Heaven and hell : also, the intermediate state, or world of spirits : a relation of things heard and seen / by Emanuel Swedenborg.
- Emmanuel Swedenborg
- Date:
- 1893
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Heaven and hell : also, the intermediate state, or world of spirits : a relation of things heard and seen / by Emanuel Swedenborg. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![honourable repute was the name seer, or visionary, in those times. When therefore the apostle gives it in charge to the church, not to despise prophesyings, we have no warrant to ex- clude visions from the general charge, especially as we are well informed from ecclesiastical history, that the custom of commu- nicating to the church the visions of holy persons, particularly such as were of authoi'ity in the ministry, continued down at least to the days of Cyprian, the good bishop of Carthage, who speaks of manifestations by vision tliroughout his epistles, and also of his own; for he was a man of many visions, and among others had one concerning lais own martyrdom, and the particular manner of it, which happened accordingly. St. Paul (Heb. xii. 22) speaking of the superior excellence and blessedness of the new covenant, says, But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the b'ving God, the hea- venly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, &c. By which words, we cannot suppose him to mean less, than that by Christ, the mediator of this better covenant, a more free intercourse with heaven, and a more intimate fellowship with saints and angels, is now opened for us, if we debar not our- selves of this blessed privilege. Wliat then liinders our convers- ing with angels now, as the patriarchs and prophets did of old ? what but our own fault and unfitness for such glorious company ? Why do we not now see them descending and ascending between heaven and earth, as Jacob did on the typical ladder ? Why, but for our own unbelief, our sottishness, our earthly-minded- ness; from which deep sleep, as to the tilings of God, if we were tinily awakened, we should see cause to own in the words of the same patriarch, when he awaked from the vision of the night: Surely the Lord is in this place, and I ImeAv it not, Gen. xxviii. 16. Heaven is as near to the heavenly, as the soul is to the body; for we are not sepai-ated from it by distance of place, but only by condition of state : thus when Elisha was surrounded m Dothan by the Syrians, his servant saw not the chariots and horsemen [the angeUcal host] that surrounded his master for dclence, as Elisha did, tHl the Lord opened his eyes. Just so It IS mth us; unbebef and sin keep us from seeing the things that are about us and near to us, and also from giving credit to the reports of those who are in the experience of them. The same apostle, who cautions against despising prophesy- ings, does also give us to understand, that angels were not to discontmue then- visits to men in future times of the church, as where exhortmg us not to be forgetful to entertain strangers, he adds, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares, Ueb. xm. 2. Now there would be no encoui-agement nor ar'^u- ment m the latter part of the verse, unless the same might happen to be the ease mth us also. But wherefore should we doubt, that those blessed friendly beings should take delight in](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21782556_0015.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
