660. About the life of those who are wise from themselves
A certain spirit whom I believe I had known during his life, having died only a few years earlier, three or four, came to me and spoke with me. But about his life in the body I knew no more than that he was devoted to studies, and at the same time, devoted to philosophy. From this I was able to infer that he also wanted to be a philosopher in the mysteries of faith and thus to comprehend them, and that he would only believe something when he understood it philosophically.
He had been present with me for nearly a quarter of an hour, so that his life's belief was streaming in, as I could plainly sense from the fact that I began to doubt, feeling cold in regard to the Lord's government over least things, while admitting it over the whole. As a result, whatever particular detail then flowed in, I seemed to want to reject - as if the Lord ruled heaven and earth only by a universal, not a singular providence.
The cold was that of a belief based on intellect, or truths, not so much on affection - as I am now telling that spirit. And he is standing by, and even guiding the selection of words. 1748, 6 February.
660. CONCERNING THE LIFE OF THOSE WHO ARE WISE FROM THEMSELVES
A certain spirit who I suppose was known to me in his life, and had died only a few years ago - three or four - also came to me and spoke with me. I knew nothing more about his life in the body than that he had been devoted to studies, and at the same time to philosophy, whence I could conclude that as a philosopher he also wanted to be in the mysteries of faith, and so to comprehend them that he would then first be willing to believe when he understood anything philosophically. He was with me for nearly a quarter of an hour, so that the life of his faith inflowed. This I could manifestly perceive by the fact that I began to doubt, or to feel cold, concerning the Lord's government in single things, whilst admitting it in the universal; wherefore whatever particular or single thing then inflowed, I, as it were, wanted to reject, as though the Lord governed heaven and earth only by a universal, not by a singular providence. This was the cold of intellectual faith, or the faith of truths, thus not of affection, as I now tell him; he is also present and directs the sense of these words. 1748, Feb. 6.
660. De vita eorum, qui ex se sapiunt
Quidam spiritus, qui mihi in vita notus, ut reor, fuit, ante aliquot modo annos, 3 vel 4, mortuus, ad me etiam venit, loquutusque est 1
mecum, sed vitam ejus in corpore non aliter novi, quam quod studiis deditus esset, et esset simul philosophiae deditus, inde concludere potui, quod philosophus quoque voluerit esse in fidei mysteriis, et sic illa comprehendere, sic quod tunc primum credere voluerit, quando id philosophice intelligeret, is apud me per quadrantem horae prope fuit, sic ut ejus vitae fides 2
influeret quod percipere manifeste potui per id quod inciperem dubitare vel frigide sentire de regimine Domini, in singularibus, admittendo in universali, quare quicquid tunc particulare seu singulare influebat, quasi vellem rejicere, sicut quod Dominus solum universali providentia, non singulari coelum et terram regeret, quod frigus erat fidei intellectualis, seu veritatum, non ita affectionis, quod nunc ei dico, et is adstat, et quoque sensum vocum dirigit. 1748, 6 Febr.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has sum
2. The Manuscript has vitae fidei ut videtur; in J.F.I. Tafel's edition vita fidei