Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 504
the influx of heaven into man. There were some of the simple
common people who had lived in the world in the good of
faith who were brought back into a state like that in which
they had been in the world, which can be done with anyone
when the Lord grants it; and it was then shown what opinion
they had held about the state of man after death. They said
that some intelligent persons had asked them in the world what
they thought about their soul after the life on earth; and they
replied that they did not know what the soul is. They were
then asked what they believed about their state after death; and
they said that they believed that they would live as spirits.
Again they were asked what belief they had respecting a spirit;
and they said that he is a man. They were asked how they
knew this; and they said that they knew it because it is so.
Those intelligent men were surprised that the simple had such
a faith, which they themselves did not have. This is a proof that
in every man who is in conjunction with heaven there is an
intuition respecting his life after death. This intuition is from
no other source than an influx out of heaven, that is, through
heaven from the Lord by means of spirits from the world of
spirits who are joined with man. This intuition those have who
have not extinguished their freedom of thinking by notions
previously adopted and confirmed by various arguments
respecting the soul of man, which is held to be either pure
thought, or some vital principle the seat of which is sought for
in the body; and yet the soul is nothing but the life of man,
while the spirit is the man himself; and the earthly body which
he carries about with him in the world is merely an agent
whereby the spirit, which is the man himself, is enabled to act
fitly in the natural world.
603. What has been said in this work about heaven, the
world of spirits, and hell, will be obscure to those who have no
interest in learning about spiritual truths, but will be clear to
those who have such an interest, and especially to those who
have an affection for truth for the sake of truth, that is, who
love truth because it is truth; for whatever is then loved enters