The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained/Chapter30
XXX.—Spirit-Seeing-Its Philosophy or Rationale briefly Explained.
In all ages and among all nations the belief has prevailed, not only in the existence of spirits, but in the possibility of their being seen of men in the flesh. And hundreds of well-authenticated cases of the appearance of spirits to men, have been placed on record. The Bible, also, makes frequent mention of angels, and sometimes of the spirits of deceased men, rendering themselves visible to persons yet in the earth-life.
Admitting, then, the well-established fact, that spirits and angels have often appeared to men on earth, how are such appearances to be accounted for? The only rational and philosophical explanation of the fact, that we have ever met with, or indeed are able to conceive of, is that given by Swedenborg. It is obvious that spirits and angels, since they are spiritual beings and inhabitants of a spiritual realm, cannot be seen with the natural eyes nor heard with the natural ears; for these senses are adapted to the natural world in which we are now living, and are not at all suited to the spiritual world which is a discrete degree above the natural.
Accordingly, Swedenborg says that every man has a spiritual body within his natural or material body. That this spiritual body which is the real man that continues to live after death, is endowed with senses suited to the spiritual world as the natural senses are to the natural world. That these senses, ordinarily closed during our earth-life, are nevertheless capable of being opened while we live in the flesh; and when opened, the individual is able to see and hear spirits as plainly as men see and hear one another, and to have sensible perception also of the light, objects and phenomena of the spiritual world. This is the way, he says, in which he was himself intromitted into the spiritual world—by the opening of his spiritual senses—and was permitted for so long a time to hold open intercourse with spirits of every class, and to become familiar with their character and surroundings, and with all the important facts, phenomena and laws of the spirit world. It was in a similar way that Paul was "caught up to the third heaven," and heard there words "which it is not possible for a man to utter." In a similar way, too, that he beheld at midday, when on his way to Damascus, "a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun;" for that dazzling light was the light of the spiritual world beaming from the face of the Lord as a sun, which Swedenborg so often tells us is immensely brighter than the sun of this world. It was in a similar way, also, that the seer of Patmos saw myriads of angels, and heard their voices, when he "was in the spirit;" and in a similar way that the disciples repeatedly saw the Lord after his resurrection—that is, by the opening of their spiritual eyes. This accounts for his appearing suddenly in their midst—"the doors being shut"—and as suddenly "vanishing out of their sight." (Luke xxiv. 31; John xx. 26.)
The Bible also testifies to the existence and the occasional opening of the spiritual senses in man. To refer here to a single instance—that of Elisha's servant, who, rising early in the morning, beheld the residence of his master in the little town of Dothan, surrounded by the horses and chariots of the Syrian king, who had sent thither "a great host" to capture the man of God; and in alarm he cried out: "Alas, my master! how shall we do?" And the prophet answered: "Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said: Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings vi. 15-18). It is plain that the "eyes" here spoken of, which the Lord opened in answer to Elisha's prayer, were not the eyes of that young man's body, but the eyes of his spirit; and that the horses and chariots which he then beheld round about his master, were seen in the spiritual world, and represented, under the great law of correspondence, the strong and sure defence not only of Elisha but of all who put their trust in the Lord, and seek only to do his will.
Every one, therefore, who reads his Bible, and will make himself acquainted with the pneumatology and psychology of the New Church, will find it easy to accept declarations like the following, which are of frequent occurrence in the writings of Swedenborg:
"That there is a spiritual world inhabited by spirits and angels, distinct from the natural world inhabited by men, is a fact which, because no angel has descended and declared it, and no man has ascended and seen it, has been hitherto unknown even in the Christian world. Lest, therefore, from ignorance of the existence of such a world, and the doubts about the reality of heaven and hell which result from such ignorance, men should be so infatuated as to become materialists and atheists, it has pleased the Lord to open my spiritual sight, and, as to my spirit, to elevate me into heaven and let me down into hell, and to exhibit to my view the nature of both." (Influx 3.)
But Swedenborg's intromission into the spiritual world in the manner alleged, was not a thing of his own seeking. It was of the Divine Providence, and for the accomplishment of a sublime and beneficent purpose. Otherwise such intromission would have been most perilous. Accordingly he teaches, and the New Church believes, that to seek open intercourse with spirits by breaking down the existing barriers between the two worlds, as not a few in our day are doing, is unscriptural, disorderly and dangerous.
"It is believed," says Swedenborg, "that man may be taught of the Lord by spirits speaking with him. But they who believe and desire this, do not know that it is connected with danger to their souls. Man, so long as he lives in the world, is as to his spirit in the midst of spirits; yet the spirits do not know that they are with him, nor does the man know that he is with spirits. . . . But as soon as spirits begin to speak with him, they come out of their spiritual state into the man's natural state; and then they know that they are with him, and conjoin themselves with the thoughts of his affection. . . Hence the speaking spirit is in the same principles as the man to whom he speaks, be they true or false; and likewise excites them, and by his affection conjoined to the man's, strongly confirms them. . . .
"From this it is evident to what danger a man is exposed, who speaks with spirits, or manifestly feels their operation. Man is ignorant of the quality of his affection, whether it be good or evil, and with what other beings it is conjoined; and if he is in the conceit of his own intelligence, his attendant spirits favor every thought thence derived. So it is, if any one is disposed to favor particular principles enkindled by a certain fire which belongs to those who are not in truths from genuine affection. When a spirit from similar affection favors a man's thoughts or principles, then one leads the other as the blind lead the blind, until both fall into the pit. The Pythonists of old were of this description; likewise the magicians in Egypt and Babylon." (Ap. Ex. 1182.)