2301. But it must be rightly understood what is meant by entering into spiritual matters through earthly philosophy, namely that it is not at all forbidden to support religious truths and spiritual matters by things in nature, since there is a correspondence of all things. For then the truth is in command, and natural truths serve to support it, human minds being such that they acknowledge spiritual things better in this way. And no one can have any idea of purely spiritual things except by means of things in the world, even words, by which meanings are expressed, since the mental imagery of human minds is material. Then the Lord, Who is Truth itself, leads and influences, and so the Lord lights up the mind with confirmations. But not to believe in anything, or not to acknowledge any spiritual truth, not even heaven, angels, spirits, life after death, among other things, unless one sees and grasps them by means of earthly philosophy-or as they say, unless they are demonstrated to one's senses-this is utterly forbidden. Then one becomes of the kind who began thus to investigate [Divine mysteries], 1748, 11 June. Why try to see spiritual and heavenly things from earthly ones, which is impossible? How can what is compound, if I may use this term, enter and fathom the component parts? This is a complete impossibility, so if one attempts it, one will either burst and thus perish, or else be struck blind and be able to see nothing at all: whereas from spiritual things as the components, the compounds can be seen, and rightly discerned. 1748, 11 June.