460.关于灵人在制造看似真相的事上的精练。从今天的一个经历，我能意识到灵人如何能伪造真相，从而迷惑人类的心智。他们对土星居民的描绘即是一例，他们编造说：土星居民都是小人，大部分身材矮小，但性情还不错。他们说，土星居民冥想多于说话；他们生活在寒冷的气候中；把恶人从他们当中逐出，但不会以死亡惩罚他们，他们说这是邪恶的；不过恶人会如此被逐出他们的社群，不再为其他人所容忍；他们崇拜神，宇宙的创造者，还有他们所编造的类似真相的事。但由于他们想补充细节，所以我不能相信他们。与此同时，我从这些事推断，这个星球的居民尽管不知道耶稣基督，但必须被同样的圣言教导，以便他们能因此知道祂，无论多么模糊；那些像我们地球上的外邦人，如非洲人那样不知道祂，缺乏这种高级知识的人，仍能得救。（1748年1月11日）
460. About the adroitness of spirits in making up things that appear to be true
From one experience today, I was able to realize how spirits can counterfeit the truth, and thus play with human minds. The case in point was their depiction of the inhabitants of Saturn, whom they claim to be little people, for the most part small in stature but still of good character. They say that they meditate more than they speak, that they live in a cold climate, that they cast out from their midst those who are evil (but do not punish them with death, which they say is wicked, but that they are thus banished from society and no longer tolerated by the rest), that they worship God the creator of the universe, and similar concoctions having an appearance of truth. But because they wanted to add on embellishments, I was unable to believe them.
However, I was able to deduce from these things that the inhabitants of that planet, though they did not know Christ Jesus, must nevertheless have been taught by some Divine Word, so as to have a knowledge of Him, albeit a dim one; and that those who had not, like gentiles on our earth such as the Africans, who are destitute of such higher knowledge, can nevertheless be saved. 1748, the 11th day of January.
460. CONCERNING THE ASSIDUITY OF SPIRITS IN FASHIONING RESEMBLANCES OF TRUTH
From a certain kind of experience today, I could observe how spirits are able to feign resemblances of truth and so deceive human minds: as for instance, their figment about the inhabitants of Saturn, who, they say, are tiny men, for the most part small in stature, though yet of a good disposition; and that they meditate more than they speak; that they live in a cold climate; that they cast out from them those who are evil, but do not punish them with death - which they say is wicked - but the evil are thus banished from their society and are no longer tolerated by the rest; that they worship God, the Creator of the universe: and there are similar things which they fashioned to resemble truths. But because they wanted to add particulars, I could not believe them. Meanwhile, I could thence deduce that the inhabitants of that orb, though ignorant of Christ Jesus, must needs be instructed by some Divine Word in order that they may thus have a knowledge of Him, however obscure; and that those who have not had, and are destitute of, such knowledges, like the gentiles of our earth, as the Africans, can still be saved. 1748, Jan. 11.
460. Ex quadam experientia hodie, animadvertere 1
potui, quomodo spiritus fingere queant verosimilia, et sic illudere mentibus humanis, sicut figmentum eorum, de incolis Saturninis, quos dicebant esse parvulos homines, qui essent quoad maximam partem parvi quoad staturam, sed usque bonae indolis, et quod plus meditentur quam loquantur, quod in frigida tempestate vivant, quod eos qui sunt mali, a se ejiciant (non autem morte mulctent, quod impium esse dicebant, sed quod sic a societate exterminati sint, nec tolerentur amplius a reliquis), quod 2
colant Deum creatorem universi; ac similia, quae finxerunt veris similia; sed quia particularia volebant adjicere, non potui credere; interim inde potui deducere, quod incolae istius orbis, tametsi ignorarent Christum Jesum, usque quod aliquo Verbo Divino debeant instructi esse, sic ut cognitionem Ipsius, tametsi obscuram habeant, et 3
[quod] qui non habuissent, similiter ac gentes in nostra tellure, ut Africani, qui destituti cognitionibus, usque salvari possint. 1748, die 11 Jan.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has animadverti
2. The Manuscript has reliquis, quod
3. The Manuscript has habeant; et