849.这事过后，我听见地下充满敌意的低语，伴随着这些话：
“行出神迹来，我们就会相信。”
“难道这些不是神迹？”
“不是。”
“那什么是神迹？”
“展示未来，我们就会相信你。”
“从天上得到这类启示是不可能的，因为人越是通晓未来，其理性和觉知，连同谨慎和智慧就越陷入惰性，变得意兴阑珊，麻木衰退。”
我又问：“要我行出什么样的神迹？”
“就象摩西在埃及所行的。”
“恐怕你们会象法老和埃及人那样心硬。”
“不会。”
“你们能保证不围着金牛犊（‘金牛犊’的灵义表肉体的快乐）跳舞，并向它下拜，就象雅各布（Jacob）的后代那样？因为他们在见证整个西奈山燃烧起来，听到耶和华亲自从火中说话，也就是说，在见证了最大的神迹之后不到一个月，就做出这种事来。”
“我们不会象雅各布的后代那样。”
不过，这时，我听见从天上向他们传来的消息：“如果你们不相信摩西和众先知，也就是主的圣言，你们就和雅各布的儿子们在旷野中所行的那样，不会凭神迹相信。事实上，你们也会和那些亲眼看见主在世时所行神迹之人一样不相信。”
849. 这事过后, 我听见地下充满敌意的低语, 伴随着这些话: “制造一些奇迹, 我们就会相信。 ”我回答说: “难道这些事不是奇迹? ”他们回应说: “不是。 ”我问: “那什么才是奇迹? ”他们说: “向我们展示未来, 我们就会有信。 ”但我说: “主不允许这类事, 因为假如人真的知道将来的事, 那么他的理智和觉知, 连同他的审慎和智慧就会陷入惰性, 变得意兴阑珊, 麻木崩溃。 ”我接着问: “还要制造什么奇迹? ”然后他们叫喊: “摩西在埃及过红海之类的。 ”我答复: “恐怕你们会象法老和埃及人那样心硬。 ”他们回答: “不会。 ”我又说: “你们能保证不向金牛犊 (‘金牛犊’的灵义表肉体快乐) 跳舞, 并且还向它敬拜吗, 就象雅各的后代一样, 他们曾看见西奈山全地燃烧起来, 也曾听到耶和华自己从火中说话, 这些奇迹中的最大奇迹仅仅过去一个月, 他们就做出这种事。 ”从地下传来的答复是: “我们不会象雅各的儿孙那样。 ”就在那时, 我听见有声音从天上对他们说: “如果你们不相信摩西和众先知, 也就是主的圣言, 你们也不会凭奇迹就相信, 和雅各的后代在沙漠中所行的一样。 你们也会和那些亲眼看见主在世时亲自施行的奇迹之人一样不相信。 ”
849. Afterward I heard a hostile murmur from the lower regions, including the following words: "Perform miracles and we will believe!"
"Surely those secrets are miracles," I replied.
"No, they aren't," was their response.
"Then what are miracles?" I asked.
"Disclose and reveal events yet to come, and we will believe," they said.
"The Lord does not allow that," I said. "When we know what is going to happen, our reason, intellect, prudence, and wisdom stop working; they collapse and shut down. "
I asked them again, "What other miracles should I perform?"
They shouted, "Do things like the ones Moses did in Egypt!"
"But what if in response to them you harden your hearts like Pharaoh and the Egyptians did?" I asked.
"We won't!" they said.
I said again, "Tell me for certain that you are not going to dance around a golden calf and worship it, like Jacob's descendants did within a mere month of seeing the whole of Mount Sinai burning and hearing Jehovah himself speak from the fire - in other words, seeing and hearing the greatest miracle of them all!" (In the spiritual meaning, a golden calf is the pleasure of the flesh.)
The response from the lower regions was, "We will not be like the descendants of Jacob. "
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to them, "If you do not believe Moses and the prophets, that is, the Lord's Word, you are not going to believe on the basis of miracles any more than Jacob's descendants did in the desert, or any more than they did when they saw with their own eyes the miracles performed by the Lord himself when he was in the world. "
849. After this I heard a threatening murmur from the underworld, and in it these words: 'Do some miracles, and we shall believe.' 'Are these not miracles?' I asked in reply. 'No,' they answered. 'What miracles then?' I asked. 'Make plain and reveal the future,' they said, 'and we shall have faith in you.' But I answered them: 'Such things are not granted by the Lord, because to the extent that a person knows the future, to that extent his reason and understanding, together with his prudence and wisdom, fall into disuse, he becomes dull and loses his grip.'
Then I asked again, 'What miracles am I to do?' Then a shout went up: 'Do ones like those Moses did in Egypt.' 'Perhaps,' I replied, 'you might harden your hearts at them, as Pharaoh and the Egyptians did.' They replied that they would not. So I said again: 'Promise me that you will not dance around the golden calf and worship it, as Jacob's descendants did within the space of a month after seeing the whole of Mount Sinai ablaze, and hearing Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire, so after the greatest of all miracles.' (The golden calf in the spiritual sense is the pleasure of the flesh.) I received the reply from the underworld: 'We shall not be like the descendants of Jacob.'
But then I heard this message given them from heaven: 'If you do not believe Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, you will no more be made to believe by miracles than were Jacob's descendants in the desert. Nor will you believe any more than those believed who saw with their own eyes the miracles performed by the Lord Himself, when He was in the world.'
849. After this I heard a hostile murmur from the lower regions, and with it these words, "Work miracles and we will believe."
I answered, "Are not these things miracles?"
They replied, "They are not."
I asked, "What then, are miracles?"
They said, "Show and reveal future events, and we will have faith."
But I said, "Such things are not granted by the Lord, because so far as a man knows what is to come his reason and understanding, with his prudence and wisdom sink into inertness and become torpid and collapse."
Again I asked, "What other miracles shall I work."
Then arose the cry, "Such as Moses wrought in Egypt."
And I replied, "Perhaps you would harden your hearts thereat, like Pharaoh and the Egyptians."
The answer was "No."
Again I said, "Assure me that you will not dance about a golden calf and worship it, as the posterity of Jacob did a single month after they had seen all Mount Sinai burning, and had heard Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire, thus after the greatest of all miracles. ("A golden calf" means in the spiritual sense the pleasures of the flesh.)
An answer came from the lower regions, "We will not be like the posterity of Jacob."
At that moment I heard it said to them from heaven, "If you believe not Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, you will not believe on account of miracles, any more than the posterity of Jacob did in the desert, or any more than they believed when with their own eyes they saw the miracles wrought by the Lord Himself when He was in the world."
849. After this I heard a hostile murmur from below, and at the same time these words, "Perform miracles and we will believe." I replied, "Are not those things miracles?" The answer came back, "They are not." I inquired, "What miracles then, do you mean?" "Make manifest and reveal future events, and we will believe," they said. But I answered, "Such things are not allowed by the Lord, because so far as a man knows future events, his reason and understanding, together with prudence and wisdom, sink into indolence, become torpid and decay." I again asked, "What other miracles shall I do?" "Miracles such as Moses performed in Egypt." I replied, "Perhaps you would harden your hearts against them, as Pharaoh and the Egyptians did;" and they answered they would not. I then continued: "Assure me that you will not dance around a golden calf and worship it, as the posterity of Jacob did within a month after they had seen the whole of Mount Sinai on fire, and had heard Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire; thus after the greatest of all miracles." Now a golden calf in the spiritual sense means the pleasure of the flesh. To this a reply came from below, "We will not be like the posterity of Jacob." But at that moment I heard a voice from heaven saying to them, "If ye believe not Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, neither will ye believe from miracles, any more than the posterity of Jacob in the wilderness, or than the Jews when with their own eyes they saw the miracles performed by the Lord Himself when He was in the world."
849. Posthaec audivi infestum murmur ex Inferis, et simul has voces, FAC MIRACULA ET CREDEMUS, et retuli, numne illa sunt Miracula, et responsum est, non sunt: et quaesivi, quae ergo Miracula, et dictum est, manifesta et revela futura, 1 et fidem habebimus, sed respondi, talia a Domino non dantur, quoniam quantum homo scit futura, tantum ejus ratio et intellectus cum prudentia et sapientia cadit in otium, torpet et labefactatur: et iterum quaesivi, quae alia Miracula faciam, et tunc clamatum est, fac similia quae Moses in Aegypto, et respondi, forte ad illa obduraturi estis corda vestra sicut Pharao et Aegyptii, et responsum est, quod non; et iterum dixi, asseverate mihi, quod non saltaturi sitis circum Vitulum aureum, et adoraturi illum, sicut posteri Jacobi, quod fecerunt a Mensis spatio postquam viderunt totum Montem Sinai ardentem, et audiverunt Ipsum Jehovam ex igne loquentem, ita post Miraculum, quod erat omnium maximum; Vitulus aureus in spirituali Sensu est Voluptas carnis; et responsum est ex Inferis, non erimus sicut posteri Jacobi. At tunc audivi hoc e Coelo illis dictum, si non creditis Mosen et Prophetas, hoc est, Verbum Domini, non credetis ex Miraculis plus quam posteri Jacobi in deserto, neve plus quam illi crediderunt, dum suis oculis viderunt Miracula ab Ipso Domino, cum fuit in Mundo, facta.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: futura.