160、后来，我与这些灵人谈到他们的星球。当所有灵人的属世记忆或外在记忆被主打开时，他们就都知道自己的星球；因为他们把这种记忆从世上带来了，只是不能被打开，除非有主的美意。然后，一经许可，这些灵人便谈到他们所来自的星球，并向其星球的居民显现，与他们交谈，仿佛他们是活着的世人。这种事的发生是因为他们被带入其属世记忆或外在记忆，以致他们能回想起他们活在世上时的思维。那时，这些居民的内在视觉，或灵的视觉被打开了，由此看到他们。他们补充说，居民并未意识到他们并非其星球的世人，只是当他们忽然从眼前消失时，才开始察觉他们不是。我告诉他们说，古时，这种事在我们地球也发生过，如发生在亚伯拉罕、撒拉、罗得、所多玛的居民、玛挪亚和他妻子、约书亚、马利亚、以利沙伯和众先知身上。主也是以同样的方式显现，在祂揭示自己之前，那些看见祂的人只知道祂是地球上的人。但如今这种事极其罕见，因为人们不可以这种方式被迫去信。被强迫的信仰，就是诸如由奇迹所引发的信仰，并不牢固，还会对那些有可能在没有任何强迫的情况下通过圣言在自己里面建立信仰的人造成伤害。
160. Later I talked with the spirits about their planet, since all spirits remember such things when their earthly or outer memory is opened by the Lord. 1We bring such memories with us from the world, but they are opened only when it pleases the Lord.
Concerning the planet that these spirits had come from, they said that when they are given permission they become visible to people who are living on their planet and talk with them face to face. How this happens is that the spirits are brought into consciousness of their earthly or outer memory and therefore into the kind of thinking they had been engaged in when they lived in the world; at the same time the inhabitants of the planet have their inner or spiritual sight opened and see the spirits by means of it. They also said that for all the inhabitants know, the individuals they are seeing are also inhabitants of their planet; they first realize they are not when they suddenly vanish from their sight.
I told them that something like this happened on our planet in early times, to Abraham, for example, Sarah, Lot, the inhabitants of Sodom, Manoah and his wife, Joshua, Mary, Elizabeth, and the prophets in general. 2I said that the Lord looked like other people and that the people who saw him could not tell that he was not just another earthly individual until he revealed himself.
This rarely happens nowadays, though, so that events like this will not compel people to believe. Belief by compulsion, the kind induced by miracles, does not take hold; and it also would do harm to those people who are able to have belief implanted in them by means of the Word without any need of being compelled.
Footnotes:
1. For more on the earthly or outer memory; on its being retained after death, but not being accessible to the angel or spirit except under special circumstances; and also on the distinction between the outer memory and the inner spiritual and rational memory, see note 1 in Last Judgment 36 and the passages cited there. For a discussion of levels of the self as described in Swedenborg’s psychology, see New Jerusalem 36-53. [LSW]
2. In the Bible, the individuals named here interact with angels in the following passages: Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18;22:1-19; Lot and the inhabitants of Sodom in Genesis 19:1-26; Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson, in Judges 13; Joshua in Joshua 5:13-15; Mary in Luke 1:26-38. Though an angel does not appear to Elizabeth herself, one does appear to her husband Zechariah, to announce to him that Elizabeth will give birth to John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-20). For examples of angelic beings interacting with the prophets, see Ezekiel 1:4-24; 8:1-3; 9; Daniel 8:15-17; 10:5-7; 12:5-7; Zechariah 1:7-21; 2:1-5; 3; 4. Compare note in 158:3. [LHC, LSW, JSR]
160. Afterwards I talked with those spirits about their world. All spirits have this knowledge, when their natural or outer memory is laid open by the Lord; for they bring this with them from the world, but it is only laid open at the Lord's good pleasure. Then the spirits reported about the world they came from, saying that when they receive permission they appear to the inhabitants of their world, and talk with them as if they were living people. This comes about by their being allowed into their natural or outer memory, so that they can recall what they thought while living in the world. The inhabitants then have their inner sight, the sight of their spirits, opened, so that the spirits become visible to them. They added that the inhabitants are unaware that they are not people in their world, and it only dawns on them they are not, when the spirits suddenly disappear from view.
I told them that the same thing happened in our world in ancient times, in front, for instance of Abraham, Sarah, Lot, the inhabitants of Sodom, Manoah and his wife, Joshua, Mary, Elizabeth and the Prophets as a class. The Lord also appeared in the same way, and those who saw Him did not know that He was not a man in the world, until He revealed Himself. This, I said, rarely happened at the present time, because people should not be forced to believe by such means. For a forced belief, such as is induced by miracles, does not stick, and could also be damaging to those who might have belief established in them by means of the Word without any coercion.
160. I afterward spoke with those spirits concerning their earth; for all spirits know about their earth when their natural or external memory is opened by the Lord; since they have this with them from the world, but it is not opened except by the good pleasure of the Lord. The spirits then said respecting their earth from which they were, that when leave is given them, they appear to the inhabitants of their earth, and speak with them as men; and that this is done by their being let into their natural or external memory, and thus into such thought as they were in when they lived in the world; and that the inhabitants then have their interior sight, or the sight of their spirit, opened, from which they see them. They added that the inhabitants do not know that they are not men of their earth, and first perceive that they are not, when they are suddenly taken away from their sight. I told them that such was the case on our earth in ancient times, as with Abraham, Sarah, Lot, the inhabitants of Sodom, Manoah and his wife, Joshua, Mary, Elizabeth, and the prophets in general; and that the Lord appeared in like manner, and those who saw Him did not know otherwise than that He was a man of the earth, before He revealed Himself. But that this is rarely done at this day, lest by such things men should be compelled to believe; for a compelled faith, such as is that which enters through miracles, does not remain fixed, and would also be hurtful to those with whom faith might be implanted through the Word in a state not compelled.
160. Postea loquutus sum cum Spiritibus illis de sua Tellure; nam hoc sciunt omnes Spiritus, quando memoria eorum naturalis seu externa aperitur a Domino; hanc enim secum habent e mundo, sed non aperitur nisi ex beneplacito Domini. Dicebant tunc Spiritus de Tellure sua, e qua erant, quod, cum illis venia datur, appareant incolis Telluris suae, ac loquantur cum illis sicut homines; et quod id fiat per id quod mittantur in memoriam suam naturalem seu externam, et inde cogitationem in quali fuerunt cum vixerunt in mundo, et quod incolis tunc aperiatur visus interior seu visus spiritus illorum, ex quo illi videntur; addebant, quod incolae non aliter sciant, quam quod sint homines suae telluris, et quod tunc primum appercipiant quod non sint, quando ex oculis eorum subito auferuntur. Dicebam illis, quod similiter in nostra Tellure antiquis temporibus factum sit, sicut coram Abrahamo, Sarah, Lotho, Incolis Sodomae, Manoacho et ejus uxore, Joschua, Maria, Elisabetha, ac in genere coram Prophetis: et quod Dominus similiter apparuerit, et qui viderunt non sciverint aliter quam quod homo telluris esset, antequam Se revelavit. Sed quod hodie hoc raro fiat, ex causa ne homines per talia cogantur ad credendum; nam fides coacta, qualis est quae intrat per miracula, non inhaeret, et quoque damno foret illis apud quos fides per Verbum in statu non coacto implantari potest.