204.由于教会的代表性仪式，也就是对应，随着时间流逝已开始变成偶像崇拜，也变成了巫术，故按照主的天命，对应学逐渐消失了，在以色列人和犹太人当中则完全被抹去了。事实上，这个民族的敬拜纯由对应构成，因此是天上事物的代表物。但他们连一个事物的含义都不知道，因为他们纳粹是属世人，因而既不愿也不能了解关于属灵和属天之物，因而关于对应的任何事物。对应其实是属灵和属天之物在属世之物中的表现。
204. 隨著時間變遷, 早期教會的象徵儀式(也就是對應)逐漸轉變成偶像崇拜,甚至法術魔法。因此, 對應的知識也就順天意而逐漸喪失了。
至於以色列和猶太民族, 對應學剛完全喪失。儘管他們的敬拜儀式事實上盡是對應, 因而描繪天界之事, 然而其中所有的儀式到底何意,對應天上什麼事物, 他們全然無知。他們徹徹底底的屬世, 不想知道,也無法明白屬靈與屬天之事。也不明白(也不想明白)何為對應, 因為對應是屬靈與屬天之事物的屬世寫照(用世上之事物來對應天上之事物)。
204. Over the course of time, the early church's symbolic rituals, which were correspondences, began to turn into idolatry and even magic. Therefore in the Lord's divine providence the study of correspondences was gradually lost.
For the Israelite and Jewish nation, the study of correspondences was completely wiped out. Their worship did indeed consist entirely of correspondences and therefore it portrayed heavenly things, but they had no idea what anything in their worship meant. They were completely earthly people who did not want to know and could not know anything about what is spiritual and heavenly, or anything about correspondences for that matter, since correspondences are earthly symbols of spiritual and heavenly things.
204. Since the representative rites of the church, which were correspondences, began in the course of time to be turned into idolatrous practices, and also into magical rites, the Lord's Divine providence ensured that the science should be gradually lost, and among the Israelite and Jewish people totally wiped out. This people's worship consisted purely of correspondences, and was therefore representative of heavenly things; but still they were unaware what each detail meant. For they were purely natural people, so that they neither wished nor were able to have any knowledge of spiritual and celestial things. Consequently they could not know anything about correspondences, since these are the use of natural objects to represent spiritual and celestial things.
204. Because the representative rites of the church, which were correspondences, in the course of time began to be turned into idolatries, and also into magic, that knowledge, by the Lord's Divine Providence, gradually perished, and with the Israelitish and Jewish nation was totally obliterated. The worship of that nation did indeed consist solely of correspondences, and was therefore representative of heavenly things, but not a single thing did they know the significance of, for they were wholly natural men, and consequently were neither willing nor able to know anything about things spiritual and celestial, nor therefore about correspondences; for correspondences are representations of things spiritual and celestial in things natural.
204. In the course of time the representative rites of the Church, which were correspondences, began to be turned into idolatry and also into magic. By the Divine Providence of the Lord, therefore, the science of correspondences was gradually lost, and amongst the Israelitish and Jewish nation it was entirely obliterated. The worship of that nation consisted indeed of pure correspondences, and consequently was representative of heavenly things; but the people themselves did not understand the representation of a single thing. For they were altogether natural men, and therefore they did not wish nor, indeed, had they the power, to know anything of spiritual and celestial things, nor therefore anything of correspondences, these being representations of spiritual and celestial things in things natural.
204. Quoniam Repraesentativi Ritus Ecclesiae, qui erant Correspondentiae, temporis tractu coeperunt verti in Idololatrica, et quoque in Magica, tunc illa Scientia, ex Divina Domini Providentia successive deperdita est, et apud Gentem Israeliticam et Judaicam prorsus obliterata. Cultus quidem hujus Gentis constabat ex meris Correspondentiis, et inde erat repraesentativus Coelestium, sed usque nesciebant, quid aliquid significabat; erant enim prorsus Naturales homines, et inde non scire volebant nec poterant aliquid de Spiritualibus et Coelestibus, proinde nec aliquid de Correspondentiis, 1 nam Correspondentiae sunt Repraesentationes Spiritualium et Coelestium in Naturalibus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Correspontiis.