206.这个时代过后，能使人明白圣言属灵之义的对应学并未被揭示出来。这是因为初期教会的基督徒都是些极为简单的人，故属灵之义无法揭示给他们。这属灵之义即便被揭示出来，对他们也没什么用处，因为他们不明白。他们的时代过后，黑暗开始笼罩整个基督教界，先是因为许多异端邪说的蔓延，不久是因为尼西亚会议针对永恒的三神性位格和基督的位格是马利亚之子，而非耶和华神之子所作的决议和裁定。如今称义的信仰即源于此，该信仰教导说，要依次靠近三个神。当今教会的每一个细节皆依赖于这个信仰，如同人体的各个部位皆依赖于头部一样。由于他们用圣言中的一切来证明这个错误的信仰，故属灵之义无法被揭示出来。否则，他们会为同样的目的而运用这层意义，由此亵渎圣言的神圣，从而向自己完全关闭天堂，将主从教会逐出。
206. 在接下來的歷史時期, 對應的知識(能讓人明白聖言的屬靈含義)並未揭示出來。因為在基督徒教會最早時期, 基督徒都是極為簡單的人們, 不能向他們揭示。倘若如此, 他們無法明白, 對他們毫無用處。
在那之後, 黑暗開始籠罩整個基督徒世界。先是因為一些異端開始蔓延, 接著很快由於尼西亞會議所決定的信經:創世之先就有三個神性位格存在; 基督之人, 偏向其為瑪麗亞之子而忽略其為耶和華上帝之子。於是, 引發出當今輪流朝向這分開的三位上帝之信仰, 並因此信仰而得以稱義。如同身體各部位依賴於頭那樣, 當今教會信仰的方方面面都以此為根基。因為人們將聖言的所有內容都對接於這個錯誤的信仰, 以致於其屬靈含義不能被揭示。倘若如此, 他們會將屬靈意義運用於他們的信仰, 就會褻瀆聖言的真正神聖。會因此將他們自己完全與天國隔絕, 並將主從教會中驅逐。
206. In the period of history that came next, the study of correspondences that yields the Word's spiritual meaning was not revealed, because at the time the Christian church began, Christians were so extremely simple that it was not possible to reveal this study to them. If it had been disclosed, it would have been of no use to them and they would not have understood it.
After that time, darkness came over the whole Christian world, first because of scattered heresies on many people's part, and soon afterward because of the Nicene Council's decisions and decrees about three divine persons from eternity and the person of Christ being the Son of Mary rather than the Son of Jehovah God. This led [in turn] to the modern-day faith that by going to three gods, one after the other, we are justified. All aspects of the modern-day church depend on this faith the way our body parts depend on our head. Since people applied everything in the Word to this mistaken faith, its spiritual meaning could not be revealed. If it had been, they would have applied its meaning to their faith, and thereby desecrated the true holiness of the Word. By doing that they would have completely closed heaven to themselves and would have removed the Lord from the church.
206. The reason why the science of correspondences, which allows one to grasp the spiritual sense of the Word, was not revealed after this period was that the Christians of the earliest church were very simple people, so it could not be revealed to them, since, had it been, it would not have been understood and would have been of no use to them. After their times darkness arose to cover the whole Christian world, first by the spread of a number of heresies, and soon afterwards by the decisions and decrees of the Council of Nicaea, about the existence of three Divine Persons from eternity, and about the Person of Christ as being the Son of Mary and not the Son of Jehovah God. That is the source from which gushed forth the current belief in justification, according to which three gods are approached in turn. On this belief depends every single detail of the church to-day, just as all the parts of the body are dependent upon the head. Because they used everything in the Word to prove this erroneous belief, the spiritual sense could not be revealed, for had it been, they would have used this sense for the same purpose. By this they would have profaned the very holiness of the Word, and thus completely closed heaven to themselves and banished the Lord from the church.
206. After these times the knowledge of correspondences, whereby the spiritual sense of the Word is communicated, was not disclosed, for the reason that the Christians of the primitive church were too simple to have it disclosed to them, and if it had been it would neither have been of any use to them nor would have been understood. After those times darkness settled upon the whole Christian world, first because of the spread of many heresies, and soon after by the deliberations and decrees of the Council of Nice respecting three Divine persons from eternity, and respecting the person of Christ as being the Son of Mary and not the Son of Jehovah God. From this springs the modern belief in justification, which teaches that three Gods are to be approached in their order, on which faith each and all things of the present church depend as the members of the body depend on the head. And because all things of the Word have been applied to confirm that erroneous belief, the spiritual sense could not be disclosed, for if it had been they would have applied that sense also to the same purpose, and thereby have profaned the very holiness of the Word, and thus have completely closed up heaven against themselves, and have separated the Lord from the church.
206. The science of correspondences, by which is communicated the spiritual sense of the Word, 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 their time, darkness settled upon the whole Christian world, first because the heretical opinions of many were spread abroad, and later, because of the decisions and decrees of the Nicene Council concerning three Divine Persons from eternity, and concerning the Person of Christ as the Son of Mary, and not as the Son of Jehovah God. Hence arose the present belief in justification, according to which three gods are approached in their own order. On this faith depends every particular of the Church of to-day, as the members of the body depend on the head; and because men have applied everything in the Word to confirm this erroneous faith, the spiritual sense could not be revealed. If it had been revealed, men would have applied it also to the same purpose; and by this means would have profaned the holiness of the Word, and would thus have completely closed heaven against themselves, and would have removed the Lord from the Church.
206. Quod Scientia Correspondentiarum, per quam datur Sensus spiritualis Verbi, post illa 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, primum per Haeretica plurium circumsparsa, et mox postea per consulta et decreta CONCILII NICAENI de tribus Personis Divinis ab aeterno, et de Persona Christi ut Filio Mariae, et non ut Filio Jehovae Dei; inde scaturivit Fides justificationis hodierna, in qua adeuntur tres Dii in suo ordine, ex qua fide pendent omnia et singula hodiernae Ecclesiae, sicut membra corporis a suo Capite: et quia omnia Verbi ad confirmandum erroneam hanc Fidem applicuerunt, non potuit Sensus spiritualis detegi, nam si detecta fuisset, ad illam etiam Sensum eum applicuissent, et per id ipsum Sanctum Verbi prophanavissent, et sic sibi Coelum prorsus occlusissent, 1 et Dominum ab Ecclesia removissent.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: occulusissent.