13. 通过圣经产生的间接启示远胜于通过诸灵产生的直接启示。
人们以为，如果他们能通过与灵和天使交谈而获得直接启示，那么他将更受启迪，更加智慧；但事实恰恰相反。凭借圣经所受的启迪经内在途径而至，而通过直接揭示所受的启迪由外在途径进入。内在途径是经意志进入智识。而外在途径经聆听进入智识。人若通过圣经被主启示，他会达到一个程度，从而他的意志被良善驾驭。意愿邪恶的人，也可通过聆听得到教导，说起话来也好似得到启示。当教导进入这种人的智识里后，却不能成为他里面所有，而被分隔保留，仅存于记忆，不属于他的生命。凡被隔离保存且不属于他生命的东西，会逐渐消退，生前若未退尽，死后必然消失干净。因为，一个倾向于恶的意志，要么拒绝这些教训或指导，要么将其扼杀，要么歪曲亵渎之。事实上，人的意志构成他的生命，他的意志持续对他的智识起作用。但凡经记忆进入智识的，意志视其为异己。
另一方面，智识不对意志起作用，仅告知意志当怎样行。结果，倘若有人从天堂获知众天使所知一切，或者假如他知道圣经中的一切，以及教会的教义中教导的一切，除此以外，还知道众教父的著述和各宗教大会所宣布的内容；如果他知道这一切，却依旧在意志上热衷于恶，死后仍被视为一无所知之人，因为他并不意愿他所知道的。又因为邪恶憎恨真理，于是这人自己会抛弃那些东西，取而代之的，是吸纳那些与他的意志之恶和谐一致的伪谬。
[2] 此外，没有灵或天使被允许在神性真理上指教任何世人。还有，主自己经由圣经指教每个人，人获教导的程度取决于他意志中接受从主而来之良善的程度，接受的越多，他就越能避恶如罪。
此外，每个人都有灵陪伴周围，这些灵认同他的情感、以及由此情感导致的思维。他成为这个灵群的成员。因此，倘若灵与人说话，就以此人的情感为基础并与他保持一致。人无法与他所属灵群以外的任何其它灵说话，直到他所在的灵群先被移走—而这必须先改造他的意志。
因为与每个人相伴的灵持有与之同样的宗教，当这些灵与他说话时，他们会确认此人接受的所有宗教原则。于是，狂热教派的灵认可一个人所接受的所有狂热信条，教友会信徒的灵支持教友会教义，摩拉维亚教徒的灵支持摩拉维亚主义，等等。这样就导致一个人对谬见的不断确证，决不能被根除。
由这些事实可清楚看出，自圣经而来的间接启示优于来自灵的直接启示。至于我自己，不许我从灵或天使之口采纳什么，单单从主之口获取
13. How Much Better a Mediated Revelation Effected Through the Word is than a Direct Revelation Effected Through Spirits
People suppose they would be more enlightened and wiser if they had a direct revelation through speech with spirits and angels, but the opposite is the case. Enlightenment by means of the Word comes by an inner path, while enlightenment by direct revelation comes by a path from without. The inner path is through the will into the intellect. The outer path is through the hearing into the intellect. A person is enlightened by the Lord by means of the Word to the degree that his will is intent on good. Granted, a person may be instructed and seemingly enlightened through the hearing even if his will is intent on evil, yet instruction that enters the intellect of a person whose will is intent on evil is not within him but remains as something apart. It is a matter solely of the memory, and not of his life. And what remains apart from a person and is not a matter of his life, gradually fades away, after death if not before. For a will intent on evil either rejects the instruction, or stifles it, or falsifies and profanes, it.
The fact is that a person's will constitutes his life, and his will continually acts upon his intellect. Whatever enters the intellect from the memory, therefore, the will regards as alien. On the other hand, the intellect does not act upon the will, but only informs It how it should act. Consequently, if a person were to know from heaven everything that angels ever know, or if he were to know everything in the Word, and everything taught in the doctrines of the church, and in addition to this what the church fathers wrote and the councils pronounced-if he were to know all this and yet have a will intent on evil, after death he would still be regarded as one who knew nothing, because he would not will what he knew. And because evil hates truth, the person himself would then reject those things and in their stead adopt falsities in harmony with the evil of his will.
[2] Besides this, no spirit or angel is allowed to instruct anyone on this earth in Divine truths. Rather, the Lord Himself instructs everyone by means of the Word, and He instructs a person to the degree that the person receives goodness from the Lord in his will, which in turn depends on the degree to which he abstains from evils because they are sins.
Moreover, every person is in the company of spirits in respect to his affections and the thoughts resulting from those affections. He is in this company as a member of it. If spirits speak with a person, therefore, they do so on the basis of his affections and in accordance with them. Nor can a person speak with any others until the companies with which he is already associated are first removed. This does not happen except by a reformation of his will. Because everyone is in the company of spirits who are of the same religion as he is, therefore if spirits speak with him, they affirm everything that the person has made a matter of his own religion. Thus fanatic spirits support everything that is a part of a person's fanaticism, Quaker spirits everything that is a part of his Quakerism, Moravian spirits everything that is a part of his Moravianism, and so on. The result is confirmations of falsity that can never be eradicated.
It is apparent from this that a mediated revelation effected through the Word is better than a direct revelation effected through spirits. As for myself, I have not been permitted to take anything from the testimony of any spirit, nor from the testimony of any angel, but from the testimony of the Lord alone.
13. XIII. How far indirect revelation made by means of the Word is superior to direct revelation by means of spirits.
It is believed that a person could be more enlightened and wiser, if he had direct revelation by talking with spirits and angels, but the reverse is true. Enlightenment by means of the Word follows an internal path, but enlightenment by means of direct revelation follows an external path. The internal path is through the will into the intellect, the external path is through the hearing into the intellect. A person is enlightened by the Lord by means of the Word to the extent that his will is governed by good. But by hearing he can be taught and so to speak enlightened, even though his will is governed by evil. What enters the intellect of a person who is governed by evil is not inside him, but outside, being only in the memory and not expressed in the way he lives. What is outside him and not expressed in the way he lives little by little disappears, if not earlier, at any rate after death. For a will governed by evil either rejects or chokes it, or falsifies and profanes it. For the will controls the way a person lives, and continually acts upon the intellect, and it looks upon what the intellect has from memory as extraneous.
On the other hand the intellect does not act upon the will, but only indicates how the will ought to act. If therefore someone knew from heaven all that the angels can ever know, or if he knew everything there is in the Word, and everything in all the teachings of the church, and in addition what the church fathers wrote and the councils laid down, and yet his will was governed by evil, he would still after death be regarded as knowing nothing, because he does not wish what he knows. Since evil hates truth, the person himself then rejects those things, and in their place adopts falsities which agree with the evil in his will.
[2] Moreover, no spirit or angel is given permission to teach anyone on this earth about Divine truths; but it is the Lord Himself who teaches each person by means of the Word. How much he is taught depends upon how far he receives in his will good from the Lord, and he receives the more, the more he shuns evils as sins. Also each person is in the company of spirits as regards his affections and the thoughts they inspire. In this company he is as one with them, so that spirits speaking with people draw on his affections to speak and are guided by them. A person cannot speak with other spirits, unless the communities to which he belongs are first removed. This happens only by reforming his will.
Since a person is in the company of spirits who share his religion, the spirits who speak with him confirm all the religious principles he has adopted. So the spirits of the Enthusiast sect confirm all the details of Enthusiast belief the person has adopted; Quaker spirits all the details of Quaker belief, Moravian spirits all the details of Moravian belief, and so on. This leads to confirmations of falsity which can never be eradicated. These facts make it plain that indirect revelation by means of the Word is superior to direct revelation by means of spirits. As regards myself, I was not allowed to learn anything from the lips of a spirit or angel, but only from the lips of the Lord.
13. XIII. HOW MUCH MEDIATE REVELATION, WHICH IS EFFECTED THROUGH THE WORD, SURPASSES IMMEDIATE REVELATION, WHICH IS EFFECTED THROUGH SPIRITS.
It is believed that man might be more enlightened and become more wise if he should have immediate revelation through speech with spirits and with angels, but the reverse is the case. Enlightenment by means of the Word is effected by an interior way, while enlightenment by immediate revelation is effected by an exterior way. The interior way is through the will into the understanding, the exterior way is through the hearing into the understanding. Man is enlightened through the Word by the Lord so far as his will is in good, but man may be instructed and as it were enlightened through the hearing, though the will is in evil; and what enters into the understanding with a man whose will is in evil, is not within, but without him. It is only in the memory and not in the life, and what is without a man and not in his life, is gradually separated, if not before, yet after death, for the will which is in evil either casts it out, or suffocates it, or falsifies and profanes it. For the will makes the life of man, and continually acts into the understanding, and regards as extraneous that which is from the memory in the understanding. On the other hand the understanding does not act into the will, but only teaches in what manner the will should act. Wherefore, were a man to know from heaven all things which even angels ever know or if he were to know all things that are in the Word, and that are in all the doctrines of the church, and moreover all that the Fathers have written and councils decreed, and yet his will be in evil, he would after death be looked upon as one who knows nothing, because he does not will what he knows. In such case because evil hates truths, the man himself casts them out, and in their place adopts falsities agreeing with the evil of his will.
[2] Moreover, no leave is given to any spirit or even angel, to instruct any man on this earth in Divine truths, but the Lord Himself teaches everyone through the Word, and teaches him so far as the man receives good from the Lord in the will, and this the man receives so far as he shuns evils as sins. Again, every man is in a society of spirits as to his affections and thoughts thence, in which he is as one with them, wherefore spirits speaking with man speak from his affections and according to them. Man cannot speak with other spirits unless the societies in which he is, be first removed, which cannot be done except by the reformation of his will. Because every man is in society with spirits who are of the same religion with himself, therefore spirits speaking with him confirm all things which he has made a part of his religion. Thus enthusiastic spirits confirm all things of enthusiasm with the man, Quaker spirits all things of Quakerism, Moravian spirits all things of Moravianism, and so on. Hence come confirmations of falsity which can never be extirpated. From this it is plain that mediate revelation, which is effected through the Word, is better than immediate revelation, which takes place through spirits. As for myself, I have not been allowed to take anything from the mouth of any spirit, nor from the mouth of any angel, but from the mouth of the Lord alone.
13. Quantum revelatio mediata quae fit per Verbum praestat revelationi immediatae quae fit per spiritus
[1] Creditur quod homo plus illustrari posset et sapere, si immediata ei revelatio foret per loquelam cum spiritibus et cum angelis, sed contrarium est; illustratio per Verbum fit per viam interiorem, at illustratio per revelationem immediatam fit per viam exteriorem; via interior est per voluntatem in intellectum, via exterior est per auditum in intellectum; homo per Verbum illustratur a Domino, quantum voluntas ejus in bono est, at homo per auditum potest instrui et quasi illustrari, tametsi voluntas est in malo, et quod intrat in intellectum apud hominem, cujus voluntas est in malo, non est intra sed extra illum; est solum in memoria, et non in vita, et quod extra hominem est, et non in ejus vita, hoc paullatim disparatur, et si non prius, usque post mortem, voluntas enim quae in malo est, vel ejicit illud, vel suffocat illud, vel falsificat et prophanat illud, nam voluntas facit vitam hominis, et continue agit in intellectum, ac illud quod ex memoria in intellectum intrat, spectat ut extraneum; vicissim intellectus non agit in voluntatem, sed modo docet, quomodo voluntas aget: quare si homo e coelo scivisset omnia quae usquam angeli sciunt, aut si scivisset omnia quae in Verbo, tum quae in omnibus Ecclesiae doctrinis sunt, tum his insuper quid Patres scripserunt, et concilia dictaverunt, et tamen voluntas in malo est, usque post mortem spectatur ille sicut qui nihil scit, quia non vult quod scit, et quia malum odit verum, ipse homo tunc ejicit illa, et loco illorum adoptat falsa cum malo suae voluntatis concordantia.
[2]Praeterea non datur alicui spiritui, nec alicui angelo venia docendi aliquem hominem in hac Tellure in Divinis Veris, sed Ipse Dominus unumquemvis docet per Verbum, et tantum docet, quantum homo a Domino recipit bonum in voluntate, et tantum id recipit, quantum fugit mala ut peccata: unusquisque etiam homo est in societate spirituum quoad suas affectiones et inde cogitationes, in qua est sicut unus cum illis, quare spiritus loquentes cum homine, loquuntur ex ejus affectionibus, et secundum illas; non potest homo cum aliis loqui, nisi prius societates in quibus est, primum removeantur, quod non fit nisi quam per reformationem ejus voluntatis; quia unusquisque homo in societate est cum spiritibus qui ejusdem religionis cum illo sunt, quare spiritus loquentes cum illo, confirmant omnia quae homo suae religionis fecerat, ita spiritus enthusiastici omnia [quae] enthusiasmi sui homini sunt, spiritus quaqueriani omnia quaquerismi, et spiritus moraviani omnia moravianismi, et sic porro; inde confirmationes falsi quae nusquam possunt exstirpari; ex his patet, quod revelatio mediata quae fit per Verbum praestet revelationi immediatae, quae fit per spiritus. Quod me attinet, non licuit quicquam desumere ex ore alicujus spiritus, nec ex ore alicujus angeli, sed ex ore solius Domini.