1147. And of brass and iron.- That this signifies natural goods and truths, also profaned, is evident from the signification of brass, which denotes natural good (concerning which see above, n. 70); and from the signification of iron, which denotes natural truth (concerning which see above, n. 176). But because the things here adduced are those that belong to the natural man, it must be understood, that the Natural o~ man is threefold, Rational, Natural, and Sensual; the Rational is the highest, the Sensual is the lowest, and the Natural is the middle. The true Rational exists by influx from the spiritual world, the Sensual by influx from the natural world, and the intermediate Natural is either rational or sensual. That the Natural is threefold, is evident from men, who while they are in the world, are either rational, sensual, or intermediate. Their character is more particularly manifest from their perception of civil, moral, and spiritual laws. Those who from reason think, judge, and conclude well are rational; their thoughts are also elevated above material things. But those who are sensual think from and in material things, and what they utter from thought is from the memory. And because there are these two degrees, there is also an intermediate degree, which is called natural. Their respective characters may also be known from their understanding of the Word; those who are rational take from the sense of the letter those things that refer to doctrine, while the sensual remain in the letter only, and do not draw from it any conclusions of a more interior nature. The same are also known in the spiritual world, since natural men in the ultimate heaven have the same number of degrees; the ultimate there are the sensual, and the highest there are the rational; but of these we shall speak further elsewhere. That natural goods and truths, signified by iron and brass, have also been profaned by Babylon, is evident from their profanation of the sense of the letter of the Word, the sense of the letter of the Word being the natural sense.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- But on this subject we must also speak from experience. The angels of the higher heavens clearly feel and perceive that they have goods and truths from the Lord, and that they have nothing whatever of good and truth from themselves. When they are remitted into the state of their proprium, which is done occasionally, they also clearly feel and perceive that the evil and the falsity pertaining to their proprium, are from hell. Certain angels of the lowest heaven, not seeing that evil and falsity are from hell, because they had acknowledged in the world that they were in evils from their birth and from actual life, were conducted from one infernal society to another, in each of which, as long as they continued in it, they thought precisely like the devils there, and differently in each; they then thought contrary to goods and truths. They were told to think from themselves, that is in a different way, but they said, that they were quite unable to do so; they consequently understood that evils and falsities enter by influx from hell. The case is similar with many who believe and insist that life is in themselves. It sometimes also happens that the societies with which they are connected are removed from them; when this is the case, they are unable to think, will, speak, or act, but lie like little new-born infants. But as soon as they are restored to their own societies, they revive; for every one, whether man, spirit, or angel, is connected with societies, as to his affections and the thoughts originating in them, and he acts in unison with them. For this reason all are known, as to their quality, from the societies in which they are. From these things it is evident, that the quality of their life enters into them by influx from without.
[3] With regard to myself, I can testify, that for fifteen years I have clearly perceived that I have thought and willed nothing from myself (nec quicquam cogitarem et vellem), and that all evil and falsity entered by influx from infernal societies, but all good and truth from the Lord. Some spirits therefore observing this, said that I was not alive. I was permitted to reply that I was more alive than they were, because I was sensible of the influx of good and truth from the Lord, and saw and perceived the enlightenment; and that from the Lord, I perceived that evils and falsities are from hell, not only that evils originate there, but also from whom they proceed. I was also permitted to speak with these spirits to rebuke them, and to reject them together with their evils and falsities, and I was thus liberated from them. I have been further permitted to say, that now I know that I live, and that before I had not this knowledge. From these things I have been fully convinced, that all evil and falsity are from hell, and all good and truth, together with the perception of them, are from the Lord; and moreover, that I have freedom and thence perception as if from myself.
[4] That all evil and falsity are from hell, I have also been permitted to see with my own eyes. There appear over the hells, as it were, fires and clouds of smoke; the fires are evils, and the clouds of smoke are falsities; they continually exhale and ascend thence, and the spirits who dwell in the midst between heaven and hell are affected by them according to their loves.
It shall also be briefly stated how evil and falsity are able to flow forth from hell, although there is but one acting force, and that is the life which is God; this has also been revealed [to me]. There was uttered with a loud voice from heaven a truth from the Word which flowed down to hell, passing from one to another to the lowest hell. It was further heard that this truth was in its descent successively and gradually turned into falsity, and at length into a falsity of such a nature that it was altogether opposite to the truth, and it was then in the lowest hell. The reason why it was turned in this way was that every thing is received according to state and form; consequently this truth entering by influx into inverted forms, such as exist in hell, became successively inverted and changed into a falsity the opposite of truth. From this fact, also, the quality of hell was evident from the highest hell to the lowest; and further, that there is but one acting force, and that is the life which is the Lord.