A Book Study Course on
The World of Spirits and Man's State after Death
Introduction: What is the World of Spirits? - Part 2
From "Heaven and Its Wonders and Hell
from things heard and seen"
By Rev. Paul Booth
The World of Spirits and Man's State after Death
Introduction: What is the World of Spirits? - Part 2
From "Heaven and Its Wonders and Hell
from things heard and seen"
By Rev. Paul Booth
423. Man's will and his understanding, because of receiving good and truth can be conjoined in him, but in his spirit, in the world of spirits, and not within his natural mind, for that is but a vessel in which his spirit lives. This is because a man's natural life is subservient to his spirit. Yet, man wants to rule, thinking his spirit is subservient or is not active until he leaves this natural life. Man's understanding and his will are spiritual as I pointed out. Therefore, truth or falsity enter and form the understanding accordingly. A good man understands truths because he or she does truth, but an evil man can understand truths also, but he does evil and loves such from his will, thus his understanding remains separate from his will, while in the good man the will and the understanding become conjoined.
Herein is the divided mind - the will and the understanding separated. In his understanding man can think and so, perceive what is true and good, and yet, even though truth and good can be known, he wills not to follow and to do good. Once a man wills good and willing does good then there takes place a conjunction; he begins to move towards a new 'good' spiritual state and this can be seen or evidenced in his natural life, though it can be simulated by an evil man.
If one understands what is the truth and the good, but does not believe the truth and will to do what is good, he has a divided mind and is not a man as the Lord has willed, that is, as when man was first created; he must be regenerated. Neither is he a man if he has only a will with no understanding of what is truth and good. Therefore, man's understanding, even though it may be raised into spiritual intelligence or truth, and so, into celestial perception, his will or his desire, his lust for things, because he loves himself, becomes united to falsities and not to truths. These are appropriated by such a man, just as with the man, whose understanding is to love the Lord, appropriates good and truth.
In man's understanding alone, that is, that which is not willed and done is not in him, but is only in his memory. From his memory he can think. It is a matter of his knowing truths and such knowledge is called upon when in company of others. But, this is still outside the man, not in the man himself; he can think and speak and reason with others, simulating affections and gestures in accordance with what he wishes to happen, but his will is other than his understanding.
424. One might wonder why a man's mind - his understanding and will - is divided. It is because he is born with the tendency to sin, and this is because of his hereditary nature. If his understanding was not separate from his will, then, the state of damnation, in which he is, could not be changed into the state of reformation. He could will to do that which is of his love, which is for himself, not for the Lord. It is one's understanding that makes one's reformation possible. It is one's will that makes one's regeneration possible. Truths proceed to every man into the understanding. At first, they become known and acknowledged and are in one's memory and are there for his use during his natural life here on earth. So, all scientifics, natural and spiritual, religious or secular become available for use, their use being subject to the man's will - to his desires, - the primary of which is for himself, for this is what delights him most. These, of course, are desires for honors, gains, and power. However, with the ability to understand he can learn and know what is good and true, and so, he can subdue the evil desires of his affections that spring from his will and so can shun them. In the natural life, man can think truths from his understanding, speak to others about them, giving them the impression that he knows what is the truth and often even act according to them to show others that he is religious or intelligent. Nonetheless, his motives are evil, for he only wants for himself honors and gain; he wills for these things. This man does not have true faith, but a spurious faith or no faith at all.
Nonetheless, a man can will to follow truths and to do them from his heart, that is, from his will or from himself, because it is good and right, and not from his understanding alone. When he does, then there is a marriage of good with truth in his understanding and will. These are conjoined as one and the man now thinks from his will, the understanding serving 'as it were' the will with new internal truths. These new thoughts belong to and become the man's faith; the new thoughts that are accepted and acknowledged and done become his new life.
Not only are the understanding and the will conjoined within a man, but consequently faith and love are conjoined also. Here, one admits the faith he now has and the love he now has are not his, but are the Lord's given to him. These - the good and the truth - have to be appropriated and become 'as if' they were his own, just as he before believed that the evils and their falsities were good and the truths were his own.
425. When the truths of the understanding and the goods of the will are conjoined within man, Heaven is in him. Here, we are speaking about a man's state and not the place where he comes to. Places in the Spiritual world are only appearances of one's state - as the Heavens, the world of spirits, and the hells. The conjunction of good and truth in man's mind - in his thoughts - appears as Heaven, and when he comes into the spiritual degree of life he comes into Heaven for this is with him in his mind whereas the conjunction of evil and falsity make hell within man and he comes into hell, for this also is with him in his mind.
Falsities and evils with a man make hell in him. For this reason, a man is held, while on the earth, in an intermediate state, where he can be reformed and has the freedom to choose, to believe, and to act according to the Truth or not, and so, he either comes into the state of reformation leading to his regeneration or he remains in the state of damnation. During the natural state a man has the opportunity to learn truths from the Lord and can choose to do them or not.
Thus, in the natural state, man has some knowledge of truths and is able to give thought to them and to act accordingly if he chooses, even though it might be little or not at all. In which case, he acts contrary to goods and truths and instead is in conjunction with evils and falsities. This intermediate state can be called the state of equilibrium and it remains with man while he is in the natural world, but on coming into the world of spirits where the goods and truths or the evils and falsities conjoined in him are manifested openly in his spiritual body. There in the world of spirits, he is either raised up into Heaven or casts himself down into hell after his preparation is complete.
In the spiritual world neither angels nor evil spirits have a divided mind as they did on earth. As you can read in our text, what a man understands he wills and what he wills he understands. The understanding and willing of good and truth are what makes Heaven in him and the opposite, the understanding or the knowledge of falsities as the truths and the willing of them for the good of self are what makes hell in him. The state of good and truth conjoined in man is the degree of regeneration and the state of evil and falsity conjoined in man is the degree of damnation. The state of reformation is when one is being led, while on earth, to know and love the Lord and to act with that love toward the neighbor.
Willing good, because it is good and is the Lord's love within a man and believing or understanding truth, because it is the truth from the Lord within a man while on earth, is the man's state of reformation and when he is in a spiritual state comes into a state of regeneration. Not willing good from the Lord, but from what is one's own understanding of truth, because it helps a man to gain wealth and honor, becomes falsities with the man while still on earth; this man remains in a state of damnation and when he comes into a spiritual place is condemned and comes into hell.
This allows a man, while in the natural state, to put away falsity, to appropriate good and truth and put on truths that agree and harmonize with good. Here, one sees that falsities attract evils and truths attract goods when acted upon for the sake of either the truth and good or for the sake of the Lord, or the contrary, for the sake of one's self, or that which is one's own. From this, you can get a picture of what the world of spirits is. People - whose bodies are put off - spirits that are to be prepared according to their life lived while on earth, either for Heaven or hell.
Herein is the divided mind - the will and the understanding separated. In his understanding man can think and so, perceive what is true and good, and yet, even though truth and good can be known, he wills not to follow and to do good. Once a man wills good and willing does good then there takes place a conjunction; he begins to move towards a new 'good' spiritual state and this can be seen or evidenced in his natural life, though it can be simulated by an evil man.
If one understands what is the truth and the good, but does not believe the truth and will to do what is good, he has a divided mind and is not a man as the Lord has willed, that is, as when man was first created; he must be regenerated. Neither is he a man if he has only a will with no understanding of what is truth and good. Therefore, man's understanding, even though it may be raised into spiritual intelligence or truth, and so, into celestial perception, his will or his desire, his lust for things, because he loves himself, becomes united to falsities and not to truths. These are appropriated by such a man, just as with the man, whose understanding is to love the Lord, appropriates good and truth.
In man's understanding alone, that is, that which is not willed and done is not in him, but is only in his memory. From his memory he can think. It is a matter of his knowing truths and such knowledge is called upon when in company of others. But, this is still outside the man, not in the man himself; he can think and speak and reason with others, simulating affections and gestures in accordance with what he wishes to happen, but his will is other than his understanding.
424. One might wonder why a man's mind - his understanding and will - is divided. It is because he is born with the tendency to sin, and this is because of his hereditary nature. If his understanding was not separate from his will, then, the state of damnation, in which he is, could not be changed into the state of reformation. He could will to do that which is of his love, which is for himself, not for the Lord. It is one's understanding that makes one's reformation possible. It is one's will that makes one's regeneration possible. Truths proceed to every man into the understanding. At first, they become known and acknowledged and are in one's memory and are there for his use during his natural life here on earth. So, all scientifics, natural and spiritual, religious or secular become available for use, their use being subject to the man's will - to his desires, - the primary of which is for himself, for this is what delights him most. These, of course, are desires for honors, gains, and power. However, with the ability to understand he can learn and know what is good and true, and so, he can subdue the evil desires of his affections that spring from his will and so can shun them. In the natural life, man can think truths from his understanding, speak to others about them, giving them the impression that he knows what is the truth and often even act according to them to show others that he is religious or intelligent. Nonetheless, his motives are evil, for he only wants for himself honors and gain; he wills for these things. This man does not have true faith, but a spurious faith or no faith at all.
Nonetheless, a man can will to follow truths and to do them from his heart, that is, from his will or from himself, because it is good and right, and not from his understanding alone. When he does, then there is a marriage of good with truth in his understanding and will. These are conjoined as one and the man now thinks from his will, the understanding serving 'as it were' the will with new internal truths. These new thoughts belong to and become the man's faith; the new thoughts that are accepted and acknowledged and done become his new life.
Not only are the understanding and the will conjoined within a man, but consequently faith and love are conjoined also. Here, one admits the faith he now has and the love he now has are not his, but are the Lord's given to him. These - the good and the truth - have to be appropriated and become 'as if' they were his own, just as he before believed that the evils and their falsities were good and the truths were his own.
425. When the truths of the understanding and the goods of the will are conjoined within man, Heaven is in him. Here, we are speaking about a man's state and not the place where he comes to. Places in the Spiritual world are only appearances of one's state - as the Heavens, the world of spirits, and the hells. The conjunction of good and truth in man's mind - in his thoughts - appears as Heaven, and when he comes into the spiritual degree of life he comes into Heaven for this is with him in his mind whereas the conjunction of evil and falsity make hell within man and he comes into hell, for this also is with him in his mind.
Falsities and evils with a man make hell in him. For this reason, a man is held, while on the earth, in an intermediate state, where he can be reformed and has the freedom to choose, to believe, and to act according to the Truth or not, and so, he either comes into the state of reformation leading to his regeneration or he remains in the state of damnation. During the natural state a man has the opportunity to learn truths from the Lord and can choose to do them or not.
Thus, in the natural state, man has some knowledge of truths and is able to give thought to them and to act accordingly if he chooses, even though it might be little or not at all. In which case, he acts contrary to goods and truths and instead is in conjunction with evils and falsities. This intermediate state can be called the state of equilibrium and it remains with man while he is in the natural world, but on coming into the world of spirits where the goods and truths or the evils and falsities conjoined in him are manifested openly in his spiritual body. There in the world of spirits, he is either raised up into Heaven or casts himself down into hell after his preparation is complete.
In the spiritual world neither angels nor evil spirits have a divided mind as they did on earth. As you can read in our text, what a man understands he wills and what he wills he understands. The understanding and willing of good and truth are what makes Heaven in him and the opposite, the understanding or the knowledge of falsities as the truths and the willing of them for the good of self are what makes hell in him. The state of good and truth conjoined in man is the degree of regeneration and the state of evil and falsity conjoined in man is the degree of damnation. The state of reformation is when one is being led, while on earth, to know and love the Lord and to act with that love toward the neighbor.
Willing good, because it is good and is the Lord's love within a man and believing or understanding truth, because it is the truth from the Lord within a man while on earth, is the man's state of reformation and when he is in a spiritual state comes into a state of regeneration. Not willing good from the Lord, but from what is one's own understanding of truth, because it helps a man to gain wealth and honor, becomes falsities with the man while still on earth; this man remains in a state of damnation and when he comes into a spiritual place is condemned and comes into hell.
This allows a man, while in the natural state, to put away falsity, to appropriate good and truth and put on truths that agree and harmonize with good. Here, one sees that falsities attract evils and truths attract goods when acted upon for the sake of either the truth and good or for the sake of the Lord, or the contrary, for the sake of one's self, or that which is one's own. From this, you can get a picture of what the world of spirits is. People - whose bodies are put off - spirits that are to be prepared according to their life lived while on earth, either for Heaven or hell.