SS24.给出圣言灵义的对应知识在后来的时代之所以没有被揭开，是因为初代教会的基督徒如此简单，以至于这种知识无法向他们揭示。也就是说，即便揭示出来，对他们也没有用，因为他们不理解。初代教会之后，黑暗因教皇的统治而笼罩了整个基督教界；那些仰赖教皇权威并确信它的虚假之人既不能，也不想接受任何属灵事物，包括圣言中属世事物与属灵事物的对应关系。他们若接受了，就会意识到彼得不是指彼得，而是指作为磐石的主。他们还会意识到，圣言直到其至内在的核心都是神性；相比之下，教皇的诏书或法令无足轻重。另一方面，改革宗或新教之后，天上的真理被隐藏起来，因为人们开始区分信和仁，敬拜三位格的神，因而敬拜他们想象为一位的三神；如果天上的真理被揭开，他们就会歪曲它们，并把它们用于唯信，无一用于仁和爱。如此他们就会向自己关闭天堂。
24. The reason the knowledge of correspondences that gives access to the spiritual meaning of the Word was not discerned in later times was that the Christians of the early church were quite uneducated, so this knowledge could not be revealed to them. That is, if it had been revealed it would have been of no use to them and they would not have understood it.
After the early church, darkness spread over the whole Christian world as a consequence of papal rule; and the people who relied on papal authority and convinced themselves of its falsities neither could nor wanted to accept anything spiritual, including the correspondence of earthly things with spiritual things in the Word. If they had, they would have realized that Peter does not mean Peter but the Lord as the Rock. They would also have realized that the Word is divine all the way to its very heart and that a papal decree is of no importance by comparison.
After the Reformation heavenly truths were hidden away, because people began to differentiate between faith and caring and to worship God in three persons and therefore to worship three gods whom they thought were one; and if heavenly truths had been discovered, people would have distorted them and brought them down to the level of faith alone. They would not have associated any of those truths with caring and love, so they would have shut themselves out of heaven.
24. A knowledge of correspondences, which makes the Word’s spiritual sense accessible, was not disclosed after those times because Christians in the primitive church were so very simple that it could not be disclosed to them; for if it had been disclosed, it would have been of no use to them, nor would they have understood it.
After that early period darkness arose over the entire Christian world owing to the rule of the papacy, and people under that dominion who confirmed themselves in its falsities were neither able nor willing to apprehend anything spiritual, and so neither anything of the correspondence of natural things in the Word with spiritual ones. For if they had been, they would have been forced to acknowledge that Peter does not mean Peter, but the Lord as a rock. They would also have been forced to acknowledge that the Word is Divine even to its inmost contents, and that a papal edict is of no account in comparison.
After the Reformation, however, because people began to make a distinction between faith and charity, and to worship God under the guise of three persons, thus three gods, whom they thought of as one, then the truths of heaven were hidden from them; and if they had been disclosed, the people would have falsified them and applied them to support faith alone, and not one of them to support charity and love. Thus they would also have closed heaven to themselves.
24. The science of correspondences, by means of which the spiritual sense of the Word is communicated, was not disclosed at that time because the Christians of the primitive Church were extremely simple men, so that it could not be revealed to them; for if it had been revealed it would have been of no use to them, nor would it have been understood. After that time darkness came upon the whole Christian world, in consequence of papal dominion; and those who are subject to that, and have confirmed themselves in its falsities, are not able, nor are they willing, to entertain anything spiritual, nor consequently to apprehend what is the correspondence of natural with spiritual things in the Word. For thus they would be convinced that by Peter is not meant Peter, but the Lord as the Rock; and they would also be convinced that the Word even to its inmost things is Divine, and that a decree of the Pope is a matter of no account in relation to the inmost things of the Word. Moreover, after the Reformation heavenly truths were hidden from men because they began to separate faith from charity, and to worship God under three Persons, and thus three Gods whom they supposed to be one. For if these truths had been revealed, men would have falsified them and applied them to faith alone, applying not one of them to charity and love. Thus they would also have closed heaven to themselves.
24. The reason why the knowledge of correspondences, which gives the spiritual sense of the Word, was not disclosed in times after those, is that the Christians of the primitive church were so very simple that it could not be disclosed to them; for it would have been of no use to them, nor would it have been understood. After their day, in consequence of the papal dominion, darkness came over all the Christian world; and they who are of that dominion, and have confirmed themselves in its falsities, neither can nor will apprehend anything spiritual, nor consequently what is the correspondence in the Word of natural things with spiritual. For thereby they would be convinced that by "Peter" is not meant Peter, but the Lord as a rock; and they would also be convinced that the Word is Divine even to its inmosts, and that a decree of the Pope is relatively of no account. On the other hand, after the Reformation, as men began to effect a separation between faith and charity, and to worship God in three Persons - thus three gods, whom they conceived to be one - heavenly truths were hidden from them; and if they had been disclosed they would have falsified them and applied them to faith alone, and not one of them to charity and love. And thus they would have closed heaven against themselves.
24. Quod scientia correspondentiarum, per quam datur sensus spiritualis Verbi, post ea tempora non detecta fuerit, fuit causa, quia Christiani in Primitiva Ecclesia perquam simplices fuerunt, ut coram illis non detegi potuerit; nam si detecta, illis nullius usus fuisset, nec intelligeretur. Post illorum tempora obortae sunt tenebrae super universum Christianum orbem ex dominio papali; et qui ex illo sunt, et in falsis ejus se confirmaverunt, non possunt nec volunt capere aliquod spirituale, ita quid correspondentia naturalium cum spiritualibus in Verbo; sic enim convincerentur quod Petrus non intelligatur per "Petrum," sed Dominus ut Petra; et quoque convincerentur quod Verbum usque ad intima sua Divinum esset, et quod dictamen Papae sit nullius rei respective. Post Reformationem autem, quia distinguere coeperunt inter fidem et charitatem, ac colere Deum sub tribus Personis, ita tres Deos, quos cogitarent unum, tunc veritates caelestes illis abscondebantur; ac si detectae fuissent, illas falsificavissent, et illas deduxissent ad solam fidem, et nullam illarum ad charitatem et amorem; sic etiam occlusissent sibi caelum.