274.我曾被允许看到出生在海岛上的人，他们在文明生活的问题上很有理性，但对神一无所知。在灵界，这些人看上去像狒狒。但他们生而为人，因而有接受属灵生命的官能，故被天使教导，并通过了解作为人的主而被赋予生命。从那些在地狱里的人就能明显看出若由着人自己，他会是什么样。这些人当中有一些是教会领袖和学者，他们甚至不愿听到有关神的任何事，因此也不能说出神这个词。我曾见过这些人，并与他们交谈过。我还与一听到有人谈论主就怒火中烧的人交谈过。那些谈论过神，写过关于神的文章，并传讲过神的人尚且如此，那么可以想见从未听过神的人又会是什么样呢？他们的性质是其意愿的结果，而这意愿是邪恶的。如前所述，意愿引领理解力，会从圣言那里夺走其中所含的真理。若人凭自己能知道有神和死后生活，那他为何不知道人死后依旧是人呢？他为何认为他的灵魂，也就是他的灵，就像风或以太，在与他的尸体或骸骨联结并复合之前，没有看见的眼睛、听到的耳朵和说话的嘴巴呢？那么设想一下，一个纯由理性之光所孵化出来的教义，岂不会教导当敬拜自我吗？这种事已做了几个世纪了，并且如今已经从圣言得知唯独要敬拜神的人仍在做这种事。基于人之自我的任何其它敬拜，甚
至对日月的敬拜都是不可能存在的。
274. 我曾得機會見到出生在海島上的人們, 他們對民間事務有通情達理的概念, 然而對上帝完全無知。在心靈世界, 他們看起來就像狒狒。但因為他們生來為人, 因而有能力來接收屬靈的生命, 藉著學習對主的瞭解來被天人教導並賦予生命。
倘若他們放任自己, 會變得像什麼？就顯明如地獄之民。甚至包括一些教會領袖和學者們也是如此, 他們不想聽到任何關於上帝的事情, 他們當然也不能自己提到上帝。我見過像這樣的人, 還與他們交談過。我還與一些人談過話, 當他們聽到任何人說到主時, 就會怒氣衝天,大發雷霆。那些討論過上帝, 寫過關於上帝的著作, 還傳講上帝之道的人尚且如此, 想像一下那些從未聽過上帝的人們又會如何。人會如此, 是因為他們自己的意志是惡的。正如之前所說, 他們的意志掌控著他們的認知, 將他們從聖言得來的真理去除。
如果某人能自己知道上帝存在, 有死後的生命, 他為什麼不知道人死後仍舊是人呢？他為什麼相信他的靈魂會像風或氣, 沒有眼睛,不能看見, 沒有耳朵,無法聽見, 沒有嘴巴,無法說話, 直到與他的屍體或骷髏再次結合？
設想一下, 若教義僅僅從我們自己的理性孵出, 難道它不會教導當敬拜的真正目標應當是自己？事實上這樣的教導已延續數百年, 至今仍是如此。然而從聖言卻學到:唯有上帝當受敬拜。基於我們自己的任何形式的敬拜都是不可能的, 甚至對太陽和日頭的敬拜也不行。
274. I have been given the opportunity to see people born on islands who were reasonable about civic issues but knew nothing at all about God. In the spiritual world they look like baboons. Because they have been born human and therefore have a capacity for receiving spiritual life, they are taught by angels and are brought to life by concepts of the Lord as a human being.
What human beings are like when left to themselves becomes obvious from the people who are in hell. Some such people are scholars and leaders of the church who do not want even to hear about God; they certainly cannot mention God themselves. I have seen people like this and have talked to them. I have also talked to people who would explode with rage and anger when they heard anyone talk about the Lord.
On this basis, then, consider what people would be like if they had never heard about God, when this is what some people are like even though they have spoken about God, written about God, and preached about God.
People are like this because of their wills, which are evil. Their wills, as I said before, control their intellects and take away the truth that is in them from the Word.
If people had the capability of knowing on their own that there is a God and a life after death, why would they not know that we live on as people after death? Why would they believe that our soul or spirit is like wind or ether? Why would they imagine the spirit to be something that has no eyes to see with, no ears to hear with, no mouth to speak with - at least not before it rejoins its corpse and skeleton?
Imagine a body of teaching that was hatched solely by the light of our own reason. Would it not teach that the proper object of worship ought to be we ourselves? This has in fact been taught for centuries and is still being taught now by people who know from the Word that God alone is to be worshiped. No other form of worship generated by us is possible - not even worship of the sun or the moon.
274. I have been allowed to see peoples born in the islands 1 , who had reasonable ideas of civil life, yet were totally ignorant about God. In the spiritual world they look like baboons. But because they were born human beings, and consequently have the faculty of receiving spiritual life, they are taught by angels and endowed with life by learning about the Lord as Man. What a person is like left to himself is plainly to be seen by considering those in hell, who include some leaders of the church and scholars. These are not even willing to listen to anything about God, and therefore neither can they name God. I have seen these people and talked with them. I have also talked to people who became fired with anger and wrath, when they heard anyone speaking of the Lord. Imagine then what a person would be like who had heard nothing about God, when people are in such a condition who have talked about God, written about God, and preached about God. Their nature is the result of their will, which is evil; and the will, as said before, guides the understanding, and carries away the truth from the Word that there is there. If a person could know by himself that God exists and there is life after death, why would he not know that a person remains a person after death? Why does he believe that his soul, that is, his spirit, is like wind or ether, with no eyes to see, no ears to hear and no mouth to speak with, until it is joined and coalesces with his corpse or skeleton? Suppose then a doctrine hatched from nothing but the enlightenment of reason - would it not prescribe the worship of oneself? That is what has happened for ages, and is what is still done to-day by people who have learned from the Word that God alone is to be worshipped. No other kind of worship could exist based upon the human self, not even a worship of the sun and the moon.
Footnotes:
1. i.e. of the Pacific.
274. It has been granted me to see people who were born on islands, and who were rational in civil matters, but knew nothing whatever about God. In the spiritual world these look like sphinxes; but as they were born men, and thus have a capacity to receive spiritual life, they are instructed by angels, and are made alive by knowledge about the Lord as a Man. What man is of himself is made clear from those who are in hell. Among these there are some leaders and learned men who are not willing even to hear about God, and therefore cannot even utter the word God. These I have seen, and I have talked with them. I have also talked with some who burned with anger and fury when they heard anyone speaking about the Lord. Consider then, what kind of man one would be who had never heard anything about God, when such is the character of some who have talked about God, written about God, and preached about God. Such they are from their will, which is evil, and which, as before said, leads the understanding, and takes away any truth there is in it from the Word. If man of himself had been able to know that there is a God and a life after death, why has he not known that man is a man after death? Why does he believe that his soul or spirit is like mere wind or ether, having no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no mouth to speak, until it is joined with and made one with its corpse and skeleton? Given therefore, a doctrine hatched solely from the light of reason, would it not teach that self should be worshiped? This has been done for ages, and is still done now by those who know from the Word that God alone ought to be worshiped. From the selfhood of man no other worship can spring, not even the worship of the sun and moon.
274. It has been granted me to see people, born in remote islands, who were rational in civil matters, and yet knew nothing about God. In the spiritual world they appear like apes; but being men, born with the capacity to receive spiritual life, they are instructed by angels, and that life is imparted to them as they form rational conceptions of the Lord as a Man. What a man is of himself is very evident from those in hell, where there are also prelates and scholars, who do not wish even to hear of God, and therefore cannot utter His name. I have seen these, and conversed with some of them. I have also spoken with some who burned with anger and fury when they heard any one speaking of the Lord. Consider, therefore, what that man would be like who never heard of God, when this is the character of some who have spoken of God, and written and preached about Him. They are such from an evil will and the will, as was said before, leads the understanding, and deprives it of any truth it may have from the Word. If man could have known of himself that there is a God and a life after death, why has he not discovered that a man is a man after death? Why does he imagine that his soul or spirit is like wind or ether, which neither sees with eyes, nor hears with ears, nor speaks with a mouth, until it is reunited with its own dead body and skeleton? Imagine, therefore, a doctrine derived from the light of reason alone; would it not teach that self should be worshiped, as has been done for ages, and is still done to-day by some who know from the Word that God alone is to be worshiped? No other worship can be derived from man's proprium, not even that of the sun and moon.
274. Datum est videre Populos in Insulis natos, quoad civilia rationales, qui ne hilum sciverunt de Deo; illi in Mundo spirituali apparent sicut Sphinges, at quia homines nati sunt, et inde in facultate recipiendi vitam spiritualem, instruuntur ab Angelis, et per cognitiones de Domino ut Homine vivificantur. Qualis est homo ex se, apparet evidenter ex iis, qui in Inferno sunt, inter quos etiam aliqui Antistites et Eruditi sunt, qui ne quidem volunt audire de Deo, et propterea nec possunt nominare Deum; hos vidi, et cum illis loquutus sum; et quoque loquutus sum cum illis, qui in ignem irae et excandescentiae venerunt, cum audiverunt aliquem loquentem de Domino: expende itaque, qualis homo foret, qui nihil audivit de Deo, cum quidem tales sunt, qui loquuti sunt de Deo, scripserunt de Deo, et praedicaverunt de Deo. Quod tales sint, est ex voluntate, quae mala est, et haec, ut prius dictum est, ducit Intellectum, et aufert verum, quod ibi est ex Verbo. Si homo ex se potuisset scire, quod Deus sit, et quod Vita post mortem, cur non sciverat, quod homo sit homo post mortem; cur credit quod anima seu spiritus ejus sit sicut ventus aut aether, qui non videt oculis, et audit auribus, et loquitur ore, priusquam 1 conjungitur et coalescit cum suo cadavere et cum suo sceleto. Pone itaque Doctrinam ex solo Lumine rationali exclusam, annon foret ut ipse coleretur, ut factum est a saeculis, et quoque hodie fit ab illis, qui sciunt ex Verbo, quod Solus Deus colendus sit: cultus alius ex proprio hominis non dari potest; ne quidem cultus solis et lunae.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: priusquum.