s.-.- . 'v"-^-": 'S; T 7 14 MICROFILMED 1992 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES/NEW YORK as part of the ^ ToiinJainns of Western Civilization Preservation Project NA Funded by the ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES ^3 productions may not be made without permission from Columbia University Library COPYRIGHT STATEMENT The copynght law of the United States - Title 17, United States Code - concerns the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material... Columbia University Library reserves the right to refuse to accept a copy order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law. AUTHOR: SWEDENBORG, EMANUEL TITLE: TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION ... PLA CE : PHILADELPHIA DA TE : 1909 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET Master Negative # Original Material as Filmed - Existing Bibliographic Record 938.94 [ Sw3771lSwodenborg, Enanuol , 1688-1772 • I Tho true ChriGtian religion, containing the uni^ I versal theology of the Not? Church... by Emanuel ^ S\7edGnboro. , . Tr . from the original Latin ed., printed at Amntordam, in the yeor 1771. Philadelphia; Lippincctt , 1909. xxii, 1098 p. 19?;- cm. Ix u Restrictions on Use: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE:____>^^_^'5_^^_ REDUCTION RATIO: _//_^. IMAGE PLACEMENT: lAQIA^ IB IIB DATE FILMED: ^JIaZ.2-J^ INITIALS__r7vL niMED BY: RESEARCH PUmCATIONS. INC WOODBRIDGE. CT n Association for Information and image lAanagement 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1100 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 301/587-8202 Centimeter 12 3 4 Llli iiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiii| imjii Tl I 7 8 liiiiliiiiliiiil'iiilimliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliinlin 1 Inches 6 iiliin TTT 1.0 LI 1.25 9 10 iiiiliiiiliiiilm 11 12 13 14 11^ Ilia 1 6.3 17,1 2.8 3.2 3.6 4,0 1.4 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 TTT IT I 15 mm iliiii ffl MPNUFnCTURED TO RUM STFINDflRDS BY fiPPLIED IMflG^t INC. O % IS '^' V ai^^mm- '■-■'•^-' •--•-^-- '-••"' -i.y:fa.v-^&f-r**«<:».-'--.Aj-.^»- .MiT.-^<'^"'^-^'-^-«'i^-i»-«aB^^ 4.1 Columbia Winiotviitp intljeCitpofieetogorfe LIBRARY GIVEN BY 0^5^^^^ W» \ AA-A i>!!>1 I !9 i; ! Si* i<2 ] THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION CONTAINING C^e aniberiSal Cljcologp OF THE NEW CHURCH (,' . THE True Christian Religion CONTAINING THE UNIYEESAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW CHURCH FORETOLD BY THE LORD IN DANIEL VIL 13, 14; AND IN REVELATION XXI. 1, 2 i BY EMAKTJEL SWEDEFBOEG . . . _ , , > ., SrJRVAN'*' (*F Trt»2 CORD JESUS CHRIST J I- . ». V Translated fp9M the .0*iiGiwAL.L\'iiw El^ition, Printed at Amster- dam, IN TiHE Yelar J.771 I I I TFIIS HOOK 18 l^KESENTP]]) BY L. CIUNGERICH. PHILADELPHIA n PHILADELPHIA : J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 1909. 5 t . • • • » t • • • • • i ,ib'A'^ • • i • « • COI^TEIvrTS. FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH IN ITS UNI- VERSAL FORM AND IN ITS PARTICULAR FORM (n. 1-3). CHAPTER I. GOD THE CREATOR. The Unity of God. (i.) The entire Holy Scripture, and all the doctrines therefrom of the churches in the Christian world, teach that there is a God and that He is one (n- 5-7). (ii.) There is a universal influx from God into the souls of men of the truth that there is a God and that He is one (n. 8). (iii.) For this reason in all the world there is no nation possessing religion and sound reason, that does not acknowledge a God and that God is one (i^- 9» 1^)- (iv.) Respecting what the one God is nations and peoples have dif- fered and still differ from many causes (n. 11). (V.) Human reason can, if it will, perceive and be convinced from many things in the world, that there is a God, and that He is one <"• ^^)- (vi.) If God were not one, the universe could not have been created and preserved \^' ^^i- (vii. ) Whoever does not acknowledge a God is excommunicated from the church and condemned (n. 14). (viii.) With men who acknowledge several gods instead of one, there is no coherence in the things relating to the church. . . (n. 15). The Divine Being, Which is Jehovah. (i.) The One God is called Jehovah from Esse, that is, because He alone Is, [Was], and is To Be, and because He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega (^- 1^)' (11.) The One God is Substance itself and Form itself ; and angels and men are substances and forms from Him ; and so far as they are in Him and He is in them, are images and likenesses of Him (^- ^0)- (iii.) The Divine Esse is at once Esse \Bemg\ in itself and Existere \^Ouigo\ in itself (n. 21, 22). (iv.) It is impossible for the Divine Esse and Existere in itself to produce another Divine, which is Esse and Existere in it- • • • 111 IV CONTENTS self ; therefore another God of the same Essence is impos- sible (n. 23). (v.) The doctrine of a plurality of gods, both in past ages and at the present day, sprang solely from a failure to understand the Divine Esse (n. 24). The Infinity of God, or His Immensity and Eternity. (i.) God is Infinite because He is Being and Existence in Himself, and because all things in the universe have their being and existence from Him (n. 28). (ii.) God is Infinite because He was before the world was, that is, before times and spaces arose (n. 29). (iii.) Since the creation of the world, God is in space without space and in time without time (n. 30). (iv.) In relation to spaces God's infinity is called Immensity, while in relation to times it is called Eternity ; but although it is so related, there is nothing of space in His Immensity, and nothing of time in His Eternity (n. 31). (v.) The Infinity of God may be seen by enlightened reason from very many things in the world (n. 32). (vi.) Every created thing is finite, and the Infinite is in the finite, as in its receptacles, and is in men as in its images (n. 33,34). The Divine Essence, Which is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. (i. ) God is love itself and wisdom itself, and these two constitute His Essence (n. 37). (ii.) God is good itself and truth itself, because good is of love and truth is of wisdom (n. 38). (iii.) God, because He is love itself and wisdom itself, is Life itself, which is life in itself (n. 39, 40). (iv.) Love and wisdom in God make one (n. 41, 42). (v.) It is the essence of love to love others outside of oneself, to desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself (n. 43-46). (vi.) These essentials of the Divine love were the cause of the crea- tion of the universe, and are the cause of its preservation (n. 40, 47). The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God. (i.) Omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence pertain to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love (n. 50, 61). (ii.) The omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God can be clearly understood only when it is known what order CONTENTS y is, and when it is known that God is order, and that He in- troduced order both into the universe and into each and all things of it at the time of their creation (n. 62-55). (iii.) God's omnipotence in the whole universe, with each and all things of it proceeds and operates in accordance with the laws of His order (n. 56-58). (iv.) God is omniscient, that is. He perceives, sees, and knows each thing and all things, even to the most minute, that take place according to order, and from these the things also that take place contrary to order (n. 59-62) (v.) God is omnipresent from the firsts to the lasts of His order (n. 63, 64). (vi.) Man was created a form of Divine order (n. 65-67). (vii.) From the Divine omnipotence man has power over evil and falsity ; and from the Divine omniscience has wisdom re- specting what is good and true ; and from the Divine omni- presence is in God, just to the extent that he lives in ac- cordance with Divine order (n. 68-70). The Creation of the Universe. No one can gain a right idea of the creation of the universe, until his understanding is brought into a state of perception by some universal knowledges previously recognized (n. 75). The creation of the universe described in five Memorable Re- lations (n. 76-80). CHAPTER II. THE LORD THE REDEEMER. (i.) Jehovah God descended and assumed a Human that He might redeem men and save them (n. 82-^4). (ii.) Jehovah God descended as the Divine truth, which is the Word, although He did not separate from it the Divine good (n. 85-88). (iii.) God assumed the Human in accordance with His Divine or- der (n. 89-91). (iv.) The Human whereby God sent Himself mto the world is the Son of God (n. 92-94). (v.) Through the acts of redemption the Lord made Himself righteousness (n. 95, 96). (vi.) Through the same acts the Lord united Himself to the Father and the Father united Himself to Him (n. 97-100). VI CONTENTS (vii.) Thus Grod became Man, and Man became Grod, in one Per- son (n. 101-103). (viii.) The progress towards union was His state of Exinanition [emptying Himself], and the union itself is His state of glorification (n. 104-106). (ix.) Hereafter no one from among Christians enters heaven unless he believes in the Lord God the Saviour [and approaches Him alone] (n. 107, 108). (x.) Corollary on the state of the church before the Lord's coming, and its state after that (n. 109). Redemption. (i.) Redemption itself was a subjugation of the hells, a restoration of order in the heavens, and by means of these a preparation for a new spiritual church (n. 115-117). (ii.) Without that Redemption no man could have been saved, nor could the angels have continued in a state of integrity (n. 118-120). (iii.) In this wise not only man but the angels also were redeemed by the Loid (n. 121,122). (iv.) Redemption was a work purely Divine (n. 123). (v.) This Redemption itself could not have been accomplished ex- cept by God incarnated (n. 124, 125). (vi.) The Passion of the cross was the last temptation which the Lord as the greatest prophet endured ; and was the means whereby His Human was glorified, but it was not Redemp- tion (n. 126-131). (vii.) The belief that the Passion of the cross was Redemption itself is a fundamental error of the church ; and this error, with the error respecting three Divine persons from eternity, has perverted the whole church to such an extent that there is nothing spiritual left in it (n. 132, 133). CHAPTER III. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE DIVINE OPERATION. (i.) The Holy Spirit is the Divine Truth, and also the Divine En- ei^ and Operation, proceeding from the one God in whom is the Divine Trinity — that is, from the Lord God the Saviour (n. 139-141). (ii.) The Divine Energy and Operation, which are meant by the Holy Spirit, are in general reformation and regeneration ; and in accordance with these, renovation, vivification, sanc- CONTENTS Vll tification, and justification ; and in accordance with these latter, purification from evils, forgiveness of sins, and finally salvation (n. 142-145). (iii.) The Divine Energy and Operation, which are meant by the sending of the Holy Spirit, are, with the clergy specifically, enlightenment and instruction (n. 146-148). (iv.) The Lord makes these energies operative in those who believe in Him (n. 149-151). (v.) The Lord operates of Himself from the Father, and not the reverse (n. 153-155). (vi.) The spirit of man is his mind and whatever proceeds from it (n. 156, 157). A Corollary : — Nowhere in the Old Testament is it said that the Prophets spoke from the Holy Spirit, but from Jehovah God ; it is otherwise, however, in the New (n. 158). The Divine Trinity. (i.) There is a Divine Trinity, which is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (n. 164, 165). (ii.) These three. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are the three essen- tials of the one God, and they make one, as the soul, body, and operation make one in man (n. 166-169). (iii.) Before the world was created this Trinity was not ; but after creation, when God became incarnate, it was provided and brought about, and then in the Lord God the Redeemer and Saviour, Jesus Christ (n. 170, 171). (iv.) In the ideas of thought a Trinity of Divine persons from eternity, thus before the world was created, is a Trinity of Gods ; and these ideas cannot be effaced by a lip-confession of one God (n. 172, 173). (v.) A Trinity of persons was unknown in the Apostolic church, but was hatched by the Nicene Council, and from that was introduced into the Roman Catholic church, and from that again into churches separated from it (n. 174-176). (vi.) From the Nicene Trinity and the Athanasian Trinity together a faith in three Gods arose by which the whole Christian church has been perverted (n. 177, 178). (vii.) This is the source of that abomination of desolation, and that tribulation such as has not been nor ever shall be, which , the Lord foretold in Daniel, and in the Gospels and in the Apocalypse (n. 179-181). (viii.) So, too, unless a new heaven and a new church were estab- lished by the Lord there could no flesh be saved. . . . (n. 182). Vlll CONTENTS CONTENTS IX (ix.) From a Trinity of persons, each one of whom singly is God, according to the Athanasian Creed, many discordant and heterogeneous ideas respecting God have arisen, which are fantasies and abortions (n. 183, 184). CHAPTER IV. THE SACRED SCRIPTURE OR WORD OF THE LORD. I. The Sacred Scripture or the Word is Divine Truth It- self (n. 189-192). n. In the Word There is a Spiritual Sense Hitherto Un- known (n. 193). (i.) What the spiritual sense is (n. 194). From the Lord the Divine Celestial, the Divine Spiritual, and the Divine Natural go forth one after the other (n. 195). (ii.) The spiritual sense is in each and every part of the Wc rd (n. 196-198). The Lord when in the world spoke by correspondences ; that is, when He spoke naturally He also spoke spiritually (n. 199). (iii.) It is because of the spiritual sense that the Word is Divinely inspired and holy in every word (n. 200). (iv.) Hitherto the spiritual sense of the Word has been unknown ; although it was known to the ancients. Of correspondence among them (n. 201-207). (v.) Henceforth the spiritual sense of the Word will be given only to such as are in genuine truths from the Lord. . . .(n. 208). (vi.) Some wonderful things respecting the Word from its spiritual sense (n. 209). ni. The Sense of the Letter of the Word is the Basis, the CONTAINANT, AND THE SuPPORT OF ITS SPIRITUAL AND CELES- TIAL Senses (n. 210-213). IV. In the Sense of the Letter of the Word Divine Truth is IN ITS Fulness, its Holiness, and its Power (n. 214-216). (i.) The truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are meant by the precious stones of which the foundations of the New Jerusalem consisted (which is described in the Apocalypse) ; and this on account of the correspondence (n. 217). (ii.) The goods and truths of the sense of the letter correspond to the Urim and Thummim on the ephod of Aaron. . . (n. 218), \ (iii.) Goods and truths in outmosts, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, are signified by the precious stones in the garden of Eden where the king of Tyre is said to have been (in Ezekiel) ip^- 219). (iv.) The same were represented by the curtains, veils, and pillars of the tabernacle (n. 220). (v.) Likewise by the externals of the temple at Jerusalem (n. 221). (vi.) The Word in its glory was represented in the Lord when He was transfigured i^- 222). (vii.) The power of the Word in its outmosts was represented by the Nazarites {j^- 223). (viii.) The inexpressible power of the Word (n. 224). V. The Doctrine of the Church Should be Drawn from the Sense of the Letter of the Word and Confirmed There- by (n. 226, 229, 230). (i.) Without doctrine the Word is not understood. . .(n. 226-228). (ii.) Doctrine should be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word and confirmed by it (n. 229-230). (iii.) The genuine truth of which doctrine must consist can be seen in the sense of the letter of the Word only by those who are in enlightenment from the Lord (n. 231-233). VI. By Means of This Sense of the Letter of the Word There IS Conjunction with the Lord and Affiliation with the Angels (n. 234-239). Vll The Word is in All the Heavens and Angelic Wisdom is from It (n. 240-242). Vlll. The Church is from the Word, and with Man it is Such AS His Understanding of the Word is (n. 243-247). IX. In Every Particular of the Word There is a Marriage of the Lord and the Church, and in Consequence a Mar- riage OF Good and Truth (n. 248-263). X Heresies may be Drawn from the Sense of the Letter of the Word, but to Confirm Them is Hurtful (n. 264-260). Many things in the Word are appearances of truth, which conceal within them genuine truths (n. 257). Fallacies arise through the confirmation of appearances of truth (n. 268). The sense of the letter of the Word is a guard for the genuine truths concealed within it (n. 260). The sense of the letter was represented by cherubs and is sig- nified by cherubs in the Word, ....,,,., (n. 260), XI. XII. XIII. XIV. CONTENTS The Lord When in the World Fulfilled All Things op THE Word, and Thereby Became the Word, that is, Divine Truth, Even in Things Last (n. 261-268). Before the Word that is Now in the World, There was a Word That was Lost («• 264-266). Through the Word There is Light also to Those who are Outside of the Church and do not Possess the Word (n. 267-272). If There Were no Word There Would be no Knowledge OF God, of Heaven and Hell, or of a Life After Death, Still Less of the Lord (n. 273-276). CHAPTER Y. THE CATECHISM OR DECALOGUE EXPLAINED IN ITS EX- TERNAL AND ITS INTERNAL SENSE. L In the Israelitish Church the Decalogue was Holiness It- self The Holiness of the Ark which Contained the L^w' (n. 283-286). 11. In the Sense of the Letter the Decalogue Contains the General Precepts of Faith and Life ; but in the Spirit- ual AND Celestial Senses it Contains all Precepts Universally (n. 287-290). m. The First Commandment : " Thou shalt have no other Gods be- fore My Faces'' i^- 291-296). IV. The Second Commandment : " Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain ; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (n. 297-300). V. The Third Commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy ; six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work ; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God" (n. 301-304). VI. The Fourth Commandment : " Honor thy father and thy mother ; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may be well with thee upon the earth" (n. 303-308). VII. The Fifth Commandment : " Thou shalt not kill" . . (n. 309-312). VIII The Sixth Commandment : " Thou shalt not commit adultery" (n. 313-316). IX The Seventh Commandment: "Thou shalt not steal" (n. 317-320). X. The Eighth Commandment : " Thou shalt not bear false wit- ness against thy neighbor" (n. 321-324). CONTENTS XI XL xn. The Ninth and Tenth Commandments : " Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house ; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's" (n. 325-328). The Ten Commandments of the Decalogue Contain All Things that Belong to Love to God, and All Things that Belong to Love Toward the Neighbor" (n. 329-331). CHAPTER VI. FAITH. Preface : Faith is first in time, but charity is first in end (n. 336). I. Saving Faith is Falth in the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ (n. 337-539). Because He is a visible God in whom is the invisible (n. 339). II. The Sum of Faith is, that He who Lives Well and Be- lieves Rightly is Saved by the Lord (n. 340-342). The first principle of Faith in Him is an acknowledgment that He is the Son of God (n. 342). III. Man Acquires Faith by Going to the Lord, Learning Truths from the Word, and Living According to Them (n. 343-348). (i.) The Being of faith ; the Essence of faith ; the Existence of faith ; the State of faith ; and the Form of faith (n. 344, seq.). (ii.) Merely natural faith, that it is a persuasion counterfeiting faith (n. 34^>-348). IV. An Abundance of Truths Cohering as if in a Bundle, Ex- alts AND Perfects Faith (n. 349-354). (i.) The truths of faith may be multiplied to infinity (n. 350). (ii.) The truths of faith are disposed into series, thus, as it were, into bundles (n. 361). (iii.) According to the abundance and coherence of truths, faith is perfected (n. 352, 353). (iv.) However numerous the truths of faith are, and however di- verse they appear, they make one from the Lord. .(n. 364). (v.) The Lord is the Word, the God of heaven and earth, the God of all flesh, the God of the vineyard or church, the God of faith. Light itself, the Truth, and Life eternal (n. 364). xii * CONTENTS V. Faith Without Charity is not Faith, and Charity With- out Faith is Not Charity, and Neither has Life Ex- cept FROM THE Lord 0^- 35&-361). (i.) Man can acquire for himself faith (n. 356). (ii.) Man can acquire for himself charity (n. 357). (iii.) Man may also acquire for himself the life of faith and charity (n. 358). (iv.) Yet nothing of faith, or of charity, or of the life of either, is from man, but from the Lord alone (n. 359). (v ) The distinction between natural faith and spiritual faith, the latter being inwardly within the former, from the Lord (n. 300, 361). VI. The Lord, Charity, and Faith Make One, Like Life, Will, AND Understanding in Man ; and if They are Divided, Each Perishes Like a Pearl Reduced to Powder (n. 362-367). (i ) The Lord with all of His Divine love, with all of His Divine wisdom, thus with all of His Divine life, flows into every man 0^-3^4). (ii.) Consequently the Lord, with the whole essence of faith and charity flows into every man (»• 36o). (iii.) What flows in from the Lord is received by man according to his state and form (i^- ^^^)- (iv.) But the man who divides the Lord, charity, and faith, is not a form that receives, but a form that destroys them. . (n. 367). VII. The Lord is Charity and Faith in Man, and Man is Char- ity AND Faith in the Lord (n. 368-372). (i.) It is by conjunction with God that man has salvation and eternal life (i^- ^^^)- (ii ) Conjunction with God the Father is not possible, but only con- iunction with the Lord, and through Him with the Father "* (n. 370). (iii.) Conjunction with the Lord is a reciprocal conjunction, that is, that man is in the Lord and the Lord in man (n. 371). (iv.) This reciprocal conjunction of the Lord and man is effected by means of charity and faith (n. 372). VIIL Charity and Faith x-re Together in Good Works (n. 373-377). (i.) Charity is willing well, and good works are doing well from willing well (^- ^'^^)- (ii.) Charity and faith are only mental and perishable things, un- less they are determined to acts and coexist in them when it is possible (^- 375, 376). I CONTENTS Xlll 1 (iii.) Grood works are not produced by charity alone, still less by faith alone, but by charity and faith together (n. 377). IX. There is a True Faith, a Spurious Faith, and a Hypo- critical Faith (n. 378-381). From its cradle the Christian church began to be infested and divided by schisms and heresies. . (respecting which n. 378). (i.) True faith is the one only faith, which is a faith in the Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and this is held by those who believe Him to be the Son of God, the God of heaven and earth, and one with the Father (n. 379). (ii.) Spurious faith is all faith that departs from the true faith, which is the only one faith ; and this is the faith that is held by those who climb up some other way, and regard the Lord not as God but as a mere man (n. 380). (iii.) Hypocritical faith is no faith (n. 381). X. With the Evil There is No Faith (n. 382-384). (i.) The evil have no faith, since evil belongs to hell and faith to heaven (n. 383). (ii.) Those in Christendom who reject the Lord and the Word have no faith although they live morally, and even speak, teach, and write rationally about truth (n. 384). CHAPTEK YII. CHARITY OR LOVE TO THE NEIGHBOR, AND GOOD WORKS. I. There are Three Universal Loves — the Love of Heaven, the Love of the World, and the Love of Self (n. 394-396). (i.) The will and understanding (n. 397). (ii.) Good and truth (n. 398). (iii.) Love in general (n. 399). (iv.) Love of self and love of the world in particular (n. 400). (v.) The external and internal man (n. 401). (vi.) The merely natural and sensual man (n. 402). n. These Three Loves, When Rightly Subordinated, Perfect Man ; but When Not Rightly Subordinated They Per- vert AND Invert Him (n. 403-405). in. Every Mvn Individually is the Neighbor who is to be Loved, but According to the Quality of His Good (n. 406-411). XIV CONTENTS IV. The Collective Man, that is, a Community Smaller or Greater, and the Composite Man Formed of Communi- ties, THAT IS, One's Country, is the Neighbor that is to BE Loved (n. 412-414). V. The Church is the Neighbor that is to be Loved in a Still Higher Degree, and the Lord's Kingdom in the Highest Degree (n. 415, 416). VI. To Love the Neighbor, Viewed in Itself, is Not to Love the Person, but the Good that is in the Person (n. 417-419). VII. Charity and Good Works are Two Distinct Things, Like Willing Well and Doing Well (n. 420, 421). VIII. Charity Itself is Acting Justly and Faithfully in the Office, Business, and Employment in Which a Man is Engaged, and with Those with Whom He has any Deal- ings (n. 422-424). IX. The Benefactions of Charity are Giving to the Poor AND Relieving the Needy, but with Prudence (n. 425-428). X. There are Duties op Charity, Some Public, Some Domes- tic, AND Some Private (n. 429-432). XI. The Diversions of Charity are Dinners, Suppers, and So- cial Gatherings i^- 433, 434). XIL The First Thing of Charity is to Put Aw^ay Evils, and the Second is to do Good Works That are of Use to the Neighbor (»• 435-438). Xni. In the Exercise of Charity Man Does Not Place Merit IN Works so Long as He Believes that All Good is from the Lord i^- 439-442). XIV When \ Moral Life is also Spiritual it is Charity (n. 443-445). XV. A Friendship of Love, Contracted with a Man Without Regard TO His Spiritual Quality is Detrimental After Death (n. 446-449). XVI. There is Spurious Charity, Hypocritical Charity, and Dead Charity (n. 450-453). XVII. The Friendship of Love Among the Evil is Intestine Hatred op Each Other (n. 454, 455). XVIII. The Conjunction of Love to God and Love Towards the Neighbor i^- 466-458). i' I CONTENTS P A ET II XV CHAPTER VIII. FREEDOM OF CHOICE. I. The Precepts and Dogmas of the Present Church Respect- ing Freedom of Choice (n. 463-465). ■ II. The Placing of Two Trees in the Garden of Eden, One of Life, and the Other of the Knowledge of Good and Evil Signifies that Freedom of Choice in Things Spiritual has been Given to Man (n. 466^69). Ill Man is Not Life, but a Receptacle of Life from God (n. 470-474). IV. So Long as Man Lives in the World He is Kept Midway Between Heaven and Hell, and is there in Spiritual Equilibrium, which is Freedom of Choice. . . .(n. 475-478). V. It is Clearly Manifest from that Permission of Evil in which Every One's Internal Man is, that Man has Free- dom OF Choice in Spiritual Things (n. 479-482). VI. Without Freedom of Choice in Spiritual Things the Word avould be of No Use, and Consequently the Church WOULD be Nothing i^- 483, 484). VII. Without Freedom of Choice in Spiritual Things there WOULD be Nothing in Man Whereby He could in Turn Conjoin Himself with the Lord, Consequently there WOULD BE No -Imputation, but Mere Predestination, which is Detestable {^' 485). Detestable things concerniiig predestination divulged (n. 486-488) VIII. If there were No Freedom of Choice in Spiritual Things God would be the Cause of Evil, and thus there would BE No Imputation of Charity or Faith (n. 489-492). IX. Everything Spiritual of the Church that Enters Man in Freedom, and is Received with Freedom, Remains ; but Not the Reverse (ii* 493-496). X. Man's Will and Understanding are in this Freedom of Choice ; Nevertheless in Both Worlds, the Spiritual AND THE Natural, the Doing of Evil is Restrained by Laws, Because Otherwise Society in Both Worlds would Perish (»• 497-499). XVI CONTENTS CONTENTS xvii XI. If Man had not Freedom op Choice in Spiritual Things All THE Inhabitants of the World Might in one Day be Led TO Believe in the Lord ; but this Cannot be Done, Be- cause that which is Not Received by Man from Freedom of Choice Does Not Remain (n. 500-502). Miracles are not wrought at the present day, because they take away freedom of choice in spiritual thhigs, and compel (n- ^^1). X. Actual Repentance is Easy for Those who Have Now and Then Practised It, but is a Difficult Task for Those who Have Not (n. 561-563). XI. He who has Never Repented or has Never Looked into and Searched Himself, Finally Ceases to Know what Damn- ing Evil or Saving Good is (n. 564-666). CHAPTER IX. REPENTANCE. I Repentance is the First Thing of the Church in Man (n. 510, 511). IL The Contrition which at the Present Day is said to Pre- cede Faith, and to be followed bv the Consolation of the Gospel is Not Repentance (n. 512-515). Ill The Mere Lip-confession that One is a Sinner is Not Re- pentance (n. 516-519). IV. Man is Born [with an Inclination] to Evils of Every kind ; AND Unless He, to Some Extent, Removes His Evils by Repentance, He Remains in Them ; and He who Remains IN Evils Cannot be Saved (n. 520-524). The fulfilling of the law (n. 523, 624). V. Recognition of Sin, and the Discovery of Some Sin in Oneself, is the Beginning of Rebentance (n. 525-527). VI. Actual Repentance is Examining Oneself, Recognizing and Acknowledging One's Sins, Praying to the Lord and Beginning a New Life (n- 528-531). VII. True Repentance is Examining Not only the Actions of One's Life, but also the Intentions of One's Will (n. 532-534). VIII. Those also Repent, who, Although They do not Examine Themselves, yet Refrain from Evils Because They are Sins; and Those who from Religion do the Works of Charity Exercise such Repentance (n. 535-537). IX. Confession Ought to be Made Before the Lord God the Saviour, Followed by Supplication for Help and the Power to Resist Evils {^' 538-660). CHAPTEE X. REFORMATION AND REGENERATION". L Unless a Man is Born Again and, as it were. Created Anew, He Cannot Enter into the Kingdom of God (n. 572-575). II. The New Birth or Creation is Effected by the Lord Alone Through Charity and Faith as the Two Means, Man Co- operating (^- 576-578). III. Since All Have Been Redeemed, All May be Regenerated. Each According to His State (n. 579-582). IV. Regeneration is effected in a Manner Analogous to that in which Man is Conceived, Carried in the Womb, Born and Educated {^- 583-586). Something about the masculine and feminine sex in the vegetable kingdom (n. 585). V. The First Act in the New Birth is Called Reformation, which Pertains to the Understanding ; and the Second is Called Regeneration, which Pertains to the Will and Therefrom to the Understanding (n. 587-590). VI. The Internal Man Must First be Reformed, and by Means OF It the External ; and thus is Man Regenerated (n. 691-595). VIL When this Takes Place a Conflict Arises Between the In- ternal AND the External Man, and then the One that Conquers Rules the Other (n. 696-600). VIII. The Regenerated Man has a New Will and a New Under- standing (n. 601-606). IX. A Regenerate Man is in Communion with Angels of Heav- en, and an Unregenerate Man with Spirits of Hell (n. 607-^10). XVlll CONTENTS X. So FAR AS Man is Regenerated Sins are Removed, and this Removal is the Forgiveness of Sins (n. 611-614). XL Without Freedom of Choice in Spiritual Things Regenera- tion IS Impossible (n. 616-617). XII. Regeneration is Impossible Without Truths, by which Faith is Formed and with which Charity Conjoins Itself (n. 618-620). CHAPTER XI. IMPUTATION. I. Imputation and the Faith of the Present Church (which is Held to be the Sole Ground of Justification), make One (n. 626, 627). II. The Imputation that Belongs to the Faith of the Present Day is a Double Imputation, an Imputation of Christ's Merit and an Imputation of Salvation Thereby (n. 628-631). III. The Faith Imputative of the Merit and Righteousness of Christ the Redeemer, First Arose from the Decrees of the Council of Nice Respecting Three Divine Persons FROM Eternity, which Faith has been Accepted by the whole Christian World from that Time to the Present (n. 632-635). IV. The Faith Imputative of Christ's Merit was Unknown in THE Preceding Apostolic Church, and is Nowhere Taught IN THE Word (n. 636-639). V. The Imputation of Christ's Merit and Righteousness is Im- possible (n. 640-642). VI. There is an Imputation, but it is an Imputation of Good and Evil (n. 643-646). Vll. The Faith and Imputation of the New Church can by no Means Exist Together with the Faith and Imputation of the Former Church, and if They are Together, such a Collision and Conflict Result that Everything Pertain- ing TO the Church in Man Perishes (n. 647-649). CONTENTS XIX VIII. The Lord Imputes Good to Every Man and Hell Imputes Evil (n. 650-653). IX. Faith, with That to Which It is Conjoined, is what Deter- mines THE Verdict ; if a True Faith is Conjoined to Good, the Verdict is for Eternal Life, but if Faith is Con- joined TO Evil the Verdict is for Eternal Death (n. 654-657). X. Thought is not Imputed to any One, but Will Only (n. 658-660), CHAPTER XII. BAPTISM. I. Without a Knowledge of the Spiritual Sense op the Word NO One can Know what the Two Sacraments, Baptism and THE Holy Supper, Involve and Effect (n. 667-669). II. The Washing that is Called Baptism Means Spiritual Washing, which is Purification from Evils, and thus Re- generation (n. 670-673). III. Because Circumcision of the Foreskin Represented Cir- cumcision OF THE Heart, in the Place of Circumcision, Baptism was Instituted, in Order that an Internal Church Might Succeed the External, which in Each and All Things Prefigured the Internal Church (n. 674-676). IV. The First Use op Baptism is Introduction into the Chris- tian Church, and at the Same Time Insertion Among Christians in the Spiritual World (n. 677-680). V. The Second Use of Baptism is that the»Christian may Know and Acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ the Redeemer AND Saviour, and Follow Him (n. 681-683). VT. The Third Use of Baptism, which is the Final Use, is that THE Man may be Regenerated (n. 684-687). VII. By THE Baptism of John a Way was Prepared, that Jehovah God Might Descend into the World and Accomplish Re- demption (n. 688-691). XX CONTENTS CONTENTS XXI CHAPTER XIII CHAPTER XIV. THE HOLY SUPPER. L Without Some Knowledge op the Correspondences of Nat- ural WITH Spiritual Things, it is Impossible to Know WHAT THE Uses and Benefits of the Holy Supper are (n. 698-701). n. With a Knowledge of Correspondences what is Meant by THE Lord's Flesh and Blood can be Known, also that Bread and Wine Have a Like Meaning ; namely, that the Lord's Flesh and the Bread Mean the Divine Good of His Love, also All Good of Charity ; and the Lord's Blood and the Wine Mean the Divine Truth of His Wisdom, also All Truth of Faith, and Eating Means Appropriation (n. 702-710). Shown from the Word what is meant by "flesh" (n. 704, 706). What is meant by " blood" (n. 706). What is meant by " bread" (n. 707). What is meant by " wine" (n. 708). HL When all this is Understood any One can Comprehend that the Holy Supper Contains All Things of the Church and All Things of Heaven both in General and in Particular (n. 711-715). IV. In the Holy Supper the Lord is Wholly Present with the Whole of His Redemption (n. 716-718). V. The Lord is Present and Opens Heaven to Those who Come TO the Holy Supper Worthily ; and is also Present with Those m ho Come to it Unworthily, but to Them He Does not Open Heaven ; Consequently, as Baptism is Intro- duction into the Church, so is the Holy Supper Intro- duction INTO Heaven (n. 719-721) VI. Those Come to the Holy Supper Worthily who Have Faith IN THE Lord and Charity Toward the Neighbor that is, WHO ARE Regenerate (n. 722-724). VII. Those who Come to the Holy Supper Worthily are in the Lord and the Lord is in Them ; Consequently Conjunction with the Lord is Effected by the Holy Supper (n. 725-727). VIII. To Those who Worthily Come to the Holy Supper it is Like a Signature and Seal that They are Sons of God (n. 728-730). 1 THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE ; THE COMING OF THE LORD ; AND THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH. I. The Consummation of the Age is the Last Time of the Church or Its End (n. 753-756). n. The Present is the Last Time of the Christian Church, Which was Foretold and Described by the Lord in the Gospels and in the Apocalypse (n. 757-759). III. This Last Time of the Christian Church is the Very Night in which Former Churches Have Come to an End (n. 760-763). IV. This Night is Followed by a Morning, which is the Coming OF the Lord (n. 764-767). V. The Lord's Coming is Not His Coming to Destroy the Visi- ble Heaven and the Habitable Earth, and to Create a New Heaven and a New Earth, as Many, from Not Un- derstanding THE Spiritual Sense of the Word, have Hitherto Supposed (n. 768-771). VI. This Coming of the Lord, which is His Second Coming, is Taking Place in Order that the Evil may be Separated FROM the Good, and that Those who have Believed and do Believe in Him may be Saved, and that from Them A New Angelic Heaven and a New Church on Earth may BE Formed, and Without This, no Flesh Could be Saved {Matt. xxiv. 22) (n. 772-775). VII. This Second Coming of the Lord is Not a Coming in Person, BUT in the Word, which is from Him and is Himself (n. 776-778). VIII. This Second Coming of the Lord is Effected by Means of a Man, to w^hom the Lord has Manifested Himself in Per- son, and whom He has Filled with His Spirit, that He MAY Teach the Doctrines of the New Church from the Lord Through the Word (n. 779-780). IX. This is what is Meant in the Apocalypse by "the New Heaven," and "the New Jerusalem Descending There- from" (n. 781-785). X. This New Church is the Crown of All the Churches that HAVE Hitherto Existed on the Earth (u. 786-791). siiaiHMii&riHMi XXll CONTENTS SUPPLEMENT.' The Nature of the Spiritual World ^n. 792-795 1 Luther, Melancthon, and Calvin in the Spiritual World (n. 796-799). The Dutch in the Spiritual World (n. 800-805). The English in the Spiritual World (n. 806-812). The Germans in the Spiritual World (n. 813-816). The Papists in the Spiritual World /n. 817-821). The Popish Saints in the Spiritual World (n. 822-827). The Mohammedans in the Spiritual World (n. 828-834). The Africans in the Spiritual World ; also Something IN Regard to the Gentiles ^n. 835-840). The Jews in the Spiritual World, , , , , (n. 841-843) I THE TRUE OHRISTIAN RELIGION: containing THE UNIVERSAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND OF THE NEW CHURCH. THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND OF THE NEW CHURCH. 1. This faitb is first set forth in a universal and in a par- ticular form, that it may serve as a preface set before the work that follows, also as a gate giving entrance to a temple, and as a summary, containing in their own mode the particulars that succeed. It is called the faith of the New Heaven and of the New Church because heaven which is the abode of angels, and the church which is made up of men, act as a one, like the inter- nal and the external man ; consequently the man of the church who is in the good of love from the truths of faith and in the truths of faith from the good of love, is, in respect to the in- teriors of his mind, an angel of heaven ; and being such he after death enters heaven and there enjoys happiness in pro- portion to the state of conjunction of his love and faith. Let it be known that in the New Heaven, which the Lord is now establishing, this faith is its preface, gate, and summary. 2. Thk Faith of the New Heaven and of the New Church in its universal Form is as follows: — The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human ; and without this no mortal could have been saved ; and those are saved who believe in Him. [2] This is called the faith in its universal form, because this is the universal principle of faith ^ and the universal prin- 2 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION ciple of faith must be in each thing and in all things of it. It is a universal principle of faith that God is one in essence and in person, in whom is a Divine trinity, and that He is the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Chiist. It is a universal principle of faith that no mortal could have been saved unless the Lord had come into the world. It is a universal principle of faith that He came into the world to remove hell from man, and that He did remove it by means of contests with it and vic- tories over it, and thereby He subdued it and reduced it to order and made it obedient to Himself. It is a universal prin- ciple of faith that He came into the world to glorify His Hu- man which He took on in the world, that is, to unite it with the Divine from which [are all things], and thereby He eter- nally holds hell in order and under obedience to Himself. As this could be accomplished only by means of temfjtations ad- mitted into His Human, even to the last of them, which was the passion of the cross. He endured even that. These are the universal principles of faith relating to the Lord. [3] The universal principle of faith on man's part is that he should believe in the Lord ; for by believing in Him there is conjunction with Him and thereby salvation. To believe in the Lord is to have confidence that He saves ; and as only those who live rightly can have this confidence, this, too, is meant by believing in Him. And this the Lord teaches in John : — This is the Father's will, that every one that beiieveth in the Son may have eternal life (vi. 40) ; and again : — He that beiieveth in the Son hath eternal life ; bnt he that beiieveth not in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him (iii. 36). 3. The Eaith of the New Heaven and of the New Church in a tarticular Form is as follows : — Jehovah God is love itself and wisdom itself, or is good itself and truth itself ; and in respect to Divine truth, which is the Word, and which was God with God, He came down and took on the Human for the purpose of reducing to order all things that were in heaven, and all things in hell, and all things in the church ; because at that time the power of hell THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN, ETC. 3 prevailed over the power of. heaven, and upon the earth the power of evil over the power of good, and in consequence a total damnation stood threatening at the door. This impend- ing damnation Jehovah God removed by means of His Human, which was Divine truth, and thus He redeemed angels and men, and thereupon He united, in His Human, Divine truth with Divine good or Divine wisdom with Divine love ; and so, with and in His glorified Human, He returned into His Divine in which He was from eternity. All this is meant by these words in John : — The Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word be- came flesh (i. 1, 14) ; and in the same : — I came out from the Father and am come into the world ; again I leave the world and go unto the Father (xvi. 28} ; and also by these words : — We know that the Son of God is come, and has given tls understand- ing that we may know the True ; and we are in the True, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and life eternal (1 John v. 20). From these word s it is clen.r thn.t withn^]|-, f.hp. Lnrrrpj f^oi p^'r.j-r i nto the world no one could have been saved . It is the same to-day ; and therefore without the Lord's coming again into the world in Divine truth, which is the Word, no one can be saved. [2] The particulars of Faith ox Man's part are : (1) God is one, in whom is a Divine trinity, and the Lord God the Saviour Jqsus Christ is that one. (2) Saving faith is to believe in Him. (3) Evils should not be done, because they are of the devil and from the devil. (4) Goods should be done, because they are of God and from God. (5) These should be done by man as if by himself ; but it should be believed that they are done by the Lord in man and through man. The first two are matters of faith, the next two of charity, and the fifth of the conjunction of charity and faith, thus of the conjunction of the Lord and man. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 4] GOD THE CREATOR CHAPTER I. GOD THE CREATOR. 4. Since the LorcVs time the Christian Church has passed through the several stages from infancy to extreme old age. Its infancy was in the lifetime of the apostles, when they preached throughout the world repentance and faith in the Lord God the Saviour. That this is what they preached is evident from these words in the Acfs of the Apostles:— Paul testified, both to the Jews and to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (xx. 21). It is a noteworthy fact that some months ago the Lord called together His twelve disciples, now angels, and sent them forth throughout the spiritual world, with the command to preach the gospel there anew, since the church that was established by the Lord through them has at this day become so far con- summated that scarcely a remnant of it survives ; and this has come to pass, because the Divine trinity has been divided into three persons, each one of whom is God and Lord. [2] l^>ecause of this a sort of frenzy has invaded tiot only all the- ology, but also the church that from the Lord's name is called Christian. It is called a frenzy because men's minds have been made so demented by it as not to know whether there is one God or three. On the lips there is one God ; but m the thought of the mind there are three ; consequently the mind and lips, that is, the thought and speech, are at variance ; and the result of this variance is that there is no God at all. The naturalism that prevails at this day is from no other source. Consider, if you will, with the lips speaking of one and the mind thinking of three, whether one of these statements does not, when they meet within, cancel the other. Consecpiently when a man thinks about God, if he thinks at all it is noth- ing more than thought from the mere name God, unaccom- panied by any sense of the meaning of the name that mvolves any knowledge of God. [3] The idea of God, with all conception of Him, having been thus rent asunder, it is i % my purpose to treat, in their order, of God the Creator, of the Lord the Eedeemer, and of the Holy Spirit the Operator, and lastly of the Divine trinity, to the end that what has been rent asunder may be again made whole ; which is done when the reason of man is convinced by the Woixl and by light therefrom that there is a Divine trinity, and that the trinity is in the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ, like the soul, the body, and what goes forth from these, in man ; and that thus this article in the Athanasian Creed is true : — In Christ God and man, or the Divine and the Human, are not two, but are in one person ; and as the rational soul and the flesh are one man, so God and man are one Christ. THE UNITY OF GOD. 5. As the acknowdedgment of God from a knowledge of God is the very essence and soul of the entire contents of theology, it is necessary that the unity of God should be the first thing treated of. This shall be set forth in order in the following sections : — (1) The entire Holy Scripture, and the doctrines therefrom of the churches in the Christian world, teach that God is one. (2) There is a universal influx [from God] into the souls of men of the truth that there is a God, and that He is one. (3) For this reason there is in all the world no nation pos- sessing religion and sound reason that does not acknowledge a God, and that God is one. (4) Kespecting what the one God is, nations and peoples have differed and still differ, from many causes. (5) Human reason can, if it will, perceive and be convinced, from many things in the world, that there is a God, and that He is one. (G) If God were not one, the universe could not have been created and preserved. (7) Whoever does not acknowledge a God is excommunicar ted from the church and condemned. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 6] GOD THE CREATOR (8) With the man who acknowledges several Gods instead of one, there is no coherence in the things relating to the church. These propositions shall be unfolded one by one. 6. (1) The entire Holy Scripture^ and all the doctrines there- from of the churches in the Christian world, teach that there is a God and that He is one. The entire Holy kScripture teaches that there is a God, because in its inmosts it is nothing but God, that is, it is nothing but the Divine that goes forth from God ; for it was dictated by God ; and from God nothing can go forth ex- cept what is God and is called Divine. This the Holy Scripture is m its inmosts. But in its derivatives, which are below and from these inmosts, the Holy Scripture is adapted to the percep- tion of angels and men. The Divine is likewise in these deriv- atives, but in another form, in which it is called the celestial, spiritual, and natural Divine. These are simply the draperies of God ; for God Himself, such as He is in the inmosts of the Word, cannot be seen by any creature. For He said to Moses, when Moses prayed that he might see the glory of Jehovah, that no one can see God and live. This is equally true of the in- mosts of the Word, where God is in His very Being and Essence. [i^] Nevertheless, the Divine, which forms the inmost and is draped by things adapted to the perceptions of angels and men, beams forth like light through crystalline forms, although vari- ously in accordance with the state of mind that man has formed for himself, either from God or from himself. Before every one who has formed the state of his mind from God the Holy Scripture stands like a mirror wherein he sees God; but every one in his own way. This mirror is made up of those truths that man learns from the Word, and that he appropriates by living in accordance with them. From all this it is evident, in the lirst place, that the Holy Scripture is the fulness of God. [3] That the Holy Scripture teaches not only that there is a God, but also that God is one, can be seen from the truths which, as before stated, compose that mirror, in that they form a coherent whole and make it impossible for man to think of God except as one. In consequence of this, every person whose reason is imbued with any sanctity from the Word knows, as if from himself, that God is one, and feels it to be a sort of insanity to say that there are more. The angels are unable to open their lips to utter the word Gods, for the heavenly aura in which they live resists it. That God is one the Holy Scripture teaches, not only thus universally, as has been said, but also in many particular pas- as in the following : — sages Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah {Deut. vi. 4 ; also Mark xii. 29). Surely God is in thee, and beside Me there is no god {Isa. xlv. 14). Am not I Jehovah ? and there is no god else beside Me {Isa. xlv. 21). I am Jehovah thy God and thou shalt acknowledge no god beside Me {Ilosea xiii. 4). Thus saith Jehovah, the king of Israel, I am the First and the Last, and beside Me there is no god (Isa. xliv. 6). In that day Jehovah shall be king over all the earth ; in that day Je- hovah shall be one and Ills name one {Zech. xiv. 9). 7. It is known that the doctrines of the churches in the Christian world teach that God is one. This they teach because all their doctrines are from the Word, and so far as one God is acknowledged both with the lips and the heart these doctrines are consistent. To those who confess one God with the lips only, but in heart accept three, as is true of many at this day in Christendom, God is nothing but a word on the lips ; and all their theology is a mere idol of gold enclosed in a shrine, the key to which the priests alone hold ; and when such read the Word they perceive no light in it or from it, not even that God is one. To such the Word appears blurred with blots, and in regard to the unity of God entirely covered with them. It is these who are described by the Lord in Matthew : — In hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall see and not discern. Their eyes they have closed, lest haply they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and should turn themselves and I should heal them (xiii. 14, 15). All these are like men shunning the light, and entering cham- bers without windows, and groping about the walls, searching for food or money, and at length acquiring a vision like that of birds of the night, seeing in darkness. They are like a woman having several husbands, who is not a wife but a lascivious cour- tesan ; or they are like a virgin who accepts rings from several suitors, and after the nuptials bestows her favors not upon one only, but also upon the others. 8 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chai'. I. N. 8] GOD THE CREATOR 8. (2) There is a universal influx from God into the souls of men of the truth that there is a God, and that He is one. That there is an influx from God into man is evident from the uni- versal confession that all good that is in itself good, and that exists in man and is done by him, is from God ; in like man- ner every thing of charity and every thing of faith ; for we read: — • A man can take nothing except it be given him from heaven {John iii. 27); and Jesus said : — Without Me ye are unable to do anything {John xv. 5); that is, anything that pertains to charity and faith. This influx is into the souls of men because the soul is the inmost and highest part of man, and the influx from God enters into that, and descends therefrom into the tilings that are below, and vivi- fies them in accordance with reception. The truths that are to constitute belief flow in, it is true, through the hearing, and are thus implanted in the mind, that is, below the soul. Eut by maans of such truths man is simply made ready to receive the influx from God through thci soul ; and such as this preparation is, such is the reception, and such the transformation of natural faith into spiritual faith. [2] There is such an influx from God into tlie souls of men of the truth that God is one, because everything Divine, regarded most generally as well as most particularly, is God. And as the entire Divine coheres as one, it cannot fail to inspire in man the idea of one God; and this idea is strengthened daily as man is elevated by God into the light of heaven. For the angels in their light cannot force themselves to utter the w^ord Gods. Even their speech closes at the end of every sentence in a oneness of cadence ; and there is no other cause of this than the influx into their souls of the truth that God is one. [3] hi spite of this influx into the souls of men of the truth that God is one, there are many who think that the Divinity of God is divided into several possessing the same essence ; and the reason of this is that when the influx de- scends it falls into forms not correspondent, and influx is varied by the form that receives it, as takes place in all the subjects of the three kingdoms of nature. It is the same God who vivifies i 4 man and who vivifies every beast ; but the recipient form is what causes the beast to be a beast and man to be a man. The same is true of man when he induces on his mind the form of a beast. There is the same influx from the sun into every kind of tree, but the influx differs in accordance with the form of each ; that which flows into the vine is the same as that which flows into the thorn ; but if a thorn were to be engrafted upon a vine the influx would be inverted and go forth in accordance with the form of the thorn. W The same is true of the sub- jects of the mineral kingdom ; the same light flows into lime- stone and into the diamond ; but in the diamond it is transmit- ted, while in the limestone it is quenched. In human miiuls these differences are in accordance with the forms of the mind, which become inwardly spiritual in accordance with faith in CJod, together with life from (iod, such forms being made trans- lucent and angelic by a faith in one God, and on the contrar}^ made dark and bestial by a faith in more than one CJod, which differs but little from a faith in no (Jod. 9. (3) For this reason, there is in all the world no nation possessing reVKjion and sound reason that does not acknoivlcdge a God, and that God is one. As a consequence of the Divine influx into the souls of men, treated of just above, there is in every man an internal dictate that there is a God and that He is one. And yet there are some who deny God, and some who acknowledge nature as god, and some who acknowledge more gods than one, and some who worship images as gods ; which is possible because such have blocked up the interiors of their reason or understanding with worldly and corporeal things, thereby obliterating their first or childhood idea respecting God, and at the same time rejecting religion from their breasts and casting it behind their backs. Christians acknowledge one God ; but in what manner is evident from their established creed, wdiich is as follows : — The Catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity. There are three Divine persons. Father, Son, and Holy S})irit, and yet there are not three Gods, but there is one Go(l. There is one person of the Father, an- other of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit, and their di- vinity is one, their glory equal, and their majesty coeternal. i 10 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 10] GOD THE CREATOR 11 Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. But like as we are compelled by Christian verity to confess each person singly to be God and Lord, so we are for- bidden by the Catholic religion to say there be three Gods or three Lords. Such is the Christian faith respecting the unity of God. But that the trinity of God and the unity of God in that creed are inconsistent with each other will be shown in the chapter on the Divine trinity. [2] The other nations in the world possessing a religion and sound reason agree in acknowledging that God is one; all the Mohammedans in their empires; the Africans in many kingdoms of that continent ; the Asiatics in their many kingdoms ; and finally the Jews to this day. Of the inost an- cient people in the golden age, such as had any religion wor- shiped one God, whom they called Jehovah. The same is true of the ancient people in the succeeding age, until monarchical governments were established, when worldly and afterwards corporeal loves began to close up the higher regions of the un- derstanding, which previously had been open, and had been like temples and sacred recesses for the worship of one God. In order to reopen these and thus restore the worship of one God, the Lord God instituted a church among the posterity of Jacob, and made this the first of all the commandments of their re- ligion : — Thou Shalt have no other gods before Me {Exod. xx. 3). [3] :vroreover, the name Jehovah, which He at this time re- stored, signifies the supreme and only Being, the Source of everything that is or exists in the universe. Jove, a name de- rived possibly from Jehovah, was worshiped as a supreme god by the ancient heathen ; and many other gods who composed his court they also clothed with divinity; while in the follow- ing age wise men, like Plato and Aristotle, confessed that these were not gods, but were so many properties, qualities, and at- tributes of the one God, being called gods because there was something Divine in each of them. 10. All sound reason, even when it is not religious, sees that every composite thing would of itself fall to pieces unless it depended upon some one thing ; as in the case of man, com- i I posed of so many members, viscera, and organs of sensation and motion, unless they all depended on one soul ; or the body itself, unless it depended on one heart. The same is true of a kingdom unless it depends on one king ; a household, unless on one master ; and every ofiice, of which there are many kinds in every kingdom, unless on one officer. What would an army avail against the enemy unless it had a leader having supreme power, and officers subordinate to him, each of them having his proper command over the soldiers ? So would it be with the church if it did not acknowledge one God, or with the angelic heaven, w^hich is like a head to the church on earth, in both of which the Lord is the very soul. This is w hy heaven and the church are called His body ; and when these do not acknowledge one God they are like a dead body, which being useless is carried away and buried. 11. (4) Resjiecting what the one God is, nations and peoples have differed ami still dffer, from many causes. The first cause is that knowledge and consequent acknowledgment of God are not possible w^ithout revelation ; nor are a knowledge of the Lord, and a consequent acknowledgment that " in Him dwell- eth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily '^ possible except from the Word, which is the crown of revelations ; for it is by the revelation given to man that he is able to approach God and to receive influx, and thereby from being natural to become spirit- ual. The primeval revelation extended throughout the world ; but it was perverted by the natural man in many ways, which was the origin of religious disputes, dissensions, heresies, and schisms. The second cause is that the natural man is not capor ble of any perception of God, but only of the world and adapt- ing this to himself. Consequently it is among the canons of the Christian Church that the natural man is opposed to the spiritual, and that they contend against each other. This ex- plains why those who have learned from the Word or other rev- elation that there is a God have differed and still differ respect- ing the nature and the unity of God. [2] For this reason those whose mental sight depended on the bodily senses, but who nevertheless had a desire to see God, formed for themselves images of gold, silver, stone, and wood, under which as visible objects they might worship God ; while others who discarded i 12 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap, I. idols from their religion found for themselves representations of God in the sun and moon, in the stars, and in various ob- jects on the earth. But those who thought themselves wiser than the common people, and yet remained natural, from the immensity and omnipresence of God in creating the world ac- knowledged nature as God, some of them nature in its inmosts, some in its outmosts ; while others, that they might separate God from nature, conceived an idea of something most univer- sal, which they called the Being of the universe (^Ens universt) ; and l)ecause such have no further knowledge of God this Be- ing becomes to them mere rational abstraction (ens rationis) which has no meaning. [3] Every one can see that a man's knowledge of God is his mirror of God, and that those who know nothing about God do not see God in a mirror with its face toward them, but in a mirror with its back toward them ; and as this is covered with quicksilver, or some dark paste, it does not reflect the image but extinguishes it. Faith in God enters into man through a prior way, which is from the soul into the higher parts of tlie understanding ; while knowledges about God enter through a posterior way, because tliey are drawn from the revealed Word by the understanding, thrcnigli the bodily senses ; and these inflowings meet midway in the understanding ; and tliere natural faith, which is merely persua- sion, l)ecomes spiritual, which is real acknowledgment. Thus the human understanding is like a refining vessel, in which this transmutation is effected. 12. (5) Human reaso7i can, if it ivilly perceive and he con- vinced , from many things in the ivorld, that there is a God, and that He is one. This truth may be confirmed by innumerable things in the visible world; for the universe is like a stage, upon which evidences that there is a God and that He is one are continually exhibited. To illustrate this I will cite this Memorable Eelation from the spiritual world : — Once w^hile I was talking with angels, certain si)irits that had recently arrived from the natural world were present. Seeing them, 1 bade them welcome, and told them many things they had not known before about the spiritual world. After this I asked them what knowledge about God and about nature they had brought with them from the world. N. 12] MEMORABLE RELATION 13 " This," they said, " that nature is the operative power in all things that are done in the created universe ; and that God, after creation, endowed nature wiUi and impressed upon it that capability and power; and that God merely sustains and preserves that pov/er lest it perish ; consequently, all things that spring forth or are praluced and reproduced upon the earth are now ascribed to nature." But I replied that in nothing is nature of itself the operative power, but God through nature. And when they asked for proof I said, " Those who l)elieve the Divine operation to be in every least thing of nature find in very many things they see in the world much more evidence in favor of a God than in favor of nature. [2] For those who find evidences in favor of the Divine operation in every least thing of nature observe attentively the wonderful things that are seen in the produc- tion of plants and of animals. In the Production of Plants, they observe that from a little seed sown in the ground there goes forth a root, and from the root a stem, and successively branches, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits, even to new seeds, just as if the seed knew the order of succession or develop- ment by which to renew itself. What rational person can imagine that the sun, which is pure fire, knows this, or that it can impart to its heat and light the power to produce such effects and to have such uses in view ? Any man whose reason looks upward, when he sees these things and proi)erly con- siders them, must needs conclude that they are from one whose wisdom is infinite, that is, from God. In this conclusion those who recognize a Divine operation in all the particulars of nature confirm themselves when they observe these things. On the other hand, those who do not recognize such an operation in nature behold these things with the eyes of their reason in the back of the head, and not in the front. These are such as derive all the ideas of their thought from the bodily senses, and confirm the fallacies of the senses, saying, ' Do you not see the sun accomplishing all these things by means of its heat and light ? Is that which you do not see of any account V [3] Those who confirm themselves in favor of the Divine care- fully observe the wonderful things they see in the Production of Animals ; as in regard to eggs (speaking first of these), the I 14 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 12] MEMORABLE RELATION 15 chick in its seminal state lies concealed in them with every thing requisite for its formation, and also for its entire development after it is hatched until it becomes a bird in the form of the parent. Moreover, to any mind that thinks deeply, things which excite wonder are presented whenever winged creatures in gen- eral are observed ; as that both the smallest and largest of them, both the invisible and the visible, that is, both minute insects and great birds and beasts, possess organs of sense, namely, sight, smell, taste, and touch ; also organs of motion, which are muscles, for they fly and walk ; also viscera connected with the heart and lungs which are moved by the brains. All these things are seen also by those who ascribe everything to nature ; but such merely notice their existence, and claim that they are products of nature. This they claim because they have turned away their minds from all thoughts of the Divine ; and those who have done this, when they behold the wonderful things in nature, are unable to think about them rationally, still less spiritually ; but they think sensually and materially ; thus they think in nature from nature, and not above nature ; and such differ from beasts only in being endowed with rationality, that is, only in an ability to understand if they wish to. [4] Those who have turned themselves away from all thought of a Di- vine, and have thereby become corporeal-sensual, never con- sider that the sight of the eye is so gross and material that it sees many small insects as a single obscure object; and yet each one of these is organized for sensation and motion, and is consequently endowed with fibers and vessels, with a min- ute heart and pulmonic tubes, with minute viscera and with brains ; and these are composed of nature's purest elements, these textures corresponding to life in its lowest degree where- by their least parts are severally actuated. Considering the grossness of our bodily vision, to which many such insects, with the innumerable parts in each, appear as a single minute indis- tinct object, while yet it is from this vision that sensual men think and draw conclusions, it is evident how gross their minds must be, and in what darkness they must be respecting spirits ual things. [5] "Any man is able, if he will, to find evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things of nature ; and this he does when- ever he thinks of God and of His omnipotence in the crea- tion of the universe, and of His omnipresence in the preserva- tion of it ; as, for instance, when he sees that among the birds of heaven each species knows its own food and where to find it, recognizes its companions by sight and sound, and among other species knows which are friends and which enemies ; that they know how to mate, to form marriages, construct their nests skillfully, place their eggs in them and hatch them, also the period of incubation ; and when the young have been hatched they love them most tenderly, shelter them beneath their wings, feed and nourish them, and this until they are able to provide for themselves and to perform like offices. If any one is will- ing to think about a Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural he can see it in these creatures ; and can also, if he will, say from his heart that the sun through its heat and light cannot be the source of such knowledge, for the sun from which nature has its rise and essence is pure fire, and conse- quently its efiluent heat and light must be utterly dead ; and thus he may reach the conclusion that these knowledges are from a Divine influx through the spiritual world into the out- mosts of nature. [6] " Any one can find evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things of nature when he observes those worms which are moved by the joy of a peculiar love to aspire after a change of their earthly state into one somewhat analogous to a heavenly state. For this purpose they crawl into suitable places, enclose themselves in a covering, and thus place themselves in a womb from which to be born again ; and there they become chrysalids, aureliae, nymphs, and finially butterflies; and having under- gone this transformation and been decked with beautiful wings according to their species, they fly forth into the air as into their heaven, and there disport themselves merrily, marrying, laying eggs, and providing for themselves a posterity, mean- while nourishing themselves with sweet and pleasant food from flowers. Who that sees evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things of nature can help seeing in these as worms an image of man's earthly state, and in these as butterflies an image of his heavenly state ? Those who have confirmed them- selves in favor of nature behold the same things, but having re- 16 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 12] MEMORABLE RELATION 17 I w jected man's heavenly state from their thought they call them mere operations of nature. [7] "Any one can find evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things in nature when he gives thought to what is known of bees, their knowing how to collect wax from roses and blossoms, to suck out honey, to build cells like little houses, to arrange them like a city, with streets for going in and out ; their smelling from a distance the flowers and herbs from which they collect wax for their houses and honey for food, being loaded wdth wdiich they fly back straight to their hive. Thus they i>rovide themselves ^viih food for the coming winter as if they foresaw it. They also ai)point a mistress over themselves as queen, and through her they propagate a posterity ; and for her they build a sort of palace above them- selves, and place guards around it. When the time for propa- gation arrives, accompanied by her guards, w^hich are called drones, she goes from cell to cell, and lays her eggs, which her retinue seal up lest they be injured by the air. Thus a new generation is born ; and wdien this generation has reached the proper age to be able to rej^eat the process it is expelled from the hive, and the new swarm, after gathering into a body to prevent separation, flies forth to find itself a home. About the time of autumn, as the drones have added nothing to the supply of w^ax or honey, they are led out and deprived of their wings to prevent their returning and consuming the food on w^iich they had spent no labor. From this and other facts it can be seen that on account of the use they perform for the human race these insects receive by influx from the spiritual world a form of government similar to that which is formed among men on the earth, and even among the angels in the heavens. [8] AMiat man of sound reason does not see that the natural world cannot be the source of all this ? What has the sun, from w^hich nature springs, in common with a government which so vies wdth and closely resembles heavenly government ? From these and like facts exhibited among animals, one who acknowledges and w^orships nature confirms himself in favor of nature ; while he who acknowledges and worships God confirms himself from the same facts in favor of God ; for the spiritual man sees in them spiritual things, and the natural man sees in them natural things, thus each in accord with his character. For my own part, such things have been to me evidences that from God there is an influx of the spiritual world into the nat- ural. Consider, moreovox, whether you are able to think ana- lytically of any form of government, of any civil law, or any moral virtue, or any spiritual truth, except on the supposition that there is an inflow of the Divine from its own wisdom through the spiritual world. As to myself, I am not able to do so, and never have been. I have now for twenty-six years con- tinually observed that influx perceptibly and sensibly ; I there- fore speak from what 1 know. [9] " Can nature pursue use as an end, and arrange uses in order and in forms? Only a wise being is able to do this; and God alone, whose wisdom is infinite, is able so to order and form the universe. Who else can foresee and provide food and cloth- ing for man — food from the products of the field, from the fruits of the earth, and from animals ; and clothing from the same sources ? It is among these marvelous facts that those petty worms called silkworms clothe with silk and magnificently adorn both women and men, from queens and kings even to maidservants and menservants ; and that a petty insect like the bee supplies the wax for the tapers that make temples and palaces brilliant, All these and more are conclusive proofs that God from Himself through the spiritual w^orld operates all things that take place in nature. [lOj i' To all this let me add the fact that I have seen in the spiritual world those who from things visible in the natural world had confirmed themselves in favor of nature until they had become atheists; and that in spiritual light the understand- ing of such appeared to be open below, but closed above, for the reason that in their thought they had looked down toward the earth, and not up toward heaven. Above their sensual facul- ties, which form the lowest part of the understanding, a kind of covering flashing with infernal fire was seen, in some cases like soot, and in others livid like a corpse. Let every one there- fore beware of these confirmations in favor of nature ; and let him confirm himself in favor of God; there is no lack of means.'- 13. (6) If God were not one, the universe could not have been created and preserved. The unity of God may be inferred from 2 18 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 13] GOD THE CREATOR 19 ID the creation of the universe, because the universe is a work coherent as a unit from things first to things last, and depend- ent upon one God as a body upon its soul. The universe was so created that God might be omnipresent, and hold each and all of its parts under His direction, and keep its parts together as one body perpetually, which is to preserve it. Moreover, because of this Jehovah God declares : — That He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega {Isa. xliv. 6 ; Rev. i. 8, 17). And elsewhere : — That He maketh all things, spreadeth forth the heavens above, and stretcheth forth the earth by Himself {Isa. xliv. 24). This vast system which is called the universe is a work co- herent as a unit from things first to things last, because in creating it God had a single end in view, which was an angelic heaven from the Jiuman race ; and all things of which the world consists are means to that end ; since he who seeks an end seeks also the means. [2] Consequently, whoever regards the world as a work containing means to that end is able to look upon the created universe as a work coherent as a unit, and to see that the world is a complex of uses, existing in a succes- sive order, looking to the human race (from which is the an- gelic heaven) as its end. The Divine love can be intent upon no other end than the eternal blessedness of men, having its source in the Divine ; and its Divine wisdom can bring forth nothing but uses that are means to that end. Surveying the world from this most general idea, every wise man can com- prehend that the Creator of the universe is a One, and that His essence is love and wisdom ; consequently there can not be in it the smallest particular in which there does not lie hidden some use, more or less remote, for man — food from the fruits of the earth and from animals, and clothing from the same sources. [3] How wonderful it is that the insignificant silk- worm should clothe with silk and magnificently adorn both women and men, from queens and kings to maidservants and menservants ; and that a petty insect like the bee should supply wax for the tapers which make temples and palaces brilliant. Those who study in minute detail a few things in i i the world, and not all things in their most general relations, including ends, mediate causes, and effects, and who, further- more, do not deduce creation from Divine love through the Divine wisdom, are unable to see that the universe is the work- manship of one God, and that He dwells in every particular use Ijecause He dwells in the end. For in every case one who is in an end must be in the means also, since the end is inmostly in all the means, actuating and directing them. [4] Those who do not regard the universe as the workmanship of God and the dwelling-place of His love and wisdom, but as the workmanship of nature and the dwelling-place of the sun's heat and light, close the higher regions of their mind against God, and open its lower regions for the devil, and consequently put off their human nature and put on a bestial nature, and not only think themselves to be like the beasts but actually become so. For they become foxes in cunning, wolves in fierceness, panthers in treachery, tigers in cruelty, and crocodiles, serpents, owls, and other birds of night, in the several characteristics of these. Moreover, in the spiritual world those who are such do at a dis- tance actually appear like these wild beasts. Thus does their love of evil portray itself. 14. (7) Whoever does not acknowledge a God is excommu- nicated from the church and condemned. Whoever does not acknowledge a God is excommunicated from the church, because God is the all of the church; and Divine things which are called theological are what constitute the church ; consequently a denial of God is a denial of all things pertaining to the church ; and this denial is what excommunicates the man ; thus he is excommunicated not by God, but by himself. And he stands condemned because he who is excommunicated from the church is also excommunicated from heaven ; since the church on earth and the angelic heaven make one, like the internal and the external or the spiritual and the natural in man ; and man was so created by God that in respect to his internal he might be in the spiritual world and in respect to his external in the natural world ; consequently he was created a native of both worlds, in order that the spiritual which belongs to heaven might be implanted in the natural, which belongs to the world, just as seed is planted in the ground ; and that man might thus 20 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 14] GOD THE CREATOR 21 become fixed and endure to eternity, [i^] The man who has excommunicated himself from the church and thus from heaven by a denial of God has closed up in himself his internal man in respect to his will and its genial love ; for man's will is the receptacle of his love, and becomes its dwelling-place. But he cannot close up his internal man in respect to its understanding, for if he could and did he would be man no longer. Neverthe- less, his will's love infatuates with falsities the higher faculties of the understanding ; and in consequence the understanding becomes closed to the truths pertaining to faith and the goods pertaining to charity, thus more and more against God, and also against the spiritual things of the church. Thus man is shut out from communion with the angels of heaven, and when so shut out he enters into communion with the satans of hell, and thinks as they think ; and all satans deny God, and think foolishly about God and the spiritual things of the church ; and in the same way does the man think who is conjoined with them. [3] When such a man is in his spirit, as he is when left privately to himself, he suffers his thoughts to be led by the delights of evil and falsity which he has conceived and brought forth in himself ; and he then thinks that God has no existence, but is merely a word uttered from the pulpit to hold the com- mon people in obedience to the laws of justice, which are the laws of society. He also thinks the Word, from which mmis- ters proclaim a God, to be a mass of visionary tales, which have been made holy by authority, and the Decalogue or cate- chism to be merely a little book to be thrown aside when it has been well worn by the hands of little boys, since it teaches that parents ought to be honored, forbids murder, adultery, theft, and false witness ; and who does not learn the same things from civil law ? He thinks of the church as an assembly of sim- ple, credulous, and weak-minded people, who see what they see not He thinks of man, and of himself as a man, as being like a beast, and of life after death as of the life of a beast after death. [4] Thus does his internal man think, however differ- ently his external man may speak. For, as just said, every man has an internal and an external ; and it is the internal that makes the man, that is, the spirit, which is what lives after death ; while the external, in which by a semblance of morality he plays the hypocrite, is laid in the grave ; and on account of his denial of God the man then stands condemned. In respect ■ to his spirit every man is associated in the spiritual world with i his like, and becomes as one of them. It has frequently been '\ granted me to see there in societies the spirits of men still liv- ' ing, — some in angelic and some in infernal societies, — and also to converse with them for days ; and I have wondered how the man himself while still living in the body could be wholly ig- norant of this. Thus was it made clear that he who denies God is even now among the damned, and that after death he is gathered to his own. 15. (8) With men ivho acknowled(je several Gods bis fead of one there is no coherence in the things relating to the church. He who ill his belief acknowledges and in his heart worships one God is both in the communion of the saints on earth and in the communion of the angels in heaven. These are called " communions," and are communions, because such are in the one God and the one God is in them. Moreover, they are in conjunction Avith the entire angelic heaven, and, I might ven- ture to say, with all and each of its inhabitants, for they are i all like the children and descendants of one father, whose dis- positions, manners, and features are similar, whereby they rec- ognize each other. The angelic heaven is harmoniously ar- ranged in societies in accordance with all the varieties of the love of good, and these varieties center in one universal love, which is love to God ; from which love all are born who in belief acknowledge and in heart worship the one God, who is both the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer and Regen- erator. [2] But it is a wholly different matter with those who approach and worship several gods instead of one, and with those who talk of one and think of three, as do those in the church at this day who divide God into three persons, and de- • dare that each person by himself is God, and attribute to each one special qualities or properties that do not belong to the others. From this arises a disintegration not only of the uni- ty of God but of theology itself, and still further of human thought, to which theology belongs. And what can follow from this but perplexity and incoherency in things of the church ? That such is the state of the church at this day will be shown 22 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. in the Appendix to this work. The truth is that the division of God or of the Divine essence, into three persons, each one of whom by Himself or singly is God, induces a denial of God. It is as if a man should enter a temple to worship, and see painted on a tablet over the altar one God as the Ancient of days, an- other as the great High Priest, and the third as a flying ^olus, with the inscription: "These three are one God;- or like see- ing there the unity and trinity depicted as a man with three heads on one body, of three bodies under one head, which would be monstrosities. H any one should enter heaven with such an idea he would certainly be cast out headlong, even ^^ l^e^^^^^^^ declare that the head or heads mean the essence, and the body or bodies its difterent properties. 16 To this I will add the following Memorable Relation :-- I saw some who had recently come from the natural world into the spiritual world talking together about three Divme per- sons from eternity. They were dignitaries of the church, and one of them was a bishop. They came up to me; and after some talk about the spirit- ual world, respecting which they had before known nothing, I said, " I heard you speaking of three Divine persons from eter- nity I beseech you to disclose to me this great mystery accord- ing to the conception you had formed of it in the natural world from which you have lately come.'' Then the bishop, looking at me, said, " I see that you are a layman, therefore I will set forth my ideas on this great mys- tery, and will instruct you. My conception of the i^/tter was, and still is, that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holv Spirit sit in the center of heaven upon magnificent and lofty seats or thrones-God the Father on a throne of pxire gold, with a scepter in His hand ; God the Son at His right hand on a throne of the purest silver, with a crown on His head; and God the Holy Spirit near them, on a throne of dazzling crystal, holding a dove in His hand; and that round about them m triple order are hanging lamps glittering with precious stones ; while at a distance from this circle stand innumerable angels all worshiping and singing praises ; and furthermoi-e that God the Father is continually talking with His Son M those who are to be justified, and they together judge and determine who N. 16] MEMORABLE RELATION 23 on earth are worthy to be received by them among the angels, and crowned with eternal life ; while God the Holy Spirit, on hearing the names of such, hastens to them throughout the earth, carrying with Him gifts of righteousness as so many tokens of salvation for the justified; and the instant He ap- proaches and breathes upon them He disperses their sins, as a ventilator drives the smoke from a furnace and makes it white. He also takes away the stony hardness of their hearts, and im- parts the tenderness of flesh, and at the same time renews their spirits or minds, and regenerates them, giving them infantile faces ; and finally He seals them in the forehead with the sign of the cross, and calls them ' the elect' and ^ sons of God.' " Having finished this speech the bishop said, " Thus did I in the world elucidate this great mystery ; and as most of our order there applauded my utterances, I am persuaded that you also, who are a layman, will assent to them." [2] When the bishop had ceased speaking I looked at him, and also at the dignitaries with him, and I noticed that they all gave full assent to what he had said. I therefore began to reply, and said, " I have given close attention to the statement of your belief, and from it I gather that you have conceived and cherish an idea of the triune God that is wholly natural, sensual, and even material, and that there inevitably follows from it the idea of three Gods. Is it not thinking sensually of God the Father to conceive of Him as seated on a throne with a scepter in His hand ; and of the Son on His throne with a crown on His head ; and of the Holy Spirit on His with a dove in His hand, and as hastening over the world in accor- dance with what He hears ? And as such an idea results from your statements, I cannot assent to them ; for from my child- hood I have not been able to admit into my mind any other idea than that of one God ; and since I have accepted and hold no other idea, all that you have said has no weight with me. I also saw that ^ the throne' on which Jehovah is said in Scrip- ture to sit means His kingdom, the ' scepter' and ' crown,' gov- ernment and dominion ; the * sitting at the right hand,' God's omnipotence through His Humanity ; also that by what is at- tributed to the Holy Spirit the operations of the Divine om- nipresence are meant. Assume, sir, if you please, the idea of % 24 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 17] MEMORABLE RELATION on one God, and rightly dwell upon that in your reasonings, and you will at length clearly apprehend that this is so. [3] Fur- thermore, you admit that God is one, in that you make the es- sence of these three persons one and indivisible; while yet you do not allow any one to say that this one God is one per- son, but he must say that there are three persons ; and this you do lest the idea of three Gods, such as you entertain, should be lost ; also you ascribe to each person a property different from those of the others. In all this do you not divide your Divine essence? And this being so, how can you say and also think that God is one ? I could excuse you if you had said that the Divine is one. How can any one on hearing that ^ The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and singly each person is God,' possibly think of God as one ? Is it not a contradiction, to which assent is utterly impossible ? That they cannot be said to be one God, but only to have a like Di- vinity, may be thus illustrated. A number of men forming one senate, assembly, or council, cannot be called one man ; although when each and all have the same opinion they may be said to be one in thought. Neither can three diamonds of the same substance be called one diamond; although they may be called one in substance. Moreover, eacli diamond would differ from the others in value according to its weight, which would not be true if they were one instead of three. [4] But I perceive the reason why three persons, each one of whom is by Himself singly God, are called by you one God, and why you enjoin upon every one in the church so to speak, namely, be- cause all sound and enlightened reason in the world acknowl- edges God to be one, and in consequence you would be covered with shame if you too did not speak in like manner. And yet when you utter the words ^one God' while in your thoughts there are three, that shame does not prevent your giving ut- terance to both of these ideas." After this conversation the bishop with his clerical compan- ions withdrew, and as he departed he turned and tried to say, " There is one God ;" but he could not say it, because this thought restrained his tongue, and with open mouth he gasped out, *' Three Gods!'' At this strange sight the bystanders laughed derisively and departed. 17. Afterwards I asked where I could lind those of the learned with the keenest minds who stood for a Divine trinity divided into three persons. Three of these presented themselves ; and i said to them, " How can you divide the Divine trinity into three persons, and assert that each person, by Himself or singly, is God and Lord ? Is not a confession of the mouth that God is one thus made as remote from the thought as the south from the north ?" To this tliey replied, " It is not at all remote, since the three persons possess one essence, and the Divine essence is God. In the world we were guardians of a trinity of persons, and the ward under our charge was our faith ; in that faith each Divine person had his office— God the Father to impute and bestow, God the Son to intercede and mediate, and God the Holy Spirit to carry out the work of imputation and mediation." [2] But I asked, " ^^'hat do you mean by the ' Divine es- sence ?' " They said, " We mean omnipotence, omniscience, omnipres- ence, immensity, eternity, and equality of majesty.'^ I replied, '' If that essence makes one God of several you might add more yet, for example, a fourth, mentioned by Moses, Ezekiel, and Job, under the name of * God Schaddai.' Something of this kind was done in Greece and Italy by the an- cients, who ascribed equal attributes and a like essence to their gods, for example, to Saturn, Jove, Neptune, Pluto, Apollo, Juno, Diana, IVIinerva, and even Mercury and Venus ; although they could not say that all these were one God. Moreover, yourselves, who are three persons, and as I apprehend alike in learning and therefore in that respect of a similar essence, are not able to combine yourselves into one learned man." They laughed at this, and said, " You are joking. With the Divine essence it is different : it is not tripartite, but one ; not divisible, but indivisible ; partition and division do not apply to it." [3] Hearing this I said, '' Let us come down to this ground and discuss the matter." And I asked, " What do you mean by a ^person?' and what does the term signify?" They said, " The term ' person' signifies that which has no part or quality in another, but subsists by itself. Thus do 26 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 18] GOD THE CREATOR 27 all the heads of the church define it, and we agree with them/' I said, " Is this the definition of ^ person' ?" They replied, " It is." To this I answered, " There is then no part of the Eather in the Son, or of either in the Holy Spirit. From this it follows that each is at His own disposal, and possesses His own rights and powers ; and therefore there is nothing that joins them to- gether except the will, which is proper to each, and thus com- municable at pleasure. Does not this make the three ' persons' three distinct Gods ? Listen again : You have also defined ' person' as that which subsists by itself ; consequently there are three substances into which you divide the Divine essence ; and yet you say that this is incapable of division, since it is one and indivisible. Furthermore, to each substance, that is, to each person, you attribute properties that do not exist in the others, and even cannot be communicated to the others, namely, impu- tation, mediation, and operation. What can follow from this except that the three ^ persons' are three Gods ?" At these remarks they withdrew, saying, " We will canvass these statements and then answer you." [4] There was present a wise man who, hearing the argu- ments, said, '' I do not care to view this lofty subject through such fine network ; but apart from these subtleties I see clearly that in your thought you have the idea of three Gods ; but as you would incur disrepute by publishing this idea openly to all the world (for if you did so you would be called madmen and fools), it is expedient for you, in order to avoid that ignominy, to confess with your lips one God." But the three, tenacious of their opinions, paid no attention to this ; and as they went away they muttered some terms culled from metaphysical lore : from which I saw that metaphysics was their tripod from which they wished to give responses. THE DIVINE ESSE, WHICH IS JEHOVAH. 18. Let us first consider the Divine Esse, and afterwards the Divine essence. In appearance the two are one and the same ; but esse is more universal than essence ; for essence implies esse, and is derived from esse. The Esse of God (or the Divine JiJsse) it is impossible to define, because it transcends every idea of human thought, since this can take in only what is cre- ated and finite, and not what is uncreate and infinite, and there- fore not the Divine Esse. The Divine Esse is Esse itself, from which all things are, and which must be in all things in order that they may have being. A fuller conception of the Divine Esse may be gained by the following propositions : (1) The one God is called Jehovah from Esse, that is because He alone Is, Was, and Is To Be, and because He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. (2) The one God is Substance itself and Form itself, and an- gels and men are substances and forms from Him, and so far as they are in Him and He is in them are images and likenesses of Him. (3) The Divine Esse is at once Esse [Being] in itself and Ex- Istere [Manifestation] in itself. (4) It is impossible for the Divine Esse and Existere in itself to produce another Divine which is Esse and Existere in itself ; therefore another God of the same Essence is impossible. (5) The doctrine of a plurality of gods, both in past ages and at the present day, sprang solely from a failure to understand the Divine Esse. But these propositions must be elucidated one by one. 19. (1) The one God is called Jehovah from Esse, that is, be- cause He alone Is, Was, ajid Is To Be, and because He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. It is known that " Jehovah" signifies I Am and To Be {Esse) ; and that God has been so called from the most ancient times is clear from the Book of Creation, or Genesis, where in the first chapter He is called " God," and in the second and subsequent chapters '' Jehovah God," and afterwards, when the children of Abraham through Jacob, during their long sojourn in Egypt, forgot the name of God, it was recalled to their re- membrance ; of which as follows : Moses said nnto God, Wliat is Thy name ? God said unto Moses, T am who I Am, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent Me unto you ; and thou shalt say, Jehovah God of your fathers hath sent Me unto you : this is My name to eternity, and this is My memorial from generation to generation {Ezod. iii. 13-15). 28 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I, N. 20] GOD THE CREATOR 29 Since God alone is the I Am and Esse, or Jehovah, nothing can exist in the created universe that does not derive its esse from Him ; but how will be seen below. The words : — I am the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega (/sa. xliv. 6 ; Rev. i. 8, 11 ; xxii. 13), have the same meaning, signifying. Who is the Itself and the Only from things first to things last, the source of all things. [i2] God is called " the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," because Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega the last ; and therefore the two signify all things in the complex. This is because each letter in the alpha- bet in the spiritual world signifies a thing. And as the vowels furnish the tone, they signify something belonging to affection or love. This is the origin both of spiritual or angelic speech and of writing there. But it is an arcanum hitherto unknown ; for there is a universal language which is the language of all angels and spirits, and which has nothing in common with any language of men in the world; into this language every one comes after death, for it is inherent in every man from his crea- tion ; consequently in the spiritual world every one can under- stand every other. I have frequently been permitted to hear that language ; and I have compared it with languages in the world, and have found that in no respect whatever does it agree with any natural language on earth. It differs from them in its initial element, which is that each letter in each word has its special meaning. It is for this reason that God is called Al- pha and Omega, which means that He is the Itself and the Only from things first to things last, the source of all things. But regarding this speech and form of writing, which flows from the spiritual thought of the angels, see the work on Conjugial Love (n. 326-329) ; also in the following pages. 20. (2) Tills One God is Substance itself and Form itself, and angels and men are substa?ices and forms from Him, and so far as they are in H'lm and He in them are images and likenesses of Him. As God is Esse He is also Substance ; for unless Esse is substance it is a figment of the reason ; for substance has subsistent being. Moreover, one who is a substance is also a form ; for unless a substance is a form it is a figment of the rea- son. Wherefore both substance and form may be predicated of (xod, but in the sense that He is the only, the very, and the primal Substance and Form. That this Form is the verily Hu. man Form, that is, that God is verily Man, infinite in every respect, has been shown in Angelic Wisdom concerning the Dl- rine Love and Divine Wisdom, published at Amsterdam in 1763 ; where it is also shown that angels and men are substances and forms created and organized for receiving what is Divine flow- ing into them through heaven. For this reason they are called in the Book of Creation "images and likenesses of God'' {Ge7i. i. 2Q, 21) ; and elsewhere " His sons," and " born of Him." In the course of this work it will be fully shown that so far as man lives under Divine direction, that is, suffers himself to be led by God, so far he becomes an image of God more and more interiorly. Unless an idea is formed of God as the primal Sub- stance and Form, and of His Form as the verily Human Form, the human mind may easily involve itself in spectral fancies about God Himself, the origin of man, and the creation of the v/orld. It would then have no other conception of God than as the nature of the universe in its first principles, that is, as Its expanse, or else as emptiness or nothingness ; nor any other conception of man's origin than as a flowing together of ele- ments into that form by mere chance ; nor of the creation of the world than that its substances and forms originated in points, and afterwards in geometrical lines, which are essen- tially nothing, because nothing can l)e predicated of them. In such minds everything belonging to the church is like the Styx or like Tartarean darkness. 21. (3) The Divine Esse is at once Esse [Being'] in itself and Existere [Manifestation] in itself Jehovah God is Esse in it- self, because He is the I Am, the Only, and the First, from eter- nity to eternity, the source of everything that is, without whom It could not be. In this way and not otherwise He is the Be- ginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega. It cannot be said that His Esse is from Itself, because the expression /ro?;^ itself \m\)\\e^ something prior, and there- fore time ; and time is not applicable to the Infinite, which is railed infinite from eternity ; it also implies another God who is God in Himself, thus it implies God from God, or that God 3 1 30 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 22] GOD THE CREATOR 31 formed Himself ; in which case He would neither be uncreate nor infinite, for He would thus have made Himself finite, either from Himself or from another. From the fact that God is Esse in itself it follows that He is Love in itself, Wisdom in itself^ and Life in itself, and that He is the Itself, the source of all things, to which each thing must have relation in order to be anything. That God is God because He is Life in itself is evi- dent from the Lord's words in John (v. 2^) ; and in Isaiah : — I am Jehovah that maketh all things ; that spreadeth forth the heav- ens alone ; that stretcheth forth the earth by Myself (xliv. 24) ; and that He alone is God, and beside Him there is no God {Isa. xlv. 14, 15, 21, 22 ; IIos. xiii. 4). God is not only Esse [Being] in itself, but also Existere [Manifestation] in itself, because Esse without Existere is nothing, equally so Existere unless it is from Esse ; therefore where the one is the other must needs be. The same is true of substance and form. Unless a substance is also a form nothing can be predicated of it, and for the rea- son that having no quality it is in itself nothing. The terms esse and existere are here used, and not essence and existence, because a distinction must be made between esse and essence, and between existere and existence, like that between the prior and the posterior, the prior being more universal than the pos- terior. To the Divine Esse infinity and eternity are applicable ; while to the Divine Essence and Existence, Divine love and wisdom are applicable, and through these two omnipotence and omnipresence, which will be considered in their order. 22. That God is the Itself, the Only, and the First, which is called Esse and Existere in Itself, the source of all that has be- ing and existence, the natural man is wholly unable to discover by his own reason ; for by his own reason the natural man can apprehend only what belongs to nature, since that agrees with the essential nature of his reason, because from his infancy and childhood nothing else had entered into his reason. But because man was so created as to be spiritual as well as natu- ral, since he is to continue to live after death, and then to live among those who are spiritual in their world, God has provided the Word, in which He has revealed not only Himself but also that there is a heaven and a hell, and that in one or the other of these every man is to live to eternity, in accordance both with his life and his faith. Moreover, God has revealed in the Word that He is the I Am or Esse and the Itself and Only, which in itself Is, and thus the First or Beginning, the source of all things. [2] By this revelation the natural man is en- abled to raise himself above nature, thus above himself, and to see such things as pertain to God, yet only as if at a distance, although God is nigh to every man, for in His essence He is in man ; and being in man He is very nigh to those. who love Him; and those love Him who live according to His commandments and believe in Him ; these as it were see Him. What is faith but to see spiritually that God is ? And what is a life accord- ing to His commandments but an acknowledgment in act that from Him are salvation and eternal life ? But those whose faith is not spiritual but natural, which is mere knowledge, and whose life is therefore natural, do indeed see God, but from afar off, and this only when they speak of Him. The dif. ference between these two classes is like the difference between those who stand in a clear light and see men near by and touch them, and those who stand in a thick mist in which they are miable to distinguish between men and trees or stones. [3] Or it is like the difference between men on a high mountain on which there is a city, who are going about there having in- tercourse with their feUow-townsmen, and men looking down from the top of that mountain who are unable to tell whether the objects they see below are people, beasts, or statues. Or It IS like the difference between men standing upon some plan- et and seeing those about them, and men on another planet looking at these through telescopes, and saying that they see people there, when in fact they see nothing but a most general outline of the land as lunar brightness, and the watery parts as spots. Such IS the difference in seeing God and the Divine things in the mind that go forth from Him, between those who .are both in faith and in a life of charity, and those who merely know about faith and charity; and such consequently is the dilterence between natural and spiritual men. But those who aeny the Divine holiness of the Word, and yet carry their re- ligion about as in a sack upon the back, do not see God at all, but only utter the word " God,^' almost like parrots ii«gAAM«a[iirtiifMiiititiiga 32 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. 23 (4) It is impossible for the Divine Esse and Existere in itSi topZlu^ Ltker Divine which is Esse and Ex^stere^n Mf thZfore another God of the same Essence . rmpossMe tt Senihown already that the one God who .s th^C^ea^ L of the universe, is Esse and Existere m itself, that is Uod "hIIi and from this it follows that God from God is i'SUause in such a being the venly essential Divm^ Xh is Esse and Existere in itself, is impossible. It is the Ta^ whether you say " begotten of God'' or " PJ^^^^^^ TnH ." it means, in either case, produced by God, and this cm ?e s U S f;om l>eing created. Therefore, to introc -e - o the church a belief in three Divine persons each of whoui iX is Ood, and of the same essence, one of them born from etermt' and'a third proceeding from eternity, is to dejroy utterly he idea of God's unity, and with it every idea of Di- V n and so cause all the spirituality of reason to be driven nto ex le Then man is man no longer ; but is so wholly nat- ural as to differ from a beast only in the power of speech and ZoZo^l to all the spiritual things of the church, for these he natural man calls foolishness. This is the source and only source from which have sprung the monstrous heresies con- cern n. God; and thus the division of the Divine trnuty mo pe^^ont has introduced into the church not night alone bu death as well. [2] That the identity of three Divme Essences ?s an offense to relson was made evident to me by angels, who said that they could not even utter the words '' three equal di- "uit ;" and that if any one should come into their presence wishing to utter these words he could not but turn himself Iway ; and after uttering them he would become like the tnink o a ;an, and would be hurled downward; and would after- wards Intake himself to those in hell who do not acknowledge Ty God. The truth is that to implant in the mmd of a chi d orVouth the idea of three Divine persons, to which inevitably the idea of three Gods clings, is to deprive it o all spiritual Sk and then of all spiritual food, and finally of all ability to reason spirituallv, and to bring spiritual death upon those who confirm themselves in that idea. The difference between those who in faith and heart worship one (^d as the Creator of the universe, and those who worship Him as both the Redeemer N. 23] GOD THE CREATOR 33 and the Regenerator, is like the difference between the city of Zion in the tune of David and the city of Jerusalem in the time of Solomon after the temple had been built; while a church that believes in three persons and in each as a distinct God, is like the city of Zion and Jerusalem after it had been over- thrown by Vespasian and the temple burned. Furthermore, the man who worships one God in whom is a Divine trinity, and who is thus one Terson, becomes more and more a living and angelic man ; while he who contirms himself in a belief in a plurality of Gods from believing in a plurality of persons, gradually becomes like a statue with movable joints, within which Satan stands and speaks through its artificial mouth. 24. (5) TJie doctrine of a j^lit^rality of gods, both in past ages and at the present day, has sprung solely froiri a failure to un- derstand the Divine Esse. It has been shown above (n. 8) that the unity of God is inmostly inscribed on the mind of every man, since it lies at the center of all that flows from God into the soul of man ; and yet it has not descended therefrom into the human understanding, for the reason that the knowledges by which man must ascend to meet God have been lacking. For every one must prepare the way for God, that is, must pre})are himself for reception ; and this is done by means of knowledges. The knowledges that have been lacking, and that enable the understanding to penetrate far enough to see that God is one, and that not more than one Divine Esse is possi- ble, and that from Him is every thing in nature, are as fol- lows :- — (1) Heretofore no one has known anything about the spiritual world, the abode of spirits and angels, which every man enters after death. (2) It is equally unknown that there is in that world a sun, which is pure love from Jehovah God, who is in the midst of it. (3) That from this sun a heat goes forth, which in its essence is love, and a light which in its es- sence is wisdom. (4) That in consequence all things in that world are spiritual, and affect the internal man, and consti- tute his will and understanding. (5) That Jehovah God from His sun has produced not only the spiritual world and all the spiritual things in it, which are innumerable and substantial, but also the natural world and all the natui-al things in it, which also are innumerable but are material. (6) Hitherto no 3 34 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L N. 24] MEMORABLE RELATION 35 one has known what the distinction is between the spiritual and the natural, nor even what the spiritual is m its essence (7) Nor has any one known that there are three degrees of love and wisdom, in accordance with which the angelic heav- ens are arranged. (8) Nor that the human mmd is divided into that number of degrees, to the end that it may be raised after death into one of the three heavens, which takes place in accordance both with its life and its faith. (9) Finally, that not the least particle of any of these things could have had existence except from a Divine Esse which in itself is the Itself, and thus the First and the Beginning, the source of aU things. Hitherto these knowledges have been lacking ; and yet these are the means through which a man may rise to a knowledge of the Divine Esse. [2] It is said that the man rises ; but the meaning is that he is raised up by God. For in acquiring knowledges for himself man exercises his freedom of choice ; but as he acquires for himself knowledges from the Word by means of his understanding he prepares the way by which God comes down and raises him up. The knowledges by means of which the human understanding rises, God hold- ing it in His hand and leading it, may be likened to the steps of the ladder seen by Jacob, which was set upon the earth with the top of it reaching to heaven, by which the angels ascended while Jehovah stood above it {Gen. xxviii. 12, 13). It is wholly different when these knowledges are lacking, or when man de- spises them. In that case the elevation of the understanding might be likened to a ladder reaching from the ground to the windows in the first story of a magnificent palace which is a dwelling-place of men, and not to the windows of the second story which is a dwelling-place of spirits, and still less to the windows of the third story which is a dwelling-place of angels. The result of this is that man remains in the atmospheres and material things of nature only, and confines his eyes and ears and nostrils to these, and from these he derives no other ideas of heaven and of the Esse and Essence of God than such as per^ tain to the atmospheres and to matter. Thinking from such ideas man can form no conclusions about God, as to whether He is or is not, or whether He is one or many ; still less what He is in respect to His Esse and Essence, This is the origin 1 i of the belief in the plurality of gods, both in past ages and at the present day. 26. To this I will add the following Memorable Relation : — On one occasion, awaking from sleep I fell into a profound meditation about God ; and looking up 1 saw above me in heav- en an exceedingly bright light of oval form ; and as I fixed my gaze upon it the light withdrew to the sides and formed a cir- cle ; and then, behold, heaven opened to me, and I saw magni- ticent scenes, and angels standing in a circle on the southern side of the opening talking together. As I greatly wished to hear what they were saying, I was permitted first to hear the sound of their voices, which was full of heavenly love, and afterwards what they said, which was full of wisdom from that love. They were talking together about the One God, and conjuno tlon with Him, and salvation therebij. They uttered things in- effable, most of which could not possibly be expressed in any natural language. But at different times I had been in com- pany with the angels in heaven itself, and at such times had been in a state like theirs and in a similar language, and con- sequently I was now able to understand them, and select from what they said some things that can be rationally expressed in the words of natural language. [ii] They said that the Divine Esse is One, the Same, the It- self, and Indivisible. Tins they illustrated by spiritual ideas, saying that the Divine Esse could not separate itself into sev- eral, each of them possessing the Divine Essr, and still itself ])e One, the Same, and Indivisible ; since each one from His own Esse Avould then think from Himself and by Himself sep- arately ; and even if the Divine Esse could so separate itself, and all should think unanimously, each from the others, there would still be several unanimous Gods, and not one God. For unanimity, which means the agreement of several, each for himself and by himself, is not consistent with the unity, but only with the plurality of God. The angels did not say " of Gods,'' because they could not ; for such an expression would be strenuously resisted by the light of heaven, which is the source of their thought, and by the aura in which their words are conveyed. i 36 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 25] MEMORABLE RELATION 37 They said furthermore, that when they wished to utter the word " Gods," meaning each one a person by himself, the effort to utter it fell at once into the expression " one God," and even " one only God." To this they added that the Divine jtJsse is Divine JfJsse in itself, not from itself ; because the expression "from itself" implies esse in itself from another and prior Usse ; and this implies a God from God, which is impossible. That which is from God is not called God, but is called Di- vine ; for what is a God from God ? Thus what is a God born from God from eternity ? And is a God going forth from God through a God born from eternity anything else than words in which there is no light from heaven ? [3] They said still further, that the Divine Usse, which is in itself God, is the Same ; not the Same simply, but infinite- ly, that is, the Same from eternity to eternity ; the Same every where and the Same with every one and in every one ; and that all variableness and change are in the recipient, caused by the state of the recipient. That the Divine Usse which is God in Himself is the Itself, they illustrated thus : — God is the Itself because He is love itself and wisdom itself, that is. He is good itself and truth itself, and therefore life itself. Unless these in God were love and wisdom itself and were good and truth itself and there- fore life itself, they would not be anything in heaven and in the world, because there would be nothing in them related to the Itself. Every quality is what it is from the fact that there is an Itself in which it originates, and to which it must be re- lated in order to be what it is. This Itself, which is the Di- vine Esse, is not in place ; but it is present with and in those who are in place in accordance with their reception of it, since place, or progress from place to place, cannot be predicated of love and wisdom nor of good and truth, nor of life therefrom, which are Itself in God, and are even God Himself. On this rests His omnipotence. So the Lord says that ITe is in the midst of them, and that He is in them and they in Him. [4] But as He can be received by no one as He is in Himself, what He is in His essence is made manifest as a sun above the an- gelic heavens, and what goes forth from that sun as light is Himself in respect to wisdom, and what goes forth as heat is Himself in respect to love. That sun is not God Himself ; but the Divine love and Divine wisdom as they most nearly proceed from Him, all about Him are seen by the angels as a sun. He Himself within the sun is a Man. He is our Lord Jesus Christ, in regard hotlu to the Divine from which [He is] and to the Divine Human, because the Itself which is love itself and wisdom itself was His soul from the Father, that is, the Divine life, or life in itself. It is not thus in any man. In man the soul is not life, but is a recipient of life. This the Lord teaches, saying : — I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life {John xiv. 6). And again : — As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself {John v. 26) ; "life in Himself" meaning God. To this they added, that those who are in any spiritual light are able to perceive from these statements that the Divine Esse, because it is One, the Same, the Itself, and Indivisible, cannot exist in several ; and if the opposite is asserted manifest con- tradictions must result. ^ 26. When I had heard this the angels perceived in my thought • those ideas of God that prevail in the Christian Church re- j specting a trinity of persons in unity and a unity of persons )in a trinity ; also respecting a birth of the Son of God from eternity ; and they said, " What is your thought ? Are you not J thinking from natural light, which is not in accord with our . I spiritual light ? Unless, therefore, you dismiss these ideas we ^ must shut up heaven against you and depart." ■ But I said, '- Enter, I pray you, more deeply into my thought, and you will see, perhaps, that there is an agreement between us." This they did ; and they saw that by three persons I un- derstood three Divine attributes going forth, Creatioi;, Redemp- tion, and He gene rat ion, and that these are attributes of one God ; also that by the birth of the Son of God from eternity I understood His birth foreseen from eternity and provided in time ; also that to think of the Son born of God from eter- [nity would, to me, be not above nature and reason but contrary ito nature and reason ; while to think of the Son bom of God 38 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. 1 ■■m N. ii7] GOD THE CREATOR 39 in time through the virgin Mary as the only Son of God, and the only-begotten, is very different ; and to believe otherwise than this would be a monstrous error. I then told them that the source of my natural thought about a trinity and unity of persons, and the birth of a Son of God from eternity, was the doctrine of faith in the church which has its name from Athanasius. Then the angels said, '' Very well,"' and asked me to say from them that only those who approach the very God of heaven and earth can enter heaven, because heaven is heaven from that only God, and that this God is Jrsus Christ, who is the Lord Je- hovah, from eternitij the Creator, in time the lledeemer, and to eternity the Regenerator, thus who is at once Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ; and this, they said, is the gospel to be preached. After this the heavenly light which had been seen before over the opening returned, and gradually descended and tilled the interiors of my mind, and enlightened my ideas on the trinity and unity of God ; and the ideas which I had first formed on these subjects, and whicli had been merely natural, 1 then saw separated as chaff is se]>arated from wheat by winnowing, and carried away as by a wind to the north of heaven, and scattered. THE INFINITY OF GOD, OR HIS IMMENSITY AND ETERNITY. 27. There are two properties of the natural world which cause all things of it to be hnite ; one is space, and the other time. And as the natural workl was created by God, and space and time were created together with it and render it finite, it is necessary to treat of the two origins of these properties, namely, Immensity and Eternity ; for the immensity of God relates to spaces and His eternity to times ; while both immen- sity and eternity are included in hifiiiity. But because the infinite transcends the finite, and because a knowledge of the in- finite transcends the finite mind, to render it in some measure conceivable it shall be carefully considered in the following order : — ■i (1) God is Infinite because He is Being and Existence in Him- self, and because all things in the universe have their being and existence from Him. (2) God is Infinite because He was before the world was, thus before spaces and times arose. (3) Since the creation of the world God is in space without space, and in time without time. (4) In relation to spaces God's Infinity is called Immensity, while in relation to times it is called Eternity ; but although they are so related there is nothing of space in His Immensity and nothing of time in His Eternity. (5) The Infinity of God can be seen by enlightened reason in very many things in the world. (6) Every created thing is finite, and the Infinite is in finite things as in its receptacles, and is in men as in its images. These propositions shall be explained one by one. 28. (1) God is Infinite because He is Being and Existence in Himself, and because all things in the universe have their be- ing and existence from Him. It has been already shown that God is One, that He is the Itself, that He is the primal Esse of all things, and that all things in the universe that have being, existence, and subsistence, are from Him, and conse- quently that He is infinite. That human reason is able from very many things in the created universe to recognize this will be made clear hereafter. But although the human mind is able from all this to acknowledge that the primal Being or pri- mal Esse is infinite, it is nevertheless unable to comprehend what that Being is, and therefore can only define it as the in- finite All and the Self-subsistent, and hence as the very and the only substance ; and since nothing can be predicated of sub- stance unless it has form, it is the very and only Form. But what does this mean ? It does not make clear what the in- finite is ; for the human mind itself, even when in the high- est degree analytical and exalted, is finite ; and its finiteness is inseparable from it; and for this reason the human mind is wholly incapable of seeing the infinity of God as it is in Itself, thus of seeing God ; although it can from behind see God obscurely, as was said to Moses when he prayed to see God:— 40 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 29] GOD THE CREATOR 41 That he should be placed in a cleft of the rock, and should see His back parts {Exod. xxxiii. 20-23) ; " the back parts of God" meaning what is visible in the world, and especially what is perceptible in the Word. All this shows how vain it is to wish to comprehend what God is in His Esse, or in His substance ; and that it is sufficient to acknowledge Him from finite things, that is, from things created, in which He is infinitely. The man who is not content with this may be likened to a fish out of water, or to a bird under an air- pump, which, as the air is withdrawn, gasps and finally dies. Or he may be likened to a vessel which, overcome by a storm and failing to obey its helm, is carried upon rocks and quicksands. So it is with those who wish to comprehend from within the infinity of God, and are not content with being able to ac- knowledge it in its manifest indications from without. It is related of a certain philosopher among the ancients that not being able to see or comprehend the eternity of the world in the light of his own mind he threw himself into the sea. What if he had wished to see or comprehend the infinity of God ! 29. (2) God is Infinite because He teas before the world was, thus before spaces and times arose. In the natural world there are spaces and times ; but in the spiritual world these exist only apparently, and not actually. Time and space were introduced into these worlds for the purpose of distinguishing one thing from another, the great from the small, the many from the few, thus quantity from quantity, and so quality from quality ; also to enable the bodily senses to distinguish between their objects, and the mental senses between theirs, and thereby to be affect- ed, and to think and choose. In the natural world times were established by the rotation of the earth on its axis, and by the progression of these rotations from point to point along the zo- diac, these movements being made apparently by the sun, from which the whole terraqueous globe derives its heat and light. From this come the divisions of the day, morning, noon, even- ing, and night ; and the seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn, and winter — the divisions of the day according to light and darkness, and the seasons of the year according to heat and cold. In the natural world spaces were established by an earth s being formed into a globe, and filled with various kinds ; of matter ; with its parts distinguished one from another, and . also extended. But in the spiritual world there are no mater- ' lal spaces with corresponding times ; but there are appear- ances of time and space; and these appearances vary accord- ing to differences of state in the minds of the spirits and angels there ; thus times and spaces there conform to the af- fections of their wills, and the consequent thoughts of their understandmgs. But these appearances are real in that they are constant according to these states. [2] The common opinion about the state of souls after death, and therefore also about angels and spirits, is that they do not occupy any extension, and consequently are not in space and time. Owing to this idea souls after death are said to be in an indefinite somewhere, and spirits and angels are said to be mere puffs of air, which can be thought of only as ether, air, breath, or wind is thought of • when m fact they are substantial men, and like men in the nat^ ural world live together in spaces and in times, which, as iust said are determined in accordance with the states of their minds. If It were otherwise, that is, if they were without space and time, that universe into which souls are flowing, and in which angels and spirits dwell, might be passed through the eye of a needle, or be concentrated upon the end of a sin-le uiir. This would be possible if there were no substantial ex- tension there ; but as there is, angels dwell together as sepa- rately and distinctly as men who dwell in material extension and even more distinctly. Nevertheless, times there are not di- vided into days, weeks, months, and years, since there the spir- itual sun does not appear to rise and set, nor to move from east to west, but remains stationary in the east at a point midwav between the zenith and the horizon. There are spaces there because all things in that world are substantial which in the natural world are material. But this point will be further considered in the section of this chapter where Creation is ^reated of. [3] From all this it can be comprehended how spaces and times render each thing and all things in both worlds iniite ; and therefore men are finite not only in body but also ^'i soul, and likewise angels and spirits. The conclusion to be oiawn from all this is that God is infinite, that is, not finite • 42 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L N. 30] GOD THE CREATOR 43 since He Himself, as the Creator, Former, and Maker of the universe, gave liniteness to all things'; and this He did by means of His sun, in the midst of which He is, and which is constituted of the Divine essence that goes forth from Him as a sphere There, and from that, is the first of the hniting process, and its progress reaches even to the outmost things of the world's nature ; consequently in Himself God is infinite be- cause He is uncreated. To man, nevertheless, because he is finite, and thinks from things finite, the infinite seems to be nothin- • and therefore he feels that if the finite which ad- heres to his thou-ht should be taken away, what would be left would amount to nothing. And yet the truth is that God is infinitely all; and man of himself in comparison is nothing. 30 (3) Sinre the creation of the world God is in space ivith- out space and in time without time. That God, with the Divine that goes forth directly from Him, is not in space, although He is'^omnipresent, and is present with every man in the world, and with every angel in heaven and every spirit under heaven, is beyond the comprehension of merely natural thought, but may in some measure be comprehended by spiritual thought. It cannot he comprehended by merely natural thought because natural thought has space in it, being formed out of such things as are in this world, in each and all things of which that the eye rests upon, space is involved. Here every thing that is great and small, every thing that has length, breadth, and height, in a word every dimension, figure, and form, pertains to space. And yet this can be comprehended in some measure by natural thought, provided something of spiritual light is ad- mitted into it. But first something must be said about spirit- ual thought. This derives nothing from space, but every thing from state. State is predicated of love, of life, of wisdom, of affections, of joys, and in general, of good and truth. A truly spiritual idea about these things has in it nothing in common with space ; it is superior to ideas of space, and looks down upon them as heaven looks down upon the earth. [2] God is present in space without space, and in time ^vithout time, be- cause He is always the same, from eternity to eternity ; thus He is the same since the world was created as before ; and as before creation there were in God and in His sight no spaces and no times, but only since, and as He is always the same, so is He in space without space and in time without time. In consequence of this, nature is separate from Him, and yet He is omnipresent in nature ; almost as life is present in every substantial and material part of man, and yet does not mingle itself with it ; or it may be compared to light in the eye, or sound in the ear, taste in the tongue, or to the ether that pre- vades all solid and liquid matters, and holds the terraqueous globe together, and causes motion, and so on. If these agen- cies were withdrawn these substantialized and materialized forms would instantly collapse or fall asunder. Even the human mind, if God were not everywhere and always present in it, would burst like a bubble in the air, and both brains, in which the mind acts from first principles, would go off into froth, and thus every thing human would become dust of the earth, or an odor floating in the air. [3] As God is in all time without time so in His Word He speaks in the present tense of the past and the future, as in Isaiah : — Unto us a Child is born, a Son is given ; and His name shall be called Mighty, the Prince of Peace (ix. G) ; and in David: — I will declare the decree ; Jehovah hath said nnto Me, Thou art My Son ; this day have I begotten Thee (Ps. ii. 7). This is said of the Lord who was to come ; wherefore it is also said : — A thoiLsand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday {Ps. xc. 4). That God is everywhere present in the whole world, and yet there is in Him nothing proper to the world, that is, nothing pertaining to space and time, can be clearly seen from many passages in the Word by those who look with watcthful eyes, as from this passage in Jeremiah : — Am I a God at hand, and not a God afar off ? Can any hide himself in the secret places that I shall not see him ? Do I not till heaven and earth ? (xxiii. 23, 24). 31. (4) In relation to spaces God's Infinity is called Immen- sitT/j while in relation to times it is called Eternity ; but although 44 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L K. 31] GOD THE CREATOR 45 they are so related, there is nothing of space in His Immensity, and nothing of time in His Eterjiity. In relation to spaces God's infinity is called immensity, because <' immense'' is a term applied to what is great and large, and to extension and its spaciousness. But in relation to times God's infinity is called eternity, because " to eternity" is an expression applied to what is progressive, which is measured by time without limit. For example: Of the terraqueous globe, as such, things per- taining to space are predicated ; while of its rotation and pro- gression things pertaining to time are predicated. In fact, the latter are what make times, and the former are what make spaces, and in this way they are presented through the senses to the perception of reflecting minds. But in God, as has just been shown, there is nothing of space and time ; nevertheless, the beginnings of these are from God ; and from this it fol- lows that by immensity His infinity in relation to space is meant, and by eternity His infinity in relation to times, [i^] But to the angels in heaven the immensity of God means His Divinity in respect to His Esse, and His eternity His Divinity in respect to His Exlstere. Also immensity means His Divi- nity in respect to love, and eternity His Divinity in respect to wisdom. This is because angels abstract space and time from Divinity, and such conceptions then follow. But as man can think only from ideas drawn from such things as belong to space and time, he is unable to form any conception of God's immensity antecedent to space, or His eternity antecedent to time ; and when he seeks to do this it is as if his mind were falling into a swoon, almost like a shipwrecked man in the water, or like one who is about to be swallowed up in an earth- quake ; and if one persists in penetrating further into the sub- ject, he may easily fall into a delirium, and from this be led into a denial of God. [3] I was once myself in such a state, thinking about what God was from eternity, what He did be- fore the world was created, whether He deliberated about cre- ation, and thought out the order to be pursued ; whether de- liberative thought woidd be possible in a vacuum ; with other vain things. But lest I should be driven to madness by such speculations I was raised up by the Lord into the sphere and light in which the interior angels dwell ; and when the idea of spa«e and time in whicli my thought was dweUing had been soinewhat removed, it was given me to comprehend that the eternity of God is not an eternity of time ; and a^ there was no time before the world was created, it is utterly vain to think about God m any such way. Moreover, as the Divine from eternity, that is, abstracted from all time, does not involve days years or ages, but to God all these are present, I concluded that God did not create the world in time, but that times were intro- duced by God with creation. [4] To all this I will add this memorable fact : — At one extremity of the spiritual world there are seen two statues m monstrous human form, with open mouths and gap- ing throats and those who indulge in useless and senseless thoiights about God from eternity seem to themselves to be swallowed up by these ; but they are the hallucinations into which those cast themselves who cherish absurd and improper thoughts about God before the creation of the world. 32. (5) The Infinity of God can be seen hj enlightened rea- son m very many things in the world. Some things shall be enumerated in which human reason can see the infinity of God • (1) In the created universe no two things can be found that are identical. That no such identity can be found among things simultaneous lias been rationally seen and proved by human learning, although the substantial and material objects of the universe, viewed singly, are infinite in number. And that no two effects can be found that are identical among things suc- cessive in the world may be inferred from the earth's revolution in that the nutation of its poles forever prevents a return to any former position. This is also clearly evident in human taces, m that throughout the entire world there can be found no one face that is precisely like or the same as another nor ever can be to eternity. This infinite variety would be impos- sible except from an infinity in God the Creator. [2] (2) No one person's disposition is precisely like that of another ; from which comes the saying, « Many men, many minds ;" and so no one s mind, that is, his will and understanding, is exactly like or the same as another's ; and in consequence the tone of any man's speech, or the thought in which it originates, or atiy act in regard either to movement or affection, is never exactly like 46 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 32] GOD THE CREATOR 47 another's ' from which infinite variety again can be seen as m a mirror the infinity of God the Creator. [3] (3) In all seed, both of animals and vegetables, there is inherent a certain im- mensity and eternity— an immensity in its capacity to be mul- tiplied to infinity, and an eternity in the continuance of this multiplication uninterrupted from the creation of the workl until now, and its still unceasing continuance. In the animal kingdom take, for example, the fishes of the sea ; if these were to multiply according to the abundance of their spawn they would in twentv or thirty years so fill the ocean that it wouhl wholly consist of fishes, and in consequence its water would overflow and destroy all the land. But this does not happen, since God has i)rovided that fish shall be food for each other. It would be the same with the seeds of plants. If as many seeds should be planted as one plant produces each year, m twenty or thirty years the surface not of one earth only, but even of many, would be covered. For there are shrubs, every seed of which produces others by hundreds and thousands. Try to calculate this, reckoning this product of one seed in a series of twenty or thirty terms, and you will see. In all these ex- amples the Divine immensity and eternity become evident in a certain general aspect, an image of which must needs come forth. [4] (4) Enlightened reason can also see God's infinity m the possible infinite increase of all knowledge, and consequently of every one's intelligence and wisdom, both of which are capable of growing as a tree from seed, and as forests and gardens from trees, to which there is no limit. The soil of intelligence and wisdom is the memory of man, his understanding is where they germinate ; and his will where they fructify. And these two capacities, understanding and will, are such that they may be cultivated and perfected in this world to the end of life, and afterwards to eternity. [5] (5) Theinfinity of God the Creator can also he seen in the infinite number of the stars, which are so many suns, and therefore so many systems. That there are other earths in the starry heavens upon which men, beasts, birds, and plants exist is shown in a little work describing things seen. [6] (6) The infinity of God has been made still more evideiTt to me both from the angelic heaven and from hell, in that these are ordered and arranged in innumerable societies or congregated bodies in accordance with all the varieties of the love of good or evil each individual being allotted a place in accordance with his love ; for there the whole human race from the creation of the world is gathered together, and to ages of ages will be gathered. And although each one has his own place or abode there, yet all are so joined together that the entire angelic heaven represents one Divine man, and the entire hell one monstrous devil. From these two, with the infinite mar- vels they contain, both the immensity and the omnipotence of God are clearly presented to view. [7] (7) Who is not able to understand if he will elevate a little the reasoning faculty of his mind, that an eternal life, which is the lot of every man after death, can be granted only by an eternal God ? [8] (S) In addition to all this there is a certain infinity in many things hat fall withm the range of the natural light and spiritual ight in man. It is within the range of his natural light that there are various series in geometry which go on to infinity • that there is a progression to infinity in the three degrees of height, m that the first degree, which is called the natural de- gree, cannot be perfected and elevated to the perfection of the second, which is called the spiritual degree ; nor this to the per- fection of the third, which is called the celestial doo-ree It is the same with end, cause, and effect, in that the effect cannot be so perfected as to become like the cause, nor the cause so perfected as to become like its end. This may be illustrated by the atmospheres, of which there are three degrees There is a supreme aura, under this the ether, and below this the air • and no quality of the air can be raised up to any quality of the ether, nor any quality of the ether to that of the aura: and yet in each there is an ascent of perfections to infinity. It is within the range of man's spiritual light that no natural love which IS an animal love, can be raised up to spiritual love, with which from creation man has been endowed. The same is true of the natural intelligence of the animal in relation to the spiritual nitelligence of man. But as these things have been hitherto unknown they will be explained elsewhere. From all this it can be seen that the most general contents of the world are constant types of the infinity of God the Creator ; but how the particular contents emulate the general, and represent the in^ 48 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. finity of Gcxl, is an abyss or an ocean >vhich «'th-«~^ m=,v «an as it were, but it must beware of a puff of wmd that Z ari frolX iatural man, which striking from aft, where heSs self^onfident, may swamp the ship with xts masts '^r%fl£:?created tking is flrute ; and tke InfinUe is in finit'e things as in its receptacles, and is in men a. ^n Us ^maffes Every creeled thing is linite because all things are from Je- hovah God through the sun of the spiritual world, which most nearly encompasses Him ; and that sun is composed of the sul> stance that has gone forth from Him, the essence of which is love. From the sun, by means of its heat and I'gW, the uni- verse has been created from its firsts to its lasts. But this is not the proper place to set forth in order the process of creation an outline of which wiU be given in subsequent pages. All that is important now is to know that one thing was formed from another, and thus degrees were constituted, three in the spiritual world and three corresponding to them m the natural world and the same number in the passive materials of which the terraqueous globe is composed. The origin and nature of these degrees has been fully explained in the Angelic Wtsdorri concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (published at Amsterdam in 1763), and a small work on The Intercourse of the Soul and the ^oc?// (published at London m 1.69). Through these degrees all things posterior are made receptacles of things prior, and these again of things still prior, and so m succession receptacles of the primitive elements which consti- tute the sun of the angelic heaven ; and thus have things hnite been made receptacles of the infinite. This is in agreement with the wisdom of the ancients, according to which each thing and all things are divisible to infinity. It is a common idea that, because the finite cannot grasp the infinite, things finite cannot be receptacles of the infinite ; but in what has been set forth in my works respecting creation it has been shown that God first rendered His infinity finite by means of substances emitted from Himself, from which His nearest surrounding sphere, which constitutes the sun of the spiritual world, came into existence ; and that then through that sun He perfected the other surrounding spheres, even to the outmost, which con- N. .3.3] GOD THE CREATOR 49 sists of passive materials ; and in this manner, by means of de- grees, He rendered the world more and more finite. This much has been said to satisfy human reason, which never rests until it perceives a cause. 34. That the infinite Divine is in men as in its images is evident from the Word, where we read :— And God said, Let as make man in Our imafje, after Our likeness So * M?n fZ ZZ-T "'^ '"™ '™''°'' '"'" f^e ™age of God created He lum (Crew. 1. 20, 2/). From this it follows that man is an organic form recipient of Cxod, and IS an organic form that is in accordance with the kind of reception. The human mind, which makes man to be man and in accordance with which man is man, is formed into three regions in accordance with the three degrees ; in the first de gree m which also are the angels of the highest heaven the mmd is celestial; in the second degree, in which are the angels ot the middle heaven, it is spiritual ; and in the third degree in which are the angels of the lowest heaven, it is natural. [2] The human mind, organized in accordance with these three de- grees, IS a receptacle of Divine influx ; nevertheless, the Divine flows into It no further than man prepares the way or opens the door. If man does this as far as to the highest or celestial de- gree he becomes truly an image of God, and after death an angel of the highest heaven ; but if he prepares the way or opens the door only to the middle or spiritual degree he be- comes an image of God, but not in the same perfection ; and after death he becomes an angel of the middle heaven. But if man prepares the way or opens the door only to the lowest or natural degree, in case he acknowledges God and worships Him with actual piecy he becomes an image of God in the lowest degree, and after death an angel of the lowest heaven. But if man does not acknowledge God and does not worship Hun Av^th actual piety he puts off the image of God and becomes like some animal, except that he enjoys the faculty of under- standing, and consequently of speech ; and if he then closes up the highest natural degree, which corresponds to the highest celestial, he becomes as to his loves like a beast of the earth • Hiid if he closes up the middle natural degree, which corre- sponds to the middle spiritual degree, he becomes in his love 50 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 3.)] MEMORABLE RELATION 51 like a fox, and in his intellectual vision like a bird of night; while if he also closes up the lowest natural degree m its rela- tion to his spiritual he becomes in his love hke a mid beast, and in his understanding of truth like a tish. [3] The Divme life that actuates man by means of the influx from the sun of the angelic heaven may be compared to light from the world s sun and its influx into a transparent object-the reception of life in the highest degree to the influx of light into a diamond ; the reception of life in the second degree to the influx of light into a crystal ; and the reception of life in the lowest degree to the influx of light into glass or a transparent membrane ; but when this degree in relation to his spiritual is wholly closed up, which is the case when God is denied and Satan is worshiped, the reception of life from God may be compared to the influx of licrht into the opaque things of the earth, as rotten wood, or marshy ground, or dung, and so on, for the man then becomes a spiritual corpse. 35. To this 1 will add this Memorable Relation : — Atone time I was in a state of amazement at the vast mul- titude of men who ascribe creation, and consequently every thing that is under the sun and every thing above the sun, to nature saying with a hearty acknowledgment, when they see anything, " Is not this from nature ?'' And when asked why they say it is from nature and not from God, although they often say, in common with others, that God created nature, and might therefore just as well say that what they see is from (iod as that it is from nature, they answer with an inner tone that is scarcely audible, " What is God but nature ?" All such, from this persuasion that nature created the universe, and from this insanity that appears like wisdom, seem to be elated to such a degree that they look down upon all those who acknowledge the creation of the universe by God as ants that creep upon the ground and keep the beaten track, and upon some as butterflies flying in the air ; and the opinions of such th^ call dreams, because they see what they do not see ; and they say, " Who has seen God, and who does not see nature ?" [2] While I was wondering greatly at the multitude of such, an angel stood at my side and said to me^ " What are you meditating about ?" I replied " About the great number of those who believe that nature exists of itself, aud is thus tlie creator of the universe " And the angel said to me, " All hell consists of such, and those who are there are called satans and devils-satans those wlio liave conhrmed themselves in favor of nature, and in con- sequence have denied God ; devils those who have lived wick- edly and have thus cast out from their hearts all acknowledg- ment of (.od. l!ut I will co>Kluct you to the schools which are in the southwest quarter, where those are who are not yet m liell/^ ^ He took me by the hand and led me away; and I saw small houses in which were the scliools, and in the midst of them a bui dmg which served as headquarters for the rest. This was built of iMtch-black stones overlaid with little glass-like plates sparkling as it were with gold and silver, like what are called se enites, or like mica, with glittering shells here and there interspersed. [3] AVe approached this building and knocked, and immedi- ately a person opened tlie door and said, '' Welcome." And he ran to a table and brought four books, and said, " These books are the wisdom that is at this day applauded ])y many king- doms : this book or wisdom is applauded by many in France • this by many in Germany ; this by some in Holland : this by some in J>.ritain.- He said also, " If you wish to see it I will cause these four books to shine before your eyes " And he poured forth the glory of his fame round about; and immedi- ately the books beamed as if with light; but this light quicklv vanished from our sight. We then asked what he was now writing; and he answered that he was biinging out from his treasures and setting forth matters pertaining to the deepest wisdom, which in general are these: (1) Whether nature is a projmrtf/ of life, or life of nature? (2) Whether the center is from the expame, or the expanse from the center? (3) Bespecting the center of the ex- panse and of life. W After these remarks he seated himself at the table, while we walked about the building, wliieh was spacious. He had a candle on his tal)le, because there was no light of the sun there but only the nocturnal light of the moon ; and what seemed 52 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I N. 35] MEMORABLE RELATION 53 wonderful, the candle seemed to be carried round and round, and to give light ; but not having been snuffed it gave but little light. While he wrote we saw images of various forms flying from the table to the walls, which appeared in the nocturnal moonlight there like beautiful eastern birds ; but as soon as we opened the door these appeared in the light of day like those birds of night that have membranous wings ; for they were re- semblances of truth which through conlirmations had become fallacies, and had been ingeniously woven by him into a series. [5] After seeing this, we approached the table and asked him what he was then writing about. He said about the lirst question, Whether nature is a proper- ty of life, or life of nature ? And he said he could prove both sides of this and make them true ; but as there was something lurking within that he feared, he dared only to prove that na- ture is a property of life, in other words, is from life, and not that life is a property of nature, in other words, is from nature. We asked courteously what it was lurking within that he feared. He replied that he was afraid of being called a naturalist, and thus an atheist, by the clergy, and a man of unsound reason by the laity, since both of these either believe from a blind faith or see only from the views of those who conflrin that faith. [6] Then with some heat of zeal for the truth we addressed him, saying, " Friend, you are very much deceived ; you have been misled by your wisdom, which is a certain talent for writing, and you have been led by the glory of fame into proving what you do not believe. Do you not know that the human mind is capable of being raised above things sensual, which enter into the thought from the bodily senses ; and that when the mind has been thus raised up it sees what is from life as above, and what is from nature as beneath ? What is life but love and wisdom ? And what is nature but the receptacle of these, by means of which they accomplish their effects or uses ? Can life and nature be one except as the principal and the Instrumental ? Can light be one with the eye, or sound with the ear ? Are not the sensations of these derived from life, and their forms from nature ? What is the human body but' an organ of life ? Are not aU things and each thing therein organically formed for the production of what the love wills and the understanding thinks ? Are not the bodily or- gans from nature, and love and thought from life ^ And are not these perfectly distinct from each other ? Eaise the keen- ness of your intellect a little higher still, and you will see that o be moved by affection and to think belong to life-the former belonging to love and the latter to wisdom ; and both love and wisdom belong to life- for as Iwfnvo ^n\A i„ i • , ov^ lif,. It .„,.'/"'^' ^ "^i^^re said, love and wisdom aie life. If you will lift your capacity to understand a little liigher you will see that love and wisdom could have no exist- ence without having somewhere an origin, and that that origin is love Itself and wisdom itself, and therefore life itself, and these are God, from whom nature is " [7] Afterwards we talked with him upon the second point, Whether the center ^s from the expanse or the expanse from the center? asking why he canvassed this. He answered that he did so in order to form a conclusion about the center and the expanse of nature and of life, and so about the origin of each And when we asked his opinion, he replied, the same as be- fore, that he could prove either of these, but from fear of loss of reputation he would prove that the expanse is of the center that is, from the center, "although I know,"' he said, that there must have been something before there was a sun and this throughout the whole expanse, and that this of itself Howed together into order, thus towards a center » •^f^?^" ^''^ addressed him again with indignant zeal, and said, "Friend, you are insane." Hearing this he drew his seat from the table, and looked at us timidly, and then gave us his attention, but with laughter. We went on to sav ^^ hat can be more insane than to say that the center is from the expanse '/ By your center we understand the sun, and by your expanse the universe ; thus are you not contending that the universe came into existence without the sun '? Does not the sun produce nature and all its properties ? and do not these depend solely on the light and heat from the sun through the atmospheres ? Where, then, could these have been pre- viously ? But the origin of these we will discuss hereafter Are not the atmospheres and all things on the earth like sur- faces, of which the sun is the center ? What would all these 54 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 36] MEMORABLE RELATION 55 be without the sun ? Could they subsist for one moment ? What, then, could they have been before the sun was formed ? Could they have had any existence ? Is not subsistence per- petual existence ? As the subsistence, then, of all things of nature is from the sun, it follows that their existence is from the same source. This every one sees, and from the eviden(;e of his own eyes acknowledges. [*->] Does not the posterior have both its existence and its subsistence from the prior? If the surface were the prior and the center the posterior, would not the prior subsist from the posterior, and would not that be contrary to the laws of order ? How can the posterior pro- duce the prior, or the exterior the interior, or thi^ grosser the purer? How then can the surface things which constitute the expanse produce the center ? Who does not see that this is contrary to the laws of nature ? We have presented these evidences from rational analysis to prove that the expanse has its existence from the center, and not the reverse, although every one who thinks rightly can see this without these evi- dences. You have said that the expanse of itself flowed to- gether towards the center. AVas it by chance that it did this in such a marvelous and amazing order that one thing is for the sake of another, and each and all things for tlie sake of man and his eternal life ? Is nature, from any love through any wisdom, capable of premeditating ends, contemplating causes, and thus providing effects, that such things may exist in their order ? Or is nature capable of converting men into angels, of making a heaven of these, and causing those who are there to live forever? Put these things together and reflect, and your idea of nature's existence from nature will fall to the ground." [lO] After this we asked him what he had thought and what he still thought about the third question, Oti the center and the expanse of nature and of life : whether he believed the center and the expanse of life to be the same with the center and expanse of nature ? He said that he was per])lexed ; that he had formerly be- lieved life to be an interior activity of nature, and that this was the source of love and wisdom, which essentially consti- tute man's life, and that this activity is produced by the sun's fire, through its heat and light, by means of the atmospheres ; but now from what he had heard of the life of men after death he was in doubt ; and this doubt carried his mind some- times upwards and sometimes downwards ; and when upwards he acknowledged a center of which he had formerly known nothing ; and when downwards he saw the center which he had supposed to be the only one ; and he believed life to be from the center of which he had before known nothing, and nature to be from the center which he had formerly supposed to be the only one, each center having an expanse round about it. [11] This, we said, would answer if he would look from the center and expanse of life to the center and expanse of nature, and not the reverse. And we informed him that above the an- gelic heaven there is a sun which is pure love, in appearance fiery, like the sun of the world ; and that from the heat going forth from that sun angels and men have their will and love, and from its light their understanding and wisdom ; and what- ever is from that sun is called spiritual; while whatever pro- ceeds from the sun of the world is a containant or receptacle of life, and is called natural ; thus the expanse pertaining to the center of life is called the spiritual world, having its sub- sistence from its own sun, while the expanse pertaining to the center of nature is called the natural world, having its sul> sistence from its sun. Since, then, spaces and times cannot be l)redicated of love and wisdom, and since states take the place there of spaces and times, it follows that there is no extension in the expanse about the sun of the angelic heaven ; although this expanse is in the extension of the natural sun, and in the living subjects there in accordance with their reception, while their reception is in accordance with forms and states. [12] Then he asked, '' What is the origin of the fire of the sun of the world or of nature ?" We answered that it is from the sun of the angelic heaven, which is not fire, but the Divine love that most nearly goes forth from God, who is in the midst of that sun. As he seemed surprised at this we set it forth in this way : '' Love in its essence is spiritual fire ; and for this reason in the Word, in its spiritual sense, fire signifies love ; and it is on this account 56 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 36] GOD THE CREATOR 57 that priests in churches pray that heavenly fire, by which they mean love, may fill the hearts of men. The lire of the altar and the lire of the candlestick in the tabernacle represented among the Israelites no other than the Divine love. The heat of the blood, or the vital heat of men and of animals in gen- eral, is from no other source than the love that constitutes their life. Therefore man is enkindled, grows warm, and is inflamed when his love is exalted to zeal or excited to anger and passion. Since, then, spiritual heat, which is love, produces in men natural heat, even so far as to enkindle and inflame their faces and limbs, it is clear that the tire of the natural sun sprang from no other soui'ce than the fire of the spiritual sun which is the Divine love. [13] And since, furthermore, the expanse, as has just been said, originates in the center, and not the re- verse, and the center of life, which is the sun of the angelic heaven, is the Divine love most nearly going forth from God, who is in the midst of that sun ; and since the expanse of that center, which is called the spiritual world, is from that origin ; and since from that spiritual sun the sun of the world sprang, and from it its expanse, which is called the natural world, it is plain that the univei-se was created by God." After this we departed ; and he accompanied us out of the hall of his school, and talked with us about heaven and hell and the Divine auspices with a new intellectual sagacity. THE DIVINE ESSENCE, WHICH IS DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM. 36. A distinction has been made between the Usse of God and the essence of God, because there is a distinction between the infinity of God and the love of God, infinity being appli- cable to the Esse of God, and love to the essence of God, since the Esse of God, as has just been said, is more imiversal than His essence ; just as the infinity of God is more universal than His love ; and for this reason the word infinite is an adjective that is applicable to the essentials and attributes of God, which are all called infinite ; as we say of the Divine love that it is nihnite, of the Divine wisdom that it is infinite, also of the Divine power ; not because of any pre-^xistence of the Esse of God, but because it enters into the essence as joined to it, co- hering with it, determining and forming and also exalting it But this section of this chapter, like the previous ones, shall be presented under the following divisions :— (1) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and these two con- stitute His Essence. (2) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good is of Love and Truth is of Wisdom. (3) Love itself and Wisdom itself are Life itself, which is Life in itself. (4) Love and AVisdom in God make one. (5) It is the essence of Love to love others outside of one- self, to desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself. (6) These essentials of the Divine Love were the cause of the universe, and are the cause of its preservation. But of these separately. 37. (1) God is Love Itself and Wisdom itself, and these two constitute His Essence, In thQ earliest ages it was seen that love and wisdom are the two essentials to which all the infinite things that are in God and proceed from God have reference • but succeeding ages, as they withdrew their minds from heaven and immersed them in things worldly and corporeal, gradually became unable to see this, for they gradually ceased to know what love IS in its essence, and thus what wisdom is in its essence, not knowing that love abstracted from a form is im- possible, and that love operates in a form and through a form Since, then, God is the Itself and the Only, and thus the first substance and form, the essence of which is love and wisdom and since from Him were made all things that were made, it follows that He created the universe with each thing and all things of it from love by means of wisdom ; consequently the Divme love, together with the Divine wisdom, is in each and all created subjects. Love, moreover, is not merely the essence that forms all things, it is also that which unites and conjoins them, and thus, when they are formed, holds them iu connec- 58 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. tion. [2] All this may be illustrated by innumerable things in the world ; as by the heat and light from the sun, which are the two essentials and universals by means of which each thing and all things on the earth have their existence and subsistence. Heat and light are there because they correspond to the Divine love and Divine wisdom ; for the heat that goes forth from the sun of the spiritual world is in its essence love, and the light from it is in its essence wisdom. This, again, may be illus- trated by the two essentials and universals, namely, the will and the understanding, by means of which human minds have their existence and subsistence ; for of these two every one's mind consists, and they are in, and operate in, each thing and all things of the mind. This is because the will is the recep- tacle and habitation of love, as the understanding is of wisdom ; and for this reason these two correspond to the Divine love and the Divine wisdom in which they originated. The same truth may be illustrated further by the two essentials and universals by means of which the human body has its existence and sub- sistence, namely, the heart aiid lungs, or the contraction and dilatation of the heart and the respiration of the lungs. It is known that these two are operative in each and all things in the body ; and for the reason that the heart corresponds to love, and the lungs to wisdom ; which correspondence is fully de- monstrated hi the Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, published at Amsterdam. [3] That love as a bridegroom and husband produces or begets all forms, yet only by wisdom as a bride and wife, can be proved by things innumerable in both the spiritual world and in the natural world, provided only it is kept in mind that the entire angelic heaven is arranged in its form, and kept in it, from the Divine love through the Divine wisdom. Those who deduce the cre- ation of the world from any other source than the Divine love through the Divine wisdom, not knowing that these two con- stitute the Divine Essence, descend from reason's sight to eye- sight, and bestow kisses on nature as the creator of the universe ; and thereby conceive chimeras and bring forth spectei-s. They devise fallacies, and reason from them ; and their conclusions are eggs that contain birds of night. Such should not be called minds, but eyes and ears without understanding, or thoughts N. 37] GOD THE CREATOR 50 without soul. They talk of colors as if these existed without light ; of trees as if they existed without seed ; and of all things in the world as existing without the sun ; for they make de- rivatives to be first principles and things caused to be causes • thus they turn all things upside down, lull their reason to sleep' and the things they see are dreams. ' 38. (2) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good is of Love and Truth is of Wisdom, It is universally known that all things have reference to good and truth ; which is proof that all things sprang from love and wisdom ; for every thing tliat proceeds from love is caUed good, for this is what is felt, and the delight by which the love becomes manifest is to every one good ; while every thing that proceeds from wisdom is called truth, since wisdom consists solely of truths, and affects its objects with the pleasantness of light ; and this pleasantness, when it is perceived, is truth from good. Love is therefore the complex of all varieties of goodness, and wisdom the complex of all varieties of truth ; but both the latter and the former are from God, who is love itself and thus good itself, and is wisdom Itself and thus truth itself. It is from this that in the church there are two essentials, called charity and faith ; and of these each thing and all things of the church consist, and these must be in each and all things of it ; and for the reason that every good of the church pertains to charity, and is called charity • and every truth of the church pertains to faith, and is called faitli. It is the delights of love, which are also the delights of charity, that cause what is delightful to be called good ; and it is the pleasantness of wisdom, which is also the pleasantness of faith, that causes what is true to be called true ; for delights and pleasantnesses are what give life to good and truth ; and without life from these, goods and truths^ are like something inanimate, and are also barren. [2] But the delights of love are of two kinds ; so, too, are the pleasantnesses that seem to pertain to wisdom, namely, delights of the love of good and de- lights of the love of evil, and in consequence, the pleasantnesses of faith in what is true and of faith in what is false. In the subjects in which they exist, both of these kinds of delights, because of the feeling they produce, are called goods, and both of these kinds of pleasantness of faith, because of the percep- 60 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. tion they cause, are also called good ; but as these are in the understanding they are in reality truths. Kevertheless, the two kinds are opposites, the good of one love being good, and the good of the other being evil, and the truth of one faith true, and that of the other false. The love whose delight is essen- tially good is like the sun's heat in its work of fructifying, vivifying, and operating upon fertile soil, and useful trees and fields of grain ; and where it operates the place becomes like a paradise, a garden of Jehovah, and like the land of Canaan ; while the pleasantness of the truth of that love is like the sun's light in spring, or like light flowing into a crystalline vase con- taining beautiful flowers, from which, when opened, a delight- ful odor goes forth. But the delight of the love of evil is like the sun's heat when it parches and destroys, or when it operates upon barren soil or upon noxious growths, as thorns and bram- bles ; and where it operates the place becomes an Arabian des- ert where there are water snakes and venomous snakes ; and the pleasantness of its falsity is like the sun's light in winter, or like light flowing into a bottle containing worms swimming in vinegar, and reptiles of ofPensive smell. [3] It must be un- derstood that every kind of good gives itself form by means of truths, and clothes itself about with truths, and thus distin- guishes itself from every other good ; also that the various kmds of good belonging to the same family bind themselves into bundles, and swathe these about, and thus distinguish them- selves from other families. That they are formed in this way is shown in each and all things in the human body ; and as there is an invariable correspondence of all things of the mind with all things of the body the human mind is evidently formed in like ways. And from this it follows that the human mind is organized inwardly of spiritual substances, and outwardly of natural substances, and lastly of material substances. The mind whose love's delights are good is formed inwardly of such spiritual substances as exist in heaven ; while the mind whose love's delights are evil is formed inwardly of such spiritual sub- stances as exist in hell ; and its evils are bound into bundles by falsities, while the goods in the former mind are bound into bundles by truths. Because of such bindings of good and of evil into bundles the Lord says : — N. 38] GOD THE CREATOR 61 That the tares must be gathered together into bundles to be burned a^ well a^ all thmgs that offend [Matt. xiii. 30, 40, 41 ; Johnny Q^' T .^^•. ^^h ^^'"^^'^^ God is Love itself and Wisdom itself He is Life Itself which is Life in itself It is said in John :~ The Word was with God, and God Wc-us the Word In Him wa^ lif^ and the life wa^ the light of men (i. 1, 4). ^'^^' By "God" here the Divine love is meant, and by " the AVord" the Divine wisdom ; and strictly speaking "life" means the Divine wisdom and the life strictly is the light that goes forth from the sun of the spiritual world, in the midst of which sun IS Jehovah God As fire forms light so does the Divine love torm hie. In fire there are two properties, burning and shin- ing ; from its burning property heat proceeds, and from its shin- ing property light. There are two like properties in love, one to which the burning property of fire corresponds, which is a something that mmostly affects the will of man, and another to which the shining property of fire corresponds, which is a something that inmostly affects the understanding of man This IS the source of man's love and intelligence ; for, as re- peatealy said before, from the sun of the spiritual world a heat goes forth that in its essence is love, and a light that in its essence is wisdom. These two flow into all things and each thing m the universe, and inmostly affect them, and with men these flow into their will and their understanding, for these two were created to be receptacles of influx-the will a recep- tacle of love, and the understanding a receptacle of wisdom. Thus It IS manifest that the life of man dwells in his under- standing and IS such as his wisdom is; and that it is modi- fied by the love of the will. 40. We also read in John : to re'^r Hi;:.:Sf 'i!^ z, f^^-''^ ^^ ^-^ «« ^'- -> '"« ^^ ^^ which means that just as the Divine Itself, which was from eternity has hfe in itself, so the Human, which He took on in time, has hfe in itself. Life in itself is the very and only life, from which all angels and men have life. This can be seen by human reason from the light that goes forth from the sun of the natural world, in that this light is not creatable, fai^MfiWiirifej 62 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. but that forms for receiving it have been created. For ex- ample, the eyes are forms for receiving this light, and light flowing in from the sun is what makes them to see. The same is true of life which (as has been said) is the light that goes forth from the sun of the spiritual world, in that it is not creatable, but flows in unceasingly, and as it illuminates it also vivifies man's understanding. So in consequence, as sight and life and wisdom are one, wisdom is not creatable, neither is faith, nor truth, nor love, nor charity, nor good ; but forms for receiving these have been created ; and these forms are human and angelic minds. Therefore let every one beware of persuading himself that he lives from himself, or that he is wise, l)elieves, loves, perceives truth, and wills and does good, from himself. For so far as any one is so per- suaded he casts his mind down from heaven to earth, and from being spiritual becomes natural, sensual, and corporeal ; for he shuts up the higher regions of his mind, and thus makes him- self blind in regard to every thing relating to God, heaven, and the church ; and then all that he happens to think, reason, and say about these things is done in darkness and conse- quently in foolishness; while at the same time he adopts a confidence that it all belongs to wisdom. For when the higher regions of the mind, where the true light of life resides, are closed up, the region of the mind below these opens, into which the light of the world only is admitted ; and when this light is separated from the light of the higher regions it is a delusive light, in which w^hat is false seems true and what is true seems false, and reasoning from what is false appears to be wisdom, and from what is true to be folly. Then man be- lieves himself to be endowed with the keen vision of an eagle, although he sees what belongs to wisdom no better than a bat sees in the light of day. 41. (4) Love and Wisdom in God make one. Every wise man in the church knows that every good of love and charity is from God, also every truth of wisdom and faith ; and hu- man reason is able to see this when it knows that the origin of love and wisdom is the sun of the spiritual world, in the midst of which is Jehovah God, or what is the same thing, that they are froni Jehovah God through the sun which is round N. 41] GOD THE CREATOR 63 about Him; for the heat that goes forth from that sun is in Its essence love, and the light that goes forth from it is in Its essence wisdom. It is therefore as plain as the open day that m that origin love and wisdom are one, consequently are one m God, from whom that sun has its origin. This may be illustrated by the sun of the natural world, which is pure fire, in that from its fire heat goes forth, and from the shining of Its fire light goes forth ; thus the two in their origin are one. [2] But that these are separated in their going forth becomes evident from their subjects, some of which receive more of heat and others more of light. This is especially true of men in whom the light of life which is intelligence and the heat of life which is love, are separated ; and this is done because man needs to be reformed and regenerated, which is impossible unless he is taught by the light of life, which is intelligence, what ought to be willed and loved. It must be understood, however, that God is continually working to con- join love and wisdom in man; while man, unless he looks to God and believes in him, is continually working to separate them ; so far, therefore, as these two, the good of love or charity, and the truth of wisdom or faith, are conjoined in man, so far he becomes an image of God, and is raised up to- wards and into heaven where angels are ; and on the other hand, so far as these two are separated by man he becomes an image of Lucifer and the dragon, and is cast down from heaven to earth, and finally below the earth into hell. From the conjunction of these two, man's state becomes like that of a tree in spring, when heat and light in equal measure are conjoined, whereby the tree buds, blooms, and bears fruit; but on the other hand, by the separation of these two, man's state becomes like that of a tree in winter, when the heat with- draws from the light, whereby the tree is stripped and made bare of all its foliage and verdure. [3] When spiritual heat, which is love, separates itself from spiritual light, which is wisdom, or, what is the same thing, when charity separates itself from faith, man becomes like sour or rotting soil in which worms are bred ; and if it brings forth plants their leaves become covered with lice, and are eaten up. For the allurements of the love of evil, which in themselves are lusts, 64 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. break forth, not being subdued and restrained by intelligence, but loved, fostered, and nourished by it. In a word, to sepa- rate love and wisdom, or charity and faith, which two things God constantly strives to bring together, is like depriving the face of its ruddiness, which leaves a death-like pallor, or like taking away the whiteness from the ruddiness, which makes the face like a burning torch. It is also like dissolving the marriage bond between two persons, making the wife a harlot and the husband an adulterer. For love or charity is like a husband, and wisdom or faith is like a wife : and when the two are separated, spiritual harlotry and whoredom follow, which are the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good. 42. Furthermore, it must be understood that there are three degrees of love and wisdom, and consequently three degrees of life, and that the human mind is formed into regions, as it were, in accordance with these degrees ; and that in the highest region life is in its highest degree, in the second region in a less degree, and in the outmost region in the lowest degree. These regions are opened in men successively — the outmost region, where there is life in the lowest degree, from infancy to childhood ; and this is done by means of knowledges : the second region, where there is life in a larger degree, from child- hood to youth ; and this is done by means of thought from knowledges : and the highest region, where there is life in the highest degree, from youth to early manhood and onward; and this is done by means of perceptions of moral and spirit- ual truths. It must be further understood that it is not in thought that the perfection of life consists, but in the percep- tion of truth from the light of truth. From this it may be inferred what the differences of life are in men ; for there are some who the moment they hear a truth perceive that it is true ; and these in the spiritual world are represented by eagles. There are others who have no perception of truth, but reach conclusions by means of confirmations from appearances ; and these are represented by singing birds. Others believe a thing to be true because it has been asserted by a man of authority ; these are rei)resented by magpies. Finally, there are some who have no desire and no ability to perceive what is true but only what is false, for the reason that they are in z. delu- N. 42] GOD THE CREATOR 65 sive light, in which falsity appears to be true, and what is true seems either like something overhead concealed in a dense cloud, or like a meteor, or like something false. The thoughts of these are represented by birds of night, and their speech by screech owls. Of this class those that have confirmed their falsities cannot bear to hear truths, and the moment any truth strikes the ear they repel it with aversion, as a stomach over- charged with bile from nausea vomits its food. 43. (5) It is the essence of Love to love others outside of one- self, to desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself The essence of God consists of two things, love and wisdom ; while the essence of His love consists of three things, namely, to love others outside of Himself, to desire to be one with them, and from Himself to render them blessed. And because love and wisdom in God make one, as has been shown above, the same three things constitute the essence of His wisdom ; and love desires these three things, and wisdom brings them forth. [2] The first essential, which is to love others outside of one's self is recognized in God's love for the whole human race ; and for its sake God loves all things that He has created because they are means ; for when the end is loved the means also are loved. All men and things in the universe are outside of God, because they are finite and God is infinite. The love of God goes forth and extends not only to good men and good things, but also to evil men and evil things ; consequently not only to the men and things in heaven but also in hell, thus not only to Michael and Gabriel but also to the devil and satan ; for God is everywhere, and is from eternity to eternity the same. He says also : — That He makes His sun to rise on the good and on the evil, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust {Mati. v. 45). But the reason why evil men continue to be evil, and evil things continue to be evil, lies in the subjects and objects themselves, in that they do not receive the love of God as it is, and as it is inmostly in them, but as they themselves are ; in the same way as thorns and thistles receive the heat of the sun and the rain of heaven. [3] The second essential of the love of God, which is a desire to be one with others, is recognized in His conjunction with the angelic heaven, with the church on 5 fta^aafuterJg 66 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L earth, with every one there, and with every thing good and true that enters into and constitutes man and the church. Moreover, love viewed m itself is nothing but an endeavor towards conjunction; therefore that this aim of the essence of love might be realized man was created by God into His own image and likeness, with which a conjunction is possible. That the Divine love continually seeks conjunction is evident from the Lord's own words : — That He wishes them to be one, He in them and they in Him, and that the love of God might be in them {John xvii. 21-23, 20). [4] The third essential of the love of God, which is to render others blessed from Himself, is recognized in eternal life, which is the endless blessedness, happiness, and felicity that God gives to those w^ho receive into themselves His love. For as God is love itself, so is He blessedness itself; for all love breathes forth delight from itself, and the Divine love breathes forth blessedness itself, happiness, and felicity to eternity. Thus God from Himself renders the angels blessed, and men after death ; and this He does by conjunction wdth them. 44. That such is the nature of the Divine love is known from its sphere, which pervades the universe, and affects every one in accordance with his state. It especially affects parents, and is the source of their tender love for their childian (who are outside of themselves), and their desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from themselves. This sphere of Divine love affects not only the good, but also the evil, and not only men but also birds and beasts of every kind. What else does a mother think about when she has brought forth her child than uniting herself with it, as it were, and providing for its good ? What other concern has a bird, when she has hatched her young from the e^g, than to cherish them under her wings, and through their little mouths put food into their throats ? It is known that even serpents and vipers love their offspring. This universal sphere especially affects those who receive within themselves this love of God, who are such as believe in God and love their neighbor. Charity with such is an image of that love. With those who are not good, friend- ship simulates that love ; for at his table a man gives his friend N. 44] GOD THE CREATOR 67 the better things, kisses him, caresses and holds his hand, and proffers him useful offices. This love is also the sole origin of the sympathies and endeavors after union of those who are homogeneous or similar. This same Divine sphere is also operative in things inanimate, as trees and plants, but by ' means of the sun of the world, and its heat and light ; for its heat enters them from without and unites with them, causing them to germinate, bloom, and bear fruit ; and these resemble blessedness in things animate. The sun's heat does this be- cause it corresponds to spiritual heat, which is love. Eepre- sentations of the operation of this love are also found in the various subjects of the mineral kingdom. Types of this are presented in the exaltation to use of these, and their conse- quent preciousness. 45. From this description of the essence of the Divine love the essential nature of diabolical love can be seen. This can be seen as being an opposite. Diabolical love is the love of self. That is called love, although viewed in itself it is hatred ; for it loves no one outside of itself ; neither does it desire to be joined with others in order to benefit them, but only to benefit itself. From its inmost it continuously aspires to rule over all and to possess the goods of all, and finally to be worshiped as God. This is why those who are in hell do not acknowledge God, but acknowledge as gods those who sur- pass others in power ; thus they acknowledge lower and higher, or lesser and greater gods, according to the extent of their power. And as this is what every one there has at heart, every one burns with hatred against his own god, and this latter against those who are under his sway, regarding them as vile slaves, to whom he speaks courteously so long as they worship him, but he rages as if wdth fire against all others, and also inwardly, or in his heart, against his own vassals. For the love of self is the same as that of robbers, who kiss each other so long as they are engaged in robberies, but after- vrards burn with a desire to kill each other, in order to take all the plunder. In hell, where it rules, this love causes its lusts to appear at a distance like various kinds of wild beasts, some like foxes and leopards, some like wolves and tigers, and some like crocodiles and poisonous serpents; it causes the deserts. 68 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L which are places of abode there, to consist of nothing but heaps of stones or bare gravel, with bogs interspersed in which frogs croak ; and it causes doleful birds to fly and screech above their huts. Such are "the doleful creatures (ocAim)," "the wild beasts of the desert {tziimy and "the wild beasts of the islands (ijim),'' mentioned in the prophetic parts of the Word, where the love of rule from self-love is treated of (Isa. xiii. 21 ; Jer. 1. 39 ; Ps. Ixxiv. 14). 46. (6) T/iese essentiols of the Divine Love were the cause of the creation of the universe, and are the cause of its preservation. That these three essentials were the cause of creation can be clearly seen by a careful investigation of them. That the first, which is to love others outside of oneself, was a cause, is seen in the universe in that it is outside of God, as the world is out- side of the sun, and in that He is thus able to extend His love to it, and exercise His love upon it, and thus rest in it. So we read that after God had created the heavens and the earth He rested, and that this was why the Sabbath day was instituted (Gen. ii. 2, 3). That the second essential, which is a desire to be one with others, was also a cause, is seen in the creation of man in the image and likeness of God, which means that man was made a form for receiving love and wisdom from God, thus a being with whom God could unite Himself, and also for man's sake with each thing and all things in the universe, which are nothing but means ; for conjunction with a final cause is also conjunction with mediate causes. That all things were created for the sake of man is plain also from the Book of Creation, or Genesis (i. 28-30). That the third essential, w4iich is to render others blessed from oneself, is a cause, is seen in the angelic heaven, w^hich is provided for every man who receives the love of God, and in which the blessedness of all comes from God alone. These three essentials of the love of God are also the cause of the preservation of the universe, since preservation is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual existence ; and the Divine love is the same from eternity to eternity, that is, such as it was in creating the world, such it is and continues to be in the world when created. 47. From these things when rightly understood it can be seen that the universe is a coherent work from first things to N. 47] GOD THE CREATOR 69 last, because it is a work that includes ends, causes, and effects in an indissoluble connection. And because in every love there is an end, in all wisdom there is a promotion of an end by means of mediate causes, and through these causes effects, which are uses, are attained, it follows that the universe is a work that includes Divine love. Divine wisdom, and uses, and is thus in every respect a work coherent from things first to last. That the universe consists of perpetual uses, brought fortli by wisdom but initiated by love, every wise man can ob- serve as in a mirror, as soon as he acquires a general concep- tion of the creation of the universe, and from that observes the particulars ; for particulars adapt themselves to their own gen- eral, and the general arranges them in a form in which they are in harmony. The truth of this will be illustrated in many ways in what follows. 48. To this I wall add this Memorable Relation : — I was once talking with two angels, one from the eastern and the other from the southern heaven. When they perceived that I was meditating upon the arcana of wisdom respecting love, they said, " Do you know anything about the schools of wisdom in our world ?" I answered, " Kot yet." They said that there were many such, and that those who love truths from spiritual affection, or because they are truths, and because by means of them wisdom is acquired, come to- gether at a given signal and discuss and settle those questions that spring from a deeper understanding. They then took me by the hand, saying, " Follow us, and you shall see and hear ; the signal has been given for a meeting to- day.'' I was led over a plain to a hill ; and behold, at the foot of the hill was an arcade of palms reaching to its very top. This we entered and ascended ; and on the top or summit of the hill a grove was seen, and among its trees the raised ground formed a kind of theater, within which was a level spot paved with little stones of various colors. Around this in quadrangular form seats were placed upon which lovers of wisdom were sit- ting ; and in the middle of the theater there was a table, upon which was laid a paper sealed with a seal. 70 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. [2] Those who were seated invited us to the still vacant seats ; but I answered, " I have been brought here by two angels to see and hear, not to sit/' Then the two angels went to the table in the middle of the level spot, and broke the seal of the paper, and read to those seated the arcana of wisdom written on the paper, which they were now to discuss and unfold. These arcana were written by angels of the third heaven, and let down upon the table. There were three : First, What is " the image of God/^ and ivhat is " the likeness of God,'^ into which man was created ? Second, Why is man not horn into the kn/)wledge proper to any love, when even beasts and birds, both the noble and the ignoble, are born into the knowledges proper to all their loves ? Third, What does " the tree of life^ and ivhat does " the tree of the knowledge of good and eviV^ signify, and ivhat is signified by " eating'' of them ? Underneath was written, " Unite the answers to these three in one opinion. Write it on a fresh paper, and place it on this table, and we shall see. If the opinion seems well-balanced and correct, each one of you shall receive the prize for wisdom." Having read this the two angels withdrew, and were taken up into their heavens. Then those sitting upon the seats began to discuss and un- fold the arcana proposed to them, speaking in this order, first those who sat on the north side, then those on the west, next those on the south, and lastly those on the east. And they took up the first subject of discussion, which was. What is ''the image of God'' and ivhat is '' the likeness of God" into which man was created ? In the first place there was read to all of them these w^ords from the Book of Creation : — God said, Let us make man into Our image, after Our likeness. So God created man into His own image, into the Ukeness of God made He him {Gen. I 26, 27). In the day that God created man, into the likeness of God made He him {Gen. v. 1). [3] Those who sat on the north spoke first, saying that an image of God and a likeness of God are the two lives breathed into man by God, which are the life of the will and the life of the understanding ; " for we read : — N. 48] MEMORABLE RELATION 71 Jehovah God breathed into the nostrils [of Adam] the breath of lives, and man was made into a living soul {Gen. ii. 7). This seems to mean that there was breathed into him the will of good and the perception of truth, thus the soul of lives. And inasmuch as life from God was breathed into him, image and likeness signify integrity in hun from love and wisdom, and from righteousness and judgment." To this those sitting on the west assented, adding, however, that the state of integrity breathed into Adam from God is con- tinually breathed into every man after him ; but in man it is as into a receptacle ; and man is an image and likeness of God in proportion as he becomes a receptacle. [4] Afterwards the third in order, who were those seated at the south, said, '• An image of God and a likeness of God are two distinct things but in man they are united by creation ; and we see as if from some interior light that while the image of God may be destroyed by man, the likeness of God cannot. This we see as through a network, in that Adam retained the likeness of God after he had lost the image of God ; for after the curse we read : — Behold the man has become as one of us, knowing good and evil {Gen. iii. 22) ; and after this he was called a likeness of God, but not an im- age of God (Gen. v. 1). But let us leave to our companions who sit at the east, and are therefore in superior light, to say what is properly an image of God, and what is properly a like- ness of God." [5] Then after a period of silence, those seated towards the east arose from their seats and looked up to the Lord, and again took their seats, and said that an image of God is a receptacle of God ; and as God is love itself and wisdom itself, an image of God is the reception in that receptacle of love and wisdom from God ; while a likeness of God is a perfect likeness and full appearance that love and wisdom are in man, and are there- fore entirely his. For man has no other feeling than that he loves from himself and is wise from himself, or that he wills what is good and understands truth from himself ; neverthe- less, this is not from himself m the least degree, but from God. 72 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. God alone loves from Himself and is wise from Himself, be- cause He is love itself and wisdom itself. The likeness or ap- pearance that love and wisdom, or good and truth, are in man as his own, is what makes man to be man, and makes him capa- ble of conjunction with God, and thus of living to eternity ; from which it follows that man is man from his being able to will what is good and understand truth wholly as if from him- self, and yet with the ability to know and believe that he does so from God ; for as man knows and believes this, God puts His image in man ; but not so if man believes that he does this from himself, and not from God. [6] When this had been said there came upon them a zeal arising from a love for the truth, from which they spoke as follows : " How can man receive anything of love and wisdom, and retain it and reproduce it, unless he feels it to be his own ? And how is any conjunction with God by means of love and wisdom possible unless there has been given to man something by which he may reciprocate the conjunction ? For without a reciprocal no conjunction is possible. And the reciprocal of conjunction is man's loving God and doing wdiat is of God as if from himself, and yet believing that it is from God. More- over, how can man live to eternity unless he is joined to the eternal God ? Consequently, how can man be man without that likeness in him V [7] These remarks were approved by all, and they said, " Let us form a conclusion from all this.'^ This was done as follows : "Man is a receptacle of God, and a receptacle of God is an image of God; and as God is love itself and wisdom itself, man is a receptacle of these ; and the receptacle becomes an im- age of God in the measure in which it receives. And man is a likeness of God from his feeling that the things that are from God are in him as his o^\ti ; and yet from that likeness he is only so far an image of God as he acknowledges that love and wisdom, or good and truth, are not his own in him, and are not from him, but are solely in God, and consequently from God." [8] After this they took up the second subject of discus- sion, Why is man not horn into the knowledge proper to any lovey when even beasts and birds j both the noble and the {(/noble j N. 48] MEMORABLE RELATION are born into the knowledr/es p)^'02)er to all their loves ? They first confirmed the truth of the proposition by various argu- ments, as, that man is born into no knowledge, not even into a knowledge of marriage love. They inquired and learned from investigators the fact that an infant from connate knowledge does not even know its mother's breast, but learns of it from the mother or nurse by being put to the breast ; that it merely knows how to suck, and this it has acquired from continual suction in the mother's womb; that subsequently it does not know how to walk, or to articulate sound into any human word, and not even to express by sounds its love's affections as beasts do ; furthermore, that it does not know what food is suitable for it, as beasts do, but seizes upon whatever comes in its way, clean or unclean, and puts it in its mouth. The in- vestigators said that man without instruction knows nothing whatever of the modes of loving the sex, virgins and youths even knowing nothing about it until they have l^een taught by others. In a word, man is born a purely corporeal thing, like a worm, and so continues unless he acquires knowledge, un- derstanding, and wisdom from others. [9] After this they con- firmed the fact that both noble and ignoble animals, as the beasts of the earth, the birds of heaven, reptiles, fishes, and the smaller creatures called insects, are born into all the knowl- edges proper to their life's loves, as into all things pertaining to nutrition, to their habitations, to sexual love and prolifica- tion, and all things pertaining to the rearing of their offspring. All this they confirmed by w^onderf ul facts which they recalled to memory from what they had seen, heard, and read in the nat- ural world, where they had formerly lived, and where the ani- mals are real and not representative. When the truth of the proposition had been thus established, they applied their minds to the investigation and discovery of the reasons by means of which this arcanum might be unfolded and made clear. And they all said that these things could spring only from the Di- vine wisdom, to the end that man might be man, and beast might be beast ; and thus man's imperfection at birth becomes his per- fection, and the beast's perfection at birth is its imperfection. [lO] Then those on the north began to express their views ; and they said that man is born without knowledges in order 74 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I that he may be able to receive all knowledges ; while if he were born into knowledges he would not be capable of receiv- ing other knowledges beyond those into which he had been born, nor would he be capable of making any knowledge his own. This they illustrated by the comparison that man at birth is like ground in which no seed has been sown, but which nevertheless is capable of receiving all seeds and of causing them to grow and bear fruit; while a beast is like ground already sown, and full of grasses and herbs, which can receive no other seeds than those already sown, or if it did, would choke them. Tor this reason man is many years in coming to maturity, during which he can be cultivated, like soil, and bring forth, as it were, all kinds of crops, flowers, and trees ; while the beast matures in a few years, during which it is capable of improvement only in the things into which it was born. [11] Afterwards those on the west spoke, and said, " Man is not, as a beast is, born a knowledge, but is bom a faculty and inclination — a faculty for knowing and an inclination for lov- ing. Moreover, he is born a faculty for loving both what per- tains to self and the world and what pertains to God and heaven. Consequently, man at birth is merely an organ, liv- ing only an obscure life through the external senses, and with no internal senses, to the end that his life may develop step by step, and he may become lirst a natural man, then a rational man, and finally a spiritual man ; and this he could not become if he were born into knowledges and loves as beasts are. For that development is limited by connate knowledges and affec- tions of love, while mere connate faculties and inclinations do not limit it. This is what gives man the ability to be per- fected to eternity in knowledges, intelligence, and wisdom." [12] Those on the south followed, and pronounced their opinion, saying that it is impossible for man to derive any knowledge from himself, and since he has no connate knowl- edge he can only gain it from others. " And as man can ac- quire no knowledge from himself, neither can he any love, since where knowledge is not love is not. Knowledge and love are inseparable companions, as inseparable as will and understand- ing, or as affection and thought, or even as essence and form. N. 48] MEMORABLE RELATION 75 Therefore as man acquires knowledge from others, love unites with it as a companion. The most general love that miites itself is the love of knowing, and afterwards the love of un- derstanding and of being wise, No beast has these loves, but man only ; and they flow in from God. [13] We agree with our fellow-meml)ers on the west that man is not born into any love, and consequently not into any knowledge, but is born merely into an inclination for loving and thus into a faculty for receiving knowledge, not from liimself but from others, that is, through others. We say through others, because neither do these receive anything from themselves, but originally from God. We agree also with our fellow-meml3ers on the north, that man at his birth is like soil in which no seeds have been planted, but in which all seeds, both noble and ignoble, may be planted. This is why man was called hovio [man], from humus [soil], and Adam \_Hehr. for man], from ad amah , which means soil. To this we add that beasts are born into natural loves, and from these into knowledges corresponding thereto ; and yet they have no ability to learn or to think or to under- stand or to be wise from knowledges ; but are impelled to these by their loves, much as the blind are conducted through the streets by dogs (for beasts are blind so far as understanding is concerned ; or rather, beasts are like persons walking in sleep, Avho do whatever they do from blind knowledge, their imder- standing being asleep)." [14] Finally those on the east spoke and said, "We assent to what our brethren have said, that man derives no knowledge from himself, but only from and through others, in order that he may recognize and acknowledge that all his knowledge, un- derstanding, and wisdom are from God ; also that man can in no other way be born and begotten of God, and become His image and likeness. For man becomes an image of God by ac- knowledging and believing that he has received and continues to receive from God every good of charity and every truth of wisdom and faith, and none whatever from himself; while he is a likeness of God by his feeling these goods and truths to be in himself as if they were from himself. This he feels because he is not born into knowledges but acquires them ; and what he acquires seems to him to be from himself. More- G THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. over to so feel is bestowed upon man by God in order that he may be a man and not a beast, since it is through man's will- ing, thinking, loving, understanding, and being wise as if from himself, that he receives knowledges, and exalts them to in- telligence, and, by using them, to wisdom; thus God conjoins man to Himself, and man conjoins himself to God. All this could not be done unless it had been provided by God that man should be born in total ignorance." [15] After this had been said it was the desire of all that a conclusion be drawn from the points discussed, and this was done as follows : " Man is born into no knowledge that he may be capable of entering into all knowledge and progressing into intelligence, and through this into wisdom ; and he is born into no love that he may be capable of entering into all love by the application of knowledges from intelligence, and into love to God through love of the neighbor, and thus of being conjoined to God, and thereby becoming man and living forever." [16] After this they took up the paper and read the third subject of discussion, which was, What is s'ujnijied hy ''-the tree of life;' and hy " the tree of the knoivledge of good and evil^' and hy " eatlncf of them ? They all requested that those in the east should unfold this arcanum, because it was a mat- ter of deeper understanding, and because those from the east were in flaming light, that is, in the wisdom of love, and this wisdom is meant by " the garden of Eden," in which those two trees were placed. They replied, " We will speak ; but as man receives nothing from himself, but everything from God, we will speak from Him, and yet from ourselves as if from ourselves." And they said, " A tree signifies man, and its fruit the good of life ; there- fore ^ the tree of life' signifies man living from God ; and as love and wisdom, or charity and faith, or good and truth, con- stitute the life of God in man, ' the tree of life' signifies a man who has these within him from God, and in consequence, eter- nal life. The tree of life of which it shall be given to eat (mentioned in Apoc. ii. 7 ; xxii. 2, 14) has the same signification. [17] ^ The tree of the knowledge of good and eviP signifies a man who believes that he lives from himself and not from God ; thus that love and wisdom, or charity and faith, that is, good N. 48] MEMORABLE RELATION 77 and truth, are not God's in man, but his own, the reason for this belief being that man thinks and wills and speaks and a^ts in all likeness and appearance as if from himself ; and as man thereby persuades himself that he is himself a god, the serpent said : — God doth know that in the day ye eat of the fruit of that tree your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil {Gen. iii. 5). [18] " < Eating ' of these trees signifies reception and appro- priation, * eating of the tree of life' reception of eternal life, and '■ eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil' the reception of damnation. * The serpent' means the devil in respect to the love of self and the conceit of one's own intelli- gence ; this love is the possessor of that tree, and the men who are in the conceit derived from that love are such trees. It is therefore a monstrous error to believe that Adam was wise and did good from himself, and that this was his state of integrity ; when in fact Adam was himself cursed on account of that be- lief ; for this is what is meant by his ^ eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ;' and this was why he then fell from his state of integrity, which had been his possession be- cause of his believing that he was wise and did good from God, and in no respect from himself, which is what is meant by his ^ eating of the tree of life.' The Lord alone when He was in the world was wise from Himself and did good from Himself, because the Divine Itself was in Him, and was His from His birth ; therefore by His own power He became the Eedeemer and Saviour." [19] From all this they formed this conclusion : " ' The tree of life,' * the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,' and ^ eat- ing' therefrom, mean that man's life is God in him, and when God is in him he has heaven and eternal life ; while the death of man is the persuasion and belief that his life is not God, but himself, and this belief leads to hell and eternal death, which is damnation." [20] After this they looked at the paper left by the angels on the table, and saw written upon it, " Bring these three to- gether in one opinion ; " and bringing them together they saw that the three formed one coherent series, and the series or 78 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. opinion was as follows : " Man was so created as to be capable of receiving love and wisdom from God, and yet in all like- ness as if from himself, and this for the sake of reception and conjunction; and this is why man is not born into any love, nor into any knowledge, nor even into any power to love and be wise from himself. Therefore when he attributes every good of love and every truth of faith to God he becomes a liv- ing man ; but when he attributes them to himself he becomes a dead man.'' This they wrote on a fresh paper, and placed it on the ta- ble ; and behold, immediately angels came in a bright cloud and carried the paper away to heaven. And when it had been read there, those sitting upon the seats heard from heaven the words, " Well done, well done, well done." And presently one from heaven was seen flying as it were with what appeared like two wings on his feet and two on his temples, bringing rewards, which were robes, caps, and laurel wreaths. He descended and gave to those sitting at the north robes of an opaline color ; to those at the west robes of scarlet ; to those at the south caps with borders or- namented with bands of gold and pearls, and with their tops on the left side adorned with diamonds cut in the form of flowers ; while to those on the east he gave wreaths of laurel in which were rubies and sapphires. And all, decorated with these rewards, went home from the school of wisdom with joy. THE OMNIPOTENCE, OMNISCIENCE, AND OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD. 49. We have treated of the Divine love and wisdom, and have shown that these two are the Divine essence. The omnipo- tence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God will now be con- sidered ; because these three proceed from the Divine love and Divine wisdom in much the same way as the power and pres- ence of the sun are present in this world and in each and all things thereof, by means of its heat and light. Moreover, heat from the sun of the spiritual world, in the midst of which is Jehovah God, is in its essence Divine love, and the light from N. 40] GOD THE CREATOR '9 it is in its essence Divine wisdom. Evidently, then, as infin- ity, immensity, and eternity pertain to the Divine Esse, so om- nipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence pertain to the Divine essence. But as these three most general predicates of the Divine essence have hitherto not been understood, because their progression in accordance with their modes, which are the laws of order, has been unknown, they must be elucidated in separate sections, as follows : — (1) Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence pertain to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love. (2) The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God can be clearly understood only when it is known what order is, and when it is known that God is order, and that He introduced order, both into the universe and into each and all thmgs of it, at the time of their creation. (3) God's Omnipotence in the universe and in each and all things of it, proceeds and operates in accordance with the laws of His order. (4) God is omniscient, that is, He perceives, sees, and knows each thing and all things, even to the most minute, that take place according to order, and from these the things also that take place contrary to order. (5) God is omnipresent from the firsts to the lasts of His order. (6) Man was created a form of Divine order. (7) From the Divine OmniDotence man has power over evil and falsity, and from the I '^e Omniscience has wisdom respecting what is good and tr "" from the Divine Omni- presence is in God, just to the e^. nt that he lives in accord- ance with Divine order. But these propositions shall be unfolded one by one. 50. (1) OTnnipotence, Omniscience^ and Omnijyresence j)ertain to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love. That omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, pertain to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love, but not to the Divine love through the Divine wisdom, is an arcanum from heaven that has not yet dawned upon the understanding of any one, because it has not yet been known what love is in its essence, and what wisdom therefrom is in its essence, and still less how one flows into the 80 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. other ; namely, that love, with each and all things of love, flows into wisdom and dwells in it, as a king in his kingdom, or as a master in his house, leaving all the administration of justice to the judgment of wisdom ; and as justice pertains to love, and judgment to wisdom, love leaves all the administration of love to its own wisdom. But this arcanum will borrow light from what follows ; meanwhile let it serve as a canon. That God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent through the wisdom of His love is meant by the words in John : — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Wo'id. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the world was made by Him. And the Word was made flesh (i. 1, 3, 4, 10, 14) ; "the Word'' here meaning the Divine truth, or, what amounts to the same thing, the Divine wisdom ; and for this reason it is called " life*' and '' light," " life'' and " light*' being nothing else than wisdom. 51. Since in the Word justice [or righteousness] is predicated of love, and judgment of wisdom, I will cite some passages to show that it is by means of these two that God's government is carried on in the world : — Riahteousness and judgment are the support of Thy Throne (Ps. Ixxxix 1"4)- Let him that glorieth glory in this, that Jehovah doeth judgment and rio-hteousness in the earth {Jer. ix. 24). °Let Jehovah be exalted, for He hath filled the land [Hebrew, Zion] with judgment and righteousness {1 . xxxiii. 5). Judgment shall flow as wa^ d righteousness as a mighty stream Jehovah, Thy righteousness is Uke the mountains of God ; Thy judg- ments are a great deep (Ps. xxxvi. 6). -, . • , Jehovah shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judg- ment as the noonday {Fs. xxxvii. 0). Jehovah shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment {Ps. Ixxii. 2). When I shall have learned the judgments of Thy righteousness. Seven times a day do I praise Thee because of the judgments of Thy righteous- ness (Ps. cxix. 7, 164). 1 will betroth Me unto thee {Hebrew, thee unto Me] in righteousness and in judgment {Hos. ii. 19). , ^^ v.o«v Zion shall be redeemed in judgment and those that are brought back in righteousness (Isa. i. 27). N. 61] GOD THE CREATOR 81 He shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kmgdom, to estab- lish it in judgment and in righteousness [Isa. ix. 7). I will raise mito David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King, and shall do judgment and righteousness in the land (Jer. xxiu. o). Elsewhere it is said that judgment and righteousness ought to be done, as in Isa. i. 21 ; v. 16 ; Iviii. 2 ; Jer. iv. 2 ; xxu. 3, 13, 15 ; Ezek. xviii. 5 ; xxxiii. 14, 16, 19 ; A7nos vi. 12 ; Micah vii. 9 ; Dent, xxxiii. 21 ; John xvi. 8, 10, 11). 52 (2) The Omnipotence, Oninlscience, and Omnipresence oj God can be clearhj understood only ivhen it is known what order is, and when it is known that God is order, and that He intro- duced order both into the universe and into each and all things of it at the time of their creation. How many and how great absurdities have crept into the minds of men, and thus into the church, through the heads of reformers, from their not under- standing the order in which God created the universe and each and all things in it, will be seen from the mere recital of them in the following pages. But we will now begin an explanation of order with a general definition of it, as follows -.—Order is the qnality of the arrangement, determination, and activity, of the parts, substances, or elements^ ivhich constitute a form ; from which is its state; and its perfection is produced by wisdom from its love, or its imperfection is the outcome of unsoundness \f reason from cupidity. In this definition substance, form and state are mentioned, and by substance form also is meant, because every substance is a form, and the quality of the form is the state of it, while perfection or imperfection of state is a result of the order. All this must needs be obscure because it is metaphysical; but the obscurity will be dispelled m what follows by the use of examples which will illustrate the subject. 53 God is order because He is substance itself and form itself. He is substance because all things that subsist have come forth and continue to come forth from Him. He is form because every quality of substances has sprung and continues to spring from Him, quality having no other source than form As God, then, is the very, the only, and the first substance and form, and at the same time the very and only love and the very and only wisdom, and as wisdom from love is what constitutes form, and its state and quality are in accordance with the order 6 82 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L that is in it, it follows that God is order itself ; consequently that God from Himself introduced order both into the whole imiverse and into all things and each thing in it ; also that He introduced a most perfect order, because every thing that He created was good, as we read in the Book of Creation. In its proper place it will be shown that evil things sprang up to- gether with hell, thus after creation. But now let us consider things that more readily enter the understanding, more clearly enlighten it, and more gently aifect it. 54. It would require many pages to explain the nature of the order into which the universe was created. A sketch of it will be given in a following section on the Creation [n. 75]. It must be borne in mind that each and all things in the universe, that they mi[^;ht subsist by themselves, were created each into its own order, and in the be[jinning were so created as to con- join themselves with the order of the whole universe, to the end that each particuhir order might have subsistence in the universal, and thus all might make one. But to refer to some examples : — Man was created into his own order, and every part of him into its own order ; as the head into its order, the body into its order; the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and stomach, each into its order ; every organ of motion, called a muscle, into its order ; and every organ of sense, as the eye, the ear, the tongue, into its order ; nor does there exist any least artery or fiber there that. has not its own order; and yet these innum- erable parts join themselves with the common body, and so in- sert themselves in it that all together make one. The same is true of other things, the mere mention of which will suffice for illustration. Every beast of the earth, every bird of heaven, every hsh of the sea, every reptile, and every worm, even to the moth, has been created into its own order ; equally so every for- est tree and fruit tree, every shrub and plant ; and still further every stone, every mineral, down to eveiy grain of dust, into its order. 55. Who does not see that there cannot be found an empire, kingdom, dukedom, republic, state, or household, that is not es- tablished by laws which constitute its order and thus the form of its government ? In each one of them the laws of justice are in the highest place, political laws in the second, and eco- \ « N. 55] GOD THE CREATOR 83 nomical laws in the third ; or in comparison with a man, the laws of justice constitute the head, political laws the body, and economic laws the garments ; and thus these last, like garments, may be changed. But in respect to the order in which the church has been established by God, it is this : That God must be in each thing and all things of it, and the neighbor also towards whom order must be practised. The laws of that order are as many as the truths in the Word, the laws relating to God constituting its head, the laws relating to the neighbor consti- tuting its body, and ceremonies its garments ; for unless there were these last to hold the former together in their order it would be as if the body were naked and exposed to the heat in summer and the cold in winter ; or as if the walls and ceilings of a temple were taken away, and its sanctuary and altar and pulpit should thus stand unsheltered and exposed to many kinds of violence. 56. (3) God^s Omnipotence in the itnwerse^ with each and all things of it, proceeds and operates in accordance with the laws of His order. God is omnipotent because He has from Himself all power ; while all others have power only from Him. His power and His will are one ; and as He wills only what is good He can do nothing but what is good. In the spiritual world no one is able to do anything contrary to his will ; and this is de- rived from God, because His power and will are one. More- over, God is good itself, therefore in His doing good He is in Himself, and to go out of Himself is impossible. Evidently, then, God's omnipotence must go forth and operate within the sphere of extension of the good ; and this sphere is infinite. For this sphere, [going forth] from the inmost, fills the uni- verse and each and all things in it ; and from the inmost rules the things which are without so far as they conjoin themselves with it in accordance with the laws of their own order ; and if they do not conjoin themselves with it, it still sustains them, and by every endeavor labors to restore them to an order that is harmonious with the universal order, in which God Himself is in His omnipotence, and in accordance with which He acts. And when this is not accomplished they are cast out from Him ; but even then He none the less sustains them from the inmost. From this it is clear that the Divine omnipotence cannot by itt a irt iM tJ a i iiiifiii'iliiiimii 1 1lhl■^lf'»llli^lnill aaMatik^i^ii ia i ■*■■■*"■-■-■ '''■^--- 84 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. any means go forth from itself to a contact with any thing evil, or from itself promote any thing evil; for evil turns itself away, and in consequence evil is wholly separated from Him and is cast into hell, between which and heaven, where He is, there is a great gulf. From these few statements it can be seen how deluded those are who think, and still more those who be- lieve, and still more those who teach, that God can damn any one, curse any one, send any one to hell, predestine any soul to eternal death, avenge wrongs, be angry, or punish. He can- not even turn Himself away from man, nor look upon him with a stern countenance. These and like things are contrary to His essence ; and what is contrary to His essence is contrary to His very Self. 57. It is a prevailing opinion at this day that God's omni- potence is like the absolute power of a king in the world, who can at his pleasure do whatever he will, pardon or condemn w^hom he will, make the guilty innocent, declare the unfaithful faithful, exalt the unworthy and undesei*ving above the worthy and deserving, and even take away the property of his subjects under any pretext whatsoever, and condemn them to death, and so on. From this absurd opinion, belief, and doctrine respect- ing the Divine omnipotence, as many falsities, fallacies, and chi- meras have flooded the church as there are changes, distinc- tions, and generations of faith in it ; and the number that may yet flow in may equal the number of urns that might be filled from a great lake, or the number of serpents that might creep from their holes and bask in the sunshine in the desert of Arabia. What need is there except to pronounce these two words, omnipotence and faith, and then circulate among the common people conjectures and fables and nonsense such as will appeal to the bodily senses ? For these two words banish rea- son ; and when reason has been banished what better is man's thought than the reason of the birds that fly over his head ? Or what then is the spirituality that man possesses over and above the beasts but like the stench in the dens of beasts, which to them indeed is agreeable, but not to a man unless he is like them ? If the Divine omnipotence were so extended as to do evil as well as good, what difference would there be be- tween God and the devil ? Would there be any but such as N. 57] GOD THE CREATOR 85 that between two monarchs, one of whom is both a king and a tyrant, while the other is a tyrant whose power is so restrained that he cannot be called a king; or such as that between a shepherd who is allowed to lead the sheep and also to act the wolf, and one who is not ? Who cannot see that good and evil are opposites, and that if God from His omnipotence had the power to will both, and from will to do both, He would be able to will and do nothing at all ? Thus He would have no power, much less all power. It would be like two wheels acting against each other by turning in opposite directions, by which opposi- tion both wheels would be stopped and be perfectly at rest ; or like a vessel in a rushing stream driving it contrary to its course, so that if not held by the anchor it would be carried away and destroyed ; or like a man with two opposing wills, one of which must needs be quiescent when the other is acting, for if both should act at the same time delirium or giddiness would invade his mind. 58. If, in accordance with existing belief, God's omnipotence were absolute both to do evil and to do good, would it not be possible and even easy for God to elevate all hell to heaven, and to convert the devils and satans into angels, and to cleanse in an instant every impious man on earth from sin ; to renew, sanctify, and regenerate him, and from a child of wrath make him a child of grace, that is, to justify him, which would be done by simply ascribing and imputing to him the righteous- ness of His Son ? But God's omnipotence does not enable Him to do this, for the reason that it would be contrary to the laws of His order in the universe, and at the same time con- trary to the laws of order enjoined upon every man, these laws requiring that the conjunction between God and man shall be mutual. This will be made clear in the following pages of this work. From this absurd opinion and belief concerning God's omnipotence it would follow that God could convert every goat nature among men into a sheep, and at His good pleasure could transfer men from His left hand to His right ; that He could at His good pleasure transform the spirits of the dragon into angels of Michael ; and that a man with an under- standing like that of a mole could be endowed with the vision of an eagle ; in a word, that out of a man like an owl He could 86 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. make a man like a dove. These things God cannot do, for the reason that they are contrary to the laws of His order ; and yet He unceasingly wills and endeavors to effect them. If He could have done such things He would not have permitted Adam to listen to the serpent, and to pluck fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and put it to his mouth. If He could have done this He would not have permitted Cain to kill his brother, or David to number the people, or Solomon to build temples for idols, or the kings of Judah and Israel to profane the temple, which they often did. In fact, if He could have done this He would have saved the entire human race, without exception, through the redemption wrought by His Son, and have extirpated all helL The ancient heathen ascribed om- nipotence to their gods and goddesses ; and this gave rise to their fables, as that Deucalion and Pyrrha threw stones behind them which became men ; that Apollo changed Daphne into a laurel ; that Diana changed a hunter into a stag ; and that an- other of their gods changed the virgins of Parnassus into mag- pies There is at this dav a like belief respecting the Divme omnipotence, and it is the source of the many superstitions and consequent heresies that have been introduced into the world in every country where there is any religion. 59. (4) God is omniscient, that is, He perceives, sees, and knows each thing and all things, even to the most minute, that take place according to order, and from these the things also that take place contrary/ to order, God is omniscient, that is, pei- ceives, sees, and knows all things, because He is wisdom itself and light itself ; and wisdom itself perceives all things, and licrht itself sees all things. That God is wisdom itself has been sho^vn above ; He is light itself because He is the sun of the anc^elic heaven, which enlightens the understandings of all, both angels and men. For just as the eye is illuminated by the light of the natural sun, so is the understanding illuminated by the light of the spiritual sun ; nor is it illuminated merely, it is filled with intelligence in accordance with the love of receiv- ing that light, for that light in its essence is wisdom. There- fore it is said in David : — That God dwells in the light inaccessible [Ps. civ. 2 ; camp, i Tim. vi. 16); and in the Apocalypse : — natiiifiifTiiniiliiilifir" '■^J'Me^aaaBy N. 59] GOD THE CREATOR 87 That in the New Jerusalem they need no candle, for the Lord God giveth them light xxii. 5) ; and in John : — That the Word, which was with God and was God, Is the light that en- lighteneth every man that cometh into the world (i. i, 9) ; the " Word '' meaning the Divine wisdom. For this reason, so far as the angels are in wisdom they are in clearness of light, and for the same reason, whenever light is mentioned in the AVord it means wisdom. 60. God perceives, sees, and knows all things, even to the most minute, that take place according to order, because order, from being in the smallest particulars, is universal, for these smallest particulars taken together are called the universal, as the particulars taken together are called the general. The uni- versal, including its smallest particulars, is a work coherent as a unit, to the extent that no one part can be touched and affected Avithout some sense of it overflowing to all the rest. Such be- ing the nature of the order of the universe there is a likeness of it in all created things in the world. But this shall be illus- trated by comparisons taken from things visible. In man as a whole there are generals and particulars, the generals includ- ing the particulars, with all harmoniously arranged in such connection that each belongs to the other. This is effected by means of a common covering surrounding every member of the body, and insinuating itself into every particular therein, so that they act as one in every function and use. For example, the covering of each muscle enters into the particular motor libers and clothes them from itself. So the coverings of the liver, the pancreas, and the spleen enter into the interior parts of these organs ; and the covering of the lungs, which is called the pleura, enters into their interiors ; in like manner the peri- cardium enters into each and all parts of the heart ; and in gen- eral the peritoneum enters all parts by anastomoses with the coverings of all the viscera. So again, the meninges of the brain, by threads drawn from them, enter into all the under- lying glands, and through these into all the fibers, and through these again into all parts of the body. And it is in this way that the head by means of the brain rules each and all things sub- 88 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. ject to it. These facts are cited simply that b}^ means of visi- ble things some idea may be formed of how God perceives, sees, and knows all things, even to the most minute, which take place according to order. 61. That from the things that are according to order God perceives, knows, and sees each and all things even to the most minute that take place contrary to order, is because He does not keep man in evil, but withholds him from evil ; thus He does not lead him on, but strives with him. From this perpet- ual striving, struggling, resistance, repugnance, and reaction of evil and falsity against His good and truth, thus against Him- self, God perceives both their quantity and their quality. This follows from God's omnipresence in all things and in each thing of His order, and also from His perfect knowledge of each thing and all things of it, comparatively as one with an ear for har- mony and consonance notices accurately what is inharmonious and dissonant, when it comes in, also the extent and character of the discord ; or as one whose feelings are occupied with wliat is delightful detects the intrusion of what is undelightful ; or as one whose eye is occupied with what is beautiful notices it with more precision when any thing unshapely is beside it ; for which reason it is customary for painters to place an ugly face beside a beautiful one. It is the same with good and truth when evil and falsity are striving against them ; since from good and truth evil and falsity are distinctly perceived. For every one who is in good can perceive evil ; and he who is in truth can see falsity. And the reason is that good is in the heat of heaven, and truth is in its light ; while evil is in the cold of hell, and fal- sity in its darkness. This may be illustrated by the fact that the angels of heaven can see whatever is done in hell, and what kind of monsters exist there ; while, on the other hand, the spir- its of hell can see nothing whatever that is going on in heaven ; they can no more see the angels than if they were blind, or were gazing into the empty air or ether. Those whose understand- ings are in light from wisdom are like men who at mid-day are standing upon a mountain and seeing clearly all that is below ; while those who are in still superior light are comparatively like men who see, through telescopes, outlying and lower objects as if they were near at hand. But those who are in the false light N. 61] GOD THE CREATOR 89 of hell, through the confirmation of falsities, are like men stand- ing upon the same mountain at night with lanterns in their hands, who see only the objects nearest to them, and these with tonus' indistinct and colors confused. A man who is in some light of truth, although in evil of life, while he finds delight in his love of evil, sees truths at first much as a bat sees linen hanging in a garden, to which it flies as to a place of refuge. Afterwards he becomes like a bird of night, and at length like a screech-owl. Then he becomes like a chimney-sweep sticking fast in the gloom of a chimney, and seeing, when he looks up- ward, the sky through smoke, and when downward the hearth from which the smoke comes. 62. It must be remembered that the perception of opposites is different from the perception of relatives ; for opposites are things without, and are opposed to things within. An opposite has its beginning where one thing wholly ceases to be any thing, and another then arises with an effort to act against the former, as when a wheel acts against another wheel, or a current against another current. But relatives pertain to the arrangement of many and various parts in an order that is concordant and har- monious, like precious stones of various colors in the stomacher of a queen, or like flowers of different colors arranged in a gar- land to give pleasure to the sight. Therefore in both of these opposites there are relatives, that is, in what is good as well as in what is evil, in what is true as well as in what is false, thus both in heaven and in hell, all the relatives in hell being the op- posites of the relatives in heaven. Since, then, from the order in which He is, God perceives and sees and is cognizant of all things relative in heaven, and thereby perceives, sees, and is cognizant of all the opposite relatives in hell (as follows from what has been said), it is clear that God is omniscient in hell as well as in heaven, and in like manner with men in the world ; thus that He perceives, sees, and is cognizant of their evils and falsities from the good and truth in which He Himself is, and which in their essence are Himself ; for we read :— If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold Thou art there {Ps. cxxxix. 8); and again 90 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 64] GOD THE CREATOR 91 Though they dig into hell, thence shall Mine hand take them (Amos ix. 2). 63. (o) God is omnipresent from the firsts to the lasts of His order. God is omnipresent from the firsts to the lasts of His order by means of the heat and light of the spiritual sun, in the midst of which He is. It was by means of that sun that order was produced ; and from it He sends forth a heat and a light which pervade the universe from firsts to lasts, and produce the life that is in man and in every animal, and also the vegetative soul that is in every germ upon the earth ; and these two flow into each thing and all things, and cause every subject to live and grow according to the order implanted in it by creation. And as God, though not extended, fills every extense in the uni- verse, He is omnipresent. It has been shown elsewhere that God is in all space without space, and in all time without time, and consequently that the universe in its essence and order is the plenitude of God ; and this being so, by His omnipre- sence He perceives all things, by His omniscience He provides all things, and by His omnipotence He effects all things. From this it is clear that omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence make one, or that one implies the others ; and thus that they cannot be separated. 64. The Divine omnipresence may be illustrated by the won- derful way in which angels and spirits become present to each other in the spiritual world. Because there is no space in that world, but only an appearance of space, an angel or spirit may instantly become present with another whenever he comes in- to a like affection and consequent thought ; for it is these two that cause the appearance of space. That such is the nature of presence with all there, has been made evident to me by hav- ing seen Africans and Asiatics there near together, although on the earth they are so many miles apart ; and that I could even become present with tliose on the planets of our solar system, and also with those on planets belonging to other systems. Ow- ing to this presence, not in space but in appearance of space, I have spoken with apostles, with departed popes, with emperors and kings, with the modern reformers of the church — Luther, Calvin, Melancthon, — and with others from widely separated countries. Such being the presence of angels and spirits, what I limit is there to the Divine presence, which is mfinite, in the universe? Angels and spirits are thus present, because every affection of love and every consequent thought of the under- standing is in space without space, and in time without time. For any one can think of a brother, relative, or friend who is in the Indies, and then have him as if present ; in like manner he may, by remembrance, be moved by their love. From these facts, as they are known to man, the Divine omnipresence may in some measure be made clear ; so, too, from human thought —as when any one calls to mind what he has seen while travel- ing in various places, it is just as if he were present in those places again. Even bodily vision emulates this same kind ot presence ; it notices distance only by means of intermediate things, by which, as it were, the distance is measured. The sun itself would be near the eye, even as if in the eye, if inter- mediate objects did not reveal the fact of its bemg so distant. That this is so, optical writers have noted in their wntmgs This kind of presence pertains both to man's intellectual sight and to his bodily sight, because what sees is his spirit looking throudi his eyes ; but such is not the case with any animal, be- cause animals have no spiritual sight. All this enables ns to see that Cxod is omnipresent from the firsts to the lasts of His order. That He is also omnipresent in hell has been shown m a former section. _ 6 5 (C) Man was created a form of Divme order. Man was created a form of Divine order because he was created an image and likeness of God ; and as God is order itself, he was created an image and likeness of order. There are two thmgs which are the source of order and which give it permanence, namely, the Divine love and the Divine wisdom ; and man was created a receptacle of these, and was therefore created also into the order in accordance with which these two act in the universe, and especially in accordance with which they act m the angelic heaven; consequently that the entire heaven ,s in its largest effigy a form of Divine order, and is in the sight of God like one man. Moreover, there is a plenary correspondence between that heaven and man ; for there is not a society in heaven that does not correspond to some one of the members, viscera, or organs in man; and therefore it is there said that such a soci- 92 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. ety is in the province of the liver, or of the pancreas, or of the spleen, or of the stomach, the eye, the ear, or the tongue, and so on. Furthermore, the angels themselves know in what region of any part of man they dwell. That this is so I have been permitted to learn by living experience. 1 have seen as a single man a society consisting of some thousands of angels ; and thus it was made clear that heaven in its complex is an image of God ; and an image of God is a form of Divine order. 66. It must be understood that all things that proceed from the sun of the spiritual world, in the midst of which is Jeho- vah God, have relation to man ; and therefore whatever things come forth in that world conspire towards the human form, and exhibit that form in their inmosts ; thus all objects there that are presented to the sight are representative of man. Animals of all kinds are seen there, and they are likenesses of the affections of love and consequent thoughts of the angels ; and the same is true of the trees, flowers, and green fields there ; and what affection this or that object represents the angels are permitted to know ; and what is wonderful, when their inmost sight is opened, they recognize their own image in them ; and this takes place because every man is his own love and his own thought therefrom. And because in every man affections and thoughts therefrom are various and manifold, some of them relating to the affection of one animal and some to that of an- other, the images of these affections become manifest in this way. But of this more will be seen in the section on Creation [n. 78]. From all this the truth is seen that the end of crea- tion was an angelic heaven from the human race, and conse- quently man, in whom God can dwell as in His receptacle ; and this is the reason why man was created a form of Divine order. 67. Previous to creation God was love itself and wisdom itself and the union of these two in the effort to accomplish uses; for love and wisdom apart from use are only fleeting matters of reason, which fly away if not applied to use. The first two separated from the third are like birds flying above a great ocean, which are at length exhausted by flying, and fall down and are drowned. Evidently, therefore, the universe was created by God to give existence to uses ; and for this reason the universe may be called a theater of uses. And as man is N. 67] GOD THE CREATOR 93 the chief end of creation, it follows that each and all things were created for the sake of man ; and therefore each and all things belonging to order were brought together and concen- trated in him, to the end that through him God might accom- ->lish primary uses. Love and wisdom apart from their third, which is use, may be likened to the sun's heat and light ; which, if they did not operate upon men, animals, and vegetables, would be worthless things ; but by influx into and operation upon these they become real. For there are three things that follow each other in order, namely, end, cause, and effect ; and it is known in the learned world that the end is nothing un- less it regards the effecting cause, and that the end and this cause are nothing unless an effect is produced. The end and cause may indeed be contemplated abstractly in the mind, but still only on account of some effect which the end purposes and the cause secures. It is the same with love, wisdom, and use ; use is the end which love purposes, and through the cause accomplishes ; and when use is accomplished love and wisdom have a real existence ; and in the use they make for themselves a habitation and foundation where they rest as in their home. It is the same with the man who has in him the love and wis- dom of God when he is performing uses ; and to enable him to perform Divine uses he w^as created an image and likeness of God, that is, a form of Divine order. 68. (7) From the Divine Omnipotence man has power over evil and falsity y and from the Divine Omniscience has wisdom respecting ivhat is good and true, and from the Divine Omni- presence is in God, just to the extent that he lives in accordance with Divine order. It is from the Divine omnipotence that man has power over evil and falsity just to the extent that he lives in accordance with Divine order, for the reason that no one but God can resist evils and their falsities. For all evils and their falsities are from hell ; and in hell they cohere as a unit, the same as all goods and their truths do in heaven. For, as has been said above, before God all heaven is like a single man ; and on the other hand, all hell is like a single gigantic monster; consequently, to act against a single evil and its falsity is to act against that gigantic monster or hell; and this no one is able to do except God, because He is omnipotent. 94 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. From this it is clear that unless man approaches the omnipo- tent God he has from himself no more power against evil and its falsity than a hsh has against the ocean, than a flea against a whale, or than a grain of dust against a falling mountain ; and much less than a locust has against an elephant, or a fly against a cameL Moreover, man has all the less power against evil and its falsity because he is born into evil ; and evil can- not act against itself. From all this it follows that unless man lives in accordance with order, that is, unless he acknowledges God and His omnipotence, and the resulting protection against hell, and also on his part flghts with evil in himself (for order requires both of these), he cannot but be immersed and over- whehned in hell, and there be driven about by evils, one after another, as a skiff at sea is driven by the storms. 69. From the Divine omniscience man has wisdom respect- uig what is good and true to the extent that he lives in accord- ance with the Divine order, because all love of good and all wisdom of truth, or all good of love and all truth of wisdom, are from God. That this is so is in accordance with the con- fession of all the churches in the Christian world. From this it follows that man cannot be interiorly in any truth of wisdom except from God, since God has omniscience, that is infinite wisdom. The human mind, like the angelic heaven, is divided into three degrees, and may therefore be lifted up into a higher and still higher degree or be let down into a lower and still lower degree ; but so far as it is lifted up into the higher de- grees it is lifted up into wisdom, because into the light of heaven; and this God only can do. Moreover, so far as the mind is thus lifted up it becomes a man ; while so far as it is let down into the lower degrees it enters the delusive light of hell, and is not man but a beast. This is why man stands erect upon his feet and turns his face heavenward, and can raise it to the zenith, while a beast stands upon its feet in a position parallel with the earth, and turns its whole face in that direc- tion ; nor can it without difiiculty raise its face heavenward. [2] 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 aU that is yj^^lgj^^ N. 69] GOD THE CREATOR 95 being done in its streets. But the man who confirms in him- self the belief that all truth of wisdom is from the natural light in himself, that is, is from himself, is like one who remains in a cavern beneath that tower and looks through holes at the same city, seeing nothing but the wall of a single house in that city, and how its bricks are joined. Again, the man who de- rives wisdom from God is like a bird flying aloft, which looks around upon all things in the gardens, woods, and fields, and flies to those things that are of use to it ; while the man who derives such things as pertain to wisdom from himself, with no added belief that they are from God, is like a hornet flying near the ground, which, seeing a dunghill, settles upon it and finds enjoyment in its stench. Every man, so long as he is living in the world, walks midway between heaven and hell, and is thereby in equilibrium, and thus in freedom of choice either to look upwards to God or downwards to hell. If he looks upwards to God he acknowledges that all wisdom is from God, and in spirit he is actually with the angels in heaven ; while he who looks downward (as every one does who is in falsities from evil) is in spirit actually with the devils in hell. 70. From the Divine omnipresence man is in God to the extent that he lives in accordance with order, for the reason that God is omnipresent ; and where God is in His Divine order, there He is as in Himself, because He is order, as has been shown above. Since, then, man was created a form of Divine order, God is in him — fully in him to the extent that he is living in accordance with Divine order. Nevertheless, God is in him if he is not living in accordance with Divine order, but only in the highest regions in him, thereby giving him the ability to understand what is true and to will what is good ; that is, giving him the faculty of miderstanding and the inclination to love. But so far as man lives contrarj^ to order he shuts up the lower regions of his mind or spirit, and thus Iprevents God's descending and filling these lower regions w4th [His presence ; consequently, while God is in him he is not in [God. It is a general canon in heaven that God is in every lan, the evil and the good alike ; but that man is not in God mless he lives in accordance with order ; for the Lord says : — That it is His wiU that man should be in Him and He in man {John xv. 4). 94 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. From this it is clear that unless man approaches the omnipo- tent God he has from himself no more power against evil and its falsity than a fish has against the ocean, than a Ilea against a whale, or than a grain of dust against a falling mountain ; and much less than a locust has against an elephant, or a fly against a camel. Moreover, man has all the less power against evil and its falsity jecause he is born into evil ; and evil can- not act against itself. From all this it follows that unless man lives in accordance with order, that is, unless he acknowledges God and His omnipotence, and the resulting protection against hell, and also on his part tights with evil in himself (for order requires both of these), he cannot but be immersed and over- whelmed in hell, and there be driven about by evils, one after another, as a skiff at sea is driven by the storms. 69. From the Divine omniscience man has wisdom respect- mg what is good and true to the extent that he lives in accord- ance with the Divine order, because all love of good and all wisdom of truth, or all good of love and all truth of wisdom, are from God. That this is so is in accordance with the con- fession of all the churches in the Christian world. From this it follows that man cannot be interiorly in any truth of wisdom except from God, since God has omniscience, that is infinite wisdom. Th'^' human mind, like the angelic heaven, is divided into three degrees, and may therefore be lifted up into a higher and still higher degree or be let down into a lower and still lower degree ; but so far as it is lifted up into the higher de- grees it is lifted up into wisdom, because into the light of heaven ; and this God only can do. Moreover, so far as the mind is thus lifted up it becomes a man ; Avhile so far as it is let down into the lower degrees it enters the delusive light of hell, and is not man but a beast. This is why man stands erect upon his feet and turns his face heavenward, and can raise it to the zenith, while a beast stands upon its feet in a position parallel with the earth, and turns its whole face in that direc- tion ; nor can it without difficulty raise its face heavenward. [2] 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 N. 69] GOD THE CREATOR 95 being done in its streets. But the man who confirms in him- self the belief that all truth of wisdom is from the natural light in himself, that is, is from himself, is like one who remains in a cavern beneath that tower and looks through holes at the same city, seeing nothing but the wall of a single house in that city, and how its bricks are joined. Again, the man who de- rives wisdom from God is like a bird flying aloft, which looks around upon all things in the gardens, woods, and fields, and flies to those things that are of use to it ; while the man who derives such things as pertain to wisdom from himself, with no added belief that they are from God, is like a hornet flying near the ground, which, seeing a dunghill, settles upon it and finds enjoyment in its stench. Every man, so long as he is living in the world, walks midway between heaven and hell, and is thereby in equilibrium, and thus in freedom of choice either to look upwards to God or downwards to hell. If he looks upwards to God he acknowledges that all wisdom is from God, and in spirit he is actually with the angels in heaven ; while he who looks downward (as every one does who is in falsities from evil) is in spirit actually with the devils in hell. 70. From the Divine omnipresence man is in God to the extent that he lives in accordance with order, for the reason that God is omnipresent ; and where God is in His Divine order, there He is as in Himself, because He is order, as has been shown above. Since, then, man was created a form of Divine order, God is in him — fully in him to the extent that he is living in accordance with Divine order. Nevertheless, God is in him if he is not living in accordance with Divine order, but only in the highest regions in him, thereby giving him the ability to understand what is true and to will what is good ; that is, giving him the faculty of understanding and the mclination to love. But so far as man lives contrary to order he shuts up the lower regions of his mind or spirit, and thus prevents God's descending and filling these lower regions with His presence ; consequently, while God is in him he is not in God. It is a general canon in heaven that God is in every man, the evil and the good alike ; but that man is not in God unless he lives in accordance with order ; for the Lord says : — That it is His will that man should be in Him and He in man {John xv. 4). 96 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chai'. I. [2] Man is in God by means of a life in accordance with order, because God is omnipresent in the universe and in each and aU things of it in their inmosts, for these inmosts are in order But in those things that are contrary to order (which are solely those that are outside of the inmosts) God is omni- present by a continual striving with them, and by a continual effort to bring them back to order. Thus it is that so far as man permits himself to be brought back to order, God is omni- present in the whole of him, and consequently to the same ex- tent God is in him and he is in God. The absence of God from man is no more possible than the absence of the sun from the earth through its heat and light. But earthly objects are af- fected by the sun-s power only so far as they receive the heat and li<^ht that go forth from that sun, as in spring time and summer time. [3] This is applicable to the IMvine omnipres- ence in this wav, that so far as man is in order he is in spirit- ual heat and also in spiritual light ; that is, in the good of love and the truth of wisdom. But spiritual heat and light are un- like natural heat and light, in that natural heat recedes from the earth and its objects in winter, and natural light at night ; and this takes place because the earth by its diurnal and an- nual motions produces these periods. But with spiritual heat and li<'lit it is not so ; since God through His sun is present with both heat and light, and does not undergo changes, as the sun of the world apparently does. .Man turns himself away comparatively as the earth turns away from the sun ; and when he turns away from the truths of wisdom he is like the earth when turned from its sun at night; and when he turns away from the goods of love he is like the earth when turned from its sun in winter. Such is the correspondence between the effects and uses from the sun of the spiritua world, and the effects and uses from the sun of the natural world. , , Ti 1 i.- 71. To this shall be added three Memorable Eelations. "F'irsti ' I once heard beneath me something like the roaring of the sea; and I asked what it was ; and one said to me that it was a tumult among those assembled in the lower earth, which is just above hell. And presently the ground that formed a N. 71] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 97 roof over them opened, and behold, birds of night flew forth through the opening in flocks, and spread themselves towards the left; and immediately after them there swarmed forth locusts, which leaped upon the grass and made a desert every- where ; and a little after I heard from those nocturnal birds a succession of screeches, and on one side a confused clamor, as if from specters in the woods. After this I saw beautiful birds from heaven, which spread themselves towards the right. These birds were distinguished by gold-like wings with silvery streaks and specks interspersed ; and on the heads of some of them there were crests in the form of crowns. ^\Tien I saw and wondered at these things there rose up suddenly from the lower earth, where the tumult was, a spirit who could take the form of an angel of light ; and he cried out, " Where is he who talks and writes about the order to which the Omnipotent has bound Himself respecting man ? This we have been hearing below through the roof." Once above ground he ran along a paved way and came to me, and instantly feigned himself an angel of heaven, and speaking in a tone not his own, said, " Are you the one who thinks and talks about order ? Tell me briefly what order is, and some of the things pertaining to it." [2] I replied, " I will give you the summaries of order, but not its particulars, because you would not understand them." And I said, " (i.) God is order itself, (ii.) He created man from order, in order, and into order, (iii.) He created man's rational mind in accordance with the order of the whole spirit- ual world, and his body in accordance with the order of the whole natural world ; and this is why man was called by the ancients a little heaven and a little cosmos, (iv.) Therefore it is a law of order that man from his little heaven or his little spiritual world should govern his little cosmos or little natural world, just as God from His great heaven or spirit- ual world governs the great cosmos or natural world in each thing and all things of it. (v.) It is a resnlting law of order that it is needful for man to lead himself into faith by means of truths from the Word, and into charity by means of good works, and so reform and regenerate himself, (vi.) It is a law of order that man by his own exertion and power should 7 98 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. purify himself from sins, and not stand still, believing m his own impotency, and expecting God to wash his sins away in a moment, (vii.) It is also a law of order that man should love God with his whole soul and with his whole heart, and his neighbor as himself, and should not wait and expect that God will in an instant put these loves into his mind and heart, as bread from a baker may be put into his mouth." These with other like things. . [3] Having heard this, that satan with a soft voice withm which there was craft, resumed, " What is that you say ? That man must by his own power lead himself into order by keep- ing these laws of order ? Do you not know that man is not under the law, but under grace ; that all things are given him freely, and that he can receive only what is given him from heaven ; and that in spiritual matters man has no more power to act from himself than the statue of Lot's wife, or than Dagon, the idol of the Philistines in Ekron ; and that it is therefore impossible for man to justify himself; but this must be done by faith and charity V To this I merely replied, '' It is also a law of order that man by his own exertion and power ought to acquire faith by means of truths from the Word, and yet believe that not a gram of truth is from himself, but from God only ; moreover, that man by his own exertion and power ought to justify himself, and yet believe that not a single point of justification is from him- self but from God only. Is not man commanded to believe m God, and to love God with all his strength, and his neighbor as himself ? Consider and say how this could have been com- manded by God if man possessed no power to obey and do it.'' [4] When the satan had heard this his countenance, from being bright at first, turned ghastly, and then black, and thus speaking from his own mouth he said, " You have uttered par- adoxes on paradoxes ;" and then instantly he sank down to his companions and was no more seen. The birds on the left, to- gether with the specters, uttered strange cries and tlirew them- selves into the sea, which is there called Suph ; and the locusts leaped in after them ; the air was cleansed, and the earth was cleansed of those wild creatures ; the tumult below ceased, and all became tranquil and serene. N. 72] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 99 72. Second Memorable Relation : — 1 once heard a strange murmur at a distance, and following in spirit the direction of the sound I drew nearer. When I came to where it began, behold, it was a crowd of spirits arguing about Imputation and Predestination. They were Dutch and British, with some from other kingdoms inter- mingled, and these at the end of each argument exclaimed, <• Wonderful ! wonderfid ! '' The subject discussed w^as, " Why does not God impute the merit and righteousness of His Son to every man and all men created by Him and subsequently redeemed V Is He not om- nipotent ? Can He not, if He will, make archangels of Luci- fer, the dragon, and all the goats ? Is He not omnipotent ? Why does He permit the unrighteousness and impiety of the devil to triumph over the righteousness of His Son, and over the piety of those who worship God ? To God w^hat could be easier than to deem all worthv of faith, and thus of salvation ? \Yhat need of more than a little word to do this ? And if He does it not, does He not act contrary to His ^vords, which are that He desires the salvation of all and the death of none? Say, then, from whom and in whom is the cause of the damna- tion of those W' ho are lost ? '' And then a supralpasarian-predestinarian from the Dutch said, ''Does not this belong to the good pleasure of the Almighty ? Shall the clay complain to the potter that he has made of it a vessel of dishonor ? " And another said, " The salvation of every one is in His hand as a balance in the hand of a weigher." [-] There stood at the sides those who ^vere simple in faith and upright in heart, and some with inflamed eyes, some who looked stupefied, some as if drunken, and some as if suffocated, muttering to one another, '' What are these ravings to us ? These men have been made foolish by their faith, which is, that God the Father imputes the rigliteousness of His Son to whom He will and when He will, and sends His Holy Spirit to give assurances of that righteousness ; and lest any man should claim for himself the least share in the work of his salvation, he must be altogether like a stone in the matter of justification, and like a stock in things spiritual." And one 100 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 73] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 101 of these then thrust himself mto the crowd, and said in a loud voice, " madman ! you are arguing about goat's hair. You are wholly ignorant that the omnipotent God is order it- self ; and that the laws of order are numberless, as many as there are truths in the Word ; and that God cannot act con- trary to these laws, because to act contrary to them would be to act contrary to Himself, and thus not only contrary to righteousness but contrary to His own omnipotence." [3] And seeing on his right, at some distance, the semblance of a sheep, a lamb, and a flying dove, and on his left the semblance of a goat, a wolf, and a vulture, he said, " Do you believe that God by His omnipotence can change that goat into the sheep, that wolf into the lamb, or that vulture into the dove, or the reverse ? By no means ; for it is contrary to the laws of His order, of which, according to His words not a jot can fall to the ground. How then can He imi)art the righteousness of His Son's redemption to any one who resists the laws of His righteousness ? How can righteousness itself do what is un- righteous, and predestine any one to hell, and cast him into a fire, beside which the devil stands with torches in his hand to keep it burning ? madmen ! empty in spirit ! your faith has led you astray. Is it not in your hands like a snare for catch- ing doves ? " Having heard this, a magician made of that faith a kind of snare, and put it upon a tree, saying, " You shall see me catch that dove." And presently a hawk flew towards it and thrust its neck into the snare and hung there; while the dove, seeing the hawk, flew away. The bystanders were astonished, and ex- claimed, " Even this sport is a display of justice." 73. The next day some came to me from this crowd who had believed in predestination and imputation ; and they said, " We feel as if we were drunk, not with wine, but from what was said yesterday by that man. He talked about omnipo- tence and also about order; and he concluded that as om- nipotence is Divine so order is Divine, and even that God Himself is order ; and he said that there are as many laws of order as there are truths in the Word, which are not only thousands, but myriads of myriads ; and that God is tied up to His own laws in the Word, and man to his. What then is the Divine omnipotence, if it is bound by laws ? For thus every thing absolute is withdrawn from omnipotence. Thus has not God less power than a worldly king who is a despot, and who can as easily change the laws of justice as he can turn his hands, and can act without restriction, like Octavius Augustus or like Nero ? When we had thought about omni- potence being tied up to laws, we felt as if we were drunk, or ready to swoon unless we quickly got some remedy; for in accordance with our faith we have been accustomed to pray to God the Father to have mercy on us for the sake of His Son ; and we have believed that He could have mercy on whom He chose, and forgive the sins of any one He pleased, and could save whom He would ; and we dared not take aAvay the least iota from His omnipotence. We therefore regard it as im- pious to bind God in the chains of some of His owti laws, be- cause that would be contradictory to His omnipotence." [2] Having said this, they looked at me and I at them ; and 1 saw that they were bewildered, and I said, " I will pray to the Lord, and thence bring a remedy by an inflow of light on this subject ; but at present only by examples." And I said, " The omnipotent God created the world from the order with- in Him, that is, into the order in which He is, and in accord- ance with which He rules ; and He impressed upon the uni- verse and each and all things of it its own order, upon man his order, upon the beast its order, upon bird and fish and worm, and every tree and even every blade of grass, upon each its own order. But to illustrate by examples, I will mention briefly the following. The laws of order enjoined upon man are, that he should acquire for himself truths from the Word, and reflect upon them naturally, and as far as he can, ration- ally, and thus acquire for himself a natural faith. The laws of order on the part of God then are, that He will draw near and fill these truths with His Divine light, and thus fill the man's natural faith (which is mere knowledge and persuasion) with a Divine essence. In this and in no other way can faith become saving. It is the same with charity. But some par- ticulars shall be briefly mentioned. God, in accordance with His laws, is able to remit sins to any man only so far as the 102 THK TRUE C'UUISTIAN RKLIGION [CnA.i: t « N. 74] MEMORABLE RELATIOX, THIRD 103 man, in accorJanee with his laws, refrains from them. God is able to regenerate a man spiritually only so far as the man, in accordance with his laws, regenerates himself natiually. God is in an unceasing endeavor to regenerate man, and thus save him ; but this He is unable to accomplish except as man prepares himself as a recepta^^lc, and thus levels the way and opens the door for God. A bridegroom cannot enter the chamber of a virgin till she becomes his bride; for she shuts the door and keeps the key to herself within ; but when the vir-in has U^come a bride she gives the key to the bridegroom, [sf God could not by Ilis omnipotence have redeemed incm unless He had become Man ; neither co.dd He have macle His Human Divine unless that Human had iirst been like the human of a babe, and then like that of a boy ; and unless afterwards the Human had formed itself into a receptacle and habitation, into whicli its Father might enter; which was done by His fultilling all things in the Word, that is, all the laws of order therein ; and so far as He accomplished this He united Himself to the Father, and the Father united Himself to Him These are a few things, presented for the sake ot illustration, to enable you to see that the Divine omnipotence is in order, and that its government, which is called l-rov- idence is in accordance with order, and that it acts continually and to' eternity in accordance with the laws of its order; nor can it act against them or change them one iota, because order, with all its laws, is Himself." [4] When this had been said a brilliant light of golden color flowed in through the roof and formed flying cherubs in the air • and with some of those present a glow therefrom was seen on the temples towards tlie back part of the head, but not yet on the front part, for they murmured, " We do not yet know what omnipotence is." And I said, " That will l)e revealed when what has been already said to you has become somewhat clear." 74 Third Memorable Relation : — I saw at a distance a numter of persons gathered together with caps on their heads, some with caps bound around with silk— these had belonged to the ecclesiastical order ; others had caps with borders ornamented with golden bands— these were i '■1 « civilians ; they were all learned and accomplished. I also saw- others with turbans ; these were not learned. I drew near, and heard them talking together about the Divine power, as being unlimited, and saying that if it were to proceed according to any established laws of order it would not be unlimited, but limited ; and would thus be a power, but not omnipotence. ^' But who does not see,'' they said, " that there can be no coercion of law that would compel omnipotence to do thus and so and not otherwise ? Certainly, when we think of omnipotence, and at the same time of laws of order in accordance with which it is obliged to proceed, our precon- ceived ideas of omnipotence fall like a hand when its staff has been broken.'' [2] When they saw me near, some of them ran up, and said with some vehemence, "Are you the man who has circum- scribed God by laws, as by chains ? How insolent ! Thus also you have torn to pieces our faith, upon which our salvation is based, in the center of which we place the righteousness of the Redeemer, and over this the omnipotence of God the Father, and add as an appendix the operation of the Holy Spirit, with its efficacy depending upon the absolute impotence of man in things spiritual ; so that he only needs to speak of the ful- ness of justification which is in that faith by virtue of God's omnipotence. But we have heard that you see in our faith nothing but emptiness, because you see in it nothing of Di- vine order on the part of man." Having heard this, I opened my mouth, and speaking with a loud voice, said, " Learn the laws of Divine order, and then lay open that faith and you will see a vast desert, and in it the long and crooked Leviathan, and round about it nets tangled in an inextricable knot. But do as it is said Alexander did when he saw the Gordian knot, that he drew his sword and cut it apart and thus loosed its entanglements, and then dash- ing it upon the ground trampled its strands under foot." [3] At these words those assembled bit their tongues, wish- ing to sharpen them for invectives ; but they did not venture, for they saw heaven opened above me, and heard from it a voice saying, " In the first place, control yourselves and listen to what the order is, according to the laws of which the om* 104 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. nipotent God acts.'' And [the voice] said, "God, from Him- seH as order, created the universe in order and foj order ; and in like manner He created man, in whom He established the laws of His order, by virtue of which laws man was made an image and likeness of God; which laws, m brief, are that man should believe in God and love his neighbor, and to the extent that he does these two things from his natural powers he constitutes himself a receptacle of the Divme omnipo- tence, and God conjoins Himself to man, and man to Him- self Thence man's belief becomes a living and saving be- lief* and his doing becomes charity, which is also livmg and saving But it must be understood that God is unceasmgly present, and continually striving and acting in man, even touch- in- his freedom of will, but in no way violatmg it l^or it G^ should violate man's freedom of will man's dwelling- place in God would be destroyed, and there would remain only God's dwelling-place in man ; which dwellmg-place is m all who are on earth and who are in the heavens, and even in those who are in the hells ; and this is the source of then- power, their will, and their understanding. But there is no reciprocal dwelling-place of man in God except in those who live m accordance with the laws of order set forth m the Word ; and such become images and likenesses of God, and to them paradise is given as a possession, and the fmit ot tlie tree of life for food; while the rest gather themselves about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and there talk with the serpent, and eat ; but these afterwards are driven trom paradise. Nevertheless, God does not forsake them, but they forsake God." 4. j i. [4] Those with caps understood all this, and assented to it ; but those with turbans denied, saying, " Is not omnipo- tence thus limited ? and a limited omnipotence is a contradic- tion." But I answered, " There is no contradiction in acting omnipo- tently according to the laws of justice with judgment, or ac- cording to the laws inscribed on love from wisdom ; but there is a contradiction in claiming that God can act in opposition to the laws of His justice and love, which would be to act from what is not judgment or wisdom. Such a contradiction is im- N.74] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 105 i)lied in your faith, which is that from mere grace God can justify an unjust man, and can endow him with all the gifts of salvation and rewards of life. But I will state briefly what God's omnipotence is. From His omnipotence God created the universe, and at the same time introduced order into each thing and all things in it. From His omnipotence God also preserves the universe, and unceasingly watches over the order of it with its laws ; and when any thing falls from order He brings it back and makes it whole again. Furthermore, from His omnipotence God instituted the church and revealed the laws of its order in the Word ; and when it fell from order He restored it ; and when it wholly fell away He Himself came down into the world, and putting on omnipotence by means of the Human then assumed. He re-established it. [5] From His omnipotence and omniscience God searches every man after death, and prepares the righteous, or the sheep, for their places in heaven, and establishes a heaven from them ; while He prepares the unrighteous, or the goats, for their places in hell, and establishes a hell from them. Both of these He ar- ranges into societies or congregated bodies in accordance with all the varieties of their love, which in heaven are as many as the stars in the natural firmament ; and He joins in one .| the societies of heaven that they may be as one man before Him. In like manner He brings together the congregated '■ bodies of hell that they may be as one devil ; and He separates the latter from the former by a gulf, that hell may not do violence to heaven or heaven torment hell ; for those who are in hell are tormented in the degree that heaven flows in. If God from His omnipotence did not do this every instant, a savage nature would enter into men to such an extent that they could no longer be restrained by the laws of any order ; and thus the human race would perish. These and other such things would happen unless God were order, and omnipotent in order." Having heard this, those who wore caps went away with their caps under their arms, praising God ; for in that world the intelligent wear caps. But not so those who wore turbans, for such are bald, and baldness signifies stupidity. The latter went away to the left, and the former to the right. '■jasiiaifarif'-ifiiii'iiiitiiiifrtffTtiiwifr-'ririffffc^^ 10(5 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE. 75 As the subject of this first chapter is God the Creator, the c;eation of the universe by Him must also be considered; as in the next chapter on the Lord the Redeemer, redemp^^^^^^^ will also be treated of. But no one can gam a right idea ot the creation of the universe until his understanding is bi^ught Lto a state of perception by some most ^eneraU^^^^^^^^^ previously recognized, which are as follows: [^] W Th^^^^^^ Iwo worlds, a spiritual world where angels and spirits are, and . natural Wd where men are. (ii.) In each world there is a sun The sun of the spiritual world is nothing but love from Jehovah Cxod who is in the midst of it. From that sun heat and light go forth ; the heat that goes forth therefrom in its essence is love, and the light that goes forth in its essence Is wisdom; and these two affect the will and unders and- n. of man-the heat his will and the light his understand- ing But the sun of the natural world is nothing but fire, ami therefore its heat is dead, also its light ; and these serve as a covering and auxiliary to spiritual heat and bght to Lble them'to pass over to man. [3] (iii.) Agam, these two which go forth from the sun of the spiritual world, and m consequence all things that have existence in that world by means of them, are substantial, and are called spiritual; whih the two like things that go forth from the sun of the natura world, and in consequence all things here that have existenc by means of them, are material, and are called natural. W (iv ) In each world there are three degrees, called degrees of height, and in consequence three regions ; and m accordance with these the three angelic heavens are arranged, and also in accordance with them human minds are arranged which thus correspond to those three angelic heavens ; and the same is true of every thing else in both worlds. [5] (v.) There is a correspondence between those things that are m the spiritual world and those in the natural world. [6] (vi.) There is an order in which each thing and all things belonging to both worlds were created. [7] (vii.) It is necessary that an idea of these things should first be gained, for unless this is done N. 7^] GOD THE CREATOR lOT the human mind from mere ignorance of these things easily falls into a notion of a creation of the universe by nature ; while on mere ecclesiastical authority it asserts that nature was created by God; and yet, because it does not know how creation was effected, as soon as it begins to look interiorly into the matter, it plunges headlong into the naturalism that denies God. But it w^ould be truly the work of a large volume to explain and demonstrate these statements properly one by one ; moreover, the matter does not properly enter into the theological system of this book as a theme or argument ; there- fore I will merely relate some memorable occurrences from w4iich an idea of the creation of the universe by God may be conceived, and from such a conception some offspring that will represent it may be born. 76. First Memorable Relation : — One day I was meditating upon the creation of the universe ; and this being perceived by the angels above me on the right side where were some who from time to time meditated and reasoned on this subject, one of them descended and invited me to join them ; and coming into the spirit I went with him ; and having joined them I was taken to the prince, in w^hose palace I saw some hundreds assembled, with the prince in the midst. Then one of them said, " We perceived here that you were meditating upon the creation of the universe ; and w^e too have sometimes indulged in like meditation; but we have never been able to reach a conclusion, because there clung to our thoughts the idea of a chaos, as having been the great egg, as it w^ere, out of w^hich each thing and all things in the uni- verse in their order were hatched ; whereas we now perceive that so great a universe could not have been so brought forth. Then there also clung to our minds another idea, namely, that all things were created by God out of nothing; but we are now able to see that out of nothing nothing comes. From these two ideas we have never yet been able to extricate our minds, and to see with any degree of clearness how creation was accomplished. Therefore we have called you from the place where you were, that you might set forth your medita- tion on this subject." in log THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. [2] Having heard this I replied, " I will do so." A^d I said . I have meditated on tiiis subject for a long tune, but o no i nave me introduced by the Lord into purpose. }'f^^'''';^^^^ how idle it would be to try to ]Z rilus'raC The creation of the -.v^rse w.tl.ut L knowing that there are two worlds, one m ^^^\-^ stffr:Lnis:StrtL^^^^^^^^^ :L'sunfrnviraTl spiritual things flow .s notlung but love SmTeiovlh God, whol in its - peared from my sight I saw not far from me flocks of sheep with lambs, and of kids and she-goats ; and round about these flocks I saw herds of cattle, young and old, also of camels and mules, and in a kind of grove, deer with high horns, and also unicorns. When I had beheld these things the angel said, " Turn your face towards the east." And I saw a garden containing fruit trees, as orange trees, lemon trees, olive trees, vines, fig-trees, pomegranates, and also shrubs bearing berries. The angel then said, " Look now towards the south." And I saw fields of various kinds of grain, as wheat, millet, barley, and beans, and round about them flower beds containing roses of beautifully varied colors ; but toward the north I saw thick groves of chestnut trees, palms, lindens, plane trees, and other trees with rich foliage. [2] When I had seen these things the angel said, "All these things that you have seen are correspondences of affec- 8 114 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. N. 78] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 115 tions of the love of the angels who are near." And he told me to what affection each particular thing corresponded ; and moreover, that not these only, but also all other things that presented themselves to their sight were correspondences, as houses, the articles of furniture in them, the tables and food, the clothing, and even the gold and silver coins, as also the diamonds and other precious stones with which wives and virgins in the heavens are adorned. " From all these things," he said, " the character of every person in respect to love and wisdom is perceived by us. The things in our houses that are of use remain there permanently ; while to the sight of those who wander from one society to another these things change as their associations change. [3] These things have been shown to enable you to see, in a special example, the entire creation. For God is love itself and wisdom itself ; the affections of His love are infinite, and the perceptions of His wisdom are in- finite ; and of these each thing and all things that appear on earth are correspondences. This is the origin of birds and beasts, forest trees, fruit trees, crojjs and harvests, herbs and grasses. For God is not extended, and yet He is present throughout all extension, thus throughout tlie universe from its firsts to its lasts; and He being thus omnipresent, there are these correspondences of the affections of His love and wisdom in the whole natural world ; while in our world, which is called the spiritual world, there are like correspondences with those who are receiving affections and perceptions from God. The difference is that in our world such things are created by God from moment to moment in accordance with the affections of the angels. In your world they were created in like manner in the beginning ; but it was provided that they should be renewed unceasingly by the propagation of one from another, and creation be thus continued in that matter. [4] In our world creation is from moment to moment, and in yours continued by i)ropagation, because the atmospheres and earths of our world are spiritual, and the atmospheres and earths of your world natural ; and natural things were created to clothe spiritual things as skin clothes the bodies of men and animals, as outer and inner barks clothe the trunks and branches of trees, the several membranes clothe the brain, tunics the nerves, I and the inner coats their fibers, and so on. This is why all things in your world are constant, and are renewed constantly from year to year.'' To this the angel added, " Go and tell the inhabitants of your world what you have seen and heard, for hitherto they have been in complete ignorance about the spiritual world; and without some knowledge about it no one can know, nor even guess, that in our world creation is a continuous process, and that it was the same in yours while the universe was being created by God.'' [5] After this we talked about various matters; and at length about hell, that no such things are seen there as are seen in heaven, but only their opposites ; since the affections of the love of those there, which are lusts of evil, are oppo- sites of the affections of love in which angels of heaven are. Thus with those in hell, and in general in their deserts, there are seen birds of night, such as bats and owls ; also wolves, panthers, tigers, and rats and mice ; also venomous serpents of every kind^ dragons and crocodiles ; and (where there is any herbage) brambles, nettles, thorns, and thistles, and some poi- sonous plants grow : and at times these disappear, and then nothing is seen but heaps of stones, and bogs in which frogs croak. All of these things are correspondences ; but as has been said, they are correspondences of the affections of the love of those in hell, which affections are lusts of evil. Not- withstanding these things are not created there by God; nor were they created by Him in the natural world, where like things exist. For all things that God has created and does create were and are good; while such things on the earth sprang up along with hell, and hell originated in men, who by turning away from God became after death satans and devils. But as^hese terrible things began to be painful to our ears, we turned our thoughts from them and recalled to mind what we had seen in heaven. 79. Fourth Memorable Kelation : — Once when I was reflecting upon the creation of the uni- verse, some spirits from the Christian world approached, who had been in their time among the most celebrated philosophers, and had been regarded as wiser than all others ; and they said, 116 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I. "We perceive that you are thinking about creation; tell us what your idea is about it." But I replied, " Tell me your own first." And one of them said, " It is my opinion that creation is from nature, and thus that nature created itself, and that it has existed from eternity ; for there is no vacuum, and there can be none. In fact, what else do we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, smell with our nostrils, and breathe with our breasts, but nature, which being outside of us must be also within us ?" [2] Another having heard this, said, " You speak of nature and make her the creator of the universe ; but as you do not know how nature operated in producing the universe I will tell you. Nature infolded herself in vortices, which dashed together like clouds, or like houses when overthrown by an earthquake ; and by such collision the grosser materials brought themselves together into one mass which formed the land ; and the more fluid portions separated themselves from these and brought themselves together into one body which formed the seas; and again the still lighter parts separated themselves from these, forming the ether and air ; and finally from the lightest of these the sun was formed. Have you not seen that when oil, water, and the dust of the earth are mixed together they freely separate themselves, and arrange themselves in order one above another ?" [3] Then another, hearing this, said, " Both of you are talk- ing from mere fancy. AYho does not know that the first ori- gin of all things was chaos, which in magnitude had filled a fourth part of the universe ; that at the center of it was fire ; round about this ether, and round this matter ; that this chaos opened in fissures, through which the ^re broke forth, as from .^tna and Vesuvius, and formed the sun ; after this the ether issued forth and poured itself about, and formed the atmos- phere ; and finally the remaining matter solidified into a globe and formed the earth ? As to the stars, they are only lumi- naries in the expanse of the universe, which sprang from the sun and its heat and light ; for at first the sun was like a fiery ocean ; but, that it might not bum up the earth, it sent off from itself small masses of bright flame, which locating them- N. 79] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 117 selves in surrounding space, completed the universe, forming its firmament." [4] But there stood one among them who said, " You are mistaken. You seem to yourselves to be wise, and I seem to you to be simple ; and yet in my simplicity I have believed and continue to believe that the universe was created by God ; and as nature pertains to the universe, that universal nature was then simultaneously created. If nature created herself must she not have existed from eternity ? But what mad- ness t" And then one of the so-called wise men ran up closer and closer to the speaker, and put his left ear near to the speaker's mouth — for his right ear had been filled with something like cotton — and asked him what he had said ; and the statements were repeated. Then he who had come up looked around to see if any priest were present, and seeing one at the side of the speaker he replied, " I also confess that universal nature is from God ; but ." Then he went off and whispered to his companions, saying, " I said that because there was a priest near ; you and I know that nature is from nature ; but as this makes nature to be God, I said that universal nature is from God ; but ." [5] The priest hearing their whispers, said, " Your wisdom, which is purely philosophical, has misled you, and has so closed the interiors of your minds that no light can flow into them from God and His heaven and enlighten you ; you have extin- guished this light." And he said, " Consider, therefore, and decide among yourselves where your souls, which are immortal, originated — whether in nature or whether they also were in- cluded in that great chaos." Having heard this the former went to his companions and asked them to join him in the solution of this knotty question. And they came to the conclusion that the human soul is noth- ing but ether, and thought nothing but a modification of ether by the sun's light, and ether a property of nature. And they said, " Who does not know that we speak by means of the air ? And what is thought but speech in a purer air, which is called the ether ? Therefore thought and speech make one. Who cannot see this in man during his infancy ? He first learns to 118 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L talk, then he gradually learns to talk with himself — and that is thinking. AVhat, then, is thought but a modification of the ether ? And what is the sound of the voice but a modulation of that ? From which we conclude that the soul which thinks is a property of nature." [6] But some of them — not exactly dissenting, but to make the matter clear — said that souls came into existence when the ether separated itself from that great chaos, the ether then dividing itself in the highest region into innumerable individ- ual forms, which pour themselves into men when they begin to think from the i)urer air ; and these are then called souls. Another, having heard this, said, " I admit that there were innumerable individual forms formed out of the ether in the higher region ; nevertheless there have been a still greater num- ber of men born since the creation of the world; how then coukl there have been enough of these ethereal forms ? There- fore I have thought to myself, that souls departing from the mouths of men when they die, return to them again after some thousands of years, and enter upon and pass through a life similar to their former life. That many of the wise believe in something like this, and in metempsychosis, is known.'' Other conjectures beside these were broached by the rest ; but as they were mere ravings I pass them by. [7] In a short time the priest returned, and then the one who had before spoken about the creation of the universe by God told of their conclusions about the soul; having heard which the priest said to them, " You have spoken precisely as you thought in the world, not knowing that you are not in that world, but in another, which is called the spiritual world. All those who have become corporeal-sensual by confirming them- selves in favor of nature are unaware that they are not in the same world in which they were born and brought up. This is because they there had material bodies, while here they have substantial bodies ; and a substantial man sees himself and his companions about him precisely as a material man sees him- self* and his companions ; for the substantial is the primitive of the material. And you believe that the same nature exists here, for the reason that you think, see, smell, taste, and talk in the same way as you did in the natural world ; when in fact N. 79] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 119 the nature of this world is as different and distinct from the nature of that world as the substantial is from the material, or the spiritual from the natural, or the prior from the poste- rior. And as the nature of the world where you formerly lived is comparatively dead, so have you, by confirming yourselves in its favor, become as it were dead, that is, in respect to what pertains to God, to heaven, and to the church, and also in this matter which relates to your souls. And yet every man, the bad and the good alike, may in understanding be elevated even into the light in which the angels of heaven are ; and then they are able to see that there is a God and a life after death, and that man's soul is not ethereal, and therefore not of the nature of that world, but is spiritual, and therefore will live to eternity. The understanding may be in such angelic light, provided those natural loves are set aside which are derived from the world, and which favor it and its nature, and which are derived from the body and favor it and what belongs to it.'' [8] Then instantly these loves were taken away from them by the Lord, and they were permitted to speak with angels, from whose conversation they in that state perceived that there is a God, and that they were living after death in another world; wherefore they were covered with shame, and ex- claimed, *^ We were mad ! we were mad !" But as this was not their own. proper state, and as after a few minutes it became tiresome and unpleasant, they turned away from the priest and were unwilling to listen to him any longer ; so they returned to their former loves, which were merely natural, worldly, and corporeal, and they went away toward the left, passing from one society to another ; and finally they came to a path, where the delights of their owai loves breathed upon them, and they said, " Let us go this way ;" and they went ; and descending, they came at length to those who were in the delights of similar loves ; and they went on. And as their delight was a delight in doing evil, and as they did evil to many on the way, they were imprisoned and became demons. And then their delight was changed to undelight, because by punishments and fears of punishment they were curbed and restrained from their former delight which constituted their nature. 120 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. I And they asked those who were in the same prison if they were to Hve in that way for ever ; and some answered, " We have been here for some ages, and are to remain for ages of ages, because the nature that we contracted in the world can- not be changed, nor can it be expelled by punishments ; for whenever it is so expelled, after a short lapse of time it returns." 80. Fifth Memorable Relation : — Once by pei-mission a satan and a woman with him, ascended from hell, and came to the house where I was. Seeing them I closed the window, but talked with them through it. I asked the satan where he came from ; and he said from his own com- panions. And I asked where the woman came from ; and he made the same answer. She was from a crowd of sirens, such as are skilled in assuming by means of fantasies all the modes and forms of beauty and adornment, now putting on the beauty of Venus, and now the chaste features of Parnassian nymphs ; and again decking themselves out like queens with crowns and royal robes, and walking majestically leaning on silver canes. Such in the world of spirits are harlots, and study fantasies. Fantasy arises from sensual thought when the ideas springing from any interior thought have been excluded. I asked the satan if she was his wife. He replied, " What is a wife ? I do not know and my society does not ; she is my harlot.^' Then she inspired him with lascivious desire, which sirens can do with great skill ; and on receiving it he kissed her, and said, " Ah my Adonis !" [2] But to proceed to serious things. I asked the satan what his occupation was ; and he said, '' My occupation is the pursuit of learning ; do you not see the laurel on my head ?" This his Adonis had created by her art, and put on him from behind. And I said, " Since you come from a society where learning prevails, tell me what you and your companions believe in regard to God." He replied, " To us God is the universe, which we also call nature, and which the more simple of our people call the atmosphere, by which they mean the air, but the wise mean by N. 80] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIFTH 121 it the ether. God, heaven, angels and the like, about which many in this world have much to say, are empty terms, and fictions taken from the meteors which here play before the eyes of many people. Are not all things that are visible on the earth created by the sun ? At its approach every spring are not winged and creaping insects brought forth ; and do not birds, moved by its heat, love each other and propagate their species ; and does not the earth when warmed by its heat make seeds to sprout and finally yield fruit as offspring ? Is not the universe then a god, and nature a goddess ; and does she not, as the spouse of the universe, conceive, bear, bring up, and nourish these offspring ?" [3] I asked further what he and his society believed about religion. He replied, " To us, who are more learned than the masses, religion is nothing but a bewitchment of the common people, which encompasses, like an aura, the sensitive and im- aginative powers of their minds ; and in that aura notions of piety fly about like butterflies in the air ; and their faith, which connects these ideas, as it were, in a chain, is like a silkworm in his cocoon, from which he comes forth as king of the but- terflies. For the unlearned masses, from a desire to fly, love to imagine things above their bodily senses and their thought therefrom, in this way making wings for themselves, with which they may soar like eagles and cry boastfully to those on the ground, ' Look at me !' But we believe what we see, and we love what we touch." With that he touched his harlot and said, " This is something I believe in because I see and touch it. But we throw that other nonsense out of our windows, and blow it away with a breath of laughter." [4] I then asked what he and his companions believed about heaven and hell. He replied with a loud laugh, " What is heaven but the ethereal firmament above ? And what are its angels but spots wandering about the sun ? And what are archangels but comets with long tails, upon which a crowd of them dwell ? And what is hell but bogs where, in their imagination, frogs and crocodiles are the devils ? Everything beyond these ideas of heaven and hell is mere trumpery brought forth by some prelate for the purpose of winning glory from the ignorant multitude." 122 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. L N.81] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 123 All this he said precisely as he had thought upon these sub- jects in the world, not knowing that he was then living after death, and having forgotten all that he had heard when he first entered the spiritual world. So again he replied to a question about a life after death, that it was a thing of the imagination ; and that perchance some effluvium arising from a buried corpse in the shape of a man, or a thing called a ghost, about which some tell stories, had introduced such a notion among men's fancies. When I heard this I could no longer keep from laughing ; and I said, " Satan, you are raving mad. What are you now ? Are you not now in the form of a man ? Do you not talk, see, hear, walk ? Recall to mind that you have lived in another world whicii you have forgotten, and that you are now living after death, and that you were even now talking just as you formerly did." And recollection was given him, and he remembered and was ashamed ; and he cried out, " I am mad ! I saw heaven above, and I heard angels there uttering things ineffable ; but that was when I first came here. I will now keep this in mind to tell to my companions from whom I came ; and perhaps they too will be ashamed as I am.'' And he kept repeating that he would call them madmen ; but as he descended f orgetf ulness expelled remembrance ; and when he reached his companions he was as mad as they, and said that what he had heard from me was madness. In this way do satans think and talk after death. Those are called satans who have confirmed in themselves falsities until they believe them ; and those are called devils who have confirmed in themselves evils by their life. '% CHAPTEE II. THE LORD THE REDEEMER 81. In the preceding chapter God the Creator, together with Creation, has been treated of. This chapter will treat of the Lord the Redeemer, together with Redemption ; and the next chapter of the Holy Spirit, together with the Divine Operation. By the Lord the Redeemer we mean Jehovah in the Human ; for in what follows it will be shown that Jehovah Himself de- scended and assumed a Human in order that He might effect redemption. The name Lord is used and not Jehovah, because the Jehovah of the Old Testament is called the Lord in the New, as is shown in the following passages. In Moses : — Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah ; and thou shalt love Jehovah God with all thy heart and with all thy soul {Deut. vi. 4, 5); and in Mark : — The Lord our God is one Lord ; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul (xii. 29, 30). Again, in Isaiah : — Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make level in the wilderness a highway for our God (xl. 3); and in Luke : — Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His way (i. 76); besides other passages. Moreover, the Lord commanded His disciples to call Him Lord, and this is why He was so called by the Apostles in their Epistles, and afterwards by the Apostolic Church, as appears from its creed, which is called the Apostles' Creed. The reason of this was that the Jews durst not utter the name Jehovah on account of its holiness ; also that '' Jehovah " means the Divine Esse which was from eternity ; and the Human that He assumed in time was not that Esse. What the Divine Esse or Jehovah is, has been shown in the preceding chapter (n 18-26, 27-35). For this reason, by the Lord, here and in the following pages, Jehovah in His Human is meant. And since a knowledge of the Lord surpasses in excellence all other knowledges in the church, and 124 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. even in heaven, the subject shall be so arranged in order as to bring this knowledge out into clear light. It will be con- sidered in the following order : — CI) Jehovah the Creator of the universe descended and as- sumed a Human that He might redeem men and save them. (2) He descended as Divine Truth, which is the Word, al- though He did not separate from it the Divine Good. (3) He assumed the Human in accordance with His Divine Order. (4) The Human whereby He sent Himself into the world is what is called the Son of God. (5) Through the acts of Eedemption the Lord made Himself Eighteousness. (6) Through the same acts He united Himself to the Father, and the Father united Himself to Him, also in accordance with the Divine Order. (7) Thus God became Man, and Man became God, in one Person. (8) The progress towards union was His state of Exinani- tion [emptying Himself] ; and the union itself is His state of Glorification. (9) Hereafter no one from among Christians enters heaven unless he believes in the Lord God the Saviour, and approaches Him alone. But these statements shall be explained separately. 82. (1) Jehovah God descended and assumed a Human that He might redeem men and save them. In the Christian churches at this day it is believed that God the Creator of the universe begat a Son from eternity, and that this Son descended and assumed a Human in order to redeem and save men. But this is an error, and of itself falls to the ground as soon as it is considered that God is one, and that it is worse than incredi- ble in the sight of reason to say that the one God begat a Son from eternity, and that God the Father, together with the Son and Holy Spirit, each one of whom singly is God, is one God. This incredible notion is wholly dissipated, like a falling star in mid-air, when it is shown from the AVord that Jehovah God Himself descended and became Man and also Redeemer. [2] The first statement, that it was Jehovah God Himself who de- N. 82] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 125 scended and became Man, is made clear in the following pas- sages : — Behold, a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a Son, who shall be called God-with-us {Isa, vii. 14 ; Matt. i. 22, 23). Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given ; and the government shall be upon His shoulder ; and His name shall be called Wonderful, God, Mighty, Father of Eternity, the Prince of Peace (/sa. ix. 6). It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for Him that He may deliver us ; this is Jehovah ; we have waited for Him ; let us exult and be glad in His salvation {Isa. xxv. 9). The voice of one crying in the desert. Prepare ye the way of Jehovah ; make level in the wilderness a highway for our God, and all flesh shall see it together [Isa. xl. 3, 5). Behold, the Lord Jehovah cometh in strength, and His arm shall rule for Him ; behold, His reward i^with Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd {Isa. xl. 10, 11). Jehovah said. Sing for joy and be glad, daughter of Zion ; for lo, I come to dwell in the midst of thee. Then many nations shall cleave to Jehovah in that day {Zech. ii. 10, 11). I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and I will give thee for a covenant of the people. I am Jehovah ; this is My name ; My glory will I not give to another (Isa. xlii. 0-8). Behold, the days come, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch ; and He shall reign as King, and He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth, and this is His name, Jehovah our righteous- ness (Jer. xxiii. 5, ; xxxiii. 15, 10). See also the j^laces where the Lord's coming is called " the day of Jehovah" (as in Isa. xiii, G, 9, 13, 22-, Ezek. xxxi. 15; Joel i. 15; ii. 1, 2, 11 ; iii. 1, 14, 18; Amos v. 13, 18, 20; Zeph. i. 7-18 ; Zech. xiv. 1, 4-21 ; and elsewhere). [3] That it was Jehovah Himself who descended and assumed the Human is especially evident in Luke, where it is said : — Mary said to the angel, How shall this come to pass, seeing I knov^ not a man ? And the angel answered her. The Holy Spirit shall come up- on thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee ; there- fore also that holy thing that is born of thee shall be called the Son of God (i. 34, 35). And in Matthew : — The angel said to Joseph, the bridegroom of Mary, in a dream, that that which w^as begotten in her was of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph knew hei- not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called His name Jesus (1. 20, 25). 1 126 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 83] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 127 It will be shown in the third chapter of this work that the Divine that goes forth from Jehovah God is what is meant by the Holy Spirit. Who does not know that the offspring has its soul and life from the father, and that the body is from the soul ? Can anything, then, be more plainly declared than that the Lord had His soul and life from Jehovah God ; and as the Divine cannot be divided, that the very Divine of the Father was His soul and life ? This is why the Lord so often called Jehovah God His Father, and why Jehovah God called Him His Son. Can there be anything, then, more absurd than to say that the soul of the Lord was from His mother Mary ? as is at this day dreamed by both the Roman Catholics and the Reformed, they not having yet be^n awakened by the Word. 83. That a Son born from eternity descended and assumed the Human is a total error which falls to the ground and is dissipated in the light of those passages in the Word where Jehovah Himself says that He Himself is the Saviour and Redeemer, as in the following : — Am I not Jehovah, and there is no God else beside Me ? A just God and a Saviour, there is none beside Me (Isa. xlv. 21, 22). - I am Jehovah ; and beside Me there is no Saviour {Isa. xliii. 11). I am Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt acknowledge no God beside Me ; and there is no Saviour beside Me {Hos. xiii. 4). That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Re- deemer {Isa. xlix. 26 ; Ix. 16). As for our Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts is His name {Isa. xlvii. 4). Their Redeemer is strong ; Jehovah of Hosts is His name {Jer. 1. 34). O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer {Ps. xix. 14). Thus said Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jeho- vah thy God {Isa. xlviii. 17 ; xliii. 14 ; xlix. 7). Thus said Jehovah, thy Redeemer, I am Jehovah that maketh all thmgs, even alone by Myself {Isa. xliv. 24). Thus said Jehovah, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts, I am the First and I am the Last ; and beside Me there is no God {Isa. xliv. 6). Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer ; from everlasting is Thy name {Isa. Ixiii. 16). With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, said Jehovah, Thy Redeemer {Isa. liv. 8). Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah of truth {Ps. xxxi. 5). Let Israel hope in Jehovah ; for with Jehovah there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities {Ps. cxxx. 7, 8). Jehovah of Hosts is His name ; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel ; the God of the whole earth shall He be called {Isa. liv. 5). From these and many other passages it can be seen by every man who has eyes, and a mind that has been opened by means of them, that God, who is one, descended and became Man, in order to effect redemption. Who cannot see this as in the light of morning when he gives any attention to these Divine dec- larations themselves which have been presented ? But those who are in the shades of night, owing to a confirmed belief in the birth of another God from eternity, and in His descent and work of redemption, shut their eyes to these Divine declara- tions, and in that state study how to apply them to their own falsities and pervert them. • 84. There are many reasons why God could redeem men, that is, could deliver them from damnation and hell, only by means of an assumed Human ; which reasons shall be set forth in the following pages. Redemption consisted in subjugating the hells, restoring the heavens to order, and after this reestab- lishing the church ; and this redemption God with His omnipo- tence could effect only by means of the Human, as it is only by means of an arm that one can work — in the Word (Isa. xl. 10 ; liii. 1) this Human of the Lord is called " the arm of Je- hovah" — or as one can attack a fortified town and destroy the temples of idols therein only by means of intervening agencies. That it was by means of His Human that God had omnipo- tence in this Divine work, is also evident from the W^ord. For in no other way w^ould it be possible for God who is in the in- must and thus in the purest things, to pass over to outmost things, in which the hells are, and in which the men of that ' time were ; just as the soul can do nothing without a body, or as no one can conquer an enemy without coming in sight of him, or approaching and getting near to him with proper equip- ments, such as spears, shields, or muskets. It was as impos- sible for God to effect redemption without the Human as it would be for men to conquer the Indies without transporting soldiers there by means of ships, or as it would be to make trees grow by heat and light if the air through which these pass, or the soil from which the trees spring, had never been created j as impossible, in fact, as to catch fish by spreading 128 TlIE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. 11. N. 85] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 129 nets in the air instead of in the water. For it is impossible for Jehovah, such as He is in Himself, by His omnipotence to get in contact with any devil in hell or any devil upon the earth, and restrain him and his fury and tame his violence, miless He be in things last as He is in things first. Because He is in things last in His Human, He is caUed in the Word " the First and the Last," " the Alpha and the Omega," " the Be- ginning and the End." 85. (2) Jehovah God descended as Divine Truth, which is the Word, although He did not separate from it the Divine Good. There are two things that constitute the essence of God, the Divine love and the Divine wisdom, or what is the same. Di- vine good and Divine truth. That these two are the essence of God has been shown above (n. 36-48). Moreover these two are what are meant in the Word by the name " Jehovah God,''^ « Jehovah" meaning the Divine love or Divine good, and " God" the Divine wisdom or Divine truth ; and for this reason these two names are distinguished in the Word in various ways ; sometimes the name " Jehovah" alone is used, and sometnnes the name " God" alone— the name " Jehovali" when the Divine good is treated of, and the name " God" when the Divine truth is treated of ; and the name " Jehovah God" when both are treated of. That Jehovah God descended as the Divine truth, which is the Word, is shown in John as follows :— In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. All thin-s were made by Him, and withont Him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among ns (i. 1, 3, 14). By " the Word" here the Divine truth is meant, because the Word which is in the church, is Divine truth itself, for it was dictated by Jehovah Himself ; and what is dictated by Je- hovah is nothing but Divine truth, and can be nothing else. [2] But inasmuch as the Divine truth passed down through the heavens even to the world, it became adapted to angels m heaven and also to men in the world. For this reason there is in the Word a spiritual sense in which the Divine truth is seen in clear light, and a natural sense in which it is seen ob- scurely. Thus it is the Divine truth in our Word that is here meant in John. This is made still clearer by the fact that the \ Lord came into the world to fulfil all things of the Word ; and this is why it is so often said that this or that was done to Him " that the Scripture might be fulfilled." Nor is anything but the Divine truth meant by " the Messiah" or *^ the Christ," or " the Son of man," or " the Holy Spirit the Comforter," which the Lord sent after His departure. In the chapter on the Sacred Scripture it will be shown that in His transfiguration before the three disciples on the mount {Matt. xvii. ; Mark ix. ; Luke ix.), and also before John in the Apocalypse (i. 12-16), the Lord represented Himself as that Word. [2] That the Lord in the world was the Divine truth is evident from His own words : — I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life [John xiv. 6) ; also from these words : — We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an under- standing that we may know the True ; and we are in the True, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John v. 20); and still further by His being called " the Light," as in the fol- lowing passages : — There was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world {John i. 4, 9). Jesus said, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, that darkness overtake you not. While ye liave the light be- lieve in the light, that ye may be sons of light {John xii. 35, 36, 46). I am the light of the world {John ix. 5). Simeon said. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, a light for reve- lation to the Gentiles {Luke ii. 30^2). And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world ; he that doeth the truth cometh to the light {John iii. 19, 21) ; besides other places. " Light" means the Divine truth. 86. Jehovah God came down into the world as Divine truth, in order that He might work redemption ; and redemption con- sisted in subjugating the hells, restoring the heavens to order, and after this establishing a church. This the Divine good is inadequate to effect ; it can be done only by the Divine truth from the Divine good. The Divine good, viewed in itself, is like the round hilt of a sword, or a blunt piece of wood, or a bow without arrows ; while Divine truth from Divine good is like a sharp sword, or wood in the form of a spear, or a bow 9 130 THE TRUB CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 87] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 131 with its arrows, all which are effective against an enemy. (In the spiritual sense of the Word " swords," '^spears," and ''bows" mean truths combating, as may be seen in the Apocalypse Re- vealed, n. 52, 299, 436, where this is shown.) The falsities and evils in which all hell was and always is, could have been as- saulted, conquered, and subjugated in no other way than by means of Divine truth from the Word ; nor could the new heaven that was then constituted have been built up, formed, and ar- ranged in order by any other means ; nor could a new church on the earth have been established by any other means. More- over all the strength, energy, and power of God belong to Di- vine truth from the Divine good. This explains why Jehovah God came down as Divine truth, which is the Word. There- fore it is said in David : — Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty One, and in Thy majesty mount up ; ride upon the Word of truth ; Thy right hand shall teach Thee wonderful things. Thine arrows are sharp, Thine enemies shall fall imder Thee {Ps. xlv. 3-5). This is said of the Lord, of His conflicts with the hells, and of His victories over them. 87. What good is, apart from truth, and what truth is, apart from good, can be seen clearly in man. All good in man has its seat in his will, and all truth in his understanding ; and the will from its good can do nothing whatever except by means of the understanding ; it cannot work, it cannot speak, it cannot feel ; all of its virtue and power is by means of the understanding, consequently by means of truth ; for the un- derstanding is the receptacle and abode of truth. It is with these precisely as with the action of the heart and lungs in the body. Without the respiration of the lungs not a motion or a sensation is produced by the heart ; but both motion and sensa- tion are produced from the heart by the respiration of the lungs, as is evident in the swooning of persons who have been suffo- cated or have fallen into the water, whose respiration ceases, al- though the systolic activity of the heart still continues. That such persons have neither motion nor sensation is known. It is the same with the embryo in the mother's womb. This is because the heart corresponds to the will and its various kinds of good, and the lungs to the understanding and its truths. In the spiritual world the power of truth is especially conspicu- ous. An angel who is in Divine truths from the Lord, although in body as weak as an infant, can nevertheless put to flight a troop of infernal spirits that look like Anakim and Nephilim, that is, like giants, and can pursue them to hell, and thrust them into their caverns there ; and when they emerge there- from they dare not come near the angel. Those who are in Divine truths from the Lord are in that world like lions, al- though in body they have no more strength than sheep. Men who are in Divine truths from the Lord have a like power against evils and falsities, and consequently against cohorts of devils, who, regarded in their essence, are nothing but evils and falsi- ties. There is such strength in Divine truth because God is good itself and truth itself ; and it was by means of Divine truth that He created the universe ; and all the laws of order by means of which He preserves the miiverse are truths. There- fore it is said in John : — That all things were made by the Word, and without Him was not any thing made that was made (i. 3, 10). And in David : — By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made ; and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth {Ps. xxxiii. ij). 88. That God, although He descended as Divine truth, did not separate therefrom the Divine good, is evident from the conception ; of which it is said : — ■ That the power of the Most High overshadowed Marj^ (Luke i. 35), " the power of the Most High '' meaning the Divine good. This is evident also from the passages where He says that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, that all things that the Father hath are His, and that the Father and He are one ; also from other passages. By " the Father " the Divine good is meant. 89. (3) God assumed the Human iyi accordance with His Di- vine Order. In the section that treats of the Divine omnipo- tence and omniscience it has been shown that God introduced order into the universe and into each and all things of it at the tune of their creation, and therefore His omnipotence in the universe and in each and all things of it, proceeds and operates aa^jj^jFJiiegjaS 132 THi: TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IL N. 90] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 133 in accordance with the laws of His order. (This has already been treated of consecutively, n. 49-74.) Since, then, it was God who descended, and since (as is there shown) He is Order itself, it was necessary, if He was to become man actually, that He should be conceived, carried in the womb, born, educated, acquire knowledges gradually, and thereby be introduced into intelligence and wisdom. In respect to His Hiunan He was, for this reason, an infant like other infants, a boy like other boys, and so on ; with the sole difference that this development was accomplished in Him more quickly, more fully, and more perfectly than in others. That this development was in accord- ance with order is evident from these words in Luke : — And the child Jesus grew and waxed strong in spirit. And Jesus ad- vanced in wisdom, and hi the stages of Ufe, and in favor with God and man (ii. 40, 52). That this was done more quickly, more fully, and more per- fectly than with others is evident from what is said of Him in the same Gospel, that When He was twelve years old He sat in the temple in the midst of the doctors and taught them ; and that all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers (ii. 40, 47 ; and afterwards, iv. 16-22, 32). This took place because Divine order requires that man should prepare himself for the reception of God ; and in proportion as he prepares himself, God enters into him as into His dwell- ing-place and home ; and this preparation is effected by means of knowledges respecting God and the spiritual things pertain- ing to the church, and thus by means of intelligence and wis- dom. For it is a law of order that in proportion as man ap- proaches and gets near to God (which he must do wholly as if of himself) does God approach and get near to man, and con- join Himself with man in man's interiors. It was in accord- ance with this order that the Lord progressed even to a oneness with His Father, as will be further show^n in what follows. 90. Those who do not know that the Divine omnipotence proceeds and operates in accordance with order, may hatch from their fancies many things that are opposed to and in conflict with sound reason ; as why God did not assume the Human immediately without such stages of development ; why He did not create or bring together a body for Himself out of elements drawn from the four quarters of the world, and thus exhibit Himself as the God-Man to the bodily vision of the Jewish people, and even of the whole world ; or if He wished to be born, why He did not infuse His entire Divinity into the em- bryo itself, or into the infant itself ; or why He did not, after His birth, at once raise Himself up to the stature of manhood, and speak from Divine wisdom. Those who think of the Divine omnipotence as being apart from order may conceive and bring forth these and like things, and thus fill the church with ab- surdities and trifles, as has indeed been done ; for example, that God could beget a Son from eternit}', and then cause a third God to proceed from Himself and the Son ; again, that He could be angry at tlie human race, and devote it to destruction, and be willing to be brought back to mercy by the Son, and this by intercession and through remembrance of His cross ; and again, that He could put into man the righteousness of His Son, and insert it in man's heart, like the " simple substance" of Wolff, which contains, as that author himself says, all things belonging to the merit of the Son, but which cannot be divided, for if it were divided it would become naught ; still again, that He is able to remit sins to whomsoever He w^ill, as if by a pa- pal bull, or cleanse the most impious person from his black evils, and thus make a man who is as black as a devil as white as an angel of light, without the man's moving himself any more than a stone, or while he is standing still like a statue or an idol ; with many other insane notions which those who maintain that the Divine power is absolute, with no recognition or acknowl- edgment of any order therein, may scatter abroad as a fanning machine blows chaff into the air. In spiritual matters, which pertain to heaven and the church, and thus to eternal life, such may wander away from Divine truths like a blind man in the woods, who now falls over stones, now strikes his forehead against a tree, and now entangles his hair in its branches. 91. Moreover, the Divine miracles have been wrought in ac- cordance with Divine order, but in accordance with the order of an influx of the spiritual world into the natural world ; about which order nothing has been known heretofore, because here- tofore no one has known anything about the spiritual world. 134 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IL N. 92] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 135 But what that order is will be made clear at the proper time, when we come to treat of Divine Miracles and Magical Mira- cles. 92. (4) The Human ivherebij God sent Himself into the world is the Son of God. The Lord frequently says that the Father sent Him, and that He was sent by the Father (as in Matt. x. 40; XV. 24 ; John iii. 17, 34; v. 23, 24, 36-38; vi. 29, 39, 40, 44, 57 ; vii. 16, 18, 2S, 29 ; viii. 16, 18, 29, 42 ; ix. 4 ; and in many other places) ; and this He says, because " being sent in- to the world'' means to descend and come among men; and this was done by means of a human which He took on through the virgin j\lary. Moreover, the Human is actually the Son of God, because it was conceived from Jehovah God as its Father (according to Luke i. 32, 35). He is called "the Son of God," " the Son of man,'' and " the son of Mary ;" " the Son of God" meaning Jehovah God in His Human ; " the Son of man" the Lord in respect to the Word ; while " the son of Mary" means strictly the human He took on. That this is the meaning of " Son of God" and " Son of man" will be shown in what fol- lows. That " the son of Mary" means the mere human is clearly seen in the generation of man, in that the soul is from the father and the body from the mother ; for the soul is contained in the semen of the father and is clothed with a body in the mother ; or what is the same thing, all the spiritual that man has is from the father and all the material from the mother. In regard to the Lord, the Divine that He had was from Jehovah the Father, and the human from the mother. These two united are the Son of God. This is evident from the account of the Lord's birth, as given in Luke : — The angel Gabriel said to Mary, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee ; therefore the Holy thing that shall be bom of thee shall be called the Son of God (i. 35). The Lord also called Himself " one sent by the Father," for the reason that sent and angel have the same meaning, angel meaning in the original one sent. For it is said in Isaiah : — The angel of the faces of Jehovah delivered them ; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them (Ixiii. 9) ; and in Malachi :- And the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in (iii. 1 ; also elsewhere). That the Divine Trinity— God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit — is in the Lord, and that the Father in Him is the Divine from which, the Son the Divine Human, and the Holy Spirit the Di- vine going forth, will be seen in the third chapter of this work where the Divine Trinity is treated of. 93. Since the angel Gabrielsaid to Mary, "The Holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God," it will be shown by the following passages from the Word that the Lord in respect to His Human is called the Holy One of Is- rael : — I saw in visions and, behold, a Watcher and an Holy One came down from heaven {Ban. iv. 13, 23). God Cometh from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran {Hah. iii. 3). I am Jehovah, the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your Holy One {Isa. xliii. 14, 15). Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One {Isa. xlix. 7). I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour {Isa. xliii. 1,3). As for our Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel {Isa. xlvii. 4). Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel {Isa. xliii. 14 ; xlviii. 17). Jehovah of Hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel {Isa. liv. 5). They tempted God and the Holy One of Israel {Ps. Ixxviii. 41). They have forsaken Jehovah, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel {Isa. i. 4). They said. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Where- fore thus said the Holy One of Israel {Isa. xxx. 11, 12). Who say. Let Him hasten His work that we may see ; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come {Isa. v. 19). In that day they shall stay upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth {Isa. x. 20). Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion ; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee {Isa. xii. 6). The God of Israel said. In that day His eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel {Isa. xvii. 6, 7). The poor of men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel {Isa. xxix. 19 ; xli. 16). The land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel {Jer. li. 5). (See also Isa. Iv. 5 ; Ix. 9 ; and elsewhere.) JiliiiiaiMiftiBifaaaaSiBaBafeaaais^^^^ 136 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. Thus ^^ the Holy One of IsraeP' means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, since the angel said to Mary : — The Holy thing that shall be bom of thee shall be called the Son of God {Luke i. 35). That Jehovah and the Holy One of Israel are one, although the names are different, is also made clear by the passages here quoted which state that Jehovah is that Holy One of Israel. It is also made evident from numerous passages that the Lord is called the God of Israel (as Isa. xvii. G; xxi. 10, 17; xxiv. 15 ; xxix. 23 ; Jer. vii. 3 ; ix. 15 ; xi. 3 ; xiii. 12 ; xvi. 9 ; xix. 3, 15 ; xxiii. 2 ; xxiv. 5 ; xxv. 15, 27 ; xxix. 4, 8, 21, 25 ; xxx. 2 ; xxxi. 23 ; xxxii. 14, 15, 36 ; xxxiii. 4 ; xxxiv. 2, 13 ; xxxv. 13, 17, 18, 19; xxxvii. 7; xxxviii. 17; xxxix. 16; xlii. 9, 15, 18; xliii. 10 ; xliv. 2, 7, 11, 25 ; xlviii. 1 ; 1. 18 ; li. 33 ; L'zek. viii. 4 ; ix. 3 ; x. 19, 20 ; xi. 22 ; xliii. 2 ; xliv. 2 ; Zej>h, ii. 9 ; Fs. xli. 13 ; lix. 5 ; Ixviii. 8). 94. In the Christian churches of the present day it is cus- tomary to call the Lord our Saviour the son of Mary, and rarely the Son of God, except when a Son of God born from eternity is meant. This is because the Roman Catholics have made I^Iary the mother more holy than all others, and have exalted her as a goddess or queen over all their saints. When, how- ever, the Lord glorified His Human He put off everything be- longing to His mother, and put on everything belonging to His Father. This shall be fully shown in subsequent pages of this work. From this saying, so common with all, that the Lord is the son of Mary, many enormities have flowed into the church ; especially with those who have not taken into consid- eration what is said of the Lord in the Word; as that the Father and He are one, that He is in the Father and the Father in Him, that all things of the Father are His, that He called Jehovah His Father, and that Jehovah the Father called Him His Son. These enormities that have flowed into the church as a result of His being called the son of Mary, and not the Son of God, are, that the idea of Divinity in respect to the Lord perishes, and with it all that is said of Him in the Word as the Son of God ; also that through this, Judaism, Arianism, Socin- ianism, Calvinism, as it was at its beginning, gain entrance, and N. 94] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 137 at length Naturalism, and with it the insane notion that He was the son of Mary by Joseph, and that His soul was from the mother; and therefore that He is not the Son of God, al- though He is so called. Let every one, whether clergyman or layman, question himself whether he has conceived and cher- ishes any other idea of the Lord as the son of Alary than that He was merely man. Because even in the third century, when Arianism arose, such an idea had begun to prevail among Chris- tians, the Nicene Council, for the purpose of maintaining the Divinity of the Lord, fabricated a Son of God born from eter- nity. By this fiction the Human of the Lord was then ex- alted, and with many is still exalted, to Divinity ; but it is not so exalted with those who by the hypostatic union understand a union like that between two beings, one of whom is superior and the other inferior. Yet what else results from this than the destruction of the entire Christian church, which was founded solely upon the worship of Jehovah in the Human, consequently upon the God-Man ? That no one can see the Father, or can know Him, or come to Him, or believe in Him, except through His Human, the Lord declares in many places. If He is not thus approached all the noble seed of the church is changed into ignoble, the seed of the olive into the seed of the pine, the seed of the orange, lemon, apple,, and j^ear, into the seed of the willow, the elm, the linden, and the oak ; the vine into the bulrush of the swamp, wheat and barley into chaff ; in fact, all spiritual food becomes like dust on which ser- pents feed; for the spiritual light in man then becomes na- tural, and at length sensual-corporeal, which viewed in itself is a delusive light ; man then becomes even like a bird that while flying on high, being deprived of its wings, falls to the ground, and walking there sees around it only what lies at its feet; and he then thinks about the spiritual things of the church, which should make for life eternal, no otherwise than as a soothsayer thinks. Such are the results, when man regards the Lord God, the Redeemer and Saviour, as a mere son of Mary, that is, as a mere man. i 95. (5) Through the acts of Redemption the Lord made Him' self Righteousness. It is said and believed in Christian churches at this day that the Lord alone has merit and i-ighteousness 138 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. U. through the obedience which He rendered to God the Father while in the world, and especially through the passion of the cross. But it is asserted that the essential act of redemption was the passion of the cross. This, however, was not an act of redemption, but an act of the glorification of His Human, a subject that will be considered in the succeeding chapter on Eedemption. The acts of redemption whereby the Lord made Himself righteousness were as follows : He executed the final judgment, which took place in the spiiitual world; at that time He sejjarated the evil from the good and the goats from the sheep ; He expelled from heaven those who made one with the beasts of the dragon ; He formed out of the worthy a new heaven, and out of the unworthy a hell ; in both heaven and hell He gradually restored all things to order ; and to crown all, He established a new church. These acts were the acts of redemption whereby the Lord made Himself righteousness. For righteousness is doing all things in accordance with Di- vine order, and restoring to order whatever has fallen from order ; since righteousness is Divine order itself. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord : — It becometh Me to fulfill all the righteousness of God {Matt, iii. 15); and bv these words in the Old Testament : — Behold, the days come when I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch ; and He shall reign as King, and shall execute righteousness in the land. And this is His name, Jehovah our Righteousness {Jer. xxiii. 5, 6 ; xxxiii. 15, 16). I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save {Isa. Ixiii. 1). He shall sit upc^n the throne of David, to establish it in judgment and righteousness {Isa. ix. 7). Zion shall be redeemed in righteousness {Isa. i. 27). 96. But quite otherwise do those who bear rule in the church in our time describe the Lord's righteousness ; they also make their faith a saving faith by the inscription of His righteous- ness upon man ; when the truth is that the Lord's righteous- ness, being such in its nature and origin, and being in itself purely Divine, cannot be conjoined to any man, and thus can- not effect salvation any otherwise than as the Divine life can, which is Divine love and Divine wisdom. With these the Lord enters into every man ; but unless man is living in accordance N. 96] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 139 with order, that life, although it is in him, contributes nothing whatever to his salvation ; it imparts merely an ability to un- derstand truth and do good. To live according to order is to live according to God's commandments ; and when man so lives and so does, he acquires for himself righteousness — not the righteousness of the Lord's redemption, but the Lord Himself as righteousness. Such are described in these words : — Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees ye shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens {Matt. v. 19, 20). Blessed are they who endure persecution for righteousness' sake, for theire is the kingdom of the heavens {Matt. v. 10). At the end of the age the angels shall go forth and separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous {Matt. xiii. 49) ; and elsewhere. In the Word by " the righteous" those are meant who have lived in accordance with Divine order, since the Di- vine order is righteousness. The righteousness itself which the Lord became through the acts of redemption can be ascribed to man, inscribed upon man, adapted and conjoined to man, only as can light to the eye, sound to the ear, will to the muscles in action, thought to the lips in speaking, air to the lungs in breathing, heat to the blood, and so on ; and every one perceives of himself that these flow in and adjoin and conjoin them- selves. Righteousness is acquired only so far as man practices righteousness ; and this he does so far as he acts towards the neighbor from a love of what is righteous and true ; and right- eousness has its abode in the good itself or use itself which he performs. For the Lord says that every tree is known by its fruit. Does not every one know another from his works, if he attends to them with reference to the end and purpose of his will, and the intention and reason from which they are done ? To these things all angels direct their attention, as well as all in our own world who are wise. In general, every product and growth from the earth is known by its flower and seed and by its use ; every metal by its excellence ; every stone by its char- acter ; every field, every kind of food, every beast of the earth, and every bird of the air, each by its quality — and why not man ? But in the chapter on Faith the source of the quality of man's works shall be explained. 140 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. 97. (6) Through the same acts the Lord united Himself to the Father and the Father united Himself to Him. This union was effected by the acts of redemption, because the Lord per- fonned these acts from His Human, and as He did this, the Divine which is meant by the Father drew nearer, and aided, and co-operated, and finally they so conjoined tliemselves as to be not two but one ; whioli union is the glorification which will be treated of in what follows. 98. That the Father and the Son, that is, the Divine and the Human, became united in the Lord like soul and body, is in agreement with the belief of the church at this day and also with the Word ; and yet scarcely five in a hundred, or fifty in a thousand, know it. This is because of the doctrine of justifi- cation by faith alone, to which most of the clergy who are seek- ing a reputation for learning with a view to honor or wealth, devote themselves with great zeal, until at present their whole mind has become seized and possessed by that doctrine. And because that doctrine, like the vinous spirit called alcohol, has intoxicated their thoughts, they, like drunken men, have failed to see this most essential truth of the church, that it was Jeho- vah God who descended and assumed a Human ; and yet it is only by means of this union that a conjunction of man with God is possible, and by conjunction, salvation. That salvation de- pends upon a knowledge and acknowledgment of God, can be seen by any one who reflects that God is the All in all things of heaven, and therefore the All in all things of the church, consequently the All in all things of theology. J3ut fii-st it shall here be shown that the union of the Father and Son, that is, of the Divine and the Human in the Lord, is like the union of soul and body, and afterwards that this union is reciprocal. A union like that of soul and body is established in the Athan- asian Creed, which is accepted in the whole Christian world as the doctrine respecting God. We there read : " Our Lord Jesus Christ is God and Man ; and although He is God and Man, yet they are not two, but one Christ. He is one because the Divine took to Itself a Human. He is indeed wholly one, and is one Person ; for as soul and body are one man, so is God and Man one Christ." What they understand by this is, that there is such a union between a Son of God from eternity and a Son N. 98] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 141 born in time ; but as God is one and not three, when we under- stand a imion between the one God from eternity and the Son born in time, this doctrine agrees with the Word. In the Word it is said : — That He was conceived of Jehovah the Father {Luke 1. 34, 36); this was the source of His soul and life ; therefore He says : — That He and the Father are one {John x. 30); That he that seeth and knoweth Him seeth and knoweth the Father {tJolui xiv. 9); If ye knew Me ye would know My Father also {John viii. 19); He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me {John xiii. 20); That He is in the bosom of the Father {John i. 18); That all things whatsoever the Father hath are His {John xvi. 15); That He is called the Father of Eternity {Isa. ix. 6) ; That therefore He has power over all flesh {John xvii. 2); And all power in heaven and on earth {Matt, xxviii. 18). From these and many other passages in the Word it can be clearly seen that the union of the Father and Himself is like the union of soul and body. Therefore in the Old Testament also He is frequently called " Jehovah,'' " Jehovah of Hosts," and " Jehovah the Kedeemer" (see above, n. 83). 99. That this union is reciprocal is clearly evident from the following passages in the Word : — Philip, believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me ? Believe Me, that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John xiv. 10, 11). That ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in the Father {John x. 36, 38). That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee (John x\n.2l). Father, all things that are Mine are Thine, and all things that are Thine are Mine {John xvii. 10). The union is reciprocal, because no union or conjunction be- tween two persons is possible unless each in turn approaches the other. In the whole heaven, and in the whole world, and in the entire man, all conjunction has its source in the recipro- cal approach of one to another, each then willing in oneness with the other. From this comes homogeneity and sympathy, also unanimity and concord, in every particular of each. In every man there is such a reciprocal conjunction of souJ and 142 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IL body ; such is the conjunction of the spirit of man witli the sensory and motor organs of his body ; such is the conjunction of the heart and the lungs ; such is the conjunction of the will and the understanding; such is the conjunction in man of all the members and viscera in themselves and with each other ; the minds of all who interiorly love each other are so conjoined, for this conjunction is inscribed upon all love and friendship; since love desires to love xmd be loved. Of all things in the world that are fully conjoined one to the other there is a recip- rocal conjunction. There is a like conjunction of the sun's heat with the heat of wood and mineral, of vital heat with the heat of all the libers of animate things, of the soil with the root, through the root with the tree, and through the tree with the fruit; a like conjimction of the magnet with iron; and so on. Unless conjunction is effected by the reciprocal and mutual ap- proach of one to another, no internal but only external conjunc- tion is effected, and this in time is dissolved by mutual consent, sometimes even so far that they no longer recognize each other. 100. Since then, no conjunction that is a conjunction is pos- sible unless it is effected reciprocally and mutually, so the con- junction of the Lord and man is such, as may be clearly seen from these passages : — He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me and I in him {John vi. 56). Abide in Me and I m you. He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit {John xv. 4, 5). If any one open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me {Apoc. iii. 20); and elsewhere. This conjunction is effected by man's approach- ing the Lord, and the Lord's approaching him, for it is a sure and immutable law, that so far as man approaches the Lord so far does the Lord approach man. But more will be seen on this subject in the chapters on Charity and Faith. 101. (7) Thus God became Man and Man became God in one Person. That Jehovah God became Man, and IMan became God in one Person, follows as a conclusion from all the preceding propositions of this chapter, especially from these two : that Jehovah the Creator of the universe descended and assumed a Human that He might redeem and save men (see above, n. 82- N. 101] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 143 84), and that the Lord by the acts of redemption united Him- self to the Father, and the Father united Himself to Him, thus reciprocally and mutually (n. 97-100). From that reciprocal union it is very evident that God became Man and Man became God in one Person ; and from the union of the two as being a union like that of soul and body, the same conclusion follows. That this is in accordance with the faith of the church at this day, as derived from the Athanasian Creed, may be seen above (n. 98) ; that it is also in accordance with the faith of the Evan- gelical churches may be seen in that chief of their orthodox books, called the Formula Concordia^, where it is firmly estab- lished, both from Sacred Scripture and from the Fathers, as also by rational arguments, that the human nature of Christ was exalted to Divine majesty, omnipotence and omnipres- ence, and that in Christ Man is God, and God is Man (see pp. 607, 765). Moreover, it has been shown in this present chap- ter that Jehovah God as to His Human is called in the Word « Jehovah," " Jehovah God," " Jehovah of Hosts," and " the God of Israel." Therefore Paul says : — That in Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fuhiess of Divinity bodily {Col. ii. 9); and John : — Tliat Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the true God and eternal life (1 John V. 20). That " the Son of God" means strictly His Human may be seen above (n. 92 and the following numbers). Furthermore, Jeho- vah God calls both Himself and Him Lord ; for we read : — The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at My right hand [Ps. ex. 1); and in Isaiah : — For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given ; whose name is God, the Father of Eternity {ix. 6). The Lord as to His Human is also meant by "the Son" in David : — I will declare the decree, Jehovah said unto me, Thou art My Son, this day I have begotten Thee. Kiss the Son, lest He be angrj-, and ye perish in the way {Ps. ii. 7, 12). Here no Son from eternity is meant, but the Son born in the world; for this is a prophecy about the Lord who was to come; 144 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IL consequently it is called a ^' decree" which Jehovah declared to David J and in the same Psalm it is said previously : — I have anointed my King upon Zion (verse 6); and further on : — I will give to Him the nations for an inheritance (verse 8). Therefore "this day" does not mean from eternity, but in time ; for with Jehovah the future is present. 102. It is believed that the Lord as to His Human not only was, but still is, the son of Mary ; but in this the Christian world is under a delusion. It is true that He was the son of Mary, but not true that He still is ; for by the acts of redemp- tion He put off the human from the mother and put on a Hu- man from the Father ; and this is why the Human of the Lord is Divine, and in Him God is Man, and Man is God. That He put off the human from the mother and put on a Human from the Father, which is the Divine Human, is shown by the fact that He Himself never called Mary His mother, as can be seen from the following passages : — The mother of Jesus said to Him, They have no wine. Jesus said unto her, Woman, what to Me and to thee ? Mine hour is not yet come {John ii.3,4); and again : — "When Jesus saw [from the cross] His mother, and the disciple stand- ing by whom He loved, He saith unto His mother. Woman, behold thy son. Then saith He to the disciple. Behold thy mother {John xix. 26, 27); and on one occasion He did not acknowledge her : — It was told Jesus by some who said, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand without, desiring to see Thee. Jesus answering said. My mother and My brethren are these who hear the Word of God and do it {Luke viii. 20, 21 ; Matt. xii. 46-50 ; Mark iii. 31-35). Thus the Lord did not call her mother but " woman,'' and gave her to John as a mother. In other places she is called His mother, but not by His own lips. [2] This is further con- firmed by the fact that He did not acknowledge Himself to be the son of David ; for we read in the Gospels : — Jesus asked the Pharisees, saying, How does it seem to you about the Christ ? Whose son is He ? They say unto Him, David's. He said unto them. How then doth David in spirit call Him his Lord, saying. The Lord N. 102] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 145 said unto my Lord, Sit thou on My right hand, till I place Thine enemies as the footstool of Thy feet ? If then David calls Him Lord, how is He his son ? And no man was able to answer Him a word {Matt. xxii. 41- 46 ; Mark xii. 35-37 ; Luke xx. 41-44 ; Fs. ex. 1). [3] To the above I will add this, which is new : Once it was granted me to speak with Mary the mother. On a certain oc- casion she passed by and appeared in heaven above my head in white raiment like silk ; and then pausing a little she said that she had been the mother of the Lord, who was born of her ; but that He, having become God, had put off everything human that He had derived from her, and that she therefore worshiped Him as her God, and was unwilling that any one should acknowledge Him as her son, because in Him all is Di- vine. From all this there now shines forth this truth, that thus Jehovah is Man as in things first so also in things last, according to these passages : — I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, He who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty {Apoc. i, 8, 11). When John saw the Son of Man in the midst of the seven lampstands he fell at His feet as dead ; but He laid His right hand upon him saying, I am the First and the Last {Apoc. i, 13, 17 ; xxi. 6). Behold I come quickly, to give every man according to his work. T am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last {Apoc. xxii. 12, 13). and in Isaiah : — Thus said Jehovah, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts, I am the First and the Last (xliv. 6 ; xlviii. 12). 103. To this I will add the following arcanum: The soul, which is from the father, is the man himself ; while the body, which is from the mother, is not the man in himself, but is from the man ; it is simply the soul's clothing, woven of such things as are from the natural world ; while the soul is woven of such things as exist in the spiritual world. After death every man lays aside the natural which he took from the mother, and retains the spiritual which is from the father, together with a kind of border from the purest things of nature about it. With those who enter heaven this border is beneath, and the spirit- ual above ; but with those who enter hell the border is above and the spiritual beneath. In consequence of this an angel- 10 146 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. man speaks from heaven, that is, what is good and true ; while a devil-man when he speaks from his heart speaks from hell, but when he speaks from his lips he speaks as if from heaven ; the latter he does abroad, but the former at home. [i2] Since the soul of man is the man himself, and is spiritual in its ori- gin, it is evident why the mind, disposition, nature, inclination, and affection of the father^s love dwell in offspring after off- spring, and return and display themselves from generation to generation. Because of this many families and even nations are recognized from their first father. There is a common like- ness which shows itself in the face of each descendant ; and it is only by means of the spiritual things of the church that this like:iess is changed. A common likeness of Jacob and Judah still remains in their posterity, whereby they are distinguished from others, and for the reason that they have adhered firmly to their religion even until now. For in the semen from which every man is conceived there exists a graft or offshoot of the father's soul in its fulness, within a sort of envelope formed of elements from nature ; and by means of this his body is formed in the mother's womb, which body may become a likeness either of the father or of the mother, the image of the father still re- maining within it and constantly striving to put itself forth ; consequently if it cannot accomplish this in the first offspring it does in those that follow. [3] A likeness of the father in its fulness exists in the semen for the reason, as has been said, that the soul from its origin is spiritual ; and the spiritual has nothing in common with space, and is therefore like itself in little compass as in great. With respect to the Lord : While He was in the world He put off by the acts of redemption everything of the human from the mother, and put on a Hu- man from the Father, which is the Divine Human j and this is why in Him jMan is God, and God is Man. 104. (8) The progress towards union was His state of Ex- inanition [emptifing HimseJf~\, and the itnion itself is His state of Glorification. It is acknowledged in the church that when the Lord was in the world He was in two states, called the state of exinanition and the state of glorification. The prior state, which was the state of exinanition, is described in the Word in many places, especially in the Psalms of David and N. 104] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 147 also in the Projjhets, and particularly in Isaiah (chapter liii.) where it is said : — Tliat He emptied His soul even unto death (verse 12). This same state was His state of humiliation before the Father; for in it He prayed to the Father ; and He says that He does the Father's will, and ascribes to the Father all that He did and said. That he prayed to the Father is evident from these places : Matt. xxvi. 39, 44 ; Mark i. 35 ; vi. 46 ; xiv. 32-39 ; Luke v. 16 ; vi. 12 ; xxii. 41-44 ; John xvii. 9, 15, 20. That He did the Father's will : John iv. 34 ; v. 30. That He ascribed to the Father all that He did and said : John viii. 26-28 ; xii. 49, 50 ; xiv. 10. He even cried out upon the cross : — My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ? {Matt, xxvii. 46 ; Mark XV. 34.) Moreover, except for this state He could not have been crucified. But the state of glorification is also the state of union. He was in that state when He was transfigured be- fore His three disciples, and also when He wrought miracles, and whenever He said that the Father and He are one, that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and that all things of the Father are His ; and, when the union was complete, that He had "power over all flesh" (Jolm xvii. 2), and "all power in heaven and on earth'' {Matt, xxviii. 18) ; besides other things. 105. These two states, of exinanition and of glorification, belonged to the Lord because there is no other possible way of attaining to union, this being in accordance with Divine order, which is immutable. The Divine order is that man should set himself in order for the reception of God and prepare himself to be a receptacle and abode into which God may enter and in which, as in His temple, God may dwell. From himself man must do this, and yet must acknowledge that it is from God. This he must ac^^nowledge because he does not feel the pres- ence and operation of God, although God in closest presence operates all the good of love and all the truth of faith in man. Every man progresses and must progress in accordance with 148 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. this order, if from being natural lie is to become spiritual. In like manner it was necessary for the Lord to progress, in order to make Divine His natural human. This is why He prayed to the Father, did the Father's will, ascribed to Him all that He did and said, and why He exclaimed upon the cross, " My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me V For in this state God seems to be absent ; but after this state comes another, which is the state of conjunction with God; in which state man acts as before, but now from God ; but he does not now need, as before, to ascribe to God every good that he wills and does, and every truth that he thinks and speaks, because this is written upon his heart, and thus is inwardly in all his ac- tions and words. In like manner did the Lord unite Himself to His Father, and the Father to Himself. In a word. He glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, in the same man- ner in which He regenerates man, that is, makes him spiritual. That every man who from being natural becomes spiritual passes through two states, entering through the first into the second, and thus from the world into heaven, will be fully shown in the chapters on Free Will, on Charity and Faith, and on Reformation and Regeneration. Here let it be noticed only that in the first state, which is called the state of reformation, man has complete freedom to act according to the rationality of his understanding : and in the second, which is the state of regeneration, he has the same freedom ; but he now w^ills and acts, and thinks and speaks, from a new love and a new intel- ligence, which are from the Lord. For in the first state the understanding takes the chief part and the will the second ; while in the following state the will takes the chief part, and the understanding the second; nevertheless, the understand- ing now acts from the will, and not the will through the un- derstanding. The conjunction of good and truth, of charity and faith, and of the internal and external, is effected in the same way. 106. These two states are represented by various things in the universe, and for the reason that they are in accordance with Divine order, and the Divine order fills all things and each thing in the universe, even to the utmost particular. In every man the first state is represented by his state of infancy and N. 106] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 149 childhood until the time of puberty, youth, and early manhood, and this is a state of humiliation before his parents, of obedi- ence, and also of instruction by masters and tutors ; while the second state is represented in the state of the same person when he becomes his own master and chooser, or freely exer- cises his own will and understanding, and has control in his own home. So the first state is represented by that of a prince or kings son or duke's son, before he has become a king or a duke ; likewise by the state of any citizen before he has as- sumed the office of magistrate ; of any subject before he enters upon the functions of any office ; of any student who is being prepared for the ministry, before he becomes a priest ; and of the priest before he becomes a pastor; and of the pastor be- fore he becomes a primate ; also of any virgin before she be- comes a wife, and of any maidservant before she becomes a mistress ; and in general, of any clerk before he becomes a mer- chant, of any soldier before he becomes an officer, and of any servant before he becomes a master. The first is a state of servitude, the second is the exercise of one's own will and from this of one's own understanding. Again, these two states are represented by various things in the animal kingdom — the first by beasts and birds while they contmue with their parents, fol- lowing them constantly, and being nourished and guided by them ; and the second when they leave the old ones and take care of themselves ; likewise by worms — the first state while they crawl and feed upon leaves, and the second when they cast off their coverings and become butterflies. Still again, these two states are represented by the subjects of the vege- table kingdom — the first while the plant is springing up from the seed and is adorned with boughs, twigs, and leaves, the second when it bears fruit and produces new seed. This, too, may be likened to the conjunction of truth and good, since all things belonging to a tree correspond to truths, while the fruits correspond to the various kinds of good. But the man who re- mains in the first state and does not enter the second, is like a tree that produces leaves only and not fruit, of which it is said in the Word : — That it must be rooted up and cast into the fire {Matt. vii. 19 ; xxi. 19 ; Luke iii. 9 ; xiii. 6-9 ; John xv. 5, 6) ; 150 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. and he is like a servant that did not wish to be free, concern- ing whom it was commanded : — That he should be brought to the door or to the doorpost, and his ear be pierced with an awl {Exod. xxi. 6). Servants are those who are not conjoined to the Lord; while the free are those who are conjoined to Him; for the Lord says : — If the Son maketh you free, ye shall be free indeed {John viii. 36). 107. (9) Hereafter no one from among Chidstians enters hea- ven unless he believes in the Lord God the Saviour, and ap- proaches Him alone. We read in Isaiah : — Behold I create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered nor come into mind ; and behold, I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy (Ixv. 17, 18) ; and in the Apocalypse : — I saw a new heaven and a new earth : and I saw the holy Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, made ready as a bride for her hus- band. And He that sat upon the throne said. Behold I make all things new (xxi. 1, 2, 5) ; and in other places : — That no others should enter heaven than those who were written in the Lamb's book of Life ^^A^oc. xiii. 8 ; xvii. 8 ; xx. 12, 15 ; xxi. 27). By the "heaven" here mentioned the heaven visible to our eyes is not meant, but the angelic heaven ; by " Jerusalem'^ no city coming down out of the sky is meant, but a church that is to descend from the Lord out of the angelic heaven, and " the Lamb's book of Life" means not a book written in heaven, which is to be opened, but the Word, which is from the Lord and which treats of the Lord. In the preceding sections of this chapter it has been proved, authenticated, and established that Jehovah God, who is called the Creator and the Father, descended and assumed a Human in order that He might be approached by man and be conjoined to man. For does any one get near to a man by approaching his soul ? Can that be done ? It is the man himself who is approached, who is seen face to face, and who is talked with mouth to mouth. It is the same with God the Father and the Son ; since God the Father N. 107] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 151 is in the Son as a soul is in its body. [2] That the Lord God the Saviour is He in whom men ought to believe, is evident from the following passages in the Word : — For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life {John iii. 15, 10). He that believeth in the Son is not judged ; but he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God {John iii. 18). He that believeth in the Son hath eternal life ; but he that believeth not the Sou shall not see life, but the anger of God abideth on him {John iii. 36). The bread of God is He that cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. He that cometh to me shall not hunger ; and he that beUeveth in Me shall never thirst (John vi. 33, 35). This is the will of Him who sent Me, that every one who beholdeth the Son and believeth in Him may have eternal life ; and I will raise him up at the last day (John vi. 40). They said to Jesus, What must we do that we may work the works of God ? Jesus answered. This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom He hath sent {John vi. 28, 29). Verily, I say unto you. He that believeth in Me hath everlasting life {John vi. 47). Jesus cried saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth in Me out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water {John vii. 37, 38). Unless ye believe that I am, ye shall die in your sins {John viii. 24). Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life ; he that believeth in Me, though he die, shall live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die {John xi. 25, 26). Jesus said, I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in Me may not abide in darkness (John xii. 46 ; viii. 12). While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may be sons of the light (John xii. 36). The Lord also said that the disciples should abide in Him, and He hi them (John xiv. 20 ; xv. 1-5 ; xvii. 23) ; which is done by faith : — Paul testified both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance to- ward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts xx. 21). I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; no man cometh unto the Fa- ther but by Me (John xiv. 6). [3] That whosoever believes in the Son believes in the Father, since, as said above, the Father is in Him as the soul in the body, is evident from the following passages : — 152 THE TRUE CHEISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also {John viii. 19; xiv. 7). He that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me {John xii. 45). He that receiveth Me, receiveth Him that sent Me {John xiii. 20). This is because no one can see the Father and live {Exod. xxxiii. 20). Therefore the Lord says : — No man hath seen God at any time ; the only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father He hath manifested Him {John i. 18). Not that any man hath seen the Father save He that is with the Fa- ther, He hath seen the Father {John vi. 46). Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His form {John v. 37). But those who know nothing about the Lord, like most of those in the two divisions of the globe called Asia and Africa, includ- ing those in the Indies, provided they believe in one God and live according to the precepts of their religion, are saved by their faith and life ; for imputation has reference to those who know, not to those who do not know ; as when the blind stum- ble it is not imputed to them ; for the Lord says : — If ye were blind ye would not have sin ; but now ye say that ye see therefore your sin remaineth {John ix. 41). 108. To confirm this further I will relate what I know, be- cause I have seen it and can therefore testify to it, namely, that the Lord is at this day forming a new angelic heaven, and that it is formed of those who believe in the Lord God the Saviour, and who approach Him directly, and that all others are rejected. So hereafter, when any one from Christendom goes into the spiritual world (as every man does at death) and does not believe in the Lord and approach Him alone, and is then unable to receive this faith, because he has lived wickedly or has confirmed himself in falsities, at his first approach to- ward heaven he is repelled, and turns his face away from hea- ven and towards the lower earth, whither he goes, and joins those who are there, who are meant, in the Apocahjpse, by " the dragon'' and the " false prophet." Moreover, no man hence- forth in Christian lands is listened to unless he believes in the Lord ; his prayers become in heaven like ill-scented odors, and like eructations from ulcerated lungs ; and even if his appeal is thought to be like the fumes of incense, it ascends towards N. 108] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 153 the angelic heaven only like the smoke of a conflagration which is blown back into his eyes by a downward gust of wind, or it is like the incense from a censer hidden under a monk's cloak. Such is the case hereafter with all piety that is directed to a divided trinity, not to a united trinity. To show that the Di- vine trinity is united in the Lord is the chief object of this work. To this I will add the following new information. Some montlis ago the twelve apostles were called together by the Lord, and were sent forth through the whole spiritual world, as they formerly were through the whole natural world, with the command to preach this gospel ; and to each apostle was assigned a particular province; and this command they are executing with great zeal and industry. But on these subjects more will be said in the last chapter of this book, where the Consummation of the Age, the Lord's Coming, and the New Church, are specially treated of. A CH)ROLLARY. 109. All the churches that existed before the Lord's com- ing were representative churches ; and only in shadow could Divine truths be seen by them. But after the Lord's coming into the world a church was established by Him which saw, or rather was able to see. Divine truths in light. The difference is like that between evening and morning; likewise in the Word the state of the church before the Lord's coming is called evening, and the state after His coming is called morning. Be- fore the Lord came into the world He was present with men of the church, but only mediately, through angels who repre- sented Him ; but since His coming He is present with men of the church immediately ; and this for the reason that in the world He put on also a Divine Natural in which He is present with men. The glorification of the Lord is the glorification of His Human, which He assumed in the world ; and the Lord's glorified Human is the Divine Natural. The truth of this is evident from the fact that the Lord rose from the tomb with the whole of the body that He had in the world, leaving noth- 154 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION Chap. II. ing in the tomb, and therefore took with Him from the tomb the Katural Human itself from the firsts to the lasts of it. So after the resurrection when His disciples thought that what they saw was a ghost, He said to them : — See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself ; handle Me and see ; for a ghost hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have (Lukexxiv. 37, 39). This makes it clear that by means of His glorification His nat- ural body was made Divine. Therefore Paul says : — That in Christ dwelleth all the fulness of Divinity bodily {Col. ii. 9) ; and John : — That Jesus Christ the Son of God is the true God (1 JoJm v. 20). From all this the angels are aware that in the whole spiritual world the Lord alone is complete Man. [2] In the church it is well known that with the Israel- itish and Jewish nation all worship was merely external, and shadowed forth an internal worship which the Lord opened up ; thus before the Lord's coming worship consisted in types and figures which represented true worship in its faithful imagery. The Lord Himself was indeed seen by the ancients ; for He said to the Jews : — Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day ; and he saw and was glad. I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am {John viii. 56, 58). But as the Lord in those times was merely represented (which was done by means of angels), so all things of the church with them were made representative ; but after the Lord had come into the world those representations vanished. The interior reason of this was that in the world the Lord put on also a Divine Natural, and from this not only is the internal spii'it- ual man enlightened, but also the external natural ; and unless these two are simultaneously enlightened, man is, as it were, in shadow ; but when both are enlightened, he is, as it were, in the light of day. For when the internal man alone is en- lightened, and not the external also, or when the external man alone is enlightened and not the internal also, it is as when one sleeps and dreams, and as soon as he wakes remembers his dream, and from it draws various conclusions, but all imagi- nary. Or he is like one walking in his sleep, and fancying that N. 109] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 155 the objects he sees are seen by daylight. [3] Again, the dif- ference between the state of the church before the Lord's com- ing, and after it, is like the difference between reading at night by the light of the moon and stars, and reading by the light of the sun. Evidently, in the former light, which is a purely white light, the eye sees amiss, while in the latter, which is also flame-like, it does not. So we read respecting the Lord : — The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to Me, He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun risetli, a morning without clouds (2 Sam. xxiii. 3, 4); "the God of IsraeP' and "the Kock of Israel" meaning the Lord. And again : — The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people {Isa. xxx. 20). All this is said of the state of the church after the Lord's coming. In a word, the state of the church before the Lord's coming may be compared to an old woman whose face has been painted and who because of the glow of the paint seems to herself to be beautiful ; while the state of the church after the Lord's coming may be likened to a maiden who is beauti- ful from the native glow of her complexion. Again, the state of the church before the Lord's coming may be likened to the skin of any fruit (as an orange, an apple, a pear, or a grape) and the taste of the skin ; while its state after His coming may be likened to the insides of these fruits and their taste ; with other like things ; and this for the reason that the Lord having now put on also the Divine natural, enlightens both the internal spiritual man and the external natural man ; for when only the internal man is enlightened, and not the external as well, there is shadow ; and the same is true when the external man is enlightened and not the internal. 110. Let these Memorable Relations be added. First : — I once saw in the spiritual world an i(/nis fatuus in the air with a glow about it, falling toward the earth. It was a me- teor, such as the common people call a dragon. I noted the place where it fell ; but it disappeared in the twilight before ^iunrise, as every ignis fatuus does. 156 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. After dawn I went to the place where I had seen it fall in the night, and behold, the ground there was a mixture of sul- phur, iron chips, and clay ; and suddenly there appeared two tents, one directly over the place, and the other at one side to- wards the south ; and looking upwards I saw a spirit fall like lightning from heaven, and he struck within the tent that stood directly over the place where the meteor fell ; I myself being in the other that was near it towards the south, and as I stood in the door I saw the spirit standing in the entrance of the other tent. Therefore I asked him why he had so fallen from heaven ; and he answered that he had been cast down as an angel of the dragon by the angels of JMichael, because he had said some- thing about the faith in which he had confirmed himself while in the world ; among other things, that God the Father and God the Son are not one but two ; for at this day in the hea- vens all believe that these are one, like soul and body; and whatever contradicts this is like a pungent odor in their nos- trils, or like an awl boring through their ears, which causes disturbance and pain; therefore any one so contradicting is ordered to leave ; and if he refuses is cast out. [2] Hearing this I said to him, " Why did you not believe as they do ?" He replied that after leaving the world no one is able to be- lieve anything different from what he had before impressed upon himself by confirmation ; this remains fixed in him, and can not be removed, especially that which he has confirmed in himself respecting God, since in the heavens every one has his place according to his idea of God. I asked him further, by what means he had confirmed the notion that the Father and Son are two. He said, " By the statements in the Word, that the Son prayed to the Father, both before and during the passion of the cross ; also that He humiliated Himself before His Father : how then can they be one, as soul and body are one in man ? Who prays as if to another and humiliates himself as if before another, when that other is in fact himself ? No one does so, much less the Son of God. Moreover, in my time the entire Christian church divided the Godhead into persons ; and each N. 110] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 157 person is one by Himself, and is defined as being what is self- subsistent.'' [3] Hearing this I replied, " From what you say I perceive that you do not know at all how God the Father and the Son are one ; and not knowing this you have confirmed yourself in the falsities respecting God which the church still holds to. Do you not know that when the Lord was in the world He had a soul like every other man ? Whence had He that soul, un- less from God the Father ? The truth of this is abundantly evident from the Word of the Gospels. What then is that which is called the Son but a Human that was conceived from the Divine of the Father and born of the virgin Mary ? The mother cannot conceive the soul. This would be totaUy op- posed to the order in accordance with which every man is born. Neither could God the Father impart from Himself a soul and then withdraw from it, as is done by every father in the world, because God is His own Divine essence, and this is one and indivisible ; and being indivisible, it is Himself. This is why the Lord declares that the Father and He are one, and that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and other like things. The framers of the Athanasian creed saw this remotely, and therefore, after dividing God into three persons, they still main- tained that in Christ, God and Man, that is, the Divine and the Human, are not two, but are one, like soul and body in man. [4] The Lord's praying to the Father as to another when He was in the world, and His humiliating Himself before the Father as before another, was in accordance with the order es- tablished at creation. That order is immutable, and in accord- ance therewith must be every one's progress towards conjunc- tion with God. That order is, that so far as man conjoins himself to God by a life in accordance with the laws of order, which are God's commandments, does God conjoin Himself to man, and change man from natural to spiritual. It was in this way that the Lord made Himself one with His Father, and God the Father made Himself one with Him. ^Yhen the Lord was an infant was He not like any other infant, and when a boy like any other boy ? Do we not read that He increased in wisdom and favor, and that afterwards He asked the Father to glorify His name, that is, His Himian ? To glorify is to make 158 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 110] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 159 Divine by oneness with Himself. This makes clear why the Lord prayed to His Father whilst in His state of exinanition, which was the state of His progress towards union. [5] This same order is inscribed upon every man by his creation. In the precise degree in which man prepares his understanding by means of truths from the Word does he adapt his understand- ing to receive faith from God, and precisely as he prepares his will by means of works of charity does he fit his will for the re- ception of love from God, as when a workman cuts a diamond he fits it to receive and emit the glow of light ; and so on. One prepares himself to receive God and to be conjoined with Him by living in accordance with the Divine order; and the laws of order are all the commandments of God. These the Lord fulfilled to every tittle, and so made Himself a receptacle of Divinity in all fulness. Therefore Paul says : — That in Jesus Christ dwells all the fulness of Divinity bodily {Col. ii. 9). And the Lord Himself says : — That all things that the Father hath are His {John xvi. 15). [6] " Furthermore, it must be borne in mind that in man the Lord alone is active and man of himself is merely passive ; and that it is by means of the influx of life from God that man is also active. It is because this influx from God is unceasing that it seems to man as if he were active from himself ; and it is because of this appearance that man has f i-ee-will ; and this is o-iven him that he may prepare himself for receiving the Lord and thus for conjunction with Him, which would not be possible unless the action were reciprocal ; and it becomes re- ciprocal when man acts from his freedom, and yet from faith ascribes all his activity to the Lord." [7] After this I asked him whether he, like the others his companions, confessed that God is one. He replied that he did. Then I said, " But I am afraid that the confession of your heart is that there is no God. Does not every word uttered by the mouth go forth from the thought of the mind ? Must not, then, the lip-confession of God's oneness banish from the mind the thought that there are three ; and on the other hand, must not this thought of the mind banish from the lips the confes- sion that He is one ; and what else can result from this than that there is no God ? Is not the whole interval, from the thought, thus made a vacuum ? And what conclusion can the mind then form about God than that nature is God ; and about he Lord than that His soul was eitlier from the mother or from Joseph ? From these two idea^ all the angels of heaven turn away as from things horrible and abominable." All this having been said, that spirit was sent away into the abyss (spoken of m Apoc. ix. 2 and following verses), where the Sn ™ '^^°'' *^''™^' ^^^ mysteries of their faith. [8] The next day, when I looked towards the same place I saw instead of the tents two statues in the likeness of human beings, made of the dust of the earth that was a mixture of sulphur, iron, and clay. One statue seemed to have a scepter in Its left hand, a crown on its head, a book in its right hand and a stomacher with an oblique band tied across, set with pre! cious stones, and behind a robe that spread towards the other statue. But these decorations of the statue were induced upon It by fantasy A voice from some draconic spirit was then heard proceeding from it, saying, "This statue represents our faith as a queen, and the one behind it represents charity as her maidservant. This latter was made of a similar mixture of dust and was placed at the extremity of the robe tliat spread out behind the queen, and it held in its hand a paper, on which 'T I^^k"' "^^*'f '^^"1 "«t to come so near as to touch the robe. Then a sudden shower fell from heaven and penetrated both statues, which being made of a mixture of sulphur iron and clay, began to effervesce, as a mixture of those ingredients does when w^ter is poured upon it; and so burning as it were with inward iire they melted into heaps, which afterwards stood out above the ground there like sepulchral mounds. 111. Second aiemorable Relation : In the natural world man's speech is twofold, because his thought IS twofold, external and internal ; for he can speak sim- ultaneously from internal thought and from external thou-ht • and he can speak from external thought and not from internal thought, and even contrary to internal thought ; and this is the source of pretenses, flattery, and hypocrisy. But this twofold speech man does not have in the spiritual world ; his speech 160 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. Ill] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 161 there is single ; he speaks as he thinks ; or if not, the tone of his voice is grating and hurts the ear. Nevertheless, he can be silent and not divulge the thoughts of his mind. So when a hypocrite gets among wise men he either leaves or betakes himself to a corner of the room and avoids notice and keeps silent. 1 1 • u ^A [2] At one time a large number had assembled m the world of spirits, and were talking together about this matter, saying that to be able to speak only as one thinks is a hardship to such as have not thought rightly about God and the Lord when- ever they come into association with the good. In the midst of the assembly were the Reformed and some of their clergy, and next to them the Papists with their monks. The clergy and the monks spoke first, saying, " This is not a hardship ; what need is there for any one to speak otherwise than as he thinks ? If perchance he does not think rightly, can he not close his lips and keep silent ? And a clergyman said, " ^Tio does not think rightly about God and about the Lord ?'' But some of the assembly said, " Let us try them." And they asked those who had confirmed themselves in a trinity of per- sons in the Godhead to say from their thought one God ; and they could not. They twisted and folded their lips in various ways, but were unable to articulate a sound into any words ex- cept such as were harmonious with the ideas of their thought, which were of three persons, and consequently of three Gods. [3] Again, those who had confirmed themselves in faith apart from charity were asked to utter the name Jesus ; but they could not ; although they could all say Christ, and also God the Father. They wondered at this, and inquired the cause ; and they found it to be that they had prayed to God the Father for the sake of the Son, but had not prayed to the Saviour Himself ; and Jesus signifies Saviour. [4] Again, from their thought of the Lord's Human they were asked to say Divine Human ; but not one of the clergy there present could do so, though some of the laity could ; and therefore this fact was made a subject of serious discussion. First, the following passages from the Gospels were read to them : — r The Father hath given all things into the hand of the Son (John iii. 35) ; The Father hath given to the Son power over all flesh {John xvii. 2) ; All things are delivered unto Me by the Father [Matt. xi. 27) ; All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth {MaU. xxviii. 18) ; and they were asked to keep in their thought from these pas- sages that Christ, both as to His Divine and as to His Hu- man, is the God of heaven and earth, and then to pronounce the words Divine Human ; but still they could not. They said that although from these passages they retained from the un- derstanding some thought about the matter, they still had no acknowledgment of it, and therefore they coidd not bring it into speech. [5] (ii.) Afterwards there was read to them from Luke (i. 32, 34, 35) that the Lord as to His Human was the Son of Jeho- vah God, and is there called " the Son of the Most High," and in many other places, " the Son of God" and also " the Only- begotten ;" and they were asked to retain this in their thought, as also that the only-begotten Son of God bom in the world could not but be God, as the Father is God, and then to utter the words Divine Human. But they said, " We cannot, because our spiritual thought, that is, our more internal thought, does not admit into the thought which lies nearest to speech any other ideas except those that are in harmony with the internal thought ; and from this we perceive that we are not now per- mitted, as we were in the natural world, to divide our thoughts. [6] (iii.) Therefore, the Lord's words to Philip were read to them : — Philip said, Lord, show us the Father. And the Lord said. He that seeth Me seeth the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in Me ? {John xiv. 8-11) ; and also other passages, as : — That the Father and He are one {John x. 30) ; and they were asked to retain this in thought and then to say, Divine Human ; but because that thought was not rooted in the acknowledgment that the Lord is God even in respect to the Human, they twisted their lips into folds till they grew angry, desiring to force their mouths to speak the words : but they did not succeed ; and for the reason that with those who are in the 11 ^fe^i^3».-a.,ai.«^.»^-^^^.» 162 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. U. spiritual world the ideas of thought which flow from acknowl- edgment make one with the words of speech ; and where these ideas do not exist words cannot be had ; for in speaking, ideas become words. [7] (iv.) Still again, there was read to them the following from the doctrine accepted throughout the Christian world: The Divine and Human in the Lord are not two, but one, even one person, united like soul and body in man. This is from the Athanasian Greedy and has been recognized by the councils ; and it was said to them, " From this certainly you can gain an idea grounded in acknowledgment that the Human of the Lord is Divine, since His soul is Divine ; for this statement is from the doctrine of your church which you accepted while in the world ; moreover, the soul is the very essence of the man, and the body is the form of this essence; and essence and form make one like esse and existere, or like the effecting cause of the effect and the effect itself." This idea they retained, and from it wished to utter the words Divine Human ; but they could not ; for their more internal idea of the Human of the Lord banished and erased this new adscititious idea, as they called it. [8] (v.) Once again, this passage from John was read to them : — The Word was with God, and God was the Word, and the Word be- came flesh (i. 1, 14). Also this : — Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life (1 John v. 20). Also from Paul: — In Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Divinity bodily {Col. ii. 9); and they were requested to think accordingly, namely, that God who was the Word became Man, that He was the true God, and that in Him dwelt all the fulness of Divinity bodily. This they did, but only in external thought ; and therefore, be- cause of the resistance of internal thought, they were unable to pronounce the words Divine Human ; and they said frank- ly, " We can form no idea of a Divine Human, because God is God, and man is man, and God is a Spirit, and we have always thought of spirit as being wind or ether.'' N. Ill] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 163 L^J (vi.) Finally, it was said to them, You know that the Lord said : — Abide in Me, and I in you. He that abideth in Me, and I in hun, the same beareth much fruit ; for without Me ye can do nothing {John xv. 4,5). And as there were some of the English clergy present, the fol- lowing from one of their exhortations at the Holy Communion was read to them : " For when we spiritually eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, then we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us." And it was said, " If your thought now' is that this is not possible unless the Lord's Human is Divine, pronounce the words Dicine Human from acknowledgment in thought." But still they could not, so deeply impressed upon them was the idea that the Divine could not be Hmnan, nor the Human be Di- vine, and that the Lord's Divine was from the Divine of a Son born from eternity, and His Human like that of any other man. They were asked, "How can you think thus ? Can a rational mind ever conceive of a Son born of God from eternity ?" [lO] (vii.) Then the inquirers turned to the Evangelicals, saying that the AugsJmrg Confession and Luther taught that the Son of God and the Son of man in Christ is one Person ; and that He, even as to His Human nature, is omnipotent and omnipresent, and as to that nature sits at the right hand of God the Father, governs all things in heaven and on earth, fills all things, is present with us, and dwells and operates in us ; also that there is no difference of adoration, because the Divin- ity that is not discerned is worshiped through the nature that is discerned ; and that in Christ God is Man, and Man is God. Hearing this they said, " Can this be so ?" And they looked around and said presently, " We did not know this before ; therefore we are unable to say Divine HumanP And first one and then another said, " We have read this, and we have writ- ten it ; and yet when we thought about it in our minds it was mere words, of which we had no interior idea." [11] (viii.) Finally they turned to the Papists and said, " Perhaps you can say Divine Humane since you believe that Christ is wholly present in the bread and wine of your Euchar- ist, and in every part of them ; and you also worship Him as God most holy when you exhibit and carry about the host ; also 164 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 112] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 165 because you call Mary ' Deipara/ that is, ' Mother of God ;' con- sequently you acknowledge that she gave birth to God, that is, to the Divine Hmnan." Then they wished to pronounce it, but they could not, because a material idea of Christ's body and blood then suggested itself, and also a belief that His Human is separable from the Divine, and with the pope is actually so separated, since to him the human power only, and not the Di- vine, was transferred. Then one of the monks arose and said that he could conceive of a Divine Human with reference to the most holy virgin IMary, and also with reference to the saint of Ms monastery. And another monk came forward and said, « From an idea of my thought which I now entertain I am able to say Divine Human, but with reference to his holiness the pope rather than in reference to Christ." But some of the Par pists pulled him back, saying, " For shame !" [12] After this heaven was seen open, and tongues like lit- tle flames were seen descending and alighting upon some ; and they then celebrated the Divine Human of the Lord, saying, « Have done with the idea of three Gods, and believe that in the Lord dwells all the fulness of Divinity bodily, that the Father and He are one, as soul and body are one, and that God is not wind or ether, but a Man, then you will be conjoined with heaven, and from the Lord you will be able to speak the name Jesus, and to say Divine HumanP 112. Third Memorable Relation : — Awaking once soon after daybreak, I went out into the gar- den in front of my house, and saw the sun rising in his glory, and round about him a halo, at first faint, but afterwards more distinct, and beaming like gold, and beneath its border was a rising cloud, which from the sun's rays glowed like a carbuncle. It set me thinking about the fables of the most ancient people which depicted Aurora with wings of silver and countenance of gold. With my mind immersed in the delights of these medita- tions, I came into the spirit ; and I heard certain spirits con- versing, who said, " that we might be permitted to talk with the innovator who has thrown among the leaders of the church that apple of discord after which so many of the laity have been running, and which they have picked up and held up for 1 us to look at." By that apple they meant the little work, en- titled, A Brief Exposition of the Doctrine of the New Church. And they said, " It is certainly a schismatical writing, such as no man ever before conceived of.'^ And then I heard one of them exclaim, " Schismatical ? It is heretical !*' But some of those beside him said, " Hush ! Hold your tongue ! It is not heretical ; he gives an abundance of quotations from the Word ; and to these our neophytes, by whom we mean the laity, give heed and assent." [2] Hearing this I came forward, being in the spirit, and said, " Here I am ; what is the matter ?" At once one of them, a German, as I afterwards heard, a native of Saxony, said in an authoritative tone, "How dare you turn upside down the worship established in the Christian world for so many centuries, which teaches that God the Father should be invoked as the Creator of the universe, His Son as the Mediator, and the Holy Spirit as the Operator ? ^loreover, you divest the first and the last God of the personality we ascribe to them, although the Lord Himself says, ' When ye pray, pray thus. Our Father who art in the heavens ; hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come.' Therefore are we not commanded to invoke God the Father ?" After this there was silence, and all who favored the speaker stood like brave seamen on their warships when they sight the enemy, and stand by to shout, " Now, have at them ; victory is sure." [3] Then I rose to speak ; and said, " Who among you is not aware that God came down from heaven and became Man ? For we read, < The Word was with God, and God was the Word, and the Word became flesh.'" Then, looking towards the Evangelicals, among whom was that dictator who had just ad- dressed me, I said, " Who among you does not know that in Christ, who was born of Mary the Virgin, God is Man and Man is God ?" But at this the assembly made a great noise ; there- fore I said, " Do you not know this ? It is according to the doctrine of your confession which is called the Formula Con- cordice, where this is afiirmed and fully corroborated." Then the dictator turned to the assembly and asked if they were aware of thisj and they answered, "As to the person 166 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 112] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 167 of Christ we have given the book very little study, but we have worked hard at the part on Justification by Faith Alone ; if, however, it is so written in that book, we acquiesce." Then one of them remembering, said, "That is the way it reads; and it says furthermore that the Human nature of Christ has been exalted to Divine majesty and all its attri- butes ; also that in that nature Christ sits at the right hand of the Father." [4] Hearing this they were silent ; and as it was undisputed I spoke again, and said, "This being so, what then is the Father but the Son, and what is the Son but the Father also ?" Yet as this again offended their ears, I continued, " Hear the very words of the Lord and attend to them now, if you never have before ; for He said, ' I and My Father are one ;' a am in the Father and the Father in Me ;' ' Father, all Mine are Thine and Thine are Mine ;' ' He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.' What do these things mean, but that the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, and that they are one as the soul and body in man are one, and thus that they are one person ? And must not this be your belief, if you believe in the Athanasian creed, where nearly the same things are said ? But from the passages quoted take this one saying of the Lord, * Father, all Mine are Thine, and all Thine are Mine.' What else does this mean than that the Divine of the Father belongs to the Human of the Son, and the Human of the Son to the Divine of the Father, consequently that, in Christ, God is Man and Man is God, and thus that they are one as soul and body are one ? [5] Every man may say the same of his own soul and body, namely, ' AU mine are thine, and aU thine are mine ; thou art in me and I in thee ; he that seeth me, seeth thee ; we are one in person and in life.' This is because the soul is in the man, both in the whole and in every part of him, for the life of the soul is the life of the body, and between the two there is a mutuality. All this makes clear that the Divine of the Father is the soul of the Son, and the Human of the Son the body of the Father. From where does the soul of an offspring come un- less from its father, and its body unless from its mother ? The expression is the Divine of the Father ; but the Father Him- self is what is meant, since He and His Divme are the same ; ^ and this Divine is one and indivisible. That this Is true is evi- dent also from the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary, * The power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, and the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee ; and the Holy Thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.' And just above He is called *tlie Son of the Most High,' and elsewhere Hhe only-begotten Son.' But you, who call Him merely the Son of Mary, destroy the idea of His Divinity ; yet it is only the learned among the clergy and the scholars among the laity who destroy this idea, for these, when they raise their thoughts above the sensual things pertaining to their bodies, regard the glory of their reputation ; and this not only obscures but extin- guishes the light whereby the glory of God enters. [6] But let us return to the Lord's Prayer, where it says, ' Our Father who art in the heavens ; hallowed be Thy Name ; Thy kingdom come.' By these words you who are present understand the Father in His Divine alone ; but I understand the Father in His Human. Moreover, this Human is the name of the Father ; for the Lord said, ^ Father, glorify Thy name,' that is, Thy Human; and when this is done the kingdom of God comes. And the reason why this Prayer was commanded for the present time is evident, namely, that through His Human an approach may be had to God the Father. The Lord also said, ^No man cometh unto the Father but by Me ;' and in the Prophet, * Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and His name is God, Mighty, Father of Eternity ;' and elsewhere, ^ Thou, Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer, from everlasting is Thy name ;' besides many other places where the Lord our Saviour is called Jehovah. This is the true explanation of the words of that Prayer." [7] When I had said all this, I looked at them and noted the changes in their countenances according to changes in the states of their minds, some favoring me and looking toward me, and some not favoring and turning themselves away. And then on the right I saw a cloud of opal color, and on the left a dusky cloud, and under each the appearance of a shower. That under the dusky cloud was like a rain at the close of au- tumn, and that under the opal cloud was like the fall of dew in early spring. 168 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. Then suddenly I came out of the spirit into the body, and thus returned from the spiritual world into the natural world. 113. Fourth Memorable Relation : — I looked into the world of spirits and saw an army mounted on red and black horses. The riders looked like apes, with face and breast turned toward the horse's tail, and the hinder part of the head and the back toward the horse's neck and head, and the bridle-rein thrown over the rider's neck ; and they were shouting at other riders mounted on white horses, and were jerk- ing the reins with both hands, thus pulling back their horses from the battle ; and this they did continuously. Then two angels descended from heaven, and approaching me said, " What do you see ?" I told about the ludicrous company of horsemen that I saw, and asked what it meant and who they were. The angels answered, " They are from the place called Arma- geddon (Apoc, xvi. 16), where they have assembled to the num- ber of several thousands, to fight against those who belong to the Lord's Xew Church, which is called the Kew Jerusa- lem. They were talking there about the church and about re- ligion ; and yet there was nothing of the church among them, because they had nothing of spiritual truth, and nothing of religion, because they had no spiritual good. About both of these they were talking with their mouths and lips ; but their aim was to acquire dominion by means of them, [i^] In their youth they had learned to confirm the doctrine of faith alone, and something about God ; and when they had been advanced to higher offices in the church, they held on to these teach- ings for a time, but having ceased to think any longer about God and heaven, but only about themselves and the world, thus not about eternal blessedness and happiness, but only about temporal eminence and wealth, the doctrinal principles which in youth they had drawn from the interiors of the rational mind, which communicate with heaven and therefore are in the light of heaven, were cast out into the exteriors of the ra- tional mind, which communicate with the world and are there- fore in the light of the world ; and finally these principles were thrust down into the region of the natural senses ; and as a consequence the doctrines of the church became with them a N. 113] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 169 mere matter of words, and no longer of thought from reason, much less of affection from love. And having made themselves such, they grant no admittance to that Divine truth which con- stitutes the church, nor to that genuine good that constitutes religion. The interiors of their minds have become like bottles filled with a mixture of iron chips and sulphur, upon which, if water is poured, there is first produced heat and then a flame, whereby the bottles are burst. 8o when they hear anything about the living water, which is the genuine truth of the Word, and it finds entrance through their ears, they become violently heated and inflamed, and reject it as a thing that would burst their heads. [3] These are they that appeared to you like apes riding horses red and black, and facing toward the tail, and the bridle-rein around the rider's neck. Men that do not love the truth and good of the church derived from the Word never wish to look toward the forward parts of a horse, but only toward his hinder parts. For a horse signifies understand- ing of the Word — a red horse that understanding when de- stroyed in respect to good, and a black horse when destroyed in respect to truth. They were shouting for battle against the riders on the white horses, because a white horse signifies un- derstanding of the Word in respect to truth and good. They seemed to pull their horses backward by the neck, because they dreaded the battle, and feared that the truth of the Word might be reaching many and might thus come to light. This is the interpretation." [4] The angels further said, "We are from a society of heaven which is called Michael, and we were commanded by the Lord to descend to the place Armageddon, from which the horsemen that you saw broke forth. With us in heaven Ar- mageddon signifies a state of mind and a disposition (arising from a love of ruling and being eminent over all others) to fight from truths falsified ; and as we perceive in you a desire to learn about this kind of contest, we will relate to you a cer- tain matter. On descending from heaven we came to that place called Armageddon, and there saw several thousands assem- bled. We did not enter this crowd ; but on the southern side of the place there stood several houses where there were lads with their teachers ; we entered these, and were kindly received. 170 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II We were delighted with their company. From the life in their eyes and the eagerness displayed in their talk their faces were beautiful. The life in their eyes came from perceiving what is true, and the eagerness in their talk from the alfection for what is good. Because of this we presented them with caps, the borders of which were ornamented with bands of gold lace in which pearls were interwoven, also with garments of white and blue commingled. " We asked them if they had ever looked in upon the so- called Armageddon, near by. They said that they had, through a window under the roof, and had seen an assembly there, but the shapes of the people were changeable ; sometimes they looked like men of lofty stature, and sometimes like statues and carved idols, with a crowd on bended knees around them. To ourselves as well they appeared under various forms ; some like men, others like leopards, and others again like goats, the lat- ter with horns projecting downward, with which they tore up the ground. We interpreted these transformations, and showed what classes they represented, and what things they signified. [5] « But to return : — When those assembled there heard of our having entered the houses they said to one another, < What are they doing among those lads ? Let us send some of us thither and put them out.' They did send a number, and when these came they said, * What took you into these houses ? Where do you come from ? By authority we order you to leave.' " But we answered, * You cannot give that order by author- ity. In your own eyes, indeed, you seem like Anakim, and we here like dwarfs ; yet here you have no power or authority ex- cept by cunning, and that will not prevail. Go, then, and tell your comrades that we are sent here from heaven to find out if you have religion or if you have none ; and if none, you will be cast out of this place. Go, then, and put to them this ques- tion, which contains the veriest essential of the church and of religion : In the Lord's Prayer what mean the words * Our Father who art in the heavens ; hallowed be Thy Name ; Thy kingdom come ?^ " Hearing this, they said at first, * What is all that ?' And then they consented and went away and told their companions what had been said, who replied, * What sort of a proposal is N, 113] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 171 that ?' But they guessed what was behind the question, namely, that we wished to know if they thought that these words con- firmed what their faith taught about the way to approach God the Father. Therefore they said, ' The words are clear that we ought to pray to God the Father; and as Christ is our Media- tor, that we ought to pray to God the Father for the sake of the Son.' " And at once in their indignation they resolved to come to us and say this to our faces, and they added that they would pull our ears. So they left that place, and went into a grove near the houses where the lads and their teachers were. In the center of this was an elevated spot like a place for games ; and joining hands they came there. We were there also, and were waiting for them. The ground was thrown up into little green mounds, as it were, upon which they reclined, saying to one another, * We will not stand in their presence ; we will sit.' " Then one of them who could make himself appear like an angel of light, and who had been deputed by the others to speak with us, said, < You have proposed that we open our minds as to our understanding of the first words of the Lord's Prayer. Therefore I say to you that this is our understanding of them, that we ought to pray to the Father ; and as Christ is our Me- diator, and as it is through His merit that we are saved, that we ought to pray to God the Father from faith in Christ's merit.' [6] « But then we said to them, * We are from the heaven- ly society called Michael, and have been sent to see you and inquire whether you who were assembled yonder have any re- ligion or not ; for the idea of God enters into everything of religion, and by means of it man is conjoined with God, and by means of conjunction is saved. We in heaven say that Prayer daily in the same way as men do on earth, and in do- ing so we are not thinking of God the Father, for He is invis- ible ; but we think of Him in His Divine Human, because in that He is visible, and in that He is by you called Christ, but by us is called the Lord ; in this way it is that to us the Lord is the Father in the heavens. Moreover, the Lord has taught that He and the Father are one ; that the Father is in Him and He in the Father ; and that whosoever sees Him sees the Father; and again, that no one comes to the Father except 172 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. I N. 113] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 173 through Him . also that it is the will of the Father that men should believe in the Son, and that whosoever believes not in the Son shall not see life ; and even that the wrath of God abides upon him. All this makes it clear that approach to the Father is through the Son and in the Son. And because this is so He has also taught that to Him all power has been given in heaven and on earth. In that Prayer it is said, ' Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come ;' and we have shown from the Word that the Father's name is the Divine Human of the Lord, and that the kingdom of the Father comes when the Lord is approached directly, and comes not at all when God the Father is approached directly. For this reason, too, the Lord commanded His disciples to preach the kingdom of God ; and the kingdom of God is this very thing.' [7] " Having heard this, our antagonists said, < You quote many passages from the Word ; and such perhaps we may have read there — we do not remember ; therefore open the AA'ord here before us, and read them from it ; especially the statement that the Father's kingdom comes when the Lord's kingdom comes.' And they said to the lads, ' Bring the Word.' And the lads brought it, and we read from it as follows : — John preached the gospel of the kingdom, and said. The time is ful- filled, the kingdom of God is at hand {Mark i. 14, 15 ; Matt. in. 2). Jesus Himself preached the gospel of the kingdom, and that the king- dom of God was at hand {Matt. iv. 17, 23 ; ix. 35). Jesus commanded His disciples to preach and declare the gospel of the kingdom of God {Mark xvi. 15 ; Luke viii. 1 ; ix. 60) ; as also the sev- enty whom He sent forth {Luke x. 9, 11). (And elsewhere, as in Matt. xi. 5 ; xvi. 27, 28 ; Mark viii. 35 ; ix. 1, 47; X. 29, 30; xi. 10; Luke i. 19; ii. 10, 11; iv. 43; vii. 22; xvii. 20^ 21 ; xxi. 31 ; xxii. 18). The kingdom of God, of which the good tidings were preached, was the kingdom of the Lord, and thus the kingdom of the Father. This is evident from the following statements : The Father gave all things into the hand of the Son {John iii. 35). The Father gave the Son power over all flesh {John xvii. 2). All things have been delivered unto Me of My Father {Matt. xi. 27). All power is given unto Me in heaven and on earth {Matt, xxviii. 18). Also from the following : — Jehovah of Hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel ; the God of the whole earth shall He be called {Isa. liv. 5). I saw, and behold one like unto the Son of man ; and there was given Him dominion and gloiy and a kingdom, and all people and nations shall worship Him ; His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed {Dan. vii. 13, 14). When the seventh angel sounded there came great voices in the heavens, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become our Lord's and His Christ's, and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages {Apoc. xi. 15 ; xii. 10). [8] "We showed them still further from the Word that the Lord came into the world not only in order that angels and men might be redeemed, but also that through Him and in Him they might be made one with God the Father ; for He taught : — That those who believe in Him are in Him, and He in them (John vi. 66 ; xiv. 20 ; xv. 4, 5). " Having heard these things they asked, ^ How then can your Lord be called the Father ?' We replied, * Because of what we have just read, and also the following passages : — Unto us a Child is bom, unto us a Son is given ; and His name is God, Mighty, Father of Eternity {Isa. ix. C). Thou art our Father ; Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us ; Thou Jehovah art our Father, our Redeemer, from ever- lasting is Thy name {Isa. Ixiii. 1(1). Did He not say to Philip, who wished to see the Father : — Hast thou not known Me, Phillip ? He that seeth Me seeth the Father {John xiv. 9 ; xii. 45). What other Father then is there than He whom Philip's eyes were seeing ?' " To this we added, * It is said in the Christian world that those who are of the church constitute the body of Christ and are in His body ; how then can the man of the church approach to God the Father except through Christ, in whose body he resides ? Otherwise he must pass entirely out of that body in order to approach the Father.' In concluding we informed them that at this day the Lord is establishing a New Church, which is meant by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse, in which there will be, as in heaven, the worship of the Lord 174 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap U alone, and that thus everything which is contained in the Lord's Prayer from beginning to end will be fullilled. " All this we confirmed so copiously from the Word, in the Gospels and Prophets and in the Apocalypse, where from the beginning to the end that church is treated of, that they grew tii-ed of listening. [9] « The Armageddons heard all this with indignation, and wished constantly to interrupt our speaking ; and at last they did break in, exclaiming, * You have spoken contrary to the doctrine of our church, which teaches that men must approach God the Father directly and must believe in Him ; thus have you made yourselves guilty of a violation of our faith. Get you gone, therefore ; if not, you will be put out by force.' And their passions being aroused, from threats they proceeded to the attempt ; but by power given us we smote them with blind- ness, and not seeing us they rushed away and ran about wan- dering in all directions. Some fell into the abyss spoken of in the Apocalypse (ix. 2), which is now in the southern quarter toward ±he east, and is occupied by those who confirm the doc- trine of justification by faith alone. Those there who confirm that doctrine by the Word are banished to a desert, where they are driven to the boundary of the Christian realm, and are mingled with the heathen. '^ REDEMPTION. 114. It is known in the church that there are two offices belonging to the Lord, that of priest and that of king ; but as few know in what each office consists this shall be explained. From His priestly office the Lord is called Jesus, and from his kingly office, Christ ; also from His priestly office He is called in the Word, Jehovah and Lord, and from His kingly office He is called God and the Holy One of Israel, as well as King. These two offices are distinguished from each other, like love and wisdom, or what is the same, like good and truth ; conse- quently whatever the Lord did and effected from Divine love or Divine good was done and effected from His priestly office ; N. 114] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 175 but whatever He did and effected from Divine wisdom or Di- vine truth was done and effected from His kingly office. More- over, in the Word priest and priesthood signify the Divine good; while king and royalty signify the Divine truth, and these two were represented by priests and kings in the Israelitish church. Redemption pertains to both offices ; and what part of it to one and what to the other will be disclosed in what fol- lows. And that the particulars of the subject may he clearly seen, the explanation shall be divided into the following heads or sections : — (1) Redemption itself was a subjugation of the hells, a re- storation of order in the heavens, and by means of these a pre- paration for a new spiritual church. (2) Without that redemption no man could have been saved, nor could the angels have continued in a state of integrity. (3) In this wise not only men but the angels also were re- deemed by the Lord. (4) Redemption was a work purely Divine. (5) This redemption itself could not have been accom- plished except by God incarnated. (6) The passion of the cross was the last temptation which the Lord, as the greatest Prophet, endured ; also it was a means of glorifying His Human, that is, of uniting it with the Divine of the Father; but it was not redemption. (7) The belief that the passion of the cross was redemption itself is the fundamental error of the church ; and this error, together with the error respecting three Divine Persons from eternity, has perverted the whole church to such an extent that nothing spiritual is left in it. These statements shall now be unfolded one by one. 115. (1) Redemption itself was a syhjicgatlon of the hells, a restoration of order in the heavens, and hy tneans of these a pre- paration for a new spiritual churcli. That these three things are redemption I can affirm with all certainty, since at this day also the Lord is effecting a redemption, which began in 1757, together with a final judgment which was then accomplished. This redemption has been going on up to the present time, and for the reason that at this day is the second coming of the Lord, and a new church is now to be established ; and this could not 17G THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. be done without a previous subjugation of the hells and a re- storation of order in the heavens. And as it has been granted to me to see all this, I am able to describe how the hells were subjugated, and the new heaven established and arranged : but this would require a whole volume. But how the final judg- ment was accomplished I have made known in a little work published at London in 1758. Redemption was a subjugation of the hells, a restoration of order in the heavens, and the estab- lishment of a new church, because without these no one could have been saved. Moreover, they follow in order ; for the hells must be subjugated before a new angelic heaven can be formed ; and this must be formed before a new church can be estab- lished on earth ; because men in the world are so closely con- nected with angels of heaven and spirits of hell as on both sides to be one with them in the interiors of their minds. But this subject will be explained in the last chapter of this work, where the Consummation of the Age, the Coming of the Lord, and the Kew Church, will be treated of in detail. 116. That when the Lord was in the world He fought against the hells, and conquered and subdued them, and so reduced them to obedience, is evident from many passages in the Word, from which I will present the few which follow. In Isaiah : — Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments sprinkled from Bozrah ? this that is glorious in His apparel, walking in the multitude of His strength ? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Where- fore art thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like his that treadeth in the wine-fat ? I have trodden the wine-press alone ; and of the people not a man was with Me ; therefore have I trodden them in Mme anger, and trampled them in My wrath ; therefore their victory is sprinkled upon My garments. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed hath come. Mine arm brought salvation to Me ; I have made their victory to go down into the earth. He said, Surely they are My people, children ; so He became a Saviour for them. Because of His love and His pity He redeemed them (Ixiii. 1-9). This refers to the Lord's combat against the hells. The " ap- parel'' in which He was glorious, and which was red, means the Word, to which the Jewish people had done violence ; His combat against the hells and His victory over them are de- scribed by His " treading the people in His anger, and tramp- ling them in His wrath ;" that He fought alone from His own N. 110] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 177 power is described by the words, " of the people not a man was with Me ; Mine arm brought salvation to Me ; I have made their victory to go down to the earth ;" that thereby He wrought salvation and redemption is declared in the words, " So He be- came a Saviour for them ; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them." That this was the reason of His coming is meant by the words, " the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed hath come."' [2] Again in Isa- iah : — He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no inter- cessor ; therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him, and his righteous- ness sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon His head ; and He put on the garments of ven- o-eance, and clothed Himself with zeal as with a robe. Then the Redeemer came to Zion (lix. IG, 17, 20). In JereiYi'iah : — They were dismayed, their mighty ones were beaten down, they fled apace and looked not back. For this is the day of the Lord Jehovih of Hosts, a day of vengeance that He may avenge Him of His adversaries ; and the sword shall devour and it shall be satiate (xlvi. 5, 10). Both of these passages refer to the Lord's combat against the hells and His victory over them. In David : — Gird the sword upon the thigh, O mighty One. Thine arrows are sharp ; the people shall fall under Thee, enemies of the king from the heart ; Thy throne is for the age and for eternity ; Thou hast loved righteousness, therefore God hath anointed Thee [Ps. xlv. 3-7) ; also in many other places. [3] Because the Lord conquered the hells alone, with no help from any angel, He is called : — Mighty and a man of war {Isa. xlii. 13 ; ix. G) ; The King of glory, Jehovah the Mighty, Mighty in battle {Ps. xxiv. 8, 10) ; The Mighty One of Jacob {Ps. cxxxii. 2) ; and in many places " Jehovah of Hosts," that is, Jehovah of armies ; and His coming is called the day of Jehovah, terrible, cruel, the day of indignation, of wrath, of anger, of vengeance, of destruction, of war, of a trumpet, of a noise, of a tmnult, and so on. And we read in the Gospels : — Now is the judgment of this world ; now shall the prince of this world be cast out {John xii. 31). 12 178 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 117] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 179 The prince of this world hath been judged {John xvi. 11). Be of good cheer ; I have overcome the world {John xvi. 33). I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven {Luke x. 18). " The world/' " the prince of this world," " satan/' and " the devil," mean hell. [4] Moreover, in the Apocalypse from begin- ning to end the present character of the Christian church is set forth, also that the Lord is to come again, and is to subjugate the hells, and form a new angelic heaven, and at last establish a new church on earth. All these things are there predicted, but have not been disclosed until now. This is because the Apocalypse, like all the prophetical parts of the Word, was written in pure correspondences ; and unless these had been disclosed by the Lord scarcely any one would be able to under- stand rightly a single verse in that book ; but now, on account of a new church, all its contents have been laid open in the Apocalypse Bevealed (Amsterdam, 1766) ; and will be seen by those who believe the AVord of the Lord in Matt, xxiv., about the present state of the church, and His coming. But this is as yet only a vacillating belief with those who have impressed on their hearts, so deeply that it cannot be rooted out, the faith of tlie church at this day in three Divine persons from eternity, and in Christ's passion as being redemption itself. But such (as has been said in the Memorable Relation above, n. 113) are like bottles filled with iron chips and pulverized sulphur, in which, if water be added, first heat is produced, and then flame, which bursts the bottles. So when these hear anything about the living water, which is genuine truth from the Word, and that truth enters their minds through the eyes or ears, they become violently excited and inflamed, and reject the truth as some- thing that might split their heads. 117. The subjugation of the hells, the restoration of order in the heavens, and the institution afterwards of a church, is a work that may be illustrated by various similitudes. It may be illustrated by comparison with an army of robbers or rebels who invade a kingdom or a city, and set fire to its dwellings, plunder its inhabitants, divide the spoil among themselves, and then rejoice and exult; while redemption itself may be com- pared to the lawful king who advances against these rebels with his army, puts some to the sword, and some in prison, recovers the booty, and restores it to his subjects, thereafter establish- ing order in his kingdom, and rendering it secure against like assaults. It may also be illustrated by comparison with a troop of wild beasts issuing from a forest, attacking flocks and herds i^nd even human beings, so that nobody dares to go outside of the walls of his city to till the ground, and therefore the fields become deserts, and the townsmen are threatened with starva- tion ; while redemption may be compared to the slaughteruig and scattering of these wild beasts, and the protection of the fields from any such irruption thereafter. It may be likened also to locusts consuming every green thing of the ground, and to the means to prevent their further progress ; and again, to worms in early summer, which strip the trees of their foliage and thus of their fruit, so that they stand bare as in midwinter, and to the extermination of the worms, and the consequent re- storation of the garden to its state of bloom and fruitfulness. Thus would it be with the church, if the Lord had not by re- demption separated the good from the evil, casting the evil into heil and raising the good to heaven. What would become of an empire or kingdom if by the exercise of justice and judgment the evil were not separated from the good, and the good pro- tected from violence, so that every one might dwell safely in his own home, or, as is said in the Word, sit in peace under his own vine and fig tree ? 118. (2) Without that redemption no man coidd have been saved, nor could the angels have continued in a state of integ- rity. It shall be told first what redemption is. To redeem means to liberate from damnation, to deliver from eternal death, to rescue from hell, and to release from the hand of the devil the captive and the bound. This the Lord did by subjugating the hells and establishing a new heaven. Man could have been saved in no other way, for the reason that the spiritual world and the natural are so closely connected that they cannot by any means be separated. This connection is especially in the interiors of men, which are called their souls and minds, the in- teriors of the good being connected with the souls and minds of angels, and of the wicked with the souls and minds of infer- nal spirits. This union is such that if angels and spirits were taken away from man he would drop dead as a log. In like 1 180 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. manner angels and spirits could not continue to exist if men were taken away from under them. This makes clear why re- demption was effected in the spiritual world, and why it was necessary that heaven and hell should be reduced to order be- fore a church could be established on earth. That this is so is very evident from the Apocalypse, where it is said that after the new heaven had been formed, the New Jerusalem, whi(ih is the Xew Church, descended from it (xxi. 1, 2). 119. Unless the Lord had wrought redemption the angels could not have continued to exist in a state of integrity, for the reason that the whole angelic heaven together with the church on earth is in the Lord's sight like one man, the angelic heaven constituting his internal, and the church his external ; or more particularly, the highest heaven constituting his head, the second and lowest heaven his breast and the middle region of his body, and the church on earth his loins and feet, while the Lord Himself is the soul and life of the whole man. There- fore if the Lord had not wrought redemption the whole man would have been destroyed ; his feet and loins by the decline of the church on earth, the abdominal region by the decline of the lowest heaven, the thoracic by the decline of the second heaven, and then the head, having no correspondence with the body, would have fallen into a swoon. [2] But this shall be illustrated by similitudes. It may be compared to mortifica- tion attacking the feet and gradually ascending, infecting first the loins, the abdominal viscera, and finally the parts near the heart, when, as is well known, the man dies. It may also be compared to diseases of the abdominal viscera ; for when these are weakened the heart begins to palpitate and the lungs to gasp heavily, and finally the action of both heart and lungs ceases. It may also be illustrated by comparison with the internal and external man ; in that the internal man is well so long as the external obediently discharges its functions ; but if the external fails to obey and resists, and still more if it attacks the internal, the latter is at length weakened, and at last is so far carried away by the delights of the external as to favor it and yield to it. Again, it may be illustrated by comparison with a man standing on lofty ground, who sees the country below him flooded and the waters gradually rising; and when they N. 119] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 181 reach his height, he, too, will be engulfed unless saved by some boat washed to him by the waves. Or it is like one's seeing from a mountain a dense fog rising higher and higher above the earth and hiding the fields and houses and towns ; and at last, when the fog gets up to him, he can see nothing, not even where he is. [3] So is it with the angels when the church on earth perishes ; for then the lower heavens also pass away ; and for the reason that the heavens consist of men from the earth ; and when there is no longer any good in the heart or truth from the Word left among men, the heavens are inundated by the rising flood of evils, and are drowned as it were in Stygian waters. Those Avho are there, however, are somewhere hidden away and preserved by the Lord until the day of final judg- ment, and are then raised up into a new heaven. Such are meant by those spoken of in the ApocaJ tjpse : — I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony that they held. And they were cry- ing out with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, who art holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the earth ? And there was given unto each one of them white robes ; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little time, mitil their fellow-servants and their brethren, who were to be killed as they were, should be fulfilled (vi. 9-11). 120. There are several reasons why without redemption by the Lord iniquity and wickedness would have pervaded all Christendom, both in the natural world and in the spiritual world, one of which is, that every man goes after death into the world of spirits, and there he is wholly the same man as before. On entering that world, no one can be prevented from hold- ing intercourse with departed parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Then every husband first seeks his wife, and every wife her husband, and by these they are introduced into the va- rious companies of those who externally are lamblike, but inter- nally are like wolves ; and by such even those who have lived pious lives are led astray. As a result of this and of nefarious arts unknown in the natural world, that world becomes as full of malicious persons as a green pond is with the spawn of frogs. [2] That such is the result of association with the evil there is made evident by the fact that if one lives for a time with 182 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. \ N. 121] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 183 robbers and pirates he finally becomes like them ; or if one lives with adulterers and harlots he soon thinks nothing of adultery; or if he mingles with outlaws he soon thinks nothing of doing violence to any one. For all evils are contagious, and may be compared to a pestilence, which is communicated merely by the breath or the effluvia of tlie body ; also to cancer or gangrene, which spreads and infects first the nearer and then the remoter parts, until the whole body is destroyed. The delights of evil, into which every man is born, are the cause. [3] From all this it can be seen that without redemption by the Lord no man could be saved, nor could the angels be continued in a state of integrity. The only refuge from destruction for any one is the Lord, who says : — Abide in Me, and I in you ; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in tlie vine, so neitlier can ye except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches ; lie that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit ; for apart from Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me he is cast forth and is withered, and cast into the fire and burned (John xv. 4-0). 121. (3) In this wise not only men, hat the angels also, were redeemed hij the Lord. This follows from what has been said in the preceding section, that without redemption by the Lord the angels could not have continued to exist. To the reasons above mentioned these may be added :— (1) At the time of the Lord's first coming the hells had increased to such a height as to fill the whole world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell, and thus had not only thrown into disorder the heaven that is called the lowest, but also had attacked the middle heaven, which they infested in a thousand ways, and which would have gone to destruction if it had not been upheld by the Lord. Such an uprising of the hells is meant by the tower built in the land of Shinar, the head of which was to reach to heaven. But the attempt of its builders was frustrated by the confusion of tongues ; and they were dispersed, and the city was called Babel {Gen. xi. 1-9). What is there meant by the tower and by the confusion of tongues is explained in the Arcana Ccelestia published at London. [2] The hells had in- creased to such a height because at the time when the Lord came into the world the whole earth had completely alienated itself from God by idolatries and magic ; and the church which had existed among the children of Israel and afterwards with the Jews, had been utterly destroyed by the falsification and adulteration of the Word. All these, both Jews and Gentiles, had after death streamed into the world of spirits, where at length their number was so increased and multiplied that they could be driven out only by a descent of God Himself and then only by the strength of His Divine arm. How this was done has been described in the little work on the Last Judgment (London, 1758). This task was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world. A like work has been done by the Lord at the present time, because, as has been said before, this is the time of His second coming which is foretold through the Aj^oca- lypse, and in Matthew (xxiv. 3, 30), Mark (xiii. 26), Luke (xxi. 27), Acts (i. 11), and elsewhere. The difference is, that at the Lord's first coming this increase of the hells was the work of idolaters, magicians, and falsifiers of the Word ; while at His second coming it was the work of so-called Christians, both those who had imbibed naturalism, and those who had falsified the Word by confirmations of their fabulous faith in three Di- vine persons from eternity, and in the passion of the Lord as it- self constituting redemption ; for it is these who are meant by *' the dragon and his two beasts" {Apoc. xii. and xiii.). [3] (2) The second reason why the Lord also redeemed angels is, that not only every man but also every angel is withheld from evil and held in good by the Lord ; for no one, angel or man, is in good from himself, but all good is from the Lord. Therefore when the footstool of the angels, which they have in the world of spirits, is plucked away, they become like one seated upon a throne when its pedestals are removed. That in God's sight the angels are not pure is evident from the prophecies and also from Job ; and again from the fact that there can be no angel who has not previously been a man. This confirms what has been stated in the Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church in its universal and in its particular form, at the begin- ning of this work, namely, " The Lord came into the world to remove Hell from man, and He did remove it by means of combats with it and victories over it, thereby subduing it and reducing it to obedience to Himself." And further, " Jehovah 184 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IL I N. 123] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 185 God came down and took upon Him the Human for the pur- pose of reducmg to order all things in heaven and all things in the church ; because at that time the power of the devil, that is, of hell, prevailed over the power of heaven, and upon earth the power of evil over that of good and in consequence a total damnation stood threatening at the door. This impending dam- nation Jehovah God removed by means of His Human, thus redeeming angels and men. From this it is clear that without the Lord's coming no one could have been saved. It is the same to-day ; and therefore without the Lord's coming again into the world no one can be saved" (see above, n. 2, 3). 122. That the Lord has delivered the spiritual world, and through it will deliver the church from universal damnation, may be illustrated by comparison with a king who by victories over his enemy liberates his sons the princes, whom the enemy had captured and imprisoned and bound in fetters, and restores them to his court ; also by comparison with a shepherd, who like Samson and David rescues his sheep from the jaws of a lion or bear ; or who drives back those beasts when they break forth from the woods into the fields, hunts them back to the farthest boundaries, and at last drives them into swamps or into des- erts; and then returns to his sheep, pastures them in safety, and waters them at limpid fountains. It may also be illus- trated by comparison with one who sees a serpent coiled up ly- ing in the road and ready to strike the heel of a traveller, and who seizes it by the head, and although it twists about his hand, carries it home, cuts off its head, and throws the body into the fire ; also by a bridegroom or husband, who seeing an adulterer attempting violence to his bride or wife, attacks him, and either wounds him in the hand with a sword, or belabors him with blows on legs and loins, or has his servants throw him into the street and pursue him with cudgels to his home; while the rescued one he carries into his own chamber. In the Word, "bride" and "wife" mean the Lord's church, and "adulterers" those who violate the church, who are such as adulterate His Word. This the Jews did; and this is why the Lord called them " an adulterous generation." 123. (4) Redemption ivas a work purely Divine. He who knows what hell is, and to what a height it had risen and how i». it had overflowed the whole world of spirits at the time of the Lord's coming, and with what might the Lord cast it down and scattered it, and afterwards brought into order both hell and heaven, cannot but wonder and declare that all this must have Ix^en a purely Divine work. First, as to the nature of hell. It consists of myriads of myriads, since it consists of all those who from the creation of the world have alienated themselves from God by evils of life and falsities of belief. Secondly, as to the height to which hell had risen, and how it had overflowed the entire world of spirits at the time of the Lord's coming, some explanation has been given in the preceding sections. To what extent this was the case at the time of the Lord's first coming no one knows, because it was not revealed in the sense of the letter of the Word ; but the extent of it at the time of His sec- ond coming I have been permitted to see with my own eyes; and from this (which has already been described in a little work on The Last Judgment, published at London in 1758) conclu- sions may be drawn respecting the former period, as also ivith what power hell was then cast down and dispersed by the Lord. But there is no need to transcribe here what I witnessed as set forth in that book, because the work is extant, and numerous copies of it are still at the printer's in London. Any one read- ing that book can see clearly this must have been a work of the omnipotent God. [i^] Fourthly, How the Lord afterwards re- duced all things to order, both in heaven and in hell, I have not yet described, because the restoration of order in the heavens and in the hells has continued since the time of the last judg- ment until now, and still continues ; but after this book has been published, if it seems desirable, this information shall be given to the public. For my own part, with reference to this matter, I have seen daily and still see in it the Lord's Divine omnipotence as it were face to face. This latter work is prop- erly the work of redemption, while the former is properly that of the last judgment. When these two are viewed separately, many things respecting them, which are concealed under fig- ures and yet described in the prophecies of the Word, can be seen, as soon as by an explanation of the correspondences these things are brought forth into the light of the understanding. [3] Neither of these two Divine operations can be made clear I A 186 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. N. 124] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 18- except by comparisons ; and then but faintly. This latter work may be compared to a battle against an army composed of all the nations in the whole world, armed with spears, shields, swords, muskets, and cannon, led by skilful and shrewd generals and other officers. This is said because very many in hell excel in arts unknown in our world, and practice them among them- selves, studying how to advance against, to ensnare, to besiege, and to assault those who are in heaven. W The Lord's com- bat against hell may also be compared, though imperfectly, to a conflict with all the wild beasts on the earth and their slaugh- ter and subjugation, until not one of them dares comes forth to attack any man who is in the Lord ; so that if the man but shows a threatening countenance his enemy instantly shrinks back as if he felt a vulture on his breast striving to pierce him to the very heart. Moreover, infernal spirits are compared in the Word to wild beasts ; and such are meant by the wild beasts with which the Lord was for forty days {Mark i. 13). [5] It may also be compared to resistance against the whole ocean, breaking in with its waves over demolished barriers upon coun- tries and towns ; and the Lord's subjugation of hell is meant by His calming the sea by saying: — Peace, be still {Mark iv. 38, 39 ; Matt viii. 2G ; Luke viii. 23, 24) ; for here, as in many other places, the " sea" signifies hell. [6] By a like Divine power the Lord fights at this day against hell in every man who is being regenerated ; for hell attacks all such with diabolical fury, and unless the Lord resisted and tamed that fury man could not but succumb. For hell is like one mon- strous man, or like a huge lion, with which indeed it is com- pared in the Word; therefore unless the Lord kept that lion or monster manacled and fettered, a man from himself must needs, when rescued from one evil, fall into another, and again into others continually. 124. (5) This redemption itself could not have been accom- plished except by God incarnated. It has been sho\vn in the preceding article that redemption was a work purely Divine, consequently that it could have been effected only by the om- nipotent God. It could have been effected only by God incar- nated, that is, made Man, because Jehovah God, as He is in 'ik His infinite essence, cannot come near to hell, much less enter into it; for He is in things purest and first. Therefore if Je- liovah as He is in Himself were but to breathe upon those who are in hell He would instantly destroy them ; for He said to Moses, when Moses wished to see Him : — Thou canst not see My face ; for there shall no man see Me and live (Ex. xxxiii. 20). As Moses, then, could not see Him, still less could those who are in hell, where all are in things last and grossest, and thus most remote, for they are the lowest natural. For this reason, if Jehovah God had not assumed a Human, and thus clothed Himself with a body that belongs to things lowest. He would have undertaken in vain any redemption. For who can attack an enemy without approaching him, or without being armed for the battle ? Or who can disperse and destroy the dragons, hy- dras, and basilisks in a desert, unless he covers his body with armor and his head with a helmet, and takes a spear in his hand? Or who can capture whales in the sea without a boat and implements adapted to the work ? The combat of God Al- mighty against the hells, upon which He could not have en- tered unless He had first assumed a Human, may be illustrated by these and like things, though they afford no adequate com- parison. [2] But it must be understood that the Lord's com- bat against the hells was not an oral combat, like one between reasoners and disputants ; such a combat would have no effect whatever there. It was a spiritual combat, which is that of Di- vine truth from Divine good. This truth was the Lord's very life, the influx of which through the medium of sight no one in the hells can resist. There is in it such power that the infer- nal genii flee away at the mere perception of it, cast themselves into the abyss, and creep into caves to hide themselves. This is what is described in Isaiah : — They shall enter into the caves of the rocks and into the clefts of the dust for fear of Jehovah when He shall arise to terrify the earth (ii. 19). And in the Apocah/pse: — All hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains ; and they said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face 188 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb (vi. 15-17). [3] The kind of power which the Lord possessed from Divine good when He executed the last judgment, in 1757, maybe seen from the things described in the little work on that judgment; as that He tore up from their places the hills and mountains which the infernals occupied in the world of spirits, dispersed them, and caused some of them to sink. He also deluged their towns and houses and fields with a flood, rooted up their lands from their foundations, and hurled them with their inhabitants into whirlpools, swamps, and marshes ; and much more : and all this was done by the Lord alone, by the power of Divine truth from Divine good. 125. That Jehovah God could have entered upon and have accomplished such a work only by means of His Human may be illustrated by various comparisons ; as, that one who is in- visible cannot shake hands or converse wdth another until he becomes visible; thus an angel or spirit could have no inter- course with a man, even if standing close to his body and be- fore his face. Neither can any one's soul converse with an- other or act with another except by means of his body. The sun with its light and heat can enter into man, beast, or tree only by first entering the air and operating through it ; or can enter into a fish only by means of the water, since it must act through that element in which the subject resides. No one can scale a fish without a knife, or pluck a crow without fin- gers ; or descend to the bottom of a lake without a diving-bell ; in a word, any one thing must be adapted to another before it can communicate with it or operate with it or against it. 126. (6) The passion of the cross teas the last temptation which the Lord, as the greatest Prophet, endured, and ivas the vieans whereby His Human was glorified, that is, wJierehij it was united with. the Divine of the Father ; hut it was not redemp^ t'lon. There are two things for which the Lord came into the world, and by means of which He saved men and angels, name- ly, redemption and the glorification of His Human. These two are distinct from each other ; and yet in reference to sal- vation they make one. It has been shown in the preceding sec- tions \vhat the work of redemption was, namely, that it was a N. 126] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 189 combat against the hells, a subjugation of the hells, and a re- storation of order in the heavens. But glorification is the unit> ing of the Lord's Human with the Divine of His Father. This was effected gradually, and was completed through the passion of the cross. For every man on his part ought to draw near to God ; and as far as man does draw near, God on His part enters into him. It is the same as with a temple, which first must be built, and this is done by the hands of men ; afterwards it must be dedicated ; and finally prayer must be moile fur God to be present and there unite Himself with the church. The imion itself was made complete through the passion of the cross, be- cause that was the last temptation endured by the Lord in the world; and it is by means of temptations that conjunction is effected. For in temptations apparently man is left to himself alone, although he is not ; for God is then most nearly present in man's inmosts and sustains him ; therefore when man con- quers in temptation he is inmostly conjoined with God, as in temptation the Lord was inmostly united to God His Father. That in the passion of the cross the Lord w^as left to Himself is evident from His exclamation upon the cross : — O God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ? {Matt xxvii. 46) ; as also from these words of the Lord : — No man taketh My life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself ; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command- ment received I from My Father {John x. 18). From all this it can now be seen that it was not in respect to His Divine but in respect to His Human that the Lord suffered ; and that thereby an inmost and thus a complete union was effected. This may also be illustrated by the fact that when a man suffers in body his soul does not suffer, but only grieves ; and after the victory God takes away this grief and wipes it away as one wipes away tears from the eyes. 127. These two things, redemption and the passion of the cross, must be seen to be distinct; otherwise the human mind, like a vessel, strikes upon sand-banks or rocks and is lost, with pilot, captain, and crew together ; that is, it errs in all things pertaining to salvation by the Lord. For without an idea of these two things as distinct, man is as if in a dream, and sees 190 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. imaginary things, and from these draws conclusions, supposing them to be real when yet they are fantastic ; or he is like one walking in the dark, who takes hold of the leaves of some tree and thinks them to be the hair of a man, and going nearer en- tangles his own hair in the branches. But although redemp- tion and the passion of the cross are two distinct things, yet in reference to salvation they make one ; since it was by union with His Father, which was completed through the passion of the cross, that the Lord became the Redeemer to eternity. 128. In respect to glorification, which means the uniting of the Lord's Divine Human with the Divine of the Father, which union was fully completed through the passion of the cross, the Lord Himself thus speaks in the Gospels : — When Judas was gone out Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be gloritied in Him God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him {John xui. 31, 32). Here glorification is predicated both of God the Father and of the Son ; for it is said, " God is glorified in Him," and " shall glorify Him in Himself." Evidently this means being united :— Father, the hour is come ; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee {John xvii. 1, 5). This is so said because the uniting was reciprocal, as it was also said that the Father was in Him and He in the Father :— Now is My soul troubled. And He said. Father, glorify Thy Name. Then there came a voice out of heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again {John xii. 27, 28). This was said because the uniting was effected gradually :— Behooved it not the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory ? (Luke xxiv. 26). In the Word, when " glory" is predicated of the Lord it signi> fies Divine truth united to Divine good. From all this it is clearly evident that the Lord's Human is Divine. 129. The Lord was willing to be tempted even to the pas- sion of the cross, because He was the essential Prophet ; and the prophets formerly signified the doctrine of the church from the Word, and therefore the state of the church was repre- N. 129] THE LORD THE REDEEMER 191 sented by them in various ways, some of which were unjust, grievous, and abominable, and these representations were en- joined upon them by God. But because the Lord was the Word itself, He, as the essential Prophet, represented in the passion of the cross the Jewish church in its ways of profaning the Word. To this reason another may be added, namely, that thereby He might be acknowledged in the heavens as the Saviour of both worlds ; for all things pertaining to His pas- sion signified things pertaining to the profanation of the Word ; and while men of the church understand these naturally the angels understand them spiritually. That the Lord was the essential Prophet is evident from the following passages : — The Lord said, A prophet is not without honor save in his own coun- try and in his own house {Matt. xiii. 57 ; Mark vi. 4 ; Luke iv. 24). Jesus said. It is not meet that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem {Luke xiii. 33). Fear took hold on all, praising God, and saying that a great prophet is risen up among us {Luke vii. 16). They said of Jesus, This is the prophet of Nazareth {Matt. xxi. 11 ; John vii. 40, 41). That a prophet was to be raised up from the midst of the brethren to whose words they should hearken {Deat. xviii. 15-19). 130. That the prophets represented the state of their church in respect to doctrine from the Word and life according to it, is evident from the following passages. The prophet Isaiah was commanded. To loose the sackcloth from off his loins, and to put off the shoe from his foot, and to go naked and barefoot three years, for a sign and a wonder {Isa. XX. 2, 3). The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to represent the state of the church. By preparing stuff for a journey, and by removing to another place in the sight of the children of Israel ; and by bringing forth the stuff by day, and going forth at even through a hole in the wall ; and by cover- ing his face that he might not see the ground ; that he might be for a sign unto the house of Israel, and say. Behold, I am your sign ; like as I have done so shall it be done unto you {Ezek. xii. 3-7, 11). The prophet Hosea was commanded to represent the state of the church, 1 192 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. II. By taking to himself a harlot for a wife ; and he did so ; and she bore to Mm thref children, one of xvhom was called Jezreel, another, Loruha- mah 0>ot ^be pitied)! and the thini Lo-ammi (not my Peop e) ^ ^^^ aga.n he was commanded to go and love a woman beloved of a f nend, and an adulteress, whom he also took to himself {Hos. i. 2-9 ; lu. 2, i). One prophet was even commanded, To put ashes upon his eyes, and to permit himself to be stmck and wounded (1 Kings xx. 35, 38). The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to represent the state of the church, By Uking a tile and portraying upon it Jemsalem ; by ''^y'j;^? J^l^f^"^ casTh." a rampart and mound against it ; by setting an iron pan between Wm "nd the city ; by lying upon his left -^<'' ^^^^^Z'^Z^X^^ Also bv Ukin" wheat, barley, beans, millet, and fetches, and maKin„ oreau ^f them also by making barley cakes to be baked with human excrement ?but b^c'a^ I'e P^*y«d th^t this might not be he was penn.tted to a«, low's ~nste^) It w>is said to him. Lie thou also upon thy eft side, andlav the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it ; according to the num- ber of the days thkt thou Shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I will -ive thee the years of their iniquity according to the number S^hekK three hundred and ninety days ; so shalt thou hear the ini- tlieir aa> ^^^^^ ^^^ accomphshed them Cshi ifue'r^n IthTright side, that thou mayest bear the iniquity of the house of Judah (Ezek. iv. 1-15). rai That the prophet by these means bore the iniquities of the louse of Israil a^d tlie house of Judah, but did not take them X and thus expiate tliem,but only represented and pointed them out, is evident from the following :— n^v. oith Tphovah The sons of Israel shall eat their bread unclean ; Jc^d^wUb^ikttesUff:fbread,thattl.eymaywantb and be made desolate, a m_an with his brother, and pme away for their iniquity {Ezek. iv. 13, 10, 17). The same is meant in respect to the Lord where it is said :- c 1 ^To hnth horn our ^rrief s and carried our sorrows ; Jehovah hath 1 jr [l[l^ ttliSirof us all . by H3^-oj>ed^ - ^ ^'^ many, in that He hath borne their iniquities (Isa. Im. 4, 0, U). This whole chapter treats of the Lord's passion. [3] That the Lo d as the essential Prophet represented the state of the Jew- ish church with regar