159.关于总体上灵人与世人交流的正常能力。今天早上，灵人如何作用于人，也就是弥赛亚神如何藉着灵人和天使引导人被清楚指示给我。在完全清醒的状态下，我被一种我以前所熟悉的思维占据了，以致我几乎以相当生动的想象同自己谈论某个话题，并且继续处于这种思维。因此，当灵人不与我说话时，我处于和以前差不多的状态。现在我便处于写这些东西时的状态，平常处于与朋友一起交谈，如在餐桌上，以及写字时的状态；好叫我获知灵人与世人交流的方式，因为有时我对此有所怀疑；由于那时感官察觉不到灵人的运作，更察觉不到天使的运作，尤其察觉不到弥赛亚神通过天使，因而通过灵人的运作，无论直接地还是间接地，于是我在这种状态下持续了一段时间，以至于仿佛周围没有灵人之后，这种状态突然变了，灵人开始向我说话。经弥赛亚神的许可，他们开始告诉我在我似乎凭自己处于这种思维的时候，他们所处的状态。他们说，他们只知道那时是他们在思考，以为他们正以这种方式冥想，似乎在自己里面说话；事实上，最近的灵人真的相信正是他们在进行思考，远一点的灵人不那么相信，更远的灵人更不那么相信，但他们仍在某种程度上处于这种状态，只是照着他们的距离，或也可说，照着思想的主题与灵人的关系而不同。
159. In general, about the spirits' normal power of communication with people on earth
This morning it was clearly shown to me how spirits operate into us, that is, how God the Messiah leads people on earth by means of spirits and angels. In full wakefulness, I was occupied with a thought that had previously been familiar to me - so much so that I was more or less talking to myself about a certain matter, with fairly vivid mental imagery - and I continued in this thought. (So I was in about the same state as formerly, when spirits did not speak with me, as also now there was a similar state when I was writing these things, and normally is when I am speaking with friends in company, like at the table, and when I am writing letters.)
In any case, in order that I might learn how things really stand in regard to that communication with mankind (because at times I have doubted about this, since no sense can perceive the spirits', much less the angels', operations themselves, and still less those of God the Messiah through angels and thus through spirits, indirectly and directly), after I had been for some time in the state as though I were without spirits around me, suddenly this state changed, and spirits began to address me and, with the consent of God the Messiah, began to tell me what state they had been in when I seemed to be by myself in that thought.
They said they did not know that it was not they who were doing the thinking, believing that they were meditating amongst themselves in that way, and seemingly speaking - so the ones nearest by really believed it was they who were thinking the thought, but the ones farther off less so, and those still farther away less again, but still, even they were to some degree in that kind of state, but with a difference depending on the distance, or what is the same thing, depending on the relationship of the subject of thought to the spirits concerned.
159. CONCERNING THE GENERAL POWER OF SPIRITS COMMUNICATIVE WITH MEN IN GENERAL
This morning it was clearly shown to me how spirits operate upon man, that is, how God Messiah leads man by means of spirits and angels. I was wide awake, engaged in thought, in a state which formerly was familiar to me, so that with a rather vivid imagination I was talking to myself, as it were, about a certain matter, and I continued in that thought; I was thus almost in the same state as I had been before, when spirits did not speak with me. I am in a similar state now as I am writing these things, and also for the most part when I am conversing with friends in company, as at the table, and when I am writing letters. In order that I might learn the way of that communication of spirits with man - because at times I have had doubts about it since no sense then perceives the operations of spirits upon oneself, thus even less those of the angels, and still less of God Messiah through the angels - therefore, after I had been in that state for some time, so that I was, as it were, without spirits being around me, that state was then suddenly changed, and spirits began to address me. From permission granted by God Messiah, they began to tell me about the state in which they had been when I was in that thought in myself, as it were, namely, that they knew no otherwise than that they were the ones who were then thinking and thus meditating, and speaking within themselves, as it were; and indeed, so much so, that those who were nearest believed that it was they who were thinking; those, however, who were more distant, believed this less, and those who were still more distant, believed less still, although they also were in such a state to some extent, but with a difference according to their distance, or what is the same, according to the affinity of that subject to the spirits.
159. De communi spirituum vi communicativa cum hominibus in genere
Hoc mane mihi clare ostensum est, quomodo spiritus operantur in hominem, hoc est, quomodo Deus Messias ducit homines per spiritus et angelos: in ipsa vigilia, dum in cogitatione, prius apud me, familiari essem, adeo ut quasi loquerer mecum, de certa aliqua re, cum satis viva imaginatione, quam cogitationem continuavi (eram sic in eodem fere statu, in quo prius, quando spiritus mecum non loquerentur, sicut etiam nunc est similis status cum haec scriberem, et utplurimum, quum loquor cum sociis in consortio, ut super mensam, et cum literas scribo), ut 1
itaque discerem, quomodo se haberet communicatio ista cum homine (quia aliquoties dubitavi de ea re, quia nullus sensus tunc percipit spirituum in se operationes, et minus sic angelorum, et adhuc minus Dei Messiae per angelos et sic per spiritus, mediate et immediate), postquam 2
per aliquod tempus in eo statu essem, sic 3
quasi absque spiritibus circum me, illico tunc mutabatur iste status, et spiritus me alloqui coeperunt, et ea venia a Deo Messia, data, coeperunt narrare mihi statum istum, in quo fuerunt, quando essem quasi mecum in cogitatione ista, nempe quod non aliter scirent, ac ii tunc essent, qui cogitarent, et ita secum meditarentur, et quasi loquerentur, et quidem ita, quod proximi crederent se esse qui id cogitarent, remotiores autem minus, et remotiores adhuc minus, usque tamen quod aliquo modo etiam in tali statu essent, sed cum differentia secundum distantiam, quod idem est, ac secundum affinitatem istius rei, cum spiritibus.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has scribo, ut
2. The Manuscript has immediate; postquam
3. The Manuscript has essem; sic