身体或肉体为乐的人，不可能知道或相信这无数快乐中的任何一种。这是因为他的内层，正如刚才所说的，目光从天堂移开朝向尘世，从而向后看。因为完全沉溺在身体或肉体快乐中的人，或者也可以说，完全沉溺在自我和尘世之爱的人，除了以尊荣、利益、肉体和感官的愉悦为快乐外，感觉不到其它快乐。而这些都会熄灭和窒息属于天堂的内在的快乐，从而摧毁对它们的所有信仰。因此，如果告诉他，只有当名利的快乐被抛在一边时，其它的快乐才会被赐予；而且，如果还告诉他，取而代之的天堂快乐数不胜数，是身体和肉体的快乐（主要是名利的快乐）无法比拟的，他一定会非常惊讶。所有这些都清楚地说明了为什么人们不知道什么是天堂的喜乐。
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398. 天堂的快乐既无法描述, 又数不胜数. 但是, 凡完全沉浸于身体的快乐或肉体快感的人都无法认识或相信这无数快乐当中的一个快乐. 这是因为, 如刚才所述, 他的内层不仰望天堂, 而是俯视尘世, 这是向后看. 因为凡完全沉浸于身体的快乐或肉体快感, 或也可说, 完全沉浸于自我和尘世之爱的人除了以名利, 肉体和感官的愉悦为快乐外, 感觉不到任何快乐. 而这些将属于天堂的内在快乐扑灭, 窒息得如此彻底, 以致人们甚至不相信这类快乐的存在. 所以, 他若被告知, 一旦抛弃名利的快乐, 其它快乐就被赐予, 尤其被告知, 取代这些的天堂快乐数不胜数, 并且身体和肉欲的快乐(主要是名利的快乐), 根本无法与之相提并论, 必大吃一惊. 这一切清楚表明为什么人们不知道何为天堂的喜乐.
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398. 天國之樂無法描述, 也無法計算。沉迷于肉體之樂的人, 無法明白也難以相信天國的無限快樂。因為正如前面所說, 他們的心背對天國, 朝向世界。沉迷于肉體之樂的人, 除了名利地位, 肉體感官之樂, 別無所樂。肉體之樂阻礙乃至窒息內在的天國之樂, 以致人完全不相信它的存在。若有人告之, 名利地位之樂被捨棄以後, 尚有其它快樂存在, 他們一定會感到困惑;若被告之, 取而代之的快樂, 相比肉體上的快樂, 特別是名利地位上的快樂, 是無法計算也無可比擬的, 他們的困惑一定更甚。由此可見, 人因何不瞭解天國之樂。
398. Heaven's pleasures are both indescribable and innumerable; but no one can realize or believe anything about their multitude who is wholly wrapped up in pleasures of the body or the flesh. This, as I have already said, is because their deeper levels are looking away from heaven toward the world, which is backward. For no one who is wholly involved in pleasures of the body or the flesh (or in love for oneself and the world, which is the same thing) feels any pleasure except in eminence or profit or in physical and sensory gratification. These stifle and smother deeper pleasures of heaven so completely that people do not even believe such pleasures exist. So they would be quite bewildered if they were so much as told that any pleasures remain once the pleasures of eminence and profit have been taken away; and they would be even more bewildered if they were told that the pleasures that take their place are countless and simply defy comparison with pleasures of the body and the flesh, especially pleasures of eminence and profit. We can see, then, why people do not know what heavenly joy is.
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398. The delights of heaven are both ineffable and innumerable; but he who is in the mere delight of the body or of the flesh can have no knowledge of, or belief in a single one of these innumerable delights; for his interiors, as has just been said, look away from heaven towards the world, thus backwards. For he who is wholly in the delight of the body or of the flesh, or what is the same, in the love of self and of the world, has no sense of delight except in honour, in gain, and in the pleasures of the body and the senses, because these so extinguish and suffocate the interior delights that belong to heaven as to destroy all belief in them. Consequently, he would be greatly astonished if he were told that only when the delights of honour and of gain are set aside, other delights are given, and still more if he were told that the delights of heaven that take the place of these are innumerable, and are such as cannot be compared with the delights of the body and the flesh, which are chiefly the delights of honour and of gain. All this makes clear why it is not known what heavenly joy is.
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398. The delights of heaven are both ineffable and innumerable; but he that is in the mere delight of the body or of the flesh can have no knowledge of or belief in a single one of these innumerable delights; for his interiors, as has just been said, look away from heaven towards the world, thus backwards. For he that is wholly in the delight of the body or of the flesh, or what is the same, in the love of self and of the world, has no sense of delight except in honor, in gain, and in the pleasures of the body and the senses; and these so extinguish and suffocate the interior delights that belong to heaven as to destroy all belief in them; consequently he would be greatly astonished if he were told that when the delights of honor and of gain are set aside other delights are given, and still more if he were told that the delights of heaven that take the place of these are innumerable, and are such as cannot be compared with the delights of the body and the flesh, which are chiefly the delights of honor and of gain. All this makes clear why it is not known what heavenly joy is.
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398. jucunda caeli sunt ineffabilia, et quoque sunt innumerabilia; sed ex innumerabilibus nullum potest sciri nec credi ab illo qui in solo jucundo corporis seu carnis est quoniam, ut supra dictum est, interiora ejus spectant a caelo ad mundum, ita retro; nam qui totus in jucundo corporis seu carnis est, seu quod idem, in amore sui et mundi, is nihil jucundi sentit nisi quam in honore, lucro, et voluptatibus corporis et sensuum, quae ita exstinguunt et suffocant jucunda interiora, quae caeli sunt, ut non credantur quod sint; quare valde miraturus esset, si modo diceretur quod dentur jucunda remotis jucundis honoris et lucri, et adhuc magis, si diceretur quod jucunda caeli loco illorum succedentia sint innumerabilia, ac talia ut jucunda corporis et carnis, quae praecipue sunt honoris et lucri, cum illis non comparari queant: inde patet causa, cur non scitur quid gaudium caeleste.