186. He then enters upon a life which is at first happy and joyful, for he appears to himself to have been admitted into everlasting life, which is represented by a splendid white light beautifully merging into yellow, which signifies that this, his first life, is celestial-spiritual.

187. That he should afterwards be received into the society of good spirits is represented by a youth sitting upon a horse which cannot, however, move a single step, and directing him towards hell; he is represented as a youth, because when he first enters upon eternal life he is in the society of angels, and, therefore, appears to himself to be in the flower of youth.

188. The subsequent life is represented by his dismounting from the horse and walking on foot, because he cannot make the horse move from his place; and it is insinuated to him that he must be instructed in the knowledges of the true and good.

189. Afterwards there appear pathways leading gently upwards in an oblique direction, which signify, that by the knowledges of the true and the good, and by an acknowledgment of what he is of himself, he should be led by degrees towards heaven; for no one can be conducted thither without such self-acknowledgment, and the knowledges of the true and the good.

314. When the resuscitated being, or soul, enjoys the benefit of light, so as to be enabled to look around him, the spiritual angels show him every attention, and instruct him respecting the things of the other life, so far as he is in a capacity to bear it. Should he be principled in faith, and desire it, they also point out to him the wonderful and magnificent scenes of heaven.

315. If he is not of such a disposition as to desire instruction, he then wishes to separate himself from the society of the angels. Of this the angels have an exquisite perception, since, in the other life, there is a communication of all the ideas of thought; and when he desires to separate from them they do not even then leave him, but he dis-unites himself from them. The angels love every one, and desire nothing

more than to do him services, to instruct him, and convey him to heaven, for herein consists their chief delight.

316. When the soul thus separates himself he is received by good spirits, who likewise de him all kind offices whilst he is in consort with them. If, however, his life in the world was such that he cannot remain associated with the good, he seeks to be disunited from them also, and this separation is repeated again and again, until he associates himself with those whose state entirely agrees with that of his former life in the world, among whom he finds, as it were, his own life. They then live together a life of a similar quality to that which had constituted their ruling delight when in the body. On returning into this life, which appears to them as a new commencement of existence, some after a longer, and others after a shorter space of time, are carried thence towards hell; whilst such as have been principled in faith towards the Lord, are led by degrees from this new beginning of life, to heaven,—some conveyed more slowly, and others more speedily.

ON THE NATURE OF THE LIFE OF THE
SOUL OR SPIRIT.

321. A spirit enjoys much more excellent sensitive faculties, and far superior powers of thinking and speaking, than when living in the body, so that the former state scarcely admits of comparison with the latter, although this is unknown to the spirits before they are gifted with reflection by the Lord.

322. After death men think far more perspicuously and distinctly than during their previous life; for, in a spiritual state of being, more is involved in one idea than in a thousand whilst in the natural life. If it were possible for men here to perceive with what acuteness, penetration, sagacity, and clearness, spirits converse with each other, they would be perfectly amazed. In a word, man loses nothing by death, but is still a man in all respects, although more perfect than when in the body, having cast off his bones and flesh, and the imperfections which necessarily attend them. Spirits acknow

ledge and perceive that whilst they lived in the body their sensations were those of the soul, and although they seemed to be in the body, they were still incorporeal, and therefore, when the body is laid aside, sensations exist in a much more exquisite and perfect state. Life consists in sensation, since without sensation there can be no life, and such as the sensa tion is, such is the life-a fact which all have the capacity of knowing.

443. In the other life it is given to perceive clearly what opinions people have entertained, whilst they lived in the body, concerning the soul, the spirit, and the life after death; for when kept in a state resembling that of the body, they then think similarly, and their thought is communicated as plainly as if they spoke openly. Some are astonished that spirits and angels live in the highest light, intelligence, wisdom, and happiness, attended with such perception as cannot be described; thus that their consciousness, so far from being obscure, is clear and most distinct.

445. It may be observed, that the learned entertain a belief that the soul or spirit, which is to live after death, is an abstract thinking principle. This is shown clearly by their unwillingness to admit the applicability to the soul of any expression having reference to what is extended, because the thinking-principle abstracted from its subject is not extended, although the subject and objects of thought are so; and men assign limits to such objects as are not extended for the purpose of making them objective or apprehensible to their minds. Hence it is manifest that the learned have no idea of the soul or spirit except as of a thinking-principle, which they must necessarily believe will cease to exist when they die.

446. I have conversed with spirits concerning the opinion of the men of the present day, that the existence of the soul is incredible because they do not see it with their eyes, nor comprehend it by the sciences-thus not only denying the spirit to have extension, but also to be a substance, since they dispute about the nature of substance; and as they deny extension to spirit, and dispute its substantiality, they also deny

that it exists in any place, and consequently that it is in the human body, although the simplest person may know that his soul or spirit is in his body. When I mentioned these facts, the more simple spirits were much astonished to learn that the men of the present day were so foolish; and when they heard some of the expressions disputed about, such as parts without parts, and the like, they called such reasonings absurd, adding that they were never designed to have any place in the mind, because they obstruct the way to intelli

gence.

448. I have conversed with many persons after their decease, with whom I had been acquainted during their life in the body; our conversation being carried on in a clear and distinct voice, although internal. Our discourse has sometimes turned on the state of man after death-that death is but a continuation of life, with this advantage, that the passage is from an obscure perception of life into a clear one, and to those who are in faith towards the Lord, into a perpetually increasing consciousness of existence. I have often informed them of various particulars respecting the belief of their friends on earth, and they have desired me to acquaint them that they are still alive, and to write to them an account of their several states. My reply, however, has always been, "If I were to speak, or write to them, they would not believe, but would call my information mere phantasy, and ridicule me, asking for signs or miracles before they would believe me ;" and thus I should only expose myself to their contempt. So disposed are mankind to deny in their hearts the existence of spirits, than it is probable but a few persons will believe the facts which I have here stated, and even those who admit that they exist, are still very unwilling to hear of any one's conversing with them. In ancient times they were strangers to such incredulity, it being reserved for those in the present day, who seek to discover, by their fantastic reasonings, the nature of the spirits, whom they deprive of every sensation by their definitions and suppositions, and this in proportion to their learning.

CONCERNING HEAVEN AND HEAVENLY JOY.

449. The nature of heaven and heavenly joy has been hitherto unknown, since those who have thought on the subject have conceived such common and gross ideas respecting it, that they amount to nothing. From the spirits newly arrived in the other world I had the best possible opportunity of ascertaining what notions they had formed respecting heaven and heavenly joy, for when left to themselves they think as they would do in the material body. I am permitted to mention a few examples.

450. Some, who during their abode in the world, were regarded as the most enlightened in respect to the Word, entertained so false an idea of heaven as to suppose they should themselves be in heaven when occupying an exalted station, whence they might govern all things beneath, and thus be in their own glory, and eminent above all others. To convince those who were in such a phantasy of their error, they were taken up on high, and permitted to govern, in some degree, what was beneath them; when they discovered to their shame that this was a heaven of phantasy, and that heaven did not consist in an elevated station, nor in a desire for pre-eminence over others, but in being in love and charity, or in the kingdom of the Lord; for to wish to be greater than others is not heaven but hell.

451. A certain spirit who, during his life in the body, had been in the possession of pre-eminent power, retained his love of command when he came into the other world. He was, however, told that he was in another and an eternal kingdom, that his own authority had expired on earth, and that every one was esteemed in the spiritual world according to the degree in which he is principled in the good and the true, and the mercy of the Lord. It was also stated, that in this respect the kingdom of heaven was like the kingdoms of the earth, where all are esteemed in proportion to their wealth and their favour with the sovereign; for wealth in the heavenly kingdom is the good and the true, and the favour of the sovereign