3427. About the drunkenness of spirits
It was granted me also to learn by visual experience, and in fact even to feel somewhat, the drunkenness of spirits, which is one of the punishments of those in hell, but not a harsh one. For a long time those same spirits [complained] of the annoyance and stupor of drunkenness who had previously reasoned keenly and, after having heard many truths, had thereby become drunken - and indeed, spiritually. On the way.
[3427 1.2.] Begyntas at inga hurhyrden den 23 Nov: 1748, 6 Shill: om weckan 1/2 ahr, om 1 ahr, sa mycket afkortas da, at det blifwer 14 Pund, res: 32 Shill: dreback. 1
[3427 1.3.] Den forsta dromen om den [var]i schene sin far och mor, vard [Sept.], 1749:20 ad 22. 2
[3427 1.4.] Appearances according to which it is permissible to speak, but not to think correctly
1.) That God punishes those who are evil, that He grows angry, puts them away from Himself, does not regard them.
2.) That people do good, speak truth, that they are good, truthful, that they live from themselves when yet they cannot, since they cannot think and will from themselves.
[3427 1.5.] What Good is, what the truth of Good, and what truth
Take fruit [for example:]
- whatever use the fruit serves, is good,
- how it its put to the use, is the truth of good,
- the quality of the fruit's taste, smell, and beauty, is truth.
Take the odor of fruit or of flowers:
- whatever use the odor serves, such as to the brain, the lung, the heart, is good,
- how it is made to serve the use, by the nostrils, the temple, or [the region] around the head like a wreath, is the truth of good,
- what kind of odor, and such characteristics, are truth.
Take charity:
- whatever use the charity serves, is the good.
- how the charity is to be dispensed, is the truth of good,
- what kind of charity, is the truth.
[3427 1.6.] The general law of heaven
1.) so far as the love of commanding enters into a person, so far the love toward the neighbor departs.
2.) Thus so far as love toward the neighbor departs, so far love to the Lord departs, for the good that is from Him is the neighbor, as well as the truth of good.
3.) Hence it follows that insofar as the love of commanding enters, so far saving faith, which is from the Lord, departs. For faith belongs to the truth of good.
4.) That this is so is evident from marriage love. Insofar as this departs, so far the love of commanding enters. Marriage love is the fundamental of all loves.
Footnotes:
1. Swedish for: "Payment of rent began the 23rd day of Nov., 1748, in the amount of six shillings per week for a half year. If it extends to a whole year, then the amount will be reduced to make it fourteen pounds, leaving a 32 shillings' refund."
2. Swedish for: "The first dream about him, in which his father and mother appeared, took place in [Sept.], 1749 - the 20th to the 22nd." This probably relates to paragraph [6110 1/2]: see Documents, vol. II:2, p. 750.
3427. CONCERNING THE DRUNKENNESS OF SPIRITS.
It was also granted me to know, through visual [ocular] experience, yea, even to feel it a little, the drunkenness of spirits: which is one of the infernal punishments, but was not a hard one [acerba]. The same [spirits] were long [affected] with the annoyance and stupor of drunkenness, that previously reasoned acutely, and often they had heard many truths; hence they became intoxicated, yea, spiritually. In the way.
APPEARANCES ACCORDING TO WHICH IT IS PROPER TO SPEAK, BUT NOT TO THINK.
(1.) That God punishes the wicked; that he is angry; that he puts away from himself: that he does not regard, & c. 1
(2.) That man does good and speaks truth; that man is good and true; that man lives from himself, when yet he can neither live from himself, nor think nor will good from himself.
WHAT GOOD IS, WHAT THE TRUTH OF GOOD, AND WHAT TRUTH.
Let fruit be [taken as an example]:
-The use which fruit answers, is good.
-The manner in which the use is to be applied, is the truth of good.
-The quality of the fruit as to taste, smell, and beauty, is truth.
The odor of fruits or flowers:
-The use which odor subserves relative to the brain, the lungs, and the heart, is good.
-The manner in which it is to be applied, so as to answer its use, as to the nostrils, the temples, or about the head like a wreath, is the truth of good.
-The quality of the odor, and the like, are truth.
Charity:
-The use it serves, is good.
-How charity is to be dispensed, is the truth of good.
-The quality of charity, is truth.
THE GENERAL LAW OF HEAVEN.
(1.) So far as the love of ruling enters with man, so far love towards the neighbor departs.
(2.) Thus also so far as love towards the neighbor departs, so far love to the Lord departs; for the good which is from Him is the neighbor, and also the truth of good.
(3.) Thence it follows, that so far as the love of ruling enters, so far a saving faith, which is from the Lord, departs; for faith is of truth which is of good.
(4.) That this is so appears from conjugial love, which departs just in proportion as the love of ruling enters. -Conjugial love is the fundamental of all loves.
Footnotes:
1. It is not of course implied by this, that, in the righteous government of God, the wicked are not punished, but simply that this punishment results from the contrariety of nature between the Divine Being and the offender. This appears as the exercise of wrath on the part of God, and the Scriptures are in great measure constructed on the principle of apparent rather than real truth. It is the sinner who punishes himself by his own evil. To a man with diseased eyes who looks towards the sun, it appears as if the sun, by his positive influence, caused the pain which he feels; whereas the true cause is in the state of his eyes, and which he may have procured to himself by his own act. If the eye were sound the light would not harm him. This is Swedenborg's doctrine of punishment. It is the necessary and inevitable result of transgression, by the law of its own working. A nature alienated from God regards God as opposed to him and fighting against him, whereas God is unchangeable love, goodness and mercy. Still the transgressor is punished, not only by the natural effects of this contrariety in its bearings towards himself, but by the malignant passions of other wicked spirits, a part of whose evil is this very infernal prompting to inflict misery upon others in ways that are ineffable to men in the body.
The doctrine delivered by Swedenborg on this head may be seen in what follows: - "That Jehovah has not any anger is evident from this, that He is love itself, good itself, and mercy itself, and anger is the opposite, and is, also an infirm principle, which cannot be imputed to God: wherefore when anger in the Word is predicated of Jehovah, or the Lord, the angels do not perceive anger, but either mercy, or the removal of the evil from heaven. That anger in the Word is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord, is because it is a most general truth, that all things come from God, thus both evils and goods but this most general truth, which infants, young people, and the simple, must receive, ought afterwards to be illustrated, namely, by teaching that it is so said to the intent that they may learn to fear God, lest they should perish by the evils which they themselves do. The reason why by anger is meant mercy and clemency is, because all the punishment of the evil exist from the Lord's mercy towards the good, lest these latter should be hurt by the evil; but the Lord does not inflict punishments upon them, but they upon themselves, for evils and punishments in the other life are conjoined. The evil inflict punishment upon themselves principally when the Lord does mercy to the good, for then their evils increase, and thence punishments: it is from this ground that instead of the anger of Jehovah, by which are signified the punishments of the evil, mercy is understood by the angels. From these considerations it may be manifest what the quality of the Word is in the sense of the letter, also what the quality of truth divine is in its most general sense or meaning, namely, that it is according to appearances, by reason that man is of such a quality, that what he sees and apprehends from his sensual, he believes, and what he does not see, neither apprehend from his sensual, he does not believe, thus does not receive. Hence it is, that the Word in the sense of the letter is according to those things which appear; nevertheless in its interior bosom it contains a store of genuine truths, and in its inmost bosom truth divine itself." - AC 6997. -Tr.
3427. De ebrietate spirituum
Scire etiam per visualem experientiam, et quidem etiam parum sentire, mihi concessum, ebrietatem spirituum, quae est una poenarum infernalium, sed non erat acerba; diu iidem de ebrietatis molestia ac stupore [conquesti], qui prius acute ratiocinati sunt, et postquam plures veritates audiverint, inde ebrii facti sunt, et quidem spiritualiter. In via.
3427b. Begyntas at inga hurhyrden den 23 Nov: 1748, 6 Shill: om weckan 1/2 ahr, om 1 ahr, sa mycket afkortas da, at det blifwer 14 Pund, res: 32 Shill: dreback.
3427c. Den forsta dromen om den [var] i schene sin far och mor, vard [Sept.], 1749: 20 ad 22.
Apparentiae secundum quas loqui licet, sed non rite cogitare
3427d.
1) Quod Deus puniat hominem malum, quod irascatur, removeat a se, non spectet.
2) Quod homo bonum faciat, verum loquatur, homo bonus sit, verax sit, quod homo vivat a se, cum tamen non potest vivere a se dum non cogitare et velle potest a se.
3427e. Quid Bonum, Boni verum, et verum
Sit fructus, cui usui est fructus, est bonum. quomodo applicandus usui est, boni verum, qualis fructus ut quoad saporem, odorem et pulchritudinem est verum. Odor fructus vel florum cui usui odor, ut cerebro, pulmoni, cordi, est bonum. quomodo applicandus ut inserviat usui, ut naribus, tempori, vel circum caput serti instar, est boni verum. qualis odor, et talia, sunt verum. Charitas, cui usui charitas est bonum. quomodo dispensanda charitas est boni verum. qualis charitas est verum.
3427f. Lex gedralis coeli
1) Quantum apud hominem intrat amor imperandi, tantum exit amor erga proximum. - ita quan
2) tum exit amor erga proximum, tantum exit amor in Dominum, nam bonum quod ab Ipso est proximus, et quoque verum boni.
3) Inde sequitur quod quantum intrat amor imperandi, tantum exit fides salvifica, quae est a Domino, nam fides est veri quod boni.
4) Quod ita sit, patet ab amore conjugiali, qui tantum exit, quantum amor imperandi intrat -amor conjugialis est fundamentalis omnium amorum.