566. To these things I will add these MEMORABLE OCCURRENCES. A dispute arose among spirits as to whether anyone can see any theological doctrinal truth in the Word except from the Lord. They all agreed in this, that no man can except from the Lord, because 'A man cannot lay hold of anything, unless it be given him out of heaven' (John iii 27). For which reason they were disputing whether anyone can [see such truths] unless he approaches the Lord directly. On the one hand it was said that the Lord ought to be approached directly because He is the Word, on the other that doctrinal truth is also seen when God the Father is approached directly. The dispute therefore turned on this as the main point, whether it is permissible for any Christian to approach God the Father directly, and thus climb up above the Lord, and whether this would not be an improper and ill-advised insolence and audacity, because the Lord says that 'No one comes to the Father but through Him' (John xiv 6). But they left this and said that a man can see doctrinal truth in the Word from his own light. This, however, was rejected. Therefore they insisted that it can be seen by those who pray to God the Father. Something was therefore read to them out of the Word, whereupon they were praying on their knees that God the Father would enlighten them, and saying with reference to the words read to them out of the Word that such and such was the truth there. But it was untrue. This was repeated several times till they got tired. At length they confessed that they were unable [to see the truth]. On the other hand, however, those who approached the Lord directly were seeing truths and informing them. [2] After the dispute had been thus broken off some [spirits] came up out of the deep, appearing first as locusts but later on as men. They were those who in the world prayed to the Father and confirmed with themselves justification by faith alone, and they were saying that they saw in a clear light, and also out of the Word, that man is justified by faith alone without the works of the law. Asked, 'By what faith?' they answered, 'In God the Father.' However, after they were examined it was said to them out of heaven that they did not know even one doctrinal truth out of the Word. But they retorted that still they saw this in the light, whereupon it was said to them that they saw it in a fatuous light. Having asked 'What is fatuous light?', they were informed that fatuous light is the light of the confirmation of untruths, and that that light corresponds to the light in which owls and bats are, to which darkness is light and light darkness. This was being confirmed by the fact that when they were hooking upwards to heaven, where the light itself is, they were seeing darkness, and when they were looking downwards to the deep whence they were, they were seeing light. [3] Annoyed at this confirmation they said that thus light and darkness were not anything, but only states of the eye by virtue of which it is said that light is light and that darkness is darkness. It was, however, shown to them that the fatuous light which is the light of the confirmation of untruth was what they had, and that their light was only an activity of their mind originating out of the fire of lusts, not unlike the light of cats, whose eyes appear like candles in the night-the owing to a burning appetite for mice in cellars. Enraged on hearing these things they said that they were not cats, nor like cats, because they could see if they were willing; but because they were afraid of being asked why they were not willing they retreated and sank down into their own deep and their own light. Those who are there, and those who are like them, are also called owls and bats.
[4] When they came to their companions in the deep and related that the angels said that 'we do not know any doctrinal truth, not even one', and that 'they therefore called us bats and owls', it caused a riot. And they were saying, 'Let us pray to the Lord to let us go up and give a clear demonstration that we have many doctrinal truths, which the very archangels will acknowledge.' And because they were praying to the Lord the favour was granted, and as many as three hundred came up. And when they were seen above ground they said, 'In the world we were celebrated and famous because we knew and taught the arcana of justification by faith alone, and by virtue of confirmations we not only saw the light but also saw it as a gleaming radiance, even as we do now in our rooms. Yet we have heard from our companions who have been with you that that light was not light but darkness, because of our not having, as you have said, any doctrinal truth out of the Word. We know that every truths of the Word shines, and we believe that our brilliance results from this while we have been meditating deeply upon our arcana. We shall therefore demonstrate that we do have truths out of the Word in great abundance.' And they said, 'Do we not have this truth, that there is a Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and that there should be belief in the Trinity? Do we not have this truth, that Christ is our Redeemer and Saviour? Do we not have this truth, that Christ Only is Justice and that He Only is Merit, and that he who is willing to ascribe any of His merit and justice to himself is unjust and wicked? Do we not have this truth, that no mortal can do any spiritual good from himself, but that every good that is good in itself is from God? Do we not have this truth, that there is merit-seeking and also hypocritical good, and that these goods are evil? Do we not have this truth, that a man of his own strength can contribute nothing at all to his salvation? Do we not have this truth, that still the works of charity should be done? Do we not have this truth, that there is faith, and that one should believe, and that everyone has a life as he believes? Besides many other things out of the Word? Which of you can deny any of these things? And yet you Have said that we do not have any truth in our schools, not even one. Have you not been wrong in making such charges against us?' [5] But then they made the answer, 'All the things that you have advanced are in themselves truths, but you have falsified them by applying them to confirm a false principle, and consequently with you and in you they are truths falsified, and they derive the fact of being untrue from the false principle. We shall also make an ocular demonstration of this fact. Thieve is a place not far from here into which the light flows directly out of heaven. There in the midst is a table upon which, when any piece of paper is placed with a truth out of the Word written on it, that paper, by virtue of the truth written on it, shines like a star. Write your truths, therefore, on a piece of paper and put it on the table, and you will see. They did so, and gave it to the guardian who put it on the table. He then said to them, 'Move away and look at the table.' And they moved away and were looking, and lo! the paper was shining like a star. Then the guardian said, 'You see that they are truths that you have written on the paper. But draw nearer and fix your gaze on the paper.' And they did so, and then suddenly the light vanished and the paper became black as if covered with the soot of a furnace. And the keeper said further, 'Touch the paper with your hands, but be careful not to touch the writing.' And when they did so a flame burst forth and consumed it. Having seen these things, they fled away; and it was said to them, 'If you had touched the writings you would have heard a report and burnt your fingers.' Whereupon it was said by some standing behind, 'You have now seen that the truths that you have abused for confirming the arcana of your justification are in themselves truths, but in you they are truths falsified.' They then looked upwards, and the heaven appeared to them like blood, and afterwards like thick-darkness. And they themselves were seen in the sight of angelic spirits, some like bats, some like owls, some like moles and some like horned owls, and they fled away into their own darkness, which in their sight was fatuously shining.
[6] The angelic spirits who were present were astonished because previously they knew nothing of that place and the table there. And a voice then came to them from the southern quarter saying, 'Come this way, and you will see something still more wonderful.' And they approached and entered a room the walls of which were shining as of gold, and they saw there also a table upon which lay the Word bound up with precious stones in a heavenly form. And the guardian angel said, 'When the Word is opened a light of ineffable whiteness shines forth, and then by reason of the precious stones a rainbow appears above and around the Word. Whenever any angel out of the third heaven comes thither and looks at the opened Word the many-coloured rainbow above and around the Word appears on a red ground. When an angel out of the second heaven comes thither and looks the rainbow appears on an azure ground. When an angel out of the ultimate heaven comes and looks the rainbow appears on a white ground. When any good spirit comes and looks the variegation of the light appears like marble.' That it is so was also shown visibly to them. The guardian angel said further, 'If one approaches who has falsified the Word the brightness first vanishes, and if he approaches and fixes his gaze on the Word it becomes as if surrounded with blood, and he is then warned to depart because it is dangerous.' [7] But a certain one, who in the world had been a leading teacher of the doctrine of faith alone, approached boldly and said, 'When I was in the world I did not falsify the Word. I exalted charity also together with faith, and taught that man, in the state of faith in which he does charity and its works, is renewed, regenerated and sanctified; also that the faith then is not given on its own, that is, without good works, just as there is no tree without fruit, sun without light, or fire without heat. And I have also blamed those who said that good works were not necessary. Moreover I have laid great stress on the precepts of the Decalogue, and also on repentance. And thus in a wonderful manner I have applied all things of the Word to the article on faith, which I have discovered and demonstrated to be still alone saving.' In the confidence of his assertion that he did not falsify the Word, he approached the table, and contrary to the warning of the angel touched the Word. But then suddenly fire with smoke issued out of the Word and an explosion took place with a tremendous crash, with the result that he was thrown Into a corner of the room and lay there for a while as if dead. The angelic spirits were amazed at this, but they were told that that leader (praesul) had more than others exalted the goods of charity as proceeding from faith, but still he had not understood other than the political works, which are also called moral and civil, that are to be done for the sake of the world and prosperity there, but not any works that are to be done for the sake of God and salvation; also that he had substituted invisible works by the Holy Spirit, of which the man knows nothing, which are innate in the act of faith in the state thereof.
[8] The angelic spirits then had a discussion about the falsification of the Word, in the course of which they agreed that to falsify the Word is to select truths out of the Word and apply them for confirming untruths. This is to draw them out of the Word outside it, and kill them; as, for example, he who selects therefrom this truths, that the neighbour is to be loved, and that good is to be done to him out of love for the sake of God and eternal life. If one then confirms this as obligatory, but not for the sake of salvation, because every good from man is not good, he draws that truth out of the Word outside the Word and slaughters it; for the Lord in His Word enjoins on every man who wishes to be saved, to do good to the neighbour as if from himself, and yet to believe that it is from the Lord.
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