Lifting Our Thoughts to Spiritual Ideals

by Rev. Robert S. Jungé

"After this I looked and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me: which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter" (Rev. 4:1). In addition to our text we add from the True Christian Religion: "The man who lifts his mind to God and acknowledges that all the truth of wisdom is from God, and at the same time lives in accordance with order, is like one who stands upon a lofty tower and sees beneath him a populous city and all that is being done in its streets" (TCR 69).

The higher anyone ascends, the more his spiritual attention is awakened, the broader his view, and the more he comes "almost" into the light of heaven itself (see AE 263, 264; AR 226; TCR 588). Everyone in this congregation, whether evil or good, can have his understanding elevated almost into the light of heaven. If we will, we can see how we ought to live - the purpose and meaning in our life (see DLW 419:16). Such an understanding thinks from that light "analytically with all variety altogether as from itself" (Inf. 15). "From above one can look down on lower things on every side, but not the reverse" (AE 569:19). The simple fact is that our salvation depends upon such an elevated sight of truth which is clearly separated from our selfish delights. Without such a perspective the natural mind will be dragged down to the level of merely sensual delight and there will be no sight of alternatives, no possibility of spiritual change. If, on the other hand, we respond to the Lord's call to "come up hither," if we lift our minds to stand as it were upon a tower of truth, we will see the nature of God and the life after death. We will see that we were created with uniquely human souls so that we might live to eternity (see TCR 79:7). The higher we ascend into these spiritual ideals, the more broadly the vista of life and the vision of its purpose will stretch before us, like a view from - a natural tower. The different aspects of the spiritual landscape will be seen in relation to each other in a breathtaking rational panorama. And what is more, we will see how we ourselves fit into the whole purpose of creation itself.

Everything human in us cries out to see such a rational meaning to life. The human mind reaches for maturity, desperately wanting things to make sense. But we cannot see purpose and meaning unless our thought reaches to a firm reality - a spiritual reality beyond death. Spiritual hopes and ideals are the only answer to our basic human needs. When our understandings are elevated almost into the light of heaven, from that tower we will be able to take our spiritual bearings to see our potential choices and to respond as only human beings can.

"The laws of order which are the truths and goods of the church" are the means to these ideals (AE 563). We come to them through "the knowledges of good and truth and by rational intuition from them" (CL 495). Only the Lord can show us the way, the truth and the life. We can wring our hands; we can say it is too hard to understand, or that we are too busy. But the threefold Word of the Lord calls us to "come up hither." Will we make idle excuses and bask in the elusive and alleged warmth of our natural delights, the lowlands where no broad view is possible, or will we look to the Lord and climb up to Him in our regular daily thoughts, patiently, perhaps even ploddingly, applying the few things we see clearly? Only such a climbing path really acknowledges the Lord= "with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light" (Psalm 36:9).

The firm statement of the Word is: "If man were not able to perfect his understanding separately, and to perfect his will by means of it, he would not be a man but a beast ... still less could he recognize what relates to God, and thereby God Himself, and thus be conjoined with Him and live forever" (TCR 588). "Viewed in himself the natural man in no way differs in his nature from the nature of beasts. Like them he is wild; but it is as to his will that he is such; ... in understanding he differs from beasts, in that the understanding can be elevated above the lusts of the [old] will and not only see but moderate them" (TCR 574; Inf. 15).

But the sensual man does not wish to be moderated. The evils in the natural and the sensual man want to be indulged, not controlled. We do not innately want to think from the Lord respecting heavenly things. Far from it! Our natural disposition is to think from ourselves and from the world, about ourselves and about the world, all in an elusive light which leads to a dead end - a purposeless existence because it will not even look beyond the here and now (see AE 543). We simply will not find any eternal self, no heavenly proprium, no lasting human worth, unless we allow the Lord in His Word to call our thought up to look at spiritual ideals and consider our life in their light.

Still one of the great challenges to the church is that sense experience and thought from it seem so real. Do we not have to live in "the real world"? Do we not have to cope with reality? Of course we do, but the question is how? Surely not by being swallowed up by the milling of the faceless crowds below the tower. Consider the following: "He is called a sensual man who judges all things from the senses of the body, and who believes nothing but what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands, saying that this is something, and rejecting everything else. Such a man thinks in what is ultimate and not interiorly from any spiritual light. The interiors of his mind, which see from the light of heaven, are closed, so that he sees there nothing of the truth of heaven and the church. In a word, he is in gross natural light, and thus perceives nothing that is from the light of heaven. Thence interiorly he is against the things of heaven and the church" (AE 543:5).

Against such a background the church teaches its hopes and ideals courageously and vigorously from the Word. What is spiritual must become for us more real than merely natural experience. This truth can be seen from the tower, if we will go up thither: lasting reality is spiritual! Yet frequently when spiritual ideals are first taught they seem to be unreal, for to the merely natural mind they are. Indeed, when first taught they are not as yet a part of the reality of our life. We are still climbing the tower, perhaps catching glimpses of the view, but the broad vista is not yet opened before us. But genuine ideals are not quick glimpses, nor even a sweeping general, hazy and flat picture of life. We live with our view of life and its contrasts. Our ideals become in it specific elements upon which we can focus in a clear relation to where we are and to the whole picture. We need manageable, understandable units if the lusts of our life are to be moderated or removed.

One of the wonders of accommodation is that the Lord Himself moderates our affections through His heavens according to our own unique character. A rich and broad ideal provides a general scene which inspires our confidence and provides a setting which leads to a sense of individual purpose. Through our individual affectional interests each of us sees specific elements in that spiritual order which have a special meaning for us, which seem particularly interesting, or particularly beautiful and important. It is like being in a tower and viewing an orderly and inspiring scene - and then in unseen ways our affections guide our eyes to one object, and the whole scene as it were turns upon that focal point. It fits into the whole. But that focal aspect of the spiritual landscape also uniquely inspires us. We would perhaps like to be there, or we see a series of points which must be passed on the way there. Because of the broad view, we can see clearly what is necessary to get there, and the hope of getting there becomes a tangible reality because of the ideal.

But here again the sensual complains, for the truth exposes it. The sight of an ideal reveals obstacles along the way and demands a judgment and choice. The elevation of the understanding is, in fact, a preparation for individual judgment, even as John's answering the voice and going up revealed the judgment to him. Man cannot be separated from the impurity of his selfishness unless by means of his elevated sight of truth he sees what the evils are that defile and corrupt his life (see DLW 419). No sensual man wants to face such an elevated state. No sensual man wants to see a clearly manageable course away from the immediacy of lust and delight. He does not like being in the tower. He does not want to define a path which reaches to the eternal horizon.

It is a simple truth that when the church teaches ideals effectively the congregation will see evils in their lives. It must be so - otherwise they will never even see the need for change. You simply cannot teach ideals without exposing the evil and challenging the natural man. Ideals then must be real; they must look to life; they must bring about judgments. But if they are from the Lord they will also inspire, mercifully bending and not breaking man's spirit.

With these things in mind let us consider some of the teachings concerning betrothal, so beautifully and ideally set forth in the Writings. The order of love truly conjugial is that it ascends and descends. It ascends even to the souls and minds, and strives more powerfully than any other love for the opening of all these degrees. The betrothed see a spiritual panorama of love truly conjugial from a tower just as high as they are willing to ascend. They see it. They aspire for it. They can, if they will, descend from the tower clearly focused on one partner alone as their inmost goal. They have not yet trod the uneven path of life together to that focal use in heaven where they will act as one angel. Yet their love will be in its descent according to the height of its ascent. If it is in its height it descends chaste. For this reason the eternal ideal of love truly conjugial must be a high tower, a broad vision set before every marriage of the church. It must look to the eternal horizon and all that lies between.

True, love truly conjugial is a love of heaven; its states are innocence, peace, tranquility, inmost friendship, full confidence and a mutual desire to do each other every good (see CL 180). It is founded upon the thought of what is eternal. Its essential is full and free consent of both will and understanding. These are but some of the rational elements in the panorama which an understanding elevated through the teachings concerning conjugial love can see concerning the ideals of the betrothal state. The more the vision is infilled from revelation - from things heard and seen by the revelator - the more real it can become, for it is based upon an eternal reality - a loving relationship which can rise above time and space - a state of eternal use and happiness. It can, indeed must, be a very present reality in the life of the church.

And yet, not anyone here, sound in his doctrine, would be so audacious as to claim such a state as achieved in his own life. But all here need desperately to see its promise in real and human terms. The hopes of our marriages depend upon a clear and elevated sight of such a vision. The natural in us may say that the vision is unreal, or to use the vernacular, "It is not where he is at." Of course it is not. Such an ideal is given us to take us out of ourselves - to lead us beyond the things of this world to a new and heavenly self. Still it is more real than anything this world can possibly offer. It is enduring, full of purpose and leading to freedom itself.

Seeing it will not make it so - nor will a facile ability to talk of it. Even the view of the whole spiritual landscape of love truly conjugial will not make it real for us. Only living it can do that, for only then is the will elevated with the understanding. The understanding is elevated "according to the cultivation of reason ... the will according to the deeds of life" (Inf. 14). To live these truths we must find as it were focal points in that vision - things special and close to us - something in that vision which will enable us as if of ourselves to step forward toward it.

Perhaps the betrothed will strive to know their interior affections in the "inward cheerfulness of love." Every one of us can make an effort to be cheerful. But such a simple, tangible thing as cheerfulness can fit into the vision - fit into the ideal of love truly conjugial itself. When the Word describes the consociation of spirits during betrothal and marriage, it does not specifically mention reading the Word together, praying together, approaching communion together, conversation together. But any of these can become a beautiful focus in the rational panorama of a state elevated by the Lord; and it is possible for any of us to begin or renew these things in our life right now.

Unchaste thoughts, lewd words, lustful acts and intentions, desire for dominion - a host of hidden evils need to be exposed. And they will be in the Lord's time, as the vision is sharpened. In contrast to the panorama of chastity we can see from our tower we will also see a vast and reeking swamp of lusts, which must be shunned little by little. But with the Lord's help they can be shunned, for they fit into the promise of the clear ideal.

And to those looking to marriage, an innocent heart can disclose that states of mind and soul are far more real than merely natural delight. The distance they can see is only determined by the height to which they ascend. But none of us approaching marriage, or in our marriages, will think that because the Lord has allowed us to glimpse the potential of what true love can be, that somehow it is our automatic possession. Instead, that sacred vision becomes the goal for our perfection not only in this world but to all eternity. That sight always will contrast sharply to the state we are in, but if it is genuine it will lead to the specific steps that can show both the Lord and our partner that we care for that eternal vision in our marriage more than anything else.

How sad if we in the church come to think that true ideals will turn the mind off if they are courageously taught. What tragedy lies in the thought that spiritual goals from the Lord are too far from us to be real or so judgmental as to destroy hope. What is left of our faltering efforts if the truth is so harshly taught that we feel unjustly condemned rather than inspired to live for it? The balance of real ideals exposing manageable challenges of evil and inspiring achievable steps toward a clear goal is the way of a wise and loving God, and must be the way of His church.

We must demand of all our teaching that it be courageously drawn from the Word, for it alone teaches spiritual realities. It alone can provide a broad sense of purpose from the Lord which can give us the strength to walk confidently. It alone can lead to the good of life in such specific terms that we can consent and respond in a truly human way. The Lord's judgment alone, founded upon the vision of His Word, is full of the mercy and compassion upon which we all depend.

The Word in a repeated pattern calls us, "come up hither." It calls us to ideals almost in the light of heaven itself. It can show us "the things which must be hereafter." That voice will become a voice as of a trumpet to every loving disciple of the Lord.

* * * * *

THE DIFFERENCE IS

"The difference is that in hell uses are done from fear, but in heaven from love; and fear does not give joy, but love does."

Apocalypse Explained 1194

-New Church Life 1983;103:187-192

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