391、灵人和在身体中的世人一样拥有脉搏和呼吸，这一事实只能由灵人和天使自己来证实，只要被授予与他们交谈的特权。我获得了这项特权。当我问他们这个问题时，他们声称，他们和世人一样是人，也拥有身体，只不过是灵体；他们同样感受到胸腔内的心跳和手腕处动脉的脉搏，跟自然界的人一样。我问了他们当中的许多人，他们都给出了同样的回答。
我从亲身经历得知，人的灵在他的身体里面呼吸。有一次，天使被允许控制我的呼吸，并随意减弱它，最终把它带走，直到只剩下我的灵在呼吸，这时我明显感觉到它。当我被恩准体验将死之人的状态时，类似的经历发生在我身上(这可见于《天堂与地狱》449节)。
还有好几次，我只剩下灵的呼吸；这时，我明显感觉这种呼吸与天堂的共同呼吸是一致的。我也多次处于天使那样的状态，还被提升到他们那里，进入天堂；当时因在灵里从身体中出来，所以我用一种跟世上一样的呼吸与天使交谈。
从这些和其它亲身经历，我清楚看到，人的灵不仅在身体里面呼吸，离开身体后还在呼吸；灵的呼吸如此安静，以至于不为人所察觉；它流入明显的身体呼吸，几乎就像原因流入结果，或思维流入肺，并通过肺流入话语一样。由此也明显可知，在人里面，灵和身体的结合是由于它们两个的心肺运动的对应关系。
391. Proof that spirits have a pulse and breathing just as we earthly people do in our bodies can come only from spirits and angels themselves when someone is enabled to talk with them. This has been granted to me; so when I have asked them, they have told me that they are just as much people as we are in this world and that they too have bodies, but spiritual ones. They have told me that they too can feel their hearts beating in their chests and in the arteries in their wrists just the way we people in the physical world do. I have asked a good many about this, and they have all said the same thing.
I have been enabled to learn from my own experience that the human spirit is breathing within the body. Occasionally, angels have been allowed to control the extent of my breathing, to diminish it at will and eventually to restrain it to the point that only the breathing of my spirit was left to me, at which point I could actually sense it. The same thing happened to me when I was shown what it is like to die: see Heaven and Hell 449.
Sometimes, too, I have been restricted to nothing but the breathing of my spirit, and then was sensibly aware of its harmony with the general breathing of heaven. On any number of occasions, too, I have been in a state like that of angels and have been lifted up to them in heaven; and at times like these I was in the spirit and out of the body, using my breathing to talk with them just as we do in this world.
These and other firsthand proofs have made it clear to me not only that our spirits are breathing within our bodies, but also that they do so after we leave our bodies behind; and also that the breathing of our spirits is so subtle that we do not sense it. It flows into the obvious breathing of our bodies almost the same way a cause flows into an effect or a thought flows into the lungs and through the lungs into speech.
We can also see, then, that the union of spirit and body in us is brought about by the responsive relationship between the motions of the heart and the lungs of the two.
391. The fact that a spirit possesses a pulse and respiration like a person in the body in the world cannot be otherwise confirmed than by the testimony of spirits and angels themselves when the opportunity is granted to speak with them. I have been granted this opportunity, and when I have asked them therefore about this circumstance, they have said that they are just as much people as people in the world; that they, too, possess a body, only a spiritual one; and that they likewise feel the beating of the heart in the breast and the pulse of the arteries upon the wrist, just as those do who are people in the natural world. I have asked many of them about this, and they have made the same reply.
[2] I have been granted to know from personal experience that a person's spirit breathes while in his body. Angels were once given an opportunity to control my respiration and to lessen it as they chose, and finally to take it away, until only the respiration of my spirit remained, and I then perceptibly felt it. The same thing happened to me when I was granted to experience the state of people dying, as may be seen in the book Heaven and Hell, no. 449.
[3] Several other times, too, I have been reduced to the respiration of my spirit only, and I then perceptibly felt it to be concordant with the general respiration of heaven.
On many occasions as well I have been in the same state as angels, and have also been raised up to them into heaven, and being then out of the body in the spirit, I have spoken with them with an exhalation of the breath, in the same way as in the world.
[4] From these and other personally experienced proofs it has become apparent to me not only that a person's spirit breathes while in his body, but that it does so also after it has left the body; that the respiration of the spirit is so subtle as not to be perceived by the person; and that it flows into the manifest respiration of the body, much as a cause does into an effect, or thought into the lungs and through the lungs into speech.
It is apparent from this also that the conjunction of the spirit and body in a person is due to the correspondence of their two cardiac motions and pulmonary motions.
391. That a spirit enjoys a pulse and respiration exactly as a man does in a body can only be proved by spirits and angels themselves, when permission to speak with them is granted. This permission has been given to me; wherefore, when questioned on this matter, they affirmed that they are men exactly like men in the world, that they enjoy the use of a body just as men do, except that it is spiritual, and that they feel the beating of the heart in the chest and of the artery in the wrist just as men do in the natural world. I have questioned many of them and they have said the same. I have been permitted to know from personal experience that man's spirit breathes within his body. On one occasion the angels were allowed to control my respiration, to lessen it at will, and at last to withdraw it so far that only the breathing of my spirit remained, which was then perceptible to sense. The same thing happened when I was permitted to learn the state of the dying, as may be seen in the work on HEAVEN AND HELL (449). Sometimes also I have been brought into the breathing of my spirit alone as far as to perceive sensibly its harmony with the general respiration of heaven. I have many times been in a state like that of the angels, and also been raised up to them in heaven, and being then in the spirit outside the body, I have conversed with them with respiration in the same manner as in the world. From these and other actual proofs I saw plainly that man's spirit breathes, not only in the body, but also after it has left the body; that the spirit's breathing is so silent that a man does not notice it; and that it flows into the manifest breathing of the body almost as cause flows into effect, and thought into the lungs and by means of the lungs into speech. Hence it is also plain that the conjunction of the spirit and body in man exists by means of the correspondence of the cardiac and pulmonary motions of both.
391. That a spirit, as well as a man on earth in the body enjoys a pulse and a respiration, can only be proved by spirits and angels themselves, when privilege is granted to speak with them. This privilege has been granted to me. When questioned about the matter they declared that they are just as much men as those in the world are, and possess a body as well as they, but a spiritual body, and feel the beat of the heart in the chest, and the beat of the arteries in the wrist, just as men do in the natural world. I have questioned many about the matter, and they all gave like answer. That man's spirit respires within his body has been granted me to learn by personal experience. On one occasion angels were allowed to control my respiration, and to diminish it at pleasure, and at length to withdraw it, until only the respiration of my spirit remained, which I then perceived by sense. A like experience was granted me when permitted to learn the state of the dying (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 449). I have sometimes been brought into the respiration of my spirit only, which I have then sensibly perceived to be in accord with the common respiration of heaven. Also many times I have been in a state like that of angels, and also raised up into heaven to them, and being then out of the body in spirit, I talked with angels with a respiration in like manner as in the world. From this and other personal evidence it has been made clear to me that man's spirit respires, not only in the body but also after it has left the body; that the respiration of the spirit is so silent as not to be perceptible to man; and that it inflows into the manifest respiration of the body almost as cause flows into effect, or thought into the lungs and through the lungs into speech. From all this it is also evident that conjunction of spirit and body in man is by means of the correspondence of the cardiac and pulmonic movement in both.
391. Quod spiritus aeque gaudeat pulsu et respiratione, ut homo mundi in corpore, non aliunde potest confirmari quam ab ipsis spiritibus et angelis, cum datur copia cum illis loqui; haec copia mihi data est, quare de ea re interrogati dixerunt, quod aeque sint homines sicut homines in mundo, et quod aeque gaudeant corpore, sed spirituali, et quod aeque sentiant pulsum cordis in pectore, et arteriarum supra palmam, sicut illi qui sunt homines in naturali mundo; de hoc interrogavi plures, et similiter dixerunt.
[2] Quod spiritus hominis in corpore ejus respiret, datum est ex propria experientia scire; quondam Angelis data est copia respirationem meam ducere, et illam ad libitum diminuere, et tandem retrahere, usque dum sola respiratio spiritus mei remanserit, quam tunc sensu percepi: quod simile mecum factum sit, dum scire datum est statum morientium, in Opere de COELO ET INFERNO 449, videatur.
[3] Aliquoties etiam in solam respirationem spiritus mei redactus sum, quam tunc concordem respirationi communi coeli sensu 1 percepi: multis etiam vicibus in simili statu cum angelis fui, et quoque ad illos in coelum elevatus, et tunc in spiritu extra corpus, et loquutus cum illis cum respiratione, similiter ut in mundo. 2
[4] Ex his et aliis vivis documentis mihi patuit, non modo quod spiritus hominis respiret in corpore, sed etiam postquam reliquit corpus; et quod respiratio spiritus tam tacita sit, ut non percipiatur ab homine, et quod influat in respirationem manifestam corporis, vix aliter quam sicut causa in effectum, et cogitatio in pulmonem, et per pulmonem in loquelam. Ex his quoque patet, quod conjunctio spiritus et corporis apud hominem sit per correspondentiam motus cardiaci et motus pulmonaris utriusque.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: sensu,
2. Prima editio: muudo.