860. Later I said to him, "Do you believe you are a human being, dressed in clothes, and thus a person on earth?" And he touched what seemed to be his clothing he thought he had on, he touched his hands, which he believed he had, and I asked where he stood, whether he had feet; he said that he did. But when he was asked what ground it was that he was standing on, whether it was not in a realm above the earth, he acknowledged that it was, so I brought him to realize whether these things are only fallacies of the senses, and illusion, because he was a spirit.
Being thus convinced, he wanted to flee away, and said that he had been persuaded by the others to behave in this way. So he was able to recognize that they were mere sensory fallacies, of which there are thousands, all false; so that if we only believed what we understand, we would believe only things that are false, to speak only of worldly and bodily matters. How then could anyone say that he wants to believe nothing in regard to spiritual and heavenly matters, which he does not understand, when they are very far, in fact the farthest removed from the senses - [knowing] also that unless a person believes those things which are true, and is thus in the way of truth, he can by no means be admitted into heaven? 1748, 18 February.
860. Later, I said to him, Do you not think that you are a man, clothed with garments, and like a man on earth? He touched the seeming [quasi] garments which he supposed he had; he touched the hands he supposed he had. And I asked him where he was? Whether he had feet? He said that he had. Also, when he was asked what ground it was upon which he was standing - was it not in a sphere above the earth? - he acknowledged that it was so. Wherefore I recalled to his perception whether or not such things are only fallacies of sense and a fantasy, because he was a spirit. Having been thus convinced he wanted to flee away, and said that he had been persuaded by others so to act. He could thus recognize that they, and thousands of such things which are false, were mere fallacies of sense; wherefore if we were to believe only what we understood we should then believe only things that are false. And this being the case as regards merely worldly and corporeal things, how then could he say he was unwilling to believe anything which he did not understand as regards spiritual and celestial things, because they are more remote, yea most remote from the senses; and unless one believes those things which are true, and thus [is willing] to be in the way of truth, he can by no means be admitted into heaven. 1748, Feb. 18.
860. Postea dixi ad eum, "putasne quod homo sis, vestimentis indutus, et sicut homo in tellure?" et tetigit quasi vestimenta sua, quae putavit habere, tetigit manus suas, quas putabat habere, et interrogavi, ubinam esset, num pedes haberet, dixit quod haberet, sed quum interrogaretur quaenam humus esset, cuinam insisteret, nonne in sphaera supra terram, id agnovit, quare revocabam ad ejus perceptionem, numne talia sint modo fallaciae sensus, et phantasia, quia spiritus esset, ita convictus, voluit aufugere, et dixit se ab aliis persuasum esse ita agere; sic cognoscere potuit quod merae fallaciae sensus essent, et millia talium, quae falsa sunt, quare, si modo crederemus, quod intelligimus, tunc crederemus modo quae falsa sunt, et haec solum in mundanis, et corporeis; quomodo tunc dici poterit, quod nihil credere velit in spiritualibus et coelestibus, quae non intelligat, quum ea remotiora, imo remotissima sunt a sensibus? et [dixi,] quod nisi quis credat ea quae vera sunt, et sic esse [velit] 1
in via veritatis, nequaquam in coelum potest admitti. 1748, 18 Febr.
Footnotes:
1. sic in J.F.I. Tafel's edition