148.这种人的内在与外在好比包着糖衣的毒药；或先知的弟子采摘并放在汤里的野瓜，吃的时候，都喊叫说：“锅中有致死的毒物”（列王纪下4:38－41）。它们还好比从地中上来的兽，两角如同羊羔，说话好像龙（启示录13:11）；后来，这兽被称为“假先知”。这种人又好比强盗，住在城里时行为道德，言谈理性，而一回到森林，就成了野兽。或他们好比海盗，在岸上像个人，到了海上就成了鳄鱼。这些人在岸上或住在城里时，就像披着羊皮的黑豹，或穿着人的衣裳、戴着人面具的猴子那样四处走动。
他们也好比涂脂抹粉的妓女，身穿花边白丝裙，但一回到家，就在嫖客面前脱光衣服，把病传给他们。我从灵界多年的经历得知，那些发自内心否认圣言的圣洁和主的神性之人就是这副模样；因为在灵界，所有人一开始都被保持在他们的外在，但之后他们会被引入内在，到那时，喜剧就变成了悲剧。
148. 這類人的內外兩面, 可比作外表塗上蜜糖的劇毒之物。就像先知的僕人採集的野葫蘆, 放進鍋裡煮, 吃的時候, 都喊叫:"鍋中有致死的毒物"(列王記下4:38-41)。這些人還像地裡上來的獸, 頭上有兩隻像羔羊的角, 說話像龍(啟示錄13:11)。後來這獸被稱為"假先知"。
這些人就像山賊在城裡與文明人生活時, 言語有理,舉止得體, 一旦回到森林, 就變成了野獸一般。又像海盜, 在岸上像個人, 回到海裡成了鱷魚。這兩類人, 當他們在岸上或在城裡, 像披著羊皮的狼周圍遊蕩。或者像穿著人衣的猴子, 臉上戴著人臉的面具。
他們也可比作一個淫蕩的女人, 外出時香水塗身,胭脂妝扮, 身穿白色花邊絲裙。不過, 回到家時, 在嫖客面前脫光衣裳, 並將性病傳染給他。
在心靈世界的經歷教我認識到, 那些在內心否認聖言之神聖或主之神性的, 就如上述一般。在那個世界, 所有人開頭先保持著他們外在的形式, 然而接下來他們的內在會暴露無遺, 於是喜劇變成悲劇了。
148. The inner and outer selves of people like that are like poisons with a coating of sugar, and like the wild gourds that the servants of the prophets gathered and put into a stew, but shouted when they ate it, "There is death in the pot!" (2 Kings 4:38-41). These people can also be likened to the beast from the earth that had two horns like the Lamb but spoke like a dragon (Revelation 13:11). Later in the Book of Revelation that beast is called the false prophet.
These people are like robbers spending time in a city where upright citizens live. The robbers behave morally and speak rationally while they are in town, but when they return to the woods they are wild animals. Or they are like pirates who are humans on land but crocodiles at sea. The pirates on land and the robbers in the city go around like panthers wearing sheepskins.
These people are like monkeys dressed in human clothing, with a mask of a human face in front of their own face. They can be likened to a woman preparing to go out, who puts on perfume, makeup, and a white silk dress embroidered with flowers; but when she comes home again, she strips for several lovers and gives them her disease.
This is the nature of those who take holiness away from the Word and divinity away from the Lord in their hearts, as years of experience in the spiritual world have allowed me to know. In that world all are kept at first in their outer selves; but afterward their outer selves are removed and they shift to their inner selves. At that point their comedy becomes a tragedy.
148. The internal and external of such people can be compared to poisonous substances coated with sugar; or to the gourds which the prophets' lads gathered and put in their porridge, so that when they came to eat it, they cried, 'Death in the pot' (2 Kings 4:38-41). Another possible comparison is with the beast from the land 1 , which had two horns like a lamb's and which had a voice like a dragon's (Revelation 13:11). Later on the beast is called 'the false prophet.' Such people are like brigands in town among well-behaved citizens, who so long as they are there behave properly and speak reasonably, but when they return to the forest are wild beasts; or again like pirates who behave like human beings ashore, but like crocodiles at sea. Both of these groups, while they are ashore or in town, walk around like panthers dressed in sheepskins; or like monkeys dressed in human clothing, with a mask of a human face tied in front of their faces.
[2] They can also be likened to a prostitute who steeps herself in perfume, makes up her face with rouge, and dresses in white silk with a floral pattern; but when she returns home, she strips in front of a lascivious audience 2 and infects them with her contagion. Years of experience in the spiritual world have taught me that those who in their hearts deny the holiness of the Word or the divinity of the Lord are like this; for in that world all are at first kept in their external forms, but later on they are exposed in their internal forms, and then the comedy turns into tragedy.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin has 'from the sea', but this is not in this passage, but in Revelation 13:1.
2. Latin luperci, the name of the ancient Roman worshippers of a fertility god.
148. The internal and external of such men may be likened to poisons coated with sugar; also to those wild gourds which the sons of the prophets collected and put into pottage and ate them, and then cried out, "There is death in the pot" (2 Kings 4:38-41). They may also be compared to the beast coming up out of the sea, which had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon (Revelation 13:11); and afterwards that beast is called "the false prophet." They are also like robbers in a city where they dwell as citizens, acting morally and talking rationally; but when they return to the forests they are wild beasts. Or they are like pirates, who on the shore are human beings, but at sea are very crocodiles. These when on land or in a city go about like panthers clothed in sheep-fleeces, or like apes in men's clothing and wearing a mask like the face of a man. They may also be likened to a harlot, who anoints herself with balsam, paints her face with rouge, and clothes herself in white silk interwoven with flowers, but when she returns home denudes herself before her visitors, and infects them with her diseases. That such is the character of those who in heart detract from the holiness of the Word and the Divinity of the Lord it has been granted me to know by years of experience in the spiritual world; for there all at first are kept in their externals, but afterwards their externals are taken away and they are introduced into their internals; and then their comedy is turned into a tragedy.
148. The internal and the external of such persons may be likened to poison coated with sugar; and to the wild gourds which the sons of the prophets gathered and cast into the pottage; and while they were eating it they cried out: "There is death in the pot" 2 Kings 4:38-41. They may also be compared to the beast coming up out of the sea (A.V., earth),
"and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon" Revelation 13:11.
That beast is afterwards called the false prophet. They are like robbers in a city where good citizens dwell; and then they act morally and speak reasonably; but on returning to the woods they are wild beasts again. They are also like pirates who are men when on land, but savage monsters at sea. Whether they parade on land or stroll about the city they are like panthers clothed in sheep-skins, or like apes dressed in men's clothing, wearing masks over their own faces to represent the human countenance. They may also be likened to a courtesan who anoints herself with perfume, rouges her face and puts on a robe of white silk, embroidered with flowers; but when she returns to her own house, she, unadorned, infects her paramours with her own disease. That such is the real character of those who in their hearts deny the sanctity of the Word and the Divinity of the Lord it has been granted me to know by the experience of years in the spiritual world. For there all are at first suffered to remain in their externals, but afterwards, on the removal of these, they are brought into their internal state, and then the comedy of their lives is turned to tragedy.
148. Internum et Externum talium aequiparari possunt Venenis obductis crustis saccharinis: tum colocinthidis, 1 quas pueri prophetarum colligentes miserunt in pulmentum, quod dum comederent, clamabant, mors in olla, 2 Regnum 4:38-41. 2 Et quoque comparari possunt Bestiae e terra, 3 quae habebat duo cornua sicut Agni, et loquuta est sicut draco, Apocalypsis 13:11, in sequentibus bestia illa vocatur pseudopropheta. Et sunt sicut latrones in Urbe, ubi cives morati, qui in illa moraliter agunt et rationaliter loquuntur, at cum redeunt in sylvas, ferae sunt: aut etiam sicut piratae, qui super terra homines sunt, at in mari crocodili: hi et illi incedunt dum super terra aut in urbe sunt, sicut pantherae indutae pellibus ovis; aut sicut simiae amictae vestibus humanis, ante cujus vultum appositus est typus faciei hominis.
[2] Assimilari etiam possunt meretrici, quae inungit se balsamo, fucat faciem purpura, ac investit se serico albo cum intextis floribus, quae cum in domum suam redit, nudat se coram lupercis, ac inficit illos sua lepra. Quod tales sint, qui sanctum Verbo et Divinum Domino corde derogant, per annorum experientias in Mundo Spirituali mihi datum est cognoscere, ibi enim omnes primum tenentur in externis suis, at postea his ademptis immittuntur in Interna, et tunc comoedum eorum fit tragicum.
Footnotes: