N E W (J E'R USALEM) C II U R C II. 
tory and contractile motions; not that man then fuffers 
extinction of life, but only is feparated from that cor¬ 
poreal part of his composition which ferved him for 
an inltrument of ufefulnefs in this world; but he dill 
continues a living man, and that in a proper and literal 
fenfe of the expreflion, inafmuch as man receives his de¬ 
nomination, not from his body, but from his fpirit, fince 
it is the latter that thinks in him, and that thought with 
affe&ion efl’entially conftitute the man ; fo that, when any 
man is faid to die, it means no more than that he palfes 
from one world into another; and hence it is,• that by 
death in the Scripture, according to the internal fenfe of 
the word, is fignified refurrection, and continuation of 
life. 
“ The fpirit of a man remains fome little time in the 
body after all figns of life drfappear, but not longer than 
till a total ceffation of all power in the heart enfues, which 
varies according to the nature of the difeafe he dies of, 
tor the motion of the heart continues long after in fome, 
but not fo in others; but, as foon as the total ceffation of 
it happens, the refufcitation of man commences, and this 
by the foie power of the Lord. By refufcitation here is 
meant the liberation of the fpirit of a man from his body, 
and the introduction of it into the world of fpirits, and 
commonly called refurreCtion. That the fpirit of a man 
is not feparated from his body before all motion and power 
in the heart entirely ceafes, is becaufe the heart corref- 
ponds to the affeCtion of love, which is the very life of 
man, for it is from love ,that every one derives his vital 
heat; therefore, fo long as this conjunction lalts, fo long 
the correfpondence continues ; and it is from correfpon- 
dency that the fpirit actuates and communicates life to 
to the body. 
“ That the form of the fpirit of a man is a human form, 
or, in other w'ords, that the fpirit is the true-formed man, 
may be evinced from many arguments; particularly from 
thefe, viz. That every angel is in a perfect human form; 
that every man is a fpirit as to his inner man ; and that 
angels in heaven are from ^he human race. This alfo 
more evidently appears from man’s being denominated man 
from his fpirit, and not from his body, and becaufe the 
corporeal form is an adjunct to the fpirit after its form, 
and not contrariwife, the former being but the clothing 
of the latter. Moreover, the fpirit is the foie moving 
pow'er in man, aCting upon and actuating every the molt 
minute part of the body; infomuch that, when any part 
no longer derives vital influence therefrom, it prefently 
dies. Now, the ruling powers, which govern the body as 
their fubjeCl, are the thought and the will; but thefe are 
from the fpirit only, nay, conftitute its very eflence. The 
reafon why we do not fee any feparate fpirit, nor yet that 
of another man whilft in his body, in its human form, 
with our prefent organs of fight, is becaufe thefe organs 
of vifion are material, and therefore only capable of dis¬ 
cerning objeCts of a material nature, whereas fpiritual 
things mull; be feen by a fpiritual eye ; but, when the 
corporeal fight is extinguilhed by the death of the body, 
and the Spirit’s eye is opened, then fpirits appear to one 
another in their human form, not only in the fpiritual 
world, but they alfo fee the fpirits of thofe who yet live 
here in the body. It is to be noted here, that, when 
fpirits are feen by any one in the body, they are not feen 
with the corporeal organs of vifion, but by the fpirit of 
the beholder abftraCtedly from the body; though the ap¬ 
pearance is exactly the lame in both cafes, as implied in 
thofe words of the apoftle, where, fpeaking of his vifions, 
he fays, Whether in the body, or out of the body , I cannot 
tell. i Cor. xii. 
“ When the fpirit of a man firft enters into the world 
of fpirits, which is foon after his refufcitation, (of which 
mention has been made before,) he as yet retains the 
fame face and voice that he had in this world, as being 
hitherto in his exterior ftate, that of his interior being 
yet unmanifefted ; and this is his firft ftate after death : 
but, fome time after, his- face.becomes entirely changed, 
VOL. XVI. No. 1152, 
fo as to correfnond with the particular affeCtion or love 
that pollelfed his fpirit when in the body ; for the face of 
d man’s fpirit differs greatly from that of his body, the 
latter being derived from his parents, but the former a 
correfpondent to his predominant affeCtion, of which it 
is the fignatur®. or image, and which becomes appro¬ 
priated to man in the other world, upon the manifeftation 
of his interior ftate; for the fpirit of a man, rightly con- 
fidered, is the fame with his predominant affection or love, 
and his face is the external form of it. This, change re- 
fpeCting faces, in thofe who pads from hence into the. 
other world, is founded on this law, that no diffimulation 
or counterfeiting is-there allowed, but all muft appear to 
be what they really are, and confequently exprefs their 
thoughts in their words, and their afteCtions and defires 
in their looks and aCtions, fo that the faces of all there 
reprefent their minds refpeCtively. Hence it is, that, 
though all who knew one another in this world are alike 
mutually acquainted in the world of fpirits, yet it is 
otherwife in heaven and hell. 
“ It is to be obferved, that the human form of every 
man after death is beautiful in proportion to the love he 
had for divine truths, and a life according to the fame, 
for by this ltandard things within receive their outward 
manifeftation and form ; fo that, the deeper grounded the 
affeCtion for w'hat is good, the more conformable it is to 
the divine order in heaven, and confequently the more 
beauty the face derives from its influx. Hence it is, that 
the angels of the third or inmoft heaven, whofe love is of 
the third or higheft degree, are the moft beautiful of all 
the angels; whereas they whofe love for divine things 
had been in a lower degree, or more external than that of 
the celeftial or higheft angels, poffefs an inferior degree 
of beauty ; and the tranflucent luftre in their faces, as 
proceeding from a fmaller degree of divine virtue within 
them, is comparatively dim; for, as all perfection rifes in 
degrees from the inward to the inmoft, fo the external 
beauty, to which it gives life and vigour, has its de¬ 
grees in the fame proportion. 
“ When a man paffes from this natural world into the 
fpiritual, which is at the time of his death, he takes with 
him all that belonged to him as man, and pofleffes every 
fenfe, both external and internal, that he poflefled before. 
Thus, for inftance, all in heaven have their fight, their 1 
hearing, and all their fenfes, in far greater perfection than 
when in this world, and alio their minds more abundantly 
replete with wifdom : for they fee by the light of heaven, 
which greatly exceeds that of this world, and they hear 
through the medium of a fpiritual atmolphere, to which 
that of our earth is not comparable. The comparative 
difference between thefe two lenfes there and here, is as 
that of a bright Iky to a thick fog, or as the luftre of the 
meridian fun to the dulk of the evening. Now the light 
of heaven, which is the divine truth, makes manifeft the 
minuted: things to the perception of angels ; and, as their 
external correlponds to their internal or intellectual fight, 
lb by mutual influx they co-operate in forming the high 
perfection of angelical perfpicuity. 
“ There are three ftates which man goes through after 
death, before he enters into heaven or hell; the firft re- 
fpeCts his exterior part; the fecond his interior; and the 
third is his ftate of final preparation. Thefe ftates man 
pafles through in the world of fpirits; however, there are 
exceptions, as fome are immediately after death taken up 
into heaven, or call into hell. Of the former clafs are 
they who are regenerated, and fo prepared for heaven in 
this world, and that in fo high a degree as to need only 
the putting oft’ all their natural impurities, in order to be 
carried by the angels into heaven. On the other hand, 
fuch as have been internally evil, under the mafk of ex- 
ternally-apparent goodnefs, and fo have filled up the 
meafure of their iniquities by hypocrily and deceit, ufing 
the cloak of goodnefs as a means whereby to. deceive 
others ; thefe are immediately call .into hell. There are 
alfo iome who are committed to caverns, immediately 
9 H after 
