177、没有人能重生，除非他熟悉那些属于新生命，也就是属灵生命的事物。属于新生命，就是属灵生命的事物是当信的真理和当行的良善：前者属于信，后者属于仁。没有人能从自己知道这些事物，因为人只理解那些冲击他感官的事物。他从这些事物为自己获得一种光，被称为属世之光；这光只允许他看见属于世界和自己的东西，看不见属于天堂和神的东西。他不得不通过启示学习后者，如：主，就是永恒之神，降世拯救人类；祂拥有天上地上的一切权柄；信和仁的全部，因而一切真理和良善都来自祂；有一个天堂和一个地狱；一个人若行善，就会在天堂活到永远，若作恶，就会下入地狱。
177、没人能被重生，除非他知道引向新生命即属灵生命的事物。属于新生命的事物，或者属于属灵生命的事物，是应该相信的真理和应该去做的良善。前者属于信仰，后者属于仁爱。没人能靠自己知道这些事物，因为人只能理解那些明显感觉得到的事物，通过这些事物，他自己得到一种被称为物质之光的光，从其中他只能看到与世界和自己有关的事物，而不是与上帝和天堂有关的事物。 这些事物，他必须从启示获得。比如主即永恒的上帝来到世间拯救人类。祂在天上和地上拥有所有权力。一切信仰和仁爱，因而一切真理和良善来自祂。有一个天堂和一个地狱。人是永远活着的，如果行善，他就上天堂，如果行恶，他就下地狱。
177. We cannot be regenerated unless we know the kinds of teachings that lead us to a new life, a spiritual life. What we must be taught in order to gain a new, spiritual life are the truths that we need to believe and the good things we need to do-the truths that need to become part of our faith and the good actions that need to become part of our caring.
There is no way any of us can know these on our own, because all we take in is what strikes our senses. From this input we gain the light that is called earthly, which makes it possible for us to see only what has to do with the world and with ourselves. It shows us nothing that has to do with heaven or with God. This we must learn from revelation.
It is only from revelation, for example, that we learn that the Lord who is God from eternity came into the world to save the human race; that he has all power in heaven and on earth; that everything that has to do with faith and caring, that is, all truth and goodness, comes from him; that there is a heaven and a hell; and that we are going to live forever-in heaven if we have led a life of goodness and in hell if we have led a life of evil.
177. We cannot be reborn unless we know about this new, spiritual life. We need to know the true things we should believe, which relate to faith, and the good things we should do, which relate to kindness.
We cannot learn these things on our own, because we only comprehend what we have received through our physical senses. This is where we get our light, which is “natural light.” By this light we see only what relates to material things and ourselves. We cannot see anything that has to do with heaven and God — we have to learn about these from revelation.
Here are some of the things we have to learn from revelation: The Lord, who is God from eternity, came into the world to set the human race free. He has all the power in heaven and on earth. All faith and kindness, and all truth and goodness, are from him. There is a heaven and a hell. We will live forever in heaven if we have done good things, and in hell if we have done harmful things.
177. No one can be regenerated unless he knows what concerns his new, that is, spiritual life. These things are the truths he ought to believe and the good deeds he ought to do. The truths concern faith, the deeds charity. No one can know this by himself, for he grasps only such things as have been apprehensible by the senses. From these he has acquired some sort of illumination, called natural illumination, which allows him to see nothing but what concerns the world and himself, and he is blind to what concerns heaven and God. This he has to learn by revelation; as for example, the fact that the Lord, who is God from eternity, came into the world to save the human race; that He has all power in heaven and on earth; that the whole of faith and the whole of charity, so all truth and good, are from Him; that there is a heaven and a hell; that one is destined to live for ever in heaven if one has behaved well, in hell if badly.
177. No one can be regenerated, unless he is acquainted with those things which belong to the new life, that is, to those which belong to spiritual life. The things that belong to the new life, that is, to spiritual life, are the truths which are to be believed, and the goods which are to be done: the former belong to faith, and the latter to charity. No one can know these things from himself; for a man apprehends only those things which strike his senses: from these things he has procured for himself a light which is called natural lumen; by means of which he sees only what belongs to the world and to himself, but not what belongs to heaven and to God. These latter things he has to learn from revelation - as, for instance, that the Lord who is God from eternity, came into the world to save the human race; that He has all power in heaven and on earth; that the whole of faith and charity, and thus all truth and good, are from Him; that there is a heaven and a hell; and that a man lives to eternity in heaven if he has done good, but in hell if he has done evil.
177. No man can be regenerated unless he knows such things as are of the new life, that is, of spiritual life. The things which are of the new life, or which are of the spiritual life, are truths which are to be believed and goods which are to be done; the former are of faith, the latter of charity. These things no one can know from himself, for man apprehends only those things which are obvious to the senses, from which he procures to himself a light which is called natural light, from which he sees nothing else than what relates to the world and to self, but not the things which relate to heaven and to God. These he must learn from revelation. As that the Lord, who is God from eternity, came into the world to save the human race; that He has all power in heaven and in earth; that the all of faith and the all of charity, thus all truth and good, is from Him; that there is a heaven, and a hell; and that man is to live to eternity, in heaven if he has done well, in hell if he has done evil.
177. Nemo regenerari potest nisi sciat talia quae vitae novae, hoc est, quae vitae spiritualis sunt. Quae vitae novae sunt, seu quae vitae spiritualis, sunt vera quae credenda et bona quae facienda; illa sunt fidei, haec charitatis. Haec scire nemo potest ex se, nam homo non capit nisi quae obvia fuerunt sensibus; ex illis comparavit sibi lumen, quod lumen naturale vocatur, ex quo non aliud videt quam quae mundi sunt et quae sui, non autem quae caeli et quae Dei; haec discet ex revelatione. Ut, quod Dominus, qui ab aeterno Deus, in mundum venerit ad salvandum genus humanum; quod Ipsi omnis potestas sit in caelo et in terra; quod omne fidei et omne charitatis, ita omne verum et bonum, sit ab Ipso; quod caelum sit et quod infernum; quod homo victurus sit in aeternum, si bene egerit in caelo, si male in inferno.