4758. It was further shown that natural theology can explain absolutely nothing about the Divine, heaven and hell, the life after death, and faith, unless these things are first known from revelation. What a person knows can be corroborated learnedly by the learned, cleverly by the clever. On this account, those who have a faith drawn from revelation can corroborate it by many things in nature and thus strengthen their faith. The reason this can be done is that a person still has a mental image drawn from nature about everything pertaining to heaven, and that apart from some mental image a person has no comprehension, no memory, indeed, no belief in anything whatever. What the nature of the ideas about the things pertaining to faith has been is evident in the other life and has also been shown to me. They are all natural, which is why if such things as are matters of faith are corroborated by natural truths, which are matters of factual knowledge, faith is strengthened.
[2] However, the case is different with those who do not believe in the Word but think that it should be believed if arguments based on natural facts and many similar things in nature have shown it to be true, consequently with those who think that natural theology enlightens the mind and causes it to believe. A person who does this makes a great mistake, for he is going in reverse order. He wants to enter into heaven through nature, that is, from the grosser into the purer, through what is natural into what is spiritual. This is entirely contrary to order, because then a person is blinded more and more, and at length to the point that he believes nothing, indeed he denies. Such was the lot of those who want to enter into faith from natural theology, for in so doing they acknowledge nothing of the Divine. For the natural-minded person does not grasp the things pertaining to heaven, or spiritual matters, unless enlightened from heaven, and when this happens, the spiritual person sees it although it appears to be seen in the natural. The Lord also teaches this where He speaks of the rich man and Lazarus [Luke 16:19-31], saying that unless they believe the prophets, that is, the Word, other things are of no avail. These matters are also those that are described in the [Word's] inner sense by Egypt in the Prophets. Egypt is knowledge, thus natural theology.
4758. It was further shown that Natural Theology could discover nothing at all about the Divine, about heaven and hell, about the life after death, or about faith, unless men have previously known those things from revelation; for that which man knows can be confirmed, learnedly by the learned, and ingeniously by the ingenious. Wherefore, they who have faith from revelation, can confirm these things by several things in nature, and so strengthen their faith. The reason is, because man always has a natural idea about all heavenly things, and because, without some idea, there is no comprehension, no memory, yea, no faith, in anything whatever. The qualities which have belonged to the ideas concerning matters of faith, are also evident in the other life; and they were also shown to me. They are all natural: wherefore, if such things as belong to faith are confirmed by the natural truths which are of the sciences, faith is strengthened. But they who do not believe in the Word, but suppose that it is to be believed when they have exhibited reasons, from natural truths and many similar things in nature - hence those who imagine that Natural Theology will illumine the mind and cause it to believe - any such one is much deceived. He goes in inverted order; he wishes to enter into heaven by means of nature, or by means of a grosser into a purer thing, by naturals into spiritual. This is wholly contrary to order; for, then, man is blinded more and more, and, at length, so much so, that he believes nothing, yea, denies [all spiritual truth]. Such had been the condition of those who wished to enter into faith from Natural Theology; for, in this way, they acknowledge nothing of the Divine, for the natural man does not comprehend those things which pertain to heaven, or spiritual things, unless he be enlightened from heaven; and, then, it is the spiritual man that sees it, although it appears to be seen in the natural. This is also taught by the Lord where he speaks of the rich man and Lazarus, that, unless they believe the prophets, that is, the Word, the rest avail nothing at all. These things are also those which are described, in the internal sense, by Egypt, in the prophets: for Egypt is science, thus, Natural Theology.
4758. Ostensum porro quod theologia naturalis prorsus nihil posset manifestare de Divino, de coelo et inferno, de vita post mortem, de fide, nisi prius sciverint illa ex revelatione, nam quod scit homo hoc confirmari potest, docte a doctis, ingeniose ab ingeniosis; quare qui fidem habent ex revelatione, illi possunt per plura in natura confirmare illa, et sic corroborant fidem suam, causa est quia homo de omnibus coelestibus ideam usque naturalem habet, et quia absque idea aliqua nulla comprehensio, nulla memoria, imo nulla fides cujuscunque rei, ideae de rebus fidei quales fuerunt etiam patent in altera vita, et quoque mihi ostensae sunt, sunt omnes naturales, quapropter si confirmantur talia quae fidei sunt per veritates naturales, quae sunt scientiarum, corroboratur fides; at qui non credunt Verbo, sed putant quod credendum si rationes ex naturalibus ostenderint, et plura similia in natura, proinde qui putant quod theologia naturalis illustrabit mentem, et faciet ut credat, is multum fallitur, is it inverso ordine, vult ut per naturam intretur in coelum, seu per crassius in purius, per naturalia in spiritualia, hoc prorsus contra ordinem est, tunc enim occoecatur homo magis et magis, et tandem ut nihil credat, imo neget, talis sors fuerat illis qui ex theologia naturali intrare vellent in fidem; sic enim nihil Divini agnoscunt, homo enim naturalis non comprehendit illa quae coeli sunt seu spiritualia, nisi illustratus sit a coelo, et tunc spiritualis homo id videt, tametsi apparet videri in naturali; hoc docet etiam Dominus, ubi de divite et Lazaro [Luc. XVI: 19-31], quod nisi credant prophetis hoc est Verbo, quod caetera omnia prorsus nihil valeant. Haec quoque sunt quae describuntur in sensu interno per Aegyptum apud prophetas, Aegyptus enim est scientia ita theologia naturalis.