648.通过简要回顾它们之间的不同和分歧点，清楚可知新教会的信与报应决不会和前教会或存续教会的信与报应共存。因着两个教会之间的这种不同和分歧，它们完全是异质的。因此，如果它们真的共存于人的心智，那么这种碰撞和冲突将导致属于这教会的一切皆毁灭，人在属灵事上会陷入谵妄或昏迷，以致于他将不知道何为教会，或是否存在教会这种东西；也不知道有关神、信或仁的任何事。
由于前教会的信屏蔽源自理智的所有光，所以它好比一只猫头鹰，而新教会的信则好比一只鸽子，它在白天飞翔，并凭天堂之光看东西。所以，若把它们放到一个心智里，就象把猫头鹰和鸽子放到一个巢里那样，猫头鹰和鸽子都在此下蛋，当它们孵卵，并将幼雏孵化出来后，猫头鹰会将幼鸽撕成碎片后喂食自己的幼鸟，因为猫头鹰是食肉鸟。
前教会的信在启示录中（12章）被描述为龙，新教会的信被描述为身披太阳、头戴十二颗星冠冕的妇人。这种对比能使人推断出，如果这二者同居一处，人的心智状态会是什么样：龙站在那快要生产的妇人面前，想要吞吃她的孩子，当妇人逃到旷野后，它尾随而来，在她后面吐出水来，象江河一样，要把妇人吞没。
648. 通过简要回顾它们之间的不同和分歧点, 清楚可知新教会的信与归算决不会和前教会或存续教会的信与归算共存。 因着两个教会之间的这种不同和分歧, 它们完全是异质的。 因此, 如果它们真的共存于人的心智, 那么这种碰撞和冲突将导致属于这教会的一切皆毁灭, 人在属灵事上会陷入谵妄或昏迷, 以致于他将不知道何为教会, 或是否存在教会这种东西; 也不知道有关神, 信或仁的任何事。
由于前教会的信屏蔽源自理智的所有光, 所以它好比一只猫头鹰, 而新教会的信则好比一只鸽子, 它在白天飞翔, 并凭天堂之光看东西。 所以, 若把它们放到一个心智里, 就象把猫头鹰和鸽子放到一个巢里那样, 猫头鹰和鸽子都在此下蛋, 当它们孵卵, 并将幼雏孵化出来后, 猫头鹰会将幼鸽撕成碎片后喂食自己的幼鸟, 因为猫头鹰是食肉鸟。
前教会的信在启示录中 (12章) 被描述为龙, 新教会的信被描述为身披太阳, 头戴十二颗星冠冕的妇人。 这种对比能使人推断出, 如果这二者同居一处, 人的心智状态会是什么样: 龙站在那快要生产的妇人面前, 想要吞吃她的孩子, 当妇人逃到旷野后, 它尾随而来, 在她后面吐出水来, 象江河一样, 要把妇人吞没。
648. This brief list of points of discord or disagreement makes it clear that there is no way in which we can simultaneously hold the views of the new church and the views of the former, still-persisting church on faith and the assignment of spiritual credit or blame. Because there is such discord and disagreement between these two views on faith and the assignment of spiritual credit or blame, they are completely incompatible. Therefore if we did hold both these views in our mind at once, they would collide and cause so much conflict that everything related to the church would be destroyed in us, and we would fall into such a state of spiritual madness or else spiritual unconsciousness that we would not know what the church was or whether such a thing even existed. Would we then know anything about God, or about faith, or about goodwill?
[2] The faith of the former church, because it prevents light of any kind from entering its reasoning, can be likened to an owl. The faith of the new church can be likened to a dove that flies by day and sees things in the light of heaven. Therefore keeping these two ideas together in one mind would be like keeping an owl and a dove together in one nest. The owl would lay its eggs there, and the dove would lay its eggs. After incubation, both sets of chicks would hatch, and then the owl would tear apart the dove's chicks and feed them to its chicks. (Owls are voracious.)
[3] The faith of the former church is portrayed in Revelation 12 as a dragon, and the faith of the new church is portrayed as the woman clothed with the sun, who had a crown of twelve stars on her head. Therefore by analogy we can see what the state of our mind would be if we kept both these views in the same home, so to speak. The dragon would stand by the woman who was about to give birth with the intention of devouring her child; after she flew away into the desert, it would pursue her and cast water like a river out of its mouth to swallow her up.
648. This brief review of the points of disagreement and dissent shows plainly that the faith and concept of imputation of the new church cannot by any means be combined with the faith and concept of imputation of the former church, which still exists. The existence of such disagreement and dissent between the faiths of the two churches and their concepts of imputation implies a complete difference in kind. If therefore they were to be combined in a person's mind, there would be such a clash and conflict that he would lose all trace of anything to do with the church, and as regards spiritual matters would suffer delirium or a faint, so that he would not know what the church is or whether there is such a thing as the church. Then he could hardly know anything about God, anything about faith or anything about charity.
[2] The faith of the former church, since it shuts out all the light that comes from reason, can be likened to an owl. But the faith of the new church can be likened to a dove, which flies in the daytime and sees by the light of heaven. So bringing them together in one mind would be like bringing an owl and a dove together in one nest, where the owl and the dove would each lay their eggs, and when they had sat on the eggs and hatched the chicks, the owl would tear the dove's chicks in pieces and feed them to its own chicks; for the owl is a bird of prey.
[3] The faith of the former church is described in Revelation (chapter 12) by the dragon, and the faith of the new church by the woman surrounded by the sun with a crown of twelve stars on her head. This comparison can allow one to conclude what would be the state of a person's mind, if they were present at one time in one house: the dragon would stand close to the woman, as she was about to give birth, with the intention of devouring her child; and when she flew off into the desert would pursue her, and pour water like a river over her to drown her.
648. From this brief review of the points of discordance or disagreement between them, it is clear that the faith and imputation of the New Church can by no means exist together with the faith and imputation of the former or still existing church; and with such a discord and disagreement between the faith and imputation of the two churches, they are totally heterogeneous; and consequently if they were to exist together in man's mind, such a collision and conflict would result that everything pertaining to the church would perish, and in spiritual things man would fall into a delirium or into a swoon, so that he would not know what the church is, or whether there is a church; neither would he know anything about God, faith, or charity.
[2] Because the faith of the former church excludes all light derived from reason, it may be likened to an owl, while the faith of the New Church may be likened to a dove, which flies by day and sees by the light of heaven; and their coming together in one mind would be like the meeting of an owl and dove in one nest, where the owl would lay her eggs and the dove hers, and after incubation the young birds would be hatched, and the owl would then tear the young of the dove to pieces and give them for food to her own young, being a voracious bird.
[3] As the faith of the former church is described in the Apocalypse (chap. 12) by a dragon, and that of the New Church by a woman encompassed by the sun, upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars, it may be inferred from the comparison what the state of a man's mind would be if the two were to be together in the same abode; namely, the dragon would stand near to the woman when she was about to bring forth, with the intention of devouring her offspring, and when she had fled in to the desert would follow her, and cast out water like a flu after her, that she might be swallowed up.
648. From this brief review of points of difference or disagreement, it is evident that the faith and imputation of the New Church cannot possibly be held along with the faith and imputation of the former Church, that is, the Church which still persists. Because there is such difference or disagreement between the faith and imputation of the two Churches, they are totally different in nature. Therefore, if they were brought together in a man's mind such a collision and conflict would ensue that every thing of the Church would perish; and in spiritual things the man would so lose his senses that he would not know what the Church is, or whether there is a Church. Would he, then, know anything about God, faith and charity?
[2] The faith of the former Church, because it excludes all light from reason, may be compared to an owl, but the faith of the New Church to a dove, which flies in the daytime and sees by the light of heaven. If they were brought together in one mind they would be like an owl and a dove in one nest, where each would lay its eggs. When the young ones were hatched, the owl would tear in pieces the young doves and give them to her own young for food; for the owl is a voracious bird.
[3] The faith of the former Church is described in the Revelation, chapter 12, by the dragon, and the faith of the New Church by the woman encompassed with the sun, upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars. It may, therefore, be inferred from the comparison what would be the state of a man's mind if they were brought together in one place. The dragon would stand near the woman when she was about to bring forth, with the intention of devouring her child; and when she fled into the wilderness he would pursue her, and cast upon her water like a flood that she might be swallowed up.
648. Ex brevi illa recensione discordantiarum seu dissensuum, patet quod fides et imputatio Novae Ecclesiae nequaquam possit una esse cum fide et imputatione prioris seu adhuc perstantis Ecclesiae, et quia talis discordia et dissensus est inter utriusque Ecclesiae fidem et ejus imputationem, est plena heterogeneitas, quare si una essent in mente hominis, fieret collisio et conflictio talis, ut periret omne Ecclesiae, et homo in spiritualibus caderet vel in delirium vel in deliquium, unde non sciret quid Ecclesia, et num Ecclesia; num tunc sciret aliquid de Deo, aliquid de fide, et aliquid de charitate.
[2] Fides prioris Ecclesiae, quia excludit omne lucis ex ratione, assimilari potest noctuae; at fides novae Ecclesiae assimilari potest columbae, quae diu volat, et videt ex luce coeli; quare conjunctio illarum in una mente foret sicut conjunctio noctuae et columbae in uno nido, ubi noctua poneret sua ova, et columba sua, et post incubatum excluderentur pulli, et tunc noctua pullos columbae discerperet, et suis pullis daret in escam; est enim noctua avis vorax.
[3] Quia fides prioris Ecclesiae describitur in Apocalypsi 12, per draconem, et fides novae Ecclesiae per mulierem circumdatam sole, super cujus Capite corona duodecim stellarum, potest ex comparatione concludi, qualis status mentis hominis foret, si simul essent in una domo, scilicet quod draco adstaret mulieri pariturae animo devorandi foetum ejus, et quod postquam illa avolavit in desertum, persequeretur illam, et conjiceret aquam ut flumen in illam, ut absorberetur.