5378. I heard and saw up to many myriads let down from heaven there, first toward the north, then toward the west, and lastly toward the south. In a word, an enormous multitude was heard. And it was said that they were those who have lived piously and thought about God, yet not about the Lord except as a human being like themselves and not about Him as God. And in addition there were those who had thought only about the Father and about the Lord otherwise than one ought. In a word, they were those who had always directed their thought to God the Father so that He would save them on account of the Son. And when they did think about the one God, they did not think about the Lord at the same time. So they had not worshiped the Lord, when yet the Father cannot be approached except through Him, since He is the way [John 14:6], and no one comes to the Father except through Him [ibid.]. And also no one can see the Father [John 6:46] unless He makes Him known, as He himself says in John 1:18 and elsewhere. In a word, they had not had the Lord in their life of piety, when nevertheless without the Lord there is no salvation. Those who are like this, however much they think about God, still cannot be led, for they still think indeterminately and have no connection with the Lord, who nevertheless is the God of heaven and earth. Nor were they able to think about God in any human, thus definite, form. As a result their thought collapses into something nonexistent, or rather, they do not think about the Trinity, when yet this must be thought about when thinking about God. Because they passed by the Lord and are then in oblivion, that is to say, engaged in no thought about the Divine itself, however much the church openly teaches this; their thought about the Lord sinks from the Divine, which is nothing to them, into the likeness of a common man, thus not into someone to whom they could direct their thoughts. Rather their mental picture about Him would be like that of a mere man, and not God. Because of this such spirits could not be together with the angels and heaven. Therefore they were let down from there to the number of many thousands.
5378. I heard and saw them let down from the heaven, there, to the number of many myriads; first towards the north, next towards the west, and lastly towards the south. In a word, an immense multitude was heard; and it was said that they were those who have lived piously and thought about God, but, yet, not about the Lord except as of a man like themselves, and not of Him as God; also, who have thought about the Father alone, and otherwise of the Lord than was proper - in a word, have always directed their thoughts to God the Father, in order that He might save them for the sake of the Son; and, when they thought of the one God, it was not at the same time of the Lord; consequently, they have not worshipped the Lord, when yet the Father cannot be approached save by Him, since He is The Way, and no one comes to the Father but by Him, and also because no one could see the Father unless He teach them, as He says in John 1:18, and elsewhere - in a word, [they are those] who have not had the Lord in the life of their piety, when, yet, without the Lord there is no salvation. For they who are of such a character, howsoever they think about God still cannot be led [of Him], for they always think indeterminately, and have no bond of connection with the Lord, who, nevertheless, is the God of heaven and earth. Neither were they able to think about God under any human form, and thus under any determinate form; hence their thought falls into a sort of nonentity. Indeed, neither do they think of a Trinity - as, however, they suppose they do when they think about God - inasmuch as they have passed by the Lord, and are then in forgetfulness, or in no thought about His Divine, no matter how openly the Church teaches it. Their thought about the Lord falls away from [His] Divine (which to them is nothing), to the likeness of a common man, thus to what they could not direct their thoughts [of God] to, because their idea concerning Him was like that concerning a mere man, and not God. Such pietists were not able to be with the angels in heaven; and they were, therefore, brought down thence, to the number of many myriads.
5378. Audivi et vidi ex coelo ibi delatos usque ad plures myriades, primum versus septentrionem, dein versus occidentem, et demum versus meridiem, verbo audiebatur ingens multitudo; ac dictum quod essent illi qui pie vixerunt, et de Deo cogitarunt, sed usque non de Domino, nisi sicut de homine sui simili, et non de Ipso ut Deo; tum qui cogitarunt de Patre solo, et de Domino aliter quam oportuit, verbo qui cogitationem semper direxerunt ad Deum Patrem, ut Ipse propter Filium salvaret illos, et cum de uno Deo, non simul de Domino, ita quod Dominum non coluerint, cum tamen adiri Pater nequit nisi per Ipsum, quoniam Ipse est via [Joh. XIV: 6], et nemo veniat ad Patrem nisi per Ipsum [ibid.]; et quoque quod Patrem nemo videre posset [Joh. VI: 46] nisi Ipse doceat ut Ipse dicit Joh. I: 18, et alibi; verbo qui non habuerunt Dominum in vita suae pietatis, cum tamen absque Domino nulla salus. Qui enim tales sunt, utcunque cogitant de Deo, non usque duci possunt, nam cogitant usque indeterminate, et nexum non habent cum Domino, qui tamen est Deus coeli et terrae, nec illi sub specie aliqua humana sic determinata cogitare de Deo potuerunt, inde cogitatio dilabitur in quoddam non ens, imo nec de Trino cogitant, quod tamen cogitandum cum de Deo, quia praeterierunt Dominum, et tunc in oblivione seu in nulla cogitatione de Divino Ipsius, utcunque Ecclesia id aperte docet, cogitatio de Domino cadit a Divino, quod illis nullum, in simile hominis vulgaris, sic in quem non dirigere cogitationes possent, quin idea de eo foret sicut de mero homine, et non Deo; tales quia non potuerunt esse cum angelis in coelo, ideo delati sunt inde ad plures myriades.