Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 4758

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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.


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