2055. Hence it is clear from actual experience what life and glory there is in the Word of the Lord, only in its inward meaning. Some spirits in the world of spirits, realizing there was such glory in the inward meaning of the Word of the Lord, began to feel sorry that they had not wanted to believe that it contained any such meaning they could not believe in, saying that in their present state of mind, they did want to believe it. Beyond this, they could understand nothing of what he saw and heard, for he did see, and hear, and perceive.
Some who did not want to believe, thought or said these were illusions. But then he emphatically asserted that he was seeing, hearing and perceiving, and asked what more can there be? Then they, themselves having been raised up into that heaven, finally confessed that this was anything but illusion, for they really perceived, and their perception now was immeasurably more exquisite than that of their body.
2055. It may hence appear by a living experience what life and glory pertains to the Lord's Word, viewed solely in the internal sense. Some spirits in the world of spirits, when they perceived that such was the glory of the interior sense of the Lord's Word, began to repent that they had been unwilling to believe in the existence of such a sense, although they had scarcely been able to do it, saying that in the state in which they now were they were ready to believe; apart from that state they could neither understand nor perceive any of the things which this spirit saw and heard, for he saw and heard, and perceived. Some who were unwilling to believe, supposed or said that they were phantasies; but when it was solemnly affirmed that he saw, heard, and perceived, what more could be said? Those also who were elevated to that heaven, at length confessed that they were anything but phantasies, for they perceived them as realities, and with a perception vastly more exquisite than that of the body.)
2055. Inde ex viva experientia constare potest, qualis vita et gloria inest Verbo Domini, solum in sensu interiori; cum perceperunt aliqui spiritus in mundo spirituum, quod talis esset gloria sensus interioris Verbi Domini, ceperunt {a} poenitere, quod non voluissent credere, quod talis sensus, cui credere non potuerunt, inesset, dicentes, in eo statu, quod vellent credere; praeterea nihil intelligere potuerunt, nec percipere ab iis, quae vidit et audivit; nam et vidit et audivit, et percepit; quidam qui non credere volebant, putabant seu dicebant esse phantasias, sed cum asseveratum est, quod cum [quis] videat, audiat, et percipiat, quid magis potest esse? ii 1
quoque in coelum illud sublati, tandem fassi sunt, quod nihil minus sit, quam phantasia, nam realiter percipiunt, et quidem perceptione indefinite exquisitiore, quam in suo corpore.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has esse; qui (sic!)