Faith3.但一个常见的说法是，没有人能理解属灵或神学事物，因为它们是超自然的。然而，属灵真理是能被理解的，和属世真理一样；或许理解得不清晰，但一听见它们，我们仍能发觉它们是不是真的。对那些渴慕真理的人来说，这种情形尤其明显。我通过大量经历得以知道这一点。我蒙允许与没有受过教育的，头脑迟钝的，缺乏常识者或缺乏聪明的人交谈，也与那些虽出生在教会，从而听到关于主，信和仁的某些事，却陷入虚假，或沉浸于邪恶的人交谈。我蒙允许告诉他们一些智慧的奥秘，他们都明白，也都承认。然而，当时他们处于每个人都拥有的理解力之光，并因被视为聪明而感到自豪。这一切是在我与灵人交往期间发生的。这些经历使许多与我同在的人确信：属灵事物和属世事物一样是可理解的；至少当人们听见或读到它们时是能理解的；只是当人们从自己思考时，是很难理解的。属灵事物之所以能被理解，是因为在理解力方面，一个人能被提升到天堂之光，在这光中只会出现属灵事物，这些事物就是信之真理。因为天堂之光就是属灵之光。
3. All the same, the widely shared opinion is that no one can understand things that are spiritual or theological because they are supernatural. However, spiritual truths can be grasped just as earthly ones are—perhaps not as clearly, but still, when we hear them we do get a sense as to whether they are true or not. This is especially so in the case of people who have a longing for truth.
I have been taught this by an abundance of experience. I have been granted the opportunity to talk with people who lacked education, people who lacked common sense, and people who lacked intelligence, and with people who, despite having been born in the church and having therefore heard something about the Lord, faith, and caring, were convinced of false ideas or were immersed in evil. I have been granted the opportunity to tell them secrets of wisdom, and they understood and acknowledged everything. At such times, of course, they were in that light of understanding that is common to us all, and also in a state of glory because they were in a condition of understanding. This happened during my interactions with spirits.
These experiences convinced many who were with me that spiritual matters are just as comprehensible as earthly matters—at least when people hear or read them—but hard to understand when people are left on their own to think for themselves. The reason we can understand spiritual matters is that we can be lifted mentally into heaven's light, the light in which all the things we see are spiritual—all the truths that belong to the faith. The light of heaven is spiritual light.
3. It is, however, a common saying that no one can comprehend spiritual or theological matters because they transcend human understanding. Yet spiritual truths are as comprehensible as natural ones. And if they are not clearly understood, still, when they are heard, it falls within its scope of the intellect to perceive whether they are true or not. This is especially the case with people who have an affection for truths.
I have been given to know this from much personal experience. I have been given to speak with ignorant people, with obtuse people, with stupid people, and even with people caught up in falsities and people caught up in evils, all of whom were born into the church and learned something about the Lord, faith and charity; and it has been granted me to discuss with them secrets of wisdom. And they understood and acknowledged them all. However, they then possessed an intellectual light which is possible to everyone, and were at the same time prompted by the conceit of believing themselves intelligent. But this I learned in conversation with spirits.
Many others with me were convinced by these experiences that spiritual matters are as comprehensible as natural ones, but only when they are heard or read. Otherwise they are comprehended with difficulty by a person on his own when thinking independently.
The reason spiritual matters are comprehensible is that a person’s intellect can be raised into the light of heaven, the light in which only spiritual matters are seen, which are the truths of faith. For the light of heaven is a spiritual light.
3. But, as is commonly said, no one can comprehend spiritual, that is, theological matters because they are supernatural. Spiritual truths, however, are as capable of being comprehended as natural truths; and although the comprehension of them may not be clear, still when they are heard they fall so far within the perception of the hearer that he can discern whether they are truths or not; and this is especially the case with those who are affected by truths. This has been granted me to know from much experience. It has been granted me to converse with those who are ignorant, obscure and dull; and also with those who had been born within the Church and who had heard something about the Lord, about faith and about charity, yet who were immersed in falsities and in evils. It was also granted me to speak with them concerning arcana 1of wisdom; and they comprehended them all and acknowledged their truth; but they were then in the light of understanding which every man possesses, and at the same time in the glory of being intelligent. These things however occurred in my intercourse with spirits.
Many who were present with me were convinced by these experiences that spiritual things are as capable of being comprehended as natural things, that is, when they are heard or read; but they are comprehended with difficulty by the man himself when he is thinking from himself. The reason that spiritual things can be comprehended is, because man as to his understanding is capable of being elevated into the light of heaven, in which light appear none but spiritual things which are truths of faith: for the light of heaven is spiritual light.
Footnotes:
1. Arcanum (plur. arcana) what is shut up, enclosed, from arceo to shut up, and arca, an ark, chest or box. Usual connotation, hidden things.
3. But a common remark is that no one can comprehend spiritual or theological matters because they are supernatural. Spiritual truths however can be comprehended just as well as natural ones; and even if they are not clearly comprehended, still as soon as they are heard it is possible to perceive whether they are true or not. This is especially the case with those whose affection is excited by truths. I have been permitted to know this by much experience. I have been permitted to speak with the uneducated, with the dull-minded, and with the utterly senseless, as also with persons who had been in falsities, and those who had been in evils, all born within the church, and who had heard somewhat about the Lord and about faith and charity; and I have been permitted to tell them certain secrets of wisdom, and they comprehended everything and acknowledged it. At the time however they were in that light of the understanding which every human being possesses; and felt withal the pride of being thought intelligent. All this happened in my interaction with spirits. Many others who were with me were hereby convinced that spiritual things can be comprehended just as well as natural, that is, when they are heard or read. But comprehension by the man himself when thinking from himself is by no means so easy. The reason spiritual things can be comprehended is that in respect to the understanding a man may be uplifted into the light of heaven, in which light none but spiritual things appear, and these are the truths of faith. For the light of heaven is spiritual light.
3. Sed communis sermo est, quod non aliquis possit comprehendere spiritualia seu theologica, quia sunt supernaturalia. Sed vera spiritualia aeque comprehendi possunt, quemadmodum vera naturalia; et si non clare, usque, dum audiuntur, cadunt in perceptionem num vera sint vel non; hoc maxime apud illos qui afficiuntur veris. Hoc datum est mihi scire ex multa experientia. Datum est loqui cum ignaris, cum obscuris, cum stupidis, et quoque cum illis qui in falsis fuerunt, et qui in malis, qui intra ecclesiam nati sunt, et audiverunt aliquid de Domino, de fide et charitate; et loqui datum est cum illis arcana sapientiae; et illi comprehenderunt omnia, et agnoverunt: sed erant tunc in luce intellectus quae est cuivis homini, et simul in gloria quod essent intelligentes. Sed haec in commercio cum spiritibus. Ex his convicti sunt plures mecum, quod spiritualia aeque ac naturalia possint comprehendi, sed tunc quando audiuntur aut leguntur; sed aegre ab ipso homine cum ex se cogitat. Causa quod spiritualia comprehendantur, est quia homo quoad intellectum potest elevari in lucem caeli, in qua luce non alia apparent quam spiritualia, quae sunt vera fidei: lux enim caeli est lux spiritualis.