} Two books may be borrowed from the Library at one time. Any book injured or lost shall be paid for by the person to whom it is charged. No member shall transfer his right to use the Library to any other person. Date Due THE True Christian Religion CONTAINING THE TJNIYEESAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW CHURCH FORETOLD BY THE LORD IN DANIEL VII. 13, 14 ; AND IN REVELATION XXI. 1, 2 EMAETJEL SWEDEKBORG SERVANT OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST Translated from the Original Latin Edition, Printed at Amster- dam, in the Year 1771 VOLUME II. STANDARD EDITION NEW YORK THE AMERICAN SWEDENBORG PRINTING AND PUBLISHING SOCIETY 3 WEST TWENTY-NINTH STREET 1915 /,> DANIEL VII. 13, 14. I was seeing in the night visions ; and behold there was coming with the clouds of the heavens, one like unto the Son of man. And unto Him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom ; and all people, nations, and tongues shall worship Him. His dominion is the dominion of an age which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not perish. REVELATION XXI. 1, 2, 5, 9, 10. I John saw a new heaven and a new earth. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from God out of Heaven made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And an angel spake with me, saying, Come, I will show thee the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit upon a mountain great and high, and showed me a great city, the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. He who sitteth upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and f aithful. Published by The American Swedenborg Printing and Publishing Society, organized for the business and objects solely of printing, publishing and circu- lating the Theological Works and Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg for charitable and missionary purposes. Incorporated in the State of New York, a.d. 1850. TRANSLATOR'S NOTE To convey to the English reader the meaning of the original with the utmost attainable accuracy and fulness and clearness has been the aim and effort of the translator in this, as in his previous translations. In parts of this work he has had valu- able suggestions from the Rev. Alfred Acton, from the Rev. Philip Cabell, and from Mr. Marston Mies; and the Rev. Edwin Gould has compared the entire translation with the original, and many of his suggestions have been adopted. John C. Ager. Z3Z0 COISTTE^TTS 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. 466-469). III. 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-^82). VI. Without Freedom of Choice in Spiritual Things the Word would be of No Use, and Consequently the Church would be Nothing (n. 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 (n. 485). Detestable things concerning 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 (n. 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 (n. 497-499). v vi . CONTENTS XI. If Man had not Freedom of 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 things, and compel (n. 501). CHAPTER IX. REPENTANCE. I. Repentance is the First Thing of the Church in Man (n. 510, 511). II. The Contrition which at the Present Day is said to Pre- cede Faith, and to be followed by the Consolation of the Gospel is Not Repentance (n. 512-515). III. 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, 524). V. Recognition of Sin, and the Discovery of Some Sin in Oneself, is the Beginning of Repentance (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 (n. 538-560). CONTENTS vii X. Actual Repentance is East 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. 564-566). CHAPTEE X. REFORMATION AND REGENERATION. I. 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 (n. 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 (n. 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. 591-595). VII. 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. 596-600). 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. 607-610). viii 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. 615-617). XII. Regeneration is Impossible Without Truths, by which Faith is Formed and with which Charity Conjoins Itself (n. 618-620). CHAPTEE 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). VII. 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 ix 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 ant One, but Will Only (n. 658-660). CHAPTER XII. BAPTISM. I. Without a Knowledge of the Spiritual Sense of 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 of 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). VI. 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). x CONTENTS CHAPTER XIII. THE HOLY SUPPER. I. Without Some Knowledge of 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). II. 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, 705). What is meant by " blood" (n. 706). What is meant by " bread" (n. 707). What is meant by " wine" (n. 708). III. 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 Bedemption (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 who 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). CONTENTS CHAPTER XIV. 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). II. 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 (u. 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 whom 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 (n. 786-791). xii CONTENTS SUPPLEMENT. The Nature of the Spiritual World (n. 792-795). 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). THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION; CONTAINING THE UNIVERSAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND OF THE NEW CHURCH. CHAPTER VIII. FREEDOM OF CHOICE. I. 463. Before the doctrine of the New Church respecting free- dom of choice can be properly set forth, it is necessary to pre- mise what the present church teaches on that subject in its dog- matic books, for unless this is done a man who has sound sense and religion may believe that it is not worth while to write any- thing new about it. For he would say to himself, "Who does not know that man has freedom of choice in spiritual things ? Otherwise, why should priests preach that men should believe in God, should be converted, should live according to the pre- cepts in the Word, should fight against the lusts of the flesh, and should make themselves new creatures ?" and so on. Thus he cannot but think within himself that all this would be mere empty words, if there were no freedom of choice in matters of salvation, and that to deny it would be folly, because contrary to common sense. Nevertheless that the present church stands opposed to freedom of choice and banishes it from its temples, may be seen from the following extracts from the book called the Formula Concordia?, which the evangelical churches swear allegiance to. That a like teaching and therefore a like belief respecting freedom of choice prevails with the Reformed, and Vol. II. — 1 2 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHL likewise throughout the entire Christian world, and thus in Ger- many, Sweden, Denmark, England and Holland, is evident from their dogmatic books. The extracts that follow are taken from the Formula Concordice, the Leipsic edition of 1756. 464. (i) "The doctors of the Augsburg Confession assert, that owing to the fall of our first parents, man is so thoroughly corrupt, that in spiritual matters, which have regard to our con- version and salvation, he is by nature blind, and neither un- derstands nor is able to understand the Word of God when preached, but regards it as a foolish thing, and never of himself draws nigh unto God ; but is rather an enemy of God, and so re- mains until by the power of the Holy Spirit, operative through the Word preached and heard, out of pure grace, without any co-operation on his part he is converted, gifted with faith, re- generated and renewed" (page 665). [2] (ii) "We believe that in spiritual and Divine things, the understanding, heart, and will of the man who has not been born again, are wholly unable, by his own natural powers, to understand, believe, embrace, think, will, begin, finish, act, op- erate or co-operate ; but that as to good he is utterly corrupt and dead, so that in his nature since the fall, before his regenera- tion, there does not remain the least spark of spiritual power by which he can prepare himself for the grace of God, or grasp it when offered, or adapt himself to it, and of himself be cap- able of receiving it. Neither can he by his own powers con- tribute in any way to his own conversion, either in the whole or the half or the smallest part, or act, operate, or co-operate from himself, or as if from himself; but he is a servant of sin and a slave to Satan, by whom he is moved. Consequently his natural freedom of choice, by reason of his corrupted powers and his depraved nature, is active and efficient only in those things that are displeasing to God and opposed to Him" (page 656). [3] (iii) "In civil and natural matters man is diligent and intelligent, but in spiritual and Divine matters, which look to the soul's salvation, he is like a stock or a stone, or like the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned, which have not the use of eyes or mouth or any of the senses" (page 661). N. 464] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 3 [4] (iv) "Man, however, has the power of locomotion, or of controlling his external members, also the ability to hear the Gospel, and in some measure meditate on it ; and yet in his se- cret thoughts he despises it as a foolish thing, and is unable to believe it ; and in this respect he is worse than a stock, unless the Holy Spirit is efficacious in him, enkindling and producing in him faith and other virtues pleasing to God, and also obedi- ence" (page 662). [5] (y) " In one sense it may be said that man is not a stone or a stock. A stone or a stock does not resist, neither does it understand or feel what takes place in itself, as man by his will resists God until he has been converted to God. So it is true that before conversion man is a rational creature, endowed with understanding, yet not in Divine things ; and with a will, yet not such as wills any saving good. Nevertheless, he is un- able to contribute anything to his own salvation, and in this respect is worse than a stock or a stone" (pages 672, 673). [6] (vi) " The whole of conversion is the operation, gift, and work of the Holy Spirit alone, who effects and operates it by his own virtue and power through the Word, in the understand- ing, heart, and will of man as in a passive subject, where the man does nothing, but is purely passive. Nevertheless, this is not done in the same way as a statue is formed from stone, or a seal is impressed upon wax, since the wax has neither knowl- edge nor will" (page 681). [7] (vii) "According to the sayings of some of the fathers and later doctors, ' God draws only the willing ;' therefore in con- version man's will does something. But this statement is not conformable to sound doctrine, for it confirms a false opinion respecting the powers of human choice in conversion" (page 582). [8] (viii) "In external worldly affairs, which are subject to reason, there is still left to man some share of understanding, ability, and faculty ; although these wretched remnants are ex- ceedingly feeble ; and moreover, insignificant as they are, they are so poisoned and contaminated by hereditary disease, that in the sight of God they are worthless" (page 641). [9] (ix) "In conversion, whereby from being a child of wrath man becomes a child of grace, he does not co-operate with the 4 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. Holy Spirit, since his conversion is the work exclusively and wholly of the spirit" (pages 219, 579 and following; 663 and following; Appendix, page 143). "Nevertheless, the man who is born anew through the power of the Holy Spirit may co-oper- ate, although much infirmity accompanies his co-operation ; and he works well so far and so long as he is led, ruled, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, he does not co-operate with the Holy Spirit in the same way as two horses together draw a carriage" (page 674). [lO] (x) "Original sin is not some wrong that is actually perpetrated, but it is inmostly inherent and fixed in man's na- ture, substance and essence. It is the fountain of all actual sins, such as depraved thoughts and conversation, and evil deeds" (page 577). "This hereditary disease, by which man's whole nature has been corrupted, is a horrible sin, and is in- deed the beginning and head of all sins, from which as a source and fountain all transgressions flow forth" (page 640). "By this sin, as if by a spiritual leprosy, even throughout the in- most parts and deepest recesses of the heart, all of man's na- ture is in the sight of God wholly infected and corrupted ; and on account of this corruption the person of man is by the law of God accused and damned, so that we are by nature children of wrath and bondsmen of death and damnation, unless by the gift of Christ's merit we are delivered and preserved from these evils" (page 639). " For this reason there is a total want or deprivation of the original righteousness or image of God created in connection with man in Paradise, and this is the source of the impotence, folly, and stupidity which render man utterly incompetent in all Divine and spiritual things. In the place of the lost image of God in man, there is the inmost, vilest, deepest inscrutable, and ineffable corruption of his whole nature and of all his powers (especially of the higher and chief faculties of the soul), in mind, understanding, heart, and will" (page 640). 465. These are the precepts, dogmas, and canons of the present church respecting man's freedom of choice in spirit- ual and in natural things, as also respecting original sin. They are here presented in order that the precepts, dogmas, and canons of the New Church on these subjects may be seen more N. 466] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 5 clearly ; for from the two formulas so contrasted the truth ap- pears in the light, just as when an ugly face is placed beside a handsome one in a picture, the two being seen at the same time, the beauty of one and the ugliness of the other are clearly displayed to the eye. The canons of the New Church here follow. 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. 466. It is believed by many that by Adam and Eve in the book of Moses the first created persons are not meant, and in proof of this, arguments respecting Pre-adamites have been brought forward, drawn from the computations and chronolo- gies of some heathen nations, and from the saying of Cain, Adam's firstborn, to Jehovah : — I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth, so that whosoever findeth me shall slay me. Therefore Jehovah set a sign upon Cain, lest any finding him should slay him (Gen. iv. 14, 15). Afterwards Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, and builded a city (Gen. iv. 16, 17). From this it is claimed that the earth was inhabited before the time of Adam. But that by Adam and his wife the Most An- cient church on this earth is meant has been abundantly shown in the Arcana Coelestia published by me at London ; and in that work it is also shown that "the garden of Eden" means the wisdom of the men of that church ; " the tree of life," the Lord in man and man in the Lord ; " the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," man not in the Lord but in what is his own (as he is who believes that he does everything, even good, of him- self) ; and that " eating" from that tree means the appropria- tion of evil. 467. "The garden of Eden" in the Word does not mean a garden, but intelligence, nor does "tree" mean any tree, but 6 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VUL man. That "the garden of Eden" signifies intelligence and wisdom, can be seen from the following passages : — In thy wisdom and thine intelligence thou hast made to thyself wealth. Also in what follows : — Full of wisdom, thou has been in Eden the garden of God, every pre- cious stone was thy covering (Ezek. xxviii. 4, 12, 13). This is said of the prince and king of Tyre, of whom wisdom is predicated, because " Tyre" in the Word signifies the church in respect to knowledges of truth and good through which comes wisdom; "the precious stones" which were his covering, also signify knowledges of truth and good; for the prince and the king of Tyre were not in the garden of Eden. [2] And again in Ezekiel : — Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. The cedars in the garden of God have not hidden it. No tree in the garden of God was like unto it in its beauty. All the trees of Eden in the garden of God envied it (xxxi. 3, 8, 9). And again: — To whom art thou thus become like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden ? (verse 18). This is said of Assyria, because in the Word it signifies ration- ality and intelligence therefrom. [3] In Isaiah : — Jehovah shall comfort Zion, He will turn her desert into Eden, and her wilderness into the garden of Jehovah (li. 3). Here " Zion" means the church, and " Eden" and " the garden of Jehovah" mean wisdom and intelligence. In the Apocalypse : — - To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (ii. 7). In the midst of the street, and on either side of the river, there will be the tree of life (xxii. 2). [4] Erom these passages it is clear that " the garden of Eden" in which Adam is said to have been placed, means intelligence and wisdom, because like things are said of Tyre, Assyria, and Zion. Elsewhere in the Word "garden" signifies intelligence (as in Isaiah lviii. 11; lxi. 11; Jer. xxxi. 12; Amos ix. 14; Num. xxiv. 6). This spiritual meaning of a garden derives its cause from representations in the spiritual world, where paradises are seen wherever the angels are in intelligence and wisdom; the N. 467] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 7 very intelligence and wisdom which they possess from the Lord cause such things to be present about them; and this comes from correspondence, for all things that exist in the spiritual world are correspondences. 468. That " tree" signifies man, can be seen from the follow- ing passages in the Word : — And all the trees of the field shall know that I Jehovah humble the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree to bud (Ezek. xvii. 24). Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law. He shall be like a tree planted by the streams of waters, that bringeth forth its fruits in its sea- son (Ps. i. 1-3 ; Jer. xvii. 3). Praise Jehovah, fruitful trees (Ps. cxlviii. 7, 9). The trees of Jehovah are full (Ps. civ. 16). The axe is laid unto the root of the tree ; every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn dowu (Matt. iii. 10 ; vii. 16-21). Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt [and the fruit corrupt] ; for the tree is known by its fruit (Matt. xii. 33 ; Luke vi. 43, 44). I will kindle a fire that shall devour every green tree and every dry tree (Ezek. xx. 47). Because " tree" signifies man, it was a statute That the fruit of a tree not serviceable for food in the land of Canaan should be as uncircumcised (Lev. xix. 23, 24). Because an olive tree signifies a man of the celestial church, it is said: — Of the two witnesses who prophesied, that they were two olive trees standing near the God of the whole earth (Apoc. xi. 4 ; also Zech. iv. 3, 11, 12). And in David: — I am like a green olive tree in the house of God (Ps. Iii. 3). And in Jeremiah : — Jehovah called thy name, a green olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit (xi. 16,17); besides other passages which are not here presented on account of their great number. 469. At this day any one who is inwardly wise is able to see or divine that what is written of Adam and his wife involves spiritual things, which no one has heretofore known, because the spiritual sense of the Word has not been disclosed until 8 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. now. Who cannot readily see that Jehovah could not have planted two trees in the garden, and one of them for a stum- bling-block, except for the sake of some spiritual representa- tion? Again, does it square with Divine justice that because they both ate of that tree they were accursed, and that this curse clings to every man that comes after them, thus that the whole human race was damned for the fault of one man, in which there was no evil arising from lust of the flesh or iniquity of heart ? Why did not Jehovah in the first place restrain man from eating of the tree, since He was present and saw the con- sequences ? And why did He not hurl the serpent into Hades before he had persuaded them ? But, my friend, God did not do this, because He would thus have deprived man of his free- dom of choice, from which man is man, and not a beast. When this is known it is very evident that by these two trees, one of life and the other of death, man's freedom of choice in spirit- ual things is represented. Moreover, inherited evil is not from that source, but from parents, by whom an inclination to the evil in which they themselves have been is transmitted to their children. The truth of this is clearly seen by any one who care- fully studies the manners, dispositions, and faces of the chil- dren, and even of the households that have descended from one father. Nevertheless, it depends on each one in a family whether he will accede to or withdraw from inherited evil, since every one is left to his own choice. But the particular significance of the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil has been fully explained in the Memorable Rela- tion recorded above (n. 48), which see. III. MAN IS NOT LIFE, BUT A RECEPTACLE OF LIFE FROM GOD. 470. It is generally believed that life is in man as his own, thus that he is not only a receptacle of life, but is also life. This general belief is from its so appearing, since man lives, that is, feels, thinks, speaks and acts, wholly as if from him- self. Wherefore the statement that man is a receptacle of life, N. 470] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 9 and not life, must needs seem like something unheard of, or like a paradox, because it is opposed to the appearance, and thus to sensual thought. The cause of the fallacious belief that man is also life itself, consequently that life was created in man and afterward generated by parents, I have adduced from the ap- pearance; but the reason why the fallacy is drawn from the appearance, is that most men at the present day are natural, and but few are spiritual, and the natural man judges from ap- pearances and their fallacies, which are diametrically opposed to the truth that man is not life but only a receptacle of life. [2] That man is not life but a receptacle of life from God can be seen from these evident proofs, that all created things are in themselves finite, and that man, being finite, could have been created only from things finite. Therefore it is said in the book of Creation, that Adam was made from the earth and its dust, from which he was also named, for " Adam" means the earth's soil ; and it is a fact that every man consists only of such things as are in the earth, and from the earth in the atmospheres. Those things that are in the atmospheres from the earth man absorbs by means of his lungs and the pores of his whole body, and the grosser elements he absorbs by means of food composed of earthy substances. [3] But in regard to man's spirit, that also is created from finite things. What is man's spirit but a recep- tacle of the life of the mind ? The finite things of which it is composed are spiritual substances, which are in the spiritual world, and are also brought together in our earth and hidden therein. Unless they were therein along with material things no seed could be impregnated from things inmost, and then grow in a wonderful manner undeviatingly from the first shoot even to fruit and to new seed. Neither could any worms be pro- created from effluvia from the earth and exhalations from vege- table matters, with which the atmospheres are impregnated. [4] Who can think rationally that the infinite can create anything but finite things, and that man, being finite, is anything but a form which the infinite can vivify from the life in itself ? And this is what is meant by these words : — Jehovah God formed man, the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives (Gen. ii. 7). God, because He is infinite, is Life in Himself. This He can- 10 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHL not create and then transfer into man, for that would be to make man God. That this was done was the insane idea of the serpent or the devil, and from him of Adam and Eve ; for the serpent said: — In the day ye eat of the f rait of this tree your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God (Gen. iii. 5). [5] This dire persuasion that God transfused and transferred Himself into men, was held by the men of the Most Ancient church at its end, when it was consummated. This I have heard from their own mouths ; and on account of that horrible belief that they were consequently gods, they lie deeply hidden in a cavern near to which no one can approach without being seized by an inward dizziness which causes him to fall. That the Most Ancient church is meant and described by Adam and his wife, has been made known in the preceding section. 471. Who does not see, when he is able to think from rea- son elevated above the sensual things of the body, that life is not creatable ? For what is life but the inmost activity of the love and wisdom that are in God and are God, which life, in- deed, may be called the essential living force ? He who sees this can also see that this life cannot be transferred into any man, except in connection with love and wisdom. Who denies or can deny that every good of love and every truth of wisdom is solely from God, and that so far as man receives these from God he lives from God, and is said to be born of God, that is, regenerated ? On the other hand, so far as one does not receive love and wisdom, or what is the same, charity and faith, he does not receive from God the life that is life in itself, but life from hell, and this is no other than inverted life which is called spir- itual death. 472. From the foregoing it can be perceived and concluded that the following things are not creatable, namely: (1) The in- finite is not. (2) Love and wisdom are not. (3) Consequently life is not. (4) Light and heat are not. (5) Even activity it- self viewed in itself is not. But organs receptive of these are creatable and have been created. These statements may be illustrated by the following comparisons: Light is not creat- able, but its organ, the eye, is; sound, which is an activity of N. 472] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 11 the atmosphere, is not creatable, but its organ, the ear, is; neither is heat, which is the primary active principle, for the reception of which all things in the three kingdoms of nature have been created, and according to this reception are acted upon, but do not act. [2] It is from the order of creation, that wherever there are actives there are also passives, and that these two should join themselves together as a one. If actives were creatable as passives are there would have been no need of the sun, and heat and light from it, but all created things would have permanent existence without these. But if these should be taken away the created universe would lapse into chaos. [3] The sun itself of this world consists of created substances, the activity of which produces fire. These things are presented for the sake of illustration. It would be the same with man, if spiritual light, which in its essence is wisdom, and spiritual heat, which in its essence is love, did not flow into man aud were not received by him. The entire man is nothing but a form organized to receive light and heat, both from the natural world and from the spiritual world, for these two worlds cor- respond to each other. If it were denied that man is a form re- ceptive of love and wisdom from God, influx would also be de- nied, and thus that all good is from God. Conjunction with God would also be denied, and consequently, that man can be an abode and temple of God would be an expression devoid of meaning. 473. But man does not know this from any light of reason, for that light is obscured by fallacies that arise from the ap- pearances pertaining to the external bodily senses, and that are believed in. Man has no other feeling than that he lives from his own life, because the instrumental feels the principal to be its own, and is unable therefore to distinguish between the prin- cipal and the instriunental, for these two causes act together as one cause, according to a theory known in the learned world. The principal cause is life, and the instrumental cause is man's mind. The appearance is also that beasts possess life created within them, but this is a similar fallacy ; for beasts are organs created to receive light and heat both from the natural world and from the spiritual world. For each species is a form of some natural love, and receives light and heat from the spirit- 12 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. ual world mediately through heaven and hell ; the gentle beasts through heaven, and the fierce through hell. Man alone re- ceives light and heat, that is, wisdom and love, immediately from the Lord. This is the difference. 474. That the Lord is Life in Himself, thus Life itself, He teaches in John : — The Word was with God, and God was the "Word ; in Him was life, and the life was the light of men (i. 1, 4). Again : — As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (v. 26). And again: — I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (xiv. 6). And again: — He that followeth Me shall have the light of life (viii. 12). 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. 475. In order to know what freedom of choice is and the nature of it, it is necessary to know its origin. Especially from a recognition of its origin it can be known, not only that there is such a thing as freedom of choice, but also what it is. Its origin is in the spiritual world, where man's mind is kept by the Lord. Man's mind is his spirit, which lives after death ; and his spirit is constantly in company with its like in the spirit- ual world, and at the same time by means of the material body with which it is enveloped, it is with men in the natural world. Man does not know that in respect to his mind he is in the midst of spirits, for the reason that the spirits with whom he is in company in the spiritual world, think and speak spirit- ually, while his own spirit thinks and speaks naturally so long as he is in the material body ; and the natural man cannot un- N. 475] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 13 derstand or perceive spiritual thought and speech, nor the re- verse. This is why spirits cannot be seen. But when the spirit of man is in company with spirits in their world, he is also in spiritual thought and speech with them, because his mind is interiorly spiritual but exteriorly natural ; therefore by means of his interiors he communicates with spirits, while by means of his exteriors he communicates with men. By such communi- cation man has a perception of things, and thinks about them analytically. If it were not for such communication, man would have no more thought or other thought than a beast, and if all connection with spirits were taken away from him, he woidd instantly die. [2] But to make it comprehensible how man can be kept midway between heaven and hell and thereby in spir- itual equilibrium from which he has freedom of choice, it shall be briefly explained. The spiritual world consists of heaven and hell ; heaven then is overhead, and hell is beneath the feet, not, however, in the center of the globe inhabited by men, but below the lands of the spiritual world, which are also of spirit- ual origin, and therefore not extended [spatially], but with an appearance of extension. [3] Between heaven and hell there is a great interspace, which to those who are there appears like a complete orb. Into this interspace, evil exhales from hell in all abundance ; while from heaven, on the other hand, good flows into it, also in all abundance. It was of this interspace that Abraham said to the rich man in hell:— Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed ; so that they who would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they who are there cross over to us (Luke xvi. 26). Every man, as to his spirit, is in the midst of this interspace, solely for this reason, that he may be in freedom of choice. [4] Because this interspace is so large and because it appears to those who are there like a vast orb, it is called the World of Spirits. Moreover, it is full of spirits, because every man after death first goes there, and is there prepared either for heaven or for hell. There he is among spirits, in company with them, as formerly he was among men in the world. There is no pur- gatory there ; that is a fiction invented by the Roman Catholics. But that world has been treated of particularly in the work on Heaven and Hell (London, 1758, n. 421-535). 14 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. 476. Every man from infancy even to old age is changing his locality or situation in that world. When an infant he is kept in the eastern quarter towards the northern part ; when a child, as he learns the first lessons of religion, he moves grad- ually from the north towards the south; when a youth, as he begins to exercise his own thoughts, he is borne southward ; and afterwards when he judges for himself and becomes his own master, he is borne into the southern quarter towards the east, according to his growth in such things as have regard interiorly to God and love to the neighbor. But if he inclines to evil and imbibes it, he advances towards the west. For all in the spir- itual world have their abodes according to the quarters ; in the east are those who are in good from the Lord, because the sun, in the midst of which is the Lord, is in that quarter; in the north are those who are in ignorance ; in the south, those who are in intelligence ; and in the west, those who are in evil. Man himself is not kept as to his body in that interspace or middle region, but only as to his spirit ; and as his spirit changes its state by advancing towards good or towards evil, so is it trans- ferred to localities or situations in this quarter or in that, and comes into association with those who dwell there. But it must be understood that the Lord does not transfer man to this or that place, but man transfers himself in different ways. If he chooses good, he together with the Lord, or rather the Lord to- gether with him, transfers his spirit towards the east. But if man chooses evil, he together with the devil, or rather the devil together with him, transfers his spirit towards the west. It must be noticed that where the term heaven is here used, the Lord also is meant, because the Lord is the all in all things of heaven; and where the term devil is used, hell also is meant, because all who are there are devils. 477. Man is kept in this great interspace, and midway there- in continually, for the sole purpose that he may have freedom of choice in spiritual things, for this is a spiritual equilibrium, because it is an equilibrium between heaven and hell, thus be- tween good and evil. All who are in that great interspace are, as to their interiors, conjoined either with the angels of heaven or with the devils of hell ; or at the present day either with the angels of Michael or with the angels of the dragon. After death N. 477] FREEDOM OE CHOICE 15 every man betakes himself to his own in that interspace and associates himself with those who are in a love similar to his own, for love conjoins every one there with his like, and causes him to breathe out his soul freely, and to continue in his pre- vious state of life. But the externals that do not make one with his internals are then gradually put off, and when this has been done the good man is raised up to heaven, and the evil man be- takes himself to hell, each to such as he is at one with as to his ruling love. 478. This spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom of choice, may be illustrated by various forms of natural equilibrium. It is like the equilibrium of a man bound about his body or at his arms between two men of equal strength, one of whom draws the man between them to the right, and the other to the left, so that the man in the middle can freely turn this way or that as if unrestrained by any force ; and if he turns toward the right he draws the man on his left forcibly toward him, even bring- ing him to the ground. It would be the same with any unre- sisting person, even if bound between three men on his right, and the same number on his left, of equal power; also if bound between camels or horses. [2] Spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom of choice, may be compared to a balance, in each scale of which equal weights are placed ; but if a slight weight is then added to either scale, the tongue of the scale begins to vibrate. It is similar with a pole or large beam balanced on its support. Each and all things within man, as the heart, the lungs, the stomach, the liver, the pancreas, the spleen, the intestines, and the rest, are in such a state of equilibrium ; and for this reason each is able to discharge its functions in perfect quiet. It is the same with all the muscles ; if they were without such equilibrium all action and reaction would cease, and man would no longer act as a man. Since, then, all things of the body are in such equilibrium, so are all things of the brain, and consequently all things of the mind therein, which relate to the will and under- standing. [3] There is a freedom also belonging to beasts, birds, fishes and insects ; but these are impelled by their bodily senses, prompted by appetite and pleasure. Man would not be unlike these if his freedom to do were equal to his freedom to think. He, too, would then be impelled by his bodily senses, prompted 16 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. by lust and pleasure. It is otherwise with one who heartily ac- cepts the spiritual things of the church, and by means of them restrains his freedom of choice. Such a man is led by the Lord away from lusts and evil pleasures and his connate avidity for them, and acquires an affection for what is good, and turns away from evil. He is then transferred by the Lord nearer to the east, and at the same time to the south of the spiritual world, and is introduced into heavenly freedom, which is freedom in- deed. V. IT IS CLEARLY MANIFEST FROM THAT PERMISSION OF EVIL IN WHICH EVERY ONE'S INTERNAL MAN IS THAT MAN HAS FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN SPIRITUAL THINGS. 479. That man has freedom of choice in spiritual things must first be confirmed by generals and afterward by particulars which every one will acknowledge at first hearing. The gen- erals are : (1) That the wisest of mankind, Adam and his wife, suffered themselves to be seduced by a serpent. (2) That their first son Cain slew his brother Abel, and Jehovah God did not hinder them by speaking to them, but only by a curse after the deed. (3) That the Israelitish nation worshiped a golden calf in the desert, and yet Jehovah saw this from Mount Sinai, and did not prevent it. (4) That David numbered the people, and a plague was therefore sent upon them, by which so many thou- sands of men perished ; and that God, not before but after the deed, sent Gad the prophet to David, and denounced punish- ment upon him. (5) That Solomon was permitted to estab- lish idolatrous forms of worship. (6) And many kings after him were permitted to profane the temple and the holy things of the church, and at length that nation was permitted to cru- cify the Lord. (7) That Mohammed was permitted to estab- lish a religion in many respects not conformable to Sacred Scrip- ture. (8) That the Christian religion is divided into many sects, and each into heresies. (9) That there are so many im- pious persons in Christendom, and even a glorying in impieties, N. 479] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 17 as also machinations and wiles even against the pious, right- eous and sincere. (10) That injustice sometimes triumphs over justice in law and business. (11) That even impious persons are exalted to honors, and become leaders in church and state. (12) That wars are permitted, the slaughter of so many men, and the plundering of so many cities, nations, and families ; and so on. Can any one deduce such things from any other source than the possession of freedom of choice by every man ? The permission of evil known throughout the world has no other origin. That the laws of permission are also laws of Divine Providence may be seen in the work on The Divine Providence (Amsterdam, 1764, n. 231-271), where the foregoing examples are explained. 480. The particulars which prove that man has freedom of choice as much in spiritual things as in natural things, are in- numerable. Let any one, if he wishes, give attention to him- self, and see whether he cannot, seventy times a day, or three hundred times a week, think of God, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, and Divine things, which are called the spiritual things of the church ; and let him see whether in this he feels any compul- sion, whether he is moved to think so by any pleasure, or even by any lust, and this whether he has faith or not. Consider also, in whatever state you may be, whether you are able to think about anything without freedom of choice, either in your conversation, or in your prayers to God, or in preaching, or even in listening. Does not freedom of choice carry every point in these actions ? And still further, without freedom of choice in every particular, even to the most minute particulars, you could no more breathe than a statue; for respiration follows thought and speech therefrom in every step. I say, no more than a statue, rather no more than a beast, because a beast breathes from a natural freedom of choice, but man from a freedom of choice both in things natural and in things spiritual ; for a man is not born like a beast. A beast is born with all the ideas that are attendant upon its natural love in matters pertaining to nutrition and propagation ; but a man is born destitute of con- nate ideas, having only the capacity to know, understand, and become wise, and an inclination to love both himself and the world, and also the neighbor and God. This is why it is said Vol. II.— 2 18 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. that if freedom of choice were taken from man in all the par- ticulars of his volition and thought, he could no more breathe than a statue, and why it is not said, no more than a beast. 481. No one denies that man has freedom of choice in nat- ural things. But this a man has from his freedom of choice in spiritual things ; for, as has been shown already, the Lord flows into every man from above or within with the Divine good and truth, and thereby breathes into man a life distinct from the life of beasts, and gives him the power and the will to receive the Divine good and Divine truth and to act from these ; and this He never takes away from any. From this it follows that it is the unceasing will of the Lord that man should receive truth and do good, and thus become spiritual, and for this he was born; and to become spiritual without freedom of choice in spiritual things is as impossible as it is to thrust a camel through the eye of a sewing needle, or to touch a star in the firmament with the hand. That the ability to understand truth and to will it is given to every man, even to devils, and is never taken away, has been shown me by living experience. On one occasion one of those who were in hell was brought up into the world of spirits, and was there asked by angels from heaven whether he could understand the things they said to him, which were Divine spiritual things; and he said that he could. He was then asked why he did not accept such things ; and he re- plied that he did not wish for them because he did not love them. He was then told that he could wish for them. He was astonished at this, and said that he could not. Therefore the angels breathed into his understanding the glory of reputation with its pleasantness, receiving which he did wish for them and even loved them. But presently he was sent back into his for- mer state, in which he was a plunderer, an adulterer, and a ca- lumniator of his neighbor; and then he no longer understood those things because he did not wish to do so. From this it is clear that man is man by virtue of his freedom of choice in spiritual things, and that without it he would be like a stock, or a stone, or the statue of Lot's wife. 482. That man would have no freedom of choice in civil, moral, and natural things, if he had none in spiritual things, is evident from this, that spiritual things, which are called theo- N. 482] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 19 logical, have their seat in the highest region of his mind, like the soul in the body. They have their seat there because there is the door through which the Lord enters into man. Beneath these are things civil, moral, and natural, which in man receive all their life from the spiritual things that have their abode above them. And because life from the highest regions flows in from the Lord, and man's life is an ability to think and will freely, and to speak and act therefrom, it follows that his free- dom of choice in political and natural affairs is from that source and no other. From that spiritual freedom man has a percep- tion of what is good and true, and of what is just and right in civil matters ; and this perception is the understanding itself in its essence. [2] Man's freedom of choice in spiritual things is comparatively like the air in the lungs, which is inhaled, re- tained and expelled in accordance with all the changes of his thought; and without that freedom he would be worse than one laboring under a nightmare, angina, or asthma. It is also like the blood in the heart ; if this began to fail the heart would first palpitate, and then after a few convulsive movements, would cease to beat altogether. It may also be compared to a body in motion, which keeps moving as long as the effort in it contin- ues ; but both motion and effort cease at the same time. So al- so is it with the freedom of choice which man's will possesses. Both of these, freedom of choice and the will, may be called the living effort in man, for when volition ceases, action ceases, and when freedom of choice ceases volition ceases. [3] If man were deprived of spiritual freedom, it would be comparatively as if the wheels were taken from machinery, the fans from a windmill, or the sails from a vessel. It would even be as with one who in dying sends forth his last breath; for the life of man's spirit consists in his freedom of choice in spiritual things. The angels weep when they but hear it said that this freedom of choice is denied by many ministers of the church at this day ; and they call this denial madness upon madness. 20 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII VI. WITHOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN SPIRITUAL THINGS THE WORD WOULD BE OF NO USE, AND CONSEQUENTLY THE CHURCH WOULD BE NOTHING. 483. It is known throughout the Christian world that in the broadest sense the Word means the law, or the book of the laws, in accordance with which man must live to obtain eternal life. And what is there more frequently taught in it than that man should do good and not evil, and should believe in God and not in idols ? And it is full of commands and exhortations to do these things, and of blessings and promises of reward for those who do them, and of curses and threats for those who do not. To what purpose is this, if man has no freedom of choice in spiritual things, that is, in such things as relate to salvation and eternal life? Would it not be void of meaning, and sub- serve no use ? And if man were to cling to the idea that he has no power and no liberty in spiritual things, and thus were to be separated from any power of will in spiritual matters, would the Sacred Scriptures then seem to him to be anything more than a blank sheet without a syllable upon it, or like a sheet upon which a whole inkstand had been emptied, or like mere curves and dots without any letters, therefore like an empty volume? [2] To confirm this from the Word ought not to be necessary, but as the churches of to-day have poured themselves forth in mental inanities respecting spiritual things, and to confirm these have brought forth passages from the Word which have been falsely interpreted, it may be well to present others which command man to do and to believe. Such are the following: — The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Matt. xxi. 43). Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. And even now the axe is laid unto the root of the tree; every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire (Luke iii. 8, 9). Jesus said, Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say ? Every one who cometh to Me, and heareth My words, and doeth them, is like a man building a house upon a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not, is like unto a man that built a house upon the ground with- out a foundation (Luke vi. 46-49). N. 483] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 21 Jesus said, My mother and My brethren are those who hear the Word of God and do it (Luke viii. 21). We know that God heareth not sinners ; but if one worship God, and do His will, him He heareth (John ix. 31). If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them (John xiii. 17). He that hath My commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth Me ; and I will love him (John xiv. 21). Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit (John xv. 8). Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you ; I have chosen you, that ye should bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain (John xv. 14, 16). Make the tree good, the tree is known by its fruit (Matt. xii. 33). Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance (Matt. iii. 8). He that is sown upon good ground this is he that heareth the Word, and beareth fruit (Matt. xiii. 23). He that reapeth receiveth reward, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal (John iv. 30). Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings ; learn to do good (Isa. i. 16, 17). The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father, and then He shall render unto every one according to his deeds (Matt. xvi. 27). And shall come forth, they that have done goods, unto the resurrection of life (John v. 29). Their works do follow with them (Apoc. xiv. 13). Behold, I come quickly ; and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according to his work (Apoc. xxii. 12). Jehovah whose eyes are open to give every one according to his ways. According to our doings, hath He dealt with us (Jer. xxxii. 19 ; Zech. i.6). [3] The Lord teaches the same in His parables, many of which imply that those who do good will be accepted while those who do evil will be rejected, As in the parable of the workmen in the vineyard (Matt. xxi. 33-44). Of the talents and pounds given to trade with (Matt. xxv. 14-31; Luke xix. 13-25). So also of Faith ; Jesus said, Whosoever believeth in Me shall never die, but shall live ( John xi. 25, 26). This is the will of the Father, that every one who believeth in the Son may have eternal life (John vi. 40) . He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life ; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him (John iii. 36). For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John iii. 16). 22 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. And again : — Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets (Matt. xxii. 37-40). But these are only a very few of such passages in the Word, and they are like a few cups of water from the sea. 484. Who does not see the emptiness (I do not wish to say the foolishness) of the extracts quoted above (n. 464) from the ecclesiastical work entitled Formula Concordice, when he has read them, together with some passages quoted here and else- where from the Word? Would he not think to himself: If it were as there taught, that man has no freedom of choice in spir- itual things, what but an idle word would religion be, which is doing good ? And what is the church apart from religion but like a bark about a stick which is fit for nothing but to be burned ? And he would think, moreover, If there is no church because no religion, what are heaven and hell but the fables of ministers and rulers of the church to ensnare the people, and elevate themselves to higher honors ? And this is the source of that detestable saying on the lips of many : Who can do good, or acquire faith of himself? Consequently they disregard these things, and live like pagans. But my friend, shun evil- and do good and believe in the Lord from all your heart and in all your soul, and the Lord will love you, and will give you a love of doing and faith to believe. Then from love you will do good, and from faith, which is trust, you will believe ; and if you persevere in so doing, a reciprocal conjunction will be effected, which will be perpetual, and this is salvation itself and eternal life. If man from the powers given him should fail to do good, and from his mind should fail to believe in the Lord, what would he be but a wilderness and a desert, or altogether like dry ground, which does not receive the rain, but throws it off, or like a sandy plain where there are sheep without pasture ? And he would be like a dried-up foun- tain, or like stagnant water therein, its course being obstructed ; or like an abode where there is neither harvest nor water, where, unless he quickly fled from the place and sought a habitable abode elsewhere, he would perish with hunger and thirst. N. 485] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 23 VII. WITHOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IX SPIRITUAL THINGS, THERE WOULD BE NOTHING IX MAN WHEREBY HE COULD IN TURN CONJOIN HIMSELF WITH THE LORD ; CONSEQUENTLY THERE WOULD BE NO IMPUTATION, BUT MERE PREDESTINATION, WHICH IS DETESTABLE. 485. That without freedom of choice in spiritual things there would be neither charity nor faith in any man, still less a conjunction of the two, has been fully shown in the chapter on Faith. From this it follows, that without freedom of choice in spiritual things there would be nothing in man whereby the Lord could conjoin Himself to him, and yet, without reciprocal conjunction, no reformation or regeneration, and thus no sal- vation is possible. That without a reciprocal conjunction of man with the Lord, and of the Lord with man, there would be no imputation, is an irrefragable consequence. The conclu- sions that follow from confirming the idea that there is any im- putation of good and evil without freedom of choice in spiritual things, are numerous, and in the latter part of this work, where it treats of the heresies, paradoxes, and contradictions flowing from the faith of the present day, which imputes to man the merit and righteousness of the Lord God the Saviour, these preposterous conclusions will be exposed. 486. Predestination is an offspring of the faith of the pres- ent church, for it is born from a belief in man's absolute im- potence, with no power of choice in spiritual things ; it is born from this doctrine and also from the belief in man's conversion as being a dead thing, in that he is like a stock, and has there- fore no conscious knowledge whether he is a stock vivified by grace or not. For it is said that election is of the mere grace of God, exclusive of all human action, whether it proceed from the powers of nature or of reason, and that it takes place where and when God wills, thus from His good pleasure. The works that follow faith as evidences thereof, resemble, to a reflecting mind, the works of the flesh; and the spirit which produces them does not make evident their origin, but effects them out of 24 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIIL grace or good pleasure, like faith itself. [2] From all this it is clear that the dogma of the present church respecting predesti- nation has come forth from this belief like a shoot from its seed ; and I may say that it has flowed forth out of it as an almost inevitable consequence. This consequence was first reached by the Predestinarians, then by Gottschalk, afterwards by Cal- vin and his disciples, and was at length firmly established by the Synod of Dort, and from that was carried forth into the church as the palladium of religion, or rather as the head of Gorgon or Medusa engraved on the shield of Pallas by the Supra-Lapsarians and Infra-Lapsarians. [3] But what more pernicious thing could have been devised, or could anything more cruel be believed of God, than that some of the human race are damned by predestination? For would it not be a cruel creed, that the Lord, who is love itself and mercy itself, should desire a multitude to be born for hell, or that myriads of myr- iads should be born doomed, that is, devils and satans ; also that from His Divine wisdom, which is infinite, He should not have provided and does not provide, that those who live well and ac- knowledge God should not be cast into eternal fire and torment ? He is ever the Lord, the Creator and Saviour of all, and He alone leads all, and desires not the death of any. Therefore, what more infamous thing could be believed or thought than that whole nations and peoples should, under His auspices and over- sight, be handed over by predestination to the devil as his prey, to satisfy his voracity ? But this is an offspring of the faith of the present church ; the faith of the New Church abhors it as a monster. 487. I had thought that such senseless doctrine never could have been sanctioned by any Christian, much less have found utterance and a public promulgation ; and yet this was done by many chosen men of the clergy at the Synod of Dort, in Hol- land, and the creed was afterward elegantly written and given to the public ; and because of this and to remove my doubts, some of those who aided in framing the decrees of that synod were sent to me. When they appeared standing near me, I said, "Who from any sound reason can reach the conclusion that predestination is true doctrine ? Can it be that any but cruel ideas of God and N. 487] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 25 shameful ideas of religion should flow from it ? "When any one has engraved predestination on his heart by means of confirma- tions must he not think of all that pertains to the church as des- titute of meaning, and the same of the Word ? And must he not think of God, who has predestined to hell so many myriads of men, as a tyrant ?" [2] At these remarks they looked at me with a satanic expression, and said, "We were among those chosen to form the Synod of Dort, and we then confirmed our- selves and have since continued to do so still more in many ideas respecting God, the Word, and religion, which we have not dared to make public; but when we have spoken on these subjects and taught them, we have twisted and woven a web of various col- ored threads, and over it strewed feathers borrowed from the wings of peacocks." But because they still wished to do the same, the angels, by power given them by the Lord, closed the externals of their minds and opened the internals, and from these they were compelled to speak. And then they said, " Our faith, which we have formed by conclusions, one following from another, was and still is as follows : — [3] (1) " That there is no Word of Jehovah God, but some windy afflatus from the mouths of the prophets. This we have thought, because the Word predestines all to heaven, and teaches that man alone is in fault if he does not walk in the ways that lead thither. (2) That religion exists because it is necessary ; but it is like a strong wind bearing a fragrant odor for the vul- gar; therefore that it ought to be taught by ministers, both small and great, and from the Word too, because the Word is accepted. This we have thought, because where there is pre- destination there religion is a nullity. (3) That the civil laws of justice are religion ; but predestination is not determined by a life in accord with those laws, but by the pure good pleasure of God, as with a king in whose mere glance there is absolute power. (4) That all that the church teaches ought to be ex- ploded as vanity, and rejected as rubbish, except that there is a God. (5) That spiritual things, which are so cried up, are noth- ing but ethereal substances beneath the sun, which induce upon man, if they penetrate deeply into him, vertigo and stupor, and make him a detestable monster in the sight of God." (6) When they were asked about faith (from which they deduced predesti- 26 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. nation), whether they believed it to be spiritual, they said that .it was effected according to predestination, but when it is given men were like stocks. From this they are indeed vivified, but not spiritually. [4] After these horrible sayings they wished to go away ; but I said to them, " Wait a little longer, and I will read you some- thing from Isaiah ; " and I read the following : — Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken ; for out of the serpent's root hath gone forth a cockatrice, whose fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent (xiv. 29). And this I explained by the spiritual sense, showing that " Phil- istia" means the church separate from charity ; that the " cock- atrice" that had gone forth from the serpent's root means its doctrine of three Gods and of imputative faith applied to each singly; and that its "fruit," which is a fiery flying serpent, means no imputation of good and evil, but immediate mercy, whether man lives well or ill. [5] Hearing this, they said, "It may be so; but from that volume which you call the Holy Word select something on predestination." And I opened the book, and in the same Prophet I came upon the following passage, which suited the purpose : — They hatched viper's eggs and wove the spider's web ; he that eateth of their eggs dieth ; and when one is crushed it breaketh out into a viper (Isa. fix. 5). Hearing this, they could not endure the explanation ; but some of those who had been sent to me (there were five) hurried away into a cave, round about which appeared a dusky burning, a sign that they had neither faith nor charity. Evidently, therefore, the decree of that synod respecting predestination is not only an insane but a cruel heresy; and ought, therefore, to be so rooted out from the brain that not a single vestige of it shall be left. 488. The inhuman belief that God predestinates man to hell, may be likened to the inhumanity of fathers among certain bar- barous races, who cast their sucklings and infants into the streets ; or to the inhumanity of some warriors who throw their slain into forests to be devoured by wild beasts. It may also N. 488] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 27 be likened to the cruelty of a tyrant, who divides a people he has subdued into classes, giving some of them to the hangman, throwing some into the depths of the sea, and some into the fire. It may also be likened to the fury of some wild beasts, which devour their own young ; and also to the madness of dogs that fly at the reflection of themselves in a mirror. 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. 489. That God is the cause of evil follows from the prevail- ing belief, which was first hatched by those who held council in the city of Nice. There was concocted and established the still persistent heresy, that there were from eternity three Divine persons, each one a God by Himself. This egg being hatched, the adherents of the belief must needs approach each Person separately as God. They compiled a creed that imputed to men the merit or righteousness of the Lord God the Saviour ; and that no man might share with the Lord in that merit, they took away from man all freedom of choice in spiritual things, and decreed the utmost impotence as to that faith. And as they de- duced everything spiritual pertaining to the church from that faith alone, they asserted a like impotence with reference to everything that the church teaches concerning salvation. Hence sprung, one after another, direful heresies based upon that faith and man's impotence in spiritual things, and also that most per- nicious heresy, predestination, which was treated of in the pre- ceding section ; all of which imply that God is the cause of evil, or that He created both good and evil. But, my friend, put faith in no council, but in the Lord's Word, which is above councils. What have not Roman Catholic councils produced ? Or that of Dort, from which came forth that terrible viper, predestina- tion ? It may be thought that giving to man freedom of choice 28 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI in spiritual things was the mediate cause of evil ; consequently, that if such freedom of choice had not been given him, he could not have transgressed. But, my friend, pause here, and con- sider whether any man could have been so created as to be a man without freedom of choice in spiritual things. If deprived of that, he would be no longer a man but only a statue. What is freedom of choice but the power to will and do, and to think and speak to all appearance as if of oneself? Because this power was given to man in order that he might live as a man, two trees were placed in the garden of Eden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ; and this signifies that because of the freedom given him, man is able to eat of the fruit of the tree of life or of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 490. That everything that God created was good, appears from the first chapter of Genesis, where it is said (verses 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), "God saw that it was good;" and finally (in verse 31), that " God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good ;" also from man's primeval state in paradise. But that evil has its origin in man, is plain from Adam's state succeeding the fall, or after it, in that he was expelled from paradise. From this it is clear that unless freedom of choice in spiritual things had been given to man, not man, but God Him- self, would have been the cause of evil, and thus God would have been the creator both of good and of evil. But to think that God created evil is abominable. Because God gave man freedom of choice in spiritual things He did not create evil, neither does He ever inspire any evil into man, for the reason that He is good itself, and in that good is omnipresent, contin- ually urging and importuning to be received; and even when not received, He does not withdraw ; for if He were to withdraw, man would instantly die, nay, would lapse into non-entity ; for man's life, and the subsistence of all things of which he con- sists, are from God. God did not create evil, but evil was in- troduced by man himself, since man turns the good which is continually flowing in from God into evil, whereby he turns himself away from God and toward himself; and when this is done, delight in good remains, but then becomes delight in evil ; for unless a delight seemingly similar remained, man could not N. 490] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 29 continue to live; since delight constitutes the life of his love. Nevertheless these two kinds of delight are diametrically oppo- site to each other ; but man does not know this so long as he lives in the world ; but he will know it after death and will have a clear perception of it, for then delight of the love of good is turned into heavenly blessedness, while delight of the love of evil is turned into infernal horror. From the foregoing it is evi- dent that every man was predestined to heaven, and no one to hell; but that man gives himself over to hell by the abuse of his freedom of choice in spiritual things, whereby he embraces such things as exhale from hell. For, as before said, every man is kept midway between heaven and hell, that he may be in a state of equilibrium between good and evil, and consequently in freedom of choice in spiritual things. 491. That God has implanted freedom not only in man, but also in every beast, and an analogue of it even in things inan- imate, enabling each to receive it according to its nature, as He also provides what is good for them all ; but that the objects themselves turn the good into evil, may be illustrated by com- parisons. The atmosphere gives to every man the ability to breathe, and in like manner to every beast tame or wild, also to every bird, the owl and dove alike ; it also gives the ability to fly, and yet it is not the atmosphere that causes its gifts to be received by creatures of contrary genius and nature. The ocean furnishes in itself an abode and also offers nourishment, to every fish; but the ocean does not cause one fish there to devour an- other, or the crocodile to turn its food into poison with which it kills men. The sun provides heat and light for all things ; but objects, such as the various vegetable productions of the earth, receive these diversely, a good tree and a good shrub in one way, and the thorn and thistle in another; or a harmless herb in one way, and a poisonous herb hi another. The rain falls from the higher region of the atmosphere upon all parts of the earth ; and the earth administers the waters therefrom to every shrub, herb, and grass, and each one of them takes to it- self according to its need. This is what is called an analogue of freedom of choice, because they drink in the rain freely through their little mouths, pores, and ducts, which stand open in the warm seasons, the earth merely supplying the fluids and ele- 30 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. ments, and the plants partaking of them from a certain kind of hunger and thirst. The like is true of men, in that the Lord flows into every man with spiritual heat, which in its essence is good of love, and with spiritual light, which in its essence is the truth of wisdom; but man receives these according to whether he turns towards God or towards self. Therefore the Lord, in teaching about love towards the neighbor, says : — That ye may be the children of the Father, who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the un- just (Matt. v. 45). And elsewhere He says : — That He desires the salvation of all. 492. To the foregoing I add this Memorable Relation: — Several times I have heard expressions respecting good of charity made to descend from heaven, which passed through the world of spirits and penetrated into hell, even to its depths ; and in their progress these expressions were turned into such as were directly contrary to good of charity, and finally into expressions of hatred of the neighbor; a sign that everything that goes forth from the Lord is good, and that it is turned into evil by the spirits in hell. The same was done with certain truths of faith, which in their progress were turned into the opposite falsities. For it is the recipient form itself that turns whatever enters into it into what is in accord with itself. IX. EVERYTHING SPIRITUAL OF THE CHURCH THAT ENTERS INTO MAN IN FREEDOM, AND IS RECEIVED WITH FREE- DOM, REMAINS; BUT NOT THE REVERSE. 493. That which is received by man with freedom remains in him, because freedom belongs to his will ; and because it be- longs to his will it also belongs to his love. That the will is the receptacle of love has been shown elsewhere. That every- thing belonging to love is free, and also is of the will everv one N. 493] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 31 understands when it is said, "This I will, because I love it;" and on the other hand, "Because I love this I will it." But man's will is two-fold, interior and exterior, that is, it belongs to the internal and to the external man; therefore a deceiver may act and talk before the world in one way and with his familiar friends in another way. Before the world he acts and talks from the will of his external man, but with his familiar friends from the will of his internal man ; but the will here meant is that of the internal man, where his ruling love dwells. From these few remarks it is clear that the interior will is the man himself, for in it is the very being and essence of his life ; while the understanding is the form thereof whereby the will renders its love visible. Everything that man loves and wills from love is free; for whatever proceeds from the love of the internal will is his life's delight; and because this is the being of his life, it is also his very own (propriuwi) ; and this is why that which is received with the freedom of this will, remains, for it adds itself to what is his own. On the contrary, anything that is introduced into man when he is not in freedom is not thus received. But of this hi what follows. 494. But it must be well understood that the spiritual things of the Word and church which man imbibes from love, and which his understanding confirms are what remain in him, but not so things civil and political; because spiritual things ascend into the highest region of the mind, and there take form. This is because the Lord's entrance into man with Divine truths and goods is there, and that region is like a temple in which He resides. But because things civil and political belong to the world, they occupy the lower regions of the mind, and some of them become there like little buildings around that temple, and some like vestibules through which there is entrance. An- other reason why the spiritual things of the church dwell in the highest region of the mind, is that they belong to the soul, and have regard to its eternal life ; and the soul is in things highest, and derives its nourishment from no other than spir- itual food. This is why the Lord calls Himself "Bread," for He says : — I am the living bread which came down out of neaven ; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever (John vi. 51). 32 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIH. That region is also the seat of man's love, which is the source of his happiness after death ; and there too his freedom of choice in spiritual things chiefly resides, and from this descends all the freedom that man possesses in natural things ; and such being the origin of this freedom it enters into all forms of freedom of choice in natural things, and by means of these the ruling love, which occupies the highest region, takes on whatever is condu- cive to its own ends. The communication between these is like that between a spring and the waters that flow from it, or like the communication between the prolific principle itself of a seed and each and all parts of the tree, especially the fruit, in which it renews itself. But when any one denies freedom of choice in spiritual things, and thus rejects it, he makes for himself an- other fountain, and opens a channel from that ; and this changes spiritual freedom into merely natural, and finally into infernal, freedom. And infernal freedom becomes like the prolific prin- ciple of a seed, freely traversing the trunk and branches to the fruit, which owing to its origin is inwardly rotten. 495. All freedom that is from the Lord is freedom indeed, but that which is from hell, and in man therefrom, is bondage. Yet to one who is in infernal freedom spiritual freedom must needs appear like bondage, because the two are opposite. But all who are in spiritual freedom not only know, but also see, that infernal freedom is bondage ; and the angels therefore turn away from that freedom as from a cadaverous stench, while in- fernal spirits draw it in like an aromatic odor. It is known from the Lord's Word that worship from freedom is truly worship, and that spontaneity is pleasing to the Lord ; therefore it is said in David: — I will freely sacrifice unto God (Ps. liv. 6). And again: — The willing ones of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham (Ps. xlvii. 9) . Therefore there were free will offerings among the children of Israel ; their sacred worship consisted chiefly of sacrifices, and because of God's pleasure in what is spontaneous, it was com- manded : — N. 495] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 33 i That every man whose heart impelled him, and every one whose will- ing spirit moved him, should bring an offering to Jehovah for the work of the tabernacle (Ex. xxxv. 5, 21, 29). . And the Lord says : — If ye abide in My Word, ye are truly My disciples ; and. ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be truly free. But every one that committeth sin is the servant (jf sin (John viii. 31-36). 496. That which a man receives with freedom remains, be- cause his will accepts it and appropriates it, and because it enters his love, and the love acknowledges it as its own, and by means of it is formed. This shall be illustrated by comparisons, in which, because they are taken from natural things, heat will be substituted for love. It is well known that by means of heat, and according to the amount of it, the doors are opened in every plant, and as these are opened the plant inwardly returns into the form of its nature, spontaneously partakes of its proper nutriment, retains what is suitable, and grows. It is the same with a beast ; all that it selects and eats from the love of nutri- tion which is called appetite, is added to its body, and thus re- mains. That which is suitable is continually added to the body, because all its components are perpetually renewed. This is known to be so, although by few. [2] Also with beasts heat opens all parts of the body, and causes their natural love to act freely. This is why in spring and summer they enter and re- turn into the instinct of propagating and rearing their young, which they do from the utmost freedom, because to do so be- longs to the ruling love implanted in them by creation for the sake of preserving the universe in the state in which it was created. [3] The freedom of love may be illustrated by this freedom induced by heat, because love produces heat, as is evi- dent from its effects, for man is enkindled, heated and inflamed as love is exalted to zeal, or to a blaze of anger. The heat of the blood or the vital heat of men, and of animals in general, is from no other source. It is because of this correspondence that it is by heat that the bodily parts are adapted to receive freely those things towdiich the love aspires. [4] In such equilibrium and consequent freedom are all things that are within man. In such freedom the heart propels its blood upward and downward Vol. II.— 3 34 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. alike, the mesentery distributes its chyle, the liver does its work for the blood, the kidneys secrete, the glands filter and so on. If this equilibrium were to suffer the member would sicken, and would labor under a paralysis or loss of strength; and herein equilibrium and freedom are one. There is not a substance in the created universe that does not tend to equilibrium, in order that it may be in freedom. X. man's will and understanding are in this freedom of choice; nevertheless in both worlds, the spirit- ual and the natural, the doing of evil is restrained by laws; because otherwise society in both worlds would perish. 497. Every man can know that he has freedom of choice in spiritual things merely by observing his own thought. Is not any man able to think in freedom about God, the Trinity, char- ity and the neighbor, faith and its operation, and about the Word and all its teachings, and, when he has studied theology, about the particulars of these subjects ? And who cannot think and even draw conclusions, and teach and write, either for or against these things ? If man were deprived of this freedom for a single moment, could he continue to think; would not his tongue be dumb, and his hand powerless ? Therefore, my friend, you may if you choose, by merely observing your own thought, reject and detest that absurd and hurtful heresy, which at this day has induced upon Christendom a lethargy respecting the heavenly doctrine of charity and faith, and of salvation there- by, and eternal life. [2] The reasons why this freedom of choice resides in man's will and understanding are the follow- ing : (1) Because these two faculties must first be instructed and reformed, and then by means of these the two faculties of' the external man, which cause him to speak and act. (2) Be- cause these two faculties of the internal man constitute his spirit which lives after death, and which is subject only to Di- N. 497] FREEDOM OE CHOICE 35 vine law, the primary thing of which is, that man should think of the law, should practise and obey it of himself, although from the Lord. [3] (3) Because, as to his spirit, man is midway be- tween heaven and hell, thus between good and evil, and there- fore in equilibrium, and in consequence of this he has freedom of choice in spiritual things (on which equilibrium see above, n. 475 seq.). But so long as man lives in the world, he is as to his spirit in equilibrium between heaven and the world, and then he is scarcely aware that so far as he withdraws from hea- ven and draws nearer to the world, he draws near to hell. He is aware of this and yet not aware, in order that even in this respect he may be in freedom, and may be reformed. [4] (4) Because these two, the will and the understanding, are the two receptacles of the Lord, the will the receptacle of love and char- ity, the understanding the receptacle of wisdom and faith ; and each one of these is made active by the Lord while man is in complete freedom, in order that there may be a mutual and re- ciprocal conjunction between them, whereby salvation is ef- fected. (5) Because all the judgment that is effected in man after death is in accord with the use he has made of freedom of choice in spiritual things. 498. The conclusion from all this is that freedom of choice itself in spiritual things resides in the soul of man in all per- fection, and from that it flows, like a stream into a fountain, in- to his mind, into the two parts of it, which are the will and the understanding, and through these into the bodily senses, and into speech and actions. For in man there are three degrees of life, the soul, the mind, and the sentient body ; and all that is included in the higher degree is more perfect than that which is in a lower degree. It is this freedom of man, through which, in which, and with which, the Lord is present in him, and un- ceasingly urgent to be received ; but He in no way sets aside or takes away this freedom, since, as said above, whatever man does in spiritual things, that is not done from freedom, does not endure. It may therefore be said that the Lord's abode in man is this freedom of man which is in his soul. [2] It is evident without explanation that the doing of evil, in both the spiritual and the natural world, is restrained by laws, since otherwise so- ciety would everywhere cease to exist. Nevertheless, it must 36 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. be made clear that without such external bonds, not only would society cease to exist, but the whole human race would perish. For man is enticed by two loves, the love of ruling over all, and the love of possessing the wealth of all. These loves, if un- curbed, rush onward to infinity. The hereditary evils into which man is born have arisen principally from these two loves ; nor was the sin of Adam any other than a desire to become as God, which evil the serpent infused into him, as it is written ; there- fore in the curse pronounced upon him it is said : — That the earth should bring forth the thorn and the thistle to him (Gen. iii. 5, 18); which means all evil and falsity therefrom. All who are en- slaved by these loves, look upon themselves as the one only ob- ject, in which and for which all others exist. Such have no pity, no fear of God, no love for the neighbor; consequently they are unmerciful, inhuman and cruel, and are possessed by an infer- nal lust and greed for robbing and plundering, and by craft and cunning in working out their purposes. Such evils are not in- nate in the beasts of the earth; these do not slaughter and de- vour each other, except from the love of satisfying their hunger or defending themselves. Therefore a wicked man, viewed with reference to these loves, is more inhuman, fiercer, and worse than any beast. [3] That man is inwardly such, is manifest hi seditious disturbances when the bonds of law are loosed, and also in massacres and pillaging, when the signal is given to sol- diers that they are free to satiate their fury upon the conquered or besieged ; from which scarcely any one desists until the drum beats the order to do so. From all this it is clear that if no fear of legal penalties restrained men, not only society, but the whole human race, would be destroyed. But none of these evils can be removed except by the true use of freedom of choice in spir- itual things, and this is done by directing the mind to reflection upon the state of life after death. 499. But this shall be still further illustrated by compari- sons, as follows : Without some kind of freedom of choice in all oreated things, both animate and inanimate, no creation could have taken place; for without freedom of choice in natural things for beasts there would be no choice of food conducive to N. 499] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 37 their nourishment, and no propagation and preservation of off- spring; thus, no beasts. If the fishes of the sea and the shell- fish at its bottom, had no such freedom, there would be no fish or shell-fish. In like manner, unless this freedom were in every insect, there would be no silk-worm yielding silk, no bee fur- nishing wax and honey, no butterfly sporting with its consort in the air, feeding on the juices of flowers, and representing, after he has shed his exuvice as a worm, the happy state of man in the heavenly realm. [2] Unless there were something analo- gous to freedom of choice in the earth's soil, in the seed sown in it, in all parts of the tree that has grown out of it, and in its fruit, and again in the new seed, there would be no plant life. Unless there were something analogous to freedom of choice in every metal, and in every stone both precious and common, there would be no metal or stone, or even a grain of sand ; for even this freely absorbs the ether, emits its natural exhalations, throws off its worn-out elements and restores itself with new. From this there is a magnetic sphere about the magnet, an iron sphere about iron, a coppery one about copper, a silver sphere about silver, a golden one about gold, a stony sphere about stone, a ni- trous sphere about niter, a sulphur sphere about sulphur, and a different sphere about every particle of dust. From this sphere the inmost of every seed is impregnated, and its prolific princi- ple vegetates ; for without such an exhalation from every least particle of the earth's dust, there would be no beginning of ger- mination and no continuance of it. How could the earth, ex- cept by what is exhaled from it, penetrate with dust and water to the inmost center of a grain sown in it, as into a grain of mustard seed, for example : — Which is less than all seeds, but when it is grown, it is greater than herbs, and becometh a tree ? (Matt. xiii. 32 ; Mark. iv. 30-32). [3] Since freedom has been thus implanted in all created sub- jects, in each according to its nature, why should not freedom of choice have been implanted in man according to his nature, that he may become spiritual ? This is the reason that free will in spiritual things is given to man, from the womb to the last hour of his life in the world, and afterward to eternity. 38 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. XI. IF MEN HAD NOT FREEDOM OF 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, BECAUSE THAT WHICH IS NOT RECEIVED BY MAN WITH FREEDOM OF CHOICE DOES NOT REMAIN. 500. That God could, in one day, if freedom of choice in spir- itual things had not been given to man, lead all the inhabitants of the world to believe in Him, follows as a true conclusion from the Divine omnipotence when not rightly understood. Those who do not understand the Divine omnipotence, may suppose either that there is no such thing as order, or that God can act contrary to order as well as according to it ; when yet, without order, no creation was possible. The primary thing of order is for man to be an image of God, consequently, that he be con- tinually perfecting in love and wisdom, and thus becoming that image more and more. To this end God is working continually in man ; but this would be in vain, for it would be impossible, if man were destitute of freedom of choice in spiritual things, whereby he could turn to God and reciprocally conjoin himself with God. For there is an order from which and according to which the whole universe, with each and all things in it, was created ; and because all creation was effected from that order and according to it God is called Order itself. Thus it is the same whether we say, acting contrary to order, or acting con- trary to God. God Himself, even, cannot act contrary to His own Divine order, since this would be to act contrary to His very Self ; and therefore He leads every man according to that order which is Himself, guiding the wandering and the fallen into it, and the resisting toward it. If man could have been created without freedom of choice in spiritual things, what would have been more easy for an omnipotent God than to lead all the inhabitants of the world to believe in the Lord ? Could He not have implanted this faith in every one, both without means and by means, without means by His absolute power and its irresistible operation, which is unceasing in its efforts to save N. 500] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 39 man ; or by means, through torments brought upon man's con- science, or through mortal convulsions of the body and awful threats of death, if he did not receive that faith ; or still fur- ther, by the opening of hell and the presence of devils there- from holding frightful torches in their hands, or by calling forth therefrom the dead whom they had known, in the forms of fear- ful specters ? But to all this there is a reply in the words of Abraham to the rich man in hell, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead (Luke xvi. 31). 501. It is asked at the present day, why miracles do not take place as formerly ; for it is believed that if they were to occur, there would come from every one a hearty acknowledgment. But miracles are not now wrought as formerly because they compel [belief] and take away man's freedom of choice in spir- itual things, and make man natural instead of spiritual. Every one in the Christian world, since the Lord's coming, has the ability to become spiritual, and he becomes spiritual solely from the Lord through the Word; but the capacity to become so would perish if man were led to believe through miracles, be- cause, as just said, miracles compel and deprive man of free- dom of choice in spiritual things ; and everything that is com- pulsory in such matters betakes itself to the natural man, and closes the door, as it were, to the spiritual man, which is the truly internal man, depriving it of all power to see any truth in clear light, with the result that man then reasons about spir- itual things from the natural man alone, which sees everything truly spiritual inversely. [2] But before the Lord's coming miracles were wrought because the men of the church were then natural men, to whom spiritual things, which belong to an in- ternal church, could not be disclosed ; for if these had been dis- closed they would have been profaned. Therefore all their wor- ship consisted in rituals which represented and signified the internal things of the church ; and they could be led to observe these rituals only by means of miracles ; and not even, indeed, by means of miracles, because those representatives had in them a spiritual internal, as is evident from the children of Is- rael in the desert, who, although they had seen so many mira- 40 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHL cles in Egypt, and afterward that greatest of miracles upon Mount Sinai, still, after Moses' absence for a month, danced around a golden calf, and shouted that it had led them out of Egypt. In the land of Canaan they acted in a like manner, although they witnessed the great miracles wrought by Elijah and Elisha, and finally the truly Divine miracles by the Lord. [3] Miracles are not wrought at the present day, especially for the reason that the church has deprived man of all freedom of choice. This it has done by decreeing that man is unable to contribute anything whatever toward the acquisition of faith or toward conversion, or in general toward salvation (see above, n. 464). The man who accepts this belief becomes more and more natural; and the natural man, as said above, looks at everything spiritual inversely, and consequently thinks in op- position to it. In this case the higher region of the man's mind, where freedom of choice in spiritual things has its primary seat is thereby closed up and the spiritual things which miracles seemingly confirm occupy the lower region of the mind, which is merely natural, and the falsities respecting faith, conversion, and salvation, thus remain above this region, and in conse- quence it comes to pass that satans have their abode above and angels below, like hawks above chickens. Then after a little while the satans break down their bars, and rush forth with fury upon the spiritual things which hold a place below them, not only denying these, but also blaspheming and profaning them; and the result is that the latter state of man becomes worse than the former. 502. The man who by means of falsities respecting the spir- itual things of the church has become natural, must needs think of the Divine omnipotence as -superior to order, and thus of a Divine omnipotence without order, in consequence of which he would fall into the following insane thoughts : Why the Lord's advent into the world, and why was redemption effected in that way, when by His omnipotence God could have accomplished the same thing out of heaven as well as upon the earth ? Why might He not by redemption have saved the whole human race without an exception ? How is it that the devil has since been able to prevail over the Redeemer in man ? Why is there a hell ? Could not God have blotted out hell by His omnipotence, N. 502] FREEDOM OF CHOICE 41 and cannot He now do so, or else deliver all men from it, and make them angels of heaven ? Why a last judgment ? Cannot God transfer all the goats from His left to His right, and make them sheep ? Why did He cast down the angels of the dragon and the dragon himself from heaven, instead of changing them into angels of Michael? Why does He not to all of these im- part faith and impute His Son's righteousness, and thus forgive their sins, and justify, and sanctify them? Why does He not cause the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea to talk, give them intelligence, and introduce them along with men into heaven ? Why did He not, or does He not, make the whole world a paradise, with no tree of the knowledge of good and evil and no serpent in it; and where all the hills would flow with generous wine and produce gold and silver nat- urally, so that all might live therein with jubilee and song, and thus in perpetual festivity and joy, as images of God? Would not such things be worthy of an omnipotent God? Besides other like questions. But, my friend, this is all idle talk. The Divine omnipotence is not without order; God is Himself Or- der ; and all things were created from order, in order, and for order, because they were created from God. There is an order into which man was created, namely, that blessing or curse de- pends for him upon his freedom of choice in spiritual things ; for, as said above, it is impossible to create a man without free- dom of choice, nor even a beast, a bird, or a fish. But beasts have only a natural freedom of choice, while man has not only natural freedom of choice but also spiritual freedom of choice. 503. To the foregoing these Memorable Relations shall be added: First: — I heard that an assembly was convoked, which was to delib- erate on man's freedom of choice in spiritual things. This was in the spiritual world. There were present learned men from every quarter, who had thought upon that subject in the world in which they had formerly lived, also many who had been pres- ent at the greater and smaller councils both before and after that of Nice. They were assembled in a kind of circular temple like the temple at Rome called the Pantheon, which was formerly consecrated to the worship of all the gods, and afterward dedi- cated by the Papal chair to the worship of all the holy martyrs. 42 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. In this temple near the walls were what seemed to be altars, but near them were low benches, and upon these the assembly reclined, resting their elbows on the altars, as upon so many tables. No president was appointed to act as primate among them, but each one, when the desire seized him, rushed forth into their midst, poured out what he had at heart, and delivered his opinion; and what I wondered at, all who were in the as- sembly were full of proofs of man's utter impotence in spiritual things, and ridiculed the idea of freedom of choice in such matters. [2] As soon as they had all come together one of them sprang up suddenly into the midst, and with a loud voice harangued them as follows : "Man has no more freedom of choice in spir- itual things than Lot's wife had after she had been turned into a pillar of salt. If man had any more freedom of choice than that, he would surely of himself arrogate to himself the faith of our church, which faith is, that God the Father bestows faith gratuitously to whom He will and when He will, out of His entire freedom and good pleasure. This good pleasure and gratuitousness would be impossible to God, if man from any freedom or good pleasure could arrogate that faith to himself, and thus indeed, our faith, which is like a star shining before us night and day, would be dissipated like a meteor in the air." [3] After him another sprang up from his bench and said, " Man has no more freedom of choice in spiritual things than a beast, or even a dog ; for if he had, he would do good of him- self, when yet all good is from God, and man can take to him- self nothing that is not given him from heaven." After him another sprang up from his seat into the middle space and raised his voice, saying, " Man has no more freedom of choice in spiritual things, not even in the discernment of them, than an owl has in the day time, or even a chicken still hidden in the shell; in these things he is as wholly blind as a mole ; for if he were lynx-eyed in his clear perception of matters of faith, salvation, and eternal life, he would still believe that he could regenerate and save himself, and would endeavor to do so, and thus would profane his thoughts and deeds by adding merit to merit." N. 503] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 43 Again another ran out into the middle space and delivered this speech : " The man who imagines himself to be able, since Adam's fall, to will or understand anything spiritual is insane, and becomes a maniac, since he would then believe himself to be a little god or a kind of deity, possessing a share of the Di- vine power in his own right." [4] After him another rushed panting to the middle space carrying under his arm a book called the Formula Concordice, by the orthodoxy of which, as he called it, the Evangelicals now swear. This he opened, and from it read the following: "Man is wholly corrupt and dead to good, so that hi his nature since the fall, before regeneration, there does not remain or abide even a spark of spiritual power, whereby he is able to be prepared for the grace of God, or to apprehend it when offered, or from and by himself to be receptive of it, or in spiritual things to understand, believe, embrace, think, will, begin, finish, act, op- erate, co-operate, or apply or adapt himself to receive grace, or to do anything of himself toward his conversion, either in the half or in the smallest part. And in spiritual things, which re- gard the salvation of the soul, man is like the pillar of salt in- to which Lot's wife was turned, or like a lifeless stock or stone, having no use of eyes, or mouth, or any of the senses. Never- theless, he has the power of locomotion, or of directing his ex- ternal members, to attend public meetings, and hear the Word and the Gospel." (This is found hi my edition, on pages 656, 658, 661-663, 671-673.) After this they all crowded together and together exclaimed, "This is true orthodoxy." [5] I stood near and listened intently to all that had been said ; and my spirit being aroused, I asked with a loud voice, " If you make man in spiritual things a pillar of salt, a beast, blind, and irrational, what is your theology ? Is not each and all things of that spiritual ?" To this, after a period of silence, they replied : " In our whole theology there is nothing spiritual whatever that the reason comprehends. The only thing spiritual in it is our faith ; but that we keep strictly closed up, that no one may look into it; and we have taken care that not a single ray of spirituality shall escape therefrom and appear before the understanding. 44 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIH. Moreover, man does not contribute thereto the least particle from any choice of his own. Charity also we have removed from everything spiritual, and have made it merely moral ; likewise the Decalogue. Respecting justification, the forgiveness of sins, regeneration, and salvation thereby, we teach nothing spiritual ; we say that these are wrought by faith, but how, we are utterly ignorant. In place of repentance, we have put contrition, and lest this should be believed to be spiritual, we have removed it from faith, even as to any least touch. Respecting redemption we have adopted none but purely natural ideas, which are, that God the Father included the whole human race in a sentence of damnation, and that His Son took that damnation upon Him- self, suffered Himself to be hanged upon a cross, and thus moved His Father to compassion; besides other like ideas, in which you will find nothing spiritual, but only what is natural." [6] But at this my former indignation continued, and I said, "If man had no freedom of choice in spiritual things, what would he be but a brute ? Is it not by means of that that he is above brute beasts ? Without that, what is the church but the black face of a fuller, with a white speck only in his eyes ? Without it, what is the Word but an unmeaning volume ? What is more frequently declared and commanded therein, than that man should love God and should love the neighbor, and should also believe ; and again, that he has life and salvation in the measure of his love and faith ? Is there any man who has not the ability to understand and do what is commanded in the Word and in the Decalogue ? How could God have given such pre- cepts and commandments to men without an ability to do them ? [7] Tell any rustic whose mind has not been blocked up by fal- lacies in theological matters, that he has no more ability to un- derstand and will in matters of faith and charity, and of salva- tion therefrom, than a stock or a stone and no ability to adapt or conform himself to them ; will he not most heartily laugh at you and say, < What can be more irrational ? What then have I to do with the priest and his preaching ? What is a church more than a stable ? And what is worship more than ploughing ? What madness to speak so ! It is folly upon folly. Who denies that all good is from God ? Is it not given to man to do good of him- self from God? It is the same with believinsr.' '■ N. 503] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 45 Hearing this they all cried out, " We spoke from orthodoxy in an orthodox way ; but you from rustic notions in a rustic way." Then suddenly lightning fell from heaven, and lest it should consume them, they rushed out in troops and fled away, each to his own home. 504. Second Memorable Kelation : — I was once in that interior spiritual sight in which the angels of the superior heaven are, but I was then in the world of spirits. And I saw two spirits not far away, standing apart from each other ; and I perceived that one of them loved good and truth, and was thereby in conjunction with heaven, while the other loved evil and falsity, and was thereby in conjunction with hell. I approached and called them ; and from their tones and their replies, I gathered that one could perceive truths as well as the other, could acknowledge them when perceived, could thus think from the understanding, could direct his intellectual faculties as he pleased, and his voluntary faculties as he wished ; conse- quently that they were in like freedom of choice in rational mat- ters. I observed, moreover, that from that freedom there ap- peared in their minds a lucidity extending from their first sight, which was that of perception, to their last, which was that of the eye. [2] But when the one who loved evil and falsity was left to his own thought, I noticed that a kind of smoke arose from hell, and extinguished that lucidity which was above the memory, so that there was a thick darkness in him there like that of midnight ; and also that the smoke ignited and burned like a flame, which illuminated the region of his mind below the memory, and this caused him to think enormous falsities aris- ing from the evils of the love of self. But when the other, who loved good and truth, was left to himself, I saw, as it were, a gentle flame flowing down from heaven, which illuminated the region of his mind above the memory, and also the region below it even to the eye; also that the light from that flame shone brighter and brighter, in proportion as from the love of good he had a perception and thought of the truth. From seeing this, it was made clear to me that every man, good and evil alike, has spiritual freedom of choice, but that hell sometimes extinguishes it in the wicked, while heaven exalts and enkindles it in the good. 46 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. [3] Afterward I talked with both of them, first with the one who loved evil and falsity, and when, after a few words about his lot, I mentioned freedom of choice, he fired up, and said, " What madness it is to believe that man has freedom of choice in spiritual things ! What man can acquire faith of himself, or do good of himself ? Does not the priesthood of to-day teach from the Word that no man can receive anything unless it be given him from heaven ? And the Lord Christ said to His dis- ciples, ' Apart from Me ye can do nothing.' To which I will add, that no man can move hand or foot to do any good, or move his tongue to speak any truth from good. Therefore the church by her wise men has concluded that man can no more will, un- derstand or think anything spiritual, or even adapt himself to willing, understanding, or thinking truth, than a statue, a stock or a stone ; and therefore it is God who according to His good pleasure inspires faith, to whom alone belongs most free and unlimited power ; and this faith, without any labor or power of ours, under the operation of the Holy Spirit, produces all that the unlearned ascribe to man." [4] I then talked with the other, who loved good and truth ; and when, after a few remarks about his lot, I mentioned free- dom of choice, he said, " What madness it is to deny man's freedom of choice in spiritual things ! Who is not able to will and do good, and think and speak what is true of himself from the Word, thus from the Lord who is the Word ? For He has said, ' Make the fruit good,' and { Believe in the right,' and ' Love one another,' and ' Love God ,' and also, ' Whosoever heareth My precepts and doeth them, loveth Me, and I will love him ;' be- sides thousands of like sayings throughout the Word. What then is the Word good for, if man has no power to will and think, and from that to do and say what is there commanded ? Without that power in man, what would religion in the clrarch be but like a wrecked vessel lying at the bottom of the sea, with the captain standing on the very top of the mast and crying out, 'I can do nothing;' while he sees the crew in the small boats with sails spread and sailing away? Was there not given to Adam the freedom to eat of the tree of life, and also of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ? And because from his freedom he ate of this latter tree, smoke from the serpent, that N. 504] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 47 is, from hell, entered his mind, on account of which he was cast out of Paradise and cursed. Ji.nd still he did not lose his free- dom of choice, for we read that the way to the tree of life was guarded by a cherub, and unless this had been done, he might still have wished to eat of it." [5] At these remarks the other, who loved evil and falsity, said, " What I have heard, I pass by ; what I before advanced, I still adhere to. But who does not know that God alone is alive and thus active, while man is of himself dead and there- fore merely passive ? How can a being who is in himself dead and merely passive take to himself anything living and active ?" To this I replied, " Man is an organ of life, and God alone is life ; and God pours His life into the organ and into every least part of it ; as the sun pours its heat into a tree and every least part of it. It is also God's gift that man should feel that life in himself as if it were his own, and it is God's will that he should so feel it, in order that man as if of himself may live in accordance with the laws of order, which are as numerous as the precepts of the Word, and thus may dispose himself for the reception of God's love. Nevertheless, God perpetually holds with His finger the perpendicular above the scales, and moder- ates man's freedom of choice, but never violates it by compul- sion. [6] A tree cannot receive anything that the heat of the sun brings to it through its roots, unless it grows warm and is heated in every least fiber ; nor can the elements rise up through its roots, unless every least fiber gives out heat from that which it has received, and thus contributes to the passage of those elements. Man does likewise from the heat of life that he re- ceives from God; but unlike a tree, man feels the heat as his own, and yet it is not his own ; and while so far as he believes that it is his and not God's, he receives the light of life, he does not receive the heat of love from God, but the heat of love from hell ; and this being gross obstructs and closes the purer branch- lets of the organism, as impure blood clogs the capillary vessels of the body. Thus man from being spiritual makes himself merely natural. [7] Man's freedom of choice is from this, that any life in himself is felt as his own, and that God leaves him so to feel in order that a conjunction may be effected between them, which is not possible unless it is reciprocal; and it be- 48 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. comes reciprocal when man acts from freedom altogether as if of himself. If God had not left, this to man, he would not be man, neither would he have eternal life; for reciprocal conjunc- tion with God is the cause that man is man, and not a beast, and also that he lives after death to eternity. This is the ef- fect of freedom of choice in spiritual things." [8] After hearing this, the evil spirit removed to a distance, and then I saw upon a certain tree a flying serpent, such as is called a fiery serpent, which held out to somebody fruit from the tree. I then drew near in spirit to the place, and instead of the serpent a monstrous man was seen there, his face so covered with beard that only his nose was visible; and instead of the tree there was a burning stump, near which stood the man whose mind the smoke had formerly entered, and who had after wards rejected the idea of freedom of choice in spiritual things And just then a similar smoke came out of the stump, and en veloped them both ; and as they were thus taken out of my sight I went away. But the other spirit, who loved good and truth and held that man has freedom of choice in spiritual things accompanied me home. 505. Third Memorable Relation: — I once heard a grating sound like that of two mill -stones grind- ing on each other; I approached the sound and it ceased. Then I saw a narrow gate leading obliquely downward to a kind of vaulted house, in which were severals chambers contain- ing cells, and in each cell sat two persons, who were collecting from the Word proofs of justification by faith alone; one col- lecting the proofs, and the other writing them down, and this by turns. I approached one cell, which was near the door, and asked, " What are you collecting and writing ?" They said, " Concerning the Act of Justification, or Faith in Act, which is faith itself justifying, vivifying and saving, and is the chief doctrine of the church in our part of Chris- tendom. I then said to him, " Tell me some sign of that act, when that faith is brought into the heart and soul of man." He replied, " The sign of that act appears at the moment that man is overcome by conviction that he is damned, and when in N. 505] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 49 that state of contrition he thinks of Christ as having taken away the condemnation of the law, and lays hold upon this merit of Christ with confidence, and with it in his thought approaches God the Father and prays." [2] Then I said, " Thus is the act accomplished, and that is the moment of its accomplishment. But," I asked, " How am I to understand what is said of this act, namely, that nothing pertaining to man concurs in it, any more than if he were a stock or a stone ; and in respect to the act man is incapable of beginning, willing, understanding, thinking, operating, co-oper- ating, or applying and adapting himself thereto ? Tell me how this agrees with your remarks, that the act takes place when man thinks of the claims of the law, of its condemnation hav- ing been taken away by Christ, of the trust with which he lays hold on that merit of Christ's, and with it in his thought, ap- proaches God the Father and prays ? Is not all this done by man ?" He answered, " It is not done by man actively, but passively." [3] I answered, " How can any man think, trust and pray passively ? Take away from man activity and co-operation, and do you not also take away receptivity, thus everything, and with everything the act itself ? What does your act then be- come but a purely ideal thing, such as is called an entity of rea- son ? I hope that you do not believe with some, that such an act takes place in the predestined only, who know nothing what- ever of the infusion of faith into them. They may throw dice, and in that way determine whether faith has been infused into them or not. Therefore, my friend, believe that man with re- gard to faith and charity is active of himself from the Lord, and without this activity of man, your act of faith, which you have called, the chief doctrine of the church in Christendom, is noth- ing more than the statue of Lot's wife composed of mere salt, which tinkles when scratched by a scribe's pen or finger nail (Luke xvii. 32) . This I have said, because as to that act of faith you make yourselves like statues." When I said this, he picked up his candlestick, intending to throw it with all his might in my face ; but the light going out suddenly, he struck the forehead of his companion, and I went away laughing. Vol. II.— 4 50 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIII. 506. Fourth Memorable Relation: — There appeared in the spiritual world two flocks, one of goats and the other of sheep. I wondered who they were, as I knew that the animals seen in the spiritual world were not animals, but correspondences of the affections, and the thoughts there- from, of those who are there. I therefore drew nearer, and as I approached, the animal forms vanished, and in place of them men were seen ; and it became manifest that those who formed the flock of goats were such as had confirmed themselves in the doctrine of justification by faith alone, while those who made up the flock of sheep were those who believed that charity and faith are one, as good and truth are one. [2] I then spoke with those who appeared as goats, and said, "Why are you thus gathered together?" Most of them were of the clerical order, who gloried in their reputation for learning, because they knew the mysteries of justification by faith alone. They said that they had assembled to hold a council, because they had heard [that some were claiming] that Paul's saying, That a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. iii. 28), was not rightly understood, for by faith here [it was claimed] Paul did not mean the faith of the present church, which is a faith in three Divine persons from eternity, but faith in the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ; also that by "the deeds of the law," he did not mean the deeds of the law of the Decalogue, but the deeds of the Mosaic law, which were for the Jews; thus that by a wrong interpretation of those few words, two enor- mous falsities had been established, one, that Paul here meant the faith of the present church, and the other, that he meant the deeds of the law of the Decalogue. It is clearly evident [these claimed] that Paul meant the works of the Mosaic law, which were for the Jews, and not the works of the Decalogue, from what he said to Peter, whom he accused of Judaizing, al- though he knew That no one is justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ (Gal. ii. 14-16); " the faith of Jesus Christ" meaning faith in Him and from Him (as may be seen above, n. 338). And because by " the deeds of N. 506] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 51 the law" Paul meant the deeds of the Mosaic law, he distin- guished between the law of faith and the law of works, and between the Jews and the Gentiles, or "circumcision" and " uncircumcision," "circumcision" signifying Judaism here as everywhere else. Moreover, Paul closes with these words : — Do we then make the law of none effect through faith ? God forbid; but we establish the law (saying this in connection with the foregoing), (Rom. iii. 27-31). Likewise in the preceding chapter: — Not the hearers of a law shall be justified before God, but the doers of a law shall be justified (Rom. ii. 13); again : — God will render to every man according to his deeds (Rom. ii. 6) ; and' again: — For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done through the body, whether it be good or bad (2 Cor. v. 10); besides other passages in his writings. Prom all this it is clear that Paul rejected faith without works, just as James did (ii. 17-26). [3] That Paul meant the deeds of the Mosaic law, which were for the Jews, these were still further convinced from the fact that all the statutes written for the Jews in Moses are called " the law," thus, " the deeds of the law," as can be seen from the following : — This is the law of the meal-offering (Lev. vi. 14, 18 seq.). This is the law for the burnt-offering, for the meal-offering, and for the sin-offering, and for the guilt-offering, and for the consecrations (Lev. vii. 37). This is the law of the beast and of the fowl (Lev. xi. 46 seq.). This is the law for her that beareth a son or a daughter (Lev. xii. 7). This is the law of leprosy (Lev. xiii. 59 ; xiv. 2, 32, 54, 57). This is the law of him that hath an issue (Lev. xv. 32). This is the law of jealousy (Num. v. 29, 30). This is the law of the Nazarite (Num. vi. 13, 21). This is the law of cleansing (Num. xix. 14). This is the law respecting the red heifer (Num. xix. 2). The law for the king (Deut. xvii. 15-19). Indeed, the whole book of Moses is called "the book of the law," Deut. xxxi. 9, 11, 12, 26; also in Luke ii. 22; xxiv. 44; John i. 45; vii. 22, 23; viii. 5. 52 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIIL [4] To this they have also added, that they saw in Paul that men should live according to the law of the Decalogue, and that the law is fulfilled by charity (Rom. xiii. 8-11); and that he also says: — That these are three, faith, hope, charity, and that the greatest of these is charity (1 Cor. xiii. 13), not faith therefore. For these reasons they said that they had been assembled. But lest I should disturb them I withdrew ; and again they appeared at a distance like goats, and sometimes as if lying down, sometimes as if standing, but they turned away from the flock of sheep. They seemed to be lying down when they were deliberating, and to be standing when they had formed their conclusions. But I kept my sight fixed on their horns; and I wondered that those in their foreheads seemed at one time to reach for- ward and upward, at another to bend backward towards their backs, and finally to turn entirely back. Just then they turned towards the flock of sheep, but still retained the appearance of goats. I therefore approached them again and asked, "What now ?" They said they had decided that faith alone produces the goods of charity, as a tree produces fruit. Then thunder was heard, and lightning was seen overhead ; and immediately an angel appeared standing between the two flocks ; and he cried out to the flock of sheep, " Do not listen to them ; they have not receded from their former faith, which is, that faith alone justifies and saves, and actual charity contri- butes nothing whatever thereto. Faith is not the tree, but man is the tree. But repent, and look to the Lord, and you will have faith. Before that, faith is not a faith that has anything living in it." Then the goats, with their horns turned back, wished to ap- proach the sheep. But the angel standing between them sepa- rated the sheep into two flocks ; and he said to those on the left, " Join the goats ; but I tell you that a wolf is coming, that will carry them off, and you along with them." [5] But when the two flocks of sheep had been separated, and those on the left had heard the threatening words of the angel, N. 606] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 53 they looked at one another and said, " Let us speak to our for- mer companions." The left-hand flock then spoke to the right, saying, "Why did you desert our shepherds ? Are not faith and charity one, as a tree and its fruit are one ? For the tree through its branches is continued into the fruit. Tear from the branch that through which the tree by continuity flows into the fruit, will not the fruit perish, and with it all the seed of any tree to be repro- duced from it? Ask our priests if it is not so." They asked the priests, who looked round upon the rest, and these were winking at them to have them say that they had spoken rightly. And the priests then answered, " You have well said; but as to the continuation of faith into good works, like that of a tree into the fruit, we know many mysteries which must not be made known here. In the chain or thread of faith and charity there are many knots, which we priests only are able to untie." [6] Then one of the priests from among the sheep on the right arose and said, " They have told you that this is so, but they tell their own that it is not so, because they think differently." Therefore they asked, " How then do they think ? Do they not think as they teach ?" He answered, " ISTo ; they think that any good of charity, which is called a good work, that is done by man for the sake of sal- vation and eternal life, is not good in the least degree, for the reason that it is the man's wish to save himself by work that he does of himself, 'appropriating to himself the merit and right- eousness of the one Saviour; and they claim that it is so with every good work in which man is sensible of his own will. There- fore they assert that there is no conjunction whatever between faith and charity ; and that faith is not even retained and pre- served by good works." [7] But those of the left flock said, " You tell lies about them. Do they not openly preach to us charity and the works of char- ity, which they call works of faith ?" He replied, "You do not understand their preaching; only a clergyman who may be present attends to it and understands it. They mean moral charity only, and its civil and political good works, those they call the works of faith, although they are noth- 54 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. ing of the kind, for an atheist may do them in the same man- ner and under the same form. Therefore with one accord they declare that no one is saved by any works, but by faith only. But let this be illustrated by comparisons : An apple tree pro- duces apples ; but if a man does good for the sake of salvation, as the tree produces those apples by continuity, then such apples are inwardly rotten and full of worms. They also say that a wine produces grapes ; but that if a man were to do spiritual good works as the vine produces grapes, he would produce wild grapes." [8] Then they asked, " What is the nature of their goods of charity or works, which are the fruits of faith ?" He replied, " They regard them, perhaps, as something imper- ceptible, located somewhere near faith, but having no connection with it, being like the shadow that follows a man when he faces the sun, which shadow he does not notice unless he turns around ; or I may say, they are like horses' tails, which are now cut off in many countries ; for the people say, What is the use of them ? They are good for nothing ; if they remain on, they are quickly befouled. " Hearing this, one from the left flock said, indignantly, " There is certainly some conjunction ; otherwise, how can they be call- ed the works of faith ? Perhaps the goods of charity are in- sinuated by God into man's voluntary works by some influx, as by some affection, aspiration, inspiration, incitement, or ex- citement of the will by tacit perception in thought and exhor- tation therefrom, by contrition and thus conscience, and the urging thereof, by obedience to the Decalogue and the Word, such as is rendered by a child or a wise man, or by some other similar means. Otherwise, how can they be called the fruits of faith ?» To this the priest replied, "Not so; and if they claim that anything is done by such means, they still in their sermons overload it with words which make out that such works are not from faith. Nevertheless, some teach such works, although as signs of faith, and not as the bonds connecting it xvith char- ity. And some have divined a conjunction by means of the Word." Some then said, "Is not conjunction so effected?" N. 506] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 55 But he replied, " They do not think that ; but only that it is effected by the hearing of the Word; for they maintain that everything of man's rationality and volition in matters of faith is impure and tainted with a sense of merit, since man in spir- itual things is no more able to understand, will, operate, or co- operate, than a stock." [9] But when one of them heard that man is believed to be such in all things pertaining to faith and salvation, he said, "I heard a man say, ' I have planted a vineyard ; now I will drink wine until I am drunk.' But another asked him, < Will you drink the wine from your own cup by your own right hand ?' He an- swered, ' No ; but from an unseen cup by an unseen hand.' And the other replied, ' You will certainly not get drunk.' " Presently the same man said, " I pray you, listen to me ; I ad- vise you to drink wine from the Word understood. Do you not know that the Lord is the Word ? Is not the Word from the Lord ? Is He not in it therefore ? Consequently, if you do good from the Word, are you not doing it from the Lord, from His lips and will ? And if you then look to the Lord, He Himself will lead and teach you, and you will do that good of yourselves from the Lord. Who that does something at the word and man- date of a king, can say, ' This I do from my own word or man- date, and from my own will ?' " [10] He then turned toward the clergy, and said "Ministers of God, do not mislead the flock." Hearing these remarks, the greater part of the flock on the left withdrew, and united with the flock on the right. Then some of the clergy said, " We have heard what we never heard before ; we are the shepherds ; we will not leave the sheep." And they withdrew also; and they said, " This man spoke a true word. Who that acts from the Word, thus from the Lord, from his lips and will, can say, ' This I do from myself ?' Who that acts from the word and will of a king can say, ' This I do from myself ?' Now we behold the Divine Providence, why it is that a conjunction of faith and good works, acknowledged by an eccle- siastical society, has not been found. It could not be found, because it could not exist, for there has been no faith in the Lord, who is the Word, and therefore there has been no faith from the Word." 56 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. But the other priests, who belonged to the flock of goats, went away, waving their caps and shouting, " Faith alone ! Long live faith alone I" 507. Fifth Memorable Relation: — Once when conversing with the angels, I finally spoke of the lust of evil which is in every man from his birth. One said, " In the world where I am, those who are in lust seem to us an- gels as if they were infatuated ; but to themselves they seem to be consummately wise. Therefore, in order to withdraw them from their infatuation, they are let alternately into it and into the rationality which they possess in externals ; but in this latter state although they see, acknowledge, and confess their folly, they long to return from their rational to their foolish state, and they let themselves down into that state as if they were exchanging what is compulsory and disagreeable for what is free and delightful. Thus it is lust and not intelligence that gives them interior delight. [2] There are three universal loves, of which every man is by creation composed ; love of the neighbor, which is also a love of performing uses, which love is spiritual ; love of the world, which is also a love of possessing wealth, which love is material ; and love of self, which is also a love of ruling over others, which love is corporeal. Man is truly a man, when love of the neighbor, or love of performing uses, constitutes the head; and love of the world, or love of possessing wealth constitutes the chest and abdomen ; while love of self or of ruling over others, forms the feet and the soles of the feet. But when love of the world forms the head, man is merely hunchbacked ; while if love of self forms the head, he is not like a man standing on his feet, but like one standing on the palms of his hands with his head down and his poste- riors in the air. [3] When a love of doing forms the head, and the other two form the body and feet in their order, the man appears in heaven with an angelic face and a beautiful rain- bow about his head ; but if the love of the world or of wealth forms the head, he appears from heaven with a face pale like that of a corpse, and a yellowish circle about the head ; and if love of self, or of ruling over others, forms the head, he appears from heaven with a dusky-glowing face and a white circle about the head." N. 507] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIFTH 57 Thereupon I asked, " What do the circles about the head rep- resent ?" They replied, " They represent intelligence ; the white circle about the head with the dusky -glowing face represents that the intelligence of that man is in externals or round about him, while in his internals or within him there is folly ; and further- more such a man is wise when in the body, but foolish when in the spirit ; and no man is wise in spirit except from the Lord, and he becomes such when he is born and created anew by the Lord." [4] After these remarks the earth was opened toward the left, and I saw rising up through the opening a devil with a dusky- glowing face and a white circle about his head ; I asked, " Who are you?" He said, " I am Lucifer, the son of the morning ; and because I made myself like unto the Most High, I was cast down, as I am described in the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah." He was not that Lucifer, but he believed that he was. I said, " Since you have been cast down, how can you rise again out of hell?" He replied, " There I am a devil ; but here I am an angel of light. Do you not see that my head is girt with a white band ? You shall also see, if you wish, that I am moral among the moral, rational among the rational, and even spiritual among those who are spiritual. I have also been able to preach." I asked, " How did you preach ?" He replied, "Against defrauders, adulterers, and all infernal loves ; and then being Lucifer, I even called myself the devil, and against myself I accursed him ; and for so doing I was borne up to heaven with praises. That is why I have been called the son of the morning. And what astonished myself, when I was in the pulpit I had no thought but what I was speaking rightly and truly. But the cause of this was disclosed to me, namely, that I was in externals, and these were then separated from my internals. But although this was disclosed to me, still I could not change, because I had exalted myself above the Most High, and set myself up against Him." [5] Finally I asked, " How could you talk so, when you your- self are a def rauder and an adulterer ?" 58 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VIIL He replied, " I am one thing when in externals or in the body, and another when in internals or in spirit. In the body I am an angel, but in spirit a devil; for in the body I am in under- standing, but in spirit I am in the will ; and the understanding carries me upward, while the will carries me downward. While I am in the understanding a white band encompasses my head ; but when the understanding gives itself up wholly to the will, and becomes the will's, which is our final lot, then the band grows black and disappears, and when this takes place, I am no longer able to ascend into this light." But all at once, as he saw the angels with me, his face grew red and his voice excited, and even the band about his head be- came black, and he sank down to hell through the opening by which he had arisen. From what they had seen and heard, the bystanders came to this conclusion, that a man's quality is such as his will is, not such as his understanding is, since the will easily draws the un- derstanding over to its side and enslaves it. [6] I then asked the angels, " Whence have the devils ration- ality?" And they said, " It is from the glory of the love of self, for the love of self is encompassed with a glory, this glory being the re- splendence of its fire, and it exalts the understanding almost in- to the light of heaven. For the understanding in every man is capable of elevation according to his knowledges ; but the will can be elevated only by a life according to the truths of the church and of reason. Hence it is that even atheists, who are in the glory of fame from self-love, and thereby in the pride of self -intelligence, enjoy a loftier rationality than many others; but that is when they are in the thought of the understanding, not in the love of the will, and the love of the will possesses the internal man, but the thought of the understanding the exter- nal." The angel furthermore explained why man is composed of three loves, namely, the love of use, the love of the world, and the love of self; it is in order that man may think from God, yet wholly as if of himself. He said that the highest things of man's mind were turned upward towards God, the in- termediate outward towards the world, and the lowest down- ward into the body; and because these latter are turned down- N. 507] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIFTH 59 ward, although man thinks from God, he thinks wholly as of himself. 508. Sixth Memorable Relation : — One day there appeared to me a magnificent temple, square in form, the roof of which was crown-shaped, arched above and raised round about ; its walls were continuous windows of crys- tal; its door was of a pearly substance. Within, on the south side, towards the west was a pulpit, on the right-hand side of which lay the open Word enveloped in a sphere of light, the splendor of which surrounded and illuminated the whole pul- pit. In the center of the temple was a sanctuary, before which there was a veil, at that time raised, and there a golden cherub stood with a sword turning hither and thither in his hand. [2] While I looked at these things, the significance of each one of them flowed into my meditation : The temple signified the ]STew Church; the door of pearly substance, entrance into it; the windows of crystal, the truths that enlighten it ; the pulpit, the priesthood and preaching; the Word lying open upon the pulpit and illuminating the urjper part of it, signified the reve- lation of the internal sense of the Word, which is spiritual ; the sanctuary in the center of the temple signified the con j miction of that church with the angelic heaven ; the golden cherub there- in, the Word in the sense of the letter ; the sword waving in his hand signified that this sense can be turned in any direction, provided it is done in adaptation to some truth ; the veil before the cherub being raised, signified that the Word is now laid open. [3] Afterward, when I drew nearer, I saw this inscription above the door, Nunc Licet — It is now permitted — which signi- fied that it is now permitted to enter understandingly into the mysteries of faith. From seeing this inscription it came into my thought that it is exceedingly dangerous to enter with the understanding into dogmas of faith that are concocted out of self-intelligence, and therefore out of falsities, and still more so to confirm them from the Word ; by this means the understand- ing is closed above, and gradually below as well, to such a de- gree that theology is not only despised but also obliterated from the mind, as writing on paper is by worms, or the wool of a gar- ment by moths. Then the understanding abides only in polit- ical matters, which have regard to man's life under the govern- 60 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. VHI. ment where he is, and in the civil matters pertaining to his em- ployment, and in the domestic affairs of his own house. And in all these things he constantly kisses nature, and owing to the allurements of her pleasures, loves her as an idolater loves the golden image in his bosom. [•4] Since then, the dogmas of the present Christian churches have not been formed from the Word, but from self-intelligence, and therefore from falsities, and also have been confirmed by cer- tain passages from the Word ; by the Lord's Divine Providence the Word among the Roman Catholics has been taken from the laity, and among Protestants has been opened, and yet has been closed by their common declaration that the understanding must be held in obedience to their faith. [5] But in the New Church the contrary is the case ; there it is permitted to enter with the understanding and penetrate into all her secrets, and to confirm them by the Word, because her doctrines are continuous truths laid open by the Lord by means of the Word, and confirmations of these truths by ra- tional means cause the understanding to be opened above more and more, and thus to be raised into the light in which the an- gels of heaven are. That light in its essence is truth, and in that light acknowledgment of the Lord as the God of heaven and earth shines in its glory. This is what is meant by the inscrip- tion Nunc Licet over the door of the temple, and also by the veil of the sanctuary before the cherub being raised. For it is a canon of the New Church, that falsities close the understand- ing, and that truths open it. [6] After this I saw above my head something like an infant, holding in his hand a paper. As he drew near to me, he in- creased to the stature of a medium-sized man. He was an an- gel from the third heaven, where all at a distance look like in- fants. When he came to me, he handed me the paper; but as the writing was in rounded letters, such as they have in that heaven, I returned the paper, and asked him to explain to me the meaning of the words there written, in terms adapted to the ideas of my thought. He replied, " This is what is here written : Enter hereafter into the mysteries of the Word, which has been heretofore shut up; for the particular truths therein are so many mirrors of the Lord." N. 509] REPENTANCE 61 CHAPTEE IX. REPENTANCE. 509. After treating of Faith, Charity, and Freedom of Choice, next in connection comes Repentance, because without repentance true faith and genuine charity are impossible ; and "without freedom of choice no man can repent. Repentance is now treated of for the further reason that the subject of Re- generation follows, and no man can be regenerated until the more grievous evils, which render him detestable in the sight of God, are put away, and this is done by means of repentance. What is an unregenerate man but an impenitent one ? And is not an impenitent man like one who is in a state of lethargy, who knows nothing of sin, and therefore cherishes it in his bosom, and kisses it every day, as an adulterer kisses a harlot in his bed ? But to make clear what repentance is, and what it accomplishes, the treatment of it shall be separated into sections. REPENTANCE IS THE FIRST THING OF THE CHURCH IN MAN. 510. The communion called the church consists of all men in whom the church is, and the church enters into man when he is becoming regenerate, and every one becomes regenerate by abstaining from the evils of sin, and shunning them as one would an infernal horde with torches in hand, endeavoring to overtake him and throw him upon a burning pile. There are many means by which man, as he progresses in his early years, is prepared for the church and introduced into it ; but the means whereby the church is established in man are acts of re- pentance. Acts of repentance are all such things as cause man not to will and consequently not to commit evils, which are sins against God ; for until this takes place man stands outside of regeneration, and if any thought respecting eternal salvation 62 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. should then creep into his mind, he turns toward it, but im- mediately turns away from it ; for it enters the man no further than into the ideas of his thought, and from that goes forth into the words of his speech, and also, it may be, into some gestures conformable to speech. But when such thought enters the will, it is in the man ; for the will is the man himself, be- cause in it his love resides, while thought is outside of the man, except when it proceeds from his will, and then will and thought act as one, and both together constitute the man. From this it follows, that, for repentance to be repentance, and to be effec- tive in man, it must be a repentance of the will and from that of the thought, and not of the thought only ; therefore that it should be actual repentance, and not merely verbal. That re- pentance is the first thing of the church, is very evident from the Word. John the Baptist, who was sent beforehand to pre- pare men for the church which the Lord was about to establish, when he baptized preached at the same time repentance ; and therefore his baptism was called the baptism of repentance, for the reason that baptism signified spiritual washing, which is a cleansing from sin. This John did in Jordan, because Jordan signified introduction into the church, for it was the first boun- dary of the land of Canaan where the church was. The Lord himself also preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins, teaching thereby that repentance is the first thing of the church, and that so far as man repents his sins are put away, and so far as they are put away, they are forgiven. And still further, the Lord commanded His twelve apostles, and also the seventy whom He sent forth, to preach repentance. From all this it is clear that the first thing of the church is repentance. 511. That the church is not in man until the sins in him have been put away, any one may conclude from reason, and it may be illustrated by the following comparisons : Who can introduce sheep, and kids and lambs into fields or woods where there are all kinds of wild beasts, before he has driven out the beasts ? Who can make a garden out of a piece of ground that is overgrown with thorns, briars, and nettles, before he has rooted out those noxious weeds ? Who can establish a mode of administering justice according to judicial practices in a city held by hostile forces, and establish citizenship, before he has N. 511] REPENTANCE 63 expelled those forces ? It is the same with evils in man. They are like wild beasts, like thorns and briars, and like hostile forces; and the church can no more have a common abode with evils than a man can dwell in a cage where there are tigers and leopards ; or sleep in a bed with poisonous herbs strewed upon it and stuffed into the pillows; or sleep at night in a church, beneath the floor of which are sepulchres containing dead bodies. Would not ghosts infest him there bke furies ? II. THE CONTRITION, WHICH AT THE PRESENT DAY IS SAID TO PRECEDE FAITH, AND TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE CONSO- LATION OF THE GOSPEL, IS NOT REPENTANCE. 512. In the Reformed Christian world a certain kind of anxiety, grief, and terror are spoken of, which they call con- trition, which precedes faith in those who are about to be re- generated, and which is followed by the consolation of the Gos- pel. They claim that this contrition in such persons arises from a fear of that just wrath of God and consequent eternal damnation which inheres in every man, owing to the sin of Adam and the resulting proclivity of man to evil; also, that without that contrition, the faith which imputes to man the merit and righteousness of the Lord the Saviour, is not be- stowed; and that those who have obtained this faith, receive the consolation of the Gospel, which is, that they are justified, that is, renewed, regenerated and sanctified, without any co- operation of their own, and are thus transferred from a state of damnation to one of eternal blessedness, which is life eter- nal. But respecting this contrition the following questions are to be considered: 1. Is it repentance? 2. Is it of any conse- quence ? 3. Is there such a thing ? 513. Whether contrition is repentance or not, may be inferred from the description of repentance given hereafter, where it is shown that repentance is impossible unless man is aware that not only generally but in every least particular he is a sinner: 64 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. and this no man can know, unless he examines himself, sees the evils that are in him, and condemns himself on account of them. But the contrition that is declared to be necessary to faith, has nothing in common with all this ; for it is merely the thought and the confession therefrom, that man is born into the sin of Adam, and into a proclivity to the evils springing from it ; con- sequently, that the wrath of God is upon him, and therefore a well-deserved damnation, doom, and eternal death. From all this it is plain that contrition is not repentance. 514. The next point is, since that contrition is not repent- ance, is it of any consequence ? It is said to contribute to faith as an antecedent to its consequent, although it does not enter into faith and conjoin itself with it by mingling therewith. But what is the faith that follows it, but that God the Father imputes the righteousness of His Son, and then declares man, while he is yet unconscious of any sin, to be righteous, renewed, and holy, and thus clothes him in a robe washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb ? And when man walks in this robe, what are the evils of his life but like stones of sulphur thrown into the depths of the sea ? And what is then the sin of Adam but something covered over, or set aside, or carried away by the imputed righteousness of Christ ? When man, be- cause of that faith, walks in the righteousness and at the same time in the innocence of God the Saviour, what is the use of that contrition unless to give him the assurance that he is in Abraham's bosom, and may therefore regard those who have not experienced the contrition that precedes faith as miserable in hell, or as dead, since it is said that those who lack contri- tion have no living faith ? Consequently it may be asserted that when those who have experienced such contrition have sunk or are sinking into damnable evils, they pay no more at- tention to them, and are no more sensible of them, than pigs lying in muddy gutters of the street are sensible of the stench. Evidently, therefore, such contrition, not being repentance, is of no consequence. 515. The third point to be considered is, Whether apart from repentance there can be any such contrition? In the spiritual world I asked many who had confirmed in themselves a faith imputative of Christ's merit, whether they had experienced any N. 515] REPENTANCE 65 contrition ; and they replied, " Why contrition, when from child- hood we have believed as a certainty that Christ took away all our sins by His passion? Contrition does not square with this belief; for contrition is a man's casting himself into hell and torturing his conscience, when he knows, nevertheless, that he has been redeemed and thus delivered from hell, and is conse- quently secure from harm." To this they added, that this law of contrition is a purely fictitious thing accepted in place of the repentance that is so frequently mentioned and also enjoined in the Word; although with the simple, perhaps, who know but little about the Gospel, there is some emotion of mind when they hear or think about the torments of hell. They also said, that the consolation of the Gospel impressed upon their minds from earliest youth so banished contrition, that in their hearts they laughed at the mere mention of it ; and that hell could no more strike them with terror than the fires of Vesuvius or Etna could terrify those who live at Warsaw or Vienna, or than the basilisks and vipers in the deserts of Arabia, or the tigers and lions in the forests of Tartary, could terrify those who live in safety, tranquillity, and quiet in some European city ; also that the wrath of God excited no more terror or contrition in them than the wrath of the king of Persia would excite in those who live in Pennsylvania. By all this together with rational infer- ences from their declarations I was convinced that contrition, unless it is repentance such as is hereinafter described, is noth- ing but a freak of imagination. The reason why the Reformed adopted contrition in place of repentance, was that they might separate themselves from the Roman Catholics, who insist upon repentance and at the same time upon charity ; and when they afterward established the doctrine of justification by faith alone, they alleged as their reason for this change, that by repentance, as by charity, something of the man's own, which savored of merit, entered into his faith and blackened it. Vol. II.— 5 66 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX III. THE MERE LIP-CONFESSION THAT ONE IS A SINNER IS NOT REPENTANCE. 516. On this lip-confession the Reformed who adhere to the Augsburg Confession teach as follows : — " No man can ever know his sins ; wherefore they cannot be enumerated; moreover, they are interior and hidden, so that a confession of them would be false, uncertain, maimed and muti- lated ; but he who confesses himself to be nothing but sin, in- cludes all sins, excludes none, and forgets none. Still the enu- meration of sins, although not necessary, is not to be done away with, out of regard for tender and timid consciences ; but this is only a childish and common form of confession for simpler and ruder people" {Formula Concordia', pages 327, 331, 380). But by the Reformed, after they had separated from the Ro- man Catholics, this confession was adopted in place of actual re- pentance, because it is based upon their imputative faith, which alone apart from charity, and thus apart from repentance also, works the forgiveness of sins and regenerates man : it is based also upon this, which is an inseparable appendix co that faith, that there is no co-operation on man's part with the Holy Spirit in the act of justification; also upon this, that man has no free- dom of choice in spiritual things ; and again upon this, that all things depend upon mercy apart from means, and nothing what- ever is effected mediately by or through man. 517. Among the many reasons why the mere lip-confession of being a sinner is not repentance, is this, that every one, an impious man or even a devil, may make that declaration, and this with external devotion, when he thinks of the torments of hell, either those present or impending. But who does not see that this is not from any internal devotion, consequently that it is imaginary and therefore a matter of the lungs, and not a matter of the will from within, and thus of the heart? For an impious man and a devil still burn inwardly with the lusts of the love of doing evil, by which they are moved like windmills driven by strong winds ; therefore such a declaration is nothing N. 517] KEPENTANCE 67 but a contrivance to cheat God for the sake of deliverance or to deceive the simple. For what is easier than to compel the lips to cry out, and the breath of the mouth to adapt itself thereto, and to turn up the eyes and raise the hands ? This is the same as what the Lord says in Mark : — "Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you, hypocrites, This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me (vii. 6); and in Matthew: — Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees ! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full with extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter that the outside may be clean also (xxiii. 25, 26 ; and more in the same chapter). 518. In a like hypocritical worship are those who have con- firmed in themselves the faith of the present church, that the Lord by the passion of the cross took away all the sins of the world, meaning thereby the sins of every man, if only they pray according to the formularies about propitiation and mediation. Some of them can pour forth from the pulpit, with loud voices and apparently burning zeal, many holy utterances about repent- ance and charity, while they deem both of these useless in re- spect to salvation ; for by repentance they mean no other than lip-confession, and by charity that charity only that pertains to public life; but this they do to please the people. It is such who are meant by these words of the Lord : — Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied by Thy name ? and in Thy name done many mighty works ? But then will I profess unto them, I know you not ; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity (Matt. vii. 22, 23). In the spiritual world I once heard a man praying after this manner : " I am full of sores, leprous, unclean from my mother's womb ; there is not a sound spot hi me from my head to the sole of my foot ; I am not worthy to raise my eyes towards God ; I am deserving of death and eternal damnation ; have mercy up- on me for the sake of Thy Son ; purify me in His blood ; on Thy good pleasure depends the salvation of all; I implore mercy." Hearing him pray thus, the bystanders asked, " How do you know that you are such?" He replied, " I know it because I have heard so." 68 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. But he was then sent to angelic examiners, before whom he spoke in the same way ; and these, after examination, reported that he had spoken the truth about himself, and yet without knowing a single evil in himself, because he had never exam- ined himself, but had believed that after lip-confession evils were no longer evils in the sight of God, both because God turns His eyes away from them, and because He has been propitiated. In consequence of this he had not come to a sense of any evd, although he was a willful adulterer, a thief, a wily detractor, and intensely revengeful; such he was in heart and will, and therefore would be such in word and deed did not the fear of the law and of the loss of reputation restrain him. After he was found to be such, he was judged and sent away to the hypo- crites in hell. 519. The character of such may be illustrated by compari- sons. They are like temples where only the spirits of the dragon, and those who are meant by " locusts" in the Apocalypse, are congregated ; and they are like the pulpits therein, where the Word is not because it is put beneath the feet. They are like plastered walls with the plaster beautifully colored, but within them when the windows are opened, owls and direful night birds are fly ing about. They are like whitened sepulchres which con- tain dead men's bones. They are like coins made of the dregs of oil or of dried dung covered with gold. They are like the bark and wood fiber covering rotten wood ; like the garments of Aaron's sons about a leprous body ; and even like ulcers contain- ing pus covered over with a thin skin, and supposed to be healed. Who does not know that a holy external and a profane internal do not accord ? Such also are more afraid than others to ex- amine themselves ; therefore they are no more sensible of the viciousness within them, than they are of the pungent and ill- smelling substances in their stomachs and bowels before they are cast out into the draught. But it must be remembered that those here spoken of are not to be confounded with those who do well and believe rightly, nor with those who repent of some sins, and when worshiping, and still more when in spiritual temptation, speak within themselves or pray from a like oral confession ; for such a general confession both precedes and fol- lows reformation and regeneration. N. 520] REPENTANCE 69 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. 520. That every man is born [with an inclination] to evils, so that he is nothing but evil from his mother's womb, is well known in the church; and it has become known because it has been handed down by the councils and leaders of the churches, that the sin of Adam was transmitted to all his posterity ; and that for this sin alone every man after him has been damned along with him; and that it is this, sin that is inherent in every man by birth. On this assertion, moreover, other things taught by the churches are based, as that the washing of regeneration, which is called baptism, was instituted by the Lord in order that this sin might be removed ; that this was the reason for the Lord's coming ; and that faith in His merit is the means whereby it is removed, besides other doctrines which have been based by the churches upon this assertion. But that there is no inherited evil from that origin can be seen from what has been shown above (n. 466, seq.), that Adam was not the first man, but that the story of Adam and his wife representatively describes the first church on this earth, — the garden of Eden its wisdom, the tree of life its looking to the Lord who was to come, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil its looking to self and not to the Lord. That this church is what is representatively described by the first chapters of Genesis has been clearly proven by many parallel passages from the Word in the Arcana Ccelestia, published at London. When these things are under- stood and accepted the opinion heretofore entertained that the evil innate in man from his parents is from that source falls to the ground, for that evil has a different origin. In the chapter on Freedom of Choice it has been fully shown that the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are in every man, and that they are said to be located in a garden to signify man's freedom of choice to turn to the Lord or to turn away from Him. 70 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX 521. But, my friend, parents are the only source of inherited evil ; not the evil itself which a man actually commits, but the inclination thereto. Every one who combines reason and exper- ience will acknowledge that this is so. Who does not know that children are born with a general resemblance to their parents in features, manners, and disposition, and even grandchildren and great-grandchildren with a resemblance to grandparents and great-grandparents ; also that many are able thus to distinguish families from each other, and even nations, as Africans from Europeans, Neapolitans from Germans, Englishmen from Frenchmen, and so on ? Who does not recognize a Jew by his face, eyes, speech and gestures ? And if you were sensible of the sphere of life flowing out from the native genius of every one, you would in like manner be convinced of the resemblance of dispositions and minds. [2] From all this it follows, that man is not born into actual evils, but only into an inclination to evils, but with a greater or less proclivity towards particular evils; consequently after death man is not judged from any in- herited evil, but from the actual evils which he himself has com- mitted. This is also evident from the following statute of the Lord : — The father shall not die for the son, and the son shall not die for the father ; every one shall die for his own sin (Deut. xxiv. 16). This was made certain to me in the spiritual world from the state of those who die in infancy ; in that they have only an in- clination to evils, and thus favor them in will, but do not com- mit them ; for they are educated under the auspices of the Lord, and are saved [3] The aforesaid inclination and proclivity to the evils that are transmitted by parents to children and their posterity, are broken only by the new birth from the Lord, which is called regeneration. Without this, that inclination not only continues uninterrupted, but is also increased by successive par- ents, and becomes a stronger proclivity to evil, and at length a proclivity to every kind of evil. It is from this that the Jews are still images of their father Judah, who took a Canaanitish woman to wife, and committed adultery with Tamar his daugh- ter-in-law, and thus begat three branches of them. Therefore, this inherited disposition has in process of time so increased in them that they are still unable to embrace the Christian religion N. 521] REPENTANCE 71 with a hearty faith. They are said to be unable to do so, be- cause the ulterior will of their minds is adverse thereto, and this adverse will is the cause of their inability. 522. That all evil, unless removed, remains in man, and that man cannot be saved if he remains in his evils, follows of itself. That no evil can be removed except by the Lord, and except in those who believe in Him and love the neighbor, can be clearly seen from what has already been said, especially from the fol- lowing in the chapter on Faith. The Lord, charity, and faith make one, like life, will, and un- derstanding, and if they are divided, each perishes like a pearl reduced to powder. And from this : — The Lord is charity and faith in man, and man is charity and faith in the Lord. But it is asked, How can man enter into this union ? The reply is, that he cannot, unless to some extent he removes his evils by repentance. It is said that man must remove them, be- cause this is not done by the Lord directly, apart from man's co-operation ; which is also fully shown in that same chapter, and in that following on Freedom of Choice. 523. It is asserted that no man can fulfil the law, and the less so, since he who trespasses against one commandment of the Decalogue trespasses agaiiist all. But the meaning of this asser- tion is different from its sound, for it is to be understood thus, that he who purposely or deliberately acts contrary to one com- mandment, acts contrary to the rest, since to so act from pur- pose and deliberation is to deny utterly that it is sin, and when it is said to be sin, to reject the statement as of no account ; and he who so denies and rejects the idea of sin gives no thought to anything that is called sin. Those who are unwilling to hear anything about repentance come into this fixed attitude of mind ; but on the other hand, those who by repentance have removed some evils that are sins, come into a settled purpose to believe in the Lord and love the neighbor. Such are kept by the Lord in the purpose to refrain from other evils ; and if therefore from ignorance or some over-powerful lust, they are led to commit sin, it is not imputed to them, because they did not commit it deliberately, and do not confirm it in themselves. This may be 72 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. confirmed by the following facts : In the spiritual world I have met with many who in the natural world had lived like others, dressing finely, feasting delicately, making money by trading like others, attending theaters, joking about lovers as if from licentiousness, and doing other like things ; and yet the angels charged these things upon some as evils of sin, and not upon others, declaring the latter innocent, but the former guilty. Be- ing asked the reason of this, since all had done the same things, they replied, that all are viewed by them from their purpose, intention, and end, and are distinguished accordingly ; and there- fore they excuse or condemn those whom the end excuses or con- demns, since good is the end of all in heaven, and evil the end of all in hell. 524. But these statements shall be illustrated by compari- sons : The sins an impenitent man holds fast to may be compared to various diseases in him, from which he dies unless remedies are applied and the malignities thereby removed. They may be compared especially to the disease called gangrene, which, un- less healed in time, spreads, and causes inevitable death ; in like manner to imposthumes and abscesses, unless they break out or are opened; for from them empyemata or collections of pus will be diffused into the neighboring parts, from these into adjoin- ing viscera, and finally into the heart, from which comes death. [2] These sins may also be compared to tigers, leopards, lions, wolves, and foxes, which unless kept in dens or bound with chains or ropes, would attack the flocks and herds and kill them as the fox does poultry ; also to poisonous serpents, which un- less held tight with sticks, or deprived of their teeth, would in- flict deadly wounds upon man. A whole flock, if left in fields where there are poisonous herbs, instead of being led by the shepherd to safe pastures, would perish. So the silk-worm would perish, and all silk with it, unless other worms were kept from the leaves of its tree. [3] These sins may also be compared to grain in granaries or barns, which would be rendered musty and rotten and thus useless, if the air were not permitted to pass freely through it, and remove whatever is injurious. If a fire were not quenched at the very outset, it might lay waste a whole city or forest. Thorns, briars, and thistles would take full pos- session of a garden unless rooted out. Gardeners know that a N. 524] REPENTANCE 73 tree sprung from a bad seed and root conveys its bad sap to the branch, of a good tree budded or engrafted upon it, and that the bad sap which comes up is turned into good sap, and produces useful fruit. And the like takes place in man through the re- moval of evil by means of repentance ; for man is thereby en- grafted into the Lord as a branch into a vine, and bears good fruit (John xv. 4-6). V. RECOGNITION OF SIN AND THE DISCOVERT OF SOME SIN IN ONESELF, IS THE BEGINNING OF REPENTANCE. 525. No man in the Christian world can be without recog- nition of sin, for every one is taught from infancy what evil is, and from childhood what the evil of sin is. All youths learn this from parents and teachers, also from the Decalogue (which is the primary instruction given to all within Christendom), al- so, in their subsequent progress, from preaching at church and instruction at home, and in fulness from the Word ; and fur- thermore from the civil laws of justice, which teach the same things as are taught in the Decalogue and other parts of the Word. For the evil of sin is no other than evil against the neighbor, and evil against the neighbor is also evil against God, which is sin. But recognition of sin effects nothing until a man examines the actions of his life, and sees whether he has secretly or openly done any such thing. Until then, there is nothing but knowledge, and what the preacher then says is a mere sound going in at the left ear and out at the right, and finally it becomes a mere matter of thought and something de- vout in the breathing, and with many merely imaginative and chimerical. But it is wholly different if man, according to what he recognizes as sin, examines himself, discovers something in himself, says to himself, " This evil is a sin," and from fear of eternal punishment abstains from it. Then what has been said in churches in the way of instruction and devotion is first re- ceived by both ears, is communicated to the heart, and from a pagan the man becomes a Christian. 74 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX 526. Can there be anything better known in the Christian world than that man ought to examine himself? For every- where in empires and kingdoms, whether in those adhering to the Roman Catholic or to the Evangelical religion, before ap- proaching the holy supper, men are taught and admonished to examine themselves, to recognize and acknowledge their sins, and to live a new and different life. In the English domin- ions this exhortation is accompanied with fearful threatenings, where, from the address preceding the communion, the follow- ing is read and proclaimed by the priest from the altar : — " The way and means" to become a worthy partaker of the holy supper, " is first to examine the deeds and conversations of your life by the rule of God's commandments, and where in- ever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinful nature, and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God but also against your neigh- bor, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto him, being ready to make restitution and satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your powers, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other, and being likewise ready to forgive others that have of- fended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God's hand; for otherwise the receiving of the holy communion does nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God, a hinderer or slanderer of His Word, an adulterer, or be in malice or envy, or in any other grievous crime, repent ye of your sin, or else come not to that holy table, lest after the taking of that holy sacrament, the devil enter into you as he entered into Judas, and fill you full of all iniquity, and bring you to destruction both of body and soul." 527. Yet there are some who cannot examine themselves, such as infants, boys and girls before they arrive at the age when they are capable of self-examination, also the simple- minded, who are not capable of reflection ; and again, all those who have no fear of God, and beside these some who are sick in mind and body ; and above all those who are confirmed in the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which imputes Christ's N. 627] REPENTANCE 75 merit to man, and who have persuaded themselves, that by such examination and repentance something of man would enter, which would destroy faith, and thus would banish and reject salvation from its one only abiding-place. To all such a mere lip-confession is serviceable. That this is not repentance has been shown above in this chapter. [2] But those who know what sin is, and still more those who know many things from the Word and teach them, and yet do not examine themselves, and consequently see no sin in themselves, may be likened to those who scrape up wealth and lay it up in chests and coffers, making no further use of it than to look at it and count it ; also to those who gather into their treasuries jewels of gold and sil- ver, or hide them in vaults, for the mere sake of being rich. Such are like the trader who hid his talent in the earth, and like him who hid his pound in a napkin (Matt. xxv. 25 ; Luke xix. 20). They are also like the hard wayside and the stony places upon which the seed fell (Matt. xiii. 4, 5). Also like fig-trees full of leaves but bearing no f ruit (Mark xi. 13). They are the hearts of adamant, which do not become hearts of flesh (Zee h. vii. 12). They are like the partridges which gather and bring not forth ; they get riches, but not with judgment ; they leave them in the midst of their days, and at their end become fools (Jer. xvii. 11). They are like the five virgins who had lamps but no oil (Matt. xxv. 1-12): [3] Those who acquire from the Word much about charity and repentance, and who have abundant knowledge of its teachings, and yet do not live in accordance therewith, may be compared to gluttons, who stuff their food into their mouths in chunks, and swallow it without chewing, so that it remains undigested in the stomach, and when it passes out vitiates the chyle, and brings on lingering diseases, from which they finally die a mis- erable death. And as such are without spiritual heat, however much light they may possess, they may be called winters, fro- zen grounds, arctic climates, and even fields of snow and ice. 76 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. VI. ACTUAL REPENTANCE IS EXAMINING ONESELF, RECOGNIZING AND ACKNOWLEDGING ONE'S SINS, PRAYING TO THE LORD, AND BEGINNING A NEW LIFE. 528. That man ought by all means to repent, and that his salvation depends thereon, is evident from many passages and plain sayings of the Lord in the Word, from among which the following shall at present be mentioned : — ■ John preached the baptism of repentance, and said, Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance (Luke iii. 3, 8 ; Mark i. 4). Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent (Matt. iv. 17). And He said, Because the kingdom of God is at hand, Repent ye (Mark i. 14, 15). Again : — Except ye repent, ye shall all perish (Luke xiii. 5). Jesus commanded His disciples, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations (Luke xxiv. 47 ; Mark vi. 12). Therefore Peter preached repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Luke ii. 38). And he also said : — Repent ye and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts iii. 19). Paul preached that they should all everywhere repent (Acts xviii. 30). Paul also declared in Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance (Acts xxvi. 20). Again he testified both to Jews and to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts xx. 21). The Lord said to the church at Ephesus : — I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first charity; repent, but if not I will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent (Apoc. ii. 4, 5). To the church at Pergamos : — I know thy works, repent (Apoc. ii. 13, 16). To the church at Thyatira : — N. 528] REPENTANCE 77 I will cast her into great affliction, except they repent of their works (Apoc. ii. 19, 22, 23). To the church of the Laodiceans : — I know thy works, be zealous, and repent (Apoc. iii. 15, 19). There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth (Luke xv. 7). (Beside other passages). From all this it is clear that men ought by all means to repent ; but the quality and mode of their repentance shall be shown in what follows. 529. Cannot any man understand, from the reason given him, that the mere lip-confession of being a sinner is not re- pentance, or the recounting of various particulars in regard to it, as the hypocrite did who was mentioned above (n. 518) ? For what is easier for a man when he is hi trouble and agony, than to utter sighs and groans from his lungs and lips, and also to beat his breast and make himself guilty of all sins, and still not be conscious of any sin in himself? Do the diabolical horde who then occupy his loves, depart along with his sighs ? Do they not rather hiss at those things, and remain in him as be- fore, as in their own house ? From this it is clear that such re- pentance is not what is meant in the Word; but repentance from evil works, as is said. 530. The question therefore is, How ought man to repent? And the reply is, Actually ; that is to say, he must examine him- self, recognize and acknowledge his sins, pray to the Lord, and begin a new life. That without examination repentance is not possible, has been shown in the preceding section. But of what use is examination except that one may recognize his sins ? And why should he recognize his sins, except that he may ac- knowledge that they are in him ? And of what use are these three things, except that man may confess his sins before the Lord, pray for help, and then begin a new life, which is the end sought? This is actual repentance. That man ought so to proceed and do, every one may know (after he has passed the first period of life, and more and more as he comes under his own control and into the exercise of his own reason) first, from his baptism, the washing of which means regeneration ; for in baptism his sponsors have promised for him that he will reject 78 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. the devil and all his works, and also from the holy supper, for all are forewarned that before they can worthily approach it, they must repent of their sins, turn to God, and enter upon a new life; and still further, from the Decalogue or Catechism which is in the hands of all Christians, where, in six of the com- mandments nothing is commanded but that they should not do what is evil. And unless evils are removed by repentance, man cannot love his neighbor, still less God ; yet on these two com- mandments hang the law and the prophets, that is, the Word, consequently salvation. If at recurring seasons there is actual repentance, as often, for instance, as a man prepares for the communion of the holy supper, and if he afterward abstains from one or another sin which he then discovers in himself, this is sufficient to initiate him into the actuality [of the repent- ance], and when he is in that he is on the way to heaven, for he then from being natural begins to be spiritual, and to be born anew from the Lord. 531. This may be illustrated by the following comparisons. Before repentance man is like a desert where there are terrible wdd beasts, dragons, owls of various kinds, vipers and poison- ous serpents, and in the thickets are the ochim and the tziim, and there satyrs dance. But when these have been cast out by the industry and labor of man, that desert may be ploughed and made ready for planting, and sown first with oats, beans, and flax, and afterward with barley and wheat. Man before repent- ance may also be compared to the wickedness that reigns so largely among men where the wicked are not corrected accord- ing to law and punished by stripes or death, in which case no city, nor any kingdom even, could continue. Man is like a min- iature society ; unless he deals with himself in a spiritual man- ner, as the wicked in society at large are dealt with in a natural manner, after death he will be corrected and punished until he ceases to do evil for fear of the penalty, although he can never be brought to do good from the love of good. N. 532] REPENTANCE 79 VII. TRUE REPENTANCE IS EXAMINING, NOT ONLY THE ACTIONS OF one's life, but also the intentions of one's WILL. 532. True repentance is examining, not only the actions of one's life, but also the intentions of one's will, for the reason that the acts are clone by the understanding and will ; for man speaks from his thought, and acts from his will; therefore speech is the thought speaking, and action is the will acting. And this being the source of words and deeds, it follows indu- bitably that it is will and thought that sin when the body sins. Man can indeed repent of evils that he has done in body, and still think and will evil ; but this is like cutting off the trunk of a bad tree, and leaving its root in the ground, from which the same bad tree grows up again, and spreads forth its branches. But it is different when the root also is torn up ; and this is done in man when he examines the intentions of his will, and puts away his evils by repentance. Man examines the inten- tions of his will when he examines his thoughts, for in these the intentions make themselves manifest; as, for example, when his thought, will and intention incline to revenge, adul- tery, theft, false witness, and to lust therefore, also to blas- phemy against God and the holy Word and the church, and so on; if he continues to direct his attention to this, and to in- quire whether he would actually commit these evils if fear of the law and for his reputation did not hinder ; and if after this scrutiny he determines that he will not will to do these things, because they are sins, he truly and interiorly repents ; and still more when these evils are delightful to him, and he is free to do them, and yet resists and abstains. He who practises this re- peatedly, perceives the delights of evil, when they return, as undelightful, and finally he condemns them to hell. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord : — Whoever wisheth to find his soul shall lose it ; and whoever would lose his soul for My sake shall find it (Matt. x. 39). He that puts away the evils of his will, by such repentance, is like one who in due time plucks up the tares sown in his field by the devil, so that the seed implanted by the Lord God the 80 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. Saviour finds a clear soil and grows to a harvest {Matt. xiii. 24-30). 533. There are two loves which have long been enrooted in the human race, the love of ruling over all, and the love of pos- sessing the goods of all. The former love, if free rein is given to it, rushes on even so far as to wish to be the God of heaven ; and the latter, if free rein is given to it, rushes on even so far as to wish to be the God of the world. To these two loves are subordinated all other evd loves, of which there are hosts ; but to examine these two is exceedingly difficult, because they re- side most deeply within and hide themselves ; for they are like vipers concealed in a cloven rock, which retain their poison, so that when one lies down upon the rock they give their deadly stroke, and again withdraw to their hiding-places. They are also like the sirens of the ancients, who allured men by their song, and by that means slew them. These two loves also deco- rate themselves in splendid attire, as a devil by magical hallu- cinations does among his own, or among those whom he wishes to delude. [2] But it must be clearly understood that these two loves niay bear rule among the humble more than among the great, among the poor more than among the rich, among sub- jects more than among kings; for the latter classes are born to dominion and wealth, and these they at length come to regard in the same way as any other man, a governor, a director, a sea- captain, or even a poor farmer, regards his servants and pos- sessions. It is different, however, with kings who aspire to dominion over the kingdoms of others. [3] The intentions of the will must be examined, because in the will the love resides, for the will is its receptacle, as shown above. From the will every love breathes out its delights into the perceptions and thoughts of the understanding, for these act from the will and not at all from themselves, because they wait on the will and consent to and confirm all that pertains to its love. The will therefore is the very house in which the man dwells, and the understanding is the hall through which he goes out and in. This is why it has been said that the will's intentions must be examined ; and when these have been examined and removed, man is lifted out of the natural will in which both inherited and actual evils have their seat, into the spiritual will through N. 533J REPENTANCE 81 which the Lord reforms and regenerates the natural, and by means of this again, what is sensual and voluntary in the body, thus the whole man. 534. Those who do not examine themselves, are comparative- ly like invalids whose blood is vitiated by the closing of the capillary vessels, which causes atrophy, numbness of the limbs, and painful chronic diseases arising from a thickening, tena- city, acridness, and acidity of the humors, and consequently of the blood. But on the other hand, those who examine them- selves even as to the intentions of the will, are like those who have been cured of these diseases, and restored to the life they enjoyed in youth. Those who examine themselves properly, are like ships from Ophir laden with gold, silver, and valuables ; but before they have examined themselves they are like ships loaded with filth, such as are used to carry off the mud and or- dure of the streets. Those who examine themselves interiorly become like mines, all the walls of which are resplendent with ores of precious metals ; but before this, they are like marshes with foul exhalations, containing snakes and poisonous serpents with glittering skins and noxious insects with shining* wings. Those who do not examine themselves are like the dry bones in the valley ; but after they have examined themselves, they are like these same bones when the Lord Jehovah had laid sinews upon them, caused flesh to come upon them, covered them with skin, and put breath in them, and they lived (Ezek. xxxvii. 1-14). VIII. THOSE ALSO REPENT WHO ALTHOUGH THEY DO NOT EXAMINE THEMSELVES, YET REFRAIN FROM EVILS BECAUSE THEY ARE SINS J AND THOSE WHO FROM RELIGION DO THE WORKS OF CHARITY EXERCISE SUCH REPENTANCE. 535. Since actual repentance, which is examining oneself recognizing and acknowledging one's sins, praying to the Lord and beginning a new life, is in the Reformed Christian world exceedingly difficult for many reasons that will be given in the last section of this chapter, therefore an easier kind of repent- Vol. II.— 6 82 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. ance is here presented, which is, that when any one is giving thought to any evil and intending it, he shall say to himself, "Although I am thinking about this and intending it, I will not do it because it is a sin." By this means the temptation injected from hell is checked, and its further entrance pre- vented. It is strange that any one can find fault with another for his evil intentions, and say, "Do not do that because it is a sin," and yet find it difficult to say this to himself; but this is because the latter touches the will, but the former only the thought nearest to hearing. Inquiry was made in the spiritual world as to who were capable of this [actual] repentance, and they were found to be as few as doves in a vast desert. Some said that they could repent in the easier way ; but were not able to examine themselves and confess their sins before God. All who do good from religion, avoid actual evils, but they very rarely reflect upon the interiors pertaining to the will, for they believe that they are not in evil because they are in good, and even that the good covers the evil. But, my friend, the first thing of charity is to shun evils. This is taught in the Word, the Decalogue, baptism, the holy supper and even by the rea- son ; for how can any one flee away from evils and banish them without some self -inspection ? And how can good become good until it has been interiorly purified ? I know that all pious men, and also all men of sound reason, will assent to this when they read it, and will see it as genuine truth ; but still, that few will act accordingly. 536. And yet all who do good from religion, not only Chris- tians, but even pagans, are accepted and after death adopted by the Lord ; for the Lord said : — I was an hungered, and ye gave Me to eat ; I was thirsty and ye gave Me to drink ; I was a sojourner, and ye took Me in ; naked, and ye clothed Me ; I was sick, and ye visited Me ; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. And He said, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of My brethren, even the least, ye did it unto Me. Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom pre- pared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt. xxv. 31, seq.). To this I will add the following, which is new : All those who do good from religion, after death reject the doctrine of the present church respecting three Divine persons from eternity, and also its faith as applied to the three in their order. These N. 536] KEPENTANCE 83 turn to the Lord God the Saviour, and accept with pleasure what belongs to the New Church. [2] But the rest, who have not exercised charity from religion, have hearts of adamant, that is, hardened hearts. They first approach three Gods, then the Father alone, and finally no God. They look upon the Lord God the Saviour as the son of Mary only, born from marriage with Joseph, and not as the Son of God ; and then they discard all the goods and truths of the New Church, and straightway connect themselves with the spirits of the dragon, and with them are driven away into deserts or into caverns on the very confines of what is called the Christian world ; and after a time, because they are separated from the New Heaven, they rush into crime, and are therefore sent down to hell. [3] Such is the lot of those who do not do works of charity from relig- ion, because of their belief that no one is able to do good of himself, except such as he claims merit for ; consequently they disregard such works, and associate themselves with the goats, who are damned and cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, because they have not done what was done by the sheep (Matt. xxv. 41-46). It is not there said that they did what is evil, but that they did not do what is good ; and those who do not do what is good from religion do what is evil, since, No man can serve two masters ; for either he hates the one and loves the -other, or he holds to the one and despises the other (Matt. vi. 24). Jehovah says through Isaiah : — Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from be- fore mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to do well ; then although your sins have been as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow ; although they have been red like crimson, they shall be as wool (i. 16-18). And in Jeremiah : — Stand in the gate of Jehovah's house, and proclaim there this word, Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah, The temple of Jehovah, this is the temple of Jehovah (that is, the church). Will ye steal, murder, and swear falsely, and then come and stand be- fore Me in this house, upon which My name is named, and say, We are delivered while we do all these abominations ? Is this house become a den of robbers ." Behold, even I have seen it, saith Jehovah (vii. 2-4, 9-11). 84 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. 537. It must be understood that those who do good from natural goodness only, and not also from religion, are not ac- cepted after death, because there is only natural good in their charity, and not spiritual good also ; and it is the spiritual that conjoins the Lord to man, and not the natural apart from the spiritual. Natural goodness belongs to the flesh merely, being acquired by birth from parents ; but spiritual goodness belongs to the spirit born anew from the Lord. Those who do the good works of charity from religion, and consequently do not com- mit evil, before they have accepted the doctrine of the New Church concerning the Lord, may be likened to trees that bear good fruit, although but little, and also to trees that bear ex- cellent small fruit, which are nevertheless cared for in gardens. They may also be likened to olive trees and fig-trees in forests, and again to fragrant herbs and balsamic shrubs on hills. They are like little chapels or houses of God, where pious worship is performed ; for they are the sheep on the right hand, and the rams which the goats assault, according to Daniel (viii. 2-14). In heaven such are clothed in garments of a red color, and when they have been initiated into the goods of the New Church, they are clothed with garments of a purple color, which ac- quire a beautiful golden glow in proportion as they also receive truths. IX. CONFESSION OUGHT TO BE MADE BEFORE THE LORD GOD THE SAVIOUR, FOLLOWED BY SUPPLICATION FOR HELP AND THE POWER TO RESIST EVILS. 538. The Lord God the Saviour is to be approached because He is the God of heaven and earth, the Eedeemer and Saviour, to whom omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, mercy itself, and also justice, belong; also because man is His creature and the church is His sheepf old ; also because in the New Testament He frequently commands men to approach, worship and adore Him. That He alone is to be approached He has enjoined in the following words in John: — N. 638] REPENTANCE 85 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not through the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber ; but he that entereth in through the door is the shepherd of the sheep, I am the door, through Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall find pasture. The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have abundance. I am the good shepherd (x. 1, 2, 9-11). That man is not " to climb up some other way" means that he is not to approach God the Father, because He is invisible and therefore inaccessible, and conjunction with Him is impossible, and this is why He Himself came into the world, and made Him- self visible and accessible, and conjunction with Him possible; which was done solely that man might be saved. For unless in thought God is approached as a Man, every idea of God perishes; it falls as sight does when directed out upon the universe, that is, into empty nothingness, or into nature, or into what is met within nature. That God Himself, who from eternity is One, came into the world, is clearly evident from the birth of the Lord the Saviour, in that He was conceived by the power of the Most High through the Holy Spirit, and from this conception His Human was born of the virgin Mary ; from which it follows, that His soul was the Divine Itself that is called the Father (for God is indivisible) ; and that the Human born therefrom is the Human of God the Father, which is called the Son of God (Luke i. 32, 34, 35). From this again it follows that when the Lord God the Saviour is approached, God the Father is approached also ; therefore, to Philip asking Him to show them the Father, He replied: — He that seeth Me seeth the Father ; how sayest thou then, show us the Father ? 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. 6-11). But on these points more may be seen in the chapters on God, the Lord, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity. 539. There are two duties incumbent on man, to be done after examination, namely, supplication and confession. The suppli- cation should be that the Lord may be merciful, that He may give power to resist the evils that have been repented of, and that He will provide inclination and affection for doing good, Since apart from the Lord man can do nothing (John xv. 5). 86 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. The confession will be that he sees, recognizes, and acknowl- edges his evils, and finds himself to be a miserable sinner. There is no need for man to enumerate his sins before the Lord, nor to supplicate forgiveness of them. He need not enumerate them, because he has searched them out and seen them in himself, and consequently they are present to the Lord because they are pres- ent to himself. Moreover, the Lord led him to search them out, disclosed them, and inspired grief for them, and together with this an effort to refrain from them and begin a new life. Supplication need not be made to the Lord for forgiveness of sins, for the following reasons : First, because sins are not abol- ished, but removed ; and they are removed so far as man contin- ues to ref ram from them and enters upon a new life ; for there are innumerable lusts inherent, coiled up as it were, in every evil, and they cannot be put away instantly, but only gradually, as man permits himself to be reformed and regenerated. The second reason is, that as the Lord is mercy itself, He forgives all men their sins, nor does He impute a single sin to any one, for He says, " They know not what they do." Nevertheless, the sins are not thereby taken away ; for to Peter asking how often he should forgive his brother's trespasses, whether he should do so seven times, the Lord said : — I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven (Matt, xviii. 21-22). What, then, will not the Lord do ? Still it does no harm for one burdened in conscience to enumerate his sins before a minister of the church, in order to lighten his burden and obtain abso- lution ; because he is thereby initiated into a habit of examin- ing himself, and reflecting upon each day's evils. But this kind of confession is natural, while that described above is spiritual. 560. To adore as God some vicar on earth, or to invoke as God some saint, has no more weight in heaven than to make supplication to the sun, moon, and stars, or to ask for a response from a diviner and believe what he puts forth, which is idle. It would be also like worshiping a temple, and not worshiping God in the temple ; it would be like supplicating a king's ser- vant carrying the scepter and crown in his hand, for the honors of glory, instead of the king himself ; and this would be as use- N. 560] KEPENTANCE 87 less as trying to kiss the splendor of purple, renown, light, the golden rays of the sun, or a mere name, apart from their sub- jects. For those who do such things are these words in John: — We abide in the truth in Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eter- nal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols (1 Epis. 20, 21). X. ACTUAL REPENTANCE IS EASY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOW AND THEN PRACTISED IT, BUT IT IS A VERY DIFFI- CULT TASK FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT. 561. Actual repentance is to examine oneself, to recognize one's sins, to confess them before God, and thus to begin a new life ; this is in accord with the previous description of it. To the Eeformed Christian world (meaning by this all those who are separate from the church of Rome, and also to those at- tached to that church who have not practised actual repent- ance), this repentance is a very difficult task. This is because some are unwilling and some are afraid to practise it ; and con- tinued neglect establishes a habit, induces unwillingness, and at length gains the endorsement of the reasoning intellect, and this with some produces sadness, dread, and terror at the thought of repentance. Actual repentance is so extremely difficult in the Reformed Christian world chiefly because of their belief that repentance and charity contribute nothing to salvation, but faith alone, from the imputation of which forgiveness of sins, justification, renovation, regeneration, sanctification, and eternal salvation follow. Moreover, their dogmatic writers say that man's co-operation of himself, or as if of himself, is use- less, is an obstacle to Christ's merit, and is repugnant and in- jurious to it. And this idea is implanted in the minds of the common people, although they are ignorant of the mysteries of that faith, merely by the sayings, that " faith alone saves," and "who can possibly do good of himself?" For this reason, re- pentance among the Reformed is like a nest of young birds de- prived of the parent birds, which have been captured and killed 88 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. by the fowler. To this another reason may be added, that a so- called Reformed Christian is associated in the spiritual world as to his spirit, only with such as are like himself, who intro- duce such things into the ideas of his thought, and lead him away from the very first step toward self-inspection and self- examination. 562. I have asked many of the Eeformed in the spiritual world, why they did not practise actual repentance, when it was enjoined upon them both in the Word and at baptism, as also before the holy communion in all their churches. They made various replies. Some said that contrition with a lip- confession that they were sinners, is sufficient ; some that such repentance, because it takes place while man is acting from his own will, is not consistent with the generally accepted faith. Others said, "How can any one examine himself, when he knows that he is nothing but sin ? This would be like casting a net into a lake filled from bottom to top with mud containing noxious worms." Others said, "Who can look into himself so deeply as to see in himself Adam's sin, from which all his act- ual evils flow ? Are not both kinds of evil washed away by the water of baptism, and removed or covered up by the merit of Christ? What then is repentance but a requirement, which sadly disturbs the conscientious ? By the Gospel are we not under grace, and not under the hard law of that repentance ?" and so on. Some said, that whenever they undertake to ex- amine themselves, dread and terror fill their minds as if they saw a monster near their bed in the morning twilight. From all this the reasons are made clear why actual repentance in the Reformed Christian world has become rusty, as it were, and is discarded. [2] In the presence of these persons I also asked some who adhered to the Roman Catholic religion about their actual confession to their ministers, whether it was difficult. They replied, that after they had been initiated into it they were not afraid to recount their trespasses to a confessor who was not severe, that they gathered them up with a kind of pleasure, telling the lighter ones cheerfully, and the more seri- ous somewhat timidly; also from habit they freely returned annually to their appointed confession, and, after receiving ab- solution, to festivity ; moreover, that they look upon all who N. 562] REPENTANCE 89 are not willing to disclose the defilements of their hearts, as impure. Hearing this, the Reformed who were present hast- ened away, some deriding and laughing, some astounded and yet commending. [3] Afterward some drew near who belonged to that same church, but had lived in Protestant countries, who, according to the usage there established, did not make a special confession, as their brethren do elsewhere, but a general confes- sion to one who held the keys for them. These said that they were utterly unable to examine themselves, to trace out and set forth their actual evils and the secrets of their thoughts ; and that they felt this to be as repugnant and terrifying as an at- tempt to cross a ditch to a rampart where an armed soldier stands and cries, " Keep back." From all this it is now clear that actual repentance is easy to those who at times practise it, but is extremely difficult to those who have not practised it. 563. It is known that habit is a second nature, and that therefore what is easy for one is difficult for another ; and this is true of self-examination and a confession of what is thereby discovered. What is easier for a hired laborer, a porter, or a farmer, than to work with his hands from morning till evening, while a gentleman or a delicate person could not do the same work for half an hour without fatigue and sweating ? It is easy for a footman with a staff and easy boots to pursue his way for miles, while one accustomed to ride can hardly run slowly from one street to another. Every mechanic who is at- tentive to his task goes through it easily and willingly, and when he leaves it, longs to return; while another, who under- stands the same trade, but is indolent, can scarcely be driven to work. The same is true of every one, whatever may be his office or pursuit. To one diligent in piety, what is easier than to pray to God ? while to one who is a slave to impiety, what is more difficult ? and vice versa. What priest, preaching before a king for the first time, does not feel timid ? but after doing it frequently he goes through boldly. What is easier for an angelic man than to raise his eyes to heaven, or for a devilish man than to cast them down toward hell? But if the latter becomes a hypocrite, he too can look up to heaven, but his heart is turned away. Every one becomes imbued with the end he has in view and the habit arising therefrom. 90 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. XI. ONE WHO HAS NEVER REPENTED OR HAS NEVER LOOKED IN- TO AND SEARCHED HIMSELF, FINALLY CEASES TO KNOW WHAT DAMNING EVIL OR SAVING GOOD IS. 564. As few in the Reformed Christian world practise re- pentance, this is here added, that he who has not looked into and searched himself, finally ceases to know what damning evil or saving good is, because he has no religion from which to know it ; for the evil that a man does not see, recognize and ac- knowledge, remains ; and whatever remains becomes more and more enrooted, until it obstructs the interiors of the mind, whereby man becomes first natural, then sensual, and finally corporeal, and in such states he knows not any damning evil or saving good. He becomes like a tree growing on a hard rock, which spreads its roots among the crevices and finally withers away from lack of moisture. [2] Every man rightly educated is rational and moral ; but there are two ways to ra- tionality, one from the world and the other from heaven. He who has become rational and moral from the world only, and not from heaven, is rational and moral in word and gesture only, but is inwardly a beast, and even a wild beast, because he acts as one with those who are in hell, where all are wild beasts. But he who is rational and moral from heaven also, is truly rational and moral, because he is so at once in spirit, word and body ; the spiritual being within these two latter like a soul actuating the natural, sensual and corporeal ; it also acts as one with those who are in heaven. Therefore there can be a spir- itual-rational and moral man, and also a merely natural-rational and moral man. These two are not distinguished from each other in the world, especially if the man has by practice become imbued with hypocrisy ; but they are distinguished by the an- gels in heaven as easily as doves from owls or sheep from tigers. [3] The merely natural man can see good and evil in others, and also rebuke others ; but not having looked into and exam- ined himself, he does not see any evil in himself, and if any is discovered by another, he cloaks it by means of his rationality, N. 564] REPENTANCE 91 as a serpent hides his head in the dust, and immerses himself in it, as a hornet buries himself in mud. This is done by the delight of evil, which encompasses him as a fog does a marsh, absorbing and extinguishing the rays of light. Infernal de- light is no other. It is exhaled from hell, and flows into every man, into the soles of his feet, his back, and his occiput; and when it is received by the head in the forehead and by the body in the breast, man is made a slave to hell; and for the reason that the human cerebrum is devoted to the understanding and the wisdom it contains, but the cerebellum to the will and its love. This is why there are two brains. But that infernal de- light can be corrected, reformed and inverted solely by the spir- itual-rational and moral. 565. There shall now be given a brief description of the merely natural-rational and moral man, who viewed in himself is sensual, and if he goes on, becomes corporeal or fleshly ; but the description shall be sketched in separate statements. The sensual is the outmost of the life of man's mind, adher- ent to and coherent with his five bodily senses. He is called a sensual man who judges of everything from the bodily senses., and believes nothing but what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands, calling that something real, and rejecting everything else. The interiors of his mind, which have their vision from the light of heaven, are closed, so that he sees nothing of the truth that relates to heaven and the church. Such a man thinks in outermosts, and not interiorly from any spiritual light, because he is in gross natural light; therefore he is interiorly opposed to the things that pertain to heaven and the church, although outwardly he can speak in favor of them, even zealously, in proportion to his hope of gaining power and wealth by means of them. Men of learning and erudition, who have confirmed them- selves deeply in falsities, and still more those who have con- firmed themselves against the truths of the Word, are more sen- sual than others. [2] Sensual men reason acutely and skilfully, because their thought is so near to speech as to be almost in it, as it were, on the lips ; also because they ascribe all intelligence to the speech 92 ' THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. that is from memory alone. Moreover, they can dexterously confirm falsities, and after confirming them they believe them to be true ; but their reasoning and confirmation are from the fallacies of the senses, which captivate and persuade the com- mon people. Sensual men are more cunning and malicious than others. The avaricious, adulterous, and crafty are especially sensual, although to the world they seem talented. The interiors of their minds are vile and filthy ; by these they communicate with the hells ; in the Word they are called dead. Those who are in the hells are sensual, and more so the more deeply they are in them ; and the sphere of infernal spirits con- joins itself from behind with man's sensual. In the light of heaven their occiput seems hollow. Those who reasoned from sensual things only, were called by the ancients serpents of the tree of knowledge. [3] Sensual things ought to occupy the last place, not the first ; and in a wise and intelligent man they do occupy the last place, and are subordinate to things interior ; but in a foolish man they occupy the first place, and are predominant. When things sensual occupy the last place, a way is opened by means of them to the understanding, and truths are perfected by the method of extraction. Such sensual things stand most near to the world, and admit what flows to them from the world, and, as it were, sift it. By means of sensual things man communicates with the world, and by means of rational things with heaven. Sensual things supply what is of service to the interiors of the mind. There are sensual things that supply what is serviceable both to the intellectual and to the voluntary part. Unless thought is raised above sensual things man has but little wisdom. When man's thought is raised above sensual things, he comes into a clearer light, and at length into heav- enly light, and then he has a perception of such things as flow down from heaven. The outmost of the understanding is the natural knowing faculty, and the outmost of the will is sensual delight. N. 566] REPENTANCE 93 566. As to his natural man, man is like a beast; he acquires the image of a beast by means of life. Consequently in the spir- itual world there appear about such a man beasts of all kinds, which are correspondences. For man's natural, viewed in itself, is purely animal ; but because there is a spiritual superadded, he can become a man ; and if he does not become a man from the capacity to become so, he can counterfeit one, although he is then only a talking beast ; for he talks from the natural-rational, but thinks from spiritual insanity, and he acts from natural morality, but loves from a spiritual satyriasis. His actions, seen by a spiritually rational man, are but little different from the dance of one bitten by a tarantula, or that called St. Vitus' dance, or the dance of St. Guy. Who does not know that a hypocrite can talk about God, a robber about honesty, an adul- terer about chastity, and so on ? But unless man had the abil- ity to shut and open the door between his thoughts and his words, and between his intentions and his actions, and unless prudence or cunning were the doorkeeper, he would rush into crimes and cruelties more fiercely than any wild beast. But in every man after death that door is opened; and then what he has been is apparent; but he is kept under restraint by pun- ishments and confinements in hell. Therefore, kind reader, look into yourself, and find out one or another evil that is in you, and from religion dismiss it. If you dismiss evils from any other purpose or end, you do so only that they may not ap- pear before the world. 567. To all this the following Memorable Relations shall be added. First : — I was suddenly seized with a disease almost deadly ; my whole head was oppressed ; a pestilential smoke was let into it from the Jerusalem which is called Sodom and Egypt (Apoc. xi. 8). I was half dead with the fierce pain ; I expected my end. In this state I lay in my bed for three days and a half. My spirit was brought into that condition, and from it my body. Then I heard about me the voices of some, who said, "Be- hold, he who preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins and Christ as alone man, lies dead in the street of out city." 94 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. And they asked some of the clergy whether that man was worthy of burial ; and they answered, " No ; let him lie and be looked at." And they kept going, and coming, and scoffing. Of a truth this so happened to me while explaining the elev- enth chapter of The Apocalypse. Then harsh remarks were heard from the scoffers, especially these : " How can man repent without faith ? How can the man Christ be adored as God ? Since we are saved freely without any merit of our own, what need is there of anything except the faith only that God the Father sent the Son to take away the damnation of the law, to impute to us His merit, and so justify us before Him, absolve us from our sins by the declar- ation of a priest, and then give us the Holy Spirit to work in us all good ? Is this not in accordance with Scripture and also in accordance with reason ?" At this the crowd that stood by applauded. [2] I heard this and was unable to reply, because I lay almost dead. But after three days and a half my spirit re- covered, and in spirit I went out on the street into the city and said again, " Repent, and believe in Christ, and your sins will be forgiven, and you will be saved ; otherwise, you will perish. Did not the Lord Himself preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and that they should believe in Him ? Did He not command His disciples to preach the same ? Does not complete unconcern about life follow the dogma of your faith?" But they said, " What nonsense ! Has not the Son made sat- isfaction ? Does not the Father impute this to us? We who believe this He justifies ; thus we are led by the spirit of grace. What then is sin in us, and what is death with us ? Preacher of sin and repentance, do you understand this gospel ?" Then a voice came forth out of heaven, saying, " What is the faith of an impenitent man but a dead faith? The end has come, the end has come upon you, unconcerned, blameless in yotTr own eyes, justified in your own belief, satans." Then sud- denly a chasm was opened in the midst of the city; it widened; house after house fell into it, and they were swallowed up ; and straightway water welled up from the wide gulf and overflowed the waste. N. 567] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 95 [3] When they had thus sunk down and been apparently overflowed, I was wishing to know their lot in the abyss, and I was told from heaven, " You shall see and hear." And then the waters by which they seemed to be overflowed disappeared before my eyes ; for waters in the spiritual world are correspondences, and therefore appear about those who are in falsities. I then saw them in the sandy bottom, where heaps of stones were piled, among which they were running about and lamenting that they had been cast out of their great city. They shouted and cried out, " Why has this come upon us ? Are we not, by our faith, clean, pure, just, and holy? Are we not, by our faith, cleansed, purified, justified and sanctified ?" And others cried out, "Are we not, by our faith, made such that before God the Father we appear, are seen, and are reputed, and before the angels are declared to be clean, pure, just and holy? Have we not been reconciled, propitiated, expiated, and there- fore absolved, washed, and cleansed from sin ? Has not the con- demnation of the law been taken away by Christ ? Why, then, have we been cast down into this place as if damned ? We heard a bold preacher against sin say in our great city, ' Believe in Christ, and repent.' Have we not believed in Christ, since we have believed in His merit? Have we not repented, since we have confessed that we are sinners ? Why then has this befallen us?" [4] Then was heard a voice from one side saying to them, " Do you know of any one sin in which you are ? Have you ever ex- amined yourselves, and consequently shunned any evil as a sin against God ? He who does not shun evil is in evil. Is not sin the devil ? Therefore you are those of whom the Lord says : — Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk before Thee, and Thou hast taught in our streets. But He will say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are ; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity (Luke xiii. 26, 27 ; as also those of whom He speaks, Matt. vii. 22, 23). Away, therefore, each to his own place. You see openings in the caverns ; enter, and to each one of you will be given his own task to be done, and then food in proportion to your work. If you do not, hunger will soon compel you to go in." [5] Afterward there came a voice out of heaven to some on the earth who were outside of that great city (who also are spo- 96 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX ken of in Apoc. xi. 13), saying loudly, " Beware, beware of affili- ation with such spirits. Can you not understand that the evils which are called sins and iniquities render man unclean and impure? How can man be cleansed and purified from them except by actual repentance, and by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? "Actual repentance is to examine oneself, to recognize and ac- knowledge one's sins, to hold oneself guilty, to confess sins be- fore the Lord, to pray for help and power to resist them, and thus refrain from them and begin a new life ; and all this you must do as if of yourselves. Do so once or twice a year, when you come to the holy communion ; and afterward, whenever the sins of which you have found yourselves guilty recur, say to yourselves, ' We will not do this because it is a sin against God.' This is actual repentance. [6] Who cannot understand that he who does not examine and see his sins remains in them ? For every evil is delightful to a man from his birth ; it is delightful to him to take revenge, to commit whoredom, to defraud, to blaspheme, and especially to exercise dominion from self-love ; and does not this delight prevent your seeing these sins ? And if, perchance, you are told that they are sins, do you not from their delight excuse them, and even prove to yourselves by means of falsities that they are not sins ? And, therefore, you remain in them, and afterward commit them more frequently than before, and this even until you do not know what sin is, or indeed whether there is any such thing. With any one who actually repents it is different. His evils, such as he has recognized and acknowledged, he calls sins, and therefore be- gins to shun them and turn away from them; and finally to feel their delight to be undelightful. And so far as this is done he sees and loves good, and at length feels the delight of good, which is the delight of the angels of heaven. In a word, so far as any one puts the devil behind him, he is accept- ed by the Lord, and is taught, led, withheld from evil, and kept in good by Him; and this is the way, and the only way, from hell to heaven." [7] It is wonderful that with the Reformed there is a certain enrooted objection, repugnance and aversion to actual repent- ance, which is so great as to prevent their compelling them- N. 567] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 97 selves to examine themselves, to see their sins, and to confess them before God ; it is as if horror seized them when this is pro- posed. In the spiritual world I have asked very many about this, and they all have declared that it was beyond their power. When they have heard that this is still done by the papists, that is, that they examine themselves, and openly confess their sins to a monk, they have been very much astonished, and es- pecially that the Reformed could not even do this in secret be- fore God, although it is equally enjoined upon them before they come to the holy supper. Some there wished to know why this is so ; and they found that such a state of impenitence and such a heart are induced by faith alone. Then it was granted them to see that those Roman Catholics who worship Christ and do not invoke saints are saved. [8] After this, something like thunder was heard, and a voice speaking from heaven, saying, " We are amazed. Say to the as- sembly of the Reformed, 'Believe in Christ, repent, and you will be saved.'" This I said, adding also, " Is not baptism a sacrament of re- pentance, and therefore introduction into the church ? What • do the sponsors promise for him who is about to be baptized, but that he will renounce the devil and his works ? Is not the holy supper a sacrament of repentance, and thus introduction into heaven ? Are not communicants told by all means to re- pent before coming to it ? Does not the catechism, the doctrine of the entire Christian church, teach repentance? Is it not there said, in the six commandments of the second table, Thou shalt not do this or that evil, and not, Thou shalt do this or that good? From this you may know that so far as any one re- nounces evil and turns away from it, so far he is moved by and loves good, and until then does not know what good is, nor even what evil is." 568. Second Memorable Relation: — What pious and wise man does not wish to know his life's lot after death ? I will therefore set forth plainly some general truths in order that it may be known. Every man, when, after death, he feels that he is still alive, and that he is in another world, and hears that heaven, where there are eternal joys, is above him, and hell, where there are Vol. II.— 7 98 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. eternal sorrows, is beneath hirn, is at first remitted into his ex- ternals, in which he was in the former world ; and he then be- lieves that he is certainly going to heaven, and talks intelli- gently and acts prudently. And some then say, " We have lived morally, we have pursued honesty, we have not done evil purposely." Others say, " We have frequented churches, heard masses, kissed sacred images, and on our knees poured out prayers." Others again, " We have given to the poor, helped the needy, read pious books, and also the Word," with other like things. [2] But when they have said these things, angels approach and say, " All that you have mentioned you have done in exter- nals, but you do not yet know what you are in your internals. You are now spirits in a substantial body, and the spirit is your internal man. It is this in you that thinks what it wills and wills what it loves ; and that is the delight of its life. Every man from infancy begins life from externals, and learns to act morally and talk intelligently ; and when he begins to gain some idea of heaven and its happiness, he begins to pray, to frequent churches, and to observe the solemnities of worship ; and yet when evils spring forth from their native fountain, he hides them in his mind's bosom, and also ingeniously covers them over with reasonings from fallacies to such an extent that he does not even know that evil is evil. And then because the evils are veiled over and covered up as it were with dust, he thinks no more about them, except to guard against their ap- pearing before the world. Thus he endeavors merely to lead a moral life in externals, and thus he becomes a double man, — a sheep in externals, and a wolf in internals; and he is like a golden box containing poison, or like a man with a foul breath holding something aromatic in his mouth to prevent those near him from perceiving it ; or he is like a mouse's skin that smells of balsam. [3] You said that you had lived morally, and had followed pious pursuits ; but tell me, have you ever examined your internal man and there perceived any lusting after revenge even to murder, after libidinous living even to adultery, after defrauding even to theft, after lying even to false witness ? In four of the commandments of the Decalogue it is said, Thou shaft not do these things, and in the two last, Thou shaft not N. 568] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 99 lust after them. Do you believe that in these things your in- ternal man has been like your external ? If you do you are per- haps deceived." ,[4] To this they replied, "What is the internal man? Is not the internal and the external one and the same ? We have heard from our ministers that the internal man is nothing but faith, and that oral piety and a morality of life are the signs of it, because they are its operation." To this the angels answered, " Saving faith is in the internal man, and charity likewise; and from them come Christian fidel- ity and morality in the external man. But if the above-men- tioned lusts remain in the internal man, thus in the will and therefrom in the thought, and if in consequence you love these things interiorly, and yet act and speak otherwise in externals, evil is then with you above good, and good below evil; conse- quently, however you may talk as if from the understanding, and act from love, evil is within and thus is veiled over; and then you are like cunning apes which perform actions like those of men, but the human heart is wholly lacking. [5] But what your internal man is, of which you know nothing, because you have not examined yourselves and afterwards repented, you will see after a while, when you put off your external man and are let into the internal. When this takes place you will no longer be recognized by your companions, nor even by yourselves. Wicked men, who were moral, I have then seen to be like wild beasts, looking at the neighbor with savage eyes, burning with deadly hatred, and blaspheming God, whom they adored while in the external man." Hearing this they withdrew ; and the angels then said, " You wdl see your life's lot after a little ; for your external man will soon be taken away from you, and you will enter into the in- ternal, which is now your spirit." 569. Third Memorable Relation : — Every love in man breathes forth a delight by which it makes itself felt. It is breathed forth first into the spirit and from that into the body ; and the delight of one's love, together with the pleasantness of thought, constitutes his life. This delight and pleasantness are felt by man only obscurely while he lives in the natural body, because that body absorbs and blunts them ; 100 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. but after death, when the material body is laid aside, and the covering or clothing of the spirit thus removed, man has a full sense and perception of these delights of love and pleasant- nesses of thought, and, what is wonderful, sometimes even as odors. Because of this, all in the spiritual world are affiliated according to their loves, those in heaven according to theirs, and those in hell according to theirs. [2] The odors into which, in heaven, the delights of loves are turned, are all perceived like the fragrances, sweet smells, pleasant exhalations, and de- licious sensations that arise from gardens, flower-beds, fields and forests in the mornings in spring. But the odors into which the delights of the loves of those in hell are turned, are perceived like the pungent, fetid and putrid smells that arise from cesspools, dead bodies, and ponds full of rubbish and or- dure ; and, what is wonderful, the devils and satans there per- ceive these smells as balsams, aromatics and frankincense, re- freshing their nostrils and hearts. In the natural world it is also given to beasts, birds and worms to be associated according to odors, but not to men until they have laid aside their bodies as exuvice. [3] On this account heaven is most distinctly ar- ranged in accordance with all the varieties of the love of good, and hell, on the contrary, in accordance with all the varieties of the love of evil. It is owing to this opposition that there is a gulf between heaven and hell which cannot be passed ; for those who are in heaven cannot endure any odor from hell, be- cause it excites nausea and vomiting, and threatens them with swooning if they inhale it. The effect is similar upon those who are in hell, if they pass the middle line of that gulf. [4] I once saw a certain devil, who at a distance had the ap- pearance of a leopard (a few days before he had been seen among the angels of the lowest heaven, having the art to make himself an angel of light), who had passed beyond the middle line and was standing between two olive trees, yet did not per- ceive any odor offensive to his life, for the reason that there were no angels present. But the moment they approached he was seized with convulsions and fell down rigid in all his limbs ; and then he appeared like a great serpent drawing himself up in folds, and at length gliding down through the opening, from which he was taken by his companions and carried into N. 569] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 101 a cavern, and there by the rank odor of his own delight he was revived. [5] Again, I once saw a satan punished by his compan- ions. I asked why, and was told that with his nostrils stop- ped up he had gone near to those who were in the odor of heaven, and had returned and brought that odor with him on his clothing. It has often happened that a putrid odor, like that of corpses, from some open cavern in hell, has painfully touched my nos- trils and brought on vomiting. From all this it can be seen why in the Word the sense of smell signifies perception, for it is often said that Jehovah smelled a sweet savor from the burnt-offerings ; also that the anointing oil and the incense were made of fragrant substances ; and on the other hand the children of Israel were commanded to carry out of their camps what was unclean in them, and to dig down and bury their excrements (Deut. xxiii. 12, 13). This was because the camps of Israel represented heaven, and the desert without the camps represented hell. 570. Fourth Memorable Relation: — I once talked with a novitiate spirit who, when in the world, had meditated much upon heaven and hell. By novitiate spir- its are meant men who have recently died, and who are called spirits because they are then spiritual men. As soon as this spirit entered the spiritual world, he began to meditate in the same manner on heaven and hell, and when thinking about hea^ ven seemed to himself to be glad, and when thinking about hell to be sad. As soon as he recognized that he was in the spirit- ual world he asked where heaven and hell were, what they were, and what was the nature of each. They answered, " Heaven is over your head, and hell beneath your feet ; for you are now in the world of spirits, which is in- termediate between heaven and hell ; but what they are, and what the nature of each is, we cannot describe in few words." Then, as he ardently wished to know, he threw himself up- on his knees and devoutly prayed to God that he might be instructed. And lo, an angel appeared at his right hand and raised him up, and said, " You have prayed to be instructed about heaven 102 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. and hell ; inquire and learn what delight is, and you will know." As soon as the angel had said this, he was taken up. [2] The novitiate spirit then said to himself, "What does this mean? ' Inquire and learn what delight is, and you tvill know what heaven and hell are, and their nature^ " Leaving that place immediately, he wandered around, and asked those he met, " Pray, tell me, if you please, what delight is." And some said, " What sort of a question is that ? Who does not know what delight is ? Is it not joy and gladness ? De- light is delight. One is the same as the other. We know no difference." Others said, " Delight is the mind's laughter ; for when the mind laughs the countenance is merry, the speech is jocular, the gestures are playful, and the whole man is in delight." Others said, " Delight is nothing but feasting and eating rich things, drinking generous wine and getting drunk, and then chatting about various things, especially the sports of Venus and Cupid." [3] Hearing these remarks, the novitiate spirit being indig- nant, said to himself, " These answers are boorish, not those of well-bred persons. Such delights are neither heaven nor hell. Would that I could find some wise men." And he went away from these persons and asked, "Where are the wise men ?" He was then seen by an angelic spirit, who said, " I perceive that you have an ardent desire to know what the universal of heaven is, and what the universal of hell is ; and as this is de- light, I will conduct you to a hill where there is a daily meet- ing of those who inquire into effects, of those who investigate causes, and of those who search out ends. Those who inquire into effects are there called spirits of knowledge, abstractly, knowledges ; those who investigate causes, are called spirits of intelligence, abstractly, intelligences, and those who search out ends, are called spirits of wisdom, abstractly, wisdoms. Di- rectly above these in heaven are angels who from ends see causes, and from causes see effects ; from these angels those three companies have enlightenment." [4] Then taking the novitiate spirit by the hand, he led him to the top of the hill, and to the assembly that was composed N. 570] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 103 of those who search out ends and are called wisdoms. The no- vitiate spirit said to them, " Pardon my coming up to you ; I did so, because from my childhood I have meditated about hea- ven and hell. I have lately come to this world ; and some who were then associated with me said that heaven is here above my head, and hell beneath my feet ; but they did not say what either one or the other is or the nature of it ; therefore, becoming anx- ious from constantly thinking about them, I prayed to God; and then an angel came to me and said, 'Inquire and learn what delight is, and you will know.' I have inquired, but thus far in vain. I therefore beg that you will teach me, if it please you, what delight is." [5] To this the wisdoms replied, " Delight is the all of life, to all in heaven, and to all in hell. To those in heaven, it is the delight of good and truth, but to those in hell, it is the de- light of evil and falsity ; for all delight belongs to love, and love is the being (esse) of man's life. Therefore, as man is man in accord with what his love is, so is he man in accord with what his delight is. The activity of love is what gives the sense delight ; in heaven its activity is with wisdom, and in hell with insanity, but in both cases the activity produces the delight in its subjects. But the heavens and hells are opposite delights; the heavens are in love of good, and the consequent delight of doing good ; but the hells are in the love of evil, and in the con- sequent delight of doing evil. If, therefore, you know what delight is, you know what heaven and hell are, and their nature. [6] " But inquire and learn still further what delight is from those who investigate causes, and are called intelligences. They are off toward the right." And he left them and drew near to that assembly, and told them the reason of his coming, and begged them to teach him what delight is. And pleased with the question, they said, " It is true that he who knows what delight is knows what heaven and hell are and their nature. The will, from which man is man, is not moved in the slightest degree except by delight ; for the will, viewed in itself, is nothing but the affection of some love, thus some de- light; for it is some pleasure and consequent satisfaction that causes volition. And since the will moves the understanding to 104 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. IX. think, not the least thought is possible except from an influent delight of the will. This is so for the reason that the Lord by influx from Himself actuates all things of the soul, and all things of the mind, in angels, spirits, and men, and in these He actuates by an influx of love and wisdom ; and this influx is the activity itself from which comes all delight. In its origin this is called bliss, happiness, and felicity, and in its derivation, de- light, pleasantness, and pleasure, and in a universal sense, Good. But infernal spirits invert everything in themselves, thus turn- ing good into evil, and truth into falsehood, the delight remain- ing without interruption; for without permanence of delight they would have no will, no sensation, and thus no life. This makes clear what the delight of hell is, and its nature and source ; also what the delight of heaven is, and its nature and source." [T] Having heard this, he was conducted to the third as- sembly, where those were who inquire into effects and are called knowledges ; and they said, " Descend to the lower earth, and ascend to the higher; you will there perceive and feel the de- lights of both heaven and hell." And lo, at that moment the earth opened at a distance, and through the chasm three devils came up, who seemed to be on fire with their love's delight ; and as the angels accompanying the novitiate spirit perceived that these three had come up out of hell providentially, they called out to the devils, "Do not come nearer, but from where you are tell us something about your delights." They replied, "Know this, that every one, whether he is called good or evil, is in his own delight, the so-called good man in his, and the so-called evil man in his." The angels asked, " What is your delight ?" They said that it was delight in whoredom, revenge, fraud, and blasphemy. Again the angels asked, " What is the nature of those delights with you?" They said that they were felt by others like the fetid smells from dung, the putrid smells from dead bodies, and the pungent smells from stagnant urine. The angels then asked, " Are these things delightful to you ?" They answered, " Most delightful." N. 570] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 105 "Then," said the angels, "you are like the unclean beasts that live in such things." They replied, " If we are, we are ; but such things are grate- ful to our nostrils." The angels then asked, " What more ?" They answered, " Every one is allowed to be in his own de- light, even the most unclean, as they call it, provided he does not infest good spirits and angels; but as on account of our delight, we cannot help infesting them, we are cast into work- houses where we suffer terribly. The prohibition and with- drawal of our delights there is what is called the torment of hell; it is also interior pain." The angels asked, " Why did you infest the good ?" They answered, "We could not help it; it is as if a fury seized us whenever we see an angel, and feel the Lord's Divine sphere about him." To this we said, " Then you also are like wild beasts." Then, as soon as they saw the novitiate spirit with the angels, fury came upon them, which appeared like the fire of hatred; so to prevent their doing harm they were cast back to hell. After this the angels appeared who from ends saw causes, and through causes effects, and who were in a heaven above those three assemblies; these angels appeared in a shining white light, which rolling down in spiral curves brought with it a circular wreath of flowers, and placed it upon the head of the novitiate, spirit. And then a voice issued therefrom, say- ing to him, " This laurel wreath is given you because you have from childhood meditated upon heaven and hell." 106 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. CHAPTER X. REFORMATION AND REGENERATION. 571. After treating of Repentance, Reformation and Regen- eration come next in order, because they follow repentance, and by means of it advance step by step. There are two states that man must enter upon and pass through, when from being nat- ural he is becoming spiritual. The first state is called Refor- mation, and the second Regeneration. In the first man looks from his natural to his spiritual state and longs for that state ; in the second state he becomes spiritual-natural. The first state is formed by means of truths, which must be truths of faith, and through these he looks to charity ; the second state is formed by means of the goods of charity, and by these he enters into the truths of faith. Or what is the same, the first is a state of thought from the understanding, and the second a state of love from the will. When this latter state begins and is progress- ing, a change takes place in the mind; the mind undergoes a reversal, the love of the will then flowing into the understand- ing, acting upon it and leading it to think in accord and agree- ment with its love; and in consequence so far as the good of love comes to act the first part and the truths of faith the sec- ond, man is spiritual and is a new creature ; and he then acts from charity and speaks from faith ; he feels the good of char- ity and perceives the truth of faith ; and he is then in the Lord, and in peace, and thus regenerate. The man who while in the world has entered upon the first state, after death can be intro- duced into the second ; but he who has not entered into the first state while in the world, cannot after death be introduced into the second, thus cannot be regenerated. These two states may be compared to the progression of light and heat during the days of spring ; the first to the dawn or cock-crowing, the second to the morning or sunrise; and the progress of this second state may be compared to the advance of the day to noon, and thus into light and heat. There may also be a comparison with a field of grain, which is at first in the blade, then grows into the ear or head, in which the grain is afterward formed ; also with N. 571] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 107 a tree, which first grows out of the ground from a seed, then it becomes a stem from which branches go out, and these are adorned with leaves ; at length it blossoms, and from the inmost of the blossoms the fruit begins to form, and this, as it matures, produces new seeds, like a new generation. The first state, which is that of reformation, may also be compared to the state of a silk-worm, when it draws out and evolves from itself fila- ments of silk, and after finishing its industrious labor, flies forth into the air, nourishing itself, not by leaves as before, but by the juices of flowers. I. UNLESS A MAN IS BORN AGAIN, AND, AS IT WERE, CREATED ANEW, HE CANNOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 572. That unless a man is born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, is the Lord's doctrine in the following pas- sages from John: — Jesus said to Nicodemus, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, lie cannot see the kingdom of God ; and again, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ; That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit (iii. 3, 5, 6). " The kingdom of God" means both heaven and the church, for the church is the kingdom of God on earth. So in other places, where the kingdom of God is mentioned (as in Matt. xi. 11 ; xii. 28; xxi. 43; Luke iv. 43; vi. 20; viii. 1, 10 ; ix. 11, 60, 62; xvii. 21; and elsewhere). " To be born of water and the spirit" signifies to be born by means of truths of faith and a life in accordance with them. That "water" signifies truths, may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed (n. 50, 614, 615, 685, 632) ; that " spirit" signifies a life in accordance with Divine truths is clear from the Lord's words in John (vi. 63). "Verily, verily" [or "Amen, amen"], signifies that this is the truth ; and the Lord used that expres- 108 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. sion so frequently because He was the truth itself. He Him- self is also called "the Amen" (Apoc. iii. 14). In the Word the regenerate are called " sons of God" and " born of God," and regeneration is described by " a new heart and a new spirit." 573. The expression "born again," which means, as it were, created anew, is here used because " to be created" signifies to be regenerated. That this is the signification of " to be created" in the Word can be seen from the following passages : — ■ Create for me a clean heart, 0 God ; and renew a firm spirit in the midst of me (Ps. li. 10). Thou openest Thy hand, they are satisfied with good ; Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are created (Ps. civ. 28, 30). A people that shall be created shall praise Jah (Ps. cii. 18). Behold I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing (7s. lxv. 18). Thus hath said Jehovah, Thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Is- rael, I have redeemed thee. Every one that is called by My name, into My glory have I created him (Is. xliii. 1, 7). That they may see, know, consider and understand, that the Holy One of Israel hath created.it (Is. xli. 20). (And elsewhere.) Also where the Lord is called Creator, Former and Maker. This makes clear what is meant by these words of the Lord to His disciples: — Going into all the world, preach ye the gospel to every creature (Mark xvi. 15); " creatures" meaning all who are capable of regeneration. (So also in Apoc. iii. 14; 2 Cor. v. 16, 17.) 574. All reason shows that man must be regenerated, for he is born into evils of every kind derived from his parents ; and these evils have their seat in his natural man, which of itself is diametrically opposed to the spiritual man. Nevertheless man is born for heaven; although he does not enter heaven unless he becomes spiritual, and he can become spiritual only by means of regeneration. From this it follows of necessity that the nat- ural man with its lusts must be subdued, subjugated, and in- verted, and that otherwise man cannot approach a single step toward heaven, but sinks deeper and deeper into hell. Who cannot see this, if he believes that he has been born into evils of every kind and acknowledges the existence and contrariety of good and evil, and believes in a life after death, a hell and a •N. 574] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 109 heaven, and that evil is what constitutes hell and good is what constitutes heaven ? Viewed in himself the natural man in no way differs in his nature from the nature of beasts. Like them he is wild ; but it is as to his will that he is such ; in understand- ing he differs from beasts, in that the understanding can be elevated above the lusts of the will, and not only see but also moderate them ; and for this reason man is able to think from understanding, and speak from thought, which beasts cannot do. What man is by birth, and what he would be if not re- generated, can be seen from fierce animals of every kind ; that he would be a tiger, a panther, a leopard, a wild hog, a scorpion, a tarantula, a viper, a crocodile, and so on ; consequently if he were not transformed by regeneration into a sheep, what would he be but a devil among devils in hell ? And in that state, if not restrained by civil laws, woidd not men from innate fe- rocity, rush upon one another and slaughter each other, and plunder each other even of the last scrap of clothing? How many are there of the human race who are not born satyrs and priapi or four-footed lizards ; and who among these, if not re- generated, does not become an ape ? External morality is re- quired, for the sake of covering up their internals ; and it does that. 575. What man is when not regenerated can be still further made clear by the following comparisons and similitudes from Isaiah : — The pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, and the owl and the raven shall dwell in it ; and he shall stretch out over it the line of empti- ness, and the plummet of devastation. And thorns shall come up upon her altars, the thistle and bramble in her fortresses ; and she shall become a habitation of dragons, and a court for the daughters of the owl ; the Tziim shall meet with the Ijim, and the satyr shall meet his fellow ; the night monster shall rest there. There shall the merula make her nest, and gather and hatch under her shadow ; there shall the vultures also be gath- ered, every one with her mate (xxxiv. 11-15). 110 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. II. THE NEW BIRTH OR CREATION IS EFFECTED BY THE LORD ALONE THROUGH CHARITY AND FAITH AS THE TWO MEANS, MAN CO-OPERATING. 576. That regeneration is effected by the Lord through char- ity and faith, follows from what was set forth in the chapters on Charity and Faith, especially from this, That the Lord, Char- ity and Faith make one, like Life, Will and Understanding in man, and if they are divided each of them perishes like a pearl reduced to powder. These two, charity and faith, are called the means, because they are what conjoin man with the Lord, caus- ing charity to be charity, and faith to be faith; and this con- junction cannot be effected unless man has part in his regen- eration; and this is why it is said, man co-operating. In the preceding chapters man's co-operation with the Lord has been several times treated of ; but as the human mind is such as to be incapable of perceiving otherwise than that man effects this by his own power, the subject shall be illustrated again. In all motion, and consequently in all action, there is an active and a passive ; that is to say, the active acts, and the passive acts from the active, so that from both one action arises ; com- paratively as a mill is moved by its wheel, a carriage by its horse, as motion is from effect, an effect from its cause, a dead force from a living force, and in general, as the instrument is moved by the principal. Every one knows that these two to- gether produce one action. As to charity and faith, the Lord acts and man acts from the Lord, for the Lord's active is in man's passive; therefore the power to act aright is from the Lord, and the will to act therefrom is as if it were man's, be- cause he has the freedom of choice, whereby he is able to act as one with the Lord and thus conjoin himself with Him, or to act from the power of hell which is an extraneous power, and thus to separate himself from the Lord. It is man's action in harmony with the Lord's action that is here meant by co-oper- ation. To give a clearer perception of this, it shall be still further illustrated by comparisons which follow. N. 577] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION m 577. From the foregoing it also follows, that the Lord is un- ceasingly in the act of regenerating man, because He is unceas- ingly in the act of saving him, and no one can be saved unless he is regenerated, according to the Lord's own words in John : — Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (iii. 3, 5,6). Regeneration, therefore, is the means of salvation, while char- ity and faith are the means of regeneration. To say that re- generation follows the faith of the present church, which leaves out man's co-operation, is vanity of vanities. [2] The action and co-operation here described may be seen in everything that is in any state of activity and mobility. Such is the action and co-operation of the heart and of every artery thereof; the heart acts, and the arteries by their sheaths or coats co-operate ; hence circulation. It is the same with the lungs. The air acts by its incumbent weight according to the height of the atmosphere, and at first the ribs co-operate with the lungs, and immediately after the lungs with the ribs ; from which there is respiration in every membrane of the body. Thus the meninges of the brain, the pleura, the peritoneum, the diaphragm and the other parts which cover the viscera and enter into their composition, act and are acted upon, and thus they co-operate ; for they are elastic ; and from this is their existence and subsistence. It is the same in every fiber and nerve, and in every muscle, and even in every cartilage ; in every one of these, as is known, there is action and co-operation. [3] There is such a co-operation also in every sense ; for the sensories of the body, like the mo- torics, consist of fibers, membranes, and muscles; but to de- scribe the co-operative action of each, is needless; for it is known that light acts upon the eye, sound upon the ear, odor upon the nostrils, and taste upon the tongue, and that the or- gans adapt themselves thereto ; from which there is sensation. Who cannot see from all this, that unless there were such ac- tion and co-operation with the influent life in the spiritual or- ganism of the brain, will and thought could not exist? For life from the Lord flows into that organism, and because of this co-operation, man has a perception of what he thinks, and in like manner of what is there considered, concluded upon, and determined into act. If life were to act merely, and man were 112 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X not to co-operate as if of himself, he could no more think than a stock, or than a temple while the minister is preaching in it. The temple may indeed, owing to the reverberation of the sound from its doors, have a sense, as it were, of the echo, but not of the discourse. So woidd man be, did he not co-operate with the Lord in respect to charity and faith. 578. What man would be if he did not co-operate with the Lord, may also be illustrated by comparisons : When he had a perception and sense of anything spiritual pertaining to heaven and the church, it would be as if something distasteful or dis- cordant flowed in, like an offensive smell entering the nose, a discordant sound the ear, a monstrous sight the eye, or a foul taste affecting the tongue. If a delight of charity or a pleasure of belief were to flow into the spiritual organism of the mind of those whose delight is in evil and falsity, if such delight and pleasure were thrust upon them, they would be in anguish and torture, and finally would fall into a swoon. Because that or- ganism consists of perpetual helices, in such a case it would coil itself up in spirals, and writhe like a serpent on an ant-hill. The truth of this has been proved to me by much experience in the spiritual world. III. SINCE ALL HAVE BEEN REDEEMED, ALL MAY BE REGENERATED, EACH ACCORDING TO HIS STATE. 579. That this may be understood, something must be pre- mised respecting redemption. The Lord came into the world chiefly for these two purposes, to remove hell from angel and from man, and to glorify His Human. For before the Lord's coming hell had grown up so far as even to infest the angels of heaven, and also, by interposing itself between heaven and the world, to intercept the Lord's communication with men on earth, so that no Divine truth and good could pass from the Lord to men. Consequently a total damnation threatened the whole human race, and the angels of heaven could not have long con- tinued to exist in their integrity. [2] And thus, in order that N. 579] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 113 hell might be cleared away, and. this impending damnation be thereby removed, the Lord came into the world, and dislodged hell, subjugated it, and thus opened heaven; so that He could henceforth be present with men on earth, and save those who live according to His commandments, and consequently could regenerate and save them, for those who are regenerated are saved. This is how it is to be understood, that, since all have been redeemed they may be regenerated, and because regenera- tion and salvation make one, all may be saved. So the teach- ing of the church, that without the Lord's coming no man could have been saved, is to be understood in this way, that without the Lord's coming no one could have been regenerated. [3] In respect to the other purpose for which the Lord came into the world, namely, to glorify His Human, this was because He there- by became the Redeemer, Regenerator and Saviour for ever. For it is not to be believed that by redemption once wrought in the world, all men had been thereby redeemed, but that the Lord is perpetually redeeming those who believe in Him and who obey His words. But on these points more may be seen in the chapter on Redemption. 580. Every man may be regenerated, each according to his state ; for the simple and the learned are regenerated differently ; as are those engaged in different pursuits, and those who till different offices; those who search into the external things of the Word, and those who search into its internals ; those who are principled in natural good from their parents, and those who are in evil ; those who from their infancy have entered into the vanities of the world, and those who sooner or later have with- drawn from them ; in a word, those who constitute the Lord's external church are regenerated differently from those who con- stitute His internal church, and this variety, like that of men's features and dispositions, is infinite ; and yet every one, accord- ing to his state, may be regenerated and saved. [2] The truth of this can be seen in the heavens, to, which all the regenerate go, in that there are three heavens, a highest, a middle, and a lowest ; and those who by regeneration acquire love to the Lord enter the highest heaven, those who acquire love to the neigh- bor, enter the middle heaven, and those who merely practise external charity, but at the same time acknowledge the Lord as Vol. II.— 8 114 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. God the Redeemer and Saviour, enter the lowest heaven. All these are saved but in different ways. [3] All may be regen- erated and thus saved, because the Lord with His Divine good and truth is present with every man ; this is the source of every one's life and his ability to understand and will, together with freedom of choice in spiritual things; in no man are these lack- ing. And the means to these are also given, for Christians in the Word, and for Gentiles in their religions, which teach that there is a God, and which furnish precepts respecting good and evil. From all this it follows that every one may be saved ; con- sequently that it is not the Lord's fault if man is not saved, but man's, because he does not co-operate. 581. That redemption and the passion of the cross are two distinct things and by no means to be confounded, and that by means of both the Lord took to Himself the power to regenerate and save men, has been shown in the chapter on Redemption. From the accepted faith of the church of to-day respecting the passion of the cross, as being redemption itself, have sprung throngs of horrible falsities respecting God, faith, charity and other things that in a continuous chain depends on these three ; as, respecting God, that He had determined upon the damnation of the human race, and that He was willing to be brought back to mercy by the imposition of that damnation upon His Son, or by the Son's taking it upon Himself, and that only those are saved who by foreknowledge or predestination have Christ's merit bestowed upon them. From this fallacy another belong- ing to that faith has been hatched, namely, that those upon whom that faith has been bestowed, are at the same time regen- erated without any co-operation on their part; and even that they have thus been absolved from the condemnation of the law, and are no longer under the law, but under grace, and this al- though the Lord has said, That He did not take away one tittle of the law (Matt. v. 18, 19 ; Luke xvi. 17), and also commanded His disciples : — To preach repentance for the remission of sins (Luke xxiv, 47 ; Mark vi. 12). He also said: — N. 581] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 115 The kingdom of God is at hand ; repent ye, and believe in the gospel (Marki. 15); "the gospel" meaning that they can be regenerated and thus saved, which they could not have been unless the Lord had wrought redemption, that is, had deprived hell of its power by combats against it and victories over it, and unless He had glor- ified His Human, that is, had made it Divine. 582. Think rationally and say what the entire human race would be if the faith of the present church were to continue ; this faith being that men are redeemed by the passion of the cross alone, and that those upon whom that merit of the Lord has been bestowed are not under the condemnation of the law ; and again, that this faith (whether or not it is in him man not knowing at all), remits sins and regenerates, and that man's co-operation in the act thereof, that is, when it is being given and entering, would defile it, and at the same time deprive him of salvation, since he would thereby commingle his own merit with that of Christ. Think rationally, I say, and tell me whether the whole Word would not be thus rejected, where regeneration by means of the spiritual washing away of evils, and by the exercise of charity is especially taught. What would the Decalogue, the starting point of reformation, then be, more than the paper that is sold in small shops and iised to wrap up spices ? What would religion then be, but a kind of lamen- tation that one is a sinner, and supplication to God the Father to be merciful on account of the passion of His Son, thus a matter of the mouth and lungs only, and not of anything done from the heart ? What would redemption then be but a papal indulgence; or what more than a monk's flagellation of himself for the sake of the whole assembly, as is sometimes done ? If faith alone regenerated man, repentance and charity doing nothing, what would the internal man (which is the man's spirit that lives after death), be like, but a burnt city, the ruins of which form the external man ; or a field or plain laid waste by caterpillars and locusts ? Such a man appears to the angels altogether like one who cherishes a serpent in his bos- om, and tries to conceal it under his garments; or like one sleeping like a lamb with a wolf; or like one sleeping under beautiful bed-clothing in a night-gown made of spiders' webs. 116 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. Or seeing that all are arranged in heaven according to the dif- ferent degrees of their regeneration, and all in hell according to the different degrees in which they have rejected it, what would the life after death be but a life of the flesh, and so like that of a fish or a crab ? IV. REGENERATION IS EFFECTED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO THAT IN WHICH MAN IS CONCEIVED, CARRIED IN THE WOMB, BORN AND EDUCATED. 583. In man there is a perpetual correspondence between what takes place naturally and what takes place spiritually, or between what takes place in his body and what takes place in his spirit. This is because man as to his soul is born spiritual, and is clothed with what is natural, which forms his material body. Therefore when this body is laid aside, his soul, clothed with a spiritual body, enters a world where all things are spir- itual, and is there affiliated with its like. Since, then, the spir- itual body must be formed in a material body, and is formed by means of truths and goods which flow in from the Lord through the spiritual world, and are inwardly received by man in such things in him as are from the natural world, which are called civil and moral, the way in which its formation is effect- ed is evident; and since, as before said, there is in man a con- stant correspondence between what takes place naturally and what takes place spiritually, it follows that this formation is like conception, gestation, birth and education. It is for this reason that natural births in the Word mean spiritual births, which are births of good and truth ; for whatever is mentioned in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, involves and signifies what is spiritual. That in each and all things of the sense of the letter of the Word there is a spiritual sense is fully shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture. That the nat- ural births mentioned in the Word involve spiritual births is very obvious from the following passages : — N. 583] KEFORMATION AND REGENERATION 117 We have conceived, we have travailed, we have as it were brought forth ; we have not wrought salvation (Isa. xxvi. 18). At the presence of the Lord the earth bringeth forth (Ps. cxiv. 7). Hath the earth travailed for one day ? Shall I break forth and not bring forth ? Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut up ? (Isa. lxvi. 7-10). Sin shall travail, and No shall be rent asunder (Ezek. xxx. 10). The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon Ephraim ; he is a son not wise, because he doth not stay his time in the womb of sons (Hos. xiii. 12, 13). (So also in many other places.) As natural generations in the Word signify spiritual genera- tions, and these are from the Lord, He is called the Maker and the Former from the womb, as appears from the following: — Jehovah thy Maker and thy Former from the womb (Isa. xliv. 2). Thou art He that took me out of the womb (Ps. xxii. 9). Upon Thee have I been laid from the womb ; Thou art He that took me out of my mother's bowels (Ps. lxxi. 0). Attend unto me, carried from the womb, borne from the matrix (Isa. xlvi. 3). (Besides other passages.) For this reason the Lord is called, Father (as in Isa. ix. 0 ; lxiii. 10 ; John x. 30 ; xiv. 8, 9). And those who are in goods and truths from Him are called, Sons, and born of God, and brethren to each other (Matt, xxiii. 8, 9). And again the church is called, Mother (Hos. ii. 2, 5 ; Ezek. xvi. 45). 584. From all this it is now clear that there is a correspond- ence between natural generations and spiritual generations ; and because of this correspondence it follows that conception, ges- tation, birth and education may not only be predicated of the new birth, but that they actually exist. In this chapter on Regeneration the nature of these are being presented to view in their proper order ; here let it be said merely that man's se- men is conceived interiorly in the understanding, and is given form in the will ; is transferred therefrom to the testicle where it clothes itself with a natural covering, and is thus conducted into the womb and enters the world. Moreover, there is a cor- respondence of man's regeneration with all things in the vege table kingdom ; therefore in the Word man is also pictured by a tree, his truth by its seed and his good by its fruit. That an evil tree may be born anew, as it were, and afterward bear good 118 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. fruit and good seed, is evident from grafting and budding, for although the same sap ascends from the root through the trunk to the graft or bud, it is then changed into good sap and makes the tree good. It is the same in the church with those who are engrafted into the Lord, as He teaches in these words : — I am the Vine, ye are the branches ; he that abideth in Me and I hi him, the same beareth much fruit. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered ; and is cast into the fire (John xv. 5, 6). 585. It has been taught by many of the learned that the pro- cesses of plant growth, not only of trees but also of all shrubs, correspond to human prolification. I will, therefore, add some- thing on this subject by way of appendix. In trees and in all other subjects of the vegetable kingdom there are not two sexes, a masculine and a feminine, but everything there is masculine ; the earth alone or the soil is the common mother, and is thus as it were feminine ; for it receives the seeds of all fruits, opens them, carries them as it were in a womb, and then nourishes them and brings them forth, that is, ushers them into the light of day, and afterward clothes and sustains them. [2] When a seed is first opened by the earth it begins with the root, which is a kind of heart; from this it emits and transmits sap like blood, and so forms as it were a body provided with limbs ; its body is the trunk itself, while the branches and their bvanch- lets are its limbs. The leaves which it puts forth immediately after its birth serve as lungs ; for as the heart without the lungs produces no motion or sensation, and it is by means of these that man is made alive, so the root without leaves does not cause a tree or shrub to vegetate. The blossoms which precede the fruit are means for purifying the sap, the tree's blood, for separating its grosser from its purer elements, for forming a new little trunk for the influx of these purer elements con- tained in the bosom of this sap, through which trunk the puri- fied sap may flow in and thus initiate and gradually form the fruit (which may be compared to the testicles), in which the seed is perfected. The vegetative soul which inmostly governs in every particle of sap, or which is. its prolific essence, is from no other source than the heat of the spiritual world; and as this heat is from the spiritual sun there, it aspires to nothing but generation, and a continuance of creation thereby ; and be- N. 585] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 119 cause it essentially aspires to the generation of man, it induces upon whatever it generates a certain resemblance to man. [3] That no one may be astonished at the statement, that the sub- jects of the vegetable kingdom are masculine only, and that the earth alone or the soil is like a common mother, or is like the feminine, let it be illustrated by something similar among bees. According to the observation of Swammerdam, reported in his Books of Nature, bees have only one common mother, from which the offspring of the entire hive is produced. As there is but one common mother for these little insects, why not the same for all plants ? [4] That the earth is a common mother may also be illustrated spiritually ; and is so illustrated by the fact that in the Word " the earth" signifies the church, and the church is a common mother, and is so called in the Word. As to the earth's signifying the church, consult the Apocalypse Re- vealed (n. 285, 902), where it is shown. But the earth or the soil can enter into the inmost of a seed even to its prolific prin- ciple, calling this forth and giving it circulation, because every least particle of dust or powder exhales from its essence a kind of subtle penetrating effluvium, which is an effect of the active force of the heat from the spiritual world. 586. That man can only be regenerated gradually, may be illustrated by each and all things that come into existence in the natural world. A tree cannot reach its full growth in a day, but there is first growth from the seed, then from the root, and then from the shoot, which becomes the trunk, and from this go forth branches and leaves, and finally blossoms and fruit. Wheat or barley does not ripen for the harvest in a day; a house is not built in a day, nor does a man acquire his full stat- ure in a day, still less wisdom ; a church is not established and perfected in a day, nor is there any progression to an end ex- cept from a beginning. Those who have a different conception of regeneration know nothing of charity and faith, nor of the growth of either according to man's co-operation with the Lord. From all this it is clear that regeneration is effected in a man- ner analogous to that in which man is conceived, carried in the womb, born and educated. 120 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. 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 THERE- FROM TO THE UNDERSTANDING. 587. As reformation and regeneration are treated of here and in what follows, and reformation is ascribed to the understand- ing and regeneration to the will, it is necessary that the dis- tinctions between the understanding and will should be known, which distinctions are described above (n. 397) ; therefore it is advisable to read first what is there said, and afterwards this section. It has also been shown there that the evils into which man is born are generated in the will of the natural man, and that the will causes the understanding to favor it by thinking in agreement with it. For this reason, that man may be regen- erated, it is necessary that his regeneration be effected by means of the understanding as the mediate cause ; and this is done by means of the various kinds of instruction that the understand- ing receives, first from parents and teachers, afterward by read- ing the Word, by preaching, books, and conversation. The things which the understanding receives from these sources are called truths ; it is the same, therefore, whether reformation is said to be effected by means of the understanding, or by means of the truths which the understanding receives ; for truths teach man in whom he ought to believe, and what he ought to believe, also what he ought to do, thus how he ought to will ; for what- ever one does he does from the will in accordance with his un- derstanding. Since then, man's will itself is evil by birth and the understanding teaches what good and evil are, and man can will either good or evil, it follows that he must be reformed by means of the understanding ; and so long as any one sees and mentally acknowledges that evil is evil, and good is good, and thinks that the good ought to be chosen, he is in what is called the state of reformation ; but when his will leads him to shun evil and do good, the state of regeneration begins. N. 588] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 121 588. For the sake of this end there has been given to man the ability to elevate his understanding almost into the light in which the angels of heaven are, that he may see what he must will and must do therefrom, that he may be prosperous in the world for a time and blessed after death to eternity. He becomes prosperous and blessed if he acquires for himself wisdom, and keeps his will in obedience thereto ; but he be- comes unprosperous and unhappy if he makes his understand- ing subservient to his will. This is because the will by birth inclines to evils, even to enormities ; therefore unless it is held in check by means of the understanding, man left to the free- dom of his will would rush into great wickedness, and . from the ferine nature inherent in him would plunder and slaughter for his own sake all who did not favor him and indulge his cupidities. Moreover, if man were not able to perfect his un- derstanding separately, and to perfect his will by means of it, he would not be a man, but a beast; for without that separa- tion, and without the ascent of the understanding above the will, he would not be able to think, and from thought to speak, but would be able to express his affections by sounds only ; nor would he be able to act from reason, but only from instinct; still less could he recognize what relates to God, and thereby God Himself, and thus be conjoined with Him and live for ever. For man exercises thought and will as if of himself; and this as if of himself , is the reciprocal element in conjunction, for conjunction without reciprocation is impossible, as there can be no conjunction of an active with a passive without adapta- tion or application. God alone acts ; man permits himself to be acted upon, and co-operates to all appearance as if of himself, although interiorly from God. But from a right perception of these things, it can be seen what the love of man's will is when it is elevated by means of the understanding; also what it is when not elevated ; thus what man is. 589. It must be known that the ability to elevate the under- standing even to the intelligence in which the angels of heaven are, is by creation inherent in every man, the wicked as well as the good, and even in every devil in hell, for all who are in hell have been men. This has been frequently shown to me by liv- ing experience. But such are not intelligent but insane in spir- 122 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. itual things, because they do not will good but evil, consequent- ly they are averse to knowing and understanding truths, for truths favor good and oppose evil. From all this it is clear that the first step in the new birth is a reception of truths by the un- derstanding, and the second is the will to act in accordance with truths, and finally to practise them. No one, however, can be said to be reformed by mere knowledges of truth ; for man is able to acquire these and to talk about, teach, and preach them through his ability to elevate his understanding, above the love of his will. But he is a reformed man who has an affection for truth for the sake of truth ; for this affection conjoins itself with the will, and if it goes on it conjoins the will to the understand- ing, and then regeneration begins. But how regeneration after- ward advances and is perfected, will be told in what follows. 590. But the nature of the man whose understanding has been elevated, but not the will's love by means of it, shall be illustrated by comparisons. He is like an eagle flying on high, but as soon as he sees food below, as hens, young swans, or even young lambs, he darts down in a moment and devours them. He is also like an adulterer who hides a harlot in a room below, and in turn ascends to the highest story of his house, and there in the presence of his wife talks wisely with visitors about chas- tity, and again steals away from the company and satiates his lust with the harlot below. He is also like marsh flies that fly in a body over the head of a running horse, but when the horse stops settle down and immerse themselves in their marsh. Such is the man who is elevated as to the understanding, while the will's love remains down at the foot, immersed in the unclean- nesses of nature and the libidinous propensities of the senses. But because such men shine as if with wisdom in the under- standing, while the will is in opposition to wisdom, they may also be likened to serpents with shining skins, and to the Span- ish flies that glisten as if made of gold, or to the ignis fatuvs in marshes, or to shining rotten wood and phosphorescent sub- stances. There are among them some who can counterfeit an- gels of light, both among men in the world and after death among the angels of heaven ; but these, after a brief examina- tion, are deprived of their clothing, and cast down naked. This cannot be done in the world, because there the spirit of such is N. 590] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 123 not open, but is covered over by a mask like that used by actors in theaters. In countenance and with the lips they are able to counterfeit angels of light, which is both an effect and a proof of their ability to elevate the understanding, as has been said, above the love of the will almost to angelic wisdom. Since then, man's internal and external can run thus counter to each other, and since the body is cast aside while the spirit remains, a dark spirit may evidently dwell behind a bright face, and a fiery one behind a bland mouth. Therefore, my friend, form your opinion of a man not from his mouth but from his heart, that is, not from his words but from his deeds ; for the Lord says : — Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but in- wardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them (Matt. vii. 15, 16). VI. THE INTERNAL MAN" MUST FIRST BE REFORMED, AND BY MEANS OF IT THE EXTERNAL; AND THUS IS MAN REGENERATED. 591. That the internal man must first be regenerated, and by means of it the external, is generally conceded in the church at the present day; but "internal man" suggests nothing to the thought but faith, which faith is that God the Father imputes to men the merit and righteousness of His Son, and sends the Holy Spirit. It is believed that this faith constitutes the in- ternal man, and that from the internal the external flows forth, which is the moral natural man, this being an appendage to the former, comparatively like the tail of a horse or cow, or like the tail of a peacock or bird of paradise which extends to the feet without being connected with them; for it is said that while charity follows that faith, the faith perishes if charity from man's will comes in. But this being the only internal man rec- ognized in the church at the present day, there is no internal man, for no one knows whether such a faith has been bestowed upon him or not; moreover, as has been shown above, it is an impossible thing and therefore purely imaginary. From this it follows, that at the present day, among those who are con- 124 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. firmed in that faith there is no other internal man than that natural man which from birth overflows in evils of every kind. To this it may be added, that regeneration and sanctification are said to follow that faith of themselves, and that man's co- operation, which is the only means by which regeneration is effected, must be excluded. Therefore it is that no knowledge of regeneration in the present church is possible, when yet the Lord says that he who is not regenerated cannot see the king- dom of God. 592. But the internal and external man of the New Church are wholly different. The internal man pertains to the will, from which man thinks when left to himself, as when he is at home ; but the external man is his actions and words, such as come forth from the internal when man is with others, thus when abroad. Consequently, the internal man is both charity, because this pertains to the will, and faith, which pertains to thought. Before regeneration these two constitute the natural man, which is thus divided into an internal and an external. This is shown in the fact that it is not permissible for man to act and speak in company or abroad as when alone or at home. The cause of this division is, that civil laws prescribe punish- ments for those who act wickedly, and rewards for those who act rightly, consequently men compel themselves to separate the external from the internal man; for no one wishes to be punished, and every one wishes to be rewarded, which is done by riches and honors ; and man attains to neither of these un- less he lives according to those laws. It results from this that morality and benevolence exist in externals even with those who have none internally. And from the same source is all hypocrisy, flattery and simulation. 593. As to the division of the natural man into two forms, it is an actual division both of will and of thought therein ; for every action of man goes forth from his will, and every word from his thought ; consequently another will is formed by man beneath the first, and likewise another thought; but the two still constitute the natural man. This will which is being formed by the man, may be called a bodily will, because it impels the body to make a show of moral activities, and that thought may be called pulmonary thought, because it impels the tongue and N. 593] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 125 lips to utter such things as belong to the understanding. This outer thought and will taken together may be likened to the inner bark that adheres to the outer bark of a tree, or to the membrane that adheres to the shell of an egg. Within these is the internal natural man, who, if evil, may be likened to a tree the wood of which is rotten, but about which the aforesaid otiter and inner barks seem sound ; as also to a rotten egg in a white shell. But something shall also be said about what the internal natural man is b^ birth. Its will inclines to evils of every kind and the thought therefrom is inclined to falsities of every kind. This then is the internal man that is to be regen- erated, for unless it is regenerated it is nothing but hatred against everything that belongs to charity, and consequent rage against all things belonging to faith. From this it follows that this natural internal man must first be regenerated, and by means of it the external ; for this is according to order ; while to regenerate the internal by means of the external would be contrary to order ; for the internal is like a soul in the external, not only in general but also in every particular, consequently it is in every least word one speaks ; it is present in these be- yond what man knows. Because of this the angels, from a sin- gle action of a man, can perceive what his will is, and from a single word what his thought is, whether infernal or heavenly. Thus they know the entire man ; from the tone of his voice they have a perception of his thought's affection, and from the ges- ture or the form of his action they have a perception of his will's love. And this they have, however he may simulate a Christian or a moral citizen. 594. Man's regeneration is described in Ezekiel by the "dry bones" which were clothed with sinews, then with flesh and skin, and at last had spirit breathed into them, whereby they lived again (xxxvii. 1-14). That regeneration was represented by those things, is evident from what is there said : — These bones are the whole house of Israel (verse 11). A comparison is also there made with graves, for it is written, That Jehovah would open their graves, and cause the bones to come up out of their graves, and put spirit in them, and bring them together into the land of Israel (verses 12-14). 126 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. " The land of Israel" there and elsewhere means the church. Regeneration was here represented by bones and graves, be- cause the unregenerate man is called dead, and the regenerate alive ; for in the latter there is spiritual life, but in the former spiritual death. 595. In every created thing in the world, whether living or dead, there is an internal and an external ; one never exists with- out the other, as there is no effect without a cause ; and every created thing is esteemed according to its internal goodness, or is deemed base if internally malignant, as external goodness is when within it there is internal malignity. Every wise man in the world and every angel in heaven so judges. But the nature of the unregenerate man and of the regenerate, may be illus- trated by comparisons. The unregenerate man who simulates a moral citizen or a Christian, may be likened to a corpse wrapped in aromatics, which nevertheless exhales a putrid odor that in- fects the aromatics, insinuates itself into the nostrils, and in- jures the brain. He may also be likened to a mummy, gilded or placed in a silver coffin, upon looking beneath the covering of which a hideously black body comes to view. [2] Again, he may be likened to bones or skeletons in a sepulchre that is adorned with lapis lazuli and other gems ; also to the rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, but whose internal was nevertheless infernal (Luke xvi. 19). Still again he may be likened to sweet-tasting poison, to a poison hemlock in flower, to fruit with a bright skin, but inwardly worm-eaten, and also to an ulcer covered first with a plaster and then with a thin skin, but with nothing within but foul matter. In the world only those who have no internal goodness, and who therefore judge by the appearance, can estimate the internal by the ex- ternal ; but in heaven it is otherwise. For when the body which is moveable about the spirit and easily directed from evil to good, is separated by death, the internal remains, for this con- stitutes the man's spirit; and then at a distance he looks like a serpent that has shed his skin, or like rotten wood stripped of its bark or covering in which it looked so well. [3] But with the regenerate man it is different. His internal is good, and his external resembles the external of the other. And yet his external differs from that of the unregenerate as heaven differs N. 595] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 127 from hell, since the soul of good is in it, and it matters not to him whether he is a great man, who dwells in a palace, and goes surrounded by attendants, or lives in a cottage and is waited upon by a boy ; or even whether he is a primate clad in a purple robe and wearing the cap of his rank, or the shepherd of a few sheep in a wood, clothed in a loose rustic frock and wearing a little cap on his head. [4] Gold is still gold, whether it flashes before the fire or has its surface blackened by the smoke; whether it is melted into a beautiful form like that of an infant, or into an ugly one like that of a mouse. Mice made of gold and placed beside the ark, were acceptable and pleasing (1 Sam. vi. 3-5) ; for gold signifies internal good. Diamonds and rubies obtained from whatever matrix, lime or clay, are in like man- ner esteemed according to their internal goodness, the same as those in the necklace of a queen ; and so on. From all this it is clear that the external is estimated from the internal, and not the reverse. VII. WHEN THIS TAKES PLACE A CONFLICT ARISES BETWEEN THE INTERNAL AND THE EXTERNAL MAN, AND THEN THE ONE THAT CONQUERS RULES OVER THE OTHER. 596. A conflict then arises because the internal man is re- formed by means of truths ; and from truths he sees what is evil and false, which evil and falsity are still in the external or nat- ural man; consequently disagreement first springs up between the new will, which is above, and the old will, which is below ; and as the disagreement is between the two wills, it is also be- tween their delights ; for the flesh, it is well known, is opposed to the spirit and the spirit to the flesh, and the flesh with its lusts must be subdued before the spirit can act and man become new. After this disagreement of the two wills a conflict arises ; and this is called spiritual temptation. This temptation or con- flict does not take place between goods and evils, but between the truths of good and the falsities of evil. For good cannot 128 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. fight from itself but fights by means of truths ; nor can evil fight from itself but by means of its falsities ; just as the will cannot fight from itself but by means of the understanding where its truths reside. [2] Man is not sensible of that conflict except as in himself, and as reinorse of conscience ; and yet it is the Lord and the devil (that is, hell) that are fighting in man, and they are fighting for dominion over him, or to determine who shall possess him. The devil or hell attacks man and calls out his evils, while the Lord protects him and calls out his goods. Although that conflict takes place in the spiritual world, still it takes place in man between the truths of good and the fal- sities of evil that are in him ; therefore man must fight wholly as if of himself, for he has the freedom of choice to act for the Lord, and also to act for the devil; he is for the Lord, if he abides in truths from good, and for the devil, if he abides in falsities from evil. From this it follows that whichever con- quers, the internal man or the external, that one rules over the other ; precisely like two hostile powers contending as to which shall be master of the other's kingdom — the conqueror takes possession of the kingdom, and places all in it under obedience to himself. In this case, therefore, if the internal man conquers, he obtains dominion and subjugates all the evils of the external man, and regeneration then goes on ; but if the external man con- quers, he obtains the dominion, and dissipates all the goods of the internal man, and regeneration perishes. 597. While it is known at the present day, that there are temptations, hardly any one knows whence and what they are and what good they effect. Whence and what they are has just been explained, also the good they effect, which is, that when the internal man conquers, the external is subjugated, and as this is subjugated lusts are dispersed, and affections for good and truth are implanted in their place, and are so arranged that the goods and truths which a man wills and thinks he may also do, and may speak them from the heart ; and furthermore that by victory over the external man man becomes spiritual, and is then affiliated by the Lord with the angels of heaven, who are all spiritual. Heretofore temptations have not been understood, and scarcely any one has known whence and what they are and the good they effect, because heretofore the church has not been N. 597] KEFORMATION AND REGENERATION 129 in truths. No man is in truths unless he approaches the Lord directly, rejects the former faith and accepts the new. And this is why no one has been admitted into any spiritual temptation during the centuries that have passed since the Nicene Council introduced a belief in three Gods ; for if any one had been, he would have succumbed immediately, and thus would have pre- cipitated himself more deeply into hell. The contrition which is said to precede the present faith is not temptation. I have questioned very many about it, and they have declared that it is nothing but a word, except perhaps with the simple there might be some timorous thoughts about hell-fire. 598. When man has passed through temptations he is as to his internal man in heaven, while by means of the external man he is in the world ; thus by means of temptations there is a con- junction of heaven and the world effected in man ; and then the Lord in him rules his world from heaven according to order. The contrary takes place if man remains natural; he is then eager to rule heaven from the world. Such does every one be- come who is in the love of ruling from the love of self. If in- teriorly examined, such a man believes in himself only and not in God ; and after death he believes him to be God who can ex- ercise dominion over others. Such madness prevails in hell, and it even proceeds to such a length that some call themselves God the Father, some God the Son, some God the Holy Spirit, and among the Jews some call themselves the Messiah. This shows clearly what man becomes after death if the natural man is not regenerated, and therefore to what length his fantasies would carry him if a New Church, in which genuine truths are taught, had not been established by the Lord. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord : — In the consummation of the age (that is, at the end of the present church), there shall be such affliction as hath not been from the begin- ning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be ; and except those days be shortened, no flesh would be saved (Matt. xxiv. 21, 22). 599. In the conflicts or temptations of men the Lord works a particular redemption ; as He wrought a total redemption when in the world. By conflicts and temptations in the world the Lord glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine ; in like manner now with man individually, when he is in temptations, Vol. II.— 9 130 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. the Lord fights for hira, conquers the evil spirits who are in- festing him, and after temptation glorifies him, that is, renders him spiritual. After His universal redemption the Lord re- duced to order all things in heaven and in hell ; with man af- ter temptation He does in like manner, that is, He reduces, to order all the things of heaven and the world that are in him. After redemption the Lord established a new church; in like manner He also establishes what pertains to the church in man, and makes him to be a church in particular. After redemption the Lord bestowed peace upon those who believed on Him, for He said : — Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you ; not as the world giveth, give I unto you (John xiv. 27). Likewise He gives to man after temptation a sense of peace, that is, gladness of mind and consolation. From all this it is clear that the Lord is the Redeemer for ever. 600. A regenerated internal man without a regenerated ex- ternal also, may be likened to a bird flying in the air with no resting place on dry land except in a marsh, where it is at- tacked by serpents and frogs, so that it flies away and dies. It may be likened also to a swan swimming in mid-ocean, which cannot reach the shore and make her nest, so that the eggs she lays sink in the water, where they are eaten by fishes. It may be likened also to a soldier on a wall which is pulled down un- der him, so that he falls headlong and dies amid the ruins. Again it may be likened to a beautiful tree transplanted into filthy soil where troops of worms eat up its roots, so that it withers and dies. It may also be likened to a house without a foundation, or to a column without a pedestal. Such is the internal man when it alone is reformed and not the external also ; for it then has no means of determining itself to doing good. N. 601] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 131 VIII. THE REGENERATED MAX HAS A NEW WILL AND A NEW UNDERSTANDING. 601. The church of to-day knows both from the Word and from reason that a regenerated man is a renewed or new man. From the Word, by the following passages : — Make you a new heart and. a new spirit ; for why will ye die, O house of Israel ? (Ezek. xviii. 31). I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in the midst of you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh ; and I will put My spirit within you (Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27). Henceforth know we no man after the flesh, therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature (2 Cor. v. 16, 17). In these passages " a new heart"' means a new will, and " a new spirit" means a new understanding; for "heart" in the Word signifies the will, and " spirit,*' when connected with heart, sig- nifies the understanding. The church also knows from reason that the regenerated man has a new will and a new understand- ing, since these two faculties constitute man, and they are what are regenerated. Therefore every man is such as he is with re- spect to these two faculties, that is, he is evil whose will is evd, and still more so he whose understanding favors the evil ; while the reverse is true of the good. Religion alone renews and re- generates man. Religion occupies the highest seat in the human mind, and sees beneath it the civil matters pertaining to the world ; it also ascends by means of them, as the pure sap as- cends through a tree to its very top, and from that height it surveys what is natural, as from a tower or mountain one sur- veys the plains below. 602. But it must be understood that while man may rise as to his understanding almost into the light in which the angels of heaven are, unless he rises also as to his will, he is still the old and not a new man. But it has been shown already how the understanding elevates the will more and more to the same height with itself. For this reason regeneration is predicated primarily of the will, and secondarily of the understanding. For the understanding in man is like light in the world, and the will is like the heat there ; and it is known that light without 132 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. heat does not vivify or cause vegetation, but light joined with heat. Moreover, as to the lower region of the mind, the under- standing is actually in the light of the world, while as to the higher region it is in the light of heaven ; consequently if the will is not raised from the lower region into the higher, and there conjoined with the understanding, it remains hi the world; and then the understanding flies upward and downward, but returns every night to the will below and sleeps there ; and they unite like a man and a harlot, and beget two-headed offspring. From all this it is clear that unless a man has a new will and a new understanding, he is not regenerated. 603. The human mind is divided into three regions, the lowest is called the natural, the middle the spiritual, and the highest the celestial. By regeneration man is raised from the lowest region, which is the natural, into the higher, which is the spiritual, and through this into the celestial. That there are these three regions belonging to the mind will be shown in the following section. This is why the unregenerate man is called natural, and the regenerate man spiritual. This makes clear that the mind of the regenerate man is raised into the spiritual region, and there sees from the higher what takes place in the lower or natural mind. That there is a lower and a higher re- gion in the human mind, every one can see and recognize by a slight attention to his own thoughts ; for what he thinks, he sees ; and therefore he says that he has thought or thinks this and that, which would be impossible unless there were an in- terior thought that is called perception, which looks down into the lower which is called thought. When a judge has heard or read over a long series of arguments presented by an advocate, he collects them all into one view in the higher region of his mind, thus forming them into one general idea; and from that he then looks down into the lower region, which is that of nat- ural thought, and there arranges the arguments in order, and in accordance with the higher, presents his opinion and pro- nounces judgment. Who does not know that a man may form more thoughts and conclusions in a moment or two, than he can express by means of his lower thoughts in half an hour? All this has been presented to make known that the human mind is divided into lower and higher regions. N. 604] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 133 604. As to the new will : it is above the old one in the spirit- ual region, and the new understanding likewise, this with that and that with this. In that region they are conjoined and con- jointly look down upon the old or natural will and understand- ing, and so arrange all things therein as to moderate them. Who cannot see that if there were but one region in the human mind, and if both evils and goods and truths and falsities were there brought together and mixed together, there would be a conflict such as would arise if wolves and lambs, tigers and calves, hawks and doves, were brought together into one en- closure ? What would result but a cruel slaughter, the savage beasts tearing in pieces the tame ones ? This is why it has been provided that goods with their truths should be collected together in the higher region, so that they may subsist in safety, and resist assault, and also by constraints and other means may subjugate and afterward disperse evils with their falsities. This, then, is the same as was said in the preceding section, that in the regenerated man the Lord through heaven rules what pertains to the world. And the higher or spiritual region of the human mind is a heaven in miniature, while the lower or natural region is a world in miniature, and for this reason man was called by the ancients a microcosm [a little world], and he may also be called a microuranos [a little heaven]. 605. That the regenerate man, that is, one who is renewed in will and understanding, is in the heat of heaven, that is, in its love, and at the same time in the light of heaven, that is, in its wisdom ; and on the other hand, that the unregenerate man is in the heat of hell, that is, in its love, and at the same time in its darkness, that is, in its insanities, is at this day known and yet unknown. This is because the church of to-day makes regeneration an appendage to its faith, and into faith reason must not be admitted, consequently it must be admitted into nothing pertaining to its appendage, which, as before said, in- cludes renovation and regeneration. These, together with that faith itself, are to those of the present church like a house, the doors and windows of which are closed, so that it is not known what is in it, whether it is empty or is full of genii from hell, or of angels from heaven. It may be added, that this confu- sion has been brought about by a fallac}' which has arisen from 134 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. the fact that a man may by his understanding ascend almost into the light of heaven, and consequently can from intelligence think and speak of spiritual things, whatever his will's love may be. Ignorance of this truth has also caused ignorance of all that concerns regeneration and renovation of character. 606. From all this it may be concluded that an unregenerate man is like one who sees phantoms at night, and believes them to be men ; and afterwards, when he is being regenerated, he is like the same man seeing in the early dawn that the things he saw at night are delusions, and still later, when he is regener- ated and is in the light of day, seeing them to be the offspring of delirium. An unregenerate man is like one dreaming, and a regenerate man like one awake ; and in the Word natural lif e is likened to sleep, and spiritual life to a state of wakefulness. The unregenerate man is meant by the foolish virgins who had lamps but no oil, and the regenerate man by the wise virgins who had both lamps and oil, " lamps" meaning such things as pertain to the understanding, and " oil" such things as pertain to love. The regenerate are like the lamps of the lampstand in the tabernacle ; they are like the bread of faces there with the frankincense upon it ; and they are those who shall " shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever" (as said in Dan. xii. 3). The unregenerate man is like one who is in the garden of Eden, and who eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and is therefore ban- ished from the garden ; he is indeed that very tree. But the regenerate man is like one who is in that garden and eats of the tree of life. That it is given to such to eat of it, is obvious from the following hi the Apocalypse: — To Mm that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (ii. 7), " the garden of Eden" meaning intelligence in spiritual things, arising from love of truth (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 90). In a word, the unregenerated man is a " son of the evil one," and the regenerate a " son of the kingdom" {Matt. xiii. 38) ; " the son of the evil one" there meaning a child of the devil, and " the son of the kingdom" a child of the Lord. N. 607] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 135 IX. A REGENERATE MAN" IS IN COMMUNION WITH ANGELS OF HEAVEN AND AN UNREGENERATE ONE IN COM- MUNION WITH SPIRITS OF HELL. 607. Every man is in communion, that is, in affiliation, either with angels of heaven or with spirits of hell, because he is born to become spiritual, and this would be impossible unless he were born to be in some conjunction with those who are spiritual. It has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell that as to his mind man is in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual. But neither man nor angel nor spirit knows of this conjunction, for the reason that man while he lives in the world is in a natural state, while angels and spirits are in a spiritual state ; and because of the distinction between the natural and the spiritual, one is not visible to the other. The nature of this distinction has been described in the work on Conjugial Love in the Memorable Relation there recorded (n. 326-329). From that it is clear that their conjunction is not one of thoughts but of affections, and scarcely any one reflects upon his affections, because they are not in the light in which the understanding is, and therefore its thought is ; but only in the heat in which the will is and therefore the affection of its love is. The conjunc- tion between men and angels and spirits by means of the affec- tions of love is so close that if it were severed and they were thereby separated, men would instantly fall into a swoon, and if the relation were not restored, and their conjunction renewed, men would die. [2] It has been said that man becomes spir- itual by regeneration, but this does not mean that he becomes spiritual as an angel is in himself, but that he becomes spiritual natural ; that is to say, that the spiritual is inwardly in his nat- ural, just as thought is in speech, or as will is in action, for when one ceases the other ceases. In like manner man's spirit is in every least thing that takes place in the body, and it is that which impels the natural to do whatever it does. The nat- ural viewed in itself is passive or is a dead force, but the spir- itual is active or is a living force ; the passive or a dead force cannot act from itself, but must be impelled by the active, oi 136 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. by a living force. [3] As man lives continually in communion with the inhabitants of the spiritual world, he is also, when he leaves the natural world, introduced immediately among such as are like those with whom he had been associated in the world. Therefore it is that after death every one seems to him- self to be still living in the world, for he then comes into the company of those who are like him as to their will's affections, and whom he then acknowledges, as kinsmen and relations acknowledge their own in the world ; and this is what is meant where it is said in the Word of those who die, that they are brought together and gathered to their own. From all this it can now be seen that a regenerate man is in communion with the angels of heaven, and an unregenerate man with the spirits of hell. 608. It must be known that there are three heavens, and these distinct from each other according to the three degrees of love and wisdom, and that man is in communion with the an- gels of those three heavens in the measure of his regeneration ; and this being so, that the human mind is divided into three degrees or regions in accord with the heavens. But on these three heavens and their division in accordance with the three degrees of love and wisdom, see the work on Heaven and Hell, (n. 29 seq.) ; and also the pamphlet on Intercourse between the Soul and the Body, (n. 16, 17). Here it will be sufficient mere- ly to illustrate, by a simile, the nature of the three degrees in accordance with which the heavens are divided. They are like the head, body, and feet in man ; the highest heaven constitut- ing the head, the middle the body, and the lowest the feet ; for the whole heaven is before the Lord like one man. The truth of this has been disclosed to me by actual observation, for it has been granted me to see wholly as one man a single society of heaven, which consisted of thousands. Why then should not the whole heaven so appear to the Lord ? Eespecting this liv- ing experience, see the work on Heaven and Hell, (n. 59, seq.). This makes clear what is meant by this, which is well known in the Christian world, that the church constitutes the body of Christ, and that Christ is the life of that body. And this also is thus made clear, namely, that the Lord is the all in all things of heaven, since He is the life of that body. Likewise, the Lord N. 608] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 137 is the church with those who acknowledge Hint alone as the God of heaven and earth, and believe in Him. That He is the God of heaven and earth, He Himself teaches in Matthew (xxviii. 18) ; and that men ought to believe in Him, in John (iii. 15, 16, 36; vi. 40; xi. 25, 26). 609. The three degrees in which the heavens are, and con- sequently, in which the human mind is, may also be illustrated in some measure by comparisons with material things in the world. In their relative nobility these three degrees are like gold, silver and brass, to which metals they are likened in the statue of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. ii. 31-35). These three de- grees are also distinct from each other, like the ruby, sapphire and agate in respect to purity and goodness ; also like the olive tree, the vine, and the fig-tree ; and so on. Moreover, in the Word, "gold," "ruby," and "oil" signify celestial good, which is the good of the highest heaven ; " silver," " sapphire," and " a vine" signify spiritual good, which is that of the middle hea- ven; while "brass," "agate," and "a fig-tree" signify natural good, which is that of the lowest heaven. That there are three degrees, a celestial, a spiritual and a natural, has been stated above. 610. To the foregoing this shall be added, that man's re- generation is not effected in a moment, but gradually, from the beginning to the end of his life in the world, and is afterward continued and perfected. And because man is reformed by con- flicts with the victories over the evils of his flesh, the Son of man says to each one of the seven churches, that he will give gifts to him that overcometh ; as to the church of Ephesus : — To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life {Apoc. ii. 7); to the church of Smyrna : — He that overcometh shall not be hurt in the second death (verse 11); to the church in Pergamos : — To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna (verse 17); to the church in Thyatira : — He that overcometh, to him will I give power over the nations (verse 26); 138 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. to the church in Sardis : — He that overcome th shall be clothed in white garments (iii. 5); to the church in Philadelphia : — He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of God (verse 12); and to the church of the Laodiceans : — He that overcometh I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne (verse 21). Finally it may be added that so far as man is regenerated, or so far as regeneration is perfected in him, so far he attributes nothing of good and truth, that is, of charity and faith, to him- self, but to the Lord only ; for the truths which he gradually acquires teach this clearly. X. SO FAR AS MAN IS REGENERATED SINS ARE REMOVED, AND THIS REMOVAL IS THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. 611. So far as man is regenerated sins are removed, because regeneration is the restraining of the flesh that it may not rule, and the subjugating of the old man with its lusts, that it may not rise up and destroy the intellectual faculty, for that would render man incapable of reformation, reformation being impos- sible unless man's spirit, which is above the flesh, is instructed and perfected. Who, if he still retains a sound understanding, can fail to see from all this that such a work cannot be effected in a moment but only gradually, just as man is conceived, car- ried in the womb, born and educated, according to what has been shown above ? For those thhigs which pertain to the flesh or the old man are inherent in man from his birth, and build the first habitation of his mind, in which lusts have their abode like wild beasts in their caves, dwelling first in the outer courts, then by turns entering into the underground rooms, as it were, of the house, and finally ascending by steps and forming for N. 611] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 139 themselves chambers. This takes place gradually, as an infant grows, becomes a boy, afterwards a youtb, and then begins to think from his own understanding, and to act from his own will. Who cannot see that this house in the mind thus far built in which lusts dance with joined hands, like the ochim, tziim and satyrs, cannot be destroyed in a moment and a new house built in its place ? Must not those lusts with clasped hands and so sporting themselves be first removed, and new desires, which belong to good and truth, be introduced in the place of the cu- pidities which belong to evil and falsity ? That these things cannot be done in a moment every wise man sees from this alone, that every evil is composed of innumerable lusts, and is like a fruit which beneath the surface is full of worms with white bodies and black heads ; also, that evils are numerous and joined together like the progeny of a spider when first hatched ; where- fore unless one evil is brought out after another, and this until their connection is broken up, man cannot be made new. These things have been cited to make clear that so far as anyone is regenerated sins are removed. 612. Man inclines by birth to evils of every kind and from that inclination lusts after them, and so far as he is in freedom he also does them ; for by birth he lusts after dominion over others, and to possess the goods of others, which two lusts cut asunder love to the neighbor, and then man hates every one who opposes him, and from hatred breathes revenge which inwardly cherishes murder. For the same reason he thinks nothing of adulteries, nothing of such robbery as secret theft, nothing of blasphemies, which include false witness; and he who thinks nothing of these things, is in heart an atheist. Such is man by birth ; from which it is clear that he is from birth a hell in min- iature. Inasmuch then, as man, in respect to the interiors of his mind, is born spiritual, as beasts are not, and consequently is born for heaven, and yet, as has been said, his natural or ex- ternal man is a minature hell, it follows that a heaven cannot be implanted in this hell, unless the hell is removed. 613. He who knows the relation between heaven and hell, and how the one is removed from the other, can know how man is regenerated, and also what the regenerate man is. That this may be understood it shall be made known briefly that the faces 140 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. of all who are in heaven look toward the Lord, while all who are in hell turn their faces from the Lord ; therefore when hell is looked at from heaven, only the occiput and back appear ; and those there even appear inverted, like the antipodes, feet upward and heads down, and this although they walk upon their feet and turn their faces around ; for it is the contrary direction of their minds' interiors that produces this appearance. These re- markable facts I report from my own observation. They made clear to me how regeneration is effected, namely, just as hell is removed and thus separated from heaven. For, as stated above, as to his first nature which he has by birth, man is a hell in miniature, and as to the other nature which he acquires by the second birth, he is a heaven in miniature. And from this it follows that the evils in man are removed and separated in the same manner as heaven and hell in their large form are sepa- rated, and that evils, as they are removed, turn themselves away from the Lord, and gradually invert themselves, and that this takes place in the degree that heaven is implanted, that is, that man is made new. To this may be added, for the sake of illus- tration, that every evil in man is in conjunction with those in hell who are in like evil, and on the other hand that every good in man is in conjunction with those in heaven who are in like good. 614. From what has been presented it can be seen that the forgiveness of sins is not their being rooted out and washed away, but their removal, and thus their separation; also that every evil that a man has actually appropriated to himself re- mains. And since the forgiveness of sins is their removal and separation, it follows that man is withheld from evil by the Lord and kept in good, and this is what is given to man by regen- eration. I once heard a certain person in the lowest heaven say- ing that he was exempt from sins, because they had been washed away, adding, "by the blood of Christ." But because he was in heaven, and was in that error from ignorance, he was let in- to his own peculiar sins, and as they returned he acknowledged them ; thereby acquiring a new belief, namely, that every man, as well as every angel, is withheld from evil and kept in good by the Lord. [2] This shows plainly what the forgiveness of sins is, that it is not instantaneous, but follows regeneration N. 014] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 141 according to the progress thereof. The removal of sins which is called the forgiveness of them, may be likened to the casting forth of the filth from the camps of the children of Israel into the desert which was round about them ; for their camps rep- resented heaven, and the desert hell. It may also be likened to the removal of the nations from the children of Israel, in the land of Canaan, and of the Jebusites from Jerusalem ; these were not cast out, but separated. It may also be likened to what oc- curred to Dagon the god of the Philistines, in that when the ark was brought in he first lay upon his face on the ground, and afterward, with his head and hands cut off, upon the threshold ; thus he was not cast out, but removed. [3] It may also be lik- ened to the demons sent by the Lord into the swine that after- ward plunged into the sea ; " the sea" there and elsewhere in the Word, signifying hell. It may also be likened to the throng that followed the dragon, which, on being separated from heaven, first invaded the earth, and was afterward cast down into hell. It may also be likened to a forest where there are wild beasts of many kinds which when the forest is cut down flee to the neighboring thickets, and then the ground in the midst being leveled it becomes by cultivation a field. XL WITHOUT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN SPIRITUAL THINGS REGEN- ERATION IS IMPOSSIBLE. 615. Who, except a stupid person, cannot see that without freedom of choice in spiritual things man cannot be regener- ated? Can he without this approach the Lord, acknowledge Him as the Eedeemer and Saviour and the God of heaven and earth, as He himself teaches (Matt, xxviii. 18) ? Without that freedom of choice who can believe in the Lord, that is, from faith look to Him and worship Him, and adapt himself to receiv- ing the means and benefits of salvation from Him, and from Him co-operate in the reception of them ? Who without free- 142 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. dora of choice can do any good to the neighbor, can practise charity, or take into his thought and will other things pertain- ing to faith and charity, bring them forth, and put them into acts ? Otherwise, what is regeneration but a mere word dropped from the lips of the Lord (John iii.), which either remains in the ear, or having dropped upon the lips from the thought near- est to speech, becomes merely an articulated sound of twelve letters, which sound cannot by any meaning be raised into any higher region of the mind, but falls upon the air and is dissi- pated ? 616. Tell me, if you can, whether a blinder stupidity respect- ing regeneration is possible than that which prevails with those who have confirmed themselves hi the faith of the present day, which is, that faith is infused into man while he is like a stock or a stone, and that when it has been infused, it is followed by justification, which is forgiveness of sins, and regeneration, and other gifts besides ; and also that man's effort must be wholly excluded, that it may not do violence to the merit of Christ. In order that this dogma might be still more firmly established, they have deprived man of all freedom of choice in spiritual things, by asserting his complete impotence therein. It is, then, as if God alone were to operate on His part, and no power were given to man to co-operate on his part, and thus conjoin him- self with God. In that case what is man in respect to regener- ation, but like one bound hand and foot, like the prisoners on ships called galley-slaves ? And like these, if he were to free himself from those manacles and fetters, he would be punished or condemned to death, that is, if, from freedom of choice he were to do good to the neighbor, and of himself were to believe in God for the sake of salvation. If a man were confirmed in such opinions, and yet had a pious desire for heaven, what would he be like but a specter standing and speculating as to whether that faith with its benefits has been infused into him ; or if not, whether it will be infused, therefore whether God the Father has taken pity on him, or whether His Son has inter- ceded for him, or whether the Holy Spirit is inoperative because employed elsewhere ? And yet, because of his complete igno- rance of the matter, he might go away and console himself by saying, " Perhaps that grace is in the morality of my life, which N. 616] EEFORMATION AND REGENERATION 143 I have and which I retain as formerly, and in me therefore it may be holy, while in those who have not attained to that faith it is profane. Therefore, in order that this holiness may remain in my morality, I will be careful hereafter not to exercise either charity or faith of myself ;" with much more. Such a specter, or if you prefer, such a statue of salt, does every one become who thinks of regeneration separated from freedom of choice in spiritual things. 617. The man who believes that regeneration is possible without freedom of choice in spiritual things, thus without co- operation, becomes as frigid as a stone in regard to all the truths of the church ; or if he is warm, since his warmth arises from lusts, he is like a burning brand in a fire-place, that blazes from the combustible elements in it. He becomes comparative- ly like a palace sinking into the ground even to its roof, and becoming flooded with muddy water; after which he dwells upon the bare roof, making a hut there for himself of marsh rushes, and at length the roof sinks also, and he is drowned. He is also like a ship laden with all kinds of precious merchan- dise taken from the Word as a treasury, but gnawed by mice and moth-eaten, or thrown by the sailors into the sea, so that the merchants are defrauded of their goods. Those who are learned or rich in the mysteries of that faith, are like the ven- ders in little shops who sell idols, fruit, wax-flowers, shells, snakes in bottles, and such like things. Those who, because of the lack of spiritual power adapted and given to man by the Lord, have no wish to look upward, are actually like beasts whose heads look downward, and which care for nothing but to graze in the forests ; and if they enter an orchard, they eat up the foliage of the trees like worms, or if they see the fruit with their eyes, or still more if they feel it with their hands, they fill it with worms ; and finally they become like scaly ser- pents, their fallacies sounding and glittering like serpents' scales ; and so on. 144 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. XII. REGENERATION IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT TRUTHS, BY WHICH FAITH IS FORMED AND WITH WHICH CHAR- ITY CONJOINS ITSELF. 618. There are three means whereby man is regenerated, the Lord, faith, and charity. These three wonld He hidden like the most costly jewels buried in the earth, if Divine truths from the Word did not reveal them. They would indeed be hidden from those who deny man's co-operation even if they were to read the Word a hundred or a thousand times, although they there stand forth hi clear light. As concerns the Lord, who that is confirmed in the prevailing faith sees there with open eyes the declarations that He and the Father are one, that He is the God of heaven and earth, that it is the will of the Father that men should believe in the Son, with innumerable other statements of the same kind respecting the Lord in both Testaments ? They do not see because they are not in truths, and consequently not in the light in which subjects of this kind can be seen ; and if light were given, falsities would extinguish it, and these truths would then escape their attention like some- thing wholly erased, or like underground drains which are trod- den upon and passed over. These things are said that it may be known that without truths this first thing in regeneration cannot be seen. [2] As to faith, neither is that possible with- out truths ; because faith and truth make one thing ; for the good of faith is like a soul, truths constituting its body. To say therefore that a man believes or has faith, when he is ig- norant of all of its truths, is like taking the soul out of the body, and talking with it when thus invisible. Moreover, all the truths that make up the body of faith emit light and en- lighten, and render the features of faith visible. It is the same with charity ; this emits heat with which the light of truth con- joins itself, as heat does with light in the world in the time of spring, from the conjunction of which the animals and vege- tables of the earth return to their prolifications. [3] It is the same with spiritual heat and light ; these in like manner con- N. 618] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 145 join themselves in man when he is in the truths of faith and at the same time in the goods of charity. For as said above in the chapter on Faith, from each particular truth of faith there flows forth a light that enlightens, and from each particular good of charity a heat that enkindles. It is also there said that spiritual light in its essence is intelligence, and spiritual heat in its essence is love; and that the Lord alone conjoins these two in man when He regenerates him. For the Lord said : — The words that I speak unto you are spirit, and are life (John vi. 63). Believe in the light, that ye may be sons of light. I am come a light into the world (John xii. 36, 46). The Lord is the Sun in the spiritual world ; this is the source of all spiritual light and heat ; that light enlightens, and that heat enkindles; and by the conjunction of the two the Lord vivifies and regenerates man. 619. From all this it can be seen, that without truths there is no knowledge of the Lord ; also that without truths there is no faith, and thus no charity ; consequently that without truths there is no theology, and where this is not, there is no church. Such is the condition to-day of that body of people who call themselves Christians, and who say they are in the light of the Gospel, and yet are in the veriest darkness ; for with them truths lie hidden beneath falsities, like gold, silver, and pre- cious stones buried among the bones in the valley of Hinnom. That it is so, I was enabled to see clearly from the spheres in the spiritual world that flow forth from the Christendom of to- day and propagate themselves. [2] One sphere is that respect- ing the Lord; this breathes and pours itself forth from the southern quarter, where the learned clergy and erudite laity re- side. Wherever this sphere goes it insinuates itself into the ideas, and with many takes away faith in the Divinity of the Lord's Human, with many weakens it, with many makes it seem foolish ; and this because it brings in with it the faith in three Gods, and thus produces confusion. [3] Another sphere that takes away faith is like a black cloud in winter, which brings on darkness, turns rain into snow, strips bare the trees, freezes the waters, and takes away all pasture from the sheep. This sphere in conjunction with the former insinuates a kind of lethargy respecting one God, regeneration, and the means of Vol. II.— 10 146 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. salvation. [4] A third sphere relates to the conjunction of faith and charity ; this is so strong as to he irresistible, but at the present day it is abominable ; it is like a pestilence that in- fects every one on whom it breathes, and tears asunder every tie between those two means of salvation, established as such from the creation of the world, and restored anew by the Lord. This sphere invades even the men in the natural world, and extinguishes the marriage torches between truths and goods. I have felt this sphere, and at such times, when I thought of the conjunction of faith and charity, it interposed itself be- tween them and violently endeavored to separate them. [5] The angels complain of these spheres, and pray to the Lord for their dissipation, but they received the answer that they cannot be dissipated so long as the dragon is on the earth, be- cause it is from the draconic spirits ; for it is said of the drag- on that he was cast down unto the earth, and then follows : — Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and woe to those that inhabit the earth ! (Apoc. xii. 12). [6] These three spheres are like tempest-driven atmospheres coming forth from the breathing-holes of the dragons, which, being spiritual, invade the mind and control it. The spheres of spiritual truth there are as yet few, — only in the new heaven, and also with those beneath heaven, who are separated from the draconic spirits. This is why those truths are so little recog- nized by men in the world to-day, just as ships in the Eastern ocean are invisible to captains and shipmasters who are sailing in the Western ocean. 620. That regeneration is impossible without the truths by which faith is formed, may be illustrated by the following com- parisons. It is as impossible as a human mind without under- standing ; for the understanding is formed by means of truths, and therefore teaches what ought to be believed and what ought to be done, what regeneration is, and how it is effected. Regen- eration without truths is as impossible as the vivification of ani- mals or the growth of trees without light from the sun ; for if the sun did not give light at the same time that it gives heat, it would become "like sackcloth of hair" (as described in the Apocalypse vi 12), and "black" (Joel ii. 10, 31), and thus mere N. 620] REFORMATION AND REGENERATION 147 darkness would be upon the earth (Joel iii. 15). It would be the same with man without truths, which send out light from themselves ; for the sun from which the light of truths flows forth is the Lord in the spiritual world. If spiritual light did not flow therefrom into human minds, the church would be in mere darkness, or in shadow from a perpetual eclipse. Regen- eration, which is effected by means of faith and charity, with- out truths that teach and lead, would be like navigation on the great ocean without a rudder, or without a mariner's compass and charts. It would also be like riding in a dark forest at night. The mind's internal sight with those who are not in truths but in falsities, which they believe to be truths, may be likened to the sight of those whose optic nerves are obstructed, the eye still appearing sound and capable of sight, although it sees nothing; which kind of blindness is called by physicians am- aurosis and (/utta serena; for in such the rational or intellect- ual faculty is obstructed above and open below only, owing to which rational light becomes like the light of the eye, and con- sequently all their opinions are imagination only and are fash- ioned from mere fallacies. And in such case men would stand like astrologers in the market-places with long telescopes, ut- tering unmeaning prophecies. Such would all students of the- ology become, unless genuine truths were disclosed by the Lord from the Word. 621. To this the following Memorable Relations shall be added. First : — I saw an assembly of spirits, all on their knees praying to God to send angels to them, with whom they might speak face to face, and to whom they might open the thoughts of their hearts. And when they rose up, there appeared three angels in white standing in their presence. And the angels said " The Lord Jesus Christ has heard your prayers, and has therefore sent us to you; open to us the thoughts of your hearts." [2] And the spirits replied, " Our priests have told us that in theological matters it is not the understanding but faith that avails, and that an intellectual faith does not profit in such matters, because it springs from and savors of man, and is not from God. We are Englishmen, and we have heard many things from our sacred ministry which we believed; but when 148 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. we have spoken with others who also called themselves Re- formed, and with some who called themselves Roman Catholics, and again with those of various sects, they all seemed learned, and yet in many things they did not agree with one another ; although they all said, ' Believe us,' and some said, ' We are ministers of God, and we know.' But as we know that Divine truths, which are called truths of faith and are the truths of the church, are no one's by birthright alone, or by inheritance, but are from God out of heaven ; and as they point the way to heaven and enter the life together with the goods of charity, and thus lead to eternal life; we have become anxious, and on our knees have prayed to God." [3] Then the angels answered, " Read the Word and believe in the Lord, and you will see the truths which must be the truths of your faith and of your life. All in the Christian world draw their doctrinals from the "Word as the one only fountain." But two of the assembly said, " We have read, but have not understood." The angels replied, " You have not approached the Lord, who is the Word, and also have first confirmed yourselves in falsi- ties." The angels said further, " What is faith without light ; and what is thinking without understanding ? It is not human. Ravens and magpies can also learn to talk without understand- ing. We can assure you that every man whose soul desires it, is able to see the truths of the Word in clear light. There is no animal that does not know its life's food when it sees it ; and man is a rational and spiritual animal ; he sees the food of his life, not his body's but his soul's food, which is the truth of faith, provided he hungers for it and seeks it from the Lord. [4] Moreover, the substance of anything that is not received in the understanding, does not remain in the memory, but only the verbal statement of it. So when we looked down from heav- en into the world, we have not seen anything, but have only heard sounds, and for the most part discordant ones. But we will enumerate some things which the learned of the clergy have separated from the understanding, not knowing that there are two ways to the understanding, one from the world and the other from heaven, and that when the Lord is enlightening the understanding He withdraws it from the world. But if the N. 621] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 149 understanding is closed in regard to religion, the way to it from heaven is closed ; and then man sees no more in the Word than a blind man. We have seen many such fall into pits out of which they did not rise. [5] Let this be made clear by exam- ples. Can you not understand what charity is and what faith is, that charity is doing rightly with the neighbor, and faith is thinking rightly respecting God and the essentials of the church ; and consequently that he who does rightly and thinks aright, that is, lives well and believes aright, is saved ?" To this the spirits answered that they understood. [0] The angels said further, " Man must repent of his sins in order to be saved, and unless he repents he remains in the sins into which he was born ; and repentance consists in man's ceasing to will evils because they are contrary to God, search- ing himself once or twice a year, seeing his evils, confessing them before the Lord, praying for help, refraining from evils, and beginning a new life ; and so far as he does this, and believes in the Lord, his sins are forgiven." Then some of those from the assembly said, " That we under- stand, and consequently what the forgiveness of sins is." [7] Then they asked the angels to give them still further informa- tion, and first of all about God, the immortality of the soul, re- generation, and baptism. To this the angels replied : " We shall not say anything but what you will understand ; otherwise our words would fall like rain upon the sand, and upon the seeds therein which wither and die, however they may be watered from heaven." And about God they said, "All who enter heaven are allotted a place there, and thus eternal joy according to their idea of God, because this idea universally reigns in everything pertain- ing to worship. The idea of God as a Spirit, when spirit is sup- posed to be something like ether or wind, is an idea without meaning ; but the idea of God as a Man is the right idea; for God is Divine love and Divine wisdom, together with every quality thereof, and the subject of these is not ether or wind, but Man. In heaven the idea of God is that He is the Lord the Saviour ; He is the God of heaven and earth, as He Himself has taught. Let your idea of God be like ours, and we shall be associated together." When this had been said, their faces beamed. 150 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X [8] Of the immortality of the soul they said, " Man lives for ever, because he is capable of conjunction with God through love and faith; every man is capable of this. That this ca- pability is what constitutes the immortality of the soul you can understand if you think a little more deeply about the matter." [9] Of regeneration they said, " Who does not see that every man has the freedom to think about God, or not to think about Him, provided he has been taught that there is a God ? Thus every man has freedom in spiritual things as well as in civil and natural things. The Lord gives this to all unceasingly; therefore it is man's fault if he does not think. It is because of this ability that man is man ; while it is because of the ab- sence of it that a beast is a beast. Man consequently has the ability to reform and regenerate himself as if from himself, pro- vided he acknowledges in his heart that it is from the Lord. Every one who repents and believes in the Lord is being re- formed and regenerated. Man does both as if from himself ; but the as if from himself is from the Lord. It is true that man cannot contribute anything to this work from himself, not an iota; nevertheless, you were not created statues but men, in order that you may do this from the Lord as if from yourselves. This one and only reciprocation of love and faith, is what the Lord above all things wishes man to make to Him. In a word, act from yourselves, and believe that it is from the Lord ; this is acting as if from yourselves." [10] Then they asked whether this acting as if from himself was implanted in man from creation. An angel replied, "It was not, because to act from himself belongs to God alone, but He gives it unceasingly, that is, joins it [to man] unceasingly ; and then so far as man does good and believes truth as if from himself, he is an angel of heaven ; while so far as he does evil and therefrom believes falsity, which he also does as if from himself, he is a spirit of hell. You may wonder that he does this also as if from himself, nevertheless you can see that it is so, when you pray to be guarded from the devil lest he seduce you, and enter into you as he did into Judas, and fill you with all iniquity, and destroy you soul and body. But a man becomes guilty when he believes that he acts from N. 621] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 151 himself, whether in doing good or evil, and not when he believes that he acts as if from himself ; for when he believes that the good is from himself, he claims as his own what belongs to God, and when he believes the evil to be from himself he attributes to himself what belongs to the devil." [11] Eespecting baptism they said, that baptism is spiritual washing, which is reformation and regeneration ; that a child is reformed and regenerated when, having become an adult, he does the things that his sponsors promised for him, namely, these two, repents, and believes in God, For they promise first that he will renounce the devil and all his works, and secondly, that he will believe in God. All infants in heaven are initiated into these two duties ; but to them the devil is hell and God is the Lord. Moreover, baptism is a sign to the angels that a man belongs to the church." Hearing this, those of the assembly said, "We understand that." [12] Then a voice was heard from the side, crying out, "We do not understand," and another, " We do not wish to under- stand." Inquiry was made from whom those voices came, and it was found that they came from those who had confirmed themselves in falsities of faith, and who wished to be believed as oracles, and so to be worshiped. The angels said, " Do not be surprised ; there are many such at this day ; to us from heaven they appear like sculptured im- ages made with such skill that they can move the lips and make sounds like those of the vocal organs, but do not know whether the breath which the sound comes from is from hell or from heaven, because they do not know whether it is false or true. They reason and reason, and they confirm and confirm, and yet do not see whether anything is so or not. But know this, that human ingenuity can confirm whatever it will, even until it seems to be actually true ; therefore heretics can do so, and im- pious persons ; and atheists are more able to prove that there is no God, but nature only." [13] After this the assembly of the English, inflamed with a desire to be wise, said to the angels, " They say so many dif- ferent things about the holy supper, tell us what the truth is about it." 152 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. The angels replied, " The truth is, that the man who looks to the Lord and repents, is by that most holy ordinance con. joined with the Lord and introduced into heaven." Those of the assembly said, " That is a mystery." The angels replied, " It is a mystery, and yet such as may be understood. The bread and wine do not effect this ; from these there is nothing holy ; but material bread and spiritual bread, as also material wine and spiritual wine correspond to each other mutually, spiritual bread being the holy principle of love, and spiritual wine the holy principle of faith, both from the Lord, and both being the Lord. From this comes the conjunc- tion of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord, not with the bread and wine, but with the love and faith of the man who has repented; and conjunction with the Lord is also introduc- tion into heaven." And after the angels had taught them something about cor- respondence, those of the assembly said, " Now for the first time we can understand this also." And when they had said this, be- hold, a flame with light descended from heaven and affiliated them with the angels, and they loved each other mutually. 622. Second Memorable Relation: — All who have been prepared for heaven (which is done in the world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell), when the time is completed wish for heaven with great longing; and soon their eyes are opened and they see a path leading to some society in heaven; they take this path and ascend, and in the ascent there is a gate and a keeper there. He opens the gate, and they enter in through it. Then an examiner meets them, who tells them from the presi- dent to enter still further and to look about and see whether there are houses anywhere which they recognize as their own, for there is a new house for every novitiate angel. If they find one they so report and remain there. But if they do not find one they return and say that they have not seen any. And then an examination is made by a certain wise one there whether the light that is in them harmo- nizes with that in the society, and especially whether the heat does ; for the light of heaven in its essence is Divine truth, and the heat of heaven in its essence is Divine good, both going forth N. 622] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 153 from the Lord there as a sun. If there is in them a light and a heat different from the light and heat of that society, that is, a different kind of good and truth, they are not received. There- fore they leave that place, and through ways opened between the societies in heaven they pass on ; and this they do until they find a society perfectly harmonious with their affections, and this becomes their abode for ever. For they are then among their own, just as if among relatives and friends whom they love from the heart, because they are in like affections ; and there they are in their life's happiness, and in the joy of their whole bosom from peace of mind, for in the light and heat of heaven there is ineffable delight, which is shared. Thus it happens with those who are becoming angels. [2] And yet those who are in evils and falsities may ascend to heaven by permission; but when they enter they begin to catch their breath and to breathe with difficulty ; and presently their sight grows dim, their understanding is darkened, they cease to think, a kind of oblivion hovers before their eyes, and so they stand like stocks. Then the heart begins to throb, the chest to be oppressed, the mind is seized with anguish, and their distress increases more and more ; and in this state they writhe like serpents brought near a fire, so that they roll themselves away, and by a steep descent which then appears, they cast themselves down, and do not rest until they are in hell among their like, where they can draw breath and where their hearts beat freely. After this they hate heaven, reject truth, and in heart blaspheme the Lord, believing that their pains and tor- ments in heaven were from Him. [3] From these few things it can be seen what the lot is of those who have no regard for the truths of faith, which never- theless constitute the light in which the angels of heaven are, and who have no regard for the goods of love and charity, which nevertheless constitute the heat of life in which the angels of heaven are; and it will also be seen therefrom, how greatly those err who believe that any one may enjoy heavenly happi- ness if only he is admitted into heaven. For it is the belief of the present day, that to be received into heaven is a matter of mercy only and that a man's reception into heaven is like entering a house in the world where there is a wedding, and being admitted 154 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. at once into its j oys and festivities. But let it be understood that in the spiritual world there is a sharing of the love's affections and the thoughts arising from them, since man is then a spirit, and the life of the spirit is the love's affection and its thought ; also that homogeneous affection conjoins while heterogeneous affection separates, and both to a devil in heaven and to an an- gel in hell heterogeneity is torture ; and for this reason they are separated in strict accordance with the diversities, varie- ties, and differences of the affections pertaining to the love. 623. Third Memorable Relation: — I was once permitted to see three hundred of the clergy and laity together, all learned and erudite in that they knew how to confirm faith alone even to justification thereby, and some still further. And because they were in the belief that heaven is a mere matter of admission from grace, they were given leave to ascend into a heavenly society, which however was not among the higher ones. And when they ascended they appeared at a distance like calves. When they entered heaven they were re- ceived by the angels civilly, but while they were talking a trembling seized them, afterward a horror, and finally torture like that of death ; then they cast themselves down headlong, and in their fall they appeared like dead horses. In their as- cent they had appeared like calves, because a vigorous natural affection for seeing and knowing appears, on account of its cor- respondence, like a calf; but in their fall they appeared like dead horses because the understanding of truth appears, on ac- count of its correspondence, like a horse, and a lack of under- standing of truth pertaining to the church appears like a dead horse. [2] There were boys below who saw them descending, and in their descent looking like dead horses ; and they then turned their faces away and asked their teacher who was with them, "What monstrosity is this ? We saw men, and now, instead of them we see dead horses ; and not being able to look at them we turned away our faces. 0 Teacher, let us not stay in this place, let us go away." And they went away. Then the teacher taught them on the way the meaning of a dead horse, saying, "A horse signifies the understanding of truth from the Word. This is the signification of all the horses N. G23] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 155 you have seen ; for when a man goes along meditating upon the Word, his meditation appears at a distance like a horse, noble and lively in proportion as he meditates spiritually, but on the other hand poor and lifeless as he meditates materially." [3] Then the boys asked, " What is meditating spiritually and materially upon the Word ?" The teacher answered, "I will illustrate it by examples. When reading the Word in a reverent way, who does not think within himself about God, the neighbor and heaven ? He who thinks of God from person only and not from essence thinks materially; and he who thinks of the neighbor from his out- ward form only, and not from quality, thinks materially ; and he who thinks of heaven from place merely, and not from love and wisdom, from which heaven is heaven, also thinks mate- rially." [4] But the boys said, " We have thought of God from person, of the neighbor from form, that he is a man, and of heaven from place, that it is above us. Have we then when reading the Word appeared to any one like dead horses ?" The teacher said, " No ; you are still boys, and cannot think otherwise ; but I have perceived in you an affection for knowing and understanding, and this being spiritual you have thought spiritually; for there is some spiritual thought latent within your material thought, although you are not aware of it. But I will return to what I said before, that he who thinks materi- ally while reading the Word or meditating upon it, appears at a distance like a dead horse, while he who thinks spiritually appears like a living horse, and that he thinks materially of God who thinks of Him from person only and not from essence. For there are many attributes of the Divine Essence, as omnip- otence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternity, love, wisdom, mer- cy, grace, and others ; and there are attributes that go forth from the Divine Essence, namely, creation, preservation, re- demption and salvation, enlightenment and instruction. Every one who thinks of God from person makes three Gods, saying that the Creator and Preserver is one God, the Redeemer and Saviour another, and the Enlightener and Instructor a third; while every one who thinks of God from essence makes one G©d, saying, < God created us, the same God redeemed and saves 156 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. us, and He also enlightens and instructs.' This is why those who think of the trinity of God from person, thus materially, must needs, out of the ideas of their thought which is material, make three Gods out of one. Nevertheless, in opposition to their thought, they are compelled to say that there is a union of these three by means of the essence, because they have also thought of God from essence, although, as it were, through a lattice. [5] « Therefore, my scholars, think of God from essence, and from essence of person. For to think of essence from person is to think of essence also materially ; while to think from es- sence of person is to think of person also spiritually. Because the ancient heathen thought materially of God and therefore of the attributes of God, they not only made three gods but more, even as many as a hundred ; for out of every attribute they made a god. You must understand that the material does not enter into the spiritual, but the spiritual enters into the material. It is the same with thought respecting the neighbor from the outward form and not from his quality ; as also with thought about heaven from place, and not from love and wis- dom, from which heaven exists. It is the same with each and all things in the Word; therefore he who cherishes a material idea of God, as also of the neighbor and heaven, can understand nothing in the Word ; it is to him a dead letter, and when read- ing it or meditating upon it he appears at a distance like a dead horse. [6] Those whom you saw descending from heaven, hav- ing become before your eyes like dead horses, were such as have closed up the rational sight in respect to the theological or spir- itual matters of the church both in themselves and in others by their peculiar dogma that the understanding must be kept in obedience to their faith; not reflecting that an understand- ing closed up by religion is as blind as a mole, with nothing in it but thick darkness. And such darkness, in rejecting from itself all spiritual light, shuts out the influx of that light, from the Lord and heaven, and places before it a bar in the corpor- eal-sensual far beneath the rational in matters of faith, that is, it places it near the nose, and fixes it in its cartilage, so that afterward what is spiritual cannot even be smelled. Because of this some have become of such a nature that when they per- ceive the odor from spiritual things they fall into a swoon. By N. 623] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 157 odor I mean perception. These are they who make God three. They say, indeed, that from essence God is one ; and yet, when they pray according to their belief, which is, that God the Father will have mercy for the Son's sake and that He will send the Holy Spirit, they clearly make three Gods ; and they cannot do otherwise ; for they pray to one to be merciful for the sake of a second and to send a third." Then their teacher taught them concerning the Lord that He is the one God, in whom is the Divine Trinity. 624. Fourth Memorable Relation:— Awaking from sleep at midnight, I saw at some height to- ward the east an angel holding in his right hand a paper which appeared of lustrous brightness in the sun's light, and in the center of it there was a writing in golden letters ; and I saw written: The Marriage of Good and Truth. From the writing flashed a splendor which spread into a wide circle round about the paper ; so that the circle or border appeared like the dawn of day in spring. After this I saw the angel with the paper in his hand de- scending, and as he descended the paper appeared less and less bright, and the inscription, which was The Marriage of Good and Truth, was changed from a golden to a silver color, then to a copper color, then to an iron color, and finally to the color of copper and iron rust. At last the angel seemed to enter a dark mist and to pass through it to the earth; and there the paper, although still retained in his hand, was not visible. This was in the world of spirits where all men first assemble after death. [2] The angel then spoke to me, saying : "Ask those who are coming here whether they see me or see anything in my hand." A multitude came, one body from the east, one from the south, one from the west, and one from the north ; and I asked those coming from the east and south, who were such as, while in the world, had been devoted to learning, whether they saw any one there with me, or anything in his hand. They all said that they saw nothing whatever. Then I asked those who came from the west and north, who were such as in the world had believed in the sayings of the learned ; these said that they too did not see anything ; although the last of them, who in the world had been in simple faith 158 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. from charity or in some truth from good, said, after the former had gone away, that they saw a man with a paper, a man in graceful clothing, and a paper upon which letters were written ; and when they brought their eyes close to it, they said that the inscription was, The Marriage of Good and Truth. [3] These also spoke to the angel, and asked him to tell them what it was. And the angel said, " All things in the whole heaven, and all things in the whole world, are by creation nothing but a mar- riage of good and truth, since each and all things, both the living and animate, and the lifeless and inanimate, are created from a marriage of good and truth and into that marriage. Noth- ing created into truth alone or into good alone is possible ; either of these alone is nothing; but by means of that marriage the two exist and become a something, in quality in accord with the marriage. In the Lord God the Creator there is Divine good and Divine truth in their very substance. Divine good is the being (esse) of His substance, and Divine truth is the outgo (ex- istere) of His substance, and they are also in their very one- ness, for in Him they make one infinitely. As these two are one in God the Creator Hhnself, they are also one in each and all things created by Him ; and by means of this the Creator is conjoined in an eternal covenant like that of marriage with all things created from Hhnself." [4] The angel said further, that the Sacred Scripture, which was dictated by the Lord, is in the whole and in every part a marriage of good and truth (see above, n. 248-253) ; and because the church, which is formed by truths of doctrine, and religion, which is formed by goods of life according to truths of doctrine, are, with Christians, solely from the Sacred Scripture, it is evident that the church also, in general and in particular, is a marriage of good and truth. And what has been said of the marriage of good and truth can be said also of The Marriage of Charity and Faith, since good be- longs to charity, and truth to faith. When this had been said the angel raised himself up from the earth, and passing through the mist, he ascended into heav- en; and then the paper, according as he ascended, shone as before; and lo, that circle which before appeared like the day- dawn, settled down and dispelled the mist which had brought darkness upon the earth, and it became sunny. N. 625] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIFTH 159 625. Fifth Memorable Eelation : — Once when I was meditating about the Lord's second coming, there suddenly appeared a flash of light which forcibly struck my eyes ; and I therefore looked up, and lo, the whole heaven above me appeared luminous, and there from the east to the west in a continuous strain a Glorification was heard; and an angel stood near who said, " That is a glorification of the Lord on account of His coming. It comes from the angels of the eastern and western heavens." From the southern and northern heavens only a gentle mur- mur was heard. And because all this was heard by the angel, he first said to me that these glorifications and celebrations of the Lord are made from the Word. Presently he said, " Now they are glori- fying and celebrating the Lord especially by these words, which are spoken in the prophecy of Daniel: — Thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, but they shall not cohere. But in those days the God of the heavens shall make a kingdom to arise which shall not perish for ages ; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand for ages (ii. 43, 44). [2] After this I heard the sound of singing, and more deeply in the east I saw a flashing of light more brilliant than the for- mer; and I asked the angel what the glorification there was. He said it was in these words in Daniel: — I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and there was given Him dominion, and a king- dom ; and all people and nations shall worship Him ; His dominion is the dominion of an age, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (vii. 13, 14). Beside this they were celebrating the Lord from these words in the Apocalypse: — ■ To Jesus Christ be the glory and the might ; behold, He cometh with clouds. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty; I John heard this from the Son of man out of the midst of the seven candlesticks (Apoc. i. 5-13 ; xxii. 8, 13 ; also Matt. xxiv. 30, 32). [3] I looked again into the eastern heaven, and it lighted up from the right side, the illumination extended to the south- ern expanse, and I heard a sweet sound, and asked the angel what it was pertaining to the Lord that they were glorifying 160 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. X. there; and he said that it was in these words in the Apoca- lypse : — I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the heaven saying, Be- hold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them. And an angel spake with me, saying, Come, and I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the city, the holy Jerusalem (xxi. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10). Also in these words : — I Jesus am the bright and morning star ; and the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and He said I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus (Apoc. xxii. 16, 17, 20). [4] After this and more, a general glorification from the east to the west of heaven, and also from south to north was heard; and I asked the angel, " What now ?" He said, " The follow- ing from the prophets" : — - All flesh shall know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer (Isa. xlix. 26). Thus said Jehovah the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts, I am the First and the Last, and beside Me there is no God (Isa. xliv. 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, (Isa. xxv. 9). The voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah. Behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength ; He shall feed His flock like a shepherd (Isa. xl. 3, 5, 10, 11). Unto us a Child is bom, unto us a Son is given ; and His name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, God, Mighty, Father of eternity, Prince of peace (Isa. ix. 6). Behold the days will come when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign King and this is His name, Jehovah our right- eousness (Jer. xxiii. 5, 6 ; xxxiii. 15, 16). Jehovah of Hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Is- rael, the God of the whole earth shall He be called (Isa. liv. 5). In that day Jehovah shall be king over all the earth ; in that day Je- hovah shall be one and His name one (Zech. xiv. 9). Hearing and understanding these things my heart greatly re- joiced, and I went home joyfully, and here I returned from the spiritual to the bodily state, in which I wrote out all this that I had seen and heard. N. 626] IMPUTATION 161 CHAPTER XI. IMPUTATION. IMPUTATION AND THE FAITH OF THE PRESENT CHURCH (WHICH IS HELD TO BE THE SOLE GROUND OF JUS- TIFICATION), MAKE ONE. 626. The faith of the present church, which is held to be the sole ground of justification, is imputation; that is, in the present church, faith and imputation make one, because each belongs to the other, or each mutually and interchangeably enters into the other and causes it to be. For if faith is men- tioned and imputation is not added faith is mere sound ; and if imputation is mentioned and faith is not added imputation is mere sound ; but when the two are mentioned together, the re- sult is something articulate, and yet without meaning ; and in order that the understanding may have a perception of some- thing, a third must necessarily be added, namely, Christ's merit. These form a statement that a man can utter with some reason. For it is the faith of the present church that God the Father imputes His Son's righteousness, and sends the Holy Spirit to work out its effects. 627. In the present church, then, these three, faith, imputa- tion, and Christ's merit, are one, and they may be called a tri- une ; for if one of these three were taken away, the present the- ology would be reduced to nothing, since it depends on these three perceived as one, as a long chain on a fixed hook. So if either faith, or imputation, or Christ's merit were taken away, all the things said about justification, the forgiveness of sins, vivification, renewal, regeneration, sanctification, and about the gospel, freedom of choice, charity, and good works, and even life eternal, would become like desolate towns or like a temple in ruins, and faith itself, which stands at the head of all, would come to nothing, and thus the entire church would be a desert and a desolation. All this makes clear upon what a pillar the house of God at this day is made to rest ; and if that pillar were Vol. II.— 11 162 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. torn down the house would be overthrown, like that in which the lords of the Philistines and people to the number of three thousand were amusing themselves, when Samson pulled down both of its pillars at once, and all within it were slain or died (Judges xvi. 29). This is said because it has been shown in what precedes, and will be shown still further in an appendix, that this faith is not Christian, because it is at variance with the Word, and that the imputation which it teaches is absurd, since Christ's merit cannot be imputed. II. THE IMPUTATION THAT BELONGS TO THE FAITH OF THE PRES- ENT DAY IS A DOUBLE IMPUTATION. AN IMPUTA- TION of Christ's merit and an imputa- tion OF SALVATION THEREBY. 628. Throughout the whole Christian church it is taught that justification and salvation thereby are effected by God the Father through the imputation of the merit of Christ His Son ; that imputation takes place by grace when and where God wills, thus arbitrarily; and that those to whom Christ's merit is im- puted are adopted into the number of children of God. And because the leaders of the church have not advanced a foot be- yond that imputation or raised their minds above it, because of the established dogmas of God's arbitrary election, they have fallen into enormous and fanatical errors, and at length into that detestable error respecting predestination, and still further into the abominable error, that God pays no attention to the deeds of a man's life but only to the faith inscribed upon the interiors of his mind. Unless, therefore, the error respecting imputation is abolished, atheism will invade all Christendom ; and then will reign over them. The king of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon (Apoc. ix. 11), " Abaddon" and "Apollyon" signifying the destroyer of the church by falsities, and " the abyss" the abode of those falsities N. 628] IMPUTATION 163 (see the Apocalypse Revealed, n. 421, 440, 442). From this it is clear that that falsity and the resultant falsities exist in an extended series, over which that destroyer reigns ; for, as said above, the entire system of the present theology is dependent on this imputation", as a long chain on a fixed hook, and as man with all his members is dependent on the head. And because this imputation reigns everywhere, it is like what Isaiah says :— The Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail ; the honorable, he is the head ; and the teacher of lies, he is the tail (ix. 14, 15). 629. As just said, the imputation of the prevailing faith is a dpuble imputation ; but it is double in the sense that God ex- ercises His mercy toward some, and not toward all, or that a parent exercises his love toward one or two of his children, and not toward all, or that the Divine law and its command apply to a few and not to all. One kind of doubleness, therefore, is far-reaching and undivided, the other is restricted and divided ; this latter is doubleness, but the former is unity. For it is taught that the imputation of Christ's merit is from an arbi- trary election, and that to those so elected there is an impu- tation of salvation, thus that some are adopted and the rest rejected; which would be as if God lifted some up into Abra- ham's bosom, and gave some over as morsels to the devil ; and yet the truth is that the Lord rejects no man, and gives no man over to the devil, but this is done by the man himself. 630. It may be added that the present-day doctrine of im- putation deprives man of all power arising from any freedom of choice in spiritual things, and does not even leave him enough to enable him to brush.fire from his clothing and keep his body from harm, or to extinguish his blazing home with water and rescue his family; and yet the Word from beginning to end teaches that every one must shun evils, because they are of the devil and from the devil, and must do good because it is of God and from God, and that he must do this of himself, the Lord working in him. But the present doctrine of imputation condemns the power to do this as deadly to faith and conse- quently to salvation, lest something belonging to man might enter into the imputation, and thus into the merit of Christ; from the establishment of which doctrine has issued this satanic 164 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. principle that man is absolutely impotent in spiritual matters ; which is like saying, "Walk, although you have no feet, not even one; Wash, though both your hands are cut off; or, Do good, but keep asleep ; or, Feed yourself, even without a tongue. It is also like giving man a will that is not a "trill; in which case can he not say, "I have no more power than the pillar of salt into which Lot's wife was turned, or than Dagon the god of the Philistines had when the ark of God was taken into his house ; I am afraid that my head like his might be torn off, and the palms of my hands thrown upon the threshold (1 Sam. v. 4) ; nor have I any more power than Beelzebub the god of Ekron, who, as his name signifies, can only drive away flies?" That such impotence in spiritual things is believed in at the present day may be seen above (n. 4G4) from the extracts respecting freedom of choice. 631. As to the first part of the doubleness of that imputation respecting man's salvation, namely, the arbitrary imputation of Christ's merit, and the imputation of salvation thereby, the dog- matists differ; some teaching that this imputation is absolute, from free power, and takes place with those whose external or internal form is well pleasing to God ; others, that imputation takes place from foreknowledge, with those into whom grace is infused, and to whom this faith can be applied. Nevertheless, these two opinions aim at one mark, or are like two eyes that have one stone for their object, or two ears that have as their object one song. At first glance they seem to depart from each other, but in the end they unite and agree. For since man's complete impotence in things spiritual is taught by both, and everything belonging to man is excluded from faith, it follows that this grace which is receptive of faith, whether infused ar- bitrarily or from foreknowledge is the same as election ; for if that which is called prevenient grace were universal, man's ap- plication of it from some power of his own would come in, and this is of course rejected as leprous. Consequently a man no more knows whether from grace that faith has been given him or not, than a stock or a stone, which is what he was when it was infused ; for there is no possible sign to attest it when char- ity, piety, the pursuit of a new life, and the free ability to do either good or evil, are denied to man. The signs attesting that N. 631] IMPUTATION 165 faith which are put forth are all ludicrous, closely resembling the auguries of the ancients from the flights of birds, the prog- nostications of astrologers by the stars, or of players by dice. Such things, and others still more ludicrous, are consequences of the doctrine of the Lord's imputed righteousness, which to- gether with faith (which is called that righteousness), is com- municated to the elect. 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 TU THE PRESENT. 632. As to the ISTieene Council itself, it was convoked by the emperor Constantine the Great by the advice of Alexander, bis- hop of Alexandria, and was composed of all the bishops in Asia, Africa and Europe, and was held in his palace at Nice, a city of Bithynia. Its object was to refute and condemn, from the sacred writings, the heresy of Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria, who denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. This took place in the year of our Lord 325. The members of that council decided that there were from eternity three Divine persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit-^-as appears especially from the two creeds called the Nicene and Athanasian. In the Nicene creed we read: — I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, bom before all ages, God from God, consubstantial with the Fa- ther, who descended from the heavens and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit from the virgin Mary ; and in the Holy Spirit, Lord and Vivifier, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified. In the Athanasian creed is the following : — The Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in a Trinity, ana the Trinity in unity, neither confounding the Persons nor separating the 166 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. substance. But as we are compelled by the Christian verity to confess each Person singly to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Cath- olic religion to say three Gods or three Lords. That is, it is permitted men to confess, but not to say, three Gods and Lords. They may not say so because religion forbids it, but may confess it because the truth so dictates. This Ath- anasian creed was written out by one or more of those who were present, immediately after the holding of the Xicene Council, and was accepted as oecumenical or Catholic. This shows clearly that it was then decided that three Divine persons from eter- nity ought to be acknowledged, and that although each Person singly was by Himself God, still they ought not to be called three Gods and Lords, but one. 633. That a belief in three Divine persons has been accepted since that time, and has also been confirmed and preached by all bishops, hierarchs, church rulers and presbyters up to the present time, is known in the Christian world ; and because a mental persuasion of the existence of three Gods has emanated therefrom, men have been unable to devise any other faith than one that could be applied to these three in their order ; namely, this, that God the Father must be approached and be implored to impute His Son's righteousness, or to be merciful on account of His Son's passion on the cross, and to send the Holy Spirit to work out the mediate and final effects of salvation. [2] This faith is the offspring born from those two creeds ; but when its swaddling clothes are stripped off, there comes to view not one but three, at first joined together, as it were, in an embrace, but afterward separated, for it is declared that their essence unites them, but their properties — which are creation, redemption, and operation (that is, imputation, imputed righteousness and the making it effectual) — separate them. And for this reason, al- though out of three Gods they have made one, yet they have not made one Person out of three, from a fear that the idea of three Gods might be obliterated; for then, as stated in the creed, each Person singly can still be believed to be God ; while if the three Persons were in consequence to become one, the whole house, built upon these three as its columns, would tumble into a heap. [3] That council introduced the doctrine of three Di- vine persons from eternity because they had not properly N. 633] IMPUTATION 167 searched the Word, and could therefore find no other defence against the Arians. Afterwards they combined those three Per- sons, each one of whom is God by Himself, into one God, from a fear of being accused of a belief in three Gods and reproached for it by every reasonable religious person on the three conti- nents. They taught a belief that applied to the three Gods in their order, because no other faith could issue from that prin- ciple ; to which is to be added, that if one of the three were passed by, the third would not be sent, and thus every opera- tion of Divine grace would be fruitless. 634. But the truth must be told. When a belief in three Gods was introduced into Christian churches, which was done at the time of the Nicene Council, they banished every good of charity and every truth of faith, because these two are wholly incon- sistent with a mental worship of three Gods and a simultaneous oral worship of one God; for the mind then denies what the mouth utters, and the mouth denies what the mind thinks ; and the result is that there is neither a belief in three Gods nor a be- lief in one God. From this it is clear that since that time the Christian temple has not only cracked open but has fallen to ruins ; and since that time the mouth of the abyss, from which ascends a smoke like that of a great furnace, has been opened, the sun and air have been darkened, and locusts have gone out therefrom upon the earth (Apoc. ix. 2, 3). (See the explanation of these things in the Apocalypse Revealed.) And from that time also has the desolation foretold by Daniel commenced and increased {Matt. xxiv. 15), and to that faith and the imputation thereof the eagles have gathered together (verse 28), " eagles" there meaning the lynx-eyed leaders of the church. It may be said that a council in which so many bishops and learned men sat together, established this faith by a unanimous vote; but what confidence can be placed in councils, when Roman Cath- olic councils have also by a unanimous vote established the vicar- ship of the pope, the invocation of saints, the worship of images and bones, the division of the holy eucharist, purgatory, indul- gences and the like? And what confidence can be placed in councils when the council of Dort has also by a unanimous vote established a detestable predestination, and set it forth as the palladium of religion ? But, my reader, believe not in councils, 168 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. but in the Holy Word ; and go to the Lord, and you will be en- lightened; for He is the Word, that is, the Divine Truth in the Word. 635. Finally, this following arcanum shall be disclosed. In seven chapters of the Apocalypse the consummation of the pres- ent church is described in much the same way as the devastation of Egypt is described ; for the two are pictured by like plagues, each one of which spiritually signifies some falsity, which ex- tends the devastation of it even to destruction; and for this reason the present church, which is at this day destroyed, is called "Egypt," spiritually understood, {Apoc. xi. 8). The plagues of Egypt were as follows : — The waters were turned into blood, so that every fish died, and the river stank (Ex. vii). A like statement is made in the Apocalypse (viii. 8; xvi. 3); "blood" signifying Divine truth falsified, (see Apocalypse Re- vealed, n. 379, 404, 681, 687, 688); and the "fishes" which then died signifying the truths in the natural man, in like manner dead (n. 290, 405). Frogs were brought upon the land of Egypt (Ex. viii). Something is also said of frogs in the Apocalypse xvi. 13); "frogs" signifying reasonings from a lust for falsifying truths (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 702). In Egypt noisome sores were brought upon both man and beast (Ex. ix). (The same in the Apocalypse xvi. 2) ; " sores" signifying interior evils and falsities destructive of good and truth in the church (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 678). In Egypt there was hail mingled with fire (Ex. ix). (The same in the Apocalypse, viii. 7 ; xvi. 21) ; " hail" signifying infernal falsity (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 399, 714). Locusts were sent upon Egypt (Ex. x). (The same in the Apocalypse, ix. 1-11); "locusts" signifying falsities in outermosts, (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 424, 430). Great darkness was brought upon Egypt (Ex. x). (The same in the Apocalypse, viii. 12); "darkness" signifying falsities arising either from ignorance, or from falsities of -re- N. 635] IMPUTATION 169 ligion, or from evils of life ; (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 110, 413, 695). Finally, the Egyptians perished in the Red Sea (Ex. xiv.) (But in the Apocalypse the dragon and the false prophet were cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, xix. 20 ; xx. 10) ; both "the Bed Sea" and that "lake" signifying hell. Respecting Egypt and respecting the church, whose consummation and end are described in the Apocalypse, like statements are made, be- cause "Egypt" means a church that was in its beginning pre- eminent; and for this reason, before this church had been dev- astated, Egypt is compared to the garden of Eden, and the garden of Jehovah, {Gen. xiii. 10; Ezek. xxxi. 8); and is also called "the corner-stone of the tribes," "the son of the wise, and of the kings of old," (Isa. xix. 11, 13). More respecting Egypt in its primeval state and in its devastated state may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed (n. 503). IV. THE FAITH IMPUTATIVE OF CHRIST'S MERIT "WAS UNKNOWN IN THE PRECEDING APOSTOLIC CHURCH, AND IS NOWHERE TAUGHT IN THE WORD. 636. The church that preceded the Nicene Council is called the Apostolic church. It was evidently a wide-spread church, extending over the three parts of the globe, Asia, Africa and Europe, for the Emperor Constantine the Great was a Christian, and also a zealot in religion, and his dominion extended not only over many kingdoms of Europe that were afterward sepa- rated, but also over the neighboring countries outside of Europe. So as just said, he assembled the bishops from Asia, Africa and Europe, in his palace at Nice, a city of Bithynia, in order that he might banish from his empire the scandalous dogmas of Arius. This was done by the Lord's Divine Providence, bj- cause when the Divinity of the Lord is denied the Christian church dies, and becomes like a sepulchre adorned with the epitaph, Hie jacet. The church that existed before this time 170 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. was called Apostolic; its distinguished writers were called the Fathers, and all true Christians held the relation of brethren. This church did not acknowledge three Divine persons, nor therefore a Son of God born from eternity, but only a Son of God born in time, as is evident from the creed, which by their church was called the Apostles' Creed, where the following words occur: — " I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born' of the virgin Mary; I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of the saints." From this it is clear that they acknowledged no other Son of God than the one conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and by no means a Son of God born from eternity. This creed, like the two others, has been acknowledged as truly Catholic by the entire Christian church up to the present day. 637. That in that primitive time all in the then Christian world acknowledged that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, to whom was given "all power in heaven and on earth," and "power over all flesh," according to His own express words {Matt, xxviii. 18; John xvii. 2), and that they believed in Him, according to His command given from God the Father (John iii. 15, 16, 36; vi. 40; xi. 25, 26), is also clearly evident from the convoking of all the bishops by the Emperor Constantine the Great, in order that they might from the sacred writings refute and con- demn Arius and his followers, who denied the Divinity of the Lord the Saviour born of the virgin Mary. This indeed they did, but in trying to escape the wolf they came upon the lion, or, according to the proverb, wishing to avoid Charybdis they ran upon Scylla; which they did by inventing a Son of God from eternity, who descended and assumed a Human, believing that they had thus vindicated and re-established the Lord's Di- vinity, not knowing that God Himself the Creator of the uni- verse descended in order to become a Redeemer, and thus a Creator anew, according to the following plain declarations in the Old Testament : Isa. xxv. 9 ; xl. 3, 5, 10, 11 ; xliii. 14 ; xliv. 6, 24; xlvii. 4; xlviii. 17; xlix. 7, 26; lx. 16; lxiii. 16; Jer. 1. 34; Hos. xiii. 4 ; Ps. xix. 14 ; to which add John i. 14 ; xix. 15. I N. 638] IMPUTATION 171 638. That Apostolic church, since it worshiped the Lord God Jesus Christ, and at the same time God the Father in Him, may bo likened to the garden of God, and Arius who then arose, to the serpent sent from hell, and the ISTicene Council to Adam's wife, who offered the fruit to her husband and persuaded him to eat of it, after doing which they appeared to themselves to be naked, and covered their nakedness with fig-leaves. Their "nakedness" means their former innocence, and "fig-leaves" the truths of the natural man which were gradually falsified. That primitive church may also be likened to the dawn and morning and from that the day advanced to the tenth hour, and then a dense cloud intervened, under which the day advanced to even- ing, and afterward to night, in which the moon arose for some, by the dim light of which they saw something from the Word, while others went on so far into the nocturnal darkness that they saw no Divinity in the Lord's Humanity, although Paul says that, In Jesus Christ dwells all the fulness of Divinity bodily (Col. ii. 9); and John, that, The Son of God sent into the world is the true God and eternal life (1. John v. 20, 21). The primitive or Apostolic church never could have divined that a church was to follow which would worship several Gods in heart, and one with the lips ; which would separate charity from faith, and the forgiveness of sins from repentance and the pursuit of a new life; which would introduce the doctrine of man's utter impotence in spiritual things ; and least of all, that an Arius would lift up his head, and when he was dead would rise again, and secretly rule even to the end. 639. That no faith imputative of Christ's merit is taught in the Word, is very clear from the fact that this faith was un- known in the church until after the Mcene Council had in- troduced the doctrine of three Divine persons from eternity. And when this faith had been introduced and had pervaded the whole Christian world, every other faith was cast into the dark, so that whoever since that time reads the Word, and there sees anything about faith and imputation and the merit of Christ, naturally falls into that which he has believed to be 172 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL the one only thing ; like one who sees what is written on one page and. there stops, not turning the leaf and seeing what is on the other page ; or like one who persuades himself that a certain thing is true (although it is false), and confirms that only, and thereafter sees falsity as truth and truth as falsity, and sets his teeth and hisses at every one opposing it, saying, " You have no intelligence." Thus the man's whole mind is in it, covered over with a callousness which rejects as heterodox everything that does not agree with his so-called orthodoxy; for his memory is like a tablet upon which is written this single ruling tenet in theology; and when anything else enters there is no place where it may be inserted, and he therefore casts it out as the mouth casts out froth. For example, if you say to a confirmed naturalist who believes that nature created herself, or that God came forth after nature, or that nature and God are one, that the very reverse is the truth, would he not look upon you as one deluded by the fables of the priest, or as a simpleton, or a dullard, or as demented ? So it is with all things that are fixed in the mind by persuasion and confir- mation; which finally appear like pictured tapestry fastened with many nails to a wall built of old stones. V. IMPUTATION OF CHRIST'S MERIT AND RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IM- POSSIBLE. 640. In order to know that an imputation of the merit and righteousness of Jesus Christ is impossible, what His merit and righteousness are must be known. The merit of the Lord our Saviour is redemption, the nature of which may be seen above in its proper chapter (n. 114-133), where it is described as the subjugation of the hells, the orderly arrangement of the heav- ens, and the subsequent establishment of a church, and thus as being a work purely Divine. It is also there shown that the Lord by means of redemption took to Himself the power to regenerate and save those who believe on Him and do His com- mandments; also that without this redemption no flesh could N. 640] IMPUTATION 173 have been saved. As redemption therefore was a work pure- ly Divine, and a work of the Lord alone, and constitutes His merit, it follows that His merit can no more be applied, ascrib- ed, or imputed to any man than the creation and preservation of the universe. Moreover, redemption was, as it were, a new creation of the angelic heaven, and likewise of the church. [2] That the present church attributes that merit of the Lord the Redeemer to those who by grace attain to that faith, is evi- dent from their dogmas, among which this is the chief. For it is affirmed by the hierarchs of that church and by their sub- ordinates, both in the Roman Catholic and in the Reformed churches, that by the imputation of Christ's merit those who have attained to faith are not only reputed righteous and holy, but also are so ; and that their sins are not sins in God's sight because they are forgiven, and they themselves are justified, that is, reconciled, renewed, regenerated, sanctified, and enroll- ed in heaven. That the entire Christian church to-day teaches these same dogmas is very evident from the Council of Trent, from the Augustan or Augsburg Confessions, and from the ap- pended and accepted commentaries. [3] From the things said above when applied to that faith, what follows but that the pos- session of that faith is that merit and that righteousness of the Lord, consequently that its possessor is Christ in another per- son? For it is affirmed that Christ Himself is righteousness, and that that faith is righteousness, and that imputation (mean- ing thereby ascription and application), causes men not only to be reputed righteous and holy, but to be so in reality. To im- putation, application, and ascription, add transcription only, and you will be a vicarious pope. 641. Because, then, the Lord's merit and righteousness are purely Divine, and things purely Divine are such that if they were to be applied and ascribed to man he would instantly die, and like a stick of wood thrown into the naked sun, would be so completely consumed that scarcely a particle of his ashes would be left; the Lord approaches angels and men with His Divine by means of light tempered and accommodated to the capacity and quality of each one, thus by means of what is brought down to man's level and adapted; and in the same way by means of heat. [2] In the spiritual world there is a 174 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL sun, in the midst of which, is the Lord ; from that sun the Lord flows in by means of light and heat into the whole spiritual world, and into all who are there. All the light and all the heat of that world are from this source. From that sun the Lord also flows with the same light and the same heat into the souls and minds of men. That heat in its essence is the Lord's Divine love, and that light in its essence is His Divine wisdom. The Lord adapts that light and that heat to the capacity and quality of the recipient angel and man, doing this by means of the spiritual auras or atmospheres that convey and transfer them. The Divine Itself which immediately encompasses the Lord, constitutes that sun. That sun is far off from the angels, as the sun of the natural world is from men, in order that it may not come into naked and thus untempered contact with them ; since otherwise they would be consumed like a stick of wood thrown into the naked sun, as said above. [3] All this makes clear that the Lord's merit and righteousness, being purely Divine, can in no possible way be transferred by impu- tation into an}r angel or man ; and if even the least drop there- of, not so tempered as above stated, were to touch them, they would instantly writhe as if struggling with death, with feet contorted and eyes staring, and would become lifeless. In the Israelitish church this was known by their being taught that no man could see God and live. [4] The sun of the spiritual world, such as it was after Jehovah God had assumed the Hu- man, and had added thereto redemption and a new righteous- ness, is described in these words in Isaiah : — 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 (xxx. 26). This chapter from beginning to end treats of the Lord's coming. What would take place if the Lord were to come down and draw near to any wicked person, is also described in the fol- lowing words in the Apocalypse : — They hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb (vi. 15, 16). It is said, "the anger of the Lamb" because their terror and torment when the Lord draws near appear to them like wrath. N. 641] IMPUTATION 175 [5] This may be still more evidently inferred from the fact, that if any impious person is admitted into heaven, where char- ity and faith in the Lord reign, darkness invades his eyes, gid- diness and madness invade his mind, pain and torment his body, and he becomes like one dead. What then, if the Lord Himself, with His Divine merit, which is redemption, and His Divine righteousness, were to enter into man ? The apostle John him- self could not endure the presence of the Lord, for we read : — That when he saw the Son of man in the midst of the seven lampstands, he fell at His feet as one dead (Apoc. i. 17). 642. In the decrees of the Councils and in the articles of the Confessions to which the Reformed make oath, it is declared that God justifies the wicked man by means of the merit of Christ infused into him, when, in fact, not even the good of any angel can be communicated to a wicked person, still less conjoined to him, without being thrown back and rebounding like an elastic ball thrown against a wall, or swallowed up like a diamond sunk in a marsh ; and indeed, if anything truly good was thrust upon him, it would be like a pearl fastened to a swine's snout. For who does not know that clemency cannot be introduced into unmercifulness, innocence into vindictive- ness, love into hatred, or concord into discord, which would be like mixing together heaven and hell ? The man who has not been born again, is in the spirit like a panther or an owl, and may be likened to a thorn or a nettle ; while the man who has been born again is like a sheep or a dove, and may be likened to an olive tree or a vine. Reflect, I pray you, if you will, how a human panther can be converted into a human sheep, or an owl into a dove, or a thorn-tree into an olive-tree, or a nettle into a vine, by any imputation, ascription, or application of the Divine righteousness, which would rather damn than justify him. Before such a conversion could take place, must not the ferine nature of the panther and owl, or the noxious qualities of the thorn and nettle first be taken away, and what is truly human and harmless be implanted in their place ? How this is effected the Lord also teaches in John (xv. 1-7). 176 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL VI. THERE IS AN" IMPUTATION, BUT IT IS AX IMPUTATION OF GOOD AXD EVIL, AND AT THE SAME TIME OF FAITH. 643. From numerous passages in the Word, which in part have been already quoted, it is evident that there is an im- putation of good and evil, which is the imputation meant in the Word where it is mentioned. But that every one may feel cer- tain that there is no other imputation, some passages from the Word shall be offered also, as follows : — The Son of man shall come, and then He shall render unto every one according to his deeds (Matt. xvi. 27). They shall come forth, they that have done goods unto the resurrec- tion of life, and they that have done evils unto the resuirection of judg- ment (John v. 29). The book was opened, which is the book of life, and all were judged ac- cording to their works (Apoc. xx. 12, 13). Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according to his work (Apoc. xxii. 12). I will punish him according to his ways, and will recompense him for his works (Hos. iv. 9 ; Zech. i. 6 ; Jer. xxv. 14 ; xxxii. 19). In the day of His wrath and righteous judgment, God will render to every man according to his works (Rom. ii. 5, 0). We must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to what he hath done, whether good or evil (2 Cor. v. 10). [2] In the beginning of the church there was no other law of imputation, nor will there be any other at its end. That there was no other at the beginning of the church, is evident from Adam and his wife, in that they were condemned because they did evil in eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. ii. iii.); and that there will be no other at the end of the church, is evident from these words of the Lord : — When the Son of man shall come in His glory, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory ; and He shall say to the sheep on His right hand, Come ye blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- dation of the world ; for I was a hungered and ye gave Me to eat ; I was thirsty and ye gave Me to drink ; I was a sojourner and ye took Me in ; I was naked and ye clothed Me ; I was sick and ye visited Me ; I was in prison and ye came unto Me. But to the goats on His left, because they N. 643] IMPUTATION 177 had not done good, He said, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels {Matt. xxv. 31-41). From these passages any one with his eyes open can see that there is an imputation of good and evil. [3] There is also an imputation of faith, because charity which pertains to good, and faith which pertains to truth, reside together in good works ; and that otherwise works are not good, may be seen above (n. 373- 377). Therefore James says: — Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up his son upon the altar ? Seest thou not how faith co-operated with his works, and by works faith was recognized as perfect ? And the Scrip- ture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness (ii. 21-23). 644. The rulers of the Christian churches and in consequence their subordinates, have understood by imputation in the Word the imputation of faith upon which were inscribed the right- eousness and merit of Christ, which were thus ascribed to man, for the reason that for fourteen centuries, that is, since the time of the Nicene Council, they have not wished to know about any other faith. Therefore such faith alone is fixed in their mem- ories and consequently in their minds, like a thing organized, which from that time has furnished a light like that which comes from a fire at night-time, from which light that faith has ap- peared like true theology itself, on which all other things hang in a linked series, and these would fall asunder if that head or pillar were removed. If therefore they were to think when they read the Word, of any other than this imputative faith, that light, together with their entire theology, would be extinguished, and a darkness would arise which would cause the whole Chris- tian church to vanish. Therefore it is left to them, Like a stump of roots in the earth, the tree being cut down and de- stroyed, until the seven times shall be accomplished (Dan. iv. 23). Who among the confirmed leaders of the present church does not, when that faith is attacked, close his ears as if with cotton against hearing anything opposed to it ? But, my reader, open your ears, and read the Word, and you will have a clear percep- tion of a faith and an imputation other than those which you have heretofore believed in. Vol. II.— 12 178 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL 645. It is wonderful, that although the Word from begin- ning to end is full of testimonies and proofs that every one's own good and evil is imputed to him, the dogmatists of the Christian religion have, nevertheless, so closed their ears as if with wax, and besmeared their eyes as if with salve, that they have neither heard nor seen, nor do they hear or see any other imputation than that of their own faith mentioned above. And yet that faith may be justly compared to the disease of the eye called gutta serena, (and in fact deserves to be so named), which disease is an absolute blindness of the eye, arising from an ob- struction of the optic nerve, although the eye appears to retain its sight perfectly. In like manner those who adhere to that faith walk as if with open eyes, and seem to others to see all things, when yet they see nothing ; for when that faith enters man, since he is then like a stock, he knows nothing about it, not even knowing whether that faith is in him, or whether there is anything in it. Afterwards with eyes apparently clear they behold that faith in the pains of travail and giving birth to those noble offsprings of justification, namely, forgiveness of sins, vivification, renewal, regeneration, and sanctification, and yet they have not seen and cannot see any sign of any one of them. 646. That good, which is charity, and evil, which is iniquity, are imputed after death, has been proven to me by all my ex- perience relating to the lot of those who pass from this to the other world. Every one, after he has waited there for some days, is examined to ascertain his character, that is, what he was in respect to religion in the former world. When this has been done, the examiners report the result to heaven, and the man is then transferred to his like, that is, to his own. Thus is imputation effected. That to all in heaven there is an impu- tation of good, and to all in hell an imputation of evil, was made clear to me from the arrangement of both by the Lord. The entire heaven is arranged in societies according to all the va- rieties of the love of good, and the entire hell according to all the varieties of the love of evil. The church on earth is ar- ranged by the Lord in like manner, for it corresponds to heav- en. Its religion is its good. Moreover, ask any one you please, who is endowed with religion and also with reason, belonging either to this quarter of the globe or one of the others, who he N. 646] IMPUTATION 179 believes will go to heaven, and who to hell ; and they will an- swer unanimously that those who do good will go to heaven, and those who do evil to hell. Again, does not every one know that every true man loves a man, an assembly of many men, a state, or a kingdom, because of their goodness; and not only men, but even beasts and inanimate things, such as houses, possessions, fields, gardens, trees, forests, lands, and finally metals and stones, because of their goodness and use ? Good- ness and use are one. Why then should not the Lord love man and the church because of their goodness ? VII. THE FAITH AND IMPUTATION OF THE NEW CHURCH CAN BY NO MEANS EXIST TOGETHER WITH THE FAITH AND IM- PUTATION OF THE FORMER CHURCH; AND IF THEY ARE TOGETHER, SUCH A COLLISION AND CONFLICT RESULT THAT EVERYTHING PERTAINING TO THE CHURCH IN MAN PERISHES. 647. The faith and imputation of the New Church cannot exist together with the faith and imputation of the former or still-existing church because they do not agree in one-third part, not even in one-tenth part ; for the faith of the former church teaches that three Divine persons have existed from eternity, each one of whom is singly or by Himself God, also three Cre- ators. But the faith of the New Church is that there has been but one Divine Person, thus one God, from eternity, and that beside Him there is no God. Thus the faith of the former church has taught a Divine Trinity divided into three Persons, while the faith of the New Church teaches a Divine Trinity united in one Person. [2] The faith of the former church has been a faith in a God invisible, inaccessible, and incapable of conjunction with man ; and its idea of God has been like its idea of spirit, which is like that of ether or air. But the faith of the New Church is a faith in a God who is visible, accessible, and capable of conjunction with man, in whom, like the soul in the body, is God invisible, inaccessible, and incapable of conjunc- 180 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. tion ; and its idea of this God is that He is a Man, because the one God who was from eternity became Man in time. [3] The faith of the former church attributes all power to the invisible God, and takes it from the visible ; for it teaches that God the Father imputes faith, and through it bestows eternal life, and that the visible God merely intercedes; while they both give (or according to the Greek church, God the Father gives) to the Holy Spirit, who is by Himself the third God in order, all power to work out the effects of that faith. . But the faith of the New Church attributes to the visible God, in whom is the invis- ible, the omnipotence to impute and also to work out the effects of salvation. [4] The faith of the former church is primarily a faith in God the Creator, and not at the same time a faith in Him as Redeemer and Saviour ; while the faith of the New Church is a faith in one God, who is at once Creator, Redeemer and Saviour. [5] The faith of the former church is that re- pentance, forgiveness of sins, renewal, regeneration, sanctifica- tion and salvation follow of themselves faith given and imputed, with nothing pertaining to man mingled or joined with these. But the faith of the New Church teaches that man co-operates in repentance, reformation and regeneration, and thus in the forgiveness of sins. [6] The faith of the former church teaches the imputation of Christ's merit, which imputation is embraced in the faith bestowed; while the faith of the New Church teaches the imputation of good and evil, and also of faith, and that this imputation is in accordance with Sacred Scripture, while the other is contrary to it. [7] The former church teaches that faith, which includes the merit of Christ, is given when man is like a stock or a stone ; and it also teaches man's utter impotence in spiritual things ; but the New Church teaches a wholly different faith, which is not a faith in the merit of Christ, but in Jesus Christ Himself, God, Redeemer and Saviour, and in a freedom of choice that both fits man to receive and also to co-operate. [8] The former church adds charity to its faith as an appendage, but not as anything saving, and thus it consti- tutes its religion ; but the New Church conjoins faith in the Lord and charity toward the neighbor as two inseparable things, and thus constitutes its religion. There are also many other differences. N. 648] IMPUTATION 181 648. From this brief review of the points of discordance or disagreement between them, it is clear that the faith and im- putation of the New Church can by no means exist together with the faith and imputation of the former or still existing church ; and with such a discord and disagreement between the faith and imputation of the two churches, they are totally het- erogeneous ; and consequently if they were to exist together in man's mind, such a collision and conflict would result that everything pertaining to the church would perish, and in spir- itual things man would fall into a delirium or into a swoon, so that he would not know what the church is, or whether there is a church; neither would he know anything about God, faith, or charity. [2J Because the faith of the former church excludes all light derived from reason, it may be likened to an owl, while the faith of the New Church may be likened to a dove, which flies by day and sees by the light of heaven ; and their coming together in one mind would be like the meeting of an owl and dove in one nest, where the owl would lay her eggs and the dove hers, and after incubation the young birds would be hatched, and the owl would then tear the young of the dove to pieces and give them for food to her own young, being a voracious bird. [3] As the faith of the former church is described in the Apoc- alypse (chap, xii.) by a dragon, and that of the New Church by a woman encompassed by the sun, upon whose head was a crown of twelve stars, it may be inferred from the comparison what the state of a man's mind would be if the two were to be to- gether in the same abode ; namely, the dragon would stand near to the woman when she was about to bring forth, with the in- tention of devouring her offspring, and when she had fled in- to the desert would follow her, and cast out water like a flood after her, that she might be swallowed up. 649. The result would be the same should any one embrace the faith of the New Church while retaining the faith of the former church respecting the imputation of the Lord's merit and righteousness ; since from this doctrine as a root all the dogmas of the former church have sprung up as offshoots ; and in that case it would be like man's extricating himself from five of the dragon's horns and becoming entangled in the other five ; or like one's escaping from a Avolf and falling upon a tiger; or 182 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. like one's getting out of a dry ditch and falling into one with water hi it, where he would be drowned. For in that case the man would easily return to all things of his former faith, and what these are has been shown above; and he would then ac- quire the damnable idea that he might impute and attach to himself the essentially Divine things that belong to the Lord, which are redemption and righteousness, and which may be adored but not so appropriated; for if a man were to impute and attach these to himself he would be consumed like one thrown into the naked sun, from the light and heat of which, nevertheless, he has bodily vision and life. That the Lord's merit is redemption, and that His redemption and His right- eousness are the two Divine things that cannot be conjoined to man has been shown above. Let every one take heed, therefore, not to transcribe the imputation of the former church upon that of the new, from which would spring baneful results, which would be obstacles to his salvation. VIII. j THE LORD IMPUTES GOOD TO EVERY MAN, BUT HELL IMPUTES EVIL TO EVERY MAN. 650. That the Lord imputes to man good and not evil, while the devil (meaning hell), imputes evil and not good to him, is a new thing in the church ; and it is new for the reason that in the Word it is frequently said that God is angry, takes ven- geance, hates, damns, punishes, casts into hell, and tempts, all of which pertain to evil, and therefore are evils. But it has been shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scriptures that the sense of the letter of the Word is composed of such things as are called appearances and correspondences, in order that there may be a conjunction of the external church with its internals, thus of the world with heaven. It is also there shown that when such things in the Word are read these very appearances of truth, while they are passing from man to heaven, are changed into genuine truths, which are, that the Lord is never angry, N. 650] IMPUTATION 183 never takes vengeance, never hates, damns, punishes, casts in- to hell, or tempts, consequently does evil to man. This trans- mutation and changing in the spiritual world I have frequently observed. 651. All reason agrees that the Lord cannot do evil to any man, consequently that He cannot impute evil to man ; for He is Love itself and Mercy itself, thus Good itself ; and these be- long to His Divine Essence ; therefore to attribute evil or any- thing belonging to evil to the Lord, would be inconsistent with His Divine Essence, and thus, a contradiction ; and would be as abominable as joining together the Lord and the devil, or heaven and hell, when nevertheless, Between them there is a great gulf fixed, so that they who would pass hence may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to this side {Luke xvi. 26). Even an angel of heaven can do no evil to any one, because the essence of good from the Lord is in him ; and on the other hand, an infernal spirit can do nothing but evil to another, be- cause the nature of evil from the devil is in him. The essence or nature which any one makes his own in the world cannot be changed after death. Consider, I pray you, what sort of a be- ing the Lord would be, if He were to look upon the wicked from anger, and upon the good from mercy (the evil numbering myr- iads of myriads and the good likewise), and were to save the good from grace, and damn the evil from a feeling of revenge, and were to look upon the two with so different an eye — gentle or stern, mild or severe. In that case, what would the Lord God be ? Who that has been taught by preaching in churches does not know that all good that is in itself good is from God, and on the other hand, that all evil that is in itself evil is from the devil ? If any man, therefore, were to receive both good and evil, — good from the Lord and evil from the devil — both of them in the will, would he not become neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, and therefore be spewed out, according to the Lord's words in the Apocalypse (iii. 15, 16) ? 652. That the Lord imputes good to every man and evil to none, consequently that He does not condemn any one to hell, but so far as man follows raises all to heaven, is evident from His words : — 184 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL Jesus said, When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Myself {John xii. 32). God sent not His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not judged ; but he that believeth not hath been judged already (John hi. 17, 18). If any man hear My words and yet hath not believed, I judge him not ; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that reject- eth Me and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him ; the Word that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day (John xii. 47, 48). Jesus said, I judge no man (John viii. 15). "Judgment" here and elsewhere in the Word means judgment to hell, which is condemnation; but of salvation judgment is not predicated, but resurrection to life (John v. 24, 29 ; iii. 18). [2] "The Word" which is to judge means the truth; and the truth is that all evil is from hell, and thus that they are one. So when a wicked man is raised up by the Lord toward heaven, his evil draws him down ; and because he loves evil, he himself freely follows it. It is also a truth in the Word that good is heaven ; so when a good man is raised by the Lord toward hea- ven, he ascends as it were freely, and is introduced. Such are said, To be written in the book of life (Dan. xii. 1 ; Apoc. xiii. 8 ; xx. 12, 15 ; xvii. 8 ; xxi. 26). [3] There is actually a sphere proceeding continually from the Lord and filling the entire spiritual and natural worlds which raises all towards heaven. It is like a strong current in the ocean which unobservedly draws a vessel. All who believe in the Lord and live according to His precepts enter that sphere or current and are elevated; while those who do not believe, are unwilling to enter, but withdraw themselves to the sides, and are there carried away by a current that sets toward hell. 653. Every one knows that a lamb can only act like a lamb, and a sheep only like a sheep; while on the other hand a wolf can act only like a wolf, and a tiger like a tiger. If these beasts were put together, would not the wolf devour the lamb, and the tiger the sheep ? Consequently there are shepherds to guard them. Every one knows that a spring of sweet water cannot from its vein bring forth bitter waters, and that a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, that a vine cannot prick like a N. 653] IMPUTATION 185 thorn, a lily sting like a nettle, or a hyacinth, wound like a this- tle ; or the reverse. These evil plants, therefore, are rooted out of fields, vineyards, and gardens, gathered into bundles, and thrown into the fire. So it is with the wicked pouring into the spiritual world, according to the Lord's words {Matt. xiii. 30 ; John xv. 6). The Lord also said to the Jews, Ye offspring 'of vipers, how can ye being evil speak good things ? A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things ; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things (Matt. xii. 34, 35). IX. FAITH, WITH THAT TO WHICH IT IS CONJOINED, IS WHAT DE- TERMINES THE VERDICT; IF A TRUE FAITH IS CONJOINED TO GOOD, THE VERDICT IS FOR ETERNAL LIFE; BUT IF FAITH IS CONJOINED TO EVIL, THE VER- DICT IS FOR ETERNAL DEATH. 654. The works of charity done by a Christian and those done by a heathen appear in outward form to be alike, for one like the other practises the good deeds of civilty and morality toward his fellow, which in part resemble the deeds of love to the neighbor. Both, even, may give to the poor, aid the needy and attend preaching in churches, and yet who can thereby de- termine whether or not these external good deeds are alike in their internal form, that is, whether these natural good deeds are also spiritual ? This can be concluded only from the faith ; for the faith is what determines their quality, since faith causes God to be in them and conjoins them with itself in the internal man ; and thus natural good works become interiorly spiritual. That this is so may be seen more fully from the subjects treated of in the chapter on Faith, where the following points are made clear : — • Faith is not living faith until it is conjoined with charity. Charity be- comes spiritual from faith, and faith from charity. Faith apart from char- ity, since it is not spiritual, is not faith ; and charity, apart from faith, since it is not living, is not charity. Faith and charity apply and conjoin themselves to each other mutually and interchangeably. The Lord, char- 186 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL ity and faith make one, like life, will and understanding, but when sep- arated they all perish like a pearl reduced to powder. 655. From what has been presented it can be seen that faith in the one and true God causes good to be good in internal form also; and on the other hand, that faith in a false God causes good to be good in outward form only, which is not good in it- self. Such was formerly the faith of the heathen in Jove, Juno and Apollo ; of the Philistines in Dagon, of others in Baal and Baalpeor, of Balaam the Magician in his god, and of the Egyp- tians in several gods. It is wholly different with faith in the Lord, who is the true God and eternal life (according to 1. John v. 20), and in whom dwelleth all the fulness of Divinity bodily (according to Paul in Qol. ii. 9). What is faith in God but a looking to Him, and His consequent presence, and at the same time confidence that He gives aid ? And what is true faith but this and also a confidence that all good is from Him, and that He causes His good to become saving ? So when this faith con- joins itself with good the verdict is for eternal life; but when it does not conjoin itself with good it is wholly different; and still more so when it conjoins itself with evil. 656. What the conjunction of charity and faith is in those who believe in three Gods, and yet say that they believe in one, has been shown above; namely, that charity is conjoined with faith in the external natural man only. This is because the mind is then in the idea of three Gods, while the lips confess one ; so that if the mind at that moment were to pour itself forth into oral confession, it would prevent the utterance of one God, and would open the lips and proclaim its three Gods. 657. That evil and a faith in the one and true God cannot exist together, any one can see from reason ; for evil is opposed to God, and faith is for Him ; and evil pertains to the will, and faith to the thought, and the will flows into the understanding and causes it to think, and not the reverse, the understanding merely teaching what is to be willed and done. Consequently the good that an evil man does is in itself evil ; it is like a pol- ished bone with a rotten marrow ; it is like a player on the stage personating a great man ; it is like the painted face of a worn- out harlot; it is like a butterfly with silver wings, flying about and depositing its eggs on the leaves of a good tree, whereby N. 657] IMPUTATION 187 all its fruit is destroyed ; it is like a fragrant smoke from a poi- sonous herb ; it is even like a moral robber or a pious cheat ; and in consequence his good, which in itself is evil, is in the inner room, while his faith, walking about and reasoning in the vestibule, is a mere chimera, specter, and bubble. From all this it is clear that faith determines the verdict in accordance with the good or the evil that is conjoined with it. X. THOUGHT IS NOT IMPUTED TO ANY ONE, BUT WILL ONLY. 658. Every educated man knows that the mind has two fac- ulties or parts, the will and the understanding; but few know how to distinguish them aright, to examine their properties sep- arately, and again unite them. Those who are unable to do this can form for themselves only the most obscure idea respecting the mind; therefore unless the properties of each are first sep- arately described, this statement that thought is not imputed to any one, but will only, cannot be understood. In brief, the properties of the two are as follows: 1. Love itself and the things pertaining to it reside in the will, and knowledge, intel- ligence and wisdom in the understanding; and these the will inspires with its love, and secures their favor and agreement ; and the result is, that such as the love is, and the consequent intelligence, such is the man. [2] 2. From this it also follows that all good as well as all evil belongs to the will; for what- ever proceeds from the love is called good, even if it be evil, this being the result of delight, which constitutes the life of the love, the will, through its delight entering the understand- ing and producing consent. [3] 3. Consequently the will is the being or essence of man's life, while the understanding is the outgo or existence therefrom. And as an essence is nothing except it is in some form, so the will is nothing unless it is in the understanding; wherefore the will takes form in the un- derstanding, and thus comes to light. [-4] 4. Love in the will is the end, and in the understanding seeks and finds the causes 188 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. whereby it advances into effect. And because the end is the purpose, and this is what the man intends, purpose also belongs to the will and through the intention enters the understanding and impels it to consider and evolve the means, and to con- clude upon such things as tend to effects. [5] 5. Everything that is man's very own is in the will, and is evil from the first birth, but it becomes good by means of the second birth. The first birth is from parents, but the second from the Lord. [6] 6. From these few statements it can be seen that the property of the will and the property of the understanding are differ- ent; and that from creation these are conjoined like being and existence; consequently that man is man primarily from the will, and secondarily from the understanding. This is why thought is not imputed to man, but will, and consequently good and evil, because these, as before said, reside in the will and from that in the thought of the understanding. 659. No evil that a man thinks is imputed to him, because he was so created as to be able to understand and thus think either good or evil — good from the Lord and evil from hell — for he is between these two, and from his freedom of choice in spiritual things has the ability to choose either one or the other. This freedom of choice has been treated of in its own chapter. And because man has the ability to choose from freedom he can will or not will, and what he wills is received by the will and appropriated, while what he does not will is not received and thus is not appropriated. All the evils to which man in- clines by birth are inscribed upon the will of his natural man ; and so far as the man draws upon these evils they flow into his thoughts ; in like manner goods with truths flow from above the Lord into the thoughts and there they are balanced like weights in the scales of a balance. If the man then adopts the evils, they are received by the old will and added to those in it ; but if he adopts goods with truths, the Lord forms a new will and a new understanding above the old, and there by means of truths He gradually implants new goods, and by means of these subjugates the evils that are below and removes them, and arranges all things in order. From this also it is clear that thought is the seat of purification and excretion of the evils resident in man from his parents; consequently if N. 659] IMPUTATION 189 the evils that a man thinks were to be imputed to him, refor- mation and regeneration would be impossible. 660. As good belongs to the will and truth to the under- standing, and many things in the world correspond to good, such as fruit and use, while imputation itself corresponds to the estimate and price it follows that what has here been said of imputation may find its counterpart in all created things ; for as before shown in various places, all things in the universe have relation to good and truth, and on the contrary to evil and falsity. A comparison may therefore be made with the church, in that its value is estimated by its charity and faith, and not by its rituals, which are adjoined to it. A comparison may also be made with the ministry of the church, in that they are valued according to their will and love, together with their understanding in spiritual things, and not according to their affability and mode of dress. [2] A comparison may also be made with worship and the temple in which it is performed; worship itself takes place in the will, and in the understand- ing as in its temple ; and the temple is called holy not from it- self, but from the Divine that is there taught. Again a com- parison may be made with a government where good reigns and truth along with it. Such a government is beloved, but not one where truth reigns without good. Who judges of a king by his attendants, horses, and carriages, and not by the royalty which is recognized in him ? Royalty is a matter of love and prudence in governing. In a triumph who does not consider the victor, and because of him the pomp, not the pomp and because of that the victor, thus the formal because of the es- sential, and not the reverse? The will is the essential and thought is the formal; and no one can impute to the formal anything but what it derives from the essential; thus the im- putation is to the essential, not to the formal. 661. To this I will add two Memorable Relations. First: — In the higher northern quarter near to the east in the spirit- ual world, there are places of instruction for boys, and for youths, and for men, and also for old men. All who die in- fants are sent to these places and educated in heaven ; likewise all who are new-comers from the world and who wish to know about heaven and hell. This place is near the east, in order 190 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. that all may be instructed by influx from the Lord; for the Lord is the east, because He is in the sun there, and the sun is pure love from Him ; consequently the heat from that sun in its essence is love, and the light from it in its essence is wis- dom; and these are inspired by the Lord from that sun into those who are instructed according to their ability to receive, and their ability to receive is according to their love of being wise. When their times of instruction are over, those who have become intelligent are sent away, and these are called disciples of the Lord. First, they are sent away to the west, and those who do not stay there go to the south, and some through the south to the east, and thus they are introduced into the socie- ties where their abodes are to be. [2] Once, when meditating upon heaven and hell, I began to wish for a universal knowledge of the state of each, knowing that one who knows universals is afterwards able to compre- hend the particulars, because the latter are included in the for- mer as parts in the whole. With this desire I looked toward that tract in the northern quarter near the east where the places of instruction were, and by a way then opened to me I went there, and entered into a college where there were young men. I went to the head teachers who were instructing them, and asked them whether they knew the universals relating to heav- en and hell. They said, "We have some little knowledge of them; but if we look toward the east to the Lord, we shall be enlightened and shall know." [3] This they did, and then said, " The uni- versals respecting hell are three, but they are diametrically op- posite to the universals relating to heaven. The universals re- lating to hell are these three loves, the love of ruling from love of self; the love of possessing the goods of others from love of the world ; and scortatory love. The universals relating to heav- en opposed to these are the three loves, love of ruling from love of use ; love of possessing the goods of the world from the love of being useful by means of them ; and true marriage love." When this had been said, after wishing them peace, I went away and returned home. And when I reached home, it was said to me out of heaven, " Examine those three universals that prevail above and below, and afterward we shall see them on N. 661] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 191 your hand." They said " on your hand" because anything that a man examines with his understanding appears to the angels as if written on the hands; and this is why it is said in the Apocalypse that they received a mark on the forehead and on the hand (xiii. 16; xiv. 9; xx. 4). [4] After this I examined the first universal love of hell, which was the love of ruling from love of self, and then the uni- versal love of heaven corresponding thereto, which was the love of ruling from the love of uses ; for I was not permitted to ex- amine one love apart from the other because the understanding has no perception of one apart from the other, for they are op- posites. In order therefore, that a perception of both may be obtained, they must be contrasted one with the other; as a beau- tiful and well-formed face is brought out more clearly by plac- ing an ugly and deformed face beside it. While I was study- ing the love of ruling from love of self a perception was given me that this love is in the highest degree infernal, and there- fore prevails with those who are in the deepest hell ; and that the love of ruling from the love of uses is in the highest degree heavenly, and therefore prevails with those who are in the high- est heaven. [5] The love of ruling from the love of self is in the highest degree infernal, because ruling from love of self is ruling from what is one's own (propriurri), and what is one's own is by birth evil itself, and evil itself is diametrically oppo- site to the Lord; consequently the more men enter into that evil the more they deny God and the holy things of the church, and worship self and nature. Let those, I pray, who are in that evil, examine themselves, and they will see. Moreover, this love is such that so far as loose rein is given it, which is done when no impossibility is in the way, it rushes on from step to step, and even to the most extreme ; neither does it stop there, but if no further step is possible it grieves and groans. [6] With politicians this love so exalts itself that they wish to be kings and emperors, and if possible to rule over all things in the world, and to be called kings of kings and emperors of em- perors ; while among ecclesiastics the same love so exalts itself that they even wish to be gods, and so far as possible to rule over all the things of heaven and to be called gods. That nei- ther of these in heart acknowledge any God, will be seen in what 192 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. follows. But on the other hand those who wish to rule from the love of uses, have no wish to rule from themselves but only from the Lord, since the love of uses is from the Lord and is the Lord Himself. Such regard dignities only as means of per- forming uses; which they place far above dignities, while the others place dignities far above uses. [7] While I was meditating upon these things it was said to me through an angel from the Lord, " Now you shall see, and it shall be proved to you by sight what that infernal love is." Then the earth suddenly opened on the left, and I saw a devil coming up out of hell having on his head a square cap pressed down over his forehead even to the eyes, a face covered with pustules like those of a burning fever, his eyes fierce, and his breast swollen out into great prominence ; from his mouth he belched smoke as from a furnace ; his loins were actually on fire ; instead of feet he had ankles-bones without flesh ; and from his body there exhaled a foul-smelling and unclean heat. At the sight of him I was terrified, and cried out, "Do not come here ; tell me where you are from." He answered hoarsely : " I am from the lower regions, where I live in a society of two hundred, which is pre-eminent over all other societies. All of us there are emperors of emperors, kings of kings, dukes of dukes, and princes of princes ; there is no one there who is merely an emperor, or merely a king, duke, or prince ; we there sit on thrones of thrones, and send forth mandates therefrom to all the world and beyond." I then said to him, " Do you not see that from your halluci- nation about pre-eminence you have become insane ?" He answered, " How can you talk so, since we both actually appear to ourselves to be such, and also are acknowledged to be such by our companions?" [8] On hearing this, I did not care to say again,- "You are insane," because he was so from hallucination. It was given me to know that this devil when he lived in the world, was merely the steward of a certain house ; and that then he was so elated in spirit, that in comparison with himself he despised the whole human race, and cherished the hallucination that he was nobler than a king or even an emperor. Owing to this pride he had denied God, and regarded all the sacred things of the church N. 661] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 193 as of no moment to him, but as something for stupid common people. At length I asked, him, "How long will you two hundred thus glory among yourselves ?" He said, " For ever ; but those among us who torture others for denying our pre-eminence, sink down ; for we are allowed to glory, but not to inflict evil upon any one." Again I asked, "Do you know the lot of those who sink down ?" He said that they sink down into a certain prison, where they are called viler than the vile or the vilest, and are com- pelled to labor. I then said to him, " Take care then, lest you sink down al- so." [9] After this the earth again opened, but at the right, and I saw another devil rising out, upon whose head was a kind of miter bound around as it were with the coils of a snake, with its head standing out from the top. His face was leprous from the forehead to the chin, as were both of his hands also ; his loins were bare and as black as soot, while through the black- ness a fire like that of a hearth gleamed duskily; his ankles were like two vipers. When the former devil saw this one he threw himself upon his knees and worshiped him. I asked him why he did so. He said, " He is the God of heaven and earth ; He is omnip- otent." I then asked the other, " What do you say to that ?" He replied, " What shall I say ? I have all power over hea- ven and hell ; the fate of all souls is in my hand." I asked further, "How can this one who is an emperor of emperors so humble himself, and how can you receive his wor- ship ?" He answered, "He is still my servant; what is an emperor in the sight of God ? The thunderbolt of excommimication is in my right hand." [lO] I then said to him, "How can you rave so? In the world you were merely an ecclesiastic ; and because you labor- ed under the hallucination that you had the keys, and there- fore the power to bind and to loose, you have worked up your Vol. II.— 13 194 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL spirit to such a height of madness that you now believe that you are God Himself." Being angry at this, he swore that he was God, and that the Lord had no power in heaven " because," he said, " He has transferred it all to us. We need but to command, and heav- en and hell reverently obey; if we send any one to hell the devils at once receive him, as the angels do any one we send to heaven." I asked him further, "How many are there in your so- ciety ?" He said, "Three hundred; and all of us there are gods, but I am the God of gods." [11] After this the earth opened beneath the feet of them both, and they sank down deep into their hells ; and I was per- mitted to see that beneath their hells were workhouses, into which those fell who did violence to others. For his own hal- lucination remains with every one in hell, and also his glory- ing therein, but he is not permitted to do evil to another. Such are those in hell, because man is then in his spirit, and when the spirit has been separated from the body it enters into a state of full liberty to act according to its affections and the thoughts therefrom. [12] After this I was permitted to look into the hells of those spirits ; and the hell where the emperors of emperors and kings of kings were, was full of all uncleanness, and they ap- peared like wild beasts of various kinds with fierce eyes. I looked also into the other hell, where the gods and the God of gods were; and in this the terrible birds of night, called the ochim and ijim appeared, flying around them. Thus did the images of their hallucination appear to me. From all this it was clear what the political love of self is and what the ecclesiastical love of self is, that the latter makes men wish to be gods and the former to be emperors ; and this they wish for and strive after, so far as loose rein is given to those loves. [13] After these sad and horrible sights, I looked around and saw two angels not far from me, conversing. One was clad in a woolen robe gleaming with a purple glow, with a tunic under it of shining linen ; the other in like garments of a scar- N. 661] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 195 let color, with a miter, on the right side of which some spark- ling stones were set. I went to them, and with a salutation of peace, reverently asked, " Why are you here below ?" They replied, " We have been sent down here from heaven by the Lord's command to speak with you about the happy lot of those who desire to rule from the love of uses. We are wor- shipers of the Lord ; I am the prince of a society, the other is its high priest." And the prince said that he was the servant of his society, because he served it by performing uses ; while the other said that he was a minister of the church there, because he served them by ministering sacred things for the use of their souls ; and that they were both in unceasing joy from the eternal hap- piness that was in them from the Lord ; also that all things in that society were resplendent and magnificent — resplendent with gold and precious stones, and magnificent with palaces and gardens. " This," he said, " is because our love of ruling is not from love of self, but from the love of uses ; and as the love of uses is from the Lord, all good uses in the heavens are resplendent and refulgent ; and because in our society we are all in that love, the atmosphere there appears golden on ac- count of the light it derives from the flame of the sun, which flame corresponds to that love." [14] At these words a like sphere appeared to me surround- ing them, and a sense of something aromatic came from it, as I also told them, and I begged them to add something more to what they had said about the love of use. And they continued, "The dignities which we enjoy we indeed sought, but for the sole end of being more fully able to perform uses and to extend them more widely. Moreover, we are surrounded by honor, and we accept it not on our own account, but for the good of the society. For our brethren and companions there, who are of the common people, hardly know otherwise than that the hon- ors of our rank reside in us, and thus that the uses we perform are from us. But we feel otherwise ; we feel that the honors of our rank are outside of ourselves, and that they are like the garments with which Ave are clothed ; while the uses we perform are from a love of uses that is within us from the Lord, and this love acquires its blessedness from a sharing with others by 196 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL means of uses. And we know by experience that so far as we perform uses from a love of uses, that love increases, and with it the wisdom by which the sharing is effected ; but so far as we retain the uses in ourselves, and do not share them, the bless- edness perishes ; and then use becomes like food retained in the stomach and not diffused throughout the body to nourish it and its various parts, but remains undigested and causes nausea. In a word all heaven is nothing but a containant of uses from things first to things last. What is use but the actual love of the neighbor ? And what keeps the heavens together but this love ?" Having heard this, I asked, " How can any one know whether he performs uses from love of self or from a love of uses? Every man, both good and bad, performs uses and performs them from some love. Suppose a society in the world consist- ing of devils only, and another consisting of angels only ; and I am of the opinion that the devils in their society, moved by the fire of love of self and the splendor of their own glory, would perform as many uses as the angels in theirs. Who then can know from what love or from what origin uses proceed ?" To this the two angels replied, " Devils perform uses for the sake of themselves and their reputation, in order that they may be exalted to honors, or acquire wealth; but angels per- form uses not for such reasons, but for the sake of the uses from love of uses. Man is unable to distinguish these two kinds of uses, but the Lord does. All who believe in the Lord and shun evils as sins, perform uses from the Lord; but all who do not believe in the Lord and do not shun evils as sins, perform uses from themselves and for their own sake. This is the distinction between the uses performed by devils and those performed by angels." When this had been said the two angels went away; and at a distance they appeared to be carried in a chariot of fire like Elijah and taken up to their heaven. 662. Second Memorable Kelation: — After some length of time I entered a certain grove, and there walked about, meditating upon those who are in the lust and the consequent hallucination of possessing the things of the world; and then I saw at some distance from me two angels N. 662] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 197 conversing together, and by turns looking at me. I therefore drew nearer; and they spoke to me as I approached, and said, "We have an inner perception that you are meditating upon what we are talking about; or that we are talking about what you are meditating upon, which arises from a reciprocal shar- ing of affections." So when I asked what they were talking about, they said, " About hallucination, lust, and intelligence ; and just now about those who take delight in seeing and imagining themselves in possession of all things of the world." [2] I then asked them to express their mind on these three things, lust, hallucination, and intelligence. And beginning their discourse, they said, " By birth every one is interiorly in lust, and by education exteriorly in intelli- gence ; but interiorly or as to his spirit no one is in intelligence, still less in wisdom, except from the Lord. For every one is withheld from the lust of evil, and kept in intelligence in pro- portion as he looks to the Lord and at the same time is con- joined with Him. Without this, man is nothing but lust; and yet in externals, or as to the body, he is in intelligence from education. For man lusts for honors and wealth, or eminence and opulence, and these two he does not obtain unless he ap- pears to be moral and spiritual, thus intelligent and wise ; and so from his infancy he learns to assume such an appearance. This is why he inverts his spirit as soon as he goes among men or into society, turning it away from lust, and speaking and acting according to what is becoming and honest, which he has been learning from infancy and has laid up in his bod- ily memory ; and he is especially on his guard that nothing of the madness of lust in which his spirit is should show itself. [3] " This is why every man who is not interiorly led by the Lord, is a pretender, a sycophant, a hypocrite, and thus a man in appearance, and yet not a man ; of whom it may be said that his shell or body is sane, but his kernel or the spirit is in- sane; also that his external is human but his internal beast- like. The sight of such is with the occiput up and the fore- head down ; that is, they walk with their heads hanging down and with their faces turned toward the earth as if overcome with heaviness. When they put off the body and become spirits 198 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL and thus are set free, they become the very madnesses of their lust ; for those who are in the love of self lust to rule over the universe, and even to extend its limits in order to enlarge their dominion ; they nowhere recognize an end. Those who are in love of the world lust to possess everything pertaining to it, and are grieved and envious over any treasures that are kept from them in the possession of others. That such therefore may not become mere lusts, and thus not men, they are per- mitted in the spiritual world to think from a fear of the loss of reputation, and thus of honor and wealth, as also from a fear of the law and its penalties ; and they are also permitted to em- ploy their minds in some pursuit or work, whereby they are kept in externals, and thus in a state of intelligence, however delirious and irrational they may be interiorly." [4] I then asked whether all who are in lust are also in its hallucination. They answered that those who think interiorly in themselves, and indulge their imaginations excessively by talking to themselves are in the hallucination of their lust. "For such," they said, "almost separate the spirit from its connection with the body, and flood their understandings with visions, and foolishly delight themselves with the seeming possession of all things. Into such a delirium is the man let after death who has abstracted his spirit from his body, and has not been willing to withdraw from the delight of his de- lirium by giving some thought from religion to evils and fal- sities, or at least giving some thought to the unbridled love of self as being destructive of love to the Lord, and to the un- bridled love of the world as being destructive of love to the neighbor." [5] After this the two angels and myself also were seized with a desire to see those who from love of the world are in this visionary or fantastic lust of possessing the wealth of all, and we perceived that we were inspired with this desire in or- der that we might come to know about it. The places of abode of such were under the ground on which we stood, but above hell ; we therefore looked at one another and said, " Let us go." And an opening appeared with a ladder in it, by which we descended. We were told that they must be approached from the east that we might not enter into the mist of their hallu- N. 662] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 199 cinations, and our understandings, together with, our sight, be bedirnmed. And lo, there appeared a house built of reeds, and therefore full of crevices, standing in a mist, which like smoke con- stantly poured out through the chinks in three of the walls. We entered, and there appeared fifty here and fifty there sit- ting on benches, who were turned away from the east and south, and were looking toward the west and north. Before each one was a table, and on the tables were full purses, and around the purses an abundance of gold coin. [6] We asked, "Is that the wealth of all in the world?" They said, "Not of all in the world, but of all in a king- dom." Their speech had a hissing sound, and they themselves seemed to have full round faces, with a ruddy glow like a cockle-shell; the pupil of the eye flashed, as if in a field of green, which, arose from the light of hallucination. We stood in their midst and said, "You believe that you possess all the wealth of a kingdom ?" They replied, " We do possess it." " Which of you ?" we then asked. They replied, " Every one of us." We asked, " How every one ? There are many of you." They answered, " We each of us know that ' all his is mine ;' yet no one is allowed to think, still less to say, ' My things are not yours/ but we are permitted both to think and say, 'Your things are mine.'" The coin on the tables appeared even to us as if made of pure gold; but when we let in light from the east, they were little granules of gold, which by their general and united hallucina- tion they had so magnified. They said that every one who came in was obliged to bring with him a little gold, which they cut in pieces, and these again into granules, and by the force of unanimous hallucination they enlarged these into coin of greater dimensions. [7] We then said, "Were you not born rational men ? How has this visionary infatuation come upon you ?" They said, "We know that it is an imaginary vanity, but because it delights the interiors of our minds, we enter this place, and enjoy ourselves with the seeming possession of all 200 THE TKUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. things. But we stay here only a few hours, after which we go out, and whenever we do so a sound state of mind returns ; and yet our visionary enjoyment comes upon us again at times and causes us to re-enter and go out again by turns ; and thus we are alternately sane and insane. Moreover, we know that a hard lot awaits those who craftily deprive others of their goods." We asked, " What lot ?" They replied, " They are swallowed up, and are thrust naked into some infernal prison, where they are kept at work for clothing and food and afterward for a few bits of money which they collect, and in which they place the joy of their hearts; but if they do evil to their companions, they must pay over a part of their little coins as a fine." 663. Third Memorable Relation: — I was once in the midst of angels and heard their conversa- tion. It was about intelligence and wisdom, to the effect that man has no other feeling or perception than that these are in himself, and therefore that whatever he wills and thinks is from himself, and yet no least part of these is from man, ex- cept the ability to receive them. Among other things that they said was this, that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden, signified the belief that intelligence and wisdom are from man ; and that the tree of life signified that intelligence and wisdom are from God; and because Adam by the persuasion of the serpent ate of the former tree, believing that thus he had become or would become as God, he was driven out of the garden and condemned. [2] While the angels were engaged in this conversation, there came two priests and also a man who in the world had been a royal ambassador, and I told them what I had heard about intelligence and wisdom from the angels; hearing which the three began to dispute about these, and also about prudence, whether they were from God or from man. The dispute was warm. The three believed alike that they were from man, be- cause this is the testimony of sensation itself and of perception therefrom ; but the priests, who at the time were influenced by theological zeal, insisted that nothing of intelligence or wisdom, and therefore nothing of prudence, is from man, and this they confirmed by the following passages from the Word : — N. 603] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 201 A man can take nothing, except it be given hirn from Heaven (John iii. 27) Also by this : — . Jesus said to His disciples, Without Me ye are unable to do anything (John xv. 5) . [3] Then, because the angels perceived that although the priests talked so, they still in heart believed the same as the royal ambassador, they said to them, " Lay aside your gar- ments, and put on the garments of ministers of state, and be- lieve that you are such." They did so ; and then they thought from their interior selves, and spoke according to the opinions which they inwardly cherished, which were, that all intelli- gence and wisdom dwell in man and are his; and they said, "'Who has ever felt the influx of these from God?" And they looked at one another, and were convinced. It is peculiar to the spiritual world that a spirit thinks him- self to be such as his dress is. This is because in that world the understanding clothes every one. [4] At that moment a tree appeared near them, and it was said to them, "That is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ; be careful not to eat of it." Nevertheless, infatuated by their own intelligence, they burned with the lust to eat of it, and said to one another, "Why not? Is it not good fruit?" And they drew near and ate of it. When the royal ambassador observed this he joined them, and they became hearty friends ; and holding each other by the hand they together went the way of their own intelligence which tended towards hell. But I saw them brought back therefrom, because they were not yet prepared. 664. Fourth Memorable Kelation : — Once I looked toward the right in the spiritual world, and observed some of the elect conversing together. I approached them and said, " I saw you at a distance, and there was round about you a sphere of heavenly light, whereby I knew that you belonged to those who in the Word are called ' the elect ;' therefore I drew near that I might hear what heavenly sub- ject you were talking about." They replied, " Why do you call us the elect ?" 202 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL I answered, " Because in the world, where I am in the body, they have no other idea than that 'the elect' in the Word mean those who are elected and predestined to heaven by God either before or after they are born, and that to such alone faith is given as a token of their election, and that the rest are held as reprobates, and are left to themselves, to go to hell whichever way they please. And yet I know that no election takes place before birth, nor after birth, but that all are elected and pre- destined to heaven, because all are called ; also that after their death the Lord elects those who have lived well and believed aright; and this takes place after they have been examined. That this is so it has been granted me to learn by much obser- vation. And because I saw that your heads were encircled by a sphere of heavenly light, I had a perception that you be- longed to the elect who are preparing for heaven." To this they replied, "You are telling things never before heard. Who does not know that there is no man born who is not called to heaven, and that from them after death those are elected who have believed in the Lord and have lived according to His commandments ; and that to acknowledge any other elec- tion is to accuse the Lord Himself not only of being impotent to save, but also of injustice ?" 665. After this there was heard a voice out of heaven from the angels who were immediately above us, saying, " Come up hither, and we will question one of you (who is yet in the body in the natural world) what is there known about Conscience." And we went up ; and when we had entered, some wise men came to meet us, and asked me, " What is known in your world about conscience ?" I replied, " If you please, let us descend and call together both from the laity and clergy, a number of those who are es- teemed wise ; and we will stand directly beneath you and will question them ; and thus with your own ears you will hear what they will answer." This was done; and one of the elect took a trumpet and sounded it toward the south, north, east, and west; and then after a brief hour so many were present as almost to fill the space of a square furlong. But the angels above arranged them all in four assemblies, one consisting of statesmen, an- N. 665] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 203 other of scholars, a third of physicians, and a fourth of clergy- men. When thus arranged, we said to them, "Pardon us for call- ing you together ; we have done so because the angels who are directly above us are eager to know what you thought, while in the world in which you formerly were, about conscience, and thus what you still think about it, since you still retain your former ideas on such subjects; for it has been reported to the angels that in your world a knowledge of conscience is among the lost knowledges." [2] After this we began, and turning first to the assembly composed of statesmen, we asked them to tell us from their hearts, if they were willing, what they had thought, and there- fore what they still thought, about conscience. To this they replied one after another ; and the sum of their replies was that they knew only that conscience is secum scire (a knowing within one's self), thus conscire (a being conscious) of what one has intended, thought, done and said. But we said, "We do not ask about the etymology of the word conscience, but about conscience." And they answered, "What is conscience but pain arising from anxiety about the loss of honor or wealth, and the loss of reputation on this account? But this pain is dispelled by feasts and cups of generous wine, as also by conversation about the sports of Venus and her boy." [3] To this we replied, "You are jesting; tell us, if you please, whether any of you have felt any anxiety arising from any other source." They answered, "What other source? Is not the whole world like a stage on which every man acts his part, as the player does on his stage? We cajole and circumvent people, each by his own lust, some by jests, some by flattery, some by cunning, some by pretended friendship, some by feigned sin- cerity, and some by various political arts and allurements. From this we feel no mental pain, but on the contrary, cheer- fulness and gladness, which we quietly but fully exhale from an expanded breast. We have heard indeed from some of our class, that an anxiety and a sense of constriction, as it were, of the heart and breast has sometimes come over them, caus- 204 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XL ing a sort of contraction of the mind ; but when they asked the apothecaries about it, they were informed that their trouble came from a hypochondriacal humor arising from indigested substances in the stomach, or from a disordered state of the spleen ; and we have heard that some of these were restored to their former cheerfulness by medicines." [4] After hearing this, we turned to the assembly composed of scholars, among whom there were also some skilful natural- ists, and addressing them, we said, " You who have studied the sciences, and therefore are supposed to be oracles of wisdom, tell us, if you please what conscience is." They answered, " What kind of a question for consideration is that ? We have heard, indeed, that with some there is a sad- ness, gloom, and anxiety, which infest not only the gastric re- gions of the body, but also the abodes of the mind ; for we be- lieve that the two brains are those abodes, and because they consist of containing fibers, that there is some acrid humor, which irritates, gnaws and corrodes the fibers, and thus com- presses the sphere of the mind's thoughts, so that it cannot flow forth into any of the enjoyments arising from variety. This causes a man to fix his attention upon one thing only, and this destroys the tension and elasticity of these fibers, so that they become numb and rigid. All this gives rise to an irregular motion of the animal spirits, which by physicians is called ataxy, and also a defective performance of their func- tions, which is called lipothymia. In a word, the mind is then situated as if it were beset by hostile forces, nor can it turn it- self in any direction any more than a wheel fastened with nails, or a ship stuck fast in quicksands. Such oppression of mind and consequently of the chest, afflicts those whose ruling love suffers loss ; for if this love is assaulted, the fibers of the brain contract, and this contraction prevents the mind from going out freely and partaking of the various forms of enjoyment. Hallucinations of various kinds, madness, and delirium, attack such persons during these crises, each according to his temper- ament, and some are affected with a brain sickness in religious matters, which they call remorse of conscience." [5] After this Ave turned to the third assembly, which was composed of physicians, among whom were also some surgeons N. 665] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 205 and apothecaries. And we said to them, "Perhaps you know what conscience is. Is it a grievous pain that seizes both the head and the parenchyma of the heart, and from these the sub- jacent regions, the epigastric and hypogastric? Or is it some- thing else ?" They replied, "Conscience is nothing but such a pain; we understand its origin better than others ; for there are related diseases that affect the organic parts of the body and of the head, and consequently the mind, since this has its seat in the organs of the brain like a spider in the midst of the threads of its web, by means of which it runs out and about in a like man- ner. These diseases we call organic, and such of them as return at intervals we call chronic. But the pain which has been de- scribed to us by the sick as a pain of conscience, is nothing but hypochondria, which primarily affects the spleen, and second- arily the pancreas and mesentery, depriving them of their nor- mal functions; hence arise stomachic diseases, from which comes deterioration of juices ; for there takes place a compres- sion about the orifice of the stomach, which is called cardialgia ; from these diseases arise humors impregnated with black, yel- low, or green bile, by which the smallest blood-vessels, which are called the capillaries, are obstructed; and this is the cause of cachexy, atrophy, and symphysia, also bastard pneumonia arising from sluggish pituitous matter, and ichorous and cor- roding lymph throughout the entire mass of the blood. Like consequences arise when pus makes its way into the blood and its serum from the breaking of pustules, boils, and swellings in the body. This blood, as it ascends through the carotids to the head, frets, corrodes and eats into the medullary and corti- cal substances, and the meninges of the brain, and thus excites the pains that are called pains of conscience." [6] Hearing this we said to them, " You talk the language of Hippocrates and Galen ; these things are Greek to us ; we do not understand them. We did not ask you about these dis- eases, but about conscience, which pertains only to the mind." They said, " The diseases of the mind and those of the head are the same, and the latter ascend from the body ; for there is a connection like the two stories of one house, between which is a stairway by which one can ascend or descend. We know 206 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. therefore that the state of the mind depends inseparably on the state of the body ; but we have cured these heavinesses of the head or headaches (which we take it are what you mean by troubles of conscience), some by plasters and blisters, some by infusions and emulsions, and some by stimulants and ano- dynes." [7] When therefore we had heard more of this kind, we turned away from them and toward the clergy, saying, " You know what conscience is ; tell us therefore and instruct those present." They replied, " What conscience is we know and we do not know. We have believed it to be the contrition that precedes election, that is, the moment when man is gifted with faith, through which he obtains a new heart and a new spirit, and is regenerated. But we have perceived that this contrition hap- pens to but few ; only with some is there a fear and consequent anxiety about hell-fire, while scarcely any one is troubled about his sins and the consequent just anger of God. But we con- fessors have cured such by the gospel that Christ took away damnation by the passion of the cross and thus extinguished hell-fire and opened heaven to those who are blessed with the faith on which is inscribed the imputation of the merit of the Son of God. Moreover, there are conscientious persons of dif- ferent religions, both true and fanatical, who make to them- selves scruples about matters of salvation, both in things es- sential and in things formal, and even in what is indifferent. Therefore, as we have said before, we know that there is such a thing as conscience, but what and of what nature true con- science is, which must by all means be spiritual, we know not." 666. All these declarations made by the four assemblies were heard by the angels who were above us, and they said to each other, " We see that there is no one in Christendom who knows what conscience is ; we will therefore send down from us one who will instruct them." And immediately there stood in their midst an angel in white clothing, around whose head appeared a bright band in which there were little stars. This angel addressing the four assem- blies said, " We have heard in heaven that you have presented N. 666] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 207 in succession your opinions about conscience, and that you have all regarded it as some mental pain which infests the head with heaviness, and from that the body, or infests the body and from that the head. But conscience viewed in itself is not a pain, but a spiritual desire to act in accordance with whatever per- tains to religion and faith. Hence it is that those who feel de- light in conscience are in the tranquillity of peace and interior blessedness when they are acting in accordance with their con- science, and in a kind of perturbation when they are acting contrary to it. But the mental pain which you have believed to be conscience, is not conscience but temptation, which is a conflict of the spirit with the flesh; and this conflict, when it is spiritual, has its origin in conscience; but if it is natural merely, it has its origin in those diseases which the physicians have just recounted." [2] « But what conscience is may be illustrated by examples ; A priest who has a spiritual desire to teach truths in order that his flock may be saved, has conscience ; but he who has any other end in view, does not have conscience. A judge who regards justice exclusively, and executes it with judgment, has conscience; but a judge who looks primarily to reward, friend- ship, or favor, has not conscience. Again, a man who has in his possession the property of another, the other not knowing it, and who is thus able without fear of the law or loss of honor and reputation, to keep it as his own, and yet, because it is not his, restores it to the other, has conscience, since he does what is just for the sake of what is just. So again, one who can obtain an office but who knows that another who is also seeking it would be more useful to society, and yields the place to him for the sake of the good of society, has a good con- science. So in other things. [3] All who have conscience say whatever they say from the heart, and do whatever they do from the heart ; for not having a divided mind they speak and act according to what they understand and believe to be true and good. From all this it follows that a more perfect con- science may exist with those who have more of the truths of faith than others, and who have a clearer perception than others, than is possible with those who are less enlightened and whose perception is obscure. A true conscience is the seat of 208 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XI. man's spiritual life itself, for there his faith in conjoined with charity ; therefore when such act from conscience they act from their spiritual life, but when they act contrary to conscience they act contrary to that life. Moreover, does not every one know from common speech what conscience is ? When it is said of any one, ' He has conscience/ does not that also mean that he is a just man ? But on the other hand, when it is said of any one, ' He has no conscience,' does it not mean that he is also unjust?" [4] When the angel had said this he was immediately taken up into heaven ; and the four assemblies came together as one ; but when they had conversed together some time about the re- marks of the angel, behold, they were again divided into four assemblies, but different from the former. One contained those who comprehended the words of the angels and assented to them ; a second those who did not comprehend but still favored them ; a third those who did not wish to comprehend them, say- ing, "What have we to do with conscience?" and a fourth those who laughed at what was said, saying, "What is con- science but a breath of wind?" And I saw the four bodies separating from one another, the two former passing to the right and the two latter to the left, these going downward, but the others upward. N. 667] BAPTISM 209 CHAPTER XII. BAPTISM. I. WITHOUT A KNOWLEDGE OF THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD, NO ONE CAN KNOW WHAT THE TWO SAC- RAMENTS, BAPTISM AND THE HOLY SUP- PER, INVOLVE AND EFFECT. 667. That there is a spiritual sense in each thing and every- thing of the Word, and that this sense hitherto has been un- known, but has now been disclosed for the sake of the New Church which is to be established by the Lord, has been shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture. The nature of that sense can be seen both in that chapter and in the chapter on the Decalogue, which is explained according to that sense. If that sense were not disclosed who could think of the two sac- raments, baptism and the holy supper, except in accordance with the natural sense, that is, the sense of the letter? And in that case he would say or murmur to himself, " Is baptism anything but pouring water upon a child's head, and what has that to do with salvation ? And is the holy supper anything but a partaking of bread and wine, and does it contribute any- thing to salvation ? Moreover, where is the holiness in them, except from their having been commanded by the ecclesiastical order and accepted as holy and Divine ?" And yet in them- selves they are mere ceremonies, which, the churches assert, become sacraments when to these elements the Word of God is added. I appeal to the laity, and also to the clergy, whether in spirit and heart they have had any other conception of these two sacraments, and whether they have not cherished them as Divine from a variety of causes and reasons, and yet these two sacraments, viewed in the spiritual sense, are the holiest things of worship, as will appear hereafter when their uses come to be treated of. But it is impossible for the uses of these two sacraments to enter the mind of any one, unless those uses are disclosed and set forth by the spiritual sense ; therefore it fol- Vol. II.— 14 210 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XTL lows that without that sense no one can know that the sacra- ments are anything more than ceremonies, which are holy be- cause instituted by commandment. 668. That baptism was commanded is made clearly evident by John's baptizing in Jordan, to which Jerusalem and all Judea went out (Matt. iii. 5, 6 ; Mark i. 4, 5) ; also by this, that the Lord our Saviour Himself was baptized by John (Matt iii. 13-17) ; and finally that He commanded His disciples to baptize all nations (Matt, xxviii. 19). Who that wishes to see it, does not see that there is something Divine in that institution, which has hitherto been concealed, because the spiritual sense of the Word has not before been revealed ? And this sense is now revealed, because the Christian church, such as it is in itself, is just now in its very beginning. The former church was Christian in name only, not in fact and essence. 669. The two sacraments, baptism and the holy supper, are in the Christian church like two gems in the scepter of a king ; but if their uses are unknown are merely like two figures of ebony on a staff. These two sacraments in the Christian church may also be likened to two rubies or carbuncles on the robe of an emperor, but if their uses are unknown they are like two carnelians or crystals on a cloak. Without a revelation by means of the spiritual sense of the uses of these two sacra- ments, there would be nothing but scattered conjectures about them, like the conjectures of those who practise divination by the stars, or even of those Avho in old times drew auguries from entrails or the flight of birds. The uses of these two sacra- ments may be likened to a temple, which by reason of its an- tiquity has sunk into the ground, and lies buried in the sur- rounding rubbish even to the roof, over which old and young walk and ride in carriages or on horses, not knowing that such a temple is hidden beneath their feet, in which are altars of gold, walls inlaid with silver, and decorations of precious stones. And these treasures can be dug up and brought to light only by means of the spiritual sense, which is now disclosed for the New Church, for its use in the worship of the Lord. Again, these sacraments may be likened to a double temple, one be- low, the other above. In the lower one the gospel of the Lord's new coming and of regeneration and consequent salvation by N. 669] BAPTISM 211 Him is preached ; and from this temple, near the altar, there is a way of ascent to the higher temple, where the holy supper is celebrated; and from it is the passage into heaven, where those ascending are received by the Lord. Again, they may be likened to a tabernacle, in which after entering there are seen the table on which the bread of faces is arranged in its order, also the golden altar for incense, and between these the candle- stick with its lighted lamps, by which all these things are made visible ; and at length, for those who suffer themselves to be illuminated, the veil is opened to the holy of holies, where, in- stead of the ark, which formerly contained the Decalogue, the Word is placed, over which is the mercy-seat with the golden cherubs. These things are representations of the two sacra- ments and their uses. II. THE WASHING THAT IS CALLED BAPTISM MEANS SPIRITUAL WASHING, WHICH IS PURIFICATION FROM EVILS AND FALSITIES, AND THUS REGENERATION. 670. That washings were commanded the children of Israel is known from the statutes enacted by Moses, That Aaron should wash himself before putting on the robes of his ministry {Lev. xvi. 4, 24) ; And before coming near to the altar to minister (Ex. xxx. 18-21 ; xl. 30-32) ; Also the Levites (Num. viii. 6, 7) ; And likewise others who had become unclean through sins ; and are said to be sanctified by washings (Ex. xxix. 1, 4 ; xl. 12 ; Lev. viii. 6). Therefore in order that they might wash themselves, the molten sea, and many baths were placed near the temple (1 Kings vii. 23-39) ; They even washed vessels and utensils, such as tables, seats, beds, plates and cups (Lev. xi. 32 ; xiv. 8, 9 ; xv. 5-12 ; xvii. 15, 16 ; Matt, xxiii. 25, 26). But washings and many like things were enjoined upon and commanded the children of Israel, because the church insti- tuted among them was a representative church, and this was such as to prefigure the Christian church that was to come. Therefore when the Lord came into the world, He annuled rep 212 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. resentatives, which were all external, and instituted a church all things of which were to be internal ; thus the Lord banished figures, and revealed the veritable forms, as one withdraws a veil or opens a door, and causes interiors not only to be seen, but also to be approached. Of all these representatives the Lord retained but two, which should include hi one complex all things pertaining to the internal church. These two are baptism in the place of washings, and the holy supper in the place of the lamb which was sacrificed each day, and in greater fulness at the feast of the passover. 671. That the above mentioned washings figured and shad- owed forth, that is, represented spiritual washings, which are purifications from evils and falsities, is clearly evident from the following passages : — When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have washed away its blood ; in the spirit of judgment and in the spirit of cleansing (Isa. iv. 4). Though thou shalt wash thee with lye, and take thee much soap, thine iniquity shall still retain its spots (Jer. ii. 22 ; Job. ix. 30, 31). Wash me from mine iniquity, and I shall be whiter than snow (Ps. Ii. 2,7). Wash thine heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved (Jer. iv. 14). Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from be- fore Mine eyes ; cease to do evil (Isa. i. 16). That the washing of man's spirit was meant by the washing of his body, and that the internals of the church were represented, by externals, such as were in the Israelitish church, is very plain from these words of the Lord : — The Pharisees and Scribes seeing that some of His disciples ate bread with unwashen hands, found fault ; for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands to the fist, eat not ; and many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups and pots, brazen vessels, and couches. To them and to the multitude the Lord said : Hear Me all of you, and understand ; there is nothing from without a man that entering into him can make him unclean ; but the things that come out of him, make him unclean (Mark vii. 1-4, 14, 15 ; Matt. xv. 2, 11, 17-20). And elsewhere : — Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees ! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. N. 671] BAPTISM 213 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also (Matt, xxiii. 25, 26). From this it is evident that the washing called baptism means spiritual washing, which is purification from evils and falsi- ties. 672. What man of sound reason cannot see that the wash- ing of the face, hands and feet, or of all the limbs, and even the whole body in a bath, does nothing more than wash away the dirt, that men may appear clean in the human form before men ? And who cannot understand that no washing enters in- to man's spirit and renders that equally clean ? For any thief, plunderer or robber may wash himself until he shines ; but is the disposition to steal, plunder and rob thereby washed away ? Does not the internal flow into the external and work out the effects of its will and understanding, but not the external into the internal ? For this latter is contrary to nature, because it is contrary to order ; but the former is according to nature, be- cause it is according to order. 673. From all this it follows that neither washings nor bap- tisms, unless man's internal is purified from evils and falsities, has any more efficacy than the washing of cups and platters by the Jews, or (as follows in that same passage) than the white- ning of sepulchres, which appear beautiful without, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness (Matt, xxiii. 25-28) ; and this is further evident from the fact that the hells are full of satans who were once men, baptized as well as un- baptized. But what baptism does accomplish will appear in what follows. So without its uses and fruits, baptism contrib- utes no more to salvation than the triple miter on the pope's head or the sign of the cross on his shoes contributes to his pontifical supereminence ; no more than the purple robe on a cardinal contributes to his dignity, or the pallium of a bishop to the proper discharge of his ministerial duties ; no more than the throne, crown, scepter and royal robe of a king to his regal power, or the silken cap on the head of a laureled doctor to his intelligence ; or than the standards carried before troops of cav- alry to their bravery in war; and it may even be said, that a man is no more purified by baptism than a sheep or a lamb is by being washed before shearing, for the natural man separate 214 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XH. from the spiritual is a mere animal, and indeed, as before shown, is more of a wild beast than a wild beast of the forest; so that were you to be washed with the water of rain or dew, or of most excellent fountains, or, as the prophets say, if you were to be cleansed daily with niter, hyssop or soap, you can be purified from your iniquities only by means of regeneration. These means have been treated of in the chapters on Repent- ance, and on Reformation and Regeneration. III. BECAUSE CIRCUMCISION OF THE FORESKIN REPRESENTED CIR- CUMCISION OF THE HEART, IN THE PLACE OF CIRCUMCI- SION BAPTISM WAS INSTITUTED, IN ORDER THAT AN INTERNAL CHURCH MIGHT SUCCEED THE EXTER- NAL, WHICH IN EACH AND ALL THINGS PRE- FIGURED THE INTERNAL CHURCH. 674. It is well known in the Christian world that there is an internal and an external man, and that the external is the same as the natural man, and the internal the same as the spiritual man, because man's spirit is in it; also, since the church consists of men that there is an internal church and an external church. And when churches are viewed in the order of their succession from ancient times to the present, it will be seen that the former churches were external, that is, that their worship consisted of externals which represented the internals of the Christian church which was founded by the Lord when He was in the world, and which is now for the first time being built up by Him. That which primarily dis- tinguished the Israelitish church from the other churches in Asia, and afterward from the Christian church, was circumci- sion. And because, as before said, all things of the Israelitish church, being external, prefigured all things in the Christian church, which are internal, so the especial sign of that church was interiorly like the sign of the Christian church ; circum- N. 674] BAPTISM 215 cision signifying the rejection of the lusts of the flesh, and thus purification from evils, and baptism having the same signification ; from which it is clear that baptism was com- manded in the place of circumcision, in order that the Chris- tian church might not only be distinguished from the Jewish, but also might thus be more clearly recognized as an internal church; which is clearly seen from the uses of baptism, of which presently. 675. That circumcision was instituted as a sign that the men of the Israelitish church were of the posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appears from the following : — God said unto Abraham, This is the covenant with Me, which ye shall keep between Me and you and thy seed after thee. Every child male among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin that it may be a token of the covenant betwixt Me and you (Gen. xvii. 9-11). This covenant, or its token, was afterward confirmed by Moses (Lev. xii. 1-3). And as that church was distinguished from others by this sign, so before the sons of Israel had passed over Jordan they were commanded to be circumcised again (Josh, v.) ; and for the reason that the land of Canaan repre- sented the church, and the river Jordan introduction into it. And furthermore, in order that they might remember that to- ken even in the land of Canaan itself, it was commanded them : — When ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruits thereof as their uncir- cumcision ; three years shall they be as uncircumcised unto you, and not be eaten (Lev. xix. 23). [2] That circumcision represented and therefore signified the rejection of the lusts of the flesh, and thus purification from evils, the same as baptism, is evident from the passages in the Word where they are told to circumcise their hearts, as in the following : — Moses said, Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and harden not your neck (Deut. x. 16). And Jehovah thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou mayest love Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live (Deut. xxx. 6). 216 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. And in Jeremiah : — Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, to take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my anger go forth like fire, because of the evil of your doings (iv. 4). And in Paul : — For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncir- cumcision, but faith working through love and a new creature (Gal. v. 6 ; vi. 15). [3] From all this it is now clear that baptism was instituted in place of circumcision, because the circumcision of the flesh represented circumcision of the heart, which also signifies purification from evils, for all kinds of evil arise from the heart, and "the foreskin" signifies its filthy loves. Because circumcision and baptism have a like signification, it is said in Jeremiah: — Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, to take away the foreskins of your heart (iv. 4) ; and a little after : — Wash thine heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved (verse 14). What circumcision is, and the washing of the heart, the Lord teaches in Matthew (xv. 18, 19). 676. There were many among the sons of Israel who be- lieved that they were elected in preference to all others, be- cause of their having been circumcised, and many among the Jews at this day who so believe, and many among Christians have the same belief because of their having been baptized ; and yet both circumcision and baptism were given solely as a sign and memorial that the recipients thereof were to be puri- fied from evils, and thus become elect. What is an external in man without an internal but like a temple without worship, which is of no use except perhaps as a stable ? And, further, what is an external without an internal but like a field full of reeds and rushes without grain, or like a vineyard consisting merely of vines and leaves without grapes, or like the fig-tree without fruit, which the Lord cursed (Matt. xxi. 19), or like the lamps without oil in the hands of the foolish virgins (Matt. xxv. 3) ? Or even what is it but like a dwelling-place N. 676] BAPTISM 217 in a tomb, where there are dead bodies under foot, bones around the walls, and specters of the night flitting beneath the roof, or like a carriage drawn by leopards, with a wolf for a driver and a fool for its occupant ? For the external man is not a man, but only the figure of a man ; the internal, which is to be wise from God, is what constitutes man. So is it with one circumcised and baptized, unless he circumcises or washes his heart. IV. THE FIRST USE OF BAPTISM IS INTRODUCTION INTO THE CHRIS- TIAN CHURCH, AND AT THE SAME TIME INSERTION AMONG CHRISTIANS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 677. That baptism is introduction into the Christian church is evident from many considerations, such as the following : (i.) Baptism was instituted in the place of circumcision ; and as circumcision was a sign that those circumcised were of the Israelitish church, so is baptism a sign that those baptized are of the Christian church, as shown in the preceding section ; and a sign is nothing more than a means of recognition, just as swaddling clothes of different colors are put on the children of two mothers, to distinguish them and prevent their being changed, (ii.) [2] That it is merely a sign of introduction into the church, is made clear by the baptizing of infants, who are wholly destitute of reason and are no more able to receive anything pertaining to faith than the young branches of a tree, (iii.) [3] Not only are infants baptized but all foreign proselytes who are converted to the Christian xeligion, both the young and the old, and this before they have been instruct- ed, solely because they confess a wish to embrace Christianity, into which they are introduced by baptism, this same having been done by the apostles, according to the Lord's command, That the disciples should make disciples of all nations, and baptize them {Matt, xxviii. 19). (iv.) [4] Again : — John baptized in Jordan all who came to him from Judea and Jerusa- lem (Matt. iii. 5, 6 ; Mark i. 5). • 218 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XH. He baptized, in Jordan for the reason that entrance into the land of Canaan was through that river, and "the land of Canaan" signified the church, because the church was there; and so "the Jordan" signified introduction into the church. That " the land of Canaan" signified the church, and " the Jordan" introduction into it, may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed (n. 285). [5] All this, however, is what takes place on earth. But in the heavens infants are introduced by bap- tism into the Christian heaven, and angels are there assigned them by the Lord, to take care of them. Therefore as soon as infants are baptized, angels are appointed over them, by whom they are kept in a state to receive faith in the Lord; but as they grow up, and begin to exercise self-control and be governed by their own reason, these guardian angels leave them, and they draw into association with themselves such spirits as make one with their life and faith. From all this it is clear that baptism is insertion among Christians in the spir- itual world also. 678. The reason why not only infants but all others, are by baptism inserted among Christians in the spiritual world, is, that it is by their religions that peoples and nations in that world are distinguished from each other. The Christians are in the middle, the Mohammedans are round about them, after them come idolaters of various kinds, and the Jews are at the sides. Moreover, all who are of the same religion are arranged in societies in heaven in accordance with their affections of love to God and love toward the neighbor, and in hell in assemblies in accordance with affections that are the opposites of those two loves, that is, in accordance with the lusts of evil. In the spiritual world, by which both heaven and hell are meant, all things both as a whole and in every part, or in general and in every particular, are most distinctly arranged ; upon this dis- tinct arrangement there the preservation of the whole universe depends; and such distinguishing is impossible, unless every one after he is born can be recognized by some sign showing to what religious body he belongs. For without the Christian sign, which is baptism, some Mohammedan or some idolatrous spirit might attach himself to newly-born Christian children, or even to youths, and breathe into them an inclination towards N. 678] BAPTISM 219 his religion, and thus distract their minds and alienate them from Christianity, which would be a distortion and destruction of spiritual order. 679. Every one who traces effects back to their causes may know that the consistence of all things depends on order; and that there are many kinds of order, general and particular ; and that there is one order which is the most universal of all, and on which depends the general and particular kinds in con- nected series ; also that this most universal order enters into all the others as the essence itself into its forms, and that thus and not otherwise do they make one. It is this unity that ef- fects the preservation of the whole, which would otherwise fall asunder, and relapse not only into primal chaos, but into noth- ing. How would it be with man if each thing and all things in his body were not most distinctly arranged and this commu- nity of parts made dependent on one heart and one pair of lungs ? Otherwise, what would follow but confusion? Could the stomach then perform its functions, the liver and pancreas theirs, the mesentery and mesocolon theirs, the kidneys and in- testines theirs ? It is because of the order in them and among them, that they each and all appear to man as one. And in the mind or spirit of man if there were no distinct order, and if this community of parts did not depend on the will and understand- ing, what would there be but a confused and indigested some- thing? Without such an order could a man exercise thought and will any more than his picture on a tablet, or his statue in his house ? What would man be without a most perfectly ar- ranged influx from heaven and the reception of it ? And what would this influx be without a most universal one on which the government of the whole and of all its parts depends, that is to say, unless it depended on God, and unless all things had their being, and lived and moved in Him and from Him ? For the natural man this may be illustrated by innumerable things, such as the following : Without order what would an empire or kingdom be but a gang of robbers, a large body of whom would slay thousands, a few at least slaying these many ? What is a city without order, or even a household without order ? And what is a kingdom, a city, or a household with- some one in each acting the part of head ? 220 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. 680. Furthermore, what is order without distinction, and what is distinction without its evidences, and what are evi- dences without signs by which qualities are recognized ? For without an acquaintance with the qualities order is not recog- nized as order. In empires and kingdoms the signs or marks of distinction are titles of rank, and the administrative rights at- tached to them; and from this comes subordination, by means of which all are co-ordinated as it were into a one. In this way the king exercises his royal power, which is distributed among many according to order, and it is from this that the kingdom becomes a kingdom. It is the same in many other matters, as for example in armies. What power would they have if they were not distinctly organized into regiments, these into battalions, and these again into companies, with subordi- nate officers each, and over all one commander-in-chief? And what would those arrangements amount to without the signs called standards, which indicate the proper station for each ? By such means in battle all act as a one, while without them they would rush upon the enemy merely like a pack of hounds with open mouths, yells, and empty fury ; and then, with their courage gone, they would be ingloriously cut in pieces by the enemy formed in well-ordered ranks; for what can those who are divided do against those who are united ? Hereby is illus- trated this first use of baptism, which is, to serve as a sign in the spiritual world that the one baptized belongs to Christians, for in that world every one is inserted into societies and con- gregations according to the quality of the Christianity in him or outside of him. 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. 681. This second use of baptism, which is to know and acknowledge the Lord, the Redeemer and Saviour Jesus Christ, inseparably follows the first, which is introduction in- to the Christian church and insertion among Christians in the spiritual world. And what is this first use but a mere name N. 681] BAPTISM 221 unless the second follows? Is it not really like a subject who attaches himself to a king, and yet repudiates the king's laws or those of the country, and yields allegiance to a foreign king and serves him ; or like a servant who binds himself to some master, accepting his livery as a token thereof, and then runs away and serves another master in the livery of the first ; or like a standard-bearer who runs away with the standard and cuts it in pieces, throwing the pieces in the air or under the feet of the soldiers to be trodden upon ? In a word, to have the name of being a Christian, that is, of belonging to Christ, and yet not acknowledging and following Him, that is, living according to His commandments, is a thing as empty as a shadow, as smoke, or as a blackened picture ; for the Lord says : — "Why call ye Me, Lord, and do not the things that I say ? (Luke vi. 46, seq.). Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord ; and then will I profess unto them, I know you not (Matt. vii. 22, 23). 682. "The name of the Lord Jesus Christ" means in the Word nothing else than acknowledgment of Him, and a life according to His commandments. The reason why His name has that signification may be seen in the explanation of the second commandment of the Decalogue : — Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain (Exod. xx. 7). Nothing else is meant by the name of the Lord in the follow- ing passages :— Jesus said, Ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake (Matt. x. 22 ; xxiv. 9, 10). Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt, xviii. 20). As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (John i. 12). Many believed in His name (John ii. 23). 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. 17, 18). Those who believe shall have life in His name (John xx. 31). For My name's sake thou hast labored, and hast not fainted (Apoc. ii. 3). (And elsewhere.) [2] Who does not see that "the name of the Lord" in these passages does not mean merely His name, but the acknowl- 222 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII edgment of Him as being the Eedeemer and Saviour, together with obedience, and finally faith in Him ? For in baptism the child receives the sign of the cross on the forehead and breast, which is a sign of initiation into the acknowledgment and worship of the Lord. " Name " also means the quality of any one ; because in the spiritual world every one is named accord* ing to his quality ; therefore a man's taking the name Chris- tian means his quality, — that he has from Christ faith in Christ and charity toward the neighbor. Such is the meaning of " name" in the Apocalypse : — The Son of man said, Thou hast a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy (iii. 4). " Walking with the Son of man in white " signifies following the Lord and living according to the truths of His Word. " Name " has the same meaning in John : — Jesus said, The sheep hear His voice, and He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out ; He goeth before them and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice ; and a stranger they do not follow, they know not the voice of strangers (x. 3-5). " By name " means by their quality, that they are Christians ; and "to follow Him" is to hear His voice, that is, to obey His commandments. All receive this name in baptism, for it is involved in that sign. 683. What is a name without the reality but an empty thing, or a sound like the echo given back by the trees of a forest or by vaulted buildings, or like the abnost lifeless voice of dreamers, the noise of the wind, of the sea, or of some use- less machinery ? What but emptiness is the name even of a king, a duke, a consul, a bishop, an abbot, or a monk, without the office attached to the name ? So what is the name Chris- tian so long as the man lives like a barbarian, and contrary to the precepts of Christ, but like looking to the sign of Satan instead of the sign of Christ, although in baptism Christ's name is interwoven in golden threads ? What but rebels and regicides are those who having received the sign of Christ, de- ride His worship, mock at His name, and acknowledge Him not as the Son of God but of Joseph? And what are their words but blasphemies against the Holy Spirit, which cannot N. 683] BAPTISM 223 be forgiven either in this world or in the next ? These like dogs with open jaws bite at the Word, and tear it to pieces with their teeth. With such, as against Christ and the wor- ship of Christ: — All tables are full of the vomit of filthiness (Isa. xxviii. 8 ; Jer. xlviii. 26). And yet the Lord Jesus Christ is, The Son of the Most High (Luke i. 32, 35); The only begotten (John i. 18 ; iii. 16); The true God and eternal life (1 John v. 20); In whom dwelleth all the fulness of Divinity bodily (Col. ii. 9); And is not the son of Joseph (Matt. i. 25). (And thousands of other passages.) VI. THE THIRD USE OF BAPTISM, WHICH IS THE FINAL USE, IS THAT MAN MAT BE REGENERATED. 684. This is the essential use for the sake of which bap- tism exists, and thus the final one. This is because the true Christian knows and acknowledges the Lord Jesus Christ the Redeemer, who, as being the Redeemer is also the Regenera- tor (that redemption and regeneration make one may be seen in section third of the chapter on Reformation and Regenera- tion); also because a Christian possesses the Word, in which the means of regeneration are plainly described, those means being faith in the Lord and charity toward the neighbor. This is identical with what is said of the Lord, that, He baptizeth with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt. iii. 11 ; Mark i. 8-11 ; Luke iii. 16 ; John i. 33). " The Holy Spirit" means the Divine truth of faith, and " fire" the Divine good of love or charity, both proceeding from the Lord. (That " the Holy Spirit" means the Divine truth of faith may be seen in the chapter on the Holy Spirit ; and that "fire" means the Divine good of love may be seen in the Apoc- alypse Revealed, n. 395, 468.) By means of these two, all re- generation is effected by the Lord. 224 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. The Lord Himself was baptized by John (Matt. iii. 13-17 ; Mark i. 9 ; Luke iii. 21, 22). This He did not only that He might institute baptism for the future, Himself setting the example, but also because He glori- fied His Human and made it Divine, as He regenerates man and renders him spiritual. 685. From what has been said now and heretofore it can be seen that the three uses of baptism cohere as a unit, like first cause, mediate cause, which is the efficient cause, and last cause, which is the effect and the end itself, for the sake of which the former exist ; for the first use is that the man may be called a Christian; the second, following from this, is that he may know and acknowledge the Lord the Redeemer, Re- generator and Saviour ; and the third that he may be regener- ated by Him; and when this is done man is redeemed and saved. As these three uses follow in order, and are conjoined in the last, and consequently in the conception of the angels cohere as a unit, so when baptism is performed, read of in the Word, or mentioned, the angels who are present do not under- stand baptism, but regeneration. Therefore, by these words of the Lord : — He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned (Mark xvi. 16), the angels in heaven understand that he who acknowledges the Lord and is regenerated will be saved. And for this reason baptism is called by the Christian churches on earth the laver of regeneration. Let every Christian know, then, that he who does not believe in the Lord even though he has been baptized, cannot be regenerated. Also that baptism without faith in the Lord has no effect whatever, may be seen above, in the second section of this chapter (n. 673). Every Christian is well aware that baptism involves purification from evils, and thus regeneration, for when he is baptized in infancy, the priest with his finger makes the sign of the cross, as a memorial of the Lord, on his forehead and breast, and afterwards turns to his sponsors and asks whether he renounces the devil and all his works, and accepts the faith ; to which the sponsors, in the place of the infant, answer, "Yes." The renunciation of the N. 685] BAPTISM 225 devil, that is, of the evils that are from hell, and faith in the Lord, are what effect regeneration. 686. It is said in the Word that the Lord God our Redeem- er baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire, which means that the Lord regenerates man by the Divine truth of faith and the Divine good of love or charity (as may be seen above in the first number of this section). Those who have been re- generated by the Holy Spirit, that is, by the Divine truth of faith, are distinct in the heavens from those who are regener- ated by fire, that is, by the Divine good of love. Those who have been regenerated by the Divine truth of faith walk in heaven in raiment of white linen, and are called spiritual angels ; but those who have been regenerated by the Divine good of love walk in purple raiment, and are called celestial angels. Those who go clothed in white raiment are meant by the following : — They follow the Lamb clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Apoc. xix. 14). They shall walk with Me in white (Apoc. iii. 4 ; also vii. 14). The angels seen at the Lord's sepulchre clothed in white and shining garments (Matt, xxviii. 3 ; Luke xxiv. 4). They were of this class, because "fine linen" signifies the righteousness of the saints (Apoc. xix. 8, where this is direct- ly stated). That " garments" in the Word signify truths, and "garments of white" and "fine linen" signify Divine truths, may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed,, where this is shown (n. 379). Those who have been regenerated by the Divine good of love are clothed in purple garments, because purple is the color of love, which color it derives from the fire of the sun and its redness. (That this signifies love may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed, n. 468, 725.) It was because "gar- ments" signify truths, that he who was found among those called to the wedding not clothed with a wedding garment, was turned out and cast into outer darkness (Matt. xxii. 11-13). 687. Furthermore, baptism as regeneration is represented by many things both in heaven and in the world ; in heaven, as just said, by white and purple garments, also by the mar- riage of the church with the Lord, also by the new heaven and Vol. II.— 15 226 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. the new earth, and the New Jerusalem descending therefrom, of which He who sat upon the throne, said : — ■ Behold, I make all things new (Apoc. xxi. 1-5) ; And by the river of living water proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb (Apoc. xxii. 1, 2); Also by the five prudent virgins who had lamps and oil, and went in with the bridegroom to the marriage feast (Matt. xxv. 1, 2, 10). One Avho is baptized, that is regenerated, is meant by, Creature (Mark xvi. 15 ; Bom. viii. 19-21); and by, A new creature (2 Cor. v. 17 ; Gal. vi. 15); for he is called " a creature" from his being created ; and this also signifies to be regenerated (as may be seen in the Apoca- lypse Revealed, n. 254). [2] In the world regeneration is re- presented by various things, as by the blossoming of all things on earth in spring, and by the gradual development of the blossoms even to the fruit; also by the growth of every tree, shrub and flower, from the first warm month to the last. It is also represented by the progressive ripening of all kinds of fruit from the earliest germ to the end of the process; then again by morning and evening showers, and by dews, at the coming of which the flowers open, while they close at the ap- proach of the darkness of night; also by the fragrance from gardens and fields ; by the rainbow in the cloud ( Gen. ix. 14— 17) ; by the resplendent colors of the dawn ; and in general by the continual renovation of everything in the body by means of the chyle and the animal spirit, and consequently by the blood. The purification of this from exhausted material, and its renovation, and seeming regeneration, are perpetual. [3] If we turn our thoughts to the more insignificant things on earth, an image of regeneration is presented in the wonderful transformation of the silk-worm and other worms into nymphs and butterflies, and of still other kinds which after a time are provided with wings ; to which may be added still more tri- fling matters, as the desire of certain birds to plunge them- selves into water for the sake of washing and cleansing them- selves, after which they return as warblers to their songs. In a word, the whole world from what is first to what is last in it is full of representations and types of regeneration. N. 688] BAPTISM 227 VII. BY THE BAPTISM OF JOHN A WAY WAS PREPARED, THAT JEHO- VAH THE LORD MIGHT DESCEND INTO THE WORLD AND ACCOMPLISH REDEMPTION. 688. It is written in Malachi: — Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me ; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye long for. Who will abide the day of His coming, and who will stand when He shall appear ? (iii. 1, 2). And again: — Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the great and ter- rible day of Jehovah comes ; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (iv. 5, 6). And Zacharias the father, prophesying of his son John, says : — Thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High ; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways {Luke i. 76). And the Lord Himself says of this same John : — This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Luke vii. 27). From all this it is clear that this John was the prophet sent to make ready the way of Jehovah God, who should descend into the world and accomplish redemption ; and that he made ready that way by baptism, and by announcing the coming of the Lord ; and that without such preparation all on earth would have been smitten with a curse and would have perished. 689. The way was prepared by the baptism of John, be- cause by means of that baptism, as shown above, men were in- troduced into the future church of the Lord, and in heaven were inserted among those who were there looking for and longing for the Messiah ; and they were thus guarded by angels, that devils from hell might not break forth and destroy them. Wherefore it is written in Malachi: — Who shall abide the day of His coming ? and lest Jehovah come and smite the earth with a curse (iii. 2 ; iv. 6). So also in Isaiah : — Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel and of indignation, and of wrath of anger ; I will move heaven and the land shall be shaken out of 228 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. its place, in the day of the wrath of His anger (xiii. 6, 9, 13, 22 ; xxii. 5, 12). Again, in Jeremiah: — That day is called a day of wasting, of vengeance, and of destruction (iv. 9 ; vii. 32 ; xlvi. 10, 21 ; xlvii. 4 ; xlix. 8, 26). In Ezehiel : — A day of wrath, of cloud and of thick darkness (xiii. 5 ; xxx. 2, 3, 9 ; xxxiv. 11, 12 ; xxxviii. 14, 16, 18, 19). Also in Amos: — (v. 13, 18, 20 ; viii. 3, 9, 13). And in Joel: — The day of Jehovah is great and very terrible, and who can abide it ? (ii. 1, 2, ll;iii. 2, 4). And in Zephaniali : — In that day there shall be the noise of a cry, that the great day of Je- hovah is near, that that is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, that in the day of Jehovah's wrath the whole land shall be devoured, and that He will make a consummation with all them that dwell in the land (i. 7-18). (Besides other passages.) From all this it is clear that unless a way had been made ready for Jehovah when He was descending into the world, by means of baptism, the effect of which in heaven was to close up the hells and guard the Jews against total destruction [they would all have perished]. Jehovah also says to Moses : — In one moment if I come up into the midst of thee I will consume the people (Ex. xxxiii. 5). That it is so is very clear from the words of John to the mul- titudes going out to him to be baptized : — Ye offspring of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? (Matt. iii. 7 ; Luke iii. 7). That John when he was baptizing taught Christ and His com- ing is evident from (Luke iii. 16; John i. 25, 26, 31-33 ; iii. 26). All this makes clear how John prepared the way. 690. As to the baptism of John; it represented this cleans- ing of the external man ; while the baptism of Christians at the N. 690] BAPTISM 229 present day represents the cleansing of the internal man, which is regeneration. It is therefore written that John baptized with water, but that the Lord baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and therefore John's baptism is called the bap- tism of repentance (Matt. iii. 11 ; Mark i. 4, 5 ; Luke iii. 3, 16; John i. 25, 26, 33; Acts i. 22; x. 37; xviii. 25). The Jews who were baptized were merely external men, and with- out faith in Christ the external man cannot become internal. That those who were baptized with the baptism of John, be- came internal men when they received the faith in Christ, and were then baptized in the name of Jesus, may be seen in Acts (xix. 3-6). 691. Moses said to Jehovah: — Show me Thy glory. Jehovah said to him, Thou canst not see My faces, for man shall not see Me and live. And Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place where thou shalt stand upon a rock, and I will put thee in a hole of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand until I shall have passed by ; and when I shall take away My hand thou shalt see My hinder parts ; but My faces shall not be seen (J^x. xxxiii. 18-23). Man cannot see God and live for the reason that God is love itself, and love itself or Divine love in the spiritual world appears before the angels as a sun, distant from them as the sun of our world is from men. Therefore, if God, who is in the midst of that sun, were to draw near to the angels, they would perish, as men would if the sun of the world were to draw near to them ; for the spiritual sun is equally hot. [2] For this reason there are perpetual temperings, which modify and moderate the heat of this love, so that it may not inflow into heaven as it is in itself; for the angels would be thereby consumed. Therefore when the Lord renders Him- self more immediately present in heaven, the wicked who are beneath heaven begin to lament, to be tortured, and to lose life, so that they flee into caves and clefts of mountains, crying out: — Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne (Apoc. vi. 16 ; Isa. ii. 19, 21). It is not the Lord Himself who descends, but an angel with a sphere of love from the Lord encompassing him. I have sev- 230 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. eral times seen the wicked terrified by that descent, as if they saw death itself before their eyes, some casting themselves deeper and deeper into hell, and some driven to fury. [3] This explains why the children of Israel prepared themselves for three clays before the descent of Jehovah the Lord upon Mount Sinai, and the Mount was fenced about, lest any one should come near it and die (Ex. xix.). The same is true of the holi- ness of Jehovah the Lord in the Decalogue then promulgated, and written by the finger of God on two tables, and afterward deposited in the ark, over which in the tabernacle the mercy- seat was placed, and over this again the cherubs, lest any one should touch that holiness immediately with hand or eye. Not even Aaron could go near to it, except once a year, and after he had made expiation for himself by sacrifices and incense- offerings. [4] For the same reason the people of Ekron and Bethshemesh died to the number of several thousands merely because they looked into the ark (1 Sam. v. 11, 12; vi. 19), as did Uzzah also, because he touched it (2 Sam. vi. 6, 7). These few instances illustrate with what a curse and destruction the Jews would have been smitten if they had not been prepared by the baptism of John for receiving the Messiah, who was Jehovah God in the human form, and if He had not assumed the Human and thus revealed Himself; also that there was this further preparation that in heaven they were enrolled and numbered with those who in heart were waiting for and long- ing for the Messiah, for which reason angels were then sent and made guardians over them. 692. To this I will add the following Memorable Relations. First:— When returning home from a school of wisdom (see n. 48), I saw on the way an angel in violet-colored clothing. He came up beside me and said, " I see that you have come from a school of wisdom and are delighted with what you have there heard. And as I perceive that you are not fully in this world, being at the same time in the natural world, and therefore know nothing about our Olympic gymnasia where the old So- phi meet, and where they learn from the new-comers from your world what changes and successions of state wisdom has undergone and is still undergoing, if you wish, I will conduct N. 692] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 231 you to a place where many of the ancient Sophi and their sons, that is, their disciples, dwell." And he conducted me to the border between the north and east; and when I looked forward into it from an eminence, behold, a city appeared, and at one side of it two hills, the one nearer to the city being the lower. And the angel said to me, "That city is called Athenaeum, the lower hill Parnassium, and the higher Heliconeum. They are so named because in and about the city the old Grecian sages dwell, such as Py- thagoras, Socrates, Aristippus, and Xenophon, with their dis- ciples and scholars." I asked about Plato and Aristotle, and he said that they with their followers inhabit another region, because they taught rational things, which pertain to the understanding, while the others taught morals, which pertain to life. [2] He said that studious persons were frequently sent from the city Athenaeum to the Christian literati, to learn from them what they think at this day about God, the crea- tion of the universe, the immortality of the soul, the state of man relative to that of beasts, and other subjects of interior wisdom. He said also, that a herald had this day proclaimed a meeting, an indication that their messengers had met with new-comers from the earth, from whom they had heard some curious things. And we saw a number of persons going from the city and suburbs, some having laurels on their heads, some holding palms in their hands, some with books under their arms, and some with quills under the hair of the left temple. [3] We mingled with them and ascended the hill in their company; and behold, on the hill was an octagonal palace, which they called the Palladium; and we entered. And behold, there were eight sexagonal recesses there, in each one of which was a library, and also a table at which those crowned with laurel sat; and in the Palladium itself seats cut in stone were seen, upon which the others seated themselves. A door was then opened at the left, through which were ushered two new-comers from the earth ; and after salutations, one of those crowned with laurel asked them, "What news from earth ?" 232 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. They said, " The news is that men like beasts, or beasts like men, have been found in a forest, whose faces and bodies showed that they had been born men, and had been left or lost in the forest when two or three years old ; and it was claimed that they were unable to give expression by sound to anything of thought, or to learn to articulate any word ; nor did they, like beasts, know the food that was suitable for them, but put into their mouths the productions of the forest, whether clean or unclean ; and many such things were said of them. From all this some learned men among us have formed suppositions and others conclusions in regard to the state of men as related to that of beasts." [4] Hearing this, some of the ancient Sophi asked, " What suppositions and conclusions do they draw from these facts ? " The two new-comers answered, "Many; but they may be referred to the following : 1. That man by his nature, and also by birth, is more stupid and therefore lower than any beast; and that he becomes such if not instructed. 2. That he could be instructed, because he had learned to make articulate sounds, and consequently to speak; and that he thereby began to express thoughts, and this gradually more and more fully, so that he is now able to fraine laws of so- ciety, some of which however, are impressed upon beasts from birth. 3. That rationality belongs as much to beasts as to men. 4. Therefore, if beasts were able to speak, they would reason as skilfully as men on any subject, a proof of which is, that they think from reason and prudence equally with men. 5. That the understanding is a mere modification of light from the sun, heat co-operating and the ether being the medium; thus it is a mere activity of interior nature; and this can be exalted to such a degree as to appear like wis- dom. 6. That it is therefore vain to believe that man lives after death any more than a beast, except, perhaps, that for some days after death, owing to the exhalation of life from the body, he may appear like mist in the form of a ghost, be- fore he is dissipated into nature ; almost as a shrub raised from its ashes appears in a resemblance of its own form. 7. Consequently religion, which teaches that there is a life af- ter death, is an invention to hold simple people in bondage N. 692] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 233 by its laws internally, as they are held externally by civil laws." To this they added that those who are merely ingenious so reasoned, but not the intelligent. The Sophi asked, " What do the intelligent think ? " They said, " We have not heard ; but that is our opinion." [5] Hearing this, all those who were seated at the tables exclaimed, " Oh what times they have now on earth ! Alas ! what changes wisdom has undergone! It is turned into an infatuated ingenuity. The sun has gone down, and is beneath the earth directly opposite to its noonday height. Who might not know from the evidence furnished by those persons lost in the forest and found again, that such is man when not in- structed ? Is he not what instruction makes him ? Is he not born more ignorant than the beasts? Must he not learn to walk and talk ? If he were not taught to walk, would he raise himself erect upon his feet ? And without learning to talk could he even murmur anything of thought? Is not every man what instruction makes him, unwise from falsities or wise from truths ; and is not the one who is unwise from falsities under a complete hallucination that he is wiser than the one who is wise ? Are there not infatuated and senseless men, who are no more men than those found in the woods ? Are not those who are devoid of memory like them ? [6] From all these instances we conclude that a man without instruc- tion is not a man, neither is he a beast, but a form capable of receiving into itself that which makes it a man ; thus man is not born a man, but is made a man, furthermore, that man is born such a form as to be an organ receptive of life from God, to the end that he may be a subject into whom God may bring every good, and make him blessed for ever by union with Him- self. We perceive from your remarks that wisdom is at this day so far extinguished or infatuated, that men know nothing whatever of the state of their own life relative to that of beasts ; and for that reason they are ignorant of the state of man's life after death ; and those who are able to know about this, but do not wish to, and consequently deny it, as many of your Chris- tians do, we may liken to those found in the forest ; not that they have become thus stupid from lack of instruction, but 234 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. they have made themselves thus stupid by the fallacies of the senses, which are the obscuration of truths." [7] But just then some one standing in the center of the Palladium holding a palm in his hand, said, "Explain, I pray you, this mystery ; how man, having been created a form of God, could be changed into the form of the devil. I know that the angels of heaven are forms of God, and the spirits of hell forms of the devil ; and the two forms are opposites, the latter being forms of insanity, the former of wisdom. Tell me, there- fore, how a man created a form of God, could pass from day into such a night as to be able to deny God and eternal life." To this the teachers answered in order : First the Pytha- goreans, then the disciples of Socrates, and then the others. But there was among them a Platonist, who spoke last, and his opinion prevailed. It was as follows : " The men of the Saturnian or golden age knew and acknowledged that they were forms receptive of life from God, and consequently wis- dom was inscribed on their souls and hearts, and thus they saw truth from the light of truth, and through truths had a perception of good from the delight pertaining to the love of good. But as the human race departed in succeeding ages from the acknowledgment that all truth of wisdom, and consequent- ly all good of love in them, flows in continually from God, they ceased to be dwelling-places of God ; and converse with God and affiliation with angels also ceased. For the interiors of their minds, which had been raised upward by God to God, were then turned from their proper direction to one more and more oblique, outwardly into the world, and thus through the world to God from God; and finally they were turned in the opposite direction, which is downward to self. And as a man who is thus interiorly inverted and turned away cannot look to God, men have separated themselves from God, and have become forms of hell, and thus of the devil. From this it fol- lows, that in the first ages men acknowledged in heart and soul that all good of love, and all truth of wisdom therefrom came to them from God, and also were God's in them ; thus that they were mere receptacles of life from God, and were therefore called images of God, sons of God, and born of God ; but in succeeding ages they acknowledged this not with the N. 692] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIRST 235 heart and soul, but with a kind of persuasive faith, then with a historic faith, and finally with the lips only ; and acknowl- edging such a truth with the lips only is not acknowledging it, but in heart is denying it. [8] All this shows the kind of wisdom that now prevails on earth among Christians (although they might be inspired by a written revelation from God) for they do not even know the distinction between men and beasts, and in consequence many believe that if man lives after death, beasts must live after death also ; or that as beasts do not live after death, therefore man does not. Has not our spiritual light, which illuminates the mental vision, become thick dark- ness among them, and their natural light, which illuminates the bodily vision only, become splendor?" [9] After this the assembly all turned toward the two visit- ors and thanked them for their visit and the account they had given ; they also begged of them to report what they had heard to their brethren. The visitors answered that they would confirm their breth- ren in this truth, that so far as they attribute all the good of charity and truth of faith to the Lord, and not to themselves, so far they are men, and become angels of heaven. 693. Second Memorable Relation: — Some weeks after this I heard a voice from heaven saying, "There is again a meeting on Parnassium; come, we will show you the way." I went ; and when I came near, I saw one standing on Heli- coneum with a trumpet, with which he proclaimed and ap- pointed the meeting. And I saw persons going up as before from the city Athenaeum and its borders, and in their midst three new-comers from the world. These were from among Christians ; one a priest, the second a politician, and the third a philosopher. The others entertained them on the way with varied conversation, especially about some ancient wise men whom they named. The new-comers asked if they should see these, and were told that they would, and might be introduced to them if they wished, as they were affable. They asked about Demosthenes, Diogenes, and Epicurus, and were told, "Demosthenes is not here, but is with Plato; Dio- genes with his scholars dwells at the foot of Heliconeum; be- 236 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIL cause lie regards worldly things as of no account, and studies heavenly things only; Epicurus dwells on the border toward the west, and does not come among us, because we distinguish between good affections and evil affections, and insist that good affections are one with wisdom, and that evil affections are contrary to wisdom." [2] When they had ascended the hill Parnassium, some guards there were bringing water from a fountain at the place in crystal cups, and saying, "This is water from the fountain which the ancients in their fables say was broken through by the hoof of the horse Pegasus, and afterward consecrated to the nine Muses." By the winged horse Pegasus they meant the understanding of truth, through which comes wisdom; by his hoofs they meant the experiences through which comes natural intelligence ; and by the nine Muses all kinds of knowl- edges and facts. These things are now called fables, but they were correspondences, from which the earliest peoples spoke. To the three new-comers their companions said, "Do not be surprised ; the guards have been taught to speak in this manner ; and drinking water from this fountain means to us being taught about truths, and by means of truths about goods, and thus be- coming wise." [3] They then entered the Palladium, and with them the three new-comers from the world — the priest, the politician, and the philosopher. Then those crowned with laurel who were seated at the tables asked, "What news from earth?" And they answered, " This is news, that a certain man claims to talk with angels, and to have his sight opened into the spirit- ual world as fully as into the natural world ; and from the spir- itual world he reports many new things, among which are the following: That man lives a man after death, as he before lived in the world ; that he sees, hears, and talks as he did be- fore in the world ; that he is clothed and decorated as formerly in the world ; that he hungers and thirsts, eats and drinks, en- joys the delights of marriage, and sleeps and wakes, all as he did before in the world ; that there are lands and lakes, moun- tains and hills, plains and valleys, springs and rivers, gardens and groves there ; also palaces and houses, cities and villages, as in the natural world: and a^ain that there are writings and N. 693] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 237 books, different kinds of occupation and business, also precious stones, gold and silver, in a word, that each and every thing that exists on the earth is there, although those in the heavens are infinitely more perfect, with this difference only, that all things in the spiritual world have a spiritual origin, and are therefore spiritual ; since they are from the sun there which is pure love ; while all things in the natural world have a natural origin, and are therefore natural and material, since they are from the sun there which is pure fire; in other words, man after death is perfectly a man, even more perfectly a man than be- fore in the world; for he was then in a material body, while in this world he is in a spiritual body." [•4] When this had been said, the ancient wise men asked what men on earth thought of these things. The three replied; "We ourselves know that they are true, because we are here, and have investigated and examined every- thing ; but how men talk and reason about them on earth we will now tell." Then the priest said, "Those of our order, when they first heard these things, called them visions, and then fictions ; after- wards they said that the man saw specters, and finally they hesitated and said, 'Believe him if ye will; we have always taught that man will not exist after death in a body, until the day of the last judgment." It was then asked, "Are there not some intelligent persons among them, who are able to declare to them and convince them of the truth that man lives a man after death ?" [5] The priest answered, "There are some who declare it, but they fail to convince. Those who declare it say that it is contrary to sound reason to believe that a man does not live a man until the day of the last judgment, and that meanwhile he is a soul without a body. What is the soul, and where, is it meanwhile ? Is it a breath, or something like wind, floating in the air, or an entity hidden in the center of the earth ? Where is its abode ? Are the souls of Adam and Eve and all who have lived since during six thousand years or sixty centuries, still flying about the universe, or are they kept shut up in the cen- ter of the earth awaiting the last judgment ? What could be more painful and wretched than such a waiting? Might not 238 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. their lot be compared to that of men hound in chains and fet- ters in prisons ? If such were the lot of man after death, would it not be better to be born an ass than a man ? Moreover, is it not contrary to reason to believe that the soul can be reclothed with its body ? Is not the body eaten up by worms, mice, and fishes ? Can such a new body be put on a skeleton that has been burnt up by the sun, or reduced to dust ? How can those cadaverous and putrid things be collected and united again to their souls ? But when they listen to such arguments they make no rational reply, but adhere to their faith, saying, < We make reason obedient to faith.' As to the gathering of all from the graves at the day of the last judgment, they say, < That is the word of omnipotence.' And when they mention omnipo- tence and faith, reason is exiled, and I may say that sound reason is annihilated, as it were, or with some is like a specter; and they can even say to sound reason, ' Thou art mad.' " [6] Having heard this, the wise men of Greece said, "Are not such paradoxes dissapated of themselves as contradictions ? And yet to-day in the world not even sound reason can dissa- pate them. Can anything more paradoxical be believed than what is asserted of the last judgment, that the universe will then perish, and the stars of heaven fall to the earth, which is small- er than the stars; and that the bodies of men, either corpses or mummies, eaten by others or become dust, will be re-united with their souls ? When we were in the world we believed in the immortality of the souls of men from the inductions fur- nished us by reason ; we also designated places for the blessed, which we called the Elysian Fields ; and we believed them to be human in form or kind, but subtle, because spiritual." [7] When all this had been said, they turned to the second new-comer, who in the world had been a politician. He con- fessed that he had not believed in a life after death, and that he had regarded the new reports he had heard about it as fic- tions and inventions. "Meditating upon that life" he said, " I asked how souls could be bodies. Does not the whole of a man lie dead in the grave ? Is not the eye there ? How then can he see ? Is the ear not there ? How can he hear ? Where is the mouth for him to talk with ? If any sort of man were to live after death must it not be something like a specter? N. 693] MEMORABLE RELATION, SECOND 239 And how can a specter eat and drink and enjoy the delights of marriage '? Where do its clothing, house, food, and other things come from ? Moreover, specters, which are airy images, seem to be, and yet are not. These and like thoughts I had in the world about the life of men after death. But now, when I have seen everything and touched everything with my hands, I am convinced by the very senses that I am a man as in the world, even so that I am not aware that I live otherwise than as I formerly lived, with the difference that my reason is now more sound. I have often been ashamed of my former thoughts." [8] The philosopher spoke in a like manner of himself, with this difference, however, that the new things he had heard re- specting a life after death, he classed among the opinions and hypotheses which he had collected from both ancients and moderns. The Sophi were astounded when they heard these things; and those belonging to the Socratic school said that they per- ceived by this news from earth that the interiors of men's minds were gradually closing up, and that belief in falsity is now shining in the world like truth, and infatuated ingenuity like wisdom, and that the light of wisdom had lowered itself since their times from the interiors of the brain to the mouth beneath the nose, where it appeared to the eye like a bright- ness of the lips, and consequently the mouth's utterances ap- pear like wisdom. One of the tyros after hearing this said, " How stupid are the minds of those who now dwell on earth ! Would that the disciples of Heraclitus who laugh at all things, and of Demo- critus who weep at all things, were here, and we should hear both great laughter and great weeping." After the business of the meeting was finished, they gave to the three new-comers from the earth badges of their authority, which were plates of copper on which some hieroglyphics were written. With these they departed. 694. Third Memorable Kelation : — Some time afterward I looked toward the city Athenaeum, spoken of in the foregoing Memorable Relation, and I heard a strange noise coming from it. There was in it something of 240 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. laughter, in this something of indignation, and in this still something of sadness; and yet the noise was not discordant but harmonious, because the sounds were not simultaneous, but were one within the other. In the spiritual world the variety and commingling of affections is distinctly perceived in the tone of the voice. At a distance I asked, " What is the matter ?" They an- swered, "A messenger has arrived from the place where new- comers from the Christian world first appear, saying that he has heard from three persons there that in the world from which they had come, they in common with others there had believed that after death the blessed and happy would have rest from all kinds of labor ; and because administrations, and official and manual employments are labors, there would be rest from these. And as these three have now been brought here by our messenger, and stand waiting at the door, a clamor has arisen; and after consultation it has been decided that they should not be introduced into the Palladium on Parnas- sium as the former new-comers had been, but into the great auditorium there, that they may tell their news from the Christian world; and some have been sent to introduce them formally." As I was in the spirit, and as with spirits distances are ac- cording to the state of their affections, and as I then had an affection for seeing and hearing the new-comers, I seemed to myself to be there present, and I saw them introduced and heard them speak. [2] In the auditorium the older or wiser sat at the sides, and the others in the center, and in front of these was a raised floor. The three new-comers with the messenger were conducted hither, through the middle of the auditorium, by the younger ones in formal attendance; and when silence had been obtained they were introduced by one of the elders, and asked, " What news from earth ? " They replied, "There is much news; but pray tell us to what subject your inquiry refers." The elder replied, "What news from earth respecting our world and heaven ? " They answered, "When we first arrived in this world, we heard that both here and in heaven there are governments, N. 694] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 241 ministerial offices, occupations, business, all kinds of studies, and wonderful works; although our belief had been that after our removal or transfer from the natural world into this spir- itual world, we should enter into eternal rest from labors. But what are occupations but labors ? " [3] To this the elder replied, " By eternal rest from labor did you understand eternal idleness, wherein you would con- stantly sit and lie, inhaling delights with the breast, and drinking in joys with the mouth?" The three new-comers smiled pleasantly at this and said, " We did entertain some such opinion." They were then asked, " What has joy, delight, and conse- quent happiness in common with idleness? By idleness the mind is not expanded but dissipated; that is, man is deadened by it, not vivified. Picture to yourselves a man sitting in utter idleness, his hands hanging down, his eyes cast down or withdrawn, and at the same time surrounded by an aura of delight; would not a lethargy seize upon both his head and body, the vital expansion of his face give way, and with re- laxed fibers would he not nod and nod, until he fell to the ground ? What keeps the whole bodily system expanded and tense, but the tension of the mind ? And whence comes the mind's tension but from administrative duties and works, when they are performed from delight? I will therefore tell you this news from heaven, that there are governments here, min- isterial duties, judicial tribunals, greater and less, as also me- chanical and other employments." [4] When the three new-comers heard that there were great- er and lesser judicial tribunals in heaven they said, "Why so ? Are not all who are in heaven inspired and led by God, and do they not therefore know what is just and right? What need then of judges ?" The elder replied, "In this world we are taught and learn what is good and true, -also what is just and equitable, the same as in the natural world , and these things we learn not immediately from God, but mediately through others; and every angel, like every man, thinks what is true and does what is good as if of himself, this being not pure but mixed, accord- ing to the state of the angel. Moreover, among angels some Vol. II. -46 242 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. are simple and some wise, and the wise must judge of what is just, while the simple from their simplicity and ignorance are in doubt about it or depart from it. [5] But as you are yet new in this world, follow me, if you would like to do so, into our city, and we will show you everything." And they left the auditorium, others of the elders also ac- companying them ; and first entered a large library, which was divided into smaller libraries, each devoted to a different branch of knowledge. The three new-comers, seeing so many books, were amazed, and said, " Are there books in this world also ?" Where do the parchment, paper, pens and ink come from?" The elders replied, "We perceive that in the former world you believed this world to be empty because it is spiritual; and this you believed because you cherished an idea of the spiritual as something abstract from the material ; and what is abstract from the material seemed to you like nothing, thus like a vacuum; and yet here is an abundance of all things. All things here are substantial, not material, and material things have their origin in the substantial. We who are here are spiritual men, because we are substantial and not material. For this reason all things that exist in the natural world exist here in their perfection, even books and writings and many other things." When the three new-comers heard the word substantial, they recognized the truth of the matter, both from seeing the writ- ten books and from hearing that matter originates in substance. To convince them still further, they were taken to the abodes of the writers who transcribed the writings of the wise men of the city; and they examined the writings and wondered at their neatness and elegance. [6] After this they were con- ducted to the museums, gymnasia, colleges, and places where they held their literary games, some called the games of the Heliconides, some of the Parnassides, some of the Athenseides, and some of the Virgins of the fountain. They said that the latter were so named because virgins signify affections for knowledges, according to which affections every one has intel- ligence. The so-called games were spiritual exercises and trials of skill. After this they were conducted about the city to the N. 694] MEMORABLE RELATION, THIRD 243 rulers, administrators, and their officers, and by these latter to the wonderful works which their workmen execute in a spirit- ual manner. [7] When these things had been seen, the elder again spoke to them about the eternal rest from labor, into which the blessed and happy enter after death. He said, "Eternal rest is not idleness, for idleness produces a languid, torpid, stupid, and sleepy state of the mind, and therefrom of the whole body ; and this is not life but death, still less is it the eternal life which the angels of heaven live. Eternal rest is therefore a rest that dispels that state and causes man to live ; thus it is nothing else than what elevates the mind ; and is some pursuit or work by which the mind is aroused, en- livened, and delighted ; and this is accomplished in the meas- ure of the use from which, and for which the mind labors. Because of this the whole heaven is regarded by the Lord as a containant of uses, and every angel is an angel in the meas- ure of his use. Delight in use bears him on as a favoring cur- rent does a ship, causing him to be in eternal peace and in the rest of peace. This is what is meant by eternal rest from labor. That an angel is alive in the measure of the applica- tion of his mind to use is very manifest from this, that every one has conjugial love with its vigor, potency, and delights, according to his application to the genuine use in which he is engaged." When the three new-comers had been convinced that eternal rest is not idleness, but the delight arising from some useful work, some virgins came and presented them with needlework and embroidery made with their own hands ; and as the new- comers were departing, the virgins sang an ode in which they expressed in angelic melody the affection for useful labor and its charms. 695. Fourth Memorable Relation : — At the present day most of those who believe in a life after death, also believe that in heaven their thoughts will be noth- ing but devotions, and their words nothing but prayers ; and that all these, together with the expressions of the face and the actions of the body, will be nothing but glorification of God, thus their houses will be houses of worship or sacred chapels, and they themselves will all be priests of God. But 244 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. I can affirm that the holy things of the church do not occupy the minds or homes of men there any more than in the world where God is worshiped, although worship there is purer and more interior ; while the various matters pertaining to civil prudence and to rational learning are to be found there in their excellence. [2] One day I was taken up to heaven, and was conducted to a certain society there, where the Sophi were who in ancient times excelled in learning because of their deep reflection and meditation upon such subjects as were both rational and use- ful, and who were now in heaven, because they had believed in God and now believed in the Lord, and loved their neigh- bor as themselves. Afterwards I was introduced into an as- sembly of these, and was there asked where I came from ; and I explained to them that in body I was in the natural world, but in spirit in their world. Hearing this, those angels were delighted, and asked, "In the world where you are in body what do they know and understand about influx ?" When I had recalled to mind what I had gathered on that subject from the discourses and writings of celebrated men, I replied, that as yet they knew nothing about any influx from the spiritual world into the natural, but only of the influx of nature into her subjects, as of the sun's heat and light into liv- ing bodies, and also into trees and shrubs, which are all there- by made to live ; and, on the other hand, of the influx of cold into the same objects, whereby they are deprived of life; and furthermore, of influx of light into the eye, from which comes sight, of sound into the ear, from which comes hearing, of odor into the nostrils, from which comes smell ; and so on. [3] As to anything beyond this, the learned of this age reason diversely about the influx of the soul into the body and of the body into the soul, and about this they are divided into three parties, one holding that there is an influx of the soul into the body, which they call occasional influx, because of its occurring whenever anything strikes the bodily senses; another, that there is an influx of the body into the soul, which they call physical in- flux, because the objects fall upon the bodily senses, and there- from upon the soul ; the third, that there is a simultaneous and N. 695] MEMORABLE RELATION, FOURTH 245 instantaneous influx into the body and soul together, which they call pre-established harmony. Nevertheless, each one thinks that the kind of influx he advocates takes place within nature. Some believe the soul to be a particle or drop of ether, some that it is a little ball or spark of light, and others that it is.some entity that hides itself in the brain. But this or that which they think the soul to be, while they indeed call it spir- itual, yet by spiritual they mean nothing more than a purer natural ; for they know nothing about the spiritual world, "or its influx into the natural; and therefore they remain within the sphere of nature. In this sphere they go up and down, and lift themselves up into it like eagles in the air ; and those who thus abide in nature are like the inhabitants of some island in the sea who are unaware that there is any land beyond their own, or are like fishes in a stream which do not know that there is air above their waters. When therefore they hear any mention made of a world distinct from their own, where an- gels and spirits dwell, and are told that all influx into men is from that world, as well as the interior influx into trees, they stand amazed as if they were listening to some visionary re- ports of ghosts, or to the nonsense of astrologers. [4] In the world where I am when in the body, with the exception of the philosophers, our people do not think about or mention any in- flux but that of wine into cups, of food and drink into the stom- ach, of taste into the tongue, and also, perhaps, of the influx of the air into the lungs, and so on ; and if they hear anything said about an influx of the spiritual world into the natural, they say, " Let it flow in if it will ; what advantage or use is there in knowing it ?" And they go away ; and if they afterwards speak about what they have heard respecting that influx, they play with it as some play with pebbles between their fingers. [5] Afterwards I talked with these angels about the wonder- ful effects that spring from the influx of the spiritual world into the natural, such as the turning of grubs into butterflies, and the wonders relating to bees and drones, and silk-worms, and also spiders ; and I said that the inhabitants of the earth attribute these things to the light and heat of the sun, thus to nature; and, what I have often wondered at, they confirm themselves by means of these in favor of nature, and by these 246 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. confirmations bring sleep and death upon their minds, and be- come atheists. I then related some wonderful things about plants, as that they all progress in proper order from seed to new seed again, just as if the earth knew how to conform and adapt its ele- ments to the prolific principle of the seed, and from this to bring forth the germ, to expand the germ into a stem, from this to send forth branches and clothe them with leaves, then to embellish them with flowers to form the interiors of the flowers to form the rudiments of the fruit and bring it forth, and through the fruit, in order that it may be born again, to produce seed like offspring. But because these things from being seen continually and from their yearly recurrence, have become familiar, usual, and common, men do not regard them as anything wonderful, but as mere effects of nature ; and they so think solely for the reason that they do not know that there is any spiritual world, and that it operates from within and actuates each and all things that come forth and take form in the world of nature and on the natural earth, operating as the human mind operates upon the senses and motions of the body; and that the particular things in nature are like tunics, sheaths, and clothing which engirdle spiritual things, and proxi- mately produce effects correspondent to the end designed by God the Creator. 696. Fifth Memorable Eelation :— I once prayed to the Lord for permission to talk with the disciples of Aristotle, also with the disciples of Descartes and Leibnitz, in order that I might learn their views of the Inter- course between the Soul and the Body. When I had ceased praying, nine men approached, three of them disciples of Aris- totle, three of Descartes, and three of Leibnitz ; and they stood round about me, — the adorers of Aristotle on my left, at my right the followers of Descartes, and behind me the adherents of Leibnitz. Far away and widely separated from each other there seemed to be three men crowned with laurel, and by a perception flowing in from heaven, I recognized them as those great leaders or teachers themselves ; while behind Leibnitz a man stood holding on to the skirt of his garment, who was said to be Wolff. N. 696] MEMORABLE RELATION, FIFTH 247 [2] When these nine men saw each other they at first salu- ted and spoke to each other in gentle tones. But just then a spirit with a torch in his right hand rose up from the lower regions, and waved the torch before their faces ; and thereupon the three parties became enemies, and looked at each other with fierce countenances ; for the lust of altercation and dis- pute seized them. The Aristotelians, who were also school- men, began by saying, "AVho does not see that objects flow in through the senses into the soul, as one passes through a door into a chamber, and that the soul thinks in accordance with that influx? When the lover sees the beautiful virgin or bride does not his eye sparkle and bear the love of her to his soul ? When a miser sees bags of money, is there not a burn- ing for them in all his senses and from these is not this order transferred to his soul, exciting the desire to possess them? When a vain man hears another praising him, does„ he not prick up his ears, and do not these transmit the praises to his soul? Are not the senses of the body like entrance-halls, through which alone there is ingress to the soul ? From these facts and innumerable others like them, who can draw any other conclusion than that influx is from nature, or is physi- cal?" [3] To these remarks the followers of Descartes, holding their fingers to their foreheads a while and then withdrawing them, replied by saying, "Alas you speak from appearances; do you not know that it is not the eye but the soul that loves the virgin or bride; and likewise that the senses of the body do not desii'e the money in the bags from themselves, but from the soul; and again, not otherwise do the ears drink in the praise of flatterers ? Is not perception the cause of sen- sation ? And perception belongs to the soul, not to the organ. Tell us, if you can, what is it but the thought that causes the tongue and lips to speak? And what is it but the will that causes the hand to work ? Yet thought and will belong to the soul. So what is it but the soul that causes the eye to see, the ear to hear, and the other organs to feel, to attend to objects and turn toward them? From these facts and innumerable others like them any one who is wise above the sensual things of the body concludes that influx is not from the body into the 248 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII soul, but from the soul into the body; this we call occasional and also spiritual influx." [4] On hearing this the three men who stood behind the former triads and who were adherents of Leibnitz, raised their voice and said, "We have heard the arguments of both sides and have compared them, and have perceived that in many re- spects the last arguments are the stronger, while in many other respects the first are the stronger. Therefore, with your per- mission we will settle the dispute." When asked how they would do this, they said, "There is no influx of the soul into the body, nor of the body into the soul, but there is a unanimous and instantaneous operation of the two together, which a celebrated author has designated by the beautiful term, pre-established harmony." [5] After all this the spirit again appeared with the torch in his h^nd, but this time in his left hand, and he waved the torch at the backs of their heads, whereby the ideas of all of them became confused, and they cried out, " Neither our souls nor our bodies know what side we should take ; therefore let us decide the dispute by lot; we will adopt whichever comes out first." And they took three pieces of paper, on one of which they wrote the words, Physical influx; on the second, Spiritual In- flux ; and on the third, Pre-established Harmony. They put the three papers in a cap, and chose one of their number to draw. He put his hand into the cap and, drew out the paper on which was written, Spiritual Influx. When they saw this and read it, they all said, — some speaking in a clear and flow- ing and some in a faint and restrained tone, "We adopt that, because it came out first." But then an angel suddenly stood near and said, "Do not think that the paper that was for Spiritual Influx came out by chance ; it came providentially ; for you, with your confused ideas do not see its truth ; but the truth offered itself to the hand of him who drew the lot, in order that you might adopt it." 697. Sixth Memorable Relation : — I once saw not far from me a meteoric display. I saw a cloud divided into little clouds, some of which were blue, and some dark ; and I saw them dashing against each other as it N. 697] MEMORABLE RELATION, SIXTH 249 were, with rays of light glittering in streaks across them ; which at one time appeared sharp like pointed swords, and again blunt like broken swords, now the streaks would shoot out at each other, and again they withdrew into themselves, exactly like combatants. In this way those differently -colored clouds seemed to be fighting with each other, but it was only play. As this display did not seem to be far from me, I raised my eyes and looked at it carefully, and beheld boys, young men, and old men entering into a house built of marble on a foundation of porphyry. The phenomenon was over this house. I then spoke to one of those who were entering, and asked him what was there. He replied, "It is a gymnasium, where youths are initiated into various matters pertaining to wisdom." [2] Hearing this, I entered with them. I was in the spirit, that is, in a state like that of the inhabitants of the spiritual world, who are called angels and spirits. And behold, in the gymnasium opposite the entrance was a desk, in the center were benches, round about the sides were seats, and over the entrance was an orchestra. The desk was for the youths who were to give answers to the problem to be proposed on that oc- casion ; the benches were for the auditors, the seats at the sides for those who had answered wisely on former occasions, and the orchestra for older men, who were to be arbiters and judges. In the center of the orchestra was a pulpit, where a wise man, whom they called the head teacher was sitting, who proposed the problems to which the youths gave answer from the desk. When they had assembled, the man arose in the pulpit and said, "Now please to answer this problem, and solve it if you can, Wliat is the soul, and what is its nature?" [3] All were amazed when they heard this, and murmured at it; and some of those seated on the benches exclaimed, "What man, even from the Saturnian age to our own, has been able by any rational thought to see and fully comprehend what the soul is, still less what the nature of- it is ? Is not this question above the sphere of the understanding of all men ?" But to this those in the orchestra replied, " The question is not above the understanding, but in and before it; only an- swer it." 250 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. And the youths who had been chosen for that day arose and went up to the desk and answered the problem. There were five of these who had been examined by the elders and found endowed with much sagacity, and who were then sitting on sofas near the desk, and who afterward went up to the desk in the order in which they sat. Each one as he went up put on a silk tunic of an opalic color, and over it a gown of fine wool inwoven with flowers, and also a cap, on the top of which was a rosette encircled by small sapphires. I saw the first one go up so clothed, and he said, "What the soul is and what its nature is, has not been revealed to any man since the day of creation ; it is hidden in the treasure- house of God alone. But this much has been disclosed, that the soul has her seat in man like a queen ; but where her court is, learned masters have but guessed; some, that it is in the small tubercle between the cerebrum and the cerebellum, which is called the pineal gland ; in this they have fixed the seat of the soul because the whole man is governed from those two brains, and that tubercle regulates them ; therefore, this, which regulates the brain at will, also regulates the entire man from head to foot. And this," he continued, "seemed therefore to be the truth or the probability to many in the world ; but after their time it was rejected as a mere invention." [5] When he had so spoken he put off the gown, tunic, and cap, and the second of those chosen put them on and entered the desk. His statement respecting the soul was that through- out all heaven and all the world it is not known what the soul is, or what its nature is. " This much," he said, " is known, that there is a soul and that it is in man, but where it is, is a mat- ter of conjecture. This is certain, that it is in the head, for there the understanding thinks, and there the will intends, and in the fore-part of the head, that is, in the face, are man's five sensories ; and the only source of life to all these is the soul which has its seat within the head. But where its court there is, I dare not say. Sometimes I agree with those who have as- signed it a seat in the three ventricles of the brain, sometimes with those who assign it a seat in the copora-striata, sometimes with those who locate it in the medullary substance of both brains, or again with those who say it resides in the cortical N. 697] MEMORABLE RELATION, SIXTH 251 substance, or with those who say it is in the dura mater; for evidences have not been lacking in favor of each of these lo- cations; in favor of the three ventricles on the ground that these are the receptacles of the animal spirits and the differ- ent kinds of lymph belonging to the brain ; in favor of the cor- pora striata on the ground that they form the marrow through which the nerves go forth, and through which both brains are continued into the spinal column, and from this column and this substances the fibers emanate from which the whole body is woven ; in favor of the medullary substance of both brains on the ground that this substance is a collection and mass of all the fibers that go to form the rudiments of the entire man ; in favor of the cortical substance on the ground that first and last ends reside there, and therefore the beginning of all fi- bers, and thus of all sense and motions ; in favor of the dura mater, on the ground that it is the common covering of both brains, and extends itself therefrom, by a kind of continuity, over the heart and over the viscera of the body. As for my- self, I do not decide in favor of one more than another. Do you decide, I beg of you, and choose which you prefer." [6] When he had said this he came down from the desk and handed the tunic, gown, and cap to the third, who stepped up to the desk and spoke as follows, " What has a youth like me to do with so sublime a problem ? I appeal to the learned men sitting here beside me, I appeal to you wise men in the orches- tra ; I appeal even to the angels of the highest heaven, whether any one from his own rational light can acquire for himself any idea respecting the soul. But respecting its seat in man, I can like others form. conjectures; and my conjecture is that it has its seat in the heart, and therefrom in the blood. And this is my conjecture, because the heart by its blood rules both the body and the head; for it sends forth the great vessel called the aorta throughout the whole body, and the vessels called the carotid arteries into all parts of the head. There- fore it is universally agreed that the soul, from the heart through the blood, sustains, nourishes, and vivifies the whole organic system of both the body and the head. Its adds cre- dence to this assertion, that soul and heart are so frequently mentioned in Sacred Scripture, as, 252 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. That thou shalt love God with the whole soul and the whole heart, and that God creates in man a new soul and a new heart (Deut. vi. 5 ; x. 12 ; xi. 13 ; xxvi. 16 ; Jer. xxxii. 41 ; Matt. xxii. 37 ; Mark xii. 30, 33 ; Luke x. 27 ; and elsewhere). It is also openly stated that the blood is the soul of the flesh (Lev. xvii. 11, 14)." Some when they heard these remarks, cried out, " Learned, Learned !" These were of the canonical order. [T] Then the fourth, having put on the vestments of the pre- ceding speaker, stepped to the desk and said, " I too suspect that there is no man of so acute and cultivated a genius as to be able to see clearly what the soul is, and what its nature is ; and I am therefore of the opinion that the acuteness of any one who wished to pry into this subject will be exhausted with- out result. Nevertheless, from my boyhood I have held stead- fastly to the belief of the ancients, that man's soul resides in the whole of him and in every part of this whole, and thus both in the head and each part of it, and in the body and each part of it ; and that it is a useless invention of the moderns to assign it. a seat in any one place, and not everywhere. More- over, the soul is a spiritual substance, of which neither exten- sion nor place can be predicated, but only habitation and im- pletion. Furthermore, does not every one mean the life, when he says the soul ? Does not the life reside in the whole and in every part ?" Many of the audience favored these remarks. [8] After him the fifth arose and having put on the same vestments, he spoke from the desk as follows, " I will not stop to inquire where the soul is, whether in some part of the body or everywhere in the whole ; but from my own store and larder I will open my mind respecting what the soul is and what is its nature. No one thinks of the soul except as a pure some- thing which may be likened to ether or air or wind, in which there is a vital element arising from rationality, which man possesses in higher degree than the beasts. This opinion I have based upon the fact that when a man dies he is said to breath out his soul or give up the ghost, and therefore the soul as it lives after death is believed to be such a breath having in it a cogitative life that is called the soul. What else can the soul be ? But as I have heard some of those in the orchestra N. 697] MEMORABLE RELATION, SIXTH 253 saying that the problem respecting the soul, what it is, and the nature of it, is not above the understanding, but in it and before it, I ask and pray that they themselves will open to us this eternal mystery." [9] The elders in the orchestra then looked at the head teacher who had proposed that problem, and he understood by their nods that they wished him to descend and instruct them. And he at once descended from the pulpit, crossed the audi- torium, and went into the desk ; and there stretching forth his hand he said, " Listen, I pray. Who does not believe that the soul is man's inmost and finest essence ? Yet what is an essence without a form but a mere figment of the reason? The soul is therefore a form, but what kind of a form shall be explained. It is the form of all things of love and all things of wisdom; all things of love are called affections, and all things of wisdom are called perceptions. These perceptions from their affections and with them constitute one form in which are innumerable things in such an order, series, and co- herence and that they may be called a unit; and they may be called a unit because if it is to be such nothing can be tak3n from it or added to it. What is the human soul but such a form ? Are not all things of love and all things of wisdom the essentials of that form ? And in man these are in the soul, and from the soul in the head and body. [lO] You are called spirits and angels ; and in the world you believed spir- its and angels to be like wind or ether, and thus to be minds or dispositions; but now you see clearly that you are truly, really, and actually men, who in the world thought and lived in a material body ; and you knew that it was not the mate- rial body that lives and thinks, but the spiritual substance in that body ; and this you called the soul, although of its form you had no knowledge, and yet you have now seen it and still see it. All of you are souls, respecting the immortality of which you have heard, thought, spoken, and written so much; and being forms of love and wisdom from God, you can never die. Thus the soul is a human form, from which not an iota can be taken away, and to which not an iota can be added ; and it is the inmost form of all the forms of the entire body And as exterior forms receive both essence and 254 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XII. form from the inmost form, so you, as you appear to your- selves and to us, are souls. In a word the soul is the man himself, because it is the inmost man; and therefore its form is fully and completely the human form. Yet it is not life, but the nearest receptacle of life from God, and thus God's dwelling-place." [11] Many applauded these remarks : but some said, " We will think about it." I then went home. And behold, in the place of the former meteoric display there appeared over the gymnasium a bright cloud, without any contending streaks or rays. This cloud penetrated the roof and brightened the walls ; and I heard that they saw writings, among other things this : — And Jehovah God formed man, and breathed into man's nostrils the breath of lives ; and man became a living soul (Gen. ii. 7). N. 698] THE HOLY SUPPER 255 CHAPTER XIII. THE HOLY SUPPER. I. WITHOUT SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE CORRESPONDENCES OF NATURAL WITH SPIRITUAL THINGS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT THE USES AND BENEFITS OF THE HOLY SUPPER ARE. 698. This has been partially explained in the chapter on Baptism, where it was shown that without a knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word it cannot be known what the two sacraments, baptism and the holy supper, involve and effect (see n. 667-669). It is now said, without some knowledge of the correspondences of natural with spiritual things, which is the same thing, since by means of correspondences the natural sense of the Word is changed into a spiritual sense in heaven ; and because of this these two senses are mutually correspond- ent ; therefore he who has a knowledge of correspondences is able to understand the spiritual sense. But what correspond- ences are, and the nature of them, can be seen in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture from beginning to end; also in the explanation of the Decalogue from the first to the last com- mandment, and particularly in the Apocalypse, Revealed. 699. What true Christian does not acknowledge that these two sacraments are holy, and in Christendom are even the most holy things of worship ? But who knows wherein their holiness resides, or whence it is ? In the institution of the holy supper all that is known from the natural sense is that the flesh of Christ is given to eat, and His blood to drink, and that the bread and wine stand for these. From this who can think otherwise than that it is holy merely because it is com- manded by the Lord ? Therefore the most sagacious men in the church have taught that the element becomes a sacra- ment when the Word is added to it [in the service]. But as such a source of holiness does not satisfy the understanding, and there is no evidence of it in the element or symbols, but 256 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XH1 is only a matter of memory, so the sacrament is observed by some from a confidence that by means of it their sins are for- given, by others because they believe it sanctifies, by others because it strengthens their faith, and thus promotes salva- tion; while those who think lightly of it, come to it simply because they have been accustomed to do so from childhood ; and others neglect it because they see no reason in it. But the impious turn away from it, saying to themselves, "What is it but a ceremony stamped with holiness by the clergy ? For what is there in it but bread and wine ? And what is it but a fiction that the body of Christ which hung upon the cross, and His blood which was then poured out, are distributed to the communicants along with the bread and wine ?" And so on. 700. Such ideas respecting this most holy sacrament are at this day cherished throughout all Christendom, solely because they are in accord with the sense of the letter of the Word; while the spiritual sense in which alone the use and benefit of the holy supper are seen in their truth, has been hitherto hidden,, not having been disclosed until the present time. The reason why this sense is now for the first time disclosed, is that heretofore Christianity has existed only in name, except- ing some shadow of it in a few individuals; for heretofore men have not directly approached and worshiped the Saviour Himself as the one only God in whom is the Divine Trinity, but only mediately, and this is not approaching and worship- ing but merely venerating Him as the cause of man's salva- tion, not regarding Him, however, as the essential cause, but as the mediate cause which is beneath and exterior to the essential cause. But now, because real Christianity is begin- ning to dawn, and a New Church meant by the New Jerusa- lem in the Apocalypse, is now being established by the Lord, wherein God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are acknowl- edged as one, because in one Person, it has pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, to enable this church to enter into the real use and benefit of these sacraments, bap- tism and the holy supper; and this is done when men, with the eyes of the spirit, that is, with the understanding see the holiness that is concealed within them, and apply it to them- selves by the means which the Lord has taught in His Word. N. 701] THE HOLY SUPPER 257 701. Without the opened spiritual sense of the Word, or what is the same, without a revelation of the correspondence of natural with spiritual things, the holiness of the sacrament here treated of can no more be interiorly recognized than the existence of a treasure hidden in a field. Such a field is no more highly valued than any common field; but when it is dis- covered that there is a treasure in it, the field is valued at a great price, and the purchaser enriches himself from it ; still more must it be so when it is known to contain a treasure more precious than all gold. [2] Without the spiritual sense this sacrament is like a closed house full of jewels and treasures that is passed by like any other house on the street, except that the gaze of those passing is attracted to it, to view it and praise it and estimate its value, because the clergy have built its walls of marble and covered its roof with plates of gold. It is otherwise when the house has been opened, and every one is given leave to enter, and from it the custodian supplies to some a loan, and to others presents a gift, to each according to his rank. It is said, a gift from it, because the valuables there are inexhaustible, and are continually supplied. This is true of the Word with its spiritual contents, and the sacraments with their celestial contents. [3] The sacrament here treated of, without a revelation of its holiness, which lies concealed within it, appears like the sand of a river containing scarcely visible grains of gold in great abundance; but when its holi- ness has been revealed, it is like the gold collected from the sand, melted into a mass, and wrought into beautiful forms. This sacrament, when its holiness has not been disclosed and seen, is like a box or casket made of beech or poplar, contain- ing diamonds, rubies, and many other precious stones, arranged in order in compartments. Who does not value such a box or casket, when he knows that such things are concealed within it, and still more when they are seen and are offered for free distribution ? This sacrament, when its correspondences with heaven are not revealed, and the heavenly things to which it corresponds are not seen, is like an angel appearing in the world in common clothing, who is honored only according to his clothing ; but it is wholly different when he is known to be an angel, and what is angelic is heard from his lips, and mar- Vol. H.— 17 258 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. vellous things are seen in his deeds. [4] The difference be- tween a holiness that is merely declared to belong to anything and a holiness that is seen, may be illustrated by an instance which was seen and heard in the spiritual world. An epistle written by Paul while he dwelt in the world, but not pub- lished, was read, no one knowing that it was by Paul. The hearers at first thought little of it ; but when it was discovered to be one of Paul's epistles, it was received with joy, and each and everything in it was adored. This makes clear how the mere attribution of holiness to the Word and the sacraments, when made by the higher orders of the clergy, does indeed give them a stamp of holiness ; but it is quite different when the holiness itself is disclosed, and presented visibly to the eye, which is done by a revelation of the the spiritual sense. When this is done the external holiness becomes internal, and the attribution of holiness becomes an acknowledgment of it. It is the same with the holiness of the sacrament of the Lord's supper. II. 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 DI- VINE TRUTH OF HIS WISDOM, ALSO ALL TRUTH OF FAITH; AND EATING MEANS APPROPRIATION. 702. As the spiritual sense of the Word has at this day been disclosed, and together with it correspondences (because they mediate between the two senses) I will merely present some passages from the Word, from which it can be clearly seen what is meant by the flesh and the blood, as also by the bread and the wine in the holy supper. But before this the institution itself of this sacrament by the Lord, and His doc- trine concerning His flesh and blood, and the bread and the wine, shall be set forth. N. 703] THE HOLY SUPPER 259 703. The Institution of the Holy Supper by the Lord: — Jesus kept the passover with His disciples ; and when evening had come He sat down with them. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed, and brake, and gave to His disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is My body. And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you ; this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many (Matt. xxvi. 26-28 ; Mark xiv. 22-24 ; Luke xxii. 19, 20). The Lord's Doctrine respecting His Flesh and Blood, and the Bread and Wine : — Work not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which abid- eth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, it was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven, but My Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven ; for the bread of God is He that cometh clown out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the bread of life ; he that cometh to Me shall not hun- ger, and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst. I am the bread which came down out of heaven. Verily, verily, I say unto you He that believ- eth in Me hath eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that one may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven ; if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever ; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day ; for My flesh is truly meat, and My blood is truly drink. He that eateth My flesh and drink- eth My blood abideth in Me and I in him (John vi. 27-56). 704. Any one enlightened from heaven can perceive in him- self that flesh and blood in the above passages do not mean flesh and blood, but that in the natural sense they both mean the passion of the cross, which they were to remember. There- fore, when 'the Lord instituted this supper of the last Jewish and the first Christian passover, He said : — This do in remembrance of Me (Luke xxii. 19 ; 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25). It may likewise be seen that the bread and wine do not mean bread and wine, but in the natural sense they have the same meaning as flesh and blood, that is to say, the passion of His cross, for it is written : — Jesus brake the bread and gave to the disciples, and said, This is My body. And He took the cup and gave to them, saying, This is My blood (Matt. xxvi. 26-28 ; Mark xiv. 22-24 ; Luke xxii. 19, 20). 260 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. Therefore also the passion of the cross is called a cup {Matt. xxvi. 39, 42, 44; Mark xiv. 36; John xviii. 11). 705. That these four, flesh, blood, bread, and wine, mean the spiritual and celestial things that correspond to them, can be seen from the passages in the "Word where they are men- tioned. That "flesh" means in the Word what is spiritual and celestial can be seen from the following passages : — Come and be gathered together unto the supper of the great God ; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders of thousands, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great (Apoc. xix. 17, 18). And in Ezekiel: — Gather yourselves from every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the strong, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth ; and ye shall eat fat to satiety, and drink blood even to drunkenness, of My sacrifice ; and ye shall be satis- fied at my table with horse and with chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war ; and I will set My glory among the heathen (xxxix. 17-21). WTio does not see that in these passages "flesh" and "blood" do not mean flesh and blood, but the spiritual and celestial things which correspond to them ? Otherwise, what would these statements be; that they should eat the flesh of kings, commanders of thousands, mighty men, and horses, and of those that sat on them, and that they should be satisfied at the table with horses, chariots, mighty men and all men of war, and that they should drink the blood of the princes of the earth, and should drink blood even to drunkenness, but un- meaning and strange expressions ? That these words are ap- plied to the holy supper of the Lord is very clear, for the sup- per of the great God is mentioned, and also the great sacrifice. As all spiritual and celestial things have relation solely to good and truth, it follows that "flesh" means the good of charity, and "blood" the truth of faith, and in the highest sense, the Lord in respect to the Divine good of love and the Divine truth of wisdom. "Mesh" also means spiritual good in the following passage in Ezekiel: — N. 705] THE HOLY SUPPER 261 I will give them one heart, and I will give a new spirit in the midst of you ; and I will take away the heart of stone out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh (xi. 19 ; xxvi. 26). In the Word "heart" signifies love; therefore "a heart of flesh" signifies a love of good. That "flesh and blood" mean good and truth, both spiritual, is still further evident from the signification of " bread and wine" in what now follows ; for the Lord says that His flesh is bread, and that His blood is the wine that was drunk from the cup. 706. The Lord's "blood" means His Divine truth and the truth of the Word, because His " flesh," spiritually understood, means the Divine good of love, and in Him these two are united. It is known that the Lord is the Word, and there are two things to which everything in the Word has relation, — Divine good and Divine truth, if therefore, instead of "the Lord" we say "the Word," it is clear that these two are meant by His flesh and blood. That "blood" means the Lord's Divine truth or the truth of the Word is evident from many passages, as, for example, where blood is called " the blood of the covenant," " covenant" meaning conjunction, which is effected by the Lord by means of His Divine truth; as in Zechariah: — By the Mood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit (ix. 11). And in Moses : — When Moses had read the book of the law in the ears of the people, he sprinkled half of the blood upon the people and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath concluded with you upon all these words (Ex. xxiv. 3-8). And Jesus took the cup and gave to them, saying, This is My blood of the new covenant (Matt. xxvi. 27, 28 ; Mark xiv. 24 ; Luke xxii. 20). [2] By the blood of the new covenant or testament nothing is meant but the Word, (which is called the covenant or testa- ment, old and new), thus Divine truth in the Word. As this is the significance of "blood," the Lord gave. His disciples the wine, saying, "This is My blood," "wine" signifying Divine truth, and therefore wine is called : — The blood of grapes (Gen. xlix. 11 ; Deut. xxxii. 14). This is still further evident from the Lord's words : — 262 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you ; for My flesh is truly meat, and My blood is truly drink. He that eateth My flesh and drink- eth My blood abide th in Me and I in him (John vi. 53-58). That " blood" here means the Divine truth of the Word, is very- manifest, for it is said, that he who drinks it hath life in him- self, and abideth in the Lord and the Lord in him ; that this is effected by Divine truth and a life according to it, and that the holy supper confirms it, may be known in the church. [3] As " blood" signifies the Lord's Divine truth, which is also the Divine truth of the Word, (and this is the real covenant or testament, old and new), therefore among the children of Israel blood was the holiest representative of their church, wherein each thing and all things were correspondences of natural with spiritual things. For example : — They were to take of the paschal blood and put it on the two side-posts and on the upper door-posts of the houses, lest the plague should come upon them (Ex. xii. 7, 13, 22). And the blood of the burnt-offering was to be sprinkled upon the altar, on the bottom of it; on Aaron and his sons, and on their garments (Ex. xxix. 12, 16, 20, 21 ; Lev. i. 5, 11, 15 ; hi. 2, 8, 13 ; iv. 25, 30, 34 ; viii. 15, 24 ; xvii. 6 ; Num. xviii. 17 ; Deut. xii. 27). Also on the veil over the ark, on the mercy-seat there, and on the horns of the altar of incense (Lev. iv. 6, 7, 17, 18 ; xvi. 12-15). In the Apocalypse the blood of the Lamb has a similar sig- nificance : — These have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (vii. 14). Also in this passage : — There was war in heaven ; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon ; and they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of their testimony (xii. 7, 11). [4] For it cannot be imagined that Michael and his angels overcame the dragon by any other means than the Lord's Di- vine truth in the Word, for the angels of heaven cannot think of any kind of blood, nor do they think of the Lord's passion, but only of Divine truth and of the Lord's resurrection. So when man thinks of the Lord's blood, the angels have a per- ception of the Divine truth of His Word ; and when men think R 706] THE HOLY SUPPER 263 of the Lord's passion, they hare a perception of His glorifica- tion, and then of His resurrection only. This I have been per- mitted to learn from much experience. [5] That " blood" sig- nifies Divine truth is clear also from the following passages in David : — God shall save the souls of the needy, and precious shall their blood be in His eyes ; and they shall live, and He will give them of the gold of Sheba (Ps. lxxii. 13-16); " blood precious in the eyes of God" meaning the Divine truth in them ; and " the gold of Sheba" wisdom therefrom. And in Ezekiel : — Gather yourselves to the great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood ; ye shall drink the blood of the princes of the earth, and ye shall drink blood even to drunkenness, and I will set My glory among the heathen (xxxix. 17-21). This treats of the church which the Lord was about to estab- lish among the nations. That " blood" here cannot mean blood, but the truth from the Word which they had may be seen just above. 707. That " bread" and " flesh" have a like meaning is very clear from the Lord's words : — Jesus took bread and brake, and gave saying, This is My body (Matt. xxvi. 26 ; Mark xiv. 22 ; Luke xxii. 19). And again : — The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (John vi. 51). And He also says : — That He is the bread of life, and that if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever (John vi. 48, 51, 58). It is this bread also that is meant by the sacrifices that are called bread in the following passages : — The priest shall burn it upon the altar ; it is the bread of the offering made by fire unto Jehovah (Lev. iii. 11, 16). The sons of Aaron shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God. for the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer. Thou shalt sanctify him, for he offereth the bread of thy God. No man of the seed of Aaron in which there shall have been a blemish, shall come nigh to offer the bread of his God (Lev. xxi. 6, 8, 17, 21). 264 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering and My bread for sacrifices made by fire, for an odor of rest, shall ye observe to offer unto Me in their due season (Num. xxviii. 2). He that hath touched an unclean thing shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water ; afterward he shalt eat of the holy things, because this is his bread (Lev. xxii. 6, 7). To eat of the holy things was to eat of the flesh of the sacri- fices, which is here called "bread," as well as in Malachi (i. 7). The " meal-offerings" used in the sacrifices, which were of tine wheaten flour, and were therefore bread, had the same signifi- cation (Lev. ii. 1—11; vi. 14-21; vii. 9-13, and elsewhere); also the bread on the table in the tabernacle, which was called " the bread of faces" or " shew-bread" (of which in Ex. xxv. 30 ; xl. 23 ; Lev. xxiv. 5-9). That " bread" in the Word means heavenly bread, not natural bread, is evident from the follow- ing passages : — Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live (Deut. viii. 3). I will send a famine into the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah (Amos viii. 11). Moreover, " bread" means all food (Lev. xxiv. 5-9 ; Ex. xxv. 30; xl. 23; Num. iv. 7; 1 Kings vii. 48). That it also means spiritual food is plain from these words of the Lord : — Work not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you (John vi. 27). 708. That " wine" and " blood" have a like meaning is very evident from the Lord's words : — Jesus took the cup, saying, This is My blood (Matt. xxvi. ; Mark xiv. ; Luke xxii.). Also from the following : — He washeth His garment in wine, and His covering in the blood of grapes (Gen. xlix. 11). This refers to the Lord. Jehovah of Hosts shall make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees [or sweet wine] (Isa. xxv. 6). This refers to the sacrament of the holy supper to be institu- ted by the Lord. In the same : — Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no silver come, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine without silver (lv. 1). N. 708] THE HOLY SUPPER 265 " The fruit of the vine " which they were to drink new in the kingdom of heaven {Matt, xxvi. 29; Mark.xiv. 25; Luke xxii. 17, 18), means no other than the truth of the New Church and of heaven. For this reason the church in many places in the Word is called a vineyard (as in Isa. v. 1-4; Matt. xx. 1-13) ; and the Lord calls Himself " the true vine,*' and men who are engrafted into Him, " the branches" (John xv. 1, 6) ; as also in other passages. 709. From all this it can now be seen what is meant in a threefold sense, natural, spiritual, and celestial, by the Lord's flesh and blood, also by bread and wine. Every man in Chris- tendom imbued with religion may know, and if he does not know may learn, that there is natural nourishment and spir- itual nourishment, and that natural nourishment is for the body, and spiritual nourishment is for the soul ; for Jehovah the Lord says in Moses: — Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live (Deut. viii. 3). And as the body dies and the soul lives after death, it follows that spiritual nourishment is for eternal salvation. Who can- not see from this that these two kinds of nourishment ought by no means to be confounded, and that if any one does con- found them, he must needs adopt natural and sensual ideas, which are material, corporeal, and carnal, respecting the Lord's flesh and blood, and the bread and wine, which ideas suffocate spiritual ideas respecting this most holy sacrament ? But if any one is so simple as to be unable to think from his under- standing of anything except what he sees with the eye, I ad- vise him, when he takes the bread and wine and hears them called the Lord's flesh and blood, to think within himself of the holy supper as the holiest thing of worship, and to call to mind Christ's passion, and His love for man's salvation; for He says : — This do in remembrance of Me (Luke xxii. 19). Also, The Son of man came to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. xx. 28; Mark x. 45). I lay down My life for the sheep (John x. 15, 17 ; xv. 13). 266 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XHI. 710. This too may be illustrated by comparisons. Who does not remember and love the man who, from the zeal of love for his country, fights with her enemies even unto death, that he may thereby deliver her from the yoke of servitude ? And who does not remember and love the man who, when he sees his fellow-citizens in extreme want, with death from grievous famine staring them in the face, out of pity brings forth all his gold and silver from his house and distributes it freely ? And who does not remember and love the man who, out of love and friendship, takes the only lamb he possesses, kills it, and sets it before his guests ? And so on. III. 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. 711. It has been shown in the preceding section that the Lord Himself is in the holy supper, and that flesh and blood are the Lord in respect to the Divine good of love, and blood and wine are the Lord in respect to the Divine truth of wis- dom. Therefore the holy supper involves three things, name- ly, the Lord, His Divine good, and His Divine truth. Since, therefore, the holy supper includes and contains these three, it follows that it also includes and contains the universals of heaven and the church. And as all particulars depend on universals as contents on their containants, it also follows that the holy supper includes and contains all the particulars of heaven and the church. From all this it is clear, for the first time, that as the Lord's flesh and blood, and in like man- ner the bread and wine, mean Divine good and Divine truth, both from the Lord and both being the Lord, so the holy sup- per contains all things of heaven and the church, both in gen- eral and in particular. N. 712] THE HOLY SUPPER 267 712. It is also known that there are three essentials of the church, God, charity, and faith, and that all things in the church have relation to these three as their universals. These are identical with the three named above, since in the holy supper God is the Lord, charity is the Divine good, and faith the Divine truth. What is charity but the good that man does from the Lord ? And what is faith but the truth that man be- lieves from the Lord ? And this is why there are three things in man in respect to his internal, namely, soul, or mind, will, and understanding. These three are the receptacles of the three universals ; the soul itself, or the mind, is the receptacle of the Lord, for it lives therefrom ; the will is the receptacle of love or good ; and the understanding is the receptacle of wisdom or truth. Thus each thing and all things in the soul or mind, not only have relation to the three universals of heaven and the church, but they go forth from them. Mention anything that goes forth from man that does not contain mind, will and understanding. If any one of these were taken away, would man be anything more than any inanimate thing? Likewise there are in man's external three things, to which each thing and all things have relation, and upon which they depend, namely, the body, the heart, and the lungs. And these three things of the body correspond to the three of the mind, the heart corresponding to the will, and the lungs or respiration to the understanding. That there is such a correspondence has been fully shown in former treatises. Thus then have each and all things in man been so formed, both universally and particularly, as to be receptacles of the three universals of heaven and the church. This is because man was created an image and likeness of God, and he was so created in order that he might be in the Lord and the Lord in him. 713. On the other hand there are three universals opposite to these, namely, the devil, evil, and falsity. The devil (which means hell) is directly opposite to the Lord, evil is directly opposite to good, and falsity to truth. These three make one, for where the devil is there also are evil and falsity therefrom. These three also contain both universally and particularly all things of hell as well as all things of the world which are con- trary to heaven and the church. As these are opposites they 268 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIH. are therefore entirely separate, and yet are retained in con- nection by a "wonderful subordination of all hell to heaven, of evil to good, and of falsity to truth, which subordination is treated of in the work on Heaven and Hell. 714. That particulars may be retained in their order and connection, it is necessary that there should be universals from which they spring and in which they rest; and it is also ne- cessary that particulars should in a certain image answer to their universals, otherwise the whole would perish together with its parts. This relation has caused all things in the uni- verse to be preserved in their integrity, from the first day of creation until now, and to still continue. That all things hi the universe have relation to good and truth is well known. This is because all things were created by God from the Divine good of love by means of the Divine truth of wisdom. Take anything you please, an animal, a shrub or a stone, and you will find these three most universal principles inscribed upon them in a kind of relationship. 715. As the Divine good and the Divine truth are the most universal of all things of heaven and the church, so Melchiz- edek, who represented the Lord, brought forth bread and wine to Abram, and blessed him. Respecting Melchizedek, it is written : — Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth for Abram bread and wine ; and he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him {Gen. xiv. 18, 19). That Melchizedek represented the Lord, is evident from these words in David : — ■ Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. ex. 4). That this was said of the Lord may be seen in Heb. v. 5-10; vi. 20 ; vii. 1, 10, 11, 15, 17, 21. He brought forth bread and wine, because those two include all things pertaining to hea- ven and the church, thus all things of blessing, the same as the bread and the wine in the holy supper. N. 716] THE HOLY SUPPER 269 IV. IN THE HOLY SUPPER THE LORD IS WHOLLY PRESENT WITH THE WHOLE OP HIS REDEMPTION. 716. It is evident from the Lord's very words that He is wholly present in the holy supper, in respect both to His glorified Human and the Divine from which the Human pro- ceeded. That His Human is present in the holy supper is clear from the following : — Jesus took bread and brake, and gave to the disciples and said, This is My body ; and He took the cup and gave them, saying, This is My blood (Matt. xxvi. 26-28 ; Mark xiv. 22-24 ; Luke xxii. 19, 20). And in John : — I am the bread of life ; if any one eat of this bread, he shall live for ever ; and the bread that I will give is My flesh. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and abideth in Me and I in him (John vi. 51, 56). From these words it is plainly evident that the Lord in re- spect to His glorified Human is in the holy supper. That He is also wholly present in it in respect to His Divine from which the Human proceeded, is evident from the statement, That He is the bread that cometh down out of heaven (John vi. 51). He came down out of heaven with the Divine, for it is writ- ten:— The Word was with God, and God was the Word ; all things were made by Him and the Word was made flesh (John i. 1, 3, 14). And further, That He and the Father are one (John x. 30). That all things belonging to the Father are His (John iii. 35 ; xvi. 15). That He is in the Father and the Father in Him (John xiv. 10, 11); (and so forth). Moreover, His Divine can no more be separated from His Hu- man than the soul can be separated from the body ; so when it is said that the Lord in respect to His Human is wholly pres- ent in the holy supper, it follows that His Divine from which was the Human is there along with it. Since then, His " flesh" signifies the Divine good of His love, and His " blood" the Di- vine truth of His wisdom, it is clear that the whole of the Lord is omnipresent in the holy supper in respect both to His 270 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIH. Diviue and to His glorified Human; consequently that the holy supper is a spiritual eating. 717. That the whole of the Lord's redemption is in the holy supper follows from what has already been said, since where the Lord is wholly present there also is His whole redemp- tion; for it is in respect to His Human that He is the Re- deemer, and thus also redemption itself. Where He is wholly present no part of redemption can be absent, consequently all who approach the holy communion worthily become His redeemed. And as redemption means deliverance from hell, conjunction with the Lord, and salvation (respecting which see further on in this chapter, and more fully in the chapter on Redemption), so these fruits are ascribed to man, not to the extent that the Lord wills (for from His Divine love He wishes to ascribe all things to man), but to the extent that man receives; and he that receives is redeemed in the degree in which he receives. From all this it is clear that to those who come worthily, the effects and fruits of the Lord's re- demption are attained. 718. In every man of sound mind there is an ability to re- ceive wisdom from the Lord, that is, to multiply to eternity the truths from which wisdom exists ; also an ability to receive love, that is, to bring forth to eternity the goods from which love exists. This perpetual bringing forth of good and of love therefrom, and perpetual multiplication of truth and of wisdom therefrom, is granted to the angels, and also to men who are becoming angels ; and as the Lord is love itself and wisdom it- self, it follows that man has the ability to conjoin himself to the Lord and the Lord to himself for ever. Nevertheless, as man is finite, the Divine Itself of the Lord cannot be conjoin- ed, but only adjoined to man, as, for the sake of illustration, the light of the sun cannot be conjoined to the eye, or the sound of the air to the ear, but only adjoined to them, thus im- parting the ability to see and hear. For man is not life in him- self, as the Lord is even in regard to His Human (John v. 26) ; but is only a receptacle of life ; and it is life itself that is ad- joined to man, but not conjoined. This has been added in order that it may be rationally understood how the Lord and His redemption are wholly present in the holy supper. N. 719] THE HOLY SUPPER 271 V. THE LORD IS PRESENT AND OPENS HEAVEN TO THOSE WHO APPROACH THE HOLY SUPPER WORTHILY, AND IS ALSO PRESENT WITH THOSE WHO APPROACH UNWORTHILY, BUT TO THEM HE DOES NOT OPEN HEAVEN ; CON- SEQUENTLY, AS BAPTISM IS INTRODUCTION INTO THE CHURCH SO IS THE HOLY SUPPER INTRODUCTION INTO HEAVEN. 719. The two following sections explain who those are that come to the holy supper worthily, and also who those are that approach it unworthily; for the one point being established, the other is known from being the opposite. With both the worthy and the unworthy the Lord is present, because He is omnipresent both in heaven and in hell, and also in the world, consequently with the evil as well as with the good. But with the good, that is, with the regenerate, He is present both uni- versally and individually ; for the Lord is in them and they are in Him, and where He is there is heaven. Moreover, heaven constitutes the body of the Lord; consequently to be in His body is also to be in heaven. [2] But the Lord's presence with those who come to the holy supper unworthily is His univer- sal and not His individual presence, or what is the same, His external and not also His internal presence. His universal or external presence is what causes a man to live as a man, to en- joy the ability to know, to understand, and to speak rationally from the understanding; for man is born for heaven, and is therefore not merely natural, like a beast, but also spiritual. He also enjoys the ability to will and to do the things that from his understanding he is able to know about, to understand, and thereby rationally speak about. But if the will rejects the truly rational things of the understanding, which are also in- trinsically spiritual, the man becomes external. [3] Conse- quently with those who only understand what is true and good, the Lord's presence is universal or external, while with those who also will and do what is true and good, the Lord's presence is both universal and individual, or both internal and external Those who merely understand and talk about what 272 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. is true and good are like the foolish virgins who had lamps but no oil ; while those who not only understand and talk about what is true and good, but also will and do it, are the wise virgins who were admitted to the wedding while the former stood at the door and knocked, but were not admitted (Matt. xxv. 1-12). From all this it can be seen that the Lord is pres- ent and opens heaven to those who come to the holy supper worthily ; and that He is also present with those who come to it unworthily, but to them He does not open heaven. 720. Nevertheless it is not to be supposed that the Lord closes heaven to those who come unworthily, this He does to no man, even to the end of his life in the world, but man closes heaven to himself, and this he does by the rejection of faith and by evil of life. And yet man is held constantly in a state of possible repentance and conversion, for the Lord is con- stantly present and urging to be received ; for He says : — I stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear My voice and open, I will come in and will sup with him and he with Me (Apoc. iii. 20). Therefore the fault is in the man himself, who does not open the door. It is otherwise after death; then heaven is shut and cannot be opened to those who have continued even to the end of life to come to the holy supper unworthily ; for the inte- riors of their minds are then fixed and determined. 721. That baptism is introduction into the church has been shown in the chapter on Baptism ; that the holy supper is in- troduction into heaven is clear from what has been said above when it is perceived. These two sacraments, baptism and the holy supper, are like two gates to eternal life. By baptism, which is the first gate, every Christian is let into and intro- duced into what the church teaches from the Word respecting the other life, all of which teaching forms the means whereby man can be prepared for and led to heaven. The second gate is the holy supper, by which every man who allows himself to be prepared and led by the Lord is admitted into and intro- duced into heaven. There are no other universal gates. These two sacraments may be likened to what occurs with a prince who is born heir to a kingdom, in that he is first introduced in- to a knowledge of the business of government, and in the sec- N. 721] THE HOLY SUPPER 273 ond place is crowned and governs. They may be likened also to a son born to a great inheritance, in that he first learns and is imbued with such things as pertain to the proper manage- ment of possessions and riches, and secondly takes possession and control; also to the building of a house and dwelling in it; also to the course of a man's instruction from childhood until the period when he becomes independent and exercises his own judgment, and his subsequent rational and spiritual life. One period must needs precede, that the second may be attained ; for without the former the latter is impossible. These illustrations make clear that baptism and the holy sup- per are like two gates through which man is introduced to eternal life; and that beyond the first gate there is a plain which he must pass over ; and that the second is the goal where lies the prize to which he has directed his course. For the palm is not bestowed until after the struggle, nor the reward until the contest is decided. VI. THOSE COME TO THE HOLY SUPPER WORTHILY WHO HAVE FAITH IN THE LORD AND CHARITY TOWARD THE NEIGHBOR, THAT IS, WHO ARE REGENERATE. 722. That God, charity, and faith are the three universals of the church, because they are the universal means of salva- tion, is known, acknowledged, and perceived by every Chris- tian who studies the Word. That God must be acknowledged in order that one may have religion, or that anything of the church may be in him, is declared by reason itself when there is anything spiritual in it ; consequently, if one comes to the holy supper without acknowledging God, he profanes it; for he sees the bread and wine with the eye and tastes them with the tongue, while the thought of the mind is, " What is this but a useless ceremony, and how do this bread and wine differ from that on my own table? Nevertheless I partake of them, lest I be charged by the priesthood, and so also by the common people, with the infamy of being an atheist." Vol. II.— 18 274 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. [2] That after the acknowledgment of God, charity is the second means which enables one to come to the holy supper worthily is evident both from the Word and from the exhor- tations read before approaching the communion in the whole Christian, world. It is evident from the Word in this : — That the first command or precept is to love God above all things, and the neighbor as oneself (Matt. xxii. 34-39 ; Luke x. 25-28). Again in Paul : — That there are three things that contribute to salvation, and the great- est of these is charity (1 Cor. xiii. 13). Also from these passages : — We know that God heareth not sinners ; but if any man is a worshiper of God and doeth His will, him He heareth (John ix. 31). Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire (Matt. vii. 19, 20 ; Luke iii. 8, 9). [3] It appears also from the exhortations read throughout the whole Christian world before coming to the holy supper. Everywhere men are thus earnestly admonished to be in char- ity by reconciliation and repentance. From these I will only quote the following passage from the exhortation read to com- municants in England : — - " The way and means" to be worthy partakers of the holy supper " is, first to examine your lives and conversations by the ride of God's commandments ; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess your- selves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God but also against your neighbors, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them, being ready to make res- titution and satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your powers, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others who have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God's hand ; for otherwise the receiving of the holy communion doth nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore if any of you be a blasphemer of God, a hinderer or slanderer of His Word, an adulterer, or be in malice, or envy, or in any other N. 722] THE HOLY SUPPER 275 grievous crime, repent ye of your sins, or else come not to that holy table ; lest, after the taking of that holy sacrament, the devil enter into you as he entered, into Judas, and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and soul." [4] Faith in the Lord is the third means of worthily enjoy- ing the holy supper, because charity and faith make one, like heat and light in spring, from which two conjoined every tree is born anew ; 'so from spiritual heat, which is charity, and from spiritual light, which is the truth of faith, every man has life. That faith in the Lord effects this is evident from the following passages : — He that believeth in Me shall never die, but shall live (John xi. 25, 26). This is the will of the Father that every one that believeth on the Son shall have eternal life (John vi. 40). God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who- soever believeth on Him should have eternal life (John iii. 15, 16). He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life ; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him (John iii. 36). We are in the" truth, in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life (1 John v. 20). 723. That man is regenerated by these three, the Lord, char- ity, and faith, acting as one, and that no one can enter heaven unless he is becoming regenerate, has been shown in the chap- ter on Reformation and Regeneration. So the Lord can open heaven to none but the regenerate, and after the natural death introduction into heaven is given to none else. By the regener- ate, who come to the holy supper worthily, those are meant who are hi these three essentials of the church and heaven interior- ly, not those who are so only exteriorly, for such confess the Lord not with the soul but with the tongue only, and practise charity toward the neighbor not with the heart but with the body only. Such are all who are "workers of iniquity," ac- cording to these words of the Lord : — Then shall ye begin to say, Lord, we have eaten and drunk before Thee. But I will say to you, I know you not whence ye are ; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity (Luke xiii, 26, 27). 724. These statements, like the former, may be illustrated by various things that are in accord with them, and also by 276 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. some that correspond, as the following: No one is admitted to the table of an emperor or king except those who are high in office and rank; and even these, before they attend, clothe themselves in becoming garments, and put on their insignia, that they may come acceptably and receive favor. Why not the same with the table of the Lord, who is the Lord of lords and King of kings (Apoc. xvii, 14), to which table all are call- ed and invited? But only those who are spiritually worthy and are clothed in honorable apparel are admitted, after arising from the table, into the palaces of heaven, and into the joys there, and honored as princes because they are sons of the Great King, and afterward sit down daily with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt, viii, 11), by whom is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine celestial, the Divine spiritual, and the Divine natural. These things may also be likened to weddings on earth, to which only the relatives, connections, and friends of the bridegroom and bride are invited ; and if any one else comes, he may be admitted, but as he has no place at the table, he withdraws. So is it with those who are called to the marriage of the Lord as the Bridegroom with the church as the bride, with whom those are kindred, relatives, and friends, whose common origin comes through regeneration by the Lord. And again, who in the world is initiated into another's friendship, unless he is at heart sincerely faithful and does what the other wishes ? Such only does a man number among his friends and trust with his property. VII. THOSE WHO COME TO THE HOLY SUPPER WORTHILY ARE IN THE LORD AND THE LORD IS IN THEM ; CONSE- QUENTLY CONJUNCTION WITH THE LORD IS EFFECTED BY THE HOLY SUPPER. 725. In several chapters above it has been shown that those come to the holy supper worthily who have faith in the Lord and charity toward the neighbor ; and that the presence of the Lord is effected by the truths of faith, and conjunction with Him by the goods of charity together with faith ; and from this N. 725] THE HOLY SUPPER 277 it follows that those who worthily come to the holy supper are conjoined with the Lord, and those who are conjoined with Him are in Him and He in them. That this takes place with those who come worthily, the Lord Himself declares in John as follows: — He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him (vi. 56). That this is conjunction with Him, He also teaches elsewhere in John : — Abide in Me and I in you, He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit (xv. 4, 5, Apoc. iii. 20). What is conjunction with the Lord but being among those who are in His body ? And those constitute His body who believe in Him and do His will. His will is the exercise of charity in accordance with the truths of faith. 726. Eternal life and salvation are impossible without con- junction with the Lord, for the reason that He is both of these. That He is eternal life is clearly evident from certain passages in the Word, as from the following in John : — Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life (1 John v. 20). He is also salvation, because this and eternal life are one. His name Jesus signifies salvation, and therefore He is called the Saviour throughout the Christian world. And yet only those come to the holy supper worthily who are interiorly conjoined with the Lord, and those are interiorly conjoined with Him who are regenerated. Who the regenerated are has been shown in the chapter on Reformation and Regeneration. Again, there are many who confess the Lord, and who do good to the neighbor; but unless this is done from love to the neighbor and from faith in the Lord, they are not regenerated, for such do good to the neighbor solely for reasons that look to the world and themselves, and not to the neighbor as the neighbor. The works of such are merely natural, and do not have con- cealed within them anything spiritual; for they confess the Lord with the mouth and lips only, from which their heart is far away. True love to the neighbor, and true faith, are from the Lord alone, and both are given to man when he from his 278 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. freedom of choice does good to the neighbor naturally, and be- lieves truths rationally, and looks to the Lord, doing these three things because they are commanded in the Word. The Lord then implants charity and faith in the midst of him, and makes both of these spiritual. Thus the Lord conjoins Him- self to man, and man conjoins himself to the Lord, for no con- junction is possible unless it is effected reciprocally. But all this has been fully set forth in the chapters on Charity, Faith, Freedom of Choice, and Regeneration. 727. It is well known that in the world conjunctions and af- filiations are brought about by invitations to the table and by feasts, for the host thereby designs something that contrib- utes to some end that looks to harmony or friendship ; much more so the invitations that have spiritual objects in view. Feasts in the ancient churches and also in the primitive Chris- tian church were feasts of charity, at which they strengthened each other to abide in the worship of the Lord with sincere hearts. When the children of Israel ate together of the sac- rifices near the tabernacle, it signified nothing else than una- nimity in the worship of Jehovah ; therefore the flesh that they ate, being a part of the sacrifice, was called holy (Jer. xi. 15; Hag. ii. 12, and frequently elsewhere). Why not, then, the bread and wine and the paschal flesh at the supper of the Lord, who offered Himself a sacrifice for the sins of all the world ? [2] And again, conjunction with the Lord by means of the holy supper may be illustrated by the conjunction of several families descendants of one father; from whom blood relations descend and in their order kindred and connections, all deriving something from the first stock. But it is not flesh and blood they thus acquire, but something from the flesh and blood, that is, the soul and an inclination therefrom to like things, whereby they are conjoined. Also the conjunction it- self is apparent in a general way in the features and in the manners, and they are therefore called one flesh (as in Gen. xxix. 14; xxxvii. 27; 2 Sam. v. 1; xix. 12, 13, and elsewhere). [3] It is the same in respect to conjunction with the Lord, who is the Father of all the faithful and blessed. Conjunction with Him is effected by means of love and faith, whereby two are said to be one flesh. Therefore the Lord said : — N. 727] THE HOLY SUPPER 279 He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him (John vi. 56). Who does not see that the bread and wine do not effect this, but the good of love, which is meant by the bread, and the truth of faith, which is meant by the wine, and which are the Lord's own, and which go forth and are communicated from Him alone? Moreover, all conjunction is effected by love, and love is not love without trust. Let those who believe that the bread is flesh, and the wine blood, and who cannot raise their thought above this belief, remain in it, yet not without this truth, that that which is most holy in it, and which effects con- junction with the Lord, is what is attributed and appropriated to man as his own, though it remains unceasingly the Lord's. VIII. TO THOSE WHO COME TO THE HOLY SUPPER WORTHILY IT IS LIKE A SIGNATURE AND SEAL THAT THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD. 728. The reason why the holy supper is to those who come to it worthily like a signature and seal that they are the sons of God, is that as before said, the Lord is then present, and admits into heaven those who are born of Him, that is, the regenerate. The holy supper effects this, because the Lord is then present even as to His Human (for it has been shown above that in the holy supper the Lord is wholly present, and with His whole redemption) ; for of the bread He said, " This is my body ;" and of the wine, " This is My blood." Conse- quently He then admits them into His Body ; and the church and heaven constitute His Body. When man is becoming re- generate, the Lord is indeed present, and through His Divine operation prepares man for heaven ; but that man may actually enter he must present himself to the Lord ; and as the Lord actually presents Himself to man, man must actually receive Him, not, however, as He hung upon the cross, but as He is in His glorified Human, in which He is present, the body of 280 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. which is the Divine good and the blood of which is the Divine truth. These are given to man, and by means of them man is regenerated, and he is in the Lord and the Lord in him ; and for the reason shown above, that the eating which is mani- fested in the holy supper is a spiritual eating. From all this rightly understood it is clear that the holy supper is like a sig- nature and seal that those who come to it worthily are sons of God. 729. But those who die in infancy or childhood, not reach- ing the age at which they can come worthily to the holy sup- per, are introduced into heaven by the Lord through baptism ; for baptism (as has been shown in the chapter on Baptism), is introduction into the Christian church, and also insertion among Christians in the spiritual world ; and there the church . and heaven are one ; therefore to those who are there, introduc- tion into the church is also introduction into heaven ; and as they are there educated under the auspices of the Lord, they become more and more regenerate, and become His children ; for they know no other Father. But children and youths born outside of the Christian church are introduced when they have received faith in the Lord, into the heaven assigned to their religion by other means than baptism ; and are not mingled with those who are in the Christian heaven. For there is not a nation in all the world that may not be saved if it acknowl- edges God and lives well ; for they have all been redeemed by the Lord, and man is by birth spiritual, whereby he has an ability to receive the gift of redemption. Those who receive the Lord, that is, have faith in Him, and do not lead an evil life, are called : — Sons of God, and born of God (John i. 12, 13 ; xi. 52); Also children of the kingdom (Matt. xiii. 38); And again heirs (Matt. xix. 29 ; xxv. 34); The Lord's disciples are also called sons (John xiii. 33); And so are all angels (Job i. 6 ; ii. 1). 730. It is with the holy supper as with a covenant, which, after the articles of agreement are settled, is drawn up and finally executed with a seal. That the Lord's blood is a cove- nant, He Himself teaches ; for when He took the cup and gave it, He said : — N. 730] THE HOLY SUPPER 281 Drink of it, all of you ; for this is My blood of the new testament (Matt. xxvi. 27, 28 ; Mark xiv. 24 ; Luke xxii. 20). " The new testament" means the new covenant ; therefore the Word written by the prophets before the Lord's coming is called the Old Testament or Covenant, while that written after His coming by the evangelists and apostles is called the New Testament or Covenant. That " blood" as well as the wine of the holy supper means the Divine truth of the Word can be seen above (n. 706, 708), and the Word is the covenant itself which the Lord made with man and man with the Lord ; for the Lord descended as the Word, that is, as Divine truth ; and as this is His blood, so in the Israelitish church, which was representative of the Christian church, blood is called, The blood of the covenant (Ex. xxiv. 7, 8 ; Zeck. ix. 11); And the Lord a covenant of the people (Isa. xlii. 6 ; xlix. 8 ; Jer. xxxi. 31-34 ; Ps. cxi. 9). Moreover, it is in accordance with order in the world that there should be by all means a signature, in order that there may be some certitude, and that it should follow after deliberate ac- tion. What is a commission or a will without the signature ? What is a legal decision without a decree signed to ratify the decision? What is a high office in a kingdom without a com- mission ? What is promotion to any office if it is not con- firmed ? What is the possession of a house without purchase or agreement with the owner ? What is progression to an end, or running to a goal, and thus for a reward, if there is no end or goal where the reward is to be gained ; or if the judge has not in some manner made the wager sure ? But these last have been added merely for the sake of illustration, that even the simple may see that the holy supper is like a signature, a seal, a badge, or a proof of appointment even to the angels, that those who come to it worthily are sons of God ; and it is also like a key to the house in heaven where they are to dwell for ever. 731. I once saw an angel flying beneath the eastern heaven, holding a trumpet in his hand and at his lips, and blowing it toward the north, toward the west, and toward the south. He was clad in a robe that floated behind him as he flew, and he was engirdled with a belt that blazed and shone, as it were, 282 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. with carbuncles and sapphires. He flew downward, and alight- ed gently on the ground near where I stood. As he touched the ground, he walked hither and thither erect upon his feet, and when he saw me directed his steps toward me. I was in the spirit, and in that state was standing on a hill in the southern quarter. As he came near I spoke to him, saying, " What now ? I heard the sound of your trumpet, and saw you descend through the air." The angel replied: "I am sent to convoke from among those dwelling in this world who are from the kingdoms of the Christian world, such men as are most celebrated for learn- ing, of the finest genius, and most noted for wisdom, that they may come together on this hill where you are now standing, and freely express their minds as to what they thought and understood and what wisdom they had when in the world, re- specting Heavenly Joy and Eternal Happiness. [2] I have been sent on this mission because some new-comers from the world having been admitted into our heavenly society which is in the east, have told us that not one single person in the whole Christian world knows what heavenly joy and eternal happi- ness are, and thus what heaven is. At this my brethren and companions were much astonished, and said to me, 'Go down, make proclamation, and call together the wisest men in the world of spirits, where all mortals are first assembled after their departure from the natural world, in order that we may know with certainty from the mouths of many, whether it is true that such darkness or dense ignorance prevails among Christians respecting the future life." The angel then said, "Wait a little, and you will see troops of the wise ones flocking hither; the Lord will prepare a house for them to meet in." [3] I waited ; and behold, after half an hour I saw two com- panies coming from the north, two from the west, and two from the south ; and as they arrived they were led by the angel who had the trumpet to the house prepared for them, and there oc- cupied the places assigned them according to their quarters. There were six companies or troops, and there was a seventh from the east which was not visible to the others because of N. 731] MEMORABLE RELATION 283 its superior light. When they had assembled, the angel ex- plained the reason of their convocation, and asked the com- panies to set forth in succession their wisdom respecting Hea- venly Joy and Eternal Happiness. Each company then formed a circle, all turning their faces inward, that they might recall the subject from ideas acquired in the former world and then carefully consider it, and after consideration and consultation express their views. 732. After consultation the first company, which was from the north, said, " Heavenly joy and eternal happiness are one with the very life of heaven; therefore one who enters heaven enters as to his life into its festivities, precisely as any one going to a wedding enters into its festivities. Do we not see that heaven is above us, thus in place ? Are there not enjoy- ments upon enjoyments and pleasures upon pleasures there, and there only '.' 'When man is admitted into heaven he is ad- mitted into these pleasures as to every perception of his mind and every sensation of his body, out of the plenitude of the joys of that place. Therefore heavenly happiness, which is al- so eternal happiness, is simply admission into heaven, which admission is of Divine grace." [2] When this had been said, the company from the north from its wisdom expressed the following opinion : " Heavenly joy and eternal happiness are no other than most cheerful com- panionship with angels and the sweetest conversations with them, whereby the countenance is continually expanded with gladness and the faces of all the company are kept sweetly smiling with compliments and pleasantries. What are heav- enly joys but variations of such things to eternity?" [3] The third company, which was the first company of the wise men from the western quarter, from the thoughts of their affections delivered the following opinion : " What are heaven- ly joy and eternal happiness but f eastings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on whose tables there will be delicate and costly food, with generous and noble wines ; and after the feasts sports and dances of virgins and young men to the music of sym- phonies and flutes, interspersed with singing of the sweetest songs ? And in the evenings there will be dramatic exhibi- tions, and after these feasting again, and so on daily for ever." 284 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. [4] After that the fourth company, which was the second from the western quarter, declared their opinion, saying, "We have entertained several ideas about heavenly joy and eternal happiness; and we have examined various kinds of joy, com- paring them with one another, and we have reached the con- clusion that heavenly joys are paradisal joys. What is heav- en but a paradise, extending from the east to the west and from the south to the north, and containing fruit trees and de- lightful flowers, in the midst of which is the magnificent tree of life, and around these the blessed will sit eating delicious fruit and adorned with wreaths of flowers of the sweetest odors, which, breathed upon by perpetual spring, are created and re- created daily with infinite variety ? And the minds of these, being continually renewed by this perpetual growth and bloom, and also by the ever-vernal temperature, cannot but inhale and exhale new joys each day, and be restored thereby to the flower of their youth, and through this to the primitive state into which Adam and his wife were created, and so be re-admitted into their paradise, transferred from earth to heaven." [5] The fifth company, which was the first of the gifted ones from the southern quarter, spoke as follows : " Heavenly joys and eternal happiness are nothing but supreme dominion, boundless wealth, and thereby more than royal magnificence and transcendent splendor. That such are the joys of heaven and their unceasing fruition, which is eternal happiness; we saw clearly from the state of those in the former world who possessed them, and also from the teaching that the blessed in heaven are to reign with the Lord, and are to be kings and princes, because they are the sons of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and that they are to sit on thrones, and angels are to minister unto them. The magnificence of heaven we clearly saw from this, that the New Jerusalem, whereby the glory of heaven is depicted, is to have gates, each of which will be one pearl, and streets of pure gold, and a wall with foundations of precious stones; consequently that every one who is received into heaven has a palace of his own glittering with gold and precious stones, and a dominion that will be transmitted in order from one to another. And as we knew that joys and happiness are inherent in such things, and that N. 732] MEMORABLE RELATION 285 God's promises cannot fail, we have been unable to attribute the most happy state of heavenly life to any other source." [6] Then the sixth company, which was the second from the southern quarter, raised their voice and said, "The joy of heav- en and its eternal happiness is no other than the perpetual glorification of God, a never-ceasing festival and most blissful worship with songs and jubilees, thus a constant uplifting of the heart to God, with full trust that He accepts those prayers and praises because of His Divine munificence in bestowing such blessedness." Some of the company added that this glo- rification would take place with splendid illuminations, most fragrant incense, and processions of great pomp, the chief priest going before with a great trumpet, the primates and other orders greater and less following him, and after these, meu with palms and women with golden images in their hands. 733. The seventh company, which was invisible to the others because of its superior light, was from the eastern quarter of heaven. They were angels of the same society as that to which the angel who had the trumpet belonged. When these heard in heaven that not a single person in the Christian world knew what the joy of heaven and eternal happiness are, they said to each other, " Surely this cannot be true ; there cannot be such thick darkness and such mental stupor among Chris- tians; let us go down ourselves also, and hear whether it is true ; if it is, it is certainly a wonder." Then these angels said to the angel with the trumpet, " "We know that every man who has desired heaven, and has thought at all definitely about the joys there, is introduced after death into these imagined joys; and after such have experienced the nature of these joys and found them to be according to the empty fancies of the mind and their wild imaginings, they are led out of them and instructed. This takes place with most of those in the world of spirits who in the former life had medi- tated about heaven, and had formed such conclusions about its joys as to desire them." On hearing this the angel with the trumpet said to the six companies called together from the wise of the Christian world, "Follow me, and I will introduce you into your joys, and thus into heaven." 286 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XHI. 734. So saying, the angel led the way ; and the first company that followed him was of those who had persuaded themselves that heavenly joys were merely most cheerful companionship and most agreeable conversations. These were introduced by the angel to an assembly in the northern quarter, who in the former world had thought the joys of heaven to be of that character. There was a spacious house there in which they were assembled. In the house there were more than fifty rooms, distinguished by the different kinds of conversation. In some of the rooms they talked about what they had seen and heard in the market-place and on the streets; in some they made amorous remarks about the fair sex, adding oc- casional jests until every face in the company expanded with merry laughter. In other rooms they talked about the news concerning courts, ministers, the state of politics, and the vari- ous things that had emanated from secret councils, mingled with arguments and conjectures about events. In other rooms they talked about business ; in others about literary matters ; in others about matters pertaining to civil prudence and moral life ; and in others again about ecclesiastical affairs, the sects ; and so on. I was permitted to look into that house, and I saw men running from room to room, seeking companionship in their preferences and thus in their joy; and of such companionship I saw three kinds. Some were very eager to talk, some anxious to ask questions, and some greedy to hear. [2] There were four doors to the house, one toward each quarter; and I noticed that many separated themselves from the companies and were in haste to go out. I followed some to the eastern door, and saw them sitting near it with sad faces. I approached them and asked why they were sitting there so sad ; and they re- plied, "The doors of this house are kept closed against those who wish to go out ; and it is now the third day since we en- tered ; and the life of our desire has been exhausted in com- pany and conversation, and we have become so wearied by unceasing talk that we can hardly bear to hear the murmur of the sound of it. And so out of weariness we came to this door and knocked, but we were told that the doors of this house are not opened to let people out, but only to let them in, and that N. 734] MEMORABLE RELATION 287 we must stay and enjoy the delights of heaven; and from this we have come to the conclusion that we are to remain here for ever; and therefore sadness has seized our minds, and now our breasts begin to feel oppressed, and anxiety is coming upon us." [3] The angel then addressed them and said, " This state is the death of those joys of yours which you believed to be the only heavenly joys, when in fact they are only accessories of heavenly joys." They asked the angel, "What, then is heavenly joy?" The angel answered briefly, "It is delight in doing some- thing useful both for oneself and for others. Delight in use derives its essence from love and its existence from wisdom. Delight in use arising from love through wisdom is the soul and life of all heavenly joys. In the heavens there are the most gladsome companionships, which exhilarate the minds of the angels, cheer their spirits, delight their breasts, and re- fresh their bodies; but these they enjoy after they have per- formed their uses in their offices and employments, from which come the soul and life in all their pleasures and enjoyments; but if that soul or life is taken away the accessory joys gradu- ally cease to be joys, becoming first indistinct, then as it were worthless, and at length distasteful and distressing." When this had been said, the door was opened, and those sitting near it sprang out; and they fled to their homes, each to his duty and work, and were revived. 735. After this the angel addressed those who had adopted the idea that the joys of heaven and eternal happiness are feastings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, followed by games and spectacles, and then feasting again, and so on to eternity. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will introduce you into the felicities of your joys." And he led them through a meadow to a plain staked out, and on it tables were placed, fifteen on each side. They asked why there were so many tables; the angel re- plied, "The first table is Abraham's, the second Isaac's, the third Jacob's and near them in order are the tables of the twelve apostles ; on the other side is the same number of tables for their wives, the three first being for Sarah, Abraham's wife, Rebecca, Isaac's wife, and Leah and Rachel, Jacob's 288 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIH. wives ; the twelve remaining tables are for the wives of the twelves apostles." [2] After a little delay, all the tables were seen to be loaded with dishes, and the spaces between decorated with little py- ramids of sweetmeats. The guests stood around the tables waiting to see those who were to preside. These, after a lit- tle waiting, appeared, entering in order of procession from Abraham to the last of the apostles; and each going at once to his own table, took his place upon a couch at the head of it. Then they said to those standing around, " Sit you down with us." And the men sat down with those fathers, and the women with their wives, and ate and drank in gladness and with reverence. After the meal the fathers went out; and then sports were introduced, dances by maidens and young men, and afterward spectacles; and when these were ended the guests were again invited to the feasting, but with the understanding that on the first day they should eat with Abraham, on the second with Isaac, on the third with Jacob, on the fourth with Peter, on the fifth with James, on the sixth with John, on the seventh with Paul, and with all the rest in order until the fifteenth day, when they were to renew the feasting again in the same order ; changing seats ; and so on to eternity. [3] After this the angel called together the men of his com- pany and said to them, " All those whom you see at the tables had the same imaginary thought about the joys of heaven and its eternal happiness that you had; and these feasting scenes were instituted and permitted by the Lord in order that they might see the vanity of their ideas and be led away from them. Those chief men whom you saw at the head of the tables mere- ly personated old men ; most of them are rustics with beards, and puffed up by some little wealth, upon whom has been in- duced the fantasy that they actually were those ancient fa- thers. But follow me to the ways of exit from this camp." [<±] They followed him ; and they saw fifty here and fifty there who had loaded their stomachs with food until they were nauseated, and longed to return to the familiar scenes of their own homes, some to their offices, some to their business, and some to their trades. But many were detained by the keepers N. 735] MEMORABLE RELATION 289 of the grove, and were asked how many days they had feasted, and whether they had yet eaten at the tables with Peter and Paul, and were told that it would be shameful for them to go away before doing so, because it would be unbecoming. But most of them answered, " We are surfeited with our joys, the food has become insipid to us, our taste has dried up, our stomachs loathe these things, we cannot bear these drinks, we have spent several days and nights in this luxury, and we earnestly beg to be let out." And being let out, with panting breath and hurried steps they fled home. [5] Then the angel called the men of his company, and on the way taught them about heaven, as follows : " In heaven, just as in the world, there are food and drink, feasts and con- vivial parties, on the tables of the great are the choicest foods, rarities, and delicacies, whereby their spirits are exhilarated and refreshed; there are also plays and exhibitions, and instru- mental and vocal music; and all in the highest perfection. Moreover, such things are joys to those in heaven, but not happiness; happiness must be in the joys, and thus from them. It is happiness in the joys that causes them to be joys, enrich- es them, and so sustains them as to prevent their becoming paltry and wearisome ; and this happiness every man has from use in his employment. [6] In the affection of every angel's will there is a kind of hidden current that draws his mind to the doing of something, wherein the mind finds tranquillity and satisfaction ; and this satisfaction and tranquillity produce a state of mind receptive of the love of use from the Lord ; and from the reception of this love comes heavenly happiness, which is the life of those joys that have been enumerated. Heavenly food in its essence is no other than love, wisdom, and use to- gether ; that is, use from love through wisdom ; and because of this to every one in heaven food for the body is given ac- cording to the use he performs, most excellent food to those who are eminently useful ; food of medium quality but of ex- quisite taste to those whose use is of the middle grade; inferi- or food to those who perform low uses ; but none to the indo- lent." 736. The angel then called to him that company of so-called wise men who had placed heavenly joys and eternal happi- Vol. II.— 19 290 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XHI. ness therefrom in the possession of supreme dominion and boundless wealth, and in more than royal magnificence and transcendent splendor, because it is said hi the Word that the righteous should be kings and princes, and should reign with Christ for ever, and be ministered unto by the angels; and so on. To these the angel said, " Follow me, and I will introduce you into your joys." And he led them into a portico construct- ed of columns and pyramids. In front of it was a low porch which formed the entrance to the portico ; and through this he led them; and behold, twenty persons were seen there, and were waiting. And presently there came one who personated an angel, and said to them, " The way to heaven is through this portico; wait here a while and prepare yourselves, for the old- er among you are to be kings, and the younger princes." [2] When he had said this a throne was seen near each column, and on it a robe of silk, and on the robe a scepter and crown ; and near each pyramid a seat appeared raised three cubits from the ground; on each seat was a chain made of small links of gold, and scarfs of an order of knights fastened together at the ends with diamond rings. It was then proclaimed, "Go now and robe yourselves, take your seats, and wait." And instant- ly the older men ran to the thrones, and the younger to the seats, and robed themselves and sat down. Then a kind of mist appeared coming up from the lower regions, and as this drew near, the faces of those occupying the thrones and seats began to swell and their hearts to heave, and they were filled with the confidence that they were now kings and princes. That mist was the aura of hallucination by which they were inspired. And presently some youths flew to them as if from heaven, and stood two behind each throne, and one behind each seat, to serve them. Proclamation was then made in turn by a herald, "Ye kings and princes, wait yet a little while; your palaces in heaven are now being made ready ; the courtiers will come soon with their life-guards and lead you to them." They waited and waited until their spirits panted and grew weary with desire. [3]. After three hours the heaven above their heads was opened and angels looked down, and pitying them, said, " Why do you sit there so foolishly, acting like players ? They have N. 736] MEMORABLE RELATION 291 played tricks upon you and have changed you from men to images, because you have fixed it in your hearts that you were to reign with Christ like kings and princes, and that angels would then minister unto you. Have you forgotten the words of the Lord, that he who would be great in heaven must be- come a servant? Learn, then, that being kings and princes and reigning with Christ, means being wise and performing uses ; for the kingdom of Christ, which is heaven, is a kingdom of uses, because the Lord loves all, and therefore wills good to all, and good is use. And as the Lord does what is good or useful mediately through angels, and in the world through men, so to those who faithfully perform uses, He gives the love of use and its reward, which is internal blessedness, and this is eternal happiness. [4] In the heavens as on earth there are supreme dominions, and boundless wealth; for there are governments there, and forms of government, and therefore greater and lesser powers and dignities ; and those who occupy the highest positions have palaces and courts, which surpass those of emperors and kings on earth in magnificence and splendor ; and they are surround- ed with honor and glory because of the number of courtiers, ministers, and attendants, and their splendid vestments. But those who are thus exalted are chosen from among those whose hearts are in the public welfare, while their bodily senses only are appealed to by the grandeur of magnificence for the foster- ing of obedience. And as it is a matter of public welfare that every one should be of some use in society as in the common body, and as all use is from the Lord, and is effected through angels and men as if it were done by them, it is clear that this is reigning with the Lord." When this had been heard from heaven, those who had per- sonated the kings and princes descended from the thrones and seats and threw away their scepters, crowns, and robes; and the mist in which was the aura of hallucination departed from them, and a bright cloud overshadowed them, in which there was an aura of wisdom, and sanity was thereby restored to their minds. 737. After this the angel returned to the house where the wise from the Christian world had assembled, and called to 292 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. him those who had persuaded themselves that the joys of heav- en and eternal happiness were paradisal delights. To them he said, "Follow me, and I will conduct you into paradise, your heaven, so that you may enter into the beati- tudes of your eternal happiness." And he led them through a lofty gate formed by the interwoven branches and shoots of noble trees; and when they had passed through this he led them about by winding paths from one quarter to another. The place was actually a paradise which is at the first entrance to heaven, and into which are admitted those who had believed when in the world that all heaven is a paradise, because heav- en is called paradise, and who had impressed upon themselves the idea that after death there is complete rest from labor, and that this rest is nothing else than breathing the very soul of delights, walking upon roses, being gladdened by the finest juice of the grape, and banqueting; and that this life is to be found only in a heavenly paradise. [2] As they followed the angel they saw a great nmltitude of men both old and young, and of boys, women and girls, sit- ting in groups of three and groups of ten on flower-beds, weav- ing wreaths with which they decorated the heads of the old men and the arms of the young men, and bands of which they fastened across the breasts of the boys; others were pressing juice from grapes, cherries, and mulberries, into cups, and drinking it sociably; others were inhaling the fragrance ex- haled and diffused from flowers, fruit, and odoriferous leaves ; others were singing sweet songs which soothed the ears of the listeners; others sat at fountains, turning the water of the gushing streams into different shapes; some were walking about, talking and jesting; some entered into little garden- houses to recline on couches ; and many other paradisal forms of pleasure they saw. [3] When they had seen these things, the angel led his com- panions here and there through winding ways, and at last to some persons seated on a most beautiful flower-bed surrounded by orange, olive, and citron trees. These sat swaying them- selves to and fro, wailing and weeping, their faces resting on their hands. The angel's companions addressed them asking why they sat thus. They answered, "It is now seven days N. 737] MEMORABLE RELATION 293 since we came into this paradise. When we came in, our minds seemed to be exalted to heaven and to be admitted into the in- nermost satisfactions of its joys; but after three days those satisfactions began to diminish, to fade from our minds, to become imperceptible, and so to fail altogether. And when our imaginary joys had thus ceased, we feared the loss of all the delights of our life, and began to doubt whether there is any such thing as eternal happiness. After this we wandered through paths and plots in search of the gate by which we en- tered ; but we simply walked about and about, making inquir- ies of those we met. Some of them said that the gate could not be found, because this paradisal garden is a vast labyrinth of such a nature that any one wishing to go out only entered more deeply in, adding, ' Therefore you will have to remain here to eternity; you are now in the midst of the paradise where is the center of all its delights ! ' " To the companions of the angels they said further, "We have already been sitting here a day and a half; and as we are now hopeless of finding our way out, we sat down here on this flower-bed, and are look- ing about 'us at the abundance of olives, grapes, oranges, and citrons. But the more we look about the more does our sight become weary of seeing, our smell of smelling, and our taste of tasting. This is the cause of the sadness in which you find us and of our wailing and weeping." [4] When they had heard this, the angel of the company said to them, " This paradisal labyrinth is really an entrance to heaven. I know the way out, and will lead you to it." At these words those who were seated arose and embraced the angel, and joining his company went with him. And the an- gel taught them on the way what heavenly joy and its eter- nal happiness are, that they are not external paradisal delights unless there is in them internal paradisal delights. " External paradisal delights," he said, "are delights of the bodily senses only, while internal paradisal delights are delights of the soul's affections ; unless these are in the former there is no heav- enly life in them, because there is no soul in them ; and any delight apart from its correspondent soul gradually langitishes, becomes torpid, and wearies the mind more than labor. There are paradisal gardens everywhere in heaven, and from them 294 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap^XIII. the angels derive their joys; and so far as the soul's delight is in them, so far those joys are joys to them." [5] Hearing this they all asked, " What is the soul's delight, and what is its origin ?" The angel replied, " The soul's delight comes from love and wisdom from the Lord; and because love is the efficient, and becomes efficient by means of wisdom, so the abode of both is in the effect and the effect is use. This delight flows from the Lord into the soul, and descends through the higher and lower regions of the mind into all the bodily senses, and finds its ful- ness in them. Joy thereby becomes joy, and it becomes eter- nal from the Eternal in whom it originates. You have been viewing paradisal scenes, and I declare to you that there is not one thing there* not even a little leaf, that does not come from the marriage of love and wisdom in use. Therefore if man is in this marriage he is in a heavenly paradise, and thus in heaven." 738. After this the angelic leader returned to the hall, to those who had firmly persuaded themselves that heavenly joy and eternal happiness are a perpetual glorification of God and an endless festival; and this, because they had believed when in the world that after death they would see God, and because the life of heaven on account of the worship of God there, is called a perpetual sabbath. To these the angel said, "Follow me, and I will introduce you into your joy." And he led them into a small city. In the center of it there was a temple, and all the houses were called sacred chapels. In this city they saw a gathering of people from every quarter of the surrounding country, and among them a number of priests who received the visitors, saluted them, and taking them by the hand led them to the gates of the temple, and then to some chapels round about the temple, and initiated them into the endless worship of God; saying, "This city is the vestibule of heaven, and the temple of this city is the entrance to a grand and spacious temple in heaven, where God is glorified by angels with praises and prayers for ever. It is ordered both here and there that new-comers shall first enter the temple and remain there three days and three nights, and after this initiation shall enter into the houses of N. 738] MEMORABLE RELATION 295 this city (which are so many chapels consecrated by us), and shall go from chapel to chapel, and in communion with those assembled there shall pray, and shout, and repeat what has been preached. Be very careful to think of nothing by your- selves and to speak of nothing with your companions, except what is holy, and pious, and religious." [2] After this the angel led his company into the temple, which was full, and was crowded with many who had enjoyed great dignity in the world, and also with many common people. At the gates of the temple guards were placed to prevent any one from going out until he had been there three days. And the angel said, " This is the second day since these people came in ; watch them, and you will see how they glorify God." And looking at them they saw most of them asleep, and those who were awake continually yawning; and some of them, in consequence of the continued elevation of their thoughts to God without any return whatever to the body, seemed like faces separated from their bodies (for so they appeared to themselves, and therefore to others) ; and the eyes of some looked wild from their being continually turned upward. In a word, the breasts of all were oppressed, and their spirits were weary with the tediousness ; and they turned away from the pulpit and cried out, "Our ears are stunned, stop your preaching; we no longer hear a word; the very sound begins to be more than we can bear." And then they rose up and rushed in a mass to the gates, broke them open, overpowered the guards and drove them away. [3] Seeing this the priests followed, keeping close to them, teaching and teaching, pray- ing and sighing, and saying, "Celebrate the festival, glorify God, sanctify yourselves ; in this vestibule of heaven we will inaugurate you into an eternal glorification of God in the grand and spacious temple that is in heaven, and thus lead you into the enjoyment of eternal happiness." But the crowd did not understand these words, and scarcely heard them be- cause of the dullness of their minds from a two days' suspen- sion and detention from domestic and out-door affairs. But when they attempted to tear themselves away from the priests, the priests caught them by the arms, and also by their cloth- ing, urging them to the chapels to hear their sermons ; but in 296 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII vain. They cried out, "Let us go; we feel as if we should faint." [4] At these words four men in white garments and with miters appeared. One of them when in the world had been an archbishop, and the other three had been bishops ; they had now become angels. These called the priests together, and ad- dressing them, said, "We saw you from heaven with these sheep, and saw how you are feeding them. You are feeding them even to madness. You do not know what glorifying God means. It means to bring forth the fruits of love, that is, to discharge faithfully, sincerely, and diligently the work of one's calling; for this is from love to God and love to the neigh- bor, and is the bond of society and the good of society. It is in this way that God is glorified, and then by worship at stated times. Have you not read these words of the Lord? Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; and ye shall become My disciples (John xv. 8). [5] You priests may be in the glorifying of God by means of worship, because it is your office, and from it you have honor, glory, and remuneration ; but you could no more continue in it than these people if honor, glory, and remuneration were not connected with your office." So saying the bishops ordered the guards at the gate to let all pass out and to admit all, "for," they said, "there are a great many who can conceive of no other heavenly joy than the unceasing worship of God, because they have been wholly ignorant of what the heavenly state is." 739. After this the angel returned with his companions to the place of meeting, from which the different companies of wise men had not yet departed, and there he called to him those who believed that heavenly joy and eternal happiness are merely admittance into heaven, and that this admittance is from Divine grace, and that those admitted are at once gifted with joy, like those in the world who are permitted to enter royal palaces on days of festivity, or are invited to weddings. To these the angel said, " Wait here a while, and I will sound my trumpet, and those who are celebrated for wisdom in the N. 739] MEMORABLE RELATION 297 spiritual affairs of the church will come hither." After a few hours there came nine men, each decorated with a laurel wreath as a token of his reputation. These were led by the angel in- to the place of meeting where all those called together before were waiting, and in their presence the angel addressed the nine wearing the wreaths, saying, " I know that you, because of your wish and in accordance with your ideas, have been permitted to ascend to heaven, and that you have returned to this lower or sub-celestial earth with a full knowledge of the state of heaven ; tell us therefore how heaven appeared to you." [2] They replied in order. The first said, " My idea of heav- en, from earliest boyhood even until the end of my life in the world, was, that it was a place of all kinds of blessedness, sat- isfaction, delight, gratification, and pleasure; and that if I were to be admitted there I should be surrounded by an aura of such felicities, and should inhale them with full breast, like a bridegroom when he celebrates his marriage and enters the marriage-chamber with his bride. With this idea I ascended to heaven ; I passed the first guards, and also the second ; but when I came to the third, the officer of the guards addressed me and said, ' Who are you, friend ?' I answered, ' Is not this heaven ? I came here prompted by my own earnest desire ; admit me, I entreat you.' And he admitted me. And I saw some angels in white garments, who walked around me, and looked at me, and murmured, i Here is a new guest, not clothed in the garments of heaven.' I heard the remark, and thought, ' This seems to me like what the Lord said of the man who came to the wedding not having a wedding-garment;' and I said, ' Give me such garments of heaven.' But they only laughed. And then one came running from the court with the command, ' Strip him naked, cast him out, and throw his clothes after him.' And so I was cast out." [3] The second in order then said, "I also believed as he did, that if I were only admitted into heaven, which was above my head, joys would flow around me, and I should breathe them for ever. I also obtained my wish. But when the angels saw me they fled, and said to one another, 'What portent is this? How did that bird of night get here?' And I actual- ly felt myself to be changed from being a man, although I 298 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. was not changed. This effect was produced by my inhaling the heavenly atmosphere. And presently one ran from the court with the command that two servants should lead me out, and conduct me back by the way I came, right to my own house. And when I was at home, I again appeared to myself and others as a man." [4] The third said, "My constant idea of heaven was de- rived from place, not from love; and therefore when I entered this world I longed intensely to get into heaven, and seeing some ascending, I followed, and was admitted, though only a few steps. But when I wished to gladden my mind with an idea of the joys and blessedness there, owing to the light of heaven (which was white like snow, and the essence of which is said to be wisdom), a stupor seized my mind, and from it a thick darkness came upon my eyes, and I began to be insane ; and presently, owing to the heat of heaven (which corresponded to the brightness of that light, and the essence of which is said to be love),' my heart palpitated, anxiety took possession of me, I was tortured with interior pain, and threw myself down at full length upon the ground. And while I was lying there, an attendant came from the court with the command for them to carry me away carefully into my own light and heat, and as soon as I came into these my spirit and heart were restored to me." [5] The fourth said, "My idea of heaven also was derived from place not from love, and as soon as I entered the spiritual world I asked some wise men whether it was allowable to as- cend to heaven. They told me that every one is permitted, but he should beware lest he be cast down again. I laughed at this, and went up, believing like the others that all in the whole world are capable of receiving the joys of heaven in their ful- ness. But verily, as soon as I entered I became almost dead; and from the pain and consequent torture in my head and body, I threw myself upon the ground, writhed like a serpent near a fire, crawled to the brink, and thus cast myself down. After- wards I was taken up by some who stood below, and carried to an inn, where my health was restored." [6] The remaining five also gave wonderful accounts of their ascents to heaven, comparing the changes of their states of life N. 739] MEMORABLE RELATION 299 to that of fishes when taken out of water into the air, and of birds when taken up into the ether, and they said, that after those hard experiences they no longer had any desire for heav- en; but only for a life in company with their like, wherever they might be; and that they knew that in the world of spirits where we then were, all are first prepared, the good for heaven and the evil for hell ; and when prepared, they see ways open- ed for them to societies of those like themselves, with whom they are to remain for ever ; also that they then enter these ways with delight, because they are the ways of their love. When those of the first assembly had heard these statements, they all confessed that they, too, had entertained no other idea of heaven than as a place where with full mouth they might for ever drink in the joys flowing around them. [7] The angel with the trumpet then said to them, "You now see that the joys of heaven and eternal happiness are not a matter of place, but of the state of man's life, and the state of heavenly life is from love and wisdom; and as use is the containant of these two, the state of heavenly life is from the conjunction of these in use. It is the same if we say instead, charity, faith, and good works, since charity is love, faith is truth from which comes wisdom, and good works are uses. Furthermore, there are places in our spiritual world as in the natural world, other- wise there would be no habitations or distinct dwellings ; and yet place here is not place, but an appearance of place in ac- cordance with the state of love and wisdom, or charity and faith. [8] Every one who becomes an angel carries his heaven within him, because he carries within him the love that be- longs to his heaven; for man by creation is a lesser likeness, image, and type of the great heaven ; and the human form is nothing else; so that every one enters that heavenly society whose form he is as an individual likeness ; consequently when he enters into that society he enters a form correspondent to his own, thus he enters the society as if entering into himself from himself, and as if from the society into the society in him- self, and partakes of its life as his own, and of his own life as its life. Every society is like a common body, the angels there- in are the like parts of which the general co-exists. Erom this it now follows that those who are in evils and in consequent 300 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. falsities, have formed in themselves a likeness of hell, and this is what suffers torture in heaven from the influx and vehemence of the activity of opposite against opposite ; for infernal love is the opposite of heavenly love, and the delights of the two loves come into collision like hostile forces, and destroy each other when they meet." 740. After all these things had taken place a voice was heard from heaven, saying to the angel with the trumpet, " Choose ten men from all those assembled, and introduce them to us ; we have heard from the Lord that He will so prepare them that the heat and light, of love and wisdom, of our heav- en may be borne by them without harm for three days." Ten men were then chosen and followed the angel. And they went up a steep path to a certain hill, and from this to a mountain on which was the heaven of those angels, which had before appeared to them at a distance like an expanse in the clouds. The gates were opened for them, and when they had passed the third the introducing angel ran to the prince of that society or heaven, and announced their arrival. And the prince said in reply, " Take some of my attendants, and carry back word to them that I am pleased that they have come, and introduce them into my ante-court, and give to each his own room and bed-chamber. Take also some of my courtiers and some servants to wait upon them, and render them any service they may desire." This was done. When they had been admitted by the angel, they asked whether they might be permitted to go and see the prince. The angel replied, " It is now morning, and he cannot be seen before noon ; all are still engaged in their own duties and labors. But you are invited to dinner ; and then you will sit at the table with our prince; and in the mean time I will con- duct you into his palace where you will see magnificent and splendid things." [2] When he had led them to the palace they first viewed it from without. It was spacious, built of porphyry, with a foundation of jasper. Before the doors were six tall columns of lapis lazuli. The roof was made of plates of gold, the high windows were of the clearest crystal, and their frames of gold. They were then led into the interior of the palace, and con- N. 740] MEMORABLE RELATION 301 ducted from room to room ; and they saw ornaments of in- describable beauty, and on the ceilings decorations of inimit- able carvings. Placed against the walls they saw tables of silver fused with gold, on which were various useful articles made of precious stones and of whole gems in heavenly forms. And more things they saw, which no eye on earth had ever seen, and therefore no one had been able to believe that such things exist in heaven. [3] While they were standing amazed at the sight of such magnificence the angel said, " Do not be astonished; these things that you see are not the work or fabrication of any an- gelic hand, but were made by the Architect of the universe and bestowed as a gift on our prince, so that architectural art is here in its perfection, and from it come all the rules of art in the world." The angel said further, " You may suppose, per- haps, that such things fascinate our eyes and so far infatuate them that we believe these things to be the joys of our heaven; but they are merely accessory to the joys of our hearts, our hearts not being in them ; and so far therefore as we contem- plate them as accessory, and as the workmanship of God, we contemplate in them the Divine omnipotence and kindness." 741. After this the angel said to them, "It is not yet noon; come with me into the garden of our prince which adjoins this palace." They went ; and at the entrance the angel said, " Be- hold the most magnificent garden in this heavenly society." But they replied, " What do you say ? There is no garden here ; we see only one tree, with what seems like fruits of gold on its branches and top, and like leaves of silver, with their edges adorned with emeralds ; and under the tree we see little children with their nurses." To this the angel with inspired voice replied, " This tree is in the midst of the garden, and is called by us the tree of our heaven, and by some the tree of life. But go on and draw nearer, and your eyes will be opened, and you will see the garden." This they did; and their eyes were opened, and they saw trees heavily laden with delicious fruit, about which vines en- twined their tendrils, and their tops were bent down with fruit toward the tree of life in the center. [2] These trees were 302 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. planted in a continuous row, which went out and on in endless circles or curves like those of a perpetual spiral ; it was a per- fect spiral formed by trees, wherein one species followed an- other in unbroken order according to the excellence of their fruit. There was quite a space between the beginning of the spiral and the tree in the center, and this space gleamed with a radiance that made the trees of the spiral beam with an un- broken and unceasing splendor from the first to the last. The first trees were the noblest of all, luxuriant with the rarest fruit; these were called trees of paradise, never having been seen in any country of the natural world, because they do not and cannot exist there. These were followed by olive trees, then those that yielded wine, then fragrant trees, and finally trees useful to workmen for the wood. Here and there in this coil of trees or spiral there were seats formed of branches of the trees behind drawn forward and interlaced and enriched and adorned with their fruits. In that perpetual circle of trees were passages opening to flower-plots, and from these to lawns, divided off into squares and beds. [3] The companions of the angel, on seeing these things, ex- claimed, " Behold heaven in form ! Wherever we turn our eyes something heavenly and paradisal meets them, which is in- effable." The angel was delighted with these exclamations, and said, "All our heavenly gardens are representative forms or types of heavenly beatitudes in their origin, and because your minds were exalted by the influx of these beatitudes, you exclaimed, ' Behold heaven in form ! ' But those who do not receive that influx look upon these paradisal objects only as upon a mere forest. All who are in a love of use receive the influx; but those who are in the love of glory not from use do not receive it." Afterwards he explained and taught what was represent- ed and signified by each thing in the garden. 742. While they were thus engaged, there came a messenger from the prince, who invited them to eat bread with him ; and at the same time two court attendants brought garments of white linen, and said, " Put these on ; for no one is admitted to the prince's table unless he is clothed in the garments of heaven.'' N. 742] MEMORABLE RELATION 303 They put on the garments and accompanied their angel ; and they were conducted into a corridor, a promenade of the palace, where they waited for the prince ; and there they were brought by the angel into companionship with great men and govern- ors, who also were waiting for the prince. And behold, after half an hour the doors were opened, and through a wider one on the west they saw him enter in the order and pomp of a procession. Before him came his privy counselors, after these his chamberlains, and after these again the chief officers of his court. In the midst of the latter was the prince, behind him courtiers of various rank, and last of all the life-guards. In all, they numbered one hundred and twenty. [2] The angel standing before the ten new-comers, who from their dress were seen to be visitors, approached the prince with them and reverently presented them; and the prince without stopping in the procession, said to them, " Come and take bread with me." They followed him into the dining-hall, where they saw a table magnificently prepared. In the center of it was a high pyramid of gold, having on its shelves in triple order a hun- dred dishes containing sweet cakes, solidified musts of wines, and other delicacies made of bread and wine. Through the middle of the pyramid there welled up, as it were, a fountain bubbling over with nectareous wine, a stream of which spread itself from the top of the pyramid and filled the cups. At the side of this high pyramid were various heavenly projections of gold, on which were dishes and plates loaded with every kind of food. These heavenly projections on which the plates and dishes rested, were forms of art derived from wisdom, which could not be executed in the world by any art, or de- scribed in any language. The dishes and plates were of silver, engraved around with forms resembling those on their sup- ports ; the cups were of transparent gems. Thus was the table furnished. 743. The dress of the prince and his ministers was as fol- lows: The prince was clad in a long robe of a purple color, decorated with silver stars of needlework; under the robe was a tunic of bright violet-colored silk ; this was open at the breast where the front part of a belt was visible, bearing the badge 304 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. of his society. The badge was an eagle on the top of a tree, brooding her young; it was of burnished gold surrounded by diamonds. The privy counselors were clad somewhat in the same way, but without the badge; instead of which they had carved sapphires suspended from their necks by golden chains. The courtiers wore gowns of a brown color, in which were in- terwoven flowers encircling young eagles; the tunics under these were of opaline silk, as were their breeches and stock- ings. Such was their clothing. 744. The privy counselors, the chamberlains, and the gov- ernors, stood around the table; and at the command of the prince they folded their hands, and all together in a low tone gave thanks to the Lord ; and then, at a nod from the prince, took their places on the cushioned seats at the table. And the prince said to the visitors, "Sit you down with me also; there are your seats." And they sat down. The courtiers before sent by the prince to wait upon them, stood behind them. The prince then said to them, " Take each one of you a plate from its place, and then a dish from the pyramid." They did so; and behold, there instantly appeared fresh plates and dishes in place of those taken away. Their cups were filled with wine from the fountain springing from the great pyramid ; and they ate together. [2] When they were moderately satisfied, the prince ad- dressed the ten guests, saying, "I have heard that you were assembled on the earth that is beneath this heaven to disclose your thoughts respecting the joys of heaven and eternal happi- ness therefrom; and that you advanced different opinions, each according to the delights of his bodily senses. But what are the delights of the bodily senses apart from the delights of the soul? It is the soul that imparts delight to these. The de- lights of the soul are in themselves imperceptible beatitudes; but they become more and more perceptible as they descend into the thoughts of the mind, and from these into the sensa- tions of the body. In the thoughts of the mind they are per- ceptible as joys, in the sensations of the body as delights, and in the body itself as pleasures. From all these together comes eternal happiness ; while from the latter alone the happiness is not eternal but temporary, and comes to an end and passes N. 744] MEMORABLE RELATION 305 away, and sometimes becomes imhappiness. You have now seen that all your joys are also joys of heaven, and more ex- cellent than you could ever have conceived ; and yet our minds are not interiorly affected by them. [3] There are three things . that flow in as one from the Lord into our souls ; these three as one, that is, this trine, are love, wisdom, and use ; but love and wisdom alone have only an ideal existence, because they exist only in the affection and thought of the mind; while in use they have a real existence, because then they exist also in bodily act and operation, and where they exist really, there they have permanent existence. But as love and wisdom have their existence and permanence in use, it is use that affects us ; and use is the faithful, sincere, and diligent discharge of the duties of one's employment. The love of use and the conse- quent pursuit of use prevents the mind from becoming dissi- pated, and from wandering about and drinking in all the cupidities that flow in with their allurements through the senses from the body and the world, and that scatter to the four winds the truths of religion and morality together with their goods. But the application of the mind to use holds and binds these together, and disposes the mind into a form recep- tive of wisdom from these truths, and at the same time expels to the circumference the illusions and mockeries both of falsi- ties and vanities. But on these subjects you will hear more from the wise men of our society, whom I will send to you this afternoon." So saying the prince arose, and with him his guests ; he said grace, and then commanded the angelic guide of the strangers to conduct them back to their apartments, and to show them all the honors of courtesy ; also to invite courteous and affable men to entertain them with conversation on the various joys of that society. 745. When they had returned to their apartments this was done. Men invited from the city came to entertain them with conversation on the various joys of the society; and after the usual greetings they conversed with them agreeably, as they walked. But their angelic guide said, "These ten men have been invited into this heaven to behold its joys, and thereby to acquire a new idea of eternal happiness. Recount to them, Vol. II.— 20 306 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. therefore, some of its joys which affect the bodily senses ; after- wards some wise men are to come who will mention some of the things that render those joys satisfactory and delightful." Hearing this, the men invited from the city mentioned the following : (1) There are days of festivity appointed here by the prince, to relieve the mind of the fatigue which the pas- sion of emulation may have brought upon some. On these days there are musical and vocal concerts in the public squares, and outside of the city there are games and shows ; music stands are also raised in the public squares, surrounded by lattice-work of interwoven vines, from which hang clusters of grapes ; while within this lattice-work, on three rows of seats, one above another, sit musicians with stringed and wind in- struments, high-toned and low-toned, some powerful and some sweet ; and at the sides are singers of both sexes, delighting the citizens with the sweetest jubilees and songs, choruses and solos, varied in character at intervals. On these days of fes- tivity all this is continued from morning until noon, and then again until evening. [2] (2) Moreover, every morning there are heard from the houses about the squares the sweetest songs of girls and maidens, with which the whole city resounds. Each morning some one affection of spiritual love is sung, that is, is expressed by modifications or modulations of the voice in singing, and that affection is perceptible in the singing as if it were the affection itself. It flows into the souls of the hearers, and. stirs them to a correspondence with it. Such is heavenly singing. The singers say that the sound of their song inspires and animates them from within, as it were, and exalts them with joy in the measure of its reception by their hearers. When the singing ceases, the windows of the houses on the squares are closed, and also those of the houses on the streets, and the doors also, and then the whole city is silent ; there is no noise anywhere, and no wandering idlers are seen ; all thus prepared then enter upon the duties of their employments. [3] (3) At noon the doors are opened, and in the afternoon in some places the windows also, and the boys and girls are seen playing in the streets, their nurses and teachers sitting in the porches of the houses keeping watch over them. [4] (4) In the outskirts of the city, there are various games of boys and N. 745] MEMORABLE RELATION 307 young men ; there are foot-races and games of ball, and what is called tennis, with the balls struck back and forth ; there are public contests among the boys to determine who is the quicker and who the slower in speaking, acting, and understanding; and to the quicker some laurel leaves are given as a reward, with many other methods of calling out the latent abilities of the boys. [5] (5) And again, outside the city there are theat- rical exhibitions, where players represent the various proprie- ties and virtues of moral life; with players among them of lower parts for the sake of what is relative." One of the ten asked, " Why for the sake of what is relative ?" They replied, " No virtue with its proprieties and graces can be presented in a living way except by an exhibition of what is relative from its greatest to its least phases. These players represent the least phases even till they become none. But it is provided by law that nothing opposite, which is called im- proper and unbecoming, shall be exhibited, except figuratively and as it were remotely. It is so provided, because nothing that is proper and good in any virtue can pass by successive steps to what is improper and evil, but only to its least phase until it perishes ; and when it perishes the opposite begins. Therefore, heaven, where all things are proper and good, has nothing in common with hell, where all things are improper and evil." 746. While they were speaking a servant ran to them and announced the arrival of eight wise men, who had been sent by the prince's command, and who wished to enter ; hearing which the angel went out, received, and conducted them in. And the wise men, as soon as the usual and proper forms of intro- duction were over, first spoke with them about the beginning and growth of wisdom, mingling with their conversation vari- ous observations respecting its progress, as that wisdom with the angels has no limit or end, but grows and increases to eternity. Hearing this the angel who had charge of the strangers said to the wise men, " Our prince spoke at table with these men about the seat of wisdom as being in use ; will you too, if you please, talk with them upon the same subject." 308 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. And they said, " Man as first created was imbued with wis- dom and its love, not for his own sake, but that he might com- municate it from himself to others. Therefore it is written in the wisdom of the wise that no one is wise or lives for himself alone, but for others also ; whence comes society, which other- wise could not exist. Living for others is being useful. Uses are the bonds of society; these bonds are as many as there are good uses, and in number uses are infinite. There are spirit- ual uses, which pertain to love of God and love to the neigh- bor; there are moral and civil uses, which pertain to love of the society and community in which a man lives, and of the companions and citizens with whom he lives. There are natu- ral uses, which pertain to the love of the world and its necessi- ties ; and there are bodily uses, which pertain to the love of self-preservation for the sake of higher uses. [2] All these uses are inscribed on man, and follow in order one after an- other, and when they exist simultaneously one is within the other. Those who are in the first mentioned uses, which are spiritual, are also in those that follow, and such are wise ; but those who are not in the first, but are in the second and from these in the subsequent ones, are not so wise, but only seem to be so because of their outward morality and right civil life. Those who are not in the first and second, but are in the third and fourth, are anything but wise, for they are satans, loving the world only, and loving themselves because of the world. Those who are only in the fourth class of uses are the least wise of all, for they are devils, since they live for themselves alone, or if for others, it is solely on account of themselves. [3] Furthermore, every love has its own delight, for thereby love lives; and the delight of the love of uses is a heavenly delight, which enters the subsequent delights in order, and ac- cording to their order of succession exalts them and renders them eternal." They then enumerated some heavenly delights that proceed from the love of use, saying, that there were myriads of myriads of them, and that those who entered heav- en entered into them. Afterwards they spent the day with them, until evening, in wise conversations about the love of use. [4] About evening-time there came a footman clothed in lin- en to the ten visitors who accompanied the angel, and invited N. 746] MEMORABLE RELATION 309 them to a wedding to be celebrated the next day. The visitors were much pleased that they were also to see a wedding in heaven. After this they were conducted to a certain privy counselor, and supped with him; and after supper they re- turned and separated from one another, each going to his own chamber, where they slept until morning. When they awoke they heard the singing of the girls and maidens from the houses round about the square, as spoken of above. It was the affection of conjugial love that they were singing ; and being deeply stirred and affected by its sweetness, they perceived a blessed charm pervading their joys by which they were exalted and renewed. When it was time the angel said, " Make yourselves ready ; put on the garments of heaven which our prince has sent to you." And they put them on; and behold, the garments shone as if with a flaming light. And they asked the angel, " Whence is this ? " He replied, " It is because you are going to a wedding ; with us our garments then shine and become wedding garments." 747. After this the angel led them to the house of the wed- ding, and the porter opened the doors ; and as soon as they had crossed the threshold they were received and saluted by an an- gel sent from the bridegroom, and conducted in and taken to seats set apart for them. Presently they were invited into the ante-room of the bridal chamber, in the center of which they saw a table, whereon was placed a magnificent candlestick with seven golden branches and bowls ; on the walls hung lamps of silver, the burning of which gave the atmosphere a golden ap- pearance. On each side of the candlestick they saw a table on which loaves of bread were set in triple order ; and in the four corners of the room were tables upon which were crystal gob- lets. [2] While they were examining these things, behold a door was opened from a room next the bridal chamber, and they saw six virgins coming out followed by the bridegroom and bride holding each other by the hand, and leading each other to their seat which had been placed directly opposite the candlestick. On this they seated themselves, the bridegroom on the left and the bride on his right, and the six virgins standing at the side of the seat near the bride. The bridegroom was dressed in a 310 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. robe of glowing purple and a coat of shining white linen, with an ephod on which was a golden plate set around .with dia- monds ; and on the plate was engraved a young eagle, the nup- tial emblem of that heavenly society. The head of the bride- groom was covered with a miter. The bride was dressed in a scarlet cloak, and under it an embroidered garment, reaching from the neck to the feet ; around her waist was a golden belt and on her head a crown of gold set with rubies. [3] While they thus sat together, the bridegroom turned to the bride and placed on her finger a golden ring, and drew forth bracelets and a necklace of pearls, fastening the bracelets on her wrists and the necklace about her neck, and saying, " Accept these pledges ;" and as she accepted them, he kissed her and said, " Now you are mine," and called her his wife. When this had been done the guests cried out, " Blessings on you ;" each one first saying this separately, and then all to- gether ; and one sent to represent the prince also said it ; and at that moment the ante-chamber was filled with an aromatic smoke, which was a sign of blessing from heaven. Then the attendants took loaves from the two tables near the candlestick, and cups now filled with wine from the tables in the corners, and gave to each guest his loaf and his cup; and they ate and drank. After this the husband and his wife arose, the six virgins following them to the threshold with the now lighted silver lamps in their hands ; and the married pair entered the bridal chamber, and the door was closed. 748. The angel guide then told the guests about his ten companions, saying that he had introduced them by command, had shown them the magnificence of the prince's palace, and the wonderful things it contained, that they had dined with the prince ; and afterward conversed with the wise men of the society. And he asked, " Will you permit them to have a lit- tle talk with you also ? " And they approached and began the conversation. A wise one from among those at the wedding said, " Do you understand the significance of what you have seen?" They replied, " Somewhat." And then they asked him why the bridegroom, now the husband, was so clothed ; and he an- N. 748] MEMORABLE RELATION 311 swered, "The bridegroom, now the husband, represented the Lord ; and the bride, now his wife, represented the church ; be- cause marriages in heaven represent the marriage of the Lord with the church. This is why the bridegroom had a miter on his head, and was dressed in a robe, coat, and ephod, like Aaron; and the bride, now the wife, had a crown on her head, and was dressed in a cloak like a queen; but to-morrow they will be clothed differently, because this representation only lasts during to-day." [2] Again they asked, "As he represented the Lord, and she the church, why did she sit at his right ?" The wise one replied, "Because there are two things that constitute the marriage of the Lord and the church, love and wisdom, and the Lord is love and the church is wisdom ; and wisdom is at the right of love because the man of the church is wise as if of himself, and as he becomes wise, he receives love from the Lord. Furthermore, the right hand signifies power, and love has power through wisdom. But as before said, after marriage the representation is changed, the husband then representing wisdom, and the wife the love of his wisdom. This, however, is not the prior love, but a secondary love, which the wife has from the Lord through the wisdom of the husband. Love of the Lord, which is the prior love, is in the husband the love of being wise ; therefore after marriage the two, husband and wife together, represent the church." [3] Again they asked, " Why did not you men stand beside the bridegroom, now the husband, while the six virgins stood beside the bride, now the wife ?" The wise one replied, " Because to-day we ourselves are counted among the virgins, and the number six signifies all, and what is complete." But they said, " What does that mean ?" He replied, "Virgins signify the church, and the church is of both sexes ; therefore in relation to the church we, too, are virgins ; as is evident from the following in the Apoc- alypse : — - These are they that were not defiled with women ; for they are vir- gins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth (xiv. 4). 312 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. And because ' virgins' signify the church, the Lord compared the church, To ten virgins invited to a wedding (Malt. xxv. 1-13); and because Israel, Zion, and Jerusalem, signify the church, the virgin and daughter of Israel, Zion and Jerusalem, are so fre- quently mentioned in the Word.' And again, the Lord describes His marriage with the church in these words in David: — On thy right hand doth stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir ; her clothing is inwrought with gold ; she shall be led unto the king in broid- ered work ; the virgins that follow her, her companions, shall enter into the king's palace (Ps. xlv. 9-15)." [4] Finally they asked, "Is it not proper that some priest should be present and minister in these matters ?" The wise one answered, " This is proper on earth, but not in the heavens because of the representation of the Lord Himself and the church. On earth this is not known. Nevertheless, with us a priest ministers at betrothals, and hears, receives, confirms, and consecrates the consent. Consent is the essen- tial of marriage, and the things that follow are its formalities." 749. After this the angel guide went to the six virgins and told them also about his companions, and besought them to honor the visitors with their company. And they approached them ; but when they came near they suddenly turned back and entered the woman's apartment where their virgin friends were. Seeing this, the angel guide followed them and asked why they turned back so suddenly without speaking to the visitors; and they replied, "We could not go near them." He asked why; and they said, "We do not know; but we perceived some- thing that repelled and drove us back ; we beg pardon." The angel turned to his companions and told them the reply, adding, "I suspect that your love of the sex is not chaste; in heaven we love virgins for their beauty and the elegance of their manners; and we love them intensely but chastely." His companions laughed at this, and said, "Your suspicion is correct ; who can see such beauties near and not feel some desire ?" 750. After this social festivity all the wedding-guests de- parted, and also the ten men in company with their angel. It N. 750] MEMORABLE RELATION 313 was late in the evening, and they went to bed. At dawn they heard it proclaimed, " To-day is the Sabbath." They arose and asked the angel what it meant. He replied, " It is a summons to the worship of God which returns at stated times and is proclaimed by the priests ; it is conducted in our temples, and continues about two hours ; come with me, therefore, if you like, and I will introduce you.*' They made themselves ready and accompanied the angel, and entered the temple. And behold, it was a large, temple, capable of seating about three thousand persons, semi-circular in form, with benches or seats extending entirely around, fol- lowing the shape of the temple. The pulpit was in front of the seats, back a little from the center ; the door was on the left behind the pulpit. The ten visitors entered with their angel guide, and he as- signed them their seat, saying, " Every one who enters the tem- ple knows his place, he knows it from something within ; and he can sit nowhere else; if he sits elsewhere, he hears noth- ing and perceives nothing; and moreover he disturbs the order, and when the order is disturbed the priest is not inspired." 751. When all had assembled, the priest ascended the pul- pit and preached a sermon full of the spirit of wisdom. It was a sermon about the holiness of the Sacred Scripture, and about the conjunction of the Lord thereby with both the spirit- ual world and the natural world. In the state of enlighten- ment in which he was, he fully proved that that Holy Book was dictated by the Lord Jehovah, and that therefore He is in it, even so that He is the wisdom in it; but the wisdom which is Himself in the Word lies concealed under the sense of the letter, and is disclosed to those only who are both in the truths of doctrine and in goods of life ; and who are thus in the Lord and the Lord in them. To the sermon he added an earnest prayer, and descended from the pulpit. As the audience was leaving, the angel asked the priest to speak some words of peace to his ten companions ; so he went to them, and they talked together for half an hour. He spoke of the Divine trinity as being in Jesus Christ in whom dwell- eth all the fulness of Divinity bodily, according to the saying of the Apostle Paul ; and he afterward spoke of the union of 314 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIII. charity and faith, but he said the union of charity and truth, because faith is truth. 752. After expressing their thanks, they went home. And the angel said to them, " This is the third day since you came up to this heavenly society, and you were prepared by the Lord to remain here three days ; so the time has come for us to part; you will therefore put off the clothes sent you by the prince, and put on your own." And as soon as they had put on their own clothes they were inspired with a desire to depart; so they departed and descended, the angel accompanying them all the way to the place of the assembly ; and there they gave thanks to the Lord for having vouchsafed to bless them with knowl- edge and consequent intelligence respecting heavenly joys and eternal happiness. N. 753] THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE 315 CHAPTER XIV. THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE, THE COMING OF THE LORD, AND THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH. THE CONSUMMATION" OF THE AGE IS THE LAST TIME OF THE CHURCH OR ITS END. 753. There have been several churches on this earth, and in the course of time they have all been consummated, and after their consummation new churches have arisen, and so on to the present time. The consummation of the church takes place when there is no Divine truth left except what has been falsified or set aside ; and when there is no genuine truth no genuine good is possible, since every quality of good is formed by means of truths ; for good is the essence of truth, and truth is the form of good, and without form there can be no quality. Good and truth can no more be separated than will and under- standing, or what is the same thing, than love's affection and the thought therefrom. Consequently when truth is consum- mated in a church, good is also consummated there ; and when this takes place, the church comes to an end, that is, is con- summated. 754. The church is consummated by various means, espe- cially by such things as cause falsity to appear to be truth ; and when falsity appears to be truth, good that is essentially good, such as is called spiritual good, is no longer possible. The good that is then believed to be good is merely natural good, such as is brought forth by a moral life. The chief cause of the consummation of truth and of good along with it, is the two natural loves that are diametrically opposed to the two spiritual loves, and that are called love of self and love of the world. Love of self when it is predominant is the opposite of love to God, and love of the world when it is predominant is the opposite of love to the neighbor. Love of self is a wishing ,316 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. well to oneself alone, and not to any other except for the sake of self ; and the same is true of love of the world ; and these loves when they are fostered spread like gangrene through the body, gradually destroying every part of it. That such love has invaded the churches is manifest from Babylon and the way it is described {Gen. xi. 1-9 ; Isa. xiii. ; xiv. ; xlvii. ; Jer. 1. ; Dan. ii. 31-47; iii. 1-7, sea. ; v. ; vi. 8-28; vii. 1-14; and Apoc. xvii. and xviii. from beginning to end of both). Babylon has finally exalted itself to such a degree as not only to transfer the Lord's Divine power to itself, but also to strive with the utmost energy to grasp all the riches of the world. That like loves would break forth from many of the leaders of the churches outside the pale of Babylon, if their power were not restricted and thus curbed, may be deduced from certain signs and appearances not altogether without meaning. What then follows but that such a man will regard himself as God and the world as heaven, and will pervert all the truth of the church ? For it is impossible for the merely natural man to recognize and acknowledge real truth, which is truth in itself, nor can such truth be given him by God, because it falls into what is inverse to it and becomes falsity. Besides these two loves there are still other causes of the consummation of truth and good, and consequently of the church; but those causes are secondary and subordinate to these two. 755. That the consummation of the age is the last time of the church, can be seen from those passages in the Word where it is spoken of, as in the following : — A consummation and decision I have heard from Jehovah upon the whole land (Isa. xxviii. 22). A consummation is determined, righteousness has overflowed, for the Lord Jehovah of Hosts is making a consummation and a decision in the whole land (Isa. x. 22, 23). The whole land shall be devoured in the fire of Jehovah's jealousy ; for He shall make a speedy consummation of all them that dwell in the land (Zeph. i. 18). In these passages " the land " signifies the church, because the land of Canaan is meant, where the church was. That "the land " signifies the church may be seen proven by many pas- sages from the Word in the Apocalypse Revealed (n. 285, 902). N. 755] THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE 317 At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision shall it drop upon the devastation (Dan. ix. 27). That these words were spoken by Daniel respecting the end of the present Christian church may be seen in Matt. xxiv. 15 : — The whole earth shall be a waste, yet will I not make a consummation (Jer. iv. 27). The iniquity of the Arnorites is not yet consummated (Gen. xv. 16). Jehovah said, I will go down and see whether they have made a con- summation according to the cry that is come unto Me (Gen. xviii. 21). This was said of Sodom. The last period of the present Chris- tian church is also meant by the Lord by the consummation of the age in the following passages : — The disciples asked Jesus, What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age ? (Matt. xxiv. 3). In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, to burn them ; but gather the wheat into My barn. So shall it be in the consummation of the age (Matt. xiii. 30, 39, 40). In the consummation of the age the angels shall go forth and separate the wicked from the midst of the righteous (Matt. xiii. 49). Jesus said to His disciples, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the consummation of the age (Matt, xxviii. 20). It must be known that the meaning of " devastation," " desola- tion," and "decision" is similar to the meaning of "consumma- tion ;" but " desolation" signifies the consummation of truth, "devastation" the consummation of good, and "decision''" the* full consummation of both ; also that " the fulness of* time" in which the Lord came and is to come into the world means consummation. 756. The. consummation of the age can be illustrated by va- rious things in the natural world, for here each and all things on the earth grow old and decay, but by alternate changes which are called the circles of things. Times in general and in particular pass through these circles. In general, the year passes from spring to summer, through this to autumn, then ends in winter, and from this returns to spring; this is the circle of heat. -In particular, the day passes from morning to noon, through this to evening, and ends in night, and from this returns again to morning ; this is the circle of light. Again, every man runs through the circle of nature, beginning life in 318 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. infancy, advancing therefrom to youth and manhood, from this to old age, and dies. So likewise every bird of the air and every beast of the earth. Also, every tree begins with a germ, goes on to its full stature, and gradually declines until it falls. The same is true of every bush and every shrub, and even of every leaf and flower, also of the soil itself, which in time be- comes barren ; and of all still water which gradually becomes foul. All these are alternative consummations, which are natu- ral and temporal, and yet periodical ; because when one has passed from its origin to its end, another like it arises ; thus everything is born and dies and is born again, in order that creation may be continued. This is like what takes place in the church because man is a church and in general constitutes the church, and one generation follows another with a constant variation of disposition ; and iniquity once enrooted, that is, an inclination to it, is transmitted to posterity, and is extirpated by regeneration only, which is wrought by the Lord alone. II. 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. 757. It has been shown in the preceding article that the consummation of the age signifies the last time of the church, and this makes clear what is meant by " the consummation of the age" of which the Lord speaks in the Gospels (Matt. xxiv. ; Mark xiii. ; Luke xxi.). For it is written : — As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples drew near unto Him privately, saying, What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the age ? (Matt. xxiv. 3). Then the Lord began and foretold and described this consum- mation, what it was to be step by step, until His coming ; and that He was then to come in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, and was to gather His elect (verses 30, 31), and N. 757] THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE 319 other events which in no wise took place at the destruction of Jerusalem. These things the Lord there described in prophetic discourse, in which every single word has weight. What these particular things involve has been explained in the Arcana Ccelestia (n. 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-L424). 758. That all these things which the Lord spoke about with His disciples were said of the last time of the Christian church, is very evident from the Apocalypse, where there are like pre- dictions respecting the consummation of the age and the com- ing of the Lord, all of which are explained in detail in the Apocalypse Revealed, published in 1766. Because, then, what the Lord said in the presence of His disciples respecting the consummation of the age and His coming, coincides with what was afterward revealed by John in the Apocalypse respecting the same subjects, it is clearly evident that He meant no other consummation than that of the present Christian church. Moreover, there is a further prophecy in Daniel respecting the end of this church ; therefore the Lord says : — When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, predicted by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let hiin that readeth note it well (Matt. xxiv. 15 ; Dan. ix. 27). There are like things in the other prophets. That such an abomination of desolation exists to-day in the Christian church will be made still more clear in an Appendix, in which it will be seen that there is not a single genuine truth remaining in the church, and also' that unless a new church shall be raised up in the place of the present one, " no flesh can be saved," according to the Lord's words in Matthew (xxiv. 22). That the Christian church, as it is to-day, is consummated and devas- tated to such an extent, those on the earth who have confirmed themselves in its falsity are unable to see, for the reason that the confirmation of falsity is the denial of truth ; and this im- poses a veil as it were upon the understanding, whereby it is protected from the entrance of anything that might pull up the ropes and stakes, by which its system, like a strong tent, has been built and shaped. To this may be added that the natural rational faculty is able to confirm whatever it pleases, thus falsity and truth equally ; and when confirmed, they both 320 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. appear in a similar light, and it is not known whether the light is illusive like that in a dream, or true like that of day. But the spiritual rational faculty, which those possess who look to the Lord, and from Him are in the love of truth, is wholly different. 759. For this reason every church made up of those who see by confirmations seems to itself to be the only church that is in the light, and all others which dissent from it appear to be in darkness. For those who see by confirmations are not un- like owls, which see light in the obscurity of night, and in the day-time see the sun and its rays as thick darkness. Such has been and such is every church that is in falsities, when it has become fixed in falsities by leaders who seem to themselves to be lynx-eyed, and who have made for themselves a morning light out of their own intelligence and evening light out of the Word. Did not the Jewish church when it was wholly devas- tated (which it was when our Lord came into the world), loudly declare through its scribes and those skilled in the law, that because it had the Word it alone was in heavenly light, and yet they crucified the Messiah or the Christ who was the Word itself and the All in all things of it ? What is the cry of that ■ church which is meant by " Babylon" in the Prophets and in the Apocalypse, but that she is the queen and mother of all churches, and that those which withdraw from her are spuri- ous offspring that must be excommunicated ? And this, even when she has thrust the Lord the Saviour from the throne and altar and placed herself thereon. [2] Does not every church, even the most heretical, when once accepted, fill country and city with the cry that it alone is orthodox and oecumenical, and that it possesses the gospel which the angel flying in the midst of heaven announced (Apoc. xiv. 6)? And who does not hear the crowd echoing that it is so ? Did not the whole Synod of Dort look upon predestination as a star coming down above their heads out of heaven, and did they not kiss that dogma as the Philistines kissed the image of Dagon in the temple of Ebenezer at Ashdod, and as the Greeks kissed the Palladium in the temple of Minerva ? For they called that dogma the palladium of religion ; and they did not know that a falling star is a meteor formed of illusive light, and when such light N. 759] THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE 321 falls upon the brain it enables it to confirm every falsity (which is done by fallacies), until it is believed to be the true light, and is decreed to be a fixed star, and is finally sworn to be the star of stars. [3] Who speaks with fuller persuasion of the certitude of his delusion than the atheistic naturalist ? Does he not laugh with the fullest assurance at the Divine things of God, the heavenly things of heaven, and the spiritual things of the church ? Does not every lunatic believe his foolishness to be wisdom, and wisdom to be foolishness ? Who by the sight of the eye can distinguish the illusive light of rotten wood from the light of the moon ? Does not any one who is averse to balsamic odors, as those who are affected with uterine diseases, repel those odors from the nostrils and choose ill- smelling odors in preference ? And so on. All these things have been presented for the sake of illustration, to make clear that by natural light alone, or until truth from heaven beams forth in its own light, the fact that the church is consummated, that is, that it is in mere falsities, cannot be recognized. For falsity does not see truth, but truth sees falsity; and every man is such that he can see and comprehend truth when he hears it ; but a man confirmed in falsities cannot so introduce truth into his understanding that it Avill remain, since it finds no place there ; and if it happens to enter, the assembled horde of falsities casts it out as heterogeneous. III. THIS LAST TIME OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IS THE VERY NIGHT IN WHICH FORMER CHURCHES HAVE COME TO AN END. 760. That there have been in general four churches on this earth since its creation, one after the other, can be seen from both the historic and the prophetic Word, especially in Daniel, where these four churches are pictured by the statue which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream (chap, ii.), and afterward by the four beasts coming up out of the sea (chap. vii.). The first, which should be called the Most Ancient church, existed be- Vol. II.— 21 322 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. fore the flood ; and its consummation or destruction is pictured by the flood. The second, which should be called the Ancient church, existed in Asia, and a part of it in Africa; it was consummated and destroyed by idolatries. The third church was the Israelitish, which began with the promulgation of the Decalogue upon Mount Sinai, was continued by means of the Word written by Moses and the prophets, and was consum- mated or brought to an end by the profanation of the Word ; which profanation was complete at the time of the Lord's com- ing into the world; and in consequence they crucified Him who was the Word. The fourth is the Christian church, which was established by the Lord through the evangelists and apos- tles. Of this church there have been two epochs, one extend- ing from the Lord's time to the Council of Nice, and the other from that Council to the present day; but in its progress it has been divided into three — the Greek, the Roman Catholic, and the Reformed. All these, however, are called Christian churches. Furthermore, within each of these general churches there have been a number of particular churches; and these, in spite of their secession, have retained the general name, as heresies in the Christian church. 761. That the last time of the Christian church was the very night in which the former churches came to an end, can be seen from the Lord's prediction respecting it in the Gospels and in Daniel ; in the Gospels from the following : — That they would see the abomination of desolation, and there would be great tribulation, such as had not been from the beginning of the world until then, nor ever would be ; and except those days should be shortened no flesh would be saved ; and finally the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (Matt. xxiv. 15, 21, 22, 29). That time is also called night elsewhere in the Gospels, as in Luke : — In that night there shall be two men in one bed ; the one shall be taken and the other left (xvii. 34). And in John: — I must work the works of Him that sent Me, the night cometh when no man can work (ix. 4). [2] As at midnight all light departs, and the Lord is the true N. 761] THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE 323 light {John i. 4^9; viii. 12; xii. 35, 36, 46), so when the Lord ascended to heaven He said to His disciples : — Lo, I am with you always, even unto the consummation of the age (Matt, xxviii. 20); and then it is that He departs from them to a new church. That this last time of the church is the very night in which the former churches have come to an end can be seen also from the following passages in Daniel : — At last upon the bird of abomination shall be desolation ; and even to the consummation and decision shall it drop upon the devastation (ix. 27). That this is a prediction respecting the end of the Christian church is clearly evident from the Lord's words in Matthew (xxiv. 15) ; as also from what is said in Daniel respecting the fourth kingdom, or the fourth church, represented by Nebu- chadnezzar's statue : — Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man ; but they shall not cohere one with the other even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Dan. ii. 43), " the seed of man" meaning the truth of the Word. [3] And again, from what is said respecting the fourth church repre- sented by the fourth beast coming up out of the sea : — I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast,' dreadful and terrible ; it shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces (Dan. vii. 7, 23). This means that all the truth of the church will be consum- mated, and then it will be night, because the truth of the church is light. Respecting this church there are many other like predictions in the Apocalypse, especially in the sixteenth chapter which treats of the vials full of the wrath of God poured out upon the earth, these vials signifying the falsities that would then inundate and destroy the church. So like- wise in many places in the Prophets, as in the following : — Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness and not light ? even thick darkness and no brightness ? (Amos v. 18, 20 ; Zeph. i. 15). Again : — In that day Jehovah shall look down upon the land, and behold dark- ness, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof (Isa. v. 30 ; viii. 22), " the day of Jehovah " meaning the day of the Lord's coming. 324 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. 762. That four churches have existed on this earth since the creation of tfye world is in accordance with Divine order, which requires that there be a beginning and then its end be- fore a new beginning starts in. Therefore every day begins with morning, progresses, ends in night, and then begins anew ; also every year begins with spring, progresses through summer to autumn, closes in winter, and then begins again; and in order that these changes may take place the sun rises in the east progresses therefrom through the south to the west, and finishes its course in the north, after which it rises again. It is the same with churches ; the first, which was the Most An- cient, was like morning, spring, and the east; the second or Ancient church was like day, summer, and the south ; the third was like evening, autumn, and the west; and the fourth like night, winter and the north. From these orderly progressions the wise men of ancient times inferred four ages of the world, the first of which they called the golden age, the second the silver age, the third the copper age, and the fourth the iron age, by which metals, moreover, these churches are represented in Nebuchadnezzar's statue. And again, in the Lord's sight the church is seen as a single man, and this larger man must pass through his stages of life like an individual, that is to say, from infancy to youth, from this to manhood, and finally to old age; and then, when he dies, he will rise again. The Lord says : — Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth [alone]; but if it die, it beareth much fruit {John xii. 24). 763. It is according to order that a first should go forth to its last both in general and in particular, in order that variety may exist in all things, and through varieties every quality; for quality is perfected by means of differences relating to what is more or less opposite. Who cannot see that truth takes on its quality through the existence of falsity, and good like- wise through the existence of evil, as light takes on its quality through the existence of darkness, and heat through the exist- ence of cold ? What would color be if there were no black and nothing but white ? If it were otherwise the quality of inter- mediate colors could not but be imperfect. What is sensation N. 763] THE CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE 325 apart from relation ; and what is relation except to things op- posite ? Is not the sight of the eye obscured by looking at white only, and quickened by a color that inwardly derives something from black, such, for example, as green? Is not the sense of hearing dulled by the continued strain of one tone upon its organs, and stimulated by a modulation that is varied by relative sounds? What is the beautiful without relation to the unbeautiful? So in some pictures in order to present vividly the beauty of a virgin, an ugly face is placed beside the handsome one. "What are joy and happiness without rela- tion to what is joyless and unhappy? Will not one become insane by dwelling upon one idea only, uninterrupted by a variety that tends to things opposite? It is the same with the spiritual things of the church, the opposites of which have relation to evil and falsity, which, nevertheless, are not from the Lord, but from man who has freedom, of choice which he can turn either to a good use or an evil use ; comparatively as it is with darkness and cold, which are not from the sun but are from the earth, which by its revolutions in turn withdraws from the sun and returns to it; and without its turning from and to the sun there would be neither day nor year, conse- quently no person and no thing on the earth. I have heard that churches which are in different goods and truths, provided their goods relate to love to the Lord, and their truths to faith in Him, are like so many gems in a king's crown. IV. THIS NIGHT IS FOLLOWED BY A MORNING WHICH IS THE COMING OF THE LORD. 764. As the successive states of the church in general and in particular are described in the Word by the four seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and by the four divisions of the day, morning, noon, evening, and night ; and as the present church in Christendom is the night, it follows that the morning, that is, the beginning of a new church, is now at hand. That the successive states of the church are de- 326 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. scribed in the Word by the four states of the light of day, can be seen from the following passages : — Unto evening and morning two thousand and three hundred ; then the holy one shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning is truth (Dan. viii. 14, 26). Crying to me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night ? The watch- man said, The morning cometh and also the night (Isa. xxi. 11. 12). The end is come ; the morning is come upon thee, 0 inhabitant of the land ; behold the day cometh ; the morning is gone forth (Ezek. vii. 6, 7, 10). Jehovah in the morning shall bring His judgment to light ; nor shall He fail (Zeph. iii. 5). God is in the midst of her ; God shall help her at the return of the morning (Ps. xlvi. 5). I have waited for Jehovah ; my soul looketh for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning ; for with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will redeem Israel (Ps. cxxx. 5-8). [2] In these passages " evening" and " night" mean the last time of the church, and "morning" the first. The Lord Him- self is also called the morning in the following passages : — The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake to Me. He shall be as the light of the morning, a morning without clouds (2 Sam. xxiii. 3,4). I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning Star (Apoc. xxii. 16). From the womb of the morning Thou hast the dew of Thy youth (Ps. ex. 3). These passages refer to the Lord. Because the Lord is the morning, He arose from the sepulchre early in the morning, being about to begin a new church {Mark xvi. 2, 9). [3] That it is the Lord's coming that is to be waited for can be clearly seen from His prediction respecting it in Matthew : — As Jesus was sitting upon the Mount of Olives the disciples drew near unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, what shall be the sign of Thy com- ing, and of the consummation of the age ? (xxiv. 3). After the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken ; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man ; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matt. xxiv. 29, 30 ; Mark xiii. 26 ; Luke xxi. 27). N. 764] THE COMING OF THE LORD 327 As were the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Therefore be ye also ready ; for in an honr that ye think not, shall the Son of man come (Matt. xxiv. 37, 39, 44, 46). In Luke : — When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth ? (xviii. 8). In Joh n : — Jesus said of John, H I will that he tarry till I come (xxi. 22, 23). [4] In the Acts of the Apostles : — When they saw Jesus taken up into heaven, two men stood by them in white apparel, who said, Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like maimer as ye have see Him go into heaven (i. 9-11). In the Apocalypse : — The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold I come quickly ; blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. Be- hold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his work (xxii. 6, 7, 12). And again : — I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morn- ing Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come ; and he that heareth, let him say, Come ; and he that is athirst, let him come ; and he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely (xxii. 16, 17). And again : — He that testifieth these things saith, Yea, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen (xxii. 20, 21). 766. The Lord is present with every man, urging and press- ing to be received; and His first corning, which is called the dawn, is when man receives Him, which he does when he ac- knowledges Him as his God, Creator, Eedeemer, and Savionr. From this time man's understanding begins to be enlightened in spiritual things, and to advance into a more and more in- terior wisdom; and as he receives this wisdom from the Lord, he advances through morning into day, and this day lasts with him into old age, even to death ; and after death he passes into heaven to the Lord Himself; and there, although he died an 328 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. old man, he is restored to the morning of his life, and the rud- iments of the wisdom implanted in him in the natural world grow to eternity. 767. The man who has faith in the Lord and charity toward the neighbor is a church in particular; and the church in gen- eral is composed of such. It is wonderful that every angel, in whatever direction he turns his body and face, sees the Lord in front of him ; the Lord being the sun of the angelic heaven ; and this appears before their eyes when they are engaged in spiritual meditation. The same is true, in respect to the sight of his spirit, of any man in the world in whom the church is ; but because this sight is veiled over by the natural sight, to which the other senses add their allurements, and because the objects of these senses are such things as pertain to the body and the world, this state of the man's spirit is unknown. This seeing the Lord in front, however one may turn, originates in this, that all truth (which is the source of wisdom and faith), and all good (through which love and charity exist), are from the Lord, and are the Lord's in man ; consequently every truth of wisdom is like a mirror in which the Lord is seen, and every good of love is an image of the Lord. This is the cause of this wonderful appearance. [2] But an evil spirit constantly turns away from the Lord, and looks continually to his own love, and this he does in whatever direction he turns his body and face. The cause of this is the same, but reversed; for every evil is an image, in a sort of form, of a man's ruling love, and falsity therefrom presents that image as in a mirror. [3] That some such thing is also implanted in nature may be inferred from certain plants, in their striving to rise above the herbage that surrounds them, to look at the sun ; and again from the fact that some of them turn towards the sun from his rising to the end of the day that they may ripen under his auspices. Nor do I doubt that there is a like endeavor and ef- fort in all the twigs and branches of every tree ; but not being elastic enough to bend and turn, the act is checked. Moreover, it is clear to any one investigating the matter, that all the whirlpools either of inland or ocean waters spontaneously fol- low in their motion the general course of the sun. [4] Why, then, should not man, who was created in the image of God, so N. 767] THE COMING OF THE LORD 329 turn, unless by means of his gift of freedom of choice he turns that endeavor and effort, implanted in him by the Creator, in another direction ? This may also be likened to a bride's con- stantly keeping before the sight of her spirit something of the image of her betrothed, and seeing him in his gifts as in mir- rors, longing for his coming, and when he comes receiving him with the joy in which her bosom's love finds its delight. V. THE LORD'S COMING IS NOT HIS COMING TO DESTROY THE VISIBLE HEAVEN AND THE HABITABLE EARTH, AND TO CREATE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH, AS MANY, FROM NOT UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD, HAVE HITHERTO SUPPOSED. 768. The prevailing opinion in the churches at the present day is, that when the Lord shall come for the last judgment, He will appear in the clouds of heaven with angels and the sound of trumpets ; will gather together all who still dwell on the earth, together with all who have died ; will separate the wicked from the good, as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep ; will then cast the wicked or the goats into hell, and will raise the good or the sheep into heaven; and at the same time will create a new visible heaven and a new habitable earth, and will send down upon that earth the city called the New Jerusalem, built according to the description of it in the Apocalypse (chap, xxi.), that is, of jasper and gold, and the foundations of its wall of every precious stone, while its height, breadth, and length will be equal, each twelve thousand fur- longs ; also that into that city will be gathered all the elect, both those who are still alive and those who have died since the beginning of the world ; that these will then return into their bodies, and in that magnificent city, as their heaven, will enjoy eternal blessedness. This is the prevailing opinion in the Christian churches of to-day respecting the Lord's coming and the last judgment. 330 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. 769. In respect to the state of souls after death, the belief universally and in each instance is that human souls after death are airy things (some cherishing the idea that they are like a puff of wind), and being such, they are reserved until the day of the last judgment either in the center of the earth, where their abode is, or in the limbus of the fathers. But on these points they differ, some holding that souls are ethereal or aerial forms and thus are like phantoms and specters, some of them dwelling in the air, some in the forests, some in the waters ; others holding that the souls of the dead are transferred to the planets or to the stars, and have habitations given to them there ; and some believe that after a thousand years they will return into their bodies ; but the majority believe that they are reserved for the time when the entire firmament together with the terraqueous globe will be destroyed, which will be done by fire breaking forth from the center of the earth or hurled down like universal lightning from heaven ; that then the graves will be opened, and the reserved souls will be clothed again with their bodies, and transported to that holy city, Jerusalem, and so will dwell together on another earth in lustrous bodies, some lower down in that city, some higher up; for the height of it, like its breadth and length, will be twelve thousand fur- longs (Apoc. xxi. 16). 770. When a clergyman or a layman is asked whether he firmly believes all these things, as that the antediluvians to- gether with Adam and Eve, and the postdiluvians together with Noah and his sons, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to- gether with all the prophets and apostles, as well as the souls of all other men, are still reserved in the bowels of the earth or are flying about in the ether or air; as also whether he be- lieves that souls will be re-clothed with their bodies or be re- united with them, when yet these dead bodies have been eaten up by worms and mice and fishes, and Egyptian bodies as mummies have been eaten up by men, and others are mere skeletons dried up in the sun and crumbled to dust; also whether he believes that the stars of heaven will then fall up- on the earth, which, however, is smaller than a single one of them; and whether these things are not absurdities which rea- son itself dissipates, as it does anything contradictory ; to these N. 770] THE COMING OF THE LORD 331 things some will make no reply; some will say, "These things are matters of faith, to which we keep the understanding in obedience ;" some that not only these but many other matters that are above reason belong to the Divine omnipotence. And when they mention faith and omnipotence, reason is exiled, and sound reason either disappears and becomes as nothing, or becomes as a specter, and is called insane. They add, "Are not these things in accordance with the Word? Must not every one think and speak from that ?" 771. It has been shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scrip- ture that the Word in the letter was written by appearances and correspondences, consequently in all its particulars there is a spiritual sense, and in that sense the truth is in its own light while the sense of the letter is in shade. In order there- fore that the man of the Xew Church may not wander about, like the man of the old, in the shade that obscures the sense of the letter of the Word, especially in respect to heaven and hell and man's life after death, and here in respect to the Lord's coming, it has pleased the Lord to open the sight of mj' spirit, and thus introduce me into the spiritual world, and permit me not only to talk with spirits and angels, relatives and friends, and even with kings and princes who have finished their course in the natural world, but also to see the wonders of heaven and the miseries of hell, and thus to learn that man does not abide in some indefinite place in the earth, nor fly about blind and dumb in the air or in vacancy, but lives as a man in a substantial body in a much more perfect state (if he is among the blessed), than that in which he formerly lived when in the material body. In order therefore, that man from ignorance may not immerse himself still more deeply in this opinion respecting the destruction of the visible heaven and habit- able earth, and in respect also to the spiritual world (because of which ignorance naturalism together with atheism, which among the learned has begun to take root in the interior ra- tional mind, is spreading more widely, like mortification in the flesh, even extending to the external mind from which man speaks), I have been commanded by the Lord to make known various things that I have seen and heard respecting Heaven and Hell and respecting the Last Judgment, and also 332 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. to explain the Apocalypse, which treats of the Lord's coming the former heaven, the new heaven, and the holy Jerusalem. From these, when they have been read and understood, any one can see what is meant by the Lord's coming, the new heaven, and the New Jerusalem. VI. THIS COMING OF THE LORD WHICH IS HIS SECOND COMING, IS TAKING PLACE IN ORDER THAT THE EVIL MAY BE SEP- ARATED 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). 772. That this second coming of the Lord does not take place for the purpose of destroying the visible heaven and hab- itable earth, has been shown in the preceding section. That it is not for the purpose of destroying anything, but to build up, consequently not to condemn but to save those who since His first coining have believed in Him and also those who may hereafter believe in Him, is evident from these words of the Lord: — God sent not His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved ; he that believeth on Him 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. 17, 18). And elsewhere: — If any man hear My words and believe not, I judge him not ; for I came not to judge the world but to save the world : He that despiseth Me and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him ; the Word that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day (John xii. 47, 48). That the last judgment took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757, has been shown in the little work on The Last N. 772] THE COMING OF THE LORD 333 Judgment (London, 1758) ; and further in a Continuation on the Lost Judgment, (Amsterdam, 1763). To all this I can tes- tify, because I saw it with my own eyes in a state of full wakefulness. 773. The Lord's coming is for the purpose of forming a new heaven of those who have believed in Him, and for the pur- pose of establishing a new church of those who shall hereafter believe in Him, inasmuch as these two are the ends for which He came. The very end for which the universe was created was no other than the formation from men of an angelic heav- en, where all who believe in God shall live for ever in eternal blessedness ; for the Divine love which is in God and essen- tially is God, can intend nothing else, and the Divine wisdom which is also in God and is God, can effect nothing else. As the end for which the universe was created was an angelic heaven from the human race, and at the same time a church on earth (for man enters heaven through the church) ; and as the salvation of men (which is to be effected in men who are to be born in the world), is thus the continuation of creation, so throughout the Word the term " to create," which is fre- quently used, means to form for heaven, as hi the following passages : — Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a firm spirit in the midst of me (Ps. li. 10). Thou openest Thine hand, they are satisfied with good ; Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created (Ps. civ. 28, 30). A people that shall be created shall praise Jah (Ps. cii. 18). Thus hath said Jehovah thy Creator, 0 Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel ; I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine. Every one that is called by My name into My glory have I created him (Isa. xliii. 1, 7). In the day that thou wast created they were prepared. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee (Ezek. xxviii. 13, 15). This is said of the king of Tyre : — That they may see, know, consider and understand that the hand of Jehovah hath done it, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it (Isa. xli. 20). From all this the meaning of the term " to create" in the fol- lowing passages can be seen : — 334 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. Jehovah creating the heavens, spreading forth the earth, giving breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk in it (Isa. xlii. 5 ; xlv. 12, 18). Behold I create a new heaven and a new earth ; be ye glad for ever in that which I create ; for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing (Isa. lxv. 17, 18). 774. The Lord's presence is unceasing with every man, both the evil and the good, for without His presence no man lives ; but His coming is only to those who receive Him, who are such as believe on Him and keep His commandments. The Lord's unceasing presence causes man to become rational, and gives him the ability to become spiritual. This is effected by the light that goes forth from the Lord as the sun in the spir- itual world, and that man receives in his understanding ; that light is truth, and by means of it man has rationality. But the Lord's coming is to him who joins heat with that light, that is, love with truth; for the heat that goes forth from that same sun is love to God and love toward the neighbor. The mere presence of the Lord, and the consequent enlighten- ment of the understanding, may be likened to presence of solar light in the world; unless this light is joined with heat, all things on earth become desolate. But the coming of the Lord may be likened to the coining of heat, which takes place in spring; because heat then joins itself with light, the earth is softened, and seeds sprout and bring forth fruit. Such is the parallelism between the spiritual things which are the environment of man's spirit, and the natural things which are the environment of his body. 775. The same is true of the man of the church in the composite or collective sense as of the individual or single man. Man in the collective or composite sense is the church among many, while the individual or single man is the church in any one of those many. It is according to Divine order that there should be what is general and what is particular, and that both should be together in every single thing, and that otherwise particulars cannot have existence and permanence; just as there are no particulars within man without generals by which they are surrounded. The particulars in man are the viscera and their parts, and the generals are the coverings which surround not only the whole man, but also every one of N. 775] THE COMING OF THE LOED 335 the viscera, and every single part thereof. The same is true of every beast, bird, and worm; also every tree, shrub, and seed ; nor can a tone be produced by a stringed instrument or the breath, unless there is a most general from which each least particular of the modulation derives its general, in order to exist. The same is true of every bodily sense, as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch; and also of all the internal senses, which belong to the mind. All this has been said by way of illustration, to make clear that in the church also there is what is general and what is particular, also Avhat is most general; and that this is why there have been four preceding churches in order, from which progression what is most gen- eral in the church has arisen, and in succession the general and the particular of each church. In man also there are two most general things from which all the generals and the several par- ticulars derive their existence. In his body these two most general things are the heart and lungs ; in his spirit they are the will and understanding. On these four depend all things pertaining to his life, both in general and in particular, all of which without them would fall asunder and die. And so would it be with the whole angelic heaven, and with the whole human race, and even with the whole created universe, if they did not all in general, and each in particular depend on God, on His love and His wisdom. VII. THIS SECOND COMING OF THE LORD IS NOT A COMING IN PERSON, BUT IN THE WORD, WHICH IS FROM HIM, AND IS HIMSELF. 776, It is written in many places that the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven (as in Matt. xvii. 5; xxiv. 30; xxvi. 64; Mark xiv. 62; Luke ix. 31, 35; xxi. 27; Apoc. i. 7; xiv. 14; Dan. vii. 13). And as no one has hitherto known what is meant by "the clouds of heaven," it has been believed that the Lord would appear in them in Person. Heretofore it has not been known that " the clouds of heaven" mean the Word 336 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. in the sense of the letter, and that the "glory and power" in which He is then to come (Matt. xxiv. 30), mean the spiritual sense of the Word, because no one as yet has had the least conjecture that there is a spiritual sense in the Word, such as this sense is in itself. But as the Lord has now opened to me the spiritual sense of the Word, and has granted me to be as- sociated with angels and spirits in their world as one of them, it is disclosed that "a cloud of heaven" means the Word in the natural sense, and "glory" the Word in the spiritual sense, and "power" the Lord's power through the Word. That such is the signification of " the clouds of heaven" may be seen from the following passages in the Word : — There is none like unto the God of Jeshurum, who rideth in the heaven, and in magnificence upon the clouds {Deut. xxxiii. 26, 27). Sing unto God, praise His name ; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Ps. lxviii. 4). Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud (Isa. xix. 1). [2] "To ride" signifies to instruct in Divine truths from the Word, for " a horse" signifies understanding of the Word (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 298). Who does not see that God does not ride upon the clouds ? Again : — God rode upon cherubs. He made His pavillion thick clouds of the heavens (Ps. xviii. 10, 11). " Cherubs" also signify the Word (see Apocalypse Revealed, n. 239, 672). Jehovah bindeth up the waters in His clouds ; He spreadeth His cloud over His throne (Job xxvi. 8, 9). Give ye strength unto God ; His strength is in the clouds (Ps. lxviii. 34). Jehovah will create over every dwelling of Mount Zion a cloud by day ; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isa. iv. 5). The Word in the sense of the letter was also represented by the cloud in which Jehovah descended upon Mount Sinai, when He promulgated the law ; the principles of the law that were then promulgated were the first fruits of the Word. [3] As further proof, the following may also be added : In the spirit- ual world as well as in the natural world there are clouds, but from a different origin. In the spiritual world there are some- times bright clouds over the angelic heavens, but dusky clouds over the hells. The bright clouds over the angelic heavens N. 776] THE COMING OF THE LORD 337 signify obscurity there arising from the literal sense of the Word; but when these clouds are dispersed, it signifies that they are in the clear light of the Word from the spiritual sense ; while the dusky clouds over the hells signify the fal- sification and profanation of the Word. This signification of " clouds" in the spiritual world has its origin in the fact that the light which there goes forth from the Lord as a sun, signi- fies Divine truth ; for which reason He is called " the Light" (John i. 9; xii. 35). And for the same reason the Word itself there which is kept in the sacred recesses of the temples, ap- pears surrounded by a clear white light, and its obscurity is induced by clouds. 777. That the Lord is the Word can be clearly seen from the following in John : — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word was made flesh (John i. 1, 14). " The Word" means here Divine truth because Divine truth among Christians is from no other source than the Word, which is the fountain from which all churches bearing the name of Christ draw living waters in their fulness ; and yet a church accepting the Word in its natural sense is, as it were, in a cloud, but one accepting it in its spiritual and celestial senses is in glory and power. That there are three senses in the Word, a natural, a spiritual, and a celestial, one within the other, has been shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture, and in the chapter on the Decalogue or Catechism. From all this it is clear that " the Word" in John means Divine truth. John also bears testimony to this in his first Epistle : — We know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given us an under- standing that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ (v. 20). This is why the Lord so frequently said, "Verily I say unto you," verily \_amen\ in the Hebrew language meaning truth. (That He is " the Amen" see Apoc. iii. 14, and « the Truth" John xiv. 6.) Moreover, when the learned men of the present day are asked what they understand by " the Word" in John (i. 1), they say that it means the Word in its pre-eminence; yet what is the Word in its pre-eminence but Divine truth? Vol. H.— 22 338 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. From all this it is evident that the Lord is now to appear in the Word. He is not to appear in Person, because since He ascended into heaven He is in His glorified Human, and in this He cannot appear to any man unless the eyes of his spirit are first opened; and this cannot be done in any one who is in evils and consequent falsities, thus not in any of the goats whom He sets on His left hand. Therefore when He showed Himself to His disciples, He first opened their eyes, for it is written : — And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him ; and He vanished out of their sight (Luke xxiv. 31). The same took place with the women who were at the sepulchre after the resurrection, and in consequence they also saw angels sitting in the sepulchre and talking with them, and angels cannot be seen with the material eye. Neither did the apostles before the resurrection see the Lord in His glorified Human with their bodily eyes, but in spirit, which seems, after one is awakened from it, like the state of sleep. This is evident from the Lord's transfiguration before Peter, James, and John, for it is said, That they were heavy with sleep (Luke ix. 32). It is idle therefore, to believe that the Lord will appear in the clouds of heaven in Person ; but He is to appear in the Word, which is from Him and therefore is Himself. 778. Every man is his own love and his own intelligence, and whatever proceeds from him derives its essence from those two essentials or properties of his life. Therefore the angels, from a brief intercourse with a man, recognize what he is es- sentially ; they know his love from the tone of his voice, and his intelligence from his speech. This is because there are two universals of life belonging to every man, the will and the un- derstanding. The will is the receptacle and abode of his love, and the understanding the receptacle and abode of his intel- ligence. Therefore all things whatever, whether action or speech, that proceed from man, constitute the man and are the man himself. In like manner, but in a pre-eminent degree the Lord is Divine love and Divine wisdom, or what is the same thing, Divine good and Divine truth ; for His will is N. 778] THE COMING OF THE LORD 339 of the Divine love and the Divine love is of His will, while His understanding is of the Divine wisdom and the Divine wisdom is of His understanding; the Human form is their containant. From this some idea may be formed of how the Lord is the Word. But on the contrary, he who is antagonistic to the "Word, that is, to the Divine truth therein, consequently, to the Lord and His church, is his own evil and his own fal- sity, both in reference to his mind and in reference to the effects thereof, relating to actions and words, which proceed from the body. VIII. THIS SECOND COMING OF THE LORD IS EFFECTED BY MEANS OF A MAN TO WHOM THE LORD HAS MANIFESTED HIMSELF IN PERSON, AND WHOM HE HAS FILLED WITH HIS SPIRIT, THAT HE MAT TEACH THE DOC- TRINES OF THE NEW CHURCH FROM THE LORD BY MEANS OF THE WORD. 779. Since the Lord cannot manifest Himself in Person, as shown just above, and nevertheless has foretold that He was to come and establish a new church, which is the New Jerusalem, it follows that He will do this by means of a man, who is able not only to receive these doctrines in his under- standing but also to publish them by the press. That the Lord manifested Himself before me, His servant, and sent me to this office, that He afterward opened the eyes of my spirit and thus introduced me into the spiritual world and granted me to see the heavens and the hells, and to talk with angels and spirits, and this now continuously for several years, I affirm in truth; as also that from the first day of that call I have not received anything whatever pertaining to the doc- trines of that church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I have read the Word. 780. In order that the Lord might be continuously present with me He has unfolded to me the spiritual sense of His Word, wherein is Divine truth in its very light, and it is in 340 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. this light that He is continually present. For His presence in the Word is by means of the spiritual sense and in no other way ; through the light of this sense He passes into the obscu- rity of the literal sense, which is like what takes place when the light of the sun in day-time is passing through an inter- posing cloud. That the sense of the letter of the Word is like a cloud, and the spiritual sense is the glory, the Lord Himself being the sun from which the light comes, and that thus the Lord is the Word, has been shown above. That "the glory" in which He is to come (Matt. xxiv. 30), signifies Divine truth in its light, in which light the spiritual sense of the Word is, can be clearly seen from the following passages : — The voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah; the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it (Isa. xl. 3,5). Shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee (Isa. lx. 1, to the end). I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gen- tiles, and My glory will I not give to another (Isa. xlii. 6, 8; xlviii. 11). Thy light shall break forth as the morning; the glory of Jehovah shall gather thee up (Isa. lviii. 8). All the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah (Num. xiv. 21; Jsa.vi. 1-3; lxvi. 18). In the beginning was the Word ; in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light. And the Word was made flesh, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (John i. 1, 4, 9, 14). The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. xix. 1). The glory of God will lighten the Holy Jerusalem, and the Lamb is the light thereof, and the nations that are saved shall walk in the light of it (Apoc. xxi. 23, 24). Besides in many other places. " Glory" signifies Divine truth in its fulness, because all that is magnificent in heaven is from the light that goes forth from the Lord, and the light go- ing forth from Him as the sun there, is in its essence Divine truth. N. 781] NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH 341 IX. THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT IN THE APOCALYPSE BY "THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH," AND "THE NEW JERUSALEM" DESCENDING THEREFROM. 781. We read in the Apocalypse: — I saw a new heaven and a new earth ; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. And I John saw the holy city, New Jeru- salem, corning down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband (xxi. 1, 2). Something like this is also written in Isaiah : — Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth ; be ye glad and re- joice for ever ; and behold, I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy (lxv. 17, 18). It has been made known previously in this chapter that the Lord is at this day forming a new heaven from such Christians as acknowledged in the world, or after their departure from the world were able to acknowledge, that He is the God of heaven and earth, according to His words in Matt! tew (xxviii. 18). 782. By the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven (Apoc. xxi.), a new church is meant for the reason that Jerusalem was the metropolis in the land of Canaan, and the temple and altar were there, and the sacrifices were offered there, thus the Divine worship itself, to which every male of the whole land was commanded to go three times a year, was celebrated there ; and also for the reason that the Lord was in Jerusalem, and taught in its temple, and afterward glorified His Human there. This is why " Jerusalem" signifies the church. That " Jerusalem" means the church can be clearly seen from the prophecies in the Old Testament respecting the new church to be established by the Lord, in that it is there called " Jerusalem." [2] Those passages only shall be here cited from which any one endowed with interior reason can see that "Jerusalem" there means the church. These are the following : — Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered. Behold, I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her 342 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. people a gladness ; that I may rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad over My people. Then the wolf and the lamb shall feed together ; they shall not do evil in the whole mountain of My holiness (Isa. lxv. 17-19, 25). For Zion's sake will I not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp burnetii. Then the nations shall see thy righteous- ness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of Jehovah shall utter. And thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Behold, thy salvation cometh ; behold, His reward is with Him ; and they shall call them the people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah ; and thou shalt be called a city sought out, not forsaken (Isa. lxii. 1-4, 11, 12). [3] Awake, awake ; put on thy strength, O Zion ; put on the garments of thy beauty, O Jerusalem, the holy city ; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust ; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem. My people shall know My name in that day, for I am He that doth speak ; behold, it is I. Jehovah hath comforted His people ; He hath redeemed Jerusalem (Isa. lii. 1, 2, 6,9). Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion ; be glad with all the heart, O daugh- ter of Jerusalem ; the king of Israel is in the midst of thee ; thou shalt not fear evil any more ; He will rejoice over thee with joy ; He will rest in thy love ; He will joy over thee with singing ; I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth (Zeph. iii. 14-17, 20). Thus said Jehovah thy Redeemer, saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited (Isa. xliv. 24, 26). Thus saith Jehovah : I will return unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem ; whence Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth, and the mountain of Jehovah of Hosts the holy mountain (Zech. viii. 3, 20-23). Then shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God dwelling in Zion, the mountain of holiness, and Jerusalem shall be holiness ; and it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk. And Jerusalem shall abide to generation and generation (Joel iii. 17-21). [4] In that day shall the shoot of Jehovah be for beauty and glory, and it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion and he that remain- eth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem (Isa. iv. 2, 3). In the end of days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jeho- vah shall be established as the head of the mountains ; for out of Zion shall go forth doctrine, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem (Micah iv. 1. 2, 8). At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah, and all nations shall be gathered unto it, because of the name of Jehovah at Jeru- salem ; neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart (Jer. iii. 17). N. 782] NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH 343 Look upon Zion, the city of our set feast ; let thine eye see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down ; the stakes thereof shall never be removed ; and the cords thereof shall not be broken (Isa. xxxiii. 20). (So also elsewhere, as in Isa. xxiv. 23 ; xxxvii. 32 ; lxvi. 10-14 ; Zech. xii. 3, 6-10 ; xiv. 8, 11, 12, 21 ; Mai. iii. 4 ; Ps. cxxii. 1-7 ; cxxxvii. 4-6). [5] That "Jerusalem" means here a church about to be estab- lished by the Lord, and not the Jerusalem inhabited by the Jews, is evident from the particulars of its description in the passages quoted ; as that Jehovah God was to create a new heaven and a new earth, and after that Jerusalem ; and that she should be a crown of glory and a royal diadem ; that she should be called holiness, a city of truth, the throne of Jehovah, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that should not be taken down ; that there the wolf and the lamb are to feed together ; that the mountains there will drop down new wine, and the hills flow with milk, and Jerusalem shall abide to generation and gener- ation, with many other things. It is also said of the people there that they are holy, that they are all written unto life, and shall be called the redeemed of Jehovah. All these pas- sages, moreover, treat of the Lord's coming, especially of His second coming, when Jerusalem is to be such as is there de- scribed ; for until then she was not married, that is, made the bride and wife of the Lamb, as the New Jerusalem is said to be in the Apocalypse. [6] The former church (that is, the existing church), is meant by " Jerusalem" in Daniel, and its beginning is there described as follows : — ■ Know and perceive, that from the going forth of the Word, even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem, even to the Messiah the prince shall be seven weeks. After the threescore and two weeks it shall be re- stored and built with street and moat, but in straitness of times (ix. 25). But its end is there described by the following : — At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation ; and even to the consummation and decision shall it drop upon the devastation (ix. 27). This last passage is referred to by the Lord's words in Mat- thew : — When ye shall see the abomination of desolation predicted by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place let him that readeth note it well (xxiv. 15). 344 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. That " Jerusalem" in the foregoing passages does not mean the Jerusalem inhabited by the Jews can be seen from those pas- sages in the Word where the latter is said to be utterly lost, and destined to be destroyed (as in Jer. v. 1 ; vi. 6, 7 ; vii. 17— 34; viii. 6-22; ix. 10-22; xiii. 9, 10, 14; xiv. 16; Lam. i. 8, 9, 17; Ezek. iv. ; v. 9-17; xii. 8, 19; xv. 6-8; xvi. ; xxiii. ; Matt. xxiii. 37, 38; Luke xix. 41-44; xxi. 20-22; xxiii. 28-30; be- sides many other passages); as also from the passages where it is called "Sodom" (Isa. iii. 9; Jer. xxiii. 14; Ezek. xvi. 46, 48; and elsewhere). 783. That the church is the Lord's, and that from the spir- itual marriage, which is that of good and truth, the Lord is called the Bridegroom and Husband, and the church the bride and wife, is well known to Christians from the Word, espe- cially from the following. John said of the Lord : — He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, 'but the friend of the bride- groom, who standeth and heareth him rejoiceth because of the bride- groom's voice (John iii. 29). Jesus said, The children of the bride-chamber cannot mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them (Matt. ix. 15 ; Mark ii. 19, 20 ; Luke v. 34, 35). I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband (Apoc. xxi. 2). The angel said to John : Come, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb, and from a mountain he showed him the holy city Jerusalem (Apoc. xxi. 9, 10). The time of the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Apoc. xix. 7, 9). I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come, and he that willeth, let him take the water of life freely (Apoc. xxii. 16, 17). 784. It is in accordance with Divine order that a new heav- en should be formed before a new church is established on earth, for the church is both internal and external, and the in- ternal church makes one with the church in heaven, thus with heaven itself; and what is internal must be formed before its external, what is external being formed afterwards by means of its internal. This is well known in the world among the clergy. Just so far as this new heaven, which constitutes the N. 784] NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH 345 internal of the church with man, increases, does the New Jeru- salem, that is, the New Church, descend from it ; consequently this cannot take place in a moment, but it takes place to the extent that the falsities of the former church are set aside. For where falsities have already been implanted what is new cannot enter until the falsities have been rooted out, and this will take place with the clergy, and so with the laity ; for the Lord said: — No one puts new wine into old wineskins, else the skins burst and the wine is spilled, but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved (Matt. ix. 17 ; Mark ii. 22 ; Luke v. 37, 38). That these things take place only at the consummation of the age, by which is meant the end of the church, can be seen from these words of the Lord : — Jesus said, The kingdom of the heavens Is like unto a man who sowed good seed in his field ; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away; but when the blade sprang up, then appeared the tares also. The servants came and said Wilt thou that we go and gather them up ? But he said, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them; let both grow to- gether until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn; but gather the wheat into my barn. The harvest is the consummation of the age ; as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age (Matt. xiii. 24-30, 39, 40). " Wheat" means here the truths and goods of the new church, and " tares" the falsities and evils of the former church. In the first section of this chapter it can be seen that " the con- summation of the age" means the end of the church. 785. That there is in everything an internal and an exter- nal, and that the external depends on the internal as the body does on its soul, every single thing in the world shows when it is properly examined. In man this is manifest. As his en- tire body is from his mind, so in each thing that proceeds from man there is an internal and an external ; in his every action there is the mind's will, and in his every word the mind's understanding, so also in his every sensation. In every bird and beast, and even in every insect and worm, there is an internal and an external ; and again in every tree, plant, and germ, and even in every stone and every particle of soil. A 346 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. few facts relating to the silk- worm, the bee, and dust, will suf- fice to make this clear. The internal of the silk-worm is that whereby its external in moved to weave its cocoon, and after- ward to fly forth as a butterfly. The internal of the bee is that whereby its external is moved to suck honey from flowers, and to build its cells in wonderful forms. The internal of a parti- cle of soil whereby its external is moved, is its endeavor to fe- cundate seed ; it exhales from its little bosom something which introduces itself into the inmosts of the seed, and produces this effect ; and this internal follows the growth of the seed even to new seed. The same takes place in things of an opposite char- acter, in which there is also an internal and an external; as in the spider, whose internal, whereby its external is moved, is the ability and consequent inclination to construct an ingen- ious web, at the center of which it lies, in wait for the flies that fly into it, which it eats. It is the same with every noxious worm, every serpent, and every beast of the forest ; as also with every impious, cunning, and treacherous man. X. THIS NEW CHURCH IS THE CROWN OF ALL THE CHURCHES THAT HAVE HITHERTO EXISTED ON THE EARTH. 786. It has been shown above that there have been, in gen- eral, from the beginning, four churches on this earth, one be- fore the flood, the second after it, the third the Israelitish church, and the fourth that which is called the Christian church; and as all churches depend on a knowledge and ac- knowledgment of one God, with whom the man of the church can be conjoined, and as none of these four churches has pos- sessed that truth, it follows that a church must follow these four which will know and acknowledge one God. The sole end of God's Divine love, when He created the world, was to con- join man to Himself and Himself to man that He might thus dwell with man. This truth the former churches did not pos- N. 786] NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH 347 sess, the Most Ancient church, which preceded the flood, wor- shiping an invisible God with whom no conjunction is possi- ble ; the Ancient church which followed the flood, did likewise ; the Israelitish church worshiped Jehovah, who in Himself is an invisible God (Ex. xxxiii. 18-23), but under a human form, which Jehovah God put on by means of an angel, in which He was seen by Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Gideon, Joshua, and sometimes by the prophets. This human form was a rep- resentative of the Lord who was to come, and because this was representative so each thing and all things in their church were made representative. It is a well known fact that the sac- rifices and everything else pertaining to their worship repre- sented the Lord who was to come, and that when He came they were abrogated. The fourth, which is called the Christian church, did indeed with the lips acknowledge one God, but in three Persons, each One of whom was singly or by Himself God ; thus it acknowledged a divided Trinity, but not a Trinity united in one Person ; and from this an idea of three Gods ad- hered to their minds, although the expression "one God" was on their lips. Moreover, the teachers of the church from that doctrine of theirs which they concocted after the Nicene Coun- cil, teach that men ought to believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all of them invisible, because existent in a similar Divine essence before the world was (al- though, as said above, with an invisible God no conjunction is possible), for they still do not know that the one God who is invisible came into the world and assumed a Human, not only that He might redeem men, but also that He might become visible, that thereby conjunction with man might become possible. For we read : — The Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word was made flesh (John i. 1, 14). And in Isaiah : — Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and His name, God, Mighty, Father of Eternity (ix. 0). It is also frequently declared in the Prophets that Jehovah Himself would come into the world, and would be a Redeemer, which He also became in the Human which He assumed. 348 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. 787. This New Church is the crown of all the churches that have hitherto existed on the earth, because it is to worship one visible God in whom is the invisible like the soul in the body. Tims, and not otherwise, is a conjunction of God with man possible because man is natural, and therefore thinks natural- ly, and conjunction must exist in his thought, and thus in his love's affection, and this is the case when he thinks of God as a Man. Conjunction with an invisible God is like a conjunc- tion of the eye's vision with the expanse of the universe, the limits of which are invisible; it is also like vision in mid- ocean, which reaches out into the air and upon the sea, and is lost. Conjunction with a visible God, on the other hand, is like beholding a man in the air or on the sea spreading forth his hands and inviting to his arms. For all conjunction of God with man must be also a reciprocal conjunction of man with God ; and no such reciprocation is possible except with a visible God. That before the assumption of the Human, God was not visible, the Lord Himself also teaches in John : — Ye have neither heard the voice of the Father at any time, nor seen His form (v. 37). And in Moses: — That no one can see God and live (Ex. xxxiii. 20). But that He is visible through His Humanity is stated in John : — No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath manifested Him (i. 18). And in the same: — - Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; no one cometh un- to the Father but by Me. He that knoweth Me, knoweth the Father, and he that seeth Me seeth the Father (xiv.- 6, 7, 9), That there is a conjunction with the invisible God through the visible, that is, through the Lord, He teaches in the following passages : — ■ Jesus said, Abide in Me, and I in you ; he that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit {John xv. 4, 5). In that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and ye in Me and I in you (John xiv. 20). The glory which thou hast given Me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one ; I in them, and Thou in Me ; that the love N. 787] NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH 349 wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them {John xvii. 21-23, 26 ; also vi. 56). It is also taught that He and the Father are one, and that in order to have eternal life man must believe in Him. That sal- vation depends on conjunction with God has been frequently shown above. 788. That this church is to follow those that have existed since the beginning of the world, and that it is to endure for ages of ages, and is thus to be the crown of all the churches that have preceded, was foretold by Daniel; first, when he narrated and explained to Nebuchadnezzar his dream of the four kingdoms (which mean the four churches that were rep- resented by the statue that he saw), saying : — In the days of those kings the God of the heavens shall make a king- dom to arise which shall not perish for ages, and it shall consume all those kingdoms ; but itself shall stand for ages (Dan. ii. 44). And this, he said, should be done, By a stone becoming a great rock and filling all the earth (verse 35); "rock" in the Word meaning the Lord in respect to Divine truth. The same prophet also says elsewhere : — I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven ; and there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom ; and all peoples, nations, and languages shall worship Him ; His dominion is the dominion of an age, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (vii. 13, 14). And this he said after he saw the four great beasts coming up out of the sea (verse 3), which beasts also represented the four prior churches. That all this was prophesied by Daniel re- specting the present time, can be seen from his words in xii. 4, as also, from the words of the Lord in Matt. xxiv. 15, 30. Like things are said in the Apocalypse : — The seventh angel sounded ; and there were great voices in heaven, 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 (xi. 15). 789. Furthermore, the other prophets have made many pre- dictions respecting this church, what its character would be, a few of which shall be cited : In Zechariah : — 350 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Chap. XIV. It shall be one day that shall be known to Jehovah, not day nor night ; for about the time of evening it shall be light. In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ; and Jehovah shall be king over all the earth ; in that day shall there be one Jehovah and His name one (xiv. 7-9). In Joel: — And it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk ; and Jerusalem shall abide to generation and generation (iii. 17-21). In Jeremiah: — At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah ; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, because of the name of Jehovah at Jerusalem ; neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart (iii. 17; Apoc. xxi. 24, 26). In Isaiah : — Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down ; the stakes thereof shall never be removed, and the cords thereof shall not be broken (xxxiii. 20). [2] In these passages "Jerusalem" means the new and holy Jerusalem described in the Apocalypse (chap, xxi.), by which the New Church is meant. Again in Isaiah : — There shall go forth a Shoot out of the stem of Jesse, and righteous- ness shall be the girdle of His loins, and truth the girdle of His thighs. Therefore the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the f atling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down together. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den. They shall not do evil nor corrupt themselves in all the mountain of My holiness ; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah. In that day it shall come to pass that the nations shall seek the Root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the people ; and His rest shall be glory (xi. 1, 5-10). That such things have not yet taken place in the churches, least of all in the last, is well known. In Jeremiah: — Behold the days come, in which I will make a new covenant ; and this shall be the covenant, I will put My law in their inward parts, and upon their hearts will I write it, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people ; and they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them (xxxi. 31-34 ; Apoc. xxi. 3). [3] That this state of things has not existed in the churches heretofore, is also, known. This was because men did not ap- N. 789] NEW HEAVEN AND NEW CHURCH 351 proach the visible God whom all shall know, because He is the Word or law which He will put in their inward parts and write upon their hearts. Again in Isaiah: — For Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burnetii ; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall de- clare ; and thou shalt be a crown of beauty and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Jehovah shall delight in thee, and thy land shall be married. Behold, thy salvation cometh ; behold, his reward is with Him. And they shall call them, the people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah, and thou shalt be called, a city sought out and not forsaken (lxii. 1-4, 11, 12). 790. What this church is to be is fully described in the Apocalypse, where the end of the former church and the begin- ning of the new are treated of. This Xew Church is described by the Xew Jerusalem, by its magnificence, and by its being the future bride and wife of the Lamb (xix. 7; xxi. 2, 9). Be- sides these I will cite only the following quotation from the Apocalypse : When the New Jerusalem was seen descending from heaven it was said : — Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His peoples, Himself shall be with them, their God. And the nations that are saved shall walk in the light of it ; and there shall be no night there. I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of Da- vid, and the bright and morning Star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And he that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come. And he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen (xxi. 3, 24, 25 ; xxii. 16, 17, 20). 791. Note. — After this work was finished the Lord called together His twelve disciples who followed Him in the world; and the next day He sent them all forth throughout the whole spiritual world to preach the Gospel that the lord god jesus christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages ,and ages, ac- cording to the prediction in Daniel (vii. 13, 14), and in the Apjocalypse (xi. 15). Also that blessed are those that come to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Apoc. xix. 9). This took place on the nineteenth day of June, 1770. This is what is meant by these words of the Lord: — He shall send His angels and they shall gather together His elect, from the end of the heavens to the end thereof (Matt. xxiv. 31). 352 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement SUPPLEMENT. THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 792. The spiritual world has been treated of in detail in the work entitled Heaven and Hell, in which many things relating to that world are described; and as every man enters that world after death, man's state there is also described. Who does not know, or may not know, that man lives after death, because he is born a man and is created an image of God, and also because the Lord teaches it in His Word ? But what his life is to be, has been hitherto unknoAvn. It has been believed, that he would then be a soul, and of soul there has been no other idea than that of ether or air, thus that it is a mere breath, such as man breathes out from his mouth when he dies, in which, however, his vitality resides. It is also regarded as destitute of any sight like that of the eye, and of any hear- ing like that of the ear, and of any speech like that of the mouth. And yet, man after death is as much a man as he was before, so much so as to be unaware that he is not still in the former world; for he has sight, hearing and speech as in the former world ; he walks, runs, and sits, as in the former world ; he lies down, sleeps, and awakes, as in the former world; he eats and drinks as in the former world; he enjoys marriage delight as in the former world; in a word, he is a man in each and every respect. From all this it is clear that death is not the extinction but the continuation of life, and is merely a transition. 793. That man is as much a man after death as before, al- though he is not then visible to the eyes of the material body, can be seen from the appearance of the angels to Abraham, Hagar, Gideon, Daniel, and some of the prophets, also in the Lord's sepulchre, and frequently afterwards to John as related in the Apocalypse ; but especially from the Lord Himself, who showed by touch and by eating that He was a Man, and yet became invisible to the eyes of His disciples. Who can be so foolish as not to acknowledge that although He was invisible He was just as much a Man ? His disciples saw Him because N. 793] THE SPIRITUAL WORLD 353 the eyes of their spirits were then opened ; and when these are opened, the things of the spiritual world appear as clearly as those of the natural world. The difference between man in the natural world and man in the spiritual world is, that man in the spiritual world is clothed with a substantial body, but man in the natural world with a material body, within which is his substantial body; and the substantial man sees the substantial man just as clearly as the material man sees the material. But the substantial man cannot see the material man, nor the ma- terial man the substantial, because of the difference between what is material and what is substantial, the nature of which difference can be defined, but not in few words. 794. From what I have seen during so many years, I can relate the following: In the spiritual world there are lands just as in the natural world, and there are plains and valleys, mountains and hills, also springs and rivers ; there are parks, gardens, groves, and forests ; there are cities, with palaces and houses in them; there are writings and books; there are oc- cupations and business; there are gold, silver, and precious stones; in a word, there are all things and each thing there that are in the natural world; although the things in heaven are immeasurably more perfect. But there is this difference, that all things seen in the spiritual world are instantaneously created by the Lord, as the houses, parks, food, and the rest; and that they are created in correspondence with the inte- riors of angels and spirits, which are their affections and the thoughts therefrom; while all things seen in the natural world spring up and grow from seed. 795. This being the case, and also because I have talked there daily with the nations and peoples of this world, both with those who are in Europe, and also, with those who are in Asia and Africa, thus with those of different religions, I will add as a supplement to this work a brief description of the state of some of these peoples. It must be borne in mind that in the spiritual world the state of every nation and people in general, and also of individuals, is in accordance with their ac- knowledgment and worship of God ; and that all who in heart acknowledge God, and from this time on, all who acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as God, Redeemer, and Saviour, are in Vol. II.— 23 354 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement heaven, while those who do not not acknowledge Him are be- neath heaven, where they are taught, and those who accept what they are taught, are raised up into heaven, but those who do not are cast down to hell; and to this class belong those who, like the Socinians, have approached God the Father only, or who like the Arians have denied the Divinity of the Lord's Human. For the Lord said : — I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; no man cometh unto the Father but through Me. And to Philip who wished to see the Father, He said: — He that hath seen and known Me, hath seen and known the Father (John xiv. 6, Seq.). LUTHER, MELANCTHON, AND CALVIN IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 796. Having frequently talked with these three leaders, re- formers of the Christian church, I have thus learned what the state of their life has been from its beginning in that world up to the present time. As for Luther, from the time that he en- tered the spiritual world he was a most vehement propagator and defender of his dogmas, and his zeal for them grew as the number of those from the earth who agreed with him and fa- vored him increased. A house was given him there like the one he had at Eisleben while he lived in the body. In the center of this house he erected a sort of throne, somewhat ele- vated, where he sat; and through the open door he admitted hearers, and arranged them in classes, admitting to the class nearest to himself those who were the more favorable to him, and placing behind them those less favorable, and then he made set speeches to them, occasionally permitting questions in order that he might from some point resume the thread of his discourse. [2] In consequence of this general approval he at length acquired a power of jjersuasion, which is so effica- cious in the spiritual world that no one is able to resist it or speak against what is said. But as this was a kind of incanta- tion used by the ancients, he was strictly forbidden to speak any more from that power of persuasion; and thereafter he N. 796] LUTHER 355 taught, as he had clone before, from the memory and under- standing together. This power of persuasion, which is a kind of incantation, flows from the love of self ; and on this account it finally becomes of such a nature that when any one contra- dicts, not only is the subject in question attacked, but also, the person himself. [3] Such was the state of Luther's life up to the time of the last judgment, which took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757. But a year after that, he was removed from his first house to another, and at the same time underwent a change of state. And then, having heard that I, while still in the natural world, could speak with those in the spiritual world, he among others came to me; and after some questions and answers, he saw that there is at this day an end of the former church and the beginning of a new church, respecting which Daniel prophesied, and which was predicted by the Lord Himself in the Gospels. He also saw that it is this new church that is meant by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse, and by "the eternal gospel" which the an- gel flying in the midst of heaven proclaimed unto them that dwell upon the earth (Apoe. xiv. 6). At this he became very angry and railed. But as he observed the increase of the new heaven (which was formed and is still forming of those who acknowledge the Lord alone as the God of heaven and earth, according to His words in Matthew (xxviii. 18), and also that the number of his own congregations was daily diminishing, he ceased his railing, and then came nearer to me, and began to talk with me more familiarly. And when he had been con- vinced that he had got his chief dogma of justification by faith alone from his own intelligence and not from the Word, he suffered himself to be instructed respecting the Lord, charity, true faith, freedom of choice, and also respecting redemption, and this solely from the Word. [4] And finally when he had been convinced, he began to favor those truths out of which the New Church is built up, and finally to confirm himself in them more and more. At this time he was with me daily ; and then, as often as he brought those truths together, he began to laugh at his former dogmas as things diametrically opposed to the Word ; and I heard him say, " Do not wonder at my seizing upon justification by faith alone, excluding charity from its 356 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement spiritual essence, and thus taking away from men all freedom of choice in things spiritual, and affirming other things that depend on faith alone once accepted, as links on a chain, since my object was to break away from the Roman Catholics, and this object I could compass and attain in no other way. I therefore do not wonder at my own errors, but I do wonder that one crazy man could make so many others crazy; so that they failed to see what is said in the Sacred Scriptures on the other side, although it is very manifest ;" and as he said this he looked askance at certain dogmatic writers, men of celeb- rity in his time, faithful followers of his doctrine. [5] I was told by the examining angels that the reason why this leader was more nearly in a state of conversion, than many others who had confirmed themselves in the doctrine of justification by faith alone, was that in his childhood, before he entered upon the Reformation, he had been imbued with the dogma of the pre-eminence of charity; and for this reason his teaching respecting charity was so excellent, both in his writings and in his preaching; and as a consequence, justifying faith with him was merely implanted in his external-natural man, and had not taken root in his internal-spiritual man. It is other- wise with those who in their childhood confirm themselves against the spirituality of charity; and this comes of itself when justification by faith alone is established by confirma- tions. I have talked with the prince of Saxony, with whom Luther had been associated in the world, and he told me that he had often reproved Luther, especially for separating char- ity from faith and declaring faith to be saving and charity not saving, when not only does Sacred Scripture join together these two universal means of salvation, but Paul even sets charity before faith, when he says, That there are three, faith, hope, charity, and that the greatest of these is charity (1 Cor. xiii. 13). But he said that Luther as often replied that he could not do otherwise, because of the Roman Catholics. This prince is among the blessed. 797. As to the lot of Melancthon when he first entered the spiritual world, and what it was afterward, I have been per- N. 797] MELANCTHON 357 mitted to learn many things not only from angels but also from himself, for I have talked with him repeatedly, yet not so often nor so intimately as with Luther. The reason why I have not talked with him so often or so intimately is that he could not approach me as Luther did, because he had given his attention so fully to justification by faith alone, and not to charity ; and I was surrounded by angelic spirits who were in charity, and who were a hindrance to his approaching me. [2] I have heard that when he first entered the spiritual world, a house was pre- pared for him like that in which he had dwelt in the world. This is done for most of the new-comers there, and for this reason they do not know but that they are still in the natural world, and the time that has passed since their death seems to them merely as a sleep. Also everything in his room was like what he formerly had ; a similar table, a similar desk with com- partments, and a similar library; so that as soon as he came there, as if he had just awakened from a sleep, he seated him- self at the table and continued his writing, and that, too, on the subject of justification by faith alone, and so, on for several days, writing nothing whatever about charity. The angels per- ceiving this, asked him through messengers why he did not write about charity also. He replied that there is nothing of the church in charity, for if charity were to be received as in any way an essential attribute of the church, man would ascribe to himself the merit of justification and consequently of salva- tion, and thus he would rob faith of its spiritual essence. [3] When the angels who were over his head perceived this, and when the angels who were associated with him when he was outside of his house heard it (for angels are associated with every new-comer at the beginning), they all withdrew. A few weeks after this occurred, the things that he used in his room began to be obscured and at length to disappear, until at last there was nothing left there but the table, paper, and inkstand ; and, moreover, the walls of his room seemed to be plastered with lime, and the floor to be covered with a yellowish, brick- like material, and he himself to be in coarser clothing. Won- dering at this, he asked of those about him why it was so, and was told that it was because he had separated charity from the church, which was, nevertheless, its heart. But as he repeat- 358 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement edly contradicted this, and went on writing about faith as the one only essential of the church and the means of salvation, and separated charity more and more, he suddenly seemed to him- self to be under ground in a sort of workhouse, where there were others like him. And when he wished to go out he was detained, and it was announced to him that no other lot awaits those who thrust charity and good works outside of the doors of the church. But as he had been one of the Reformers of the church, he was released by the Lord's command, and sent back to his former room, where there was nothing but the table, paper, and inkstand. Nevertheless, because of his confirmed ideas, he continued to besmear the paper with the same error, so that he could not be kept from being alternately sent down to his captive fellows and sent back again. When sent back, he appeared in a garment made of a hairy skin, because faith without charity is cold. [4] He himself told me that there was another room adjoining his own in the rear, in which there were three tables, at which sat men like himself, who had like- wise exiled charity, and that sometimes a fourth table appeared there, on which were seen monstrous things in various forms, but they were not frightened thereby from their work. He said that he conferred with these, and was confirmed by them daily. Nevertheless, after a time, he was smitten with fear, and began to write something about charity ; but what he wrote on the paper one day he did not see the next day, for this is what happens to every one there when he commits anything to paper from the external man only, and not also from the in- ternal, thus from compulsion and not from freedom. The writ- ing is obliterated of itself. [5] But after the beginning of the establishment of the new heaven by the Lord, he began to think from the light from that heaven that he might possibly be in error ; and in consequence, because of anxiety about his lot, he felt impressed upon him some interior ideas respecting charity. In this state he consulted the Word, and then his eyes were opened, and he saw that it was filled throughout with love to God and love towards the neighbor, so that it was, as the Lord says, that on these two commandments hang the law and the prophets, that is, the whole Word. From this time he was in- teriorly conveyed into the southern quarter towards the west, N. 797] MELANCTHON 359 and thus to another house, and there he talked with me, saying that his writings on charity did not then vanish as formerly, but appeared obscurely the next day. [6] One thing I won- dered at, that when he walked, his steps had a clanking sound, like those of a man walking with iron heels on a stone pave- ment. To this must be added, that when any novitiate from the world entered his room to talk with him or see him, he would summon a spirit from among those given to magic, who by fantasy could call up various beautiful shapes, and who then adorned his chamber with ornaments and flowered tapes- try, and also with the appearance of a library in the center. But as soon as the visitors were gone those shapes vanished, and the former plastering and emptiness returned. But this was when he was in his former state. 798. About Calvin I have heard the following: I. When he first entered the spiritual world he fully believed that he was still in the world where he was born ; and although he was told by the angels associated with him in the beginning that he was then in their world, and not in his former one, he said, "I have the same body, the same hands, and like senses." But he was taught by the angels that he was then in a sub- stantial body, and that formerly he had been not only in that same body, but also in a material body which invested the sub- stantial ; and that the material body had been cast off, while the substantial body, from which a man, is a man still remained. This he at first understood ; but the next day he returned to his former belief, that he was still in the world where he was born. This was because he was a sensual man and had no other belief than what he could draw from the objects of the bodily senses; and from this it came about that he drew all the dogmas of his faith as conclusions from his own intelli- gence and not from the Word. His quoting the Word was in order to win the assent of the common people. [2] II. After this first period, having left the angels, he wandered about in- quiring for those who from ancient times believed in Predesti- nation ; and he was told that they had been removed from that place and shut up and covered over, and that there was no way open to them except rearward under the earth; but that the disciples of Gotschalk still went about freely, and some- 360 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement times assembled in a place called, in spiritual language, Pyris. And as he earnestly desired their company, he was led to an assembly where some of them were standing; and when he came among them he was in his heart's delight, and bound him- self to them by interior friendship. [3] III. But when the followers of Gotschalk had been led away to their brethren in the cavern, Calvin became weary, and therefore sought here and there for an asylum, and was finally received into a certain society made up wholly of the simple-minded, some of whom were also religious ; and when he saw that they knew nothing and could understand nothing about predestination, he betook himself to one corner of the society, and there hid himself for a long time, not opening his mouth on any church matter. This was provided in order that he might withdraw from his error respecting predestination, and that the ranks of those, who, after the Synod of Dort adhered to that detestable heresy might be filled up ; all of whom were gradually sent away to their fellows in the cavern. [4] IV. At length when the mod- ern Predestinarians inquired where Calvin was, he was found after a search for him, on the confines of a certain society con- sisting solely of the simple-minded. He was therefore called away from there and conducted to a certain governor who was filled with similar dregs ; and who therefore took him into his hoxise and guarded him, and this until the new heaven began to be established by the Lord ; and then, as the governor, his guardian, was cast out together with his troop, Calvin betook himself to a certain house of ill-repute, and remained there for some time. [»] V. As he then enjoyed the liberty of wander- ing about, and also of coining near to the place where I was stopping, I was permitted to talk with him, in the first place about the new heaven which is at this day being formed of those who acknowledge the Lord alone as the God of heaven and earth, according to His own words in Matthew (xxviii. 18). I told him that such believe, That He and the Father are one (John x. 30) ; And that He is in the Father and the Father in Him, and that whoso- ever sees and knows Him, sees and knows the Father (John xiv. 6-11); thus that there is one God only in the church as in heaven. [6] At first, when I said this, as usual he was silent ; but after N. 798] CALVIN 361 half an hour he broke the silence and said, "Was not Christ a man, the son of Mary, who was married to Joseph ? How can a man be adored as God ?" I answered, " Is not Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Saviour both God and Man ?" He replied, " He is both God and Man ; nevertheless the Divinity is the Father's and not His." I asked, " Where then is Christ ?" He answered, " In the lowest parts of heaven ;" and he gave as proof of this His humiliation before the Father, and His suf- fering Himself to be crucified. To this he added some witty remarks about the worship of Christ, which then invaded his memory from the world, which was, in brief, that the worship of Christ was nothing but idolatry. He wanted to add things unfit to be spoken about that worship; but the angels who were with me shut his lips. [7] But from a zeal to convert him I said, that the Lord our Saviour is not only both God and Man, but in Him God is Man and Man is God. And this I confirmed by Paul's saying, That in Him dwelleth all the fulness of Divinity bodily (1 Col. ii. 9); and by John's: — That He is the true God and eternal life (1 Epistle, v. 20); as also from the words of the Lord Himself : — That it is the Father's will that all who believe on the Son shall have eternal life, and that he who believes not shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him (John iii. 3b' ; vi. 40); and finally by the declaration of faith called Athanasian, which declares that in Christ God and Man are not two but one, and are in one Person like the soul and body in man. [8] When he heard this, he replied, "What are all those things you have presented from the Word but empty sounds ? Is not the Word the book of all heresies, and thus like the weathercocks on house-tops and ships' masts, which turn every way according to the wind? It is Predestination alone that determines all things pertaining to religion ; this is their habi- tation or their tent of meeting, wherein faith, through which justification and salvation are effected, is the shrine and sanc- tuary. Has any man freedom of choice in spiritual things ? Is not everything of salvation a free gift? Any arguments therefore against these principles, and so against predestina- 362 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement tion, I listen to and value as much as I do eructations from the stomach or the rumbling of the bowels. And this being so, I have thought to myself that any church where anything else is taught, even from the Word, together with the crowd there assembled, is like a pen of beasts containing both sheep and wolves, but with the wolves muzzled by the laws of civil justice, lest they should attack the sheep (the sheep meaning the predestined), also that the praying and preaching there are like so much hiccoughing. But I will give you my confes- sion of faith ; it is this : There is a God, and He is omnipo- tent; and there is no salvation for any except those who are elected and predestined by God the Father; and every one else is condemned to his lot, that is, to his fate." [9] Hearing this I answered with much warmth, " What you say is horrible. Begone, wicked spirit! Being in the spiritual world do you not know that there is a heaven and a hell, and that predesti- nation implies that some have been designated for heaven and some for hell ? Can you then form to yourself any other idea of God than as being a tyrant who admits his favorites into his city, and sends the rest to the rack? Shame on you." [10] I then read to him what is written in the dogmatic book of the Evangelical Protestants, called Formula Concordke, re- lating to the erroneous doctrine of the Calvanists in regard to the worship of the Lord and predestination. Their doctrine of the worship of the Lord is thus defined : — It is damnable idolatry, if the confidence and faith of the heart are placed in Christ, not only according to His Divine bnt also according to His human nature, and the honor of worship is directed to both. And predestination is thus defined : — Christ did not die for all men, but only for the elect. God has created the greater part of men for eternal damnation, and does not wish that the greater part should be converted and live. The elect and born again cannot lose faith and the Holy Spirit, although they should com- mit all kinds of great sins and crimes. But those who are not elected are necessarily damned, nor can they attain to salvation even if they were to be baptized a thousand times, were to partake of the sacrament daily, and moreover were to lead as holy and blameless a life as it is ever pos- sible to live (Leipsic edition of 1756, pp. 837, 838). When I had read this, I asked him whether this, which was written in that book, was from his doctrine or not. He said N. 798] CALVIN 363 that it was, but that he did not remember whether or not those very words had flowed from his pen, although they might have from his lips. [11] All the servants of the Lord, when they heard this, withdrew from him, and he betook himself hastily to a way that led to a cave, which was occupied by those who had confirmed in themselves the execrable dogma of predesti- nation. I afterward talked with some of those imprisoned in that cave, and asked about their lot. They said that they were compelled to labor for food, that they were all enemies of each other, that each sought an occasion to do evil to the other, and this they did whenever they found the slightest opportunity, and that this was the delight of their lives. (More about pre- destination and the predestinarians may be seen above, n. 485- 488.) 799. I have also talked with many others, both with follow- ers of these three men and with their opponents ; and respect- ing all of them I was enabled to conclude that all such among them as have lived a life of charity, and still more those who have loved truth because it is truth, suffer themselves to be in- structed in the spiritual world, and then accept the doctrines of the Xew Church ; while on the other hand those who have confirmed themselves in falsities of religion, and also those who have lived an evil life, do not suffer themselves to be in- structed; and that these turn away step by step from the new heaven, and associate themselves with their like who are in hell, where they confirm themselves more and more against the worship of the Lord, and set themselves against it even to such an extent that they cannot bear to hear the name Jesus. But it is the reverse in heaven, where all with one accord ac- knowledge the Lord as the God of heaven. THE DUTCH IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 800. In the work on Heaven and Hell it is related that the Christians among whom the Word is read and there is a knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord the Redeemer and Saviour are in the center of the nations and peoples of the entire spiritual world, because with them there is the 364 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement greatest spiritual light; and from them as a center light goes forth in all directions to the very boundaries, according to what is shown in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture (n. 267- 272). In this Christian center those of the Reformed churches are allotted places according to their reception of spiritual light from the Lord; and because the Dutch have that light more deeply and fully joined in with their natural light than others, and in consequence are more receptive of rational con- siderations, they are granted dwelling-places in that Christian center in the east and south — in the east, because of their ca- pacity to receive spiritual heat, and in the south, because of their capacity to receive spiritual light. In the work on Heav- en and Hell (n. 141-153) it is shown that the quarters in the spiritual world are not like those in the natural world ; and that the dwelling-places according to the different quarters there are dwelling-places in accord with their reception of faith and love, those who excel in love being in the east and those who excel in intelligence in the south. 801. And the reason why the Dutch occupy those quarters of the Christian center is that business is their final love, and money a mediate love subservient thereto; and such a love is spiritual. But where money is the final love and business a mediate love subservient thereto, as with the Jews, that love is natural and springs from avarice. The love of business, when final, is spiritual, because of its use, in that it subserves the common good to which indeed the man's own good is closely conjoined and appears to him to be of more importance than the common good, because he thinks from his natural man. Nevertheless, when business is an end, the love of it is also the end, and in heaven every one is regarded in accordance with his final love; for the final love may be likened to the ruler of a kingdom or the master of a house, and the other loves to their subjects or servants. Moreover, the final love has its seat in the highest or inmost parts of the mind, while the mediate loves are below it or outside of it, and subservient to its every nod. The Dutch are in that spiritual love more than any others. But the Jews are in that love inverted ; consequently their love of business is purely natural, containing within it nothing of the common good, but solely their own good. N. 802] THE DUTCH 365 802. The Dutch cling more firmly than others to the prin- ciples of their religion, nor are they to be moved from them. Even when they are convinced, that this or that does not agree with their belief, they refuse to admit it, and turn away and remain unmoved. Thus they separate themselves from any in- terior intuition of truth, keeping their reason closely under obedience. Such being their character, when, after death, they enter the spiritual world they are prepared in a peculiar man- ner to receive the spiritual things of heaven, which are Divine truths. They are not taught truths, because they do not receive ; but the nature of heaven is described to them, and after that they are permitted to ascend thither and see it; and whatever is then in harmony with their genius is infused into them, and being sent down in this state they return to their companions with a full desire for heaven. [2] If they do not then receive the truth that God is one in Person and in Essence, and that the Lord the Redeemer and Saviour is this God, and that in Him is the Divine trinity, also this truth, that faith and char- ity in knowledge and in speech, apart from a life of faith and charity, are of no effect, and that the Lord bestows these when man after self-examination repents ; — -if when they are taught these truths they still turn away from them, and still think of God as existent in three Persons, and of religion as a fact merely, they are brought into a miserable condition, and their business is taken away from them, even until they find them- selves reduced to extremities. They are then conducted to those who, because they are in Divine truths, abound in all things, and among whom business flourishes; and there the thought is insinuated into them from heaven, "Why is it that these people are so prosperous? " At the same time they are led to reflect upon the faith and life of such, in that they are averse to evils as sins ; and having thought carefully about the matter they perceive a harmony with their own thought and reflection. This is repeated at intervals. At length, they are brought to think that if they are freed from their misery they must be- lieve in a like manner ; and then, as they accept that belief and live that life of charity, riches and a happy life are given to them. [3] In this manner those who have to some extent lived a life of charity in the world, are of themselves reformed and 366 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement prepared for heaven. Afterwards they come to excel in con- stancy to the extent that they might be called Constances; and they do not permit themselves to be led away by any reasoning or fallacy or obscurity induced by sophistry, or by any mere confirmations arising from any absurd points of view ; for they become more clear-sighted than before. 803. The teachers who instruct in their Lyceums study the mysteries of the prevailing faith very intently, especially those who are there called Cocceians ; and because the dogma of pre- destination springs inevitably from those mysteries, and, more- over, has been established by the Synod of Dort, it also is sown and planted there, as seed from the fruit of any tree is planted in a field. Because of this the laity talk much among them- selves about predestination ; but in different ways ; some grasp- ing it with both their hands, some with one only, laughing at it, and some hurl it from them as a snaky lizard; for they know nothing of the mysteries of the faith from which that viper was hatched. These mysteries they are ignorant of, be- cause they are intent upon their business; and while these mysteries do indeed touch their understanding, they do not penetrate it. Therefore the dogma of predestination among the laity, and even among the clergy, is like an image in the hu- man form placed on a rock in the sea, with a large shell glitter- ing like gold in its hand, at the sight of which some captains sailing past lower their sails as a mark of honor and reverence ; some merely wink at it and salute it; while some hiss at it as at something ludicrous. It is also an unknown bird from India placed on a high tower, which some swear is a turtle-dove, some guess is a cock, and others loudly affirm that it is cer- tainly an owl. 804. The Dutch are easily distinguished from others in the spiritual world, because they appear in garments like those they wear in the natural world, with the difference that those who have received faith and spiritual life are more elegantly clad. They appear in like garments because they hold stead- fastly to the principles of their religion, and in accordance with those principles all in the spiritual world are clad ; and therefore those there who are in Divine truths have white gar- ments and garments of fine linen. N. 805] THE DUTCH 367 805. The cities in which the Dutch dwell are guarded in a peculiar manner. All the streets are roofed and have gates in them, in order that no one may see into them from the rocks and hills round about. This arises from their innate prudence in not disclosing their counsels or divulging their intentions ; for in the spiritual world such things are drawn out by inves- tigation. "When any one comes with the intention of examin- ing into their state, he is led, when he withdraws, to the closed gates of the streets, and then led back and led to other gates until he becomes greatly annoyed, and then he is let out. This is to prevent his return. AVives who desire to rule over their husbands dwell at one side of the city and meet their husbands only when they are invited, and that is done in a civil manner. The husbands then take them to houses where marriage part- ners live who do not exercise authority one over the other, and show them how beautiful and clean the houses of such are, and how happy their lives, and that all this comes from mutual and marriage love. Those wives who give attention to these things and are influenced by them leave off exercising author- ity and live with their husbands; and they then have dwell- ings given them nearer to the center of the city, and are called angels. This is because true marriage love is heavenly love which is without dominion. THE EXGLISH IX THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 806. There are two states of thought in man, an external and an internal; in the external state he is in the natural world, in the internal in the spiritual world. In the good these states make one, but not in the evil. Man's internal nature is rarely manifest in the world, because from infancy he has learned to be moral and rational, and loves to appear such. But in the spiritual world it is clearly manifest what his na- ture is, for man is then a spirit, and a spirit is the internal man. And since it has been granted me to be in that world, and there to see the internal nature of men from different kingdoms of the world, 1 feel it necessary, because of its im- portance, to make this known. 368 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement 807. As to the English nation, the better ones among them are at the center of all Christians, because they have an in- terior intellectual light ; a light that is not manifest to any one in the natural world, but it is clearly manifest in the spiritual world. This light they acquire from their freedom of speech and of the press, and consequent freedom of thought. With others, who have not such freedom, that light is suppressed because it has no outlet. It is true that such light is not ac- tive of itself, but it is rendered active by others, especially by men of repute and authority. As soon as anything is said by them, the light shines forth. For this reason governors are appointed over the English in the spiritual world, and priests are given them who are men of celebrity and of eminent abil- ity, whose judgment they accept because of this inherent quality. 808. They possess also a similarity of disposition, which leads them to become closely attached to friends who are of their own nation, but rarely to others; they also aid each other ; they love sincerity ; they are lovers of their country and are zealous for her glory. They look upon foreigners as one, from the roof of his own palace, might look with a spy-glass at persons dwelling outside of a city, or wandering about there. The political affairs of their kingdom occupy their minds and possess their hearts, sometimes so far as to withdraw their minds from studies of loftier inquiry, by which a higher intel- ligence is acquired. It is true that these studies are eagerly pursued in youth by those who give attention to them in the schools ; but they pass away as transient things. Nevertheless their rationality is quickened by these studies, and sparkles with a light by which they form beautiful images, as a glass prism turned toward the sun forms a rainbow, and paints it in glowing colors on a plane surface fixed to receive it. 809. There are two large cities like London, to which most of the English go after death. I was permitted to see one of these and to walk through it. Where in London the mer- chants meet, which is called the Exchange, there in that city is the center where its governors reside. Above that center is the east, below it is the west; on the right is the south, and on the left the north. In the eastern quarter those dwell who N. 809] THE ENGLISH 369 have lived a life of charity in a greater degree than others; here are magnificent palaces. In the southern quarter the wise dwell, and among them there is much splendor. In the north- ern quarter those dwell who more than others have loved free- dom of speech and the press. In the western quarter those dwell who deal in justification by faitli alone. On the right in this latter quarter there is an entrance to the city and also an exit therefrom; and those who live wickedly are here put but of the city. The preachers who live in the western quarter and teach the doctrine of faith alone, do not dare to enter the city by the large streets, but only through the narrow alleys, because none but those who believe in charity are tolerated in the city proper. I have heard them complaining of the preach- ers from the west, that they composed their sermons with so much art and eloquence, secretly weaving into them the doc- trine of justification by faith, that they did not know whether good ought to be done or not. ' They preach that faith inward- ly is a good, and this good they distinguish from the good of charity, which they call good that claims a merit, and there- fore not acceptable to God. But when those who dwell in the eastern and southern quarters of the city hear such sermons they leave the churches, and the preachers are afterward de- prived of the priestly office. 810. I afterward heard many reasons why those preachers were deprived of their office. I was told that the "chief reason is, that they did not prepare their sermons from the Word and thus from the Spirit of God, but from their own rational light, and thus from their own spirit. They begin, indeed, as a pre- lude, with a text from the Word, but this they merely touch with their lips, and then abandon as tasteless, immediately selecting something savory from their own intelligence, which they roll about in their mouths and turn over upon their tongues as something delicious. Such is their teaching. It was said that as a consequence there was no more spirituality in their sermons than in the songs of birds, and that they were merely allegorical adornments, like wigs beautifully curled and pow- dered on bald heads. The mysteries of their discourses on jus- tification by faith alone were likened to the quails brought up from the sea and strewn about the camps of the children of Vol. II.— 24 370 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement Israel (Num. xi.), because of which several thousand persons died; while the theology of charity and faith together were likened to the manna from heaven. I once heard their preach- ers talking together about faith alone ; and I saw a kind of image formed by them, which represented their faith alone. In their light, which was the light of hallucination, this ap- peared like a great giant ; but when light from heaven was let in upon it, it appeared like a monster above and a serpent below. Seeing this, they withdrew, and the bystanders threw the image into a pond. 811. The other great city, also called London, is not in the Christian center, but at some distance to the north. Into it those pass after death who are interiorly wicked. In the cen- ter of it there is an open communication with hell, by which they are at times swallowed up. 812. From those in the spiritual world who were from Eng- land it was seen that they have two kinds of theology, one de- rived from their doctrine of faith, and the other from their doctrine of charity ; the former is held by those who are initi- ated into the priesthood, and the latter by the laity, especially those who dwell in Scotland and on its borders. With these latter the believers in faith alone are afraid to engage in argu- ment, because they combat them both from the Word and from reason. This doctrine of charity is set forth in the exhortation read in the churches on the Sabbath day to those who approach the sacrament of the holy supper. In that exhortation it is openly declared that if they are not in charity and do not shun evils as sins, they cast themselves into eternal damnation ; and if in such a state they approach the holy communion, the devil will enter into them as he did into Judas. THE GERMANS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 813. It is known that the natives of a kingdom that is di- vided into several provinces are not alike in genius, but dif- fer from each other in particular ways as the inhabitants of the earth's different climates do in general ways, and yet that a common genius prevails among those who are under one N. 813] THE GERMANS 371 king, and therefore under one code of laws. As to Germany it is more divided into separate states than the surrounding kingdoms. It is an empire, with all the states under its gen- eral supervision, while the prince of each state enjoys despotic power in his own realm ; for there are greater and lesser dukedoms there, and each duke is like a monarch in his own kingdom. Furthermore, religion is there divided; in some dukedoms are the so-called Evangelicals, in some the Re- formed, and in some the Papists. With such diversity of both government and religion, the dispositions, inclinations, and lives of the Germans are more difficult to describe from those seen in the spiritual world than those of the nations and peo- ples of other parts. And yet, as a common genius, reigns everywhere among peoples of the same language, this may be in some measure seen and described from ideas collected together. 814. As the Germans are under a despotic government in each particular dukedom, they have no such freedom of speech and of the press -as the Hollanders and the British have, and when that freedom is restrained, freedom of thought, that is, the freedom to investigate matters to the furthest extent, is also kept in restraint. For this restraint is like a high wall about the basin of a fountain, which causes the water within to rise even to the orifice of the inflowing stream, so that the stream can no longer leap forth. Thought is like the inflow- ing stream, and speech therefrom is like the basin. In a word, influx adapts itself to efflux, and in like manner the under- standing from above adapts itself to its measure of freedom to speak and publish its thoughts. For this reason that noble nation is little devoted to matters of judgment, but rather to matters of memory. This is why they are especially given to historical writings, and in their books trust to men of repu- tation and learning among them, quoting opinions of such abundantly, and subscribing to some one of them. In the spiritual world this state of theirs is represented by a man carrying books under his arm, and when any one disputes about any matter of judgment, he says, " I will give you an answer," and immediately draws a book from under his arm and reads from it. 372 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement 815. From this state of theirs many things proceed, and among them this, that they keep the spiritual things of the church inscribed upon the memory, and seldom elevate them into the higher understanding, but admit them only into the lower, from which they reason about them, which is doing wholly differently from free nations. Such nations, as regards the spiritual things of the church called theological, are like eagles which rise to whatever height they please ; while nations that are not free are like swans in a river. Again, free nations are like the larger deer with lofty horns, that roam the fields, groves, and forests at perfect liberty; while nations that are not free are like the deer kept in parks to please a prince. And still again, free peoples are like the winged horse which the ancients called Pegasus, that flew not only over the seas, but over the so-called Parnassian hills, and also over the hills of the Muses beneath them; while a people not freed are like noble horses handsomely caparisoned in kings stables. There are like differences in their judgments regarding the mysteri- ous matters of theology. The clergy of the Germans, while they are students, write out from the mouths of their teachers in the colleges certain dicta, and these they guard as the au- thoritative utterances of erudition ; and when they are inaugu- rated into the priesthood, or made lecturers in the schools, they, for the most part, draw their official utterances in the desk or in the pulpit from those dicta. Such of their priests as do not teach in accordance with orthodoxy usually preach about the Holy Spirit and its wonderful workings and excita- tions of holiness in men's hearts. But those who teach about faith according to the orthodoxy of the present day, appear to the angels as if decorated with wreaths of oak leaves ; while those who teach from the Word about charity and its works appear to the angels to be adorned with wreaths of odoriferous leaves of laurel. Those there who are called Evangelical, in their disputes with the Reformed about truths, appear to be rending their garments, because garments signify truths. 816. I asked where the people of Hamburg were to be found in the spiritual world, and was told that they are no- where now gathered together in one society, still less in any civil community, but are scattered about and intermingled N. 816] THE GERMANS 373 with the Germans in the various quarters. And when the reason was asked it was said that it arose from their contin- ual mental introspections and wanderings, as it were, outside of their own city, and very little within it; for such as the state of man's mind is hi the natural world, such it is in the spiritual world; for man's mind is his spirit, or the posthu- mous man that lives after his departure from the material body. THE PAPISTS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 817. The Papists in the spiritual world appear round about and beneath the Protestants, and separated from them by inter- spaces which they are forbidden to pass, although the monks by clandestine arts secure for themselves a way through, and also send out emissaries by hidden paths to make converts; but they are traced out, and after being punished, are either sent back to their companions or cast down. 818. Since the last judgment, which took place in the spir- itual world in the year 1757, the state of all, and consequently the state of the Papists, is so changed that they are not per- mitted, as formerly, to congregate in bodies; but for every love, either good or evil, ways are appointed, which those who come from the world immediately enter, and pass to societies correspondent to their loves. Thus the wicked are borne to societies that are in hell, and the good to societies in heaven ; and in this way their forming for themselves artificial hea- vens, as they previously did, is guarded against. Such socie- ties are very numerous in the world of spirits, which is inter- mediate between heaven and hell, for they are as many as the genera and species of affections pertaining to the love of good and the love of evil; and in the meantime, before their mem- bers are raised up into heaven or cast down to hell, they are in spiritual conjunction with the men of the world, because men also are intermediate between heaven and hell. 819. The Papists have a sort of place of council in the southern quarter toward the east, where their leaders assemble and deliberate about various matters pertaining to their relig- 374 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement ion, especially about how to keep the common people in blind obedience and how to enlarge their own dominion. But no one who had been a pope in the world is admitted to this assem- bly, because a semblance of Divine authority is fixed in the minds of such, on account of their having arrogated to them- selves the Lord's power in the world. Neither are any cardi- nals permitted to enter that council, because of their sense of pre-eminence. Nevertheless these latter assemble together in a spacious room beneath the others, but after staying there a few days are taken away, I was not permitted to know where. There is also another place of meeting in the southern quarter towards the west, where the business is to introduce the credu- lous common people into heaven. There they arrange round about themselves several societies which provide for various external delights ; in some there are dances, in some musical concerts, in some processions, in some theaters and scenic amusements; in some there are persons who by hallucination produce various forms of magnificence ; in some there is mere- ly clownish acting and jesting; in some again there is friendly conversation, here about religious matters, there about civil affairs, and elsewhere they even talk lasciviously; and so on. Into some of these societies they introduce the credulous, each one according to the kind of pleasure he prefers, and this they call heaven. But when they have been there a day or two they all become weary and go away, because those delights are ex- ternal and not internal. In this way also many are led away from the folly of their belief about the power to admit into heaven. As to the particulars of their worship, it is nearly the same as their worship in the world, consisting in like manner of masses which are conducted in a language not com- mon to spirits but composed of high-sounding words which inspire external sanctity and trembling, but which the hearers do not at all understand. 820. All who go from the earth to the spiritual world are kept at first in the confession of faith and religion of their own country; and as this is true of the Papists, they always have a representative of a pope placed over them, whom they worship with ceremonies like those they observed in the world. It rarely happens that any one who has been a pope in the N. 820] THE PAPISTS 375 world is placed over them after his demise ; but one who filled the pontifical chair thirty or forty years ago was placed over them because he had cherished in his heart a clearer idea of the holiness of the Word than was generally held, also that the Lord ought to be worshiped. I was permitted to talk with him, and he said that he worshiped the Lord alone, because He is God, and has all power in heaven and on earth, according to His words (Matt, xxviii. 18). He said that the invocation of saints is an absurdity; he said also that he had intended when in the world to re-establish such a church, but was un- able to do so, for reasons which he stated. When the great northern city which contained both Papists and Reformers, was destroyed on the day of the last judgment, I saw him carried out on a litter and transferred to a place of safety. On the borders of the large society in which he exercises pontifi- cal authority schools are established, where those go who are undecided about religion ; and there they find converted monks who teach them about God the Saviour Christ, and also about the holiness of the Word, leaving it to their own judgment whether they will turn their minds away from the methods of sanctification maintained in the Roman Catholic church. Those who receive instruction are introduced into a large society composed of those who have withdrawn from the wor- ship of the pope and the saints ; and when they enter that society they are like men who have been aroused from sleep and are fully awake, or like those who have come from the in- clemency of winter into the sweetness of early spring, or like sailors who have just come to port, and are then invited by those there to feasts, and noble wine in crystal goblets is given them to drink. And angels, I have heard, sent down from heaven to the host a plate containing manna, in form and taste like that which fell upon the camps of the children of Israel in the desert, and this plate is carried around to all the com- pany, and everyone is permitted to taste of its contents. 821. All those of the Catholic religion who in the form- er world had thought more of God than of the papacy, and from a simple heart had done works of charity, when they find themselves living after death, and have been taught that the Lord Himself, the Saviour of the world, reigns there, are eas- 376 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement ily led away from the superstitions of that religion. To them the transition from popery to Christianity is as easy as to pass through an open door into a temple, or to pass the guards in the entrance-hall and enter a palace when the king so com- mands, or to raise the face and look up to heaven when voices are heard therefrom. But on the other hand, to lead away from the superstitions of that religion those who during the course of their life in the world have rarely if ever thought of God, and who have entered that worship merely for its festiv- ities, is as difficult as to enter a temple through closed doors, or to pass through the guards in the entrance-hall into the palace when the king forbids, or for a snake in the grass to raise its eyes to heaven. It is wonderful that not one of those who pass into the spiritual world from that Catholic religion see there the heaven where the angels dwell. That religion is like a dark cloud above them which terminates the vision. But as soon as any convert comes among those who have been converted heaven is opened, and sometimes they behold the angels there in white garments ; and when they have passed the period of preparation they are taken up to the angels. THE POPISH SAINTS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 822. It is well known that man has in him from his par- ents inherent or inherited evil, but few know where that evil dwells in its fulness. It dwells in the love of possessing the goods of all others, and in the love of exercising dominion; for this latter love is such that, so far as the reins are given to it, it rushes forth until it is aflame with the lust of exercis- ing dominion over all, and finally seeks to be invoked and wor- shiped as God. This love is the serpent that deceived Eve and Adam, for it said to the woman, 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 gods {Gen. iii. 4, 5). So far therefore, as man rushes into this love without restraint, he turns away from God and turns to himself, and becomes a N. 822] THE POPISH 'SAINTS 377 worshiper of himself; and then he can call upon God from love of self with fervent lips, but with a heart cold from con- tempt of God. And then also the Divine things of the church may serve him as nieaus, but dominion being his end, his heart is in the means only so far as they subserve that end. Such a man, if exalted to the highest honors, seems to himself like Atlas carrying the terraqueous globe on his shoulders, or like Phoebus with his horses bearing the sun around the earth. 823. Because of man's being such by inheritance, all those who have been made saints by papal bulls are removed from the sight of others in the spiritual world and kept out of sight; and are deprived of all intercourse with their worshipers, lest that worst root of evils should be quickened in them, and they should be carried away into fantastic delusions such as prevail with demons. Into such delusions do those come who, while living in the world, earnestly seek to become saints after death, that they may be invoked. 824. Many from the papal jurisdiction, especially the monks, when they enter the spiritual world, search for the saints, es- pecially the saint of their order, and are astonished that they do not find them. But they are afterward taught that these saints are intermingled either with those who are in heaven or with those who are in the lower earth and that they know nothing in either place about their being invoked and wor- shiped ; and that those who do know of it and wish to be in- voked, fall into delusions and talk like fools. The worship of saints is such an abomination in heaven that when it is merely heard of it excites horror, because so far as worship is yielded to any man, so far it is denied to the Lord ; for in that case the Lord alone cannot be worshiped ; and when the Lord is not alone worshiped, a separation occurs which destroys com- munion with Him and the happiness of life that flows from it. That I might learn the character of the Popish saints and make it known, as many as a hundred of them who knew that they had been made saints were brought forth from the lower earth. They came up behind me — only a few of them in front — and I talked with one of them who they said was Xavier. While he was talking to me he was like a fool; and yet he was able to declare that in his own place, where he was shut up 378 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement with others, he was not a fool, but became such as often as he thought himself a saint and wished to be invoked. I heard a murmur of the same thing from those who were behind. With the saints so-called in heaven it is different ; they know noth- ing at all of what is done on earth, and they are not permitted to talk with any of the Papists who are in that superstition, that no idea of that thing may enter into them. 825. From this state of the saints any one may conclude that the invocation of saints is a mere mockery; and I can affirm, moreover, that they no more hear the invocations ad- dressed to them on earth than do their images by the way- side, or the walls of the church, or the birds building nests in its towers. It is said by those who serve them in the world, that the saints reign in heaven in company with the Lord Jesus Christ ; but this is a fiction and fabrication ; for they no more reign with the Lord than a groom does with his king, or a porter with a nobleman, or a footman with a primate. For John the Baptist said of the Lord, That he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoes (Mark i. 7; John i. 27). What then can be said of such? 826. To the Parisians, who form a society in the spiritual world, there sometimes appears a woman of the usual height in shining raiment and with a face that seems holy, and she calls herself Genevieve. But when some of them begin to worship her, her face and also her clothing instantly change, and she becomes like an ordinary woman; and she rebukes them for wanting to worship a woman who among her com- panions is no more esteemed than a servant-maid, and is sur- prised that the men of the world are duped by such nonsense. 827. To this I will add this most notable fact: Mary the Mother of the Lord once passed by and appeared overhead in white raiment. Then pausing a little she said that she had been the mother of the Lord, arid that He was indeed born of her ; but that when He became God, He put off everything of the human He had derived from her, and that therefore she now worships Him as her God, and is unwilling that any one should acknowledge Him to be her son, since in Him every- thing is Divine. N. 828] THE MOHAMMEDANS 379 THE MOHAMMEDANS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 828. The Mohammedans in the spiritual world appear be- hind the Papists in the west, and form as it were a border around them. They appear next behind the Christians be- cause they acknowledge our Lord to be the greatest prophet, the wisest of all men, who was sent into the world to teach men, and also that He is the Son of God. In that world every one dwells at such a distance from the central region, where the Christians are, as accords with their confession of the Lord and of one God; for that confession is what conjoins minds with heaven, and determines distance from the east, above which quarter is the Lord. 829. Because religion has its seat in the highest things in man, and the lower things in him have life and light from the highest, and because Mohammed is always associated with re- ligion in the minds of Mohammedans, some Mohammed is al- ways kept before their sight ; and in order that they may turn their faces toward the east, over which is the Lord, he is placed beneath the Christian center. This is not the Moham- med who wrote the Koran, but another person who fills his office ; nor is it always the same person ; but he is changed. Formerly it was a man from Saxony who had been taken pris- oner by the Algerines, and had become a Mohammedan; and having once been a Christian he was sometimes moved to speak to them about the Lord, saying that He was not Jo- seph's son but the Son of God Himself. Other Mohammedans afterward succeeded this one. In the place where that repre- sentative Mohammedan has his station, there appears a fire like a small torch to distinguish him ; but that fire is invisible to all but Mohammedans. 830. The Mohammed who wrote the Koran is not seen at the present day. I was told that in former times he presided over them ; but because he desired to rule as God over all things pertaining to their religion he was ejected from his seat, which he had beneath the Papists, and was sent down to the right side near the south. A certain society of Mohamme- dans was once incited by some malicious spirits to acknowledge 380 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement Mohammed as God. To quiet this disturbance, Mohammed was brought up from the lower earth and shown to them ; and at that time I also saw him. He looked like those corporeal spirits who have no interior perception, with a face inclined to black. I heard him utter these words, "I am your Moham- med ;" and immediately he seemed to sink down. 831. The Mohammedans are hostile to the Christians main- ly because of the Christian belief in three Divine persons and the consequent worship of three Gods, and as many Creators ; and still more hostile to the Roman Catholics, because of their bending the knee before images ; and for this reason they call them idolaters; and the former they call fanatics, declaring that they make God a three-headed being, also that they say one and mutter three, and consequently divide up omnipotence, and from one and of one make three; therefore they are like fauns with three horns, one for each God, and at the same time three for one; and so they pray, so they sing, and so they harangue from their pulpits. 832. The Mohammedans, like all nations who acknowledge one God, love justice and do good from religion, have their own heaven, but it is outside of the Christian heaven. The Mo- hammedan heaven, however, is divided into two. In the lower they live uprightly with several wives; but only those who give up their concubines and acknowledge the Lord our Sav- iour, and also His dominion over heaven and hell, are raised up from this into their higher heaven. I have heard that it is impossible for them to conceive of God the Father and our Lord as one, but that it is possible for them to believe that the Lord rules over the heavens and the hells because He is the Son of God the Father. It is because of their holding this belief that it is granted them by the Lord to ascend into the higher heaven. 833. That the Mohammedan religion is received by more nations than the Christian religion, may be a stumbling-block to those who meditate upon the Divine Providence and believe at the same time that only those who are born Christians can be saved. But the Mohammedan religion is not a stumbling- block to those who believe that all things are of the Divine Providence. Such inquire how this is, and they find out. It N. 833] THE MOHAMMEDANS 381 is this, that the Mohammedan religion acknowledges the Lord as the greatest prophet, the wisest of men, and also the Son of God. But as they have made the Koran the only book of their religion, and as in consequence the Mohammed who wrote it resides in their thoughts, and upon him they bestow some worship, they think but little about our Lord. To make it clearly known that this religion was raised up by the Di- vine Providence of the Lord to blot out the idolatry of many nations, it shall be set forth somewhat in order; but first, as to the origin of all idolatries. [2] Previous to that religion idolatrous worship was spread over very many kingdoms of the world. This was so because the churches that existed be- fore the Lord's laming were all representative churches. Such was the Israelitish church. The tabernacle there, the gar- ments of Aaron, the sacrifices, all things belonging to the tem- ple at Jerusalem, and even the statutes, were representative. And among the ancients there was a knowledge of correspond- ences (which is also the knowledge of representatives), the very knowledge of knowledges. It was cultivated especially in Egypt, and from it came their hieroglyphics. From that knowledge the signification of all kinds of animals and all kinds of trees was known, also of mountains, hills, rivers, and springs, and of the sun, moon and stars. Through that knowledge they also had a knowledge of spiritual things, be- cause these representations had their. origin in the things they represented, which were such as pertain to spiritual wisdom among the angels in heaven. [3] And as all their worship was representative, consisting of mere correspondences, so they worshiped on mountains and hills, as also in groves and ■ gardens, and sanctified fountains, and moreover made sculp- tured horses, oxen, calves, and lambs, and also birds, fishes, and serpents, and placed them near their temples and in the courts thereof, and likewise in their houses, arranging them in an order that was in accord with the spiritual things of the church to which they corresponded or which they represented and therefore signified. After a time, when the knowledge of correspondences had been forgotten, their posterity began to worship the sculptured images themselves as in themselves holy, not being aware that the ancients, their forefathers, saw 382 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement nothing holy in them, but only that they represented, in ac- cordance with their correspondences, what is holy. [4] Such was the origin of the idolatries that had filled so many king- doms of the world. To uproot these idolatries, by the Lord's Divine Providence it came to pass that a new religion adapted to the genius of the Orientals was introduced, in which there was something from the Word of both Testaments, and which taught that the Lord came into the world, and that He was the greatest prophet, the wisest of men, and the Son of God. This was effected through Mohammed, from whom that relig- ion was named. From all this it is clear that this religion was raised up by the Divine Providence of the Lord, and as before said, was adapted to the genius of the Orientals, in or- der that it might blot out the idolatries of so many nations and give them some knowledge of the Lord previous to their entering the spiritual world, which they do after death. And this religion would not have been received by so many king- doms, and could not have uprooted their idolatries, if it had not been made conformable to the ideas of their thought, and especially if polygamy had not been permitted, for the reason that the Orientals without that permission would have been inflamed with filthy adulteries more than the Europeans, and would have perished. 834. It was once granted me to perceive the nature of the heat of their polygamic love. I had a talk with one who had occupied the place of Mohammed, and after some conversation with him at a distance this substitute sent to me an ebony spoon and some other things, which were proofs that they came from him ; and at the same time there were opened from various places outlets for the heat of their polygamic love. From some of these this was felt to be like the heat in bath- ing rooms after bathing, from some like the heat in kitchens where meats are boiling, from some like the heat in eating- houses where strong-smelling food is exposed for sale, from some like the heat in apothecaries cellars, where emulsions and such things are prepared, from some like the heat in stews and brothels, and from others like the heat in stores where skins, leather and shoes are sold. There was also some- thing rank, harsh and burning in the heat, arising from jeal- N. 834] v THE MOHAMMEDANS 383 ousy. But the heat in the Christian heavens, when the de- light of their love is perceived as an odor, is fragrant like the odor in gardens, vineyards, and rose-gardens, in some places like that where spices are sold, and in others like that of wine-presses and wine-cellars. That the delights from loves in the spiritual world are frequently perceived as odors has been shown throughout my Memorable Relations which follow the chapters. THE AFRICANS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD; ALSO SOMETHING IN REGARD TO THE GENTILES. 835. The Gentiles who have known nothing about the Lord are seen hi the spiritual world round about those who have known Him ; yet so arranged that the outmost border is formed exclusively of those who are thorough idolaters, and who in the former world worshiped the sun and moon. But those who acknowledge one God, and who accept such precepts as the Decalogue contains as the precepts of the religion and conse- quently of their life, communicate more directly with the Christians at the center ; for in this case the communication is not intercepted by the Mohammedans and Papists. The Gen- tiles are also distinguished according to their genius and their capacity to receive light through the heavens from the Lord; for there are among them some who are interior and some who are exterior, which difference comes partly from climate, part- ly from the stock from which they have sprung, partly from education, and partly from religion. The Africans are more interior than the others. 836. All who acknowledge and worship one God, the Crea- tor of the universe, cherish an idea of God as being a Man; they say that no one can have any other idea of Him. When they hear that many cherish the idea that God is like ether or a cloud, they ask where such people are; and when told that they are among the Christians they deny that it is possible. But they are told that they get this idea from God's being called in the Word a Spirit, and of spirit they have no other 384 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement idea than that it is an ethereal substance, or some kind of a cloud, not knowing that every spirit and every angel is a man. When a further inquiry is made to ascertain whether their spiritual idea is similar to their natural idea, it is found to be different with those who interiorly acknowledge the Lord as the God of heaven and earth. I heard a certain elder saying that no man could conceive of a Divine Human ; and I saw him taken among different Gentile peoples, to the more and more interior of them, also to their heavens, and finally to the Chris- tian heaven, and their interior perception of God was every- where communicated to him; and he observed that they had no other idea of God than that of a Divine Man, and that by no other God could man, who is an image and likeness of God, have been created. 837. As the Africans surpass all other Gentiles in interior judgment, I have had conversation with them on matters of more profound inquiry, and latterly about God, and the Lord the Redeemer, and about the inner and outer man. And as they were delighted with this conversation, I will state some of the things relating to these three subjects which they per- ceived from mterior sight. Of God they said, that He cer- tainly did descend and present Himself to be seen by men, inasmuch as He is their Creator, Protector and Guide, and the human race is His; also that He sees, surveys and provides each and all things that are in the heavens and on earth, re- garding their good as if it were hi Himself, and Himself as in them ; and this, because He is the sun of the angelic heaven, which is to be seen as high above the spiritual world as the sun of the earth is above the natural world, and as He is that sun, He sees, surveys, and provides each thing and all things that are beneath Him. And as it is His Divine Love that ap- pears as a sun, it follows that He provides both for the great- est and for the least such things as pertain to their life, and for men such things as pertain to love and wisdom, whatever pertains to love by means of the heat of that sun, and whatever pertains to wisdom by means of its light. If, therefore, you form to yourselves an idea of God as the sun of the universe, you will certainly from that idea see and acknowledge .His om- nipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. N. 838] THE AFRICANS 385 838. I had a further talk with them about the Lord the Saviour. It was said that God in His essence is Divine love, and that Divine love is like the purest fire ; and as love viewed in itself seeks no other end than to become one with him whom it loves, so the Divine love seeks no other end than to unite itself to man and man to itself, even until It is in him and he in It. And since the Divine love is like the purest fire, it is evident that God, being such a fire, could not in the least degree be in man and cause man to be in Him, for He would thus reduce the entire man to a most subtle vapor. But inasmuch as God from His very essence burned with a love to unite Himself with man, to do this He must needs veil Himself with a body adapted to reception and conjunc- tion. For this reason He came down and took on a Human in accordance with the order established by Him from the crea- tion of the world ; which order was, that by means of a power generated from Himself a Human should be conceived, car- ried in the womb, and born, and then increase in wisdom and love, and thereby draw near to a union with its Divine origin ; thus God became Man and Man became God. That this is true the Scripture respecting Him (which exists among Chris- tians and is called the Word), clearly teaches and testifies; and God Himself, who in His Human is called Jesus Christ, declares that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and that whosoever sees Him sees the Father; besides other things to the same purport. That God, whose love is like the purest fire, could unite Himself to man and man to Himself in no other way reason also can see. Is it possible for the sun's fire as it is in itself to touch man, still less to enter into him, un- less it veils its rays with atmospheres, and thus by a tempered heat presents itself in an adapted form ? Is it possible for the pure ether to envelop man, still less enter his bronchial tubes, unless it is made dense with air, and thus adapted ? A fish is not able even to draw breath in the air, but only in an ele- ment adapted to its life ; nor indeed is a king on earth able to administer each and all the affairs of his kingdom in his own person or directly, but only by means of higher and lower officers, who together constitute his royal body. Nor can a man's soul render itself visible to another, enter into compan- Vol. II.— 25 386 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement ionship with him, and communicate proofs of his love, except by means of a body. How then can God do so except through a Human of His own ? The Africans when they heard these things had a clearer perception of them than others, because they are more interiorly rational; and each one favored them in accordance with his perception. 839. Finally we talked about the interior and exterior man. It was said that men who perceive things interiorly are in the light of truth, which is the light of heaven, while those who perceive things exteriorly are in no light of truth, because they are in the light of the world only; thus interior men are in intelligence and wisdom, but exterior men are in insanity and in distorted vision (n. 345); that interior men are spirit- ual because they think from the spirit exalted above the body, and therefore see truths in light; while exterior men are sen- sual-natural because they think from the fallacies of the bod- ily senses ; therefore they see truths as in a thick cloud, and when they reflect upon them in themselves they see fallacies as truths ; that internal men are like those standing on a mountain in the midst of a plain, or on a tower in a city, or on a lighthouse at sea; while external men are like those standing in a valley at the foot of a mountain, in a vault be- neath a tower, or in a boat at the foot of a lighthouse, seeing only what lies nearest to them. Moreover, internal men are like those who live in the second or third story of a house or palace, the walls of which are a continuous window of clear glass, who look round about upon the city in its whole extent and recognize every cottage in it; while external men are like those who live in the lowest story, the windows of which are made of pasted pieces of paper, who cannot see even a single street outside of the house, but only what is within it, and not even that, except by the light of a candle or of the fire. And again, internal men are like eagles soaring aloft and seeing all things spread out beneath them; while external men, on the other hand, are like cocks standing on a post and crowing aloud before the hens that are walking on the ground. Fur- thermore, internal men perceive that what they know com- pared with what they do not know is like water in a pitcher as compared to that in a lake; while external men have no N. 839] THE AFRICANS 387 other thought than they they know everything. The Africans were delighted with these remarks, because from the interior vision in which they excel they recognized that it was so. 840. Because the Africans are such, a revelation has been made among them at the present time, which is spreading round about from the region where it began, but has not yet reached the coasts. They keep aloof from European strangers who believe that man is saved by faith alone, and thus by mere thought and word, and not by will and deed also; saying that he is no man who has any worship and fails to live according to his religion, for then he must needs become stupid and wicked, because he then receives nothing from heaven. They also call crafty wickedness stupidity, because there is no life in it, but death only. I have several times talked with Augus- tine, who was bishop of Hippo in Africa, in the third century. He said that he is there at this time, inspiring them with the worship of the Lord, and that there is hope that this new gos- pel will be extended into the surrounding regions. I have heard the angels rejoicing over that revelation, because through it there is being opened to them a communication with the human rational, hitherto closed up by the universal dogma that the understanding must be kept in obedience to the faith of the ministers of the church. THE JEWS IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 841. Previous to the last judgment, which took place in the year 1757, the Jews appeared in a valley in the spiritual world at the left side of the Christian center. Afterwards they were transferred to the north, and intercourse with Christians, ex- cept with those wandering outside of the cities, was forbidden them. In this quarter there are two large cities to which the Jews were taken after death, and both of these, previous to the judgment, they called Jerusalem, but after it by another name; because since the judgment " Jerusalem" means a church with reference to doctrine wherein the Lord alone is worshiped. In their cities converted Jews are placed over them who warD 388 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement them not to speak contemptuously of Christ, and who punish those that persist in doing so. The streets of their cities are filled with mud ankle-deep; and the houses are full of filth, from which they smell so abominably that they cannot be approached. I afterward noticed that others of that nation obtained a place of abode in the southern quarter; and when I asked who they were I was told that they were those who made light of the worship of the rest, and who questioned in their minds whether the Messiah would come, and who had also thought rationally about various matters in the world, and had lived accordingly. Those called Portuguese Jews constitute the greater part of this class. 842. Sometimes an angel with a staff in his hand is seen by the Jews, above, at a middle altitude, who gives them to be- lieve that he is Moses. He exhorts them to refrain from their senseless expectation even there of a Messiah, since Christ is the Messiah, who rules them and all men ; telling them that he knows this and also knew of Him when he was in the world. When they have heard this they go away. The greater part of them forget it, but a few remember it, and these are sent to syn- agogues composed of converted Jews, and are instructed; and when they have been instructed, new clothes in place of their tattered ones are given them, also a copy of the Word neatly written, and a not unhandsome dwelling in the city. But those who do not receive are cast down, many of them into forests 'and deserts, where they practise robbery among each other. 843. In that world as in the former the Jews traffic in va- rious articles, especially in precious stones, which they obtain for themselves by unknown ways from heaven, where there are precious stones in abundance. They traffic in precious stones because they read the Word in the original tongue, and hold the sense of its letter to be holy, precious stones corre- sponding to that sense. That the spiritual origin of precious stones is the sense of the letter of the Word, and that from this arises their correspondence, may be seen above in the chapter on the Sacred Scripture (n. 217, 218). Moreover, the Jews are able to imitate these stones artificially, and to pro- duce the illusion that they are genuine ; but those who do so are heavily fined by their governors. N. 844] THE JEWS 389 844. The Jews more than others are unaware that they are in the spiritual world, believing that they are still in the nat- ural world. This is because they are wholly external men and give no interior thought to any religious subject. Consequent- ly, they continue to talk about the Messiah as before, some saying that He is to come with David, and glittering with dia- dems will go before them and lead them into the land of Ca- naan ; and on the way will dry up the rivers they are to cross by raising His staff, and that Christians (whom among them- selves they also call Gentiles) will then take hold of the skirts of their garments, suppliantly beseeching permission to go with them; that they will accept the rich according to the amount of their wealth, and that these also shall serve them. In this belief they confirm themselves by what is written in Zeehariah (viii. 23); and in Isaiah (lxvi. 20); also by what is said of David, that he is to come and be their king and shep- herd (Jer. xxx. 9-fizek. xxxiv. 23-25; xxxvii. 23-26). They are utterly unwilling to hear that by " David" our Lord Jesus Christ is there meant and by "the Jews" those who will be- long to His church. 845. When they are asked whether they firmly believe that they will all get to the land of Canaan, they say that all will then go there, and that the Jews who are dead will then rise again, and from their sepulchres will enter that land. To the reply that they cannot possibly come out of the sepulchres, be- cause they are already living after death they say that they will then descend and enter their bodies, and so live again. When told that the land cannot hold them all, they reply that it will then be enlarged. When told that the kingdom of the Messiah, because He is the Son of God, will not be on earth but in heaven, they reply that the land of Canaan will then be heaven. When told that they do not know where Bethlehem Ephratah is, where the Messiah is to be born, according to the prediction in Micah (v. 2), and in the Psalms (cxxxii. 6), they reply that the mother of the Messiah will nevertheless there give birth to Him; and some say that wherever she brings forth there is Bethlehem. When they are asked how the Mes- siah can dwell with such wicked people, and it is proved by many passages in Jeremiah, and especially by the sons of 390 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement Moses (Deut. xxxii), that they are the worst of men, they re- ply that among the Jews there are both good and bad, and that the bad are there meant. When they are told that they sprang from a Canaanitish woman, and from Judah's whore- dom with his daughter-in-law (Gen. xxxviii.), they answer that that was not whoredom. But when to this it is replied that still Judah commanded her to be brought forth and burnt for whoredom, they go away to consult about it, and after consul- tation say that Judah only acted the part of a brother-in-law, a duty which neither his second son, Onan, nor his third son, Selah, fulfilled. And to this they add that very many of them are of the tribe of Levi, who held the priestly office, and that it is enough that they are all from the loins of Abraham. When they are told that within the Word there is a spiritual sense wherein Christ or the Messiah is fully treated of, they reply that this is not true ; and some of them say that within the Word, or in its depths, there is nothing but gold ; and other such statements they make. 846. I was once taken up as to my spirit into the angelic heaven and into a society there; and some of the wise ones there came to me and asked, "What news from the earth.9" I answered, "The news is that the Lord has revealed mys- teries, which in excellence surpass all the mysteries revealed from the beginning of the church even to the present time." They asked "What are they?" I replied, "They are the following: (i.) That in each thing and in all things in the Word there is a Spiritual Sense corre- sponding to the natural sense; that by means of that sense the Word conjoins the men of the church with the Lord, and also associates them with angels ; and that the holiness of the Word resides in that sense. [2] (ii.) The Correspondences of which the spiritual sense consists are disclosed." The angels asked, "Did not the inhabitants of the earth know about correspondences before this ?" I answered, "Nothing whatever; these have been hidden now for thousands of years, that is, since the time of Job; but among those who lived at that time and before it, the knowl- edge of correspondences was the knowledge of knowledges, from which they had wisdom, because thereby they had knowl- N. 846] CONCLUDING RELATION 391 edge of the spiritual things pertaining to heaven and the church. But because that knowledge was changed into idola- trous ideas, it became, by the Lord's Divine Providence, so obliterated and lost that not the least sign of it remained visible. Nevertheless it is now disclosed by the Lord, in or- der that a conjunction of the men of the church with the Lord and their affiliation with the angels, may be effected, and this is done by means of the Word, wherein each thing and all things are correspondences." The angels rejoiced exceedingly that it had pleased the Lord to reveal this great mystery, so deeply hidden for thousands of years ; and they said that this was done in order that the Christian church, which is founded on the Word, and which is now at its end, may again revive and draw breath through heaven from the Lord. They asked whether the signification of baptism and of the holy supper, about which such different opinions have heretofore been held, is now disclosed by means of that knowledge. I replied that it was. [3] (iii.) I said further that the Lord had at this time made a revelation respecting the life of men after death. The angels said, " What about the life after death ? Does not every one know that man lives after death ?" I replied, " They know it and they do not know it. They say that man does not live after death, but only his soul, and that this lives as a spirit; and the idea they have of spirit is that it is like wind or ether ; and they say that man does not live as a man until after the day of the last judgment, when the corporeal elements which he had left in the world, although eaten up by worms, mice, and fishes, would be collected to- gether again, and again formed into a body, and that in this way men will rise again." The angels said, " How is this ? Does not every one know that man lives a man after death, with the sole difference that he then lives a substantial man, not a material man, as before, and that the substantial man sees the substantial man, in the same way as the material man sees the material, and that men know no difference except that they are in a more perfect state." 392 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement [4] (iv.) The angels asked, " What do they know about our world, and about heaven and hell?" I answered, " They have known nothing ; but at this day the nature of the world in which angels and spirits live, that is, the nature of heaven and of hell, has been disclosed by the Lord ; also that angels and spirits are in conjunction with men, besides many wonderful things respecting them.'' The angels rejoiced that it had pleased the Lord to disclose such things, so that man might no longer from ignorance be in doubt respecting his immortality. [5] (v.) I said further, "It has been revealed by the Lord at this time that there is in your world a sun different from that of our world; that the sun of your world is pure love, and the sun of our world pure fire ; consequently all that goes forth from your sun, because it is pure love, partakes of life, while all that goes forth from our sun, because it is pure fire, par- takes not at all of life ; also that this is the nature of the dif- ference between the spiritual and the natural, which difference, hitherto unknown, has also been disclosed. And all this has made clear the source of the light that enlightens the human understanding with wisdom, and of the heat which enkindles the human will with love. [6] (vi.) And still further, it has been disclosed that there are three degrees of life, and conse- quently three heavens ; that the mind of man is divided into those degrees, and that man therefore corresponds to the three heavens." The angels asked, "Did not men know this before?" I answered that they knew about the degrees existing be- tween more and less, but nothing about the degrees between the prior and the posterior. [T] (vii.) The angels asked whether anything further had been revealed. I said that many other things had; in respect to the Last Judgment; the Lord, as being the God of heaven and earth; God, as being one both in Person and in Essence in whom is a Divine Trinity, and as being the Lord; a New Church to be established by Him ; the Doctrine of that church ; and the Holi- ness of the Sacred Scripture; that the Apocalypse had been un- folded; an account had been given of the Inhabitants of the N. 846] CONCLUDING RELATION 393 Planets ; also an account of the Earths in the Universe; with many other memorable and wonderful matters from the spirit- ual world, whereby much more pertaining to wisdom had been divulged from heaven. 847. After this I again talked with the angels, and told them that another matter still had been revealed in the world by the Lord. They asked what. I said, " Respecting love truly conjugial, and its spiritual delights." The angels said, "Who does not know that the delights of conjugial love surpass those of all other loves? And who can- not see that into some one love all kinds of blessedness, hap- piness, and delight that it is possible for the Lord to bestow may be gathered together, and that the recipient love of these is true conjugial love, since that love corresponds to the love of the Lord and the church, and is capable of receiving and perceiving a full sense of these joys ?" I replied, that men are ignorant of this, because they have not approached the Lord, and so have not shunned the lusts of the flesh, and therefore could not be regenerated; and love truly conjugial is from the Lord alone, and is given to those who are regenerated by Him ; and these are they who are re- ceived into the Lord's New Church, which is meant in the Apocalypse by "the New Jerusalem." And to this I added that I doubted whether those in the world at this day are willing to believe that this love is in itself spiritual, and therefore from religion, since they cherish a merely corporeal idea of it ; and therefore are willing to believe that since it is in accord with religion, it is spiritual with the spiritual, natural with the natural, and merely carnal with adulterers. 848. The angels were exceedingly delighted with both of these conversations, but perceiving a sadness in me, they asked, " Why are you sad ?" I said, "Because these mysteries that are now revealed by the Lord, although they surpass in excellence and dignity all the knowledge hitherto divulged, are nevertheless regarded on the earth as of no value." At this the angels were astonished, and besought the Lord to permit them to look down upon the world ; and they looked 394 THE TKUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement down, and behold, mere darkness was there. And they were told to write these mysteries on paper and the paper would be let down to the earth, and they would see a strange sight. This was done, and behold, the paper on which these mysteries were written being let down from heaven, in its progress while it was still in the spiritual world shone like a star, but when it reached the natural world its light waned, and as it fell was darkened. And when it was let down by the angels into as- semblies of learned and accomplished clergy and laymen a murmur of many voices was heard, in which were the words, " What is this ? Is it anything ? What matters it whether we know these things or not? Are they not mere progeny of the brain?" And the appearance was that some of them took the paper and folded it up and rolled and unrolled it with their fingers, and that others tore it to pieces and wished to trample it under foot. But they were withheld by the Lord from such an outrage, and the angels were directed to withdraw the paper and guard it. And because the angels were thereby saddened, and thought "How long shall this be ?" it was said : — For a time, and times, and half a time (Apoc. xii. 14). 849. After this I heard a hostile murmur from the lower regions, and with it these words, " Work miracles and we will believe." I answered, " Are not these things miracles ?" They replied, " They are not." I asked, " What then, are miracles ?" They said, "Show and reveal future events, and we will have faith." But I said, " Such things are not granted by the Lord, be- cause so far as a man knows what is to come his reason and understanding, with his prudence and wisdom sink into inert- ness and become torpid and collapse." Again I asked, "What other miracles shall I work." Then arose the cry, " Such as Moses wrought in Egypt." And I replied, "Perhaps you would harden your hearts thereat, like Pharaoh and the Egyptians." The answer was " ISTo." N. 849] CONCLUDING RELATION 395 Again I said, "Assure me that you will not dance about a golden calf and worship it, as the posterity of Jacob did a single month after they had seen all Mount Sinai burning, and had heard Jehovah Himself speaking out of the fire, thus after the greatest of all miracles." ("A golden calf" means in the spiritual sense the pleasures of the flesh.) An answer came from the lower regions, "We will not be like the posterity of Jacob." At that moment I heard it said to them from heaven, " If you believe not Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Word of the Lord, you will not believe on account of miracles, any more than the posterity of Jacob did in the desert, or any more than they believed when with their own eyes they saw the miracles wrought by the Lord Himself when He was in the world." 850. After this I saw some persons ascending from the lower regions, from which these things had been heard; and addressing me in a grave tone, they said, " How is it that your Lord revealed the mysteries that you have just enumerated in a long series, to you who are a layman, and not to some one of the clergy?" To this I replied, " Such was the good pleasure of the Lord, who prepared me for this office from my early youth. Never- theless, I will ask you a question in return ; Why did the Lord, when in the world, choose fishermen for His disciples, instead of some of the lawyers, scribes, priests, or rabbis ? Discuss this question among yourselves, draw your conclusions from judg- ment, and you will discover the reason." When they heard this, a murmur arose among them, and then they became silent. 851. I forsee that many who read the Memorable Relations annexed to the chapters in this work will believe them to be inventions of the imagination. But I affirm in truth that they are not inventions, but were truly seen and heard ; not seen and heard in any sleeping state of mind, but in a state of full wake- fulness. For it has pleased the Lord to manifest Himself to me, and to send me to teach those things which will belong to His New Church, which is meant by "the New Jerusalem" in the Apocalypse. For this purpose He has opened the interiors of my mind or spirit, whereby I have 'been permitted to be in the 396 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement spiritual world with angels, and at the same time in the nat- ural world with men, and this now during twenty -seven years. "Who in the Christian world could have known anything about Heaven and Hell, had it not pleased the Lord to open the sight of some one's spirit, and show and teach him ? That such things as are described in the Memorable Eelations do appear in the heavens is made clear by the like things seen and described by John in the Apocalypse, also in the Word of the Old Testament by the prophets. [2] In the Apocalypse are the following : John saw the Son of man in the midst of the seven candlesticks ; he saw in heaven the tabernacle, the tem- ple, the ark, and the altar ; he saw a book sealed with seven seals ; he saw this opened, and horses going out of it ; he saw four animals round about the throne ; twelve thousand chosen out of each tribe ; locusts ascending from the abyss ; a woman bringing forth a male child, and fleeing into the desert on ac- count of the dragon ; two beasts, one going up out of the sea and the other out of the earth ; an angel flying in the midst of heaven having an eternal Gospel ; a sea of glass mingled with fire ; seven angels having the seven last plagues ; bowls poured out by them on the earth, the sea, the rivers, the sun, the throne of the beast, the Euphrates, and the air ; a woman sitting on a scarlet beast; the dragon cast into a lake of fire and brim- stone ; a white horse ; a great supper ; a new heaven and a new earth ; the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, the gates, walls, and foundations of which he describes ; also the river of the water of life, and trees of life bearing fruit every month; with many other things, all of which were seen by John, and seen when as to his spirit he was in the spiritual world and in heaven. Add what was seen by the apostles after the Lord's resurrection, and later by Peter (Acts xi.), and what was seen and heard by Paul ; and still further what was seen by the prophets in the Old Testament, as by Ezekiel, That he saw four living creatures, which were cherubs (Ezek. i. and x.). A new temple and a new earth, and an angel measuring them (xl- xlviii.). He was carried away to Jerusalem and saw the abominations there, and also into Chaldea (viii. and xi.). [3] With Zechariah like things occurred: — He saw a man riding among inyrtle trees (Zech. i. 8-11). N. 851] CONCLUDING RELATION 397 He saw four horns ; and afterward a man with a measuring line in his hand (i. and ii.). He saw a flying roll and an ephah (v. 1, 6). He saw four chariots between two mountains, and horses (vi. 1-8). Likewise with Daniel: — He saw four beasts coming up out of the sea {Dan. vii. 1-8). He saw the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, whose domin- ion shall not pass away, and whose kingdom shall not be destroyed (vii 13, 14). He saw the battles between the ram and the he-goat (viii. 1-27). He saw the angel Gabriel, and he talked with him (ix.). The servant of Elisha saw chariots and horses of fire round about Eli- sha, and saw them when his eyes were opened (2 Kings vi. 17). From these and many other passages in the Word it is evident that those things which exist in the spiritual world have ap- peared to many, both before and since the Lord's coming. What marvel, then, that they should be seen now also, when a New Church is commencing, or when the New Jerusalem is descending from heaven? A THEOREM PROPOSED BY A CERTAIN DUKE, AN" ELECTOR IN GERMANY, WHO ALSO ENJOYED THE HIGHEST ECCLESIASTICAL DIGNITY. I once saw in the spiritual world a certain duke, an elector in Germany, who also enjoyed the highest ecclesiastical dignity, and near him two bishops and two ministers, and from a dis- tance I heard their conversation. The electoral duke asked the four bystanders whether they knew what constitutes the head of religion in Christendom. _ The bishops replied, " The head of religion in Christendom is faith alone justifying and saving." Again he asked, "Do you know what lies concealed within that faith? Open it, look into it, and tell me." They replied, "That there was nothing concealed within it but the merit and righteousness of the Lord the Saviour." To this the electoral duke answered, "Is there not concealed in it, then, the Lord the Saviour in His Human, in which He is called Jesus Christ, because He alone in His Human is Righteous- 398 THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION [Supplement ness ?" To this they replied, " That certainly and inseparably follows." The electoral duke persisted, saying, "Open that faith, look into it further, examine it well, and see whether there is not something else in it." And the ministers said, " The grace of God the Father is also concealed in it." To this the electoral duke answered, "Obtain a right conception and perception of the subject, and you will see that it is the Soft's grace with the Father, for the Son begs and intercedes. There- fore I say to you, since you confess, revere, and kiss that faith alone of yours, you ought by all means to confess, revere, and kiss the Lord the Saviour in His Human alone; for, as just said, He in His Human was and is Righteousness. That in this Human He is also Jehovah and God, I saw in the Sacred Writings from the following passages : — Behold, the days will come, when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as a King and prosper ; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our Righteousness (Jer. xxiii. 5, 6 ; xxxiii. 15, 16). In Paul: — In Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fulness of Divinity bodily (Col. ii. 9). And in John: — Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life (1 Epistle v. 20). Wherefore He is also called : — The God of faith {Phil. iii. 9)." IKDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS (This is the Author's Index. The figures refer to the numbered paragraphs) I. I heard certain new-comers in the spiritual world talking together about three Di- vine persons from eternity; and then a certain one who in the world had been a pri- mate opened the ideas of his thought respecting that mystery, saying that it had been and still was his opinion that the three sit upon high thrones in heaven, God the Father upon a throne of the finest gold, with a scepter in His hand; God the Son at His right hand, upon a throne of the purest silver with a crown on His head; and God the Holy Spirit upon a throne of shining crystal, holding in His hand a dove, in the form of which He appeared when Christ was baptized, with lamps hanging around about them in triple order, glittering with precious stones; while at a distance innu- merable angels were standing in a circle, worshiping and singing praises. He also spoke of the Holy Spirit, how He introduces faith, purifies and justifies. He said that many of his order favored his ideas, and he trusted that I also as a layman gave them credit. But as an opportunity to speak was then given me, I said that from my child- hood I have cherished the idea that God is one. I therefore explained to him what the trinity involves, and what is signified by throne, scepter, and crown, where these in the Word are ascribed with God. To this I added that all who believe in three Di- vine persons from eternity must necessarily believe in three Gods; and, furthermore, that the Divine essence cannot be divided (n. 16). II. A discourse of the angels about God, — that His Divine is the Divine Being (Esse) in itself, and not from itself; and that it is One, the Same, the Itself, and Indivisible; also that God is not in place, but is present with those who are in place; and that His Divine love appears to the angels as a sun, the heat from it being in its essence love, and the light therefrom in its essence wisdom (n. 25). That the proceeding Divine attributes which are creation, redemption, and regen- eration, are attributes of one God, and not of three (n. 26). III. Perceiving that a vast multitude of men are in the persuasion that all things belong to nature, and consequently that nature is the creator of the universe, in a certain gymnasium where there were persons of this kind I spoke with a certain gifted man respecting these three things: (1) Whether nature is a property of life, or life of na- ture; (2) Whether the center is from the expanse, or the expanse is from the center; (3) Respecting the center and the expanse of nature and of life; that the center of nature is the sun of the natural world, and the expanse itself of that center is its world; and that the center of life is the sun of the spiritual world, and the expanse it- self of that center is its world. These propositions were discussed on both sides, and lastly it was shown what the truth is (n. 35). (399) 400 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS IV. I wa6 conducted to a kind of theater of wisdom where angelic spirits from the four quarters were assembled with an injunction from heaven to discuss three arcana: (1) What is the image of God, and what is the likeness of God. (2) Why is not man born into the knowledge proper to any love, when even the beasts and the birds are born into the knowledge proper to all their loves. (3) What do the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil signify. And further, they were to unite the answers to these three in one opinion, and refer this to the angels of heaven; this was done, the opinion was referred, and was accepted by the angels (n. 48). V. From evil spirits who were just above hell a sound was heard like the roaring of the sea; which was from a tumult that arose among them from their hearing it said above them that the Almighty God had bound Himself to order. A certain one ascending therefrom, addressed me sharply on the matter, saying that as God is omnipotent He is not bound to any order. And on being questioned about order, I said: (1) God is Order itself. (2) He created man from order, in order, and for order. (3) He cre- ated man's rational mind in accordance with the order of the spiritual world, and his body in accordance with the order of the natural world. (4) Therefore it is a law of order that man from his little spiritual world or little heaven should govern his little cosmos or little natural world, just as God from His great heaven or spiritual world governs His great cosmos or natural world. (5) Many other laws of order flow forth from these, some of which are recited. What afterward befell those spirits is described (n. 71). VI. Concerning the reasoning between certain Dutch and British in the spiritual world on the subject of imputation and predestination; on the one side, why God, since He is omnipotent, does not impute the righteousness of His Son to every man, and thus make them redeemed, for being omnipotent, He is able to make all the satans of hell angels of heaven; and even, if it be His good pleasure, He can make Lucifer, the drag- on, and all the goats, to be archangels; and what is needed for this but a little word? On the other side, that God is Order itself, and that He can do nothing contrary to the laws of His order; because to act contrary to them would be to act contrary to Himself. Also much beside, about which they contended on this subject (n. 72). VII. I afterward spoke with others who had believed in predestination, deducing it from God's absolute power or omnipotence; saying that otherwise God would have less power than a king in the world 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 and also like Nero. To which it was answered, that God created the world and each and all things thereof, from Himself as Order, and thus impressed order upon them; also that the laws of His order are just as many as are the truths in the Word. Some of the laws of order were then recited, — what they are, and the nature of them, on God's part, and also on man's part. These cannot be changed, because God is Order itself; and man was created an image of His order (n. 73). VIII. I spoke with clergymen and laymen who had gathered together, concerning the Di- vine omnipotence; and they said that omnipotence is unlimited, and that limited omnipotence is a contradiction. To this it was answered, that there is no contradic- INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 401 tion in acting omnipotently according to laws of justice with judgment. It is said in David that "Justice and judgment are the support of God's throne" (Ps. lxxxix. 14); and that there is no contradiction in acting omnipotently according to the laws of love and wisdom; but there is a contradiction in God's being able to act contrary to the laws of justice and love; which would be to act from what is not judgment and wisdom; and such contradiction is implied in the faith of the church of the present day, which is that God is able to make an unjust man just, and endow the impious with all the gifts of salvation and the rewards of life. With much more concerning this faith and concerning omnipotence (n. 74). IX. When I was once meditating upon the creation of the universe by God, I was led in the spirit to certain wise ones who at first complained of the ideas they had acquired in the world which related to the creation of the universe out of chaos, and creation out of nothing; because these ideas obscure meditation upon the creation of the uni- verse by God, and degrade and pervert it. Therefore when asked for my opinion, I replied that it is idle to try to form any but a speculative conclusion about the crea- tion of the universe, unless it is known that there are two worlds, the spiritual and the natural, and that in each of these is a sun; and that the sun of the spiritual world, in the midst of which is God, is nothing but love, and that from it are all spiritual things, which in themselves are substantial; while the sun of the natural world is nothing but fire, and from it are all natural things, which in themselves are material. From these knowledges it can be concluded in regard to the creation of the universe, that it is from God, and how. This was also slightly traced out (n. 76). X. Some satans of hell desired to talk with the angels of heaven, for the purpose of convincing them that all things are from nature, and that God is a mere word unless nature is meant. They were permitted to ascend. Then certain angels descended from heaven into the world of spirits to hear them. When the satans saw the angels they ran up to them furiously and said, "You are called angels because you believe that there is a God, and that nature is relatively nothing; this you believe although it is contrary to every sense; for which of your five senses has a sensation of anything but nature? " After these and many other bitter words, the angels called to the re- membrance of the satans that they were then living after death, although formerly they had not even believed that they would so live; and then they caused them to see the beautiful and splendid things of heaven, and told them that these were there be- cause all there believe in God; and afterward they caused them to see the vile and filthy things of hell, and told them that these were there because those there believe in nature. From seeing these things the satans were at first convinced that there is a God and that He created nature; but as they descended, the love of evil returned and closed their understanding from above; and when this was closed they believed as before, that all things are of nature, and nothing of God (n. 77). XI. A type of the creation of the universe was shown me in a living way, by angels. I was conducted into heaven; and it was granted me to see there all things of the ani- mal kingdom, of the vegetable kingdom, and of the mineral kingdom, which were in every respect like the objects of those three kingdoms in the natural world. And then they said, All these things in heaven are created in a moment by God, and they continue to exist as long as the angels are interiorly as to their thought in a state of love and faith; and this instantaneous creation furnishes a clear proof of the creation Vol. II.— 26 402 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS of similar things, and even a similar creation, in the natural world, with the sole dif- ference that natural things invest spiritual things, and that this clothing was pro- vided by God for the sake of generations one from another, by which creation is per- petuated. Consequently, the creation of the universe was effected in a way similar to that in which it is effected every moment in heaven. Nevertheless, all the nox- ious and hideous things in the three kingdoms of nature (which are enumerated), were not created by God, but sprang up along with hell (n. 78). I XII. In a conversation relating to the creation of the universe, with some who when in the world had been celebrated for learning, these spoke from the same ideas that they had formerly entertained. One of them said that nature created itself; another, that nature gathered its elements into vortices, and that by the collision of these the earth was formed; and a third that the origin of all things was chaos which in extent had equalled a great part of the universe; and that first there burst forth therefrom the purest elements, of which the sun and stars were formed; and afterwards those less pure, of which the atmospheres were formed; and at last the grosser matters, of which the terraqueous globe was formed. To the question, "What was the origin of human souls?" they answered, that the ether gathered itself into little individual globules, and that these infuse themselves into those who are about to be born, and make their souls; and that after death these globules fly away to their former com- pany in the ether, and afterward return into others according to the doctrine of metem- psychosis of the ancients. After this a certain priest, by solid arguments in favor of the creation of the universe by God showed all the things which they had said to be an absurd medley, and put them to shame. But still they held to their former delusions (n. 79). XIII. A conversation with a certain satan about God, and the angelic heaven, and re- ligion; who, not knowing that he was not still in the former world, declared that God is the universe, and that the angelic heaven is the atmospheric firmament, and that religion is nothing but a bewitchment of the common people, besides other follies. But when it was brought to his remembrance that he was then living after death, and that he formerly did not believe in that life, for the moment he confessed that he was insane; but as soon as he turned and went away he was as insane as before (n. 80). XIV. I saw by night an ignis fatuus, often called a dragon, falling toward the earth. I noticed the place where it fell; the ground there was sulphurous, mixed with iron dust. And looking there in the morning, I saw two tents; and just then a spirit fell from heaven. I went to him and asked why he had fallen down from heaven. He replied that he was cast down by the angels of Michael, for saying that God the Father and His Son are two, and not one. He also said that the whole angelic heaven believes that God the Father and His Son are one, as soul and body are one, and that they prove this by many things from the Word and still further from the reason, that the soul of a son is from the father only, and that this is a likeness of the father and from it the likeness is in the body. And he added that he indeed had confessed in heaven, as before on earth, that God is one; but because the confession of the mouth and the thought of the mind disagreed in regard to this, they said in heaven that he did not believe in any God, because the confession and the thought dissipate each other; and he said that this was the cause of his being cast down. Returning the next day to the same place, instead of the two tents I saw two statues composed of INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 403 the same sort of dust, which was a mixture of sulphur and iron. One of these repre- sented the faith and the other the charity of the church of the present day, both beau- tifully clothed; but the garments were induced by fantasies. And because they were made of dust, when the rain descended from heaven both of them began to effervesce and burn (n. 110). XV. In the spiritual world it is unlawful to say anything except what one thinks; if he does, the hypocrisy is distinctly manifest to the ear. In hell, therefore, no one can utter the name Jesus, because Jesus signifies salvation. In this way an experiment was made to ascertain how many in the Christian world at this day believe that Christ even as to His Human is God. Therefore, when many of the clergy and laity were assembled, it was proposed that they say "Divine Human;" but there were scarcely any who were able to draw forth from the thought these two words at once, and so to utter them. It was proved in their presence by many things out of the Word, that the Lord even as to His Human is God as by the following: (Matt, xxviii. 18; John i. 1, 2, 14; xvii. 2 Col. ii. 9; 1 John v. 20; and in other places also); still they were not able to utter the words Divine Human; and, what seemed surprising, neither were the Evangelicals able to do this, although their orthodoxy teaches that in Christ God is Man and Man is God; and still more, neither could the monks, al- though they most devoutly adore the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. From all this it was ascertained that Christians at the present day for the most part are interiorly either Arians or Socinians; and that these, if they adore Christ as God, are hypocrites (n. 111). XVI. An altercation about a little book entitled, A Brief Exposition of the Doctrine of the New Church, published by me at Amsterdam; and especially about this doctrine in it, that not God the Father, but the Lord God ihe Redeemer is to be approached and worshiped. It was argued that on the other hand it is said in the Lord's Prayer, " Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come, " and that consequently it is God the Father who is to be approached. I was summoned to end this strife; and I then showed that God the Father cannot be approached in His Divine, but only in His Human; and as the Divine and Human in Him are one Person, that the Lord is that Father. This also was proved by the Word; both by the Word of the Old Testament, where the Son of God is called Father of Eternity, and in many places called Jehovah the Redeemer, Jehovah our Righteousness, and the God of Israel, and from many passages in the Word of the New Testament; conse- quently when the Lord the Redeemer is approached, the Father is approached; and then His name is hallowed, and His kingdom comes. With much beside (n. 112). XVII. I saw an army on red and black horses, with the faces of all the riders turned to the horses' tails, and with the hinder part of the head turned towards the horses' heads; they were crying out for battle against those who were riding on white horses. This ludicrous army was from the place called Armageddon (Apoc. xvi. 16), and consisted of those who in youth had become imbued with the dogmas relating to justification by faith alone, but who afterwards, when they had been promoted to prominent of- fices, had rejected all things pertaining to faith and religion from the internals of their minds to the externals of their bodies, where at last they disappeared. A de- scription of those who were seen in Armageddon; and it was heard that they wished to meet and contend with the angels of Michael; which was permitted, although at some distance from that place. The contention was about the meaning of these words in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy 404 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS name; Thy kingdom come. " It was then said by the angels of Michael that the Lord the Redeemer and Saviour is Father to all in the heavens; since He taught, that the Father and He are one; that the Father is in Him, and He in the Father; and that he that sees Him sees the Father; that all things of the Father are in Him; also that it is the will of the Father that men should believe in the Son, and that those who believe not the Son shall not see life, but that the wrath of God will abide on them; also, that He has all power in heaven and on earth; and that He has power over all flesh ; and moreover, that no one has seen or can see God the Father, except the Son only who is in the bosom of the Father; and more besides. After this combat, some of the vanquished Armageddons were cast into the abyss mentioned in Apoc. ix., and some of them were banished into a desert (n. 113). XVIII. I was in a temple in which there were no windows, but a large opening in the roof, and those assembled there were conferring about Redemption, saying unanimously that redemption was wrought by the passion of the cross. But while they were en- gaged in that conversation, a black cloud covered the opening in the roof, and be- cause of this it became dark in the temple; but a little after that cloud was dispelled by angels descending from heaven, who then sent down one of their number into the temple to instruct them about redemption. He said that the passion of the cross was not redemption, but redemption was the subjugation of the hells, the restoration of order in the heavens, and thus the restitution of all things which were in disorder both in the spiritual world and in the natural world, and that without it no flesh could have been saved. And of the passion of the cross he said, that by it was com- pleted the inmost union with the Father; and that when it is taken for redemption many things unworthy of God, and even unfit to be spoken, follow as consequences; as that He passed sentence of damnation upon the whole human race, and that the Son took that damnation upon Himself, and that thus He propitiated the Father, and by intercession brought Him back to His Divine essence, which is love and mercy; besides many other things, which it is scandalous to attribute to God (n. 134). XIX. The sun of the spiritual world was seen, wherein is Jehovah God in His Human. Presently there was heard from heaven, that God is One. But when this descended into the world of spirits it was changed according to the forms of the minds there, and finally into the expression three Gods. This was confirmed by one there by this reasoning: that there is one who created all things, another who redeemed all, and a third who operates all things; also that there is one who imputes, another who medi- ates, and a third who inscribes, and thus implants faith in man, by which He justi- fies him. But because the belief in three Gods had perverted the whole Christian church, from a perception granted me I disclosed to them what, with the one God, is meant by mediation, intercession, propitiation, and expiation; namely, that these four are attributes of the Human of Jehovah God; that because Jehovah God with- out the Human cannot approach man, nor be approached by man, mediation means that the Human is the intermediary; that intercession means that it mediates per- petually; that propitiation means that an approach is mercifully opened for every man to God; and that expiation means that this is also for sinners; and all these through the Human (n. 135). XX. I entered a gymnasium, where they were discussing what is meant where it is said of the Son of God, that He sits at the right hand of the Father. Concerning this there were various opinions; yet it was the opinion of all that the Son actually sits thus; but they were discussing why it was so. Some supposed that it was done on INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 405 account of redemption; some that it was from love; some, that He might be a coun- selor; some, that He might have honor from the angels; some, because it was given Him to reign instead of the Father; some, that His right ear may hear those for whom He intercedes. They further discussed whether it was the Son of God from eternity who sits thus, or the Son of God born in the world. Having heard these things, I raised my hand, requesting that I might be permitted to say something, and to tell what is meant by sitting at the right hand of God. I said that it is the omnipo- tence of God, by means of the Human which He assumed that is meant; for by means of this He wrought redemption, that is, subjugated the hells, created a new angelic heaven, and established a new church. That this is meant by sitting at the right hand, I proved from the Word, in which " the right hand " signifies power; and after- wards it was confirmed from heaven, by the appearance of a right hand over them, from the power of which and the terror therefrom they all became almost lifeless (n. 136). XXI. I was conducted in the spiritual world to a certain synod at which were assembled celebrated persons who lived before the Nicene council, and who were called Apos- tolic Fathers; also men renowned in the ages after that council; and I saw that some of the latter appeared with beardless chins, and in curled wigs of women's hair; but all the former with bearded chin, and in natural hair. In front of them stood a man, a judge and cr'tic of the writings of the present century, who began by a kind of lamentation, saying, "A man from the laity has risen up, who has dragged down our faith out of its sanctuary, which yet is a star shining day and night before us; but this is done because that man is blind to the mysteries of that faith, and does not see in it the righteousness of Christ, and thus not the wonders of its justification; and yet that faith is a faith in three Divine persons, and thus in the whole Deity; and be- cause he has transferred his faith to the second Person, and not even to Him, but to His Human, it cannot be otherwise than that naturalism should flow from it." Those who lived after the Nicene council favored his speech, saying, that it is impossi- ble that there should be any other faith, or from any other source. But the Apos- tolic Fathers, who had lived before that age, being indignant, related many things which are said in heaven respecting the Nicene and Athanasian faith, which may be seen [in the text]. But because the president of the council was affiliated in spirit with that writer in Leipsic, I addressed him, and showed from the Word that Christ, even as to the Human, is God; and also from the dogmatic book of the Evangelicals called Formula Concordice, "That in Christ God is Man, and Man God;" as also that the Augsburg Confession especially approves of the worship of Christ; besides other things; at which he was silent, and turned away. Afterwards I spoke with a certain spirit who was affiliated with an eminent man in Gottenburg, who defiled the worship of the Lord with a still greater reproach. But at length both of these slanders were declared to be lies craftily invented to turn away men's wills and deter them from the holy worship of the Lord (n. 137). XXII. There appeared a smoke ascending from the lower earth, and it was said that smokes are nothing else than falsities collected together. And then certain angels were seized with a desire to ascertan what the falsities were that thus smoked; and they descended, and found four crowds of spirits, two of which were of the learned and unlearned of the clergy, and two of the learned and unlearned of the laity, who were all proving to each other that an invisible God is to be worshiped, and that the worshipers then secure holiness and a hearing. It is otherwise when a visible God is worshiped. Holiness and a hearing from an invisible God they proved by various things; for which reason they acknowledge three Gods from eternity, who are 406 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS invisible. But it was shown that the worship of an invisible God, and still more of three invisible ones, is no worship. To confirm this, Socinus and Arius with some of their followers, all of whom had worshiped an invisible Divinity, were brought forth from below; and when these spoke from the natural or external mind, they said that there is a God, although He is invisible; but when their external mind was closed, and the internal mind was opened, and from that mind they were compelled to avow their belief respecting God, they said, "What is God? We have neither seen His shape, nor heard His voice. What then is God, but a figment of reason or nature? " But they were taught that it had pleased God to descend and assume the Human, that they might see His shape and hear His voice. But this was said to them in vain (n. 159). XXIII. First concerning the stars in the natural world; that perhaps they were of the same number as the angelic societies in heaven, since every society there sometimes shines like a star. Afterwards, I spoke with the angels about a certain way that ap- pears crowded with innumerable spirits, that it is the way by which all who depart out of the natural world pass into the spiritual world. I went in company with an- gels towards that way, and we called from that way twelve men, and asked them what they believed about heaven and hell and a life after death. And because they were recently from the world, and did not know but what they were still in the nat- ural world, they answered from the idea which they brought with them. The First, That all who live a moral life go to heaven; and as all do live a moral life no one goes to hell. The Second, That God rules heaven, and the devil rules hell; and because they are opposite, one calls good what the other calls evil; and that the man who is a dissembler, because he sides with both, can live equally under the dominion of the one and of the other. The Third, That there is no heaven, and no hell. "Who has come thence and told us? " The Fourth, That no one is able to come back and tell, because man, when he dies, is either a ghost or a wind. The Fifth, That we must wait till the day of the last judgment, and then it will be told, and you will know all about it. But when he said this he laughed in his heart. The Sixth, "How can the soul of man, which is only a wind, re-enter its body that has been eaten up by worms, or be clothed with a skeleton that has either been dried up or has crumbled into dust? " The Seventh, That men can no more live after death than beasts and birds, are not these equally rational? The Eighth, "I believe that there is a heaven, but I do not believe that there is a hell, because God is omnipotent, and is able to save all. " The Ninth, That God, because He is gracious, cannot send any one into eternal fire. The Tenth, That no one can go to hell, because God sent His Son, who has made expiation for all, and taken away the sins of all. What can the devil do against that? The Eleventh, who was a priest, That those only are saved, who have attained to faith, and that election is according to the will of the Almighty. The Twelfth, who was a politician, "I do not say anything about heaven and hell; but let the priests preach about them, that the minds of the common people may be kept bound by an invisible bond to the laws and rulers. " On hearing these things the angels were astonished; but they waked up the twelve by teaching them that they were al- ready living after death; and they conducted them into heaven, but they did not stay there long, because it was found that they were merely natural, and that from this the hinder part of their heads was hollow; concerning which hollowness and the cause of it, something is lastly said (n. 160). XXIV. There was heard a noise like that of a mill, and following the noise I saw a house full of chinks, to which there was an entrance opening under ground, and in it a man collecting from the Word and books many things concerning justification by faith INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 407 alone; and at his side copyists were writing his collections upon paper; and when asked what he was now collecting, he said, "This, that God the Father ceased to be gracious towards the human race, and that He therefore sent the Son to make expia- tion and propitiation. " To which I answered, that it is contrary to Scripture and contrary to reason, that God could fail of grace, for this would be also failing of His essence, and thus He would not be God. And when I demonstrated this even to con- viction, he grew warm, and ordered his copyists to cast me out. But when I had gone out of my own accord, he threw after me a book that he happened to lay hand upon; and that book was the Word (n. 161). XXV. There was a discussion among spirits whether one can see any genuine truth in the Word unless he goes immediately to the Lord who is the Word itself. But as some objected to this an experiment was made; and therein those who went to God the Father, did not see any truth; but all who went to the Lord saw. During this dis- cussion some spirits ascended from the abyss (see Apoc. ix.), where they discuss the mysteries of justification by faith alone, saying that they go to God the Father and see their mysteries in clear light. But it was answered that they see them in fatuous light, and that they have not even a single truth; at which, being nettled, they brought forth from the Word many things which were true; but they were told that while these were true in themselves, they were falsified in them. That this was so, was proved by their being led into a house where there was a table upon which light from heaven flowed directly; and they were told to write those truths which they had brought forth from the Word upon paper, and lay it upon that table; and when this was done, the paper on which the truths had been written shone like a star; but when they came up and fixed their gaze upon it, the paper appeared blackened as if by soot. Afterwards they were led to another similar table, upon which lay the Word encircled with a rainbow; and when a certain champion of the doctrine of faith alone touched this with his hand there was an explosion as if from a gun, and he was cast into a corner of the room, and lay as dead for half an hour. From all this they were convinced that all the truths that they had from the Word were true in themselves but falsified in them (n. 162). XXVI. There are climates in the spiritual world, as in the natural world; thus also there are northern zones where are snow and ice. On one occasion, being brought thither in spirit, I entered a temple then covered over with snow, illuminated within by lamps, and behind the altar there was seen a tablet, upon which was written this, The Divine Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are essentially one, but personally three. And I heard a priest preaching about four mysteries of faith, respecting which the understanding is to be kept under obedience to faith, which may be seen [in the text]. After the discourse, the hearers thanked the priest for his sermon so rich in wisdom. But when I asked them whether they understood anything, they answered, "We took in everything with full ears; why do you ask whether we understood? Is not the understanding benumbed by such matters?" To this the priest who was present added, "Forasmuch as you have heard and have not understood, you are blessed, for thereby you have salvation. " And other things (n. 185). XXVII. The human mind is divided into three regions, like the heaven in which angels dwell; and in those who love truths because they are truths theological matters have their seat in the highest region of the mind; and under these, in the middle region, moral subjects, and beneath these in the lowest region, political subjects; and the 408 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS various sciences constitute the door. But theological matters with those who do not love truths have their seat in the lowest region, and mingle themselves there with what is man's own, and thus with the fallacies of the senses; and for this reason some cannot perceive theological principles at all (n. 186). XXVIII. I was brought to a place where those were who are meant by "the false prophet" in the Apocalypse; and I was invited by those there to see their temple. I followed and saw it, and in it the image of a woman clad in a scarlet robe, holding in her right hand a golden coin, and in her left a chain of pearls; but these appearances were pro- duced through fantasy. But when the interiors of my mind were opened by the Lord, instead of the temple there was seen a house full of chinks; and instead of the woman there was seen a beagt, such as is described in the Apocalypse (xiii. 2); and under the floor there was a bog, in which lay the Word, deeply concealed. But pres- ently, an east wind springing up, the temple was carried away, and the bog was dried up, and the Word lay exposed; and then, by the light from heaven, there appeared there a tabernacle like that of Abraham when the three angels came and foretold to him the birth of Isaac; and afterwards, light being sent forth from the second heaven, instead of the tabernacle there appeared a temple similar to that of Jerusalem; and after this a light shone upon it from the third heaven, and then the temple disap- peared, and the Lord alone was seen standing upon the foundation stone where the Word was. But because an overpowering sanctity then filled their minds, this light was withdrawn, and in place of it light from the second heaven was let in, which caused the previous view of the temple to return, and also that of the tabernacle within it (n. 187). XXIX. There was seen a magnificent palace, in which there was a temple, and in this seats were placed in triple order. In it there was a council convoked by the Lord, in which they were to deliberate concerning the Lord the Saviour, and concerning the Holy Spirit. When as many of the clergy were present as there were seats, they began the council. And because they were to consult in regard to the Lord, the first proposi- tion was, Who assumed the Human in the virgin Mary f And then the angel stand- ing beside the table read before them what the angel Gabriel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and the holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke i. 35; and also from Matt. i. 20, 25); and many other things from the Prophets, that Jehovah Himself was to come into the world, and that Jehovah Himself is called Saviour, Redeemer and Righteousness; from which it was concluded that Jehovah Himself assumed the Human. Another deliberation concerning the Lord, was, Whether the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are not. thus one, as soul and body are one; and this was proved by many passages in the Word, and also from the creed of the present church; from which it was concluded that the soul of the Lord is from God the Father, and consequently that His Human is Divine; and that the Human is to be approached that the Father may be approached, since by means of it Jehovah God sent Himself into the world, and made Himself seen before the eyes of men, and thus accessible. This was followed by a third deliberation concerning the Holy Spirit; and then first the idea respecting three Divine persons from eternity was dis- carded, and it was proved from the Word that the Holy Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit, goes forth out of the Lord from the Father. At length, from the delib- erations of this council, this conclusion was reached: That in the Lord the Saviour there is a Divine Trinity, namely, the Divine from which (a quo) which is called the Father, the Divine Human which is called the Son, and the Divine going forth, INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 409 which is cahed the Holy Spirit; and that therefore in the church God is one. When the council was ended, splendid garments were given to those who sat in it and they were conducted to the new heaven (n. 188). XXX. I saw in a certain stable large purses, in which there was silver in great abundance, and near them young men as guards; in the next room, modest virgins with a chaste wife; and also in another room, two little children; and at last a harlot and dead horses. And afterwards I was taught what each of those things signified; and that by them was represented and described the Word as it is in itself and as it is at this day (n. 277). XXXI. Writing was seen, such as there is in the highest or third heaven, which consisted of inflected letters with little curves turning upwards; and it was said that the He- brew letters in the most ancient time were somewhat like these, when they were more curved than they are at this day, and that the letter h, which was added to the names of Abram and Sarai, signifies the infinite and the eternal. They explained be- fore me the sense of some words in Psalm xxxii. 2, from the letters or syllables alone there, which is, That the Lord is merciful even to those who do evil (n. 278). XXXII. Before the Israelitish Word there was a Word, the prophetical books of which were called Enunciations, and the historical, the Wars of Jehovah; and besides these, also one called the book of Jasher; which three are mentioned in our Word; and this ancient Word was in the land of Canaan, Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Assyria, Chal- dea, Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, and Nineveh; but because it was full of such correspondences as remotely signify celestial and spiritual things, which gave occasion for idolatries, this Word, through Divine Providence, disappeared. I have heard that Moses tran- scribed from this Word the things which he related concerning the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Flood, and Noah and his three sons, but no further. And I was told in the spiritual world by the angels from Great Tartary that this same Word is still preserved among that people, and that they draw from it the precepts of their faith and life (n. 279). XXXIII. On account of the distinction between spiritual and natural, or what is the same, between the substantial and the material, those who are in the spiritual world cannot be seen by those who are in the natural world, nor conversely; thus spirits and angels cannot be seen by men, nor men by spirits and angels. From this is the fact that spirits and angels have altogether a different language, different writing, and also different thought from what men have. That, this is so, was made evident by living experience, which was done by their going in turn to their associates, and returning to me, and thus comparing. In this way it was discovered, that there is not even one word of spiritual language that is like any word of natural language; and that their writing consists of syllables, each of which involves a meaning pertaining to the sub- ject; and that the ideas of their thought do not fall into the ideas of natural thought. The cause of these differences is, that spirits and angels are in principles, but men in derivatives: or that the former are in prior things which as causes are the origin of posterior things, and that men are in posterior things from those that are prior. It was said that there is a like difference between the languages, writings, and thoughts, of the angels of the third heaven and those of the angels of the second (n. 280). 410 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS XXXIV. On the state of men after death, in general, and the state of those who have con- firmed themselves in falsities, in particular. In regard to all of these the following things were observed: (1) For the most part men are commonly resuscitated the third day after death, and then they do not know but that they are still living in the former world. (2) All go to the world which is intermediate between heaven and hell, which is called the world of spirits. (3) There they are transferred into various societies, and thus their characters are ascertained. (4) There the good and faithful are prepared for heaven, and the evil and unfaithful for hell. (5) After the prepa- ration, which continues for some years, a way is opened for the good to some society in heaven where they are to live for ever, but a way for the evil into hell; besides many more things. Afterwards the nature of hell is described; and it is stated that those there who are in falsities from confirmation are called satans and those who are in evils of life are called devils (n. 281). XXXV. From the lower earth, which is next above hell, I heard shouts, "O how just! O how learned! O how wise! " and because I wondered how there could be any just, learned, and wise persons in hell, I descended, and first went to the place where they were crying, "O how just!" and I saw there, as it were, a tribunal, and in it unjust judges who could skillfully pervert the laws, and turn judgments to the favor of any one whatever; and that thus their judgments were purely arbitrary judgments; and when the sentences were carried out to the clients, they cried out for a long distance, "O how just " Concerning these the angels afterwards said, that such are unable to see any least particle of what is just. After a while these judges were cast into hell, and their books were turned into playing-cards, and instead of judging, they were assigned to the task of preparing paint, with which they daubed the faces of harlots, and thus turned them into beauties (n. 332). XXXVI. Afterwards I went to the place where they were crying out, "O how learned" and I saw a company of those who were reasoning whether a thing is so or not, but not thinking that it is so; and therefore they stopped at the first step concerning any sub- ject whatever; thus they merely touched it from without and did not enter into it; so they also argue concerning God, whether there is a God. That I might know for certain whether their character was such I put to them the question, What kind of religion is necessary for the salvation of man? They answered, "It must be consid- ered (1) Whether religion is anything. (2) Whether one religion is more efficacious than another. (3) Whether there is any eternal life, and thus whether there is any salvation. (4) Is there a heaven and a hell ?" And then they began to discuss the first, Whether religion is anything. And they said that this required so much investi- gation that it could not be finished in the space of a year; and one among them said, that it could not be finished in a hundred years; to which I replied that in the mean time they would be without religion. But still they discussed this first point so skill- fully that the company standing by cried, "O how learned!" I was told by the an- gels, that such appear like graven images; and that afterwards they are sent out into deserts, where among themselves they gabble and talk nothing but nonsense (n. 333). XXXVII. I went on further to the third company, where I heard the cry, "0 how wise!" and I found assembled there those who are unable to see whether truth is truth or not, and yet are able to make whatever they wish seem true, and are therefore called Confirmers. That they were such, I also saw from various answers to propositions, INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 411 as that they could make it true that faith is the all of the church, and afterwards that charity is the all of the church, and also that faith and charity together are the all of the church; and because they confirmed whichever of these they liked, and adorned them with appearances so that they shone like truths, therefore the by-standers cried, "O how wise!" Afterwards some ludicrous things, also, were proposed to them, that they might make them true; for they say that there is nothing true, except what man makes true. The ludicrous things were these: that light is darkness, and darkness light; and also that a crow is white, and not black; which two they made to appear as wholly true. The arguments for these may be seen in the text. I was told by the angels that such do not possess a single grain of understanding, since all that is above the rational with them is closed, while all below the rational is open; and by this man can confirm whatever he pleases; but cannot see any truth to be truth therefore, this does not belong to a man of understanding, but it does belong to him to be able to see that truth is truth and that falsity is falsity, and to confirm it (n. 334). XXXVIII. I spoke with spirits who, in the natural world, had been famed for erudition, who were disputing among themselves about connate ideas, whether men have any, as beasts have; and then a certain angelic spirit thrust himself in and said, "You are disputing about goat's wool. Men have no connate ideas, neither have beasts. " At which words all were enraged. But afterwards, opportunity to speak being given, he spoke first concerning beasts, saying, "They have no connate ideas; for the reason that they do not think, but only act from instinct, which they have from their nat- ural love, which makes in them something analogous to a will, and this flows imme- diately into the senses of their body and excites that which agrees with and favors the love; and yet ideas are predicable only of thought. " That beasts have sensation only and not thought, he confirmed by various things, especially by the wonderful things which are known respecting spiders, bees, and silk-worms, saying, "Does a spider think in its little head, when it forms its web, that the web is to be so woven for the sake of such or such uses? Does a bee think in its little head, ' From these flowers I will suck honey, and from these I will gather wax, out of which I will build compact rows of little cells, and in these I will put honey in abundance that it may be sufficient also for the winter?' besides other things. Does the silkworm think in its little head, 'Now I will betake myself to spinning silk, and when I have spun it I will fly forth and sport with my companions, and provide for myself posterity? ' be- sides like things with beasts and birds. " Concerning men he said, that every mother and nurse, and the father also, know that new-born infants have no connate ideas, and that they have no ideas at all until they have learned to think, and that then ideas arise and are produced according to every kind of thought which they have im- bibed by instruction; and that this is so because man has nothing born in him except a capacity to know, to understand and to be wise, and an inclination to love not only himself and the world, but also the neighbor and God. These things Leibnitz and Wolfe heard at a distance; and Leibnitz favored, but Wolfe did not (n. 335). XXXIX. Once a certain angelic spirit illustrated what faith and charity are, and what their conjunction effects. He illustrated it by comparison with light and heat, which meet together in a third; because the light in heaven in its essence is the truth of faith, and the heat there in its essence is the good of charity; therefore as light with- out heat, such as there is in winter-time in the world, strips the trees of leaves and fruits, so is faith separated from charity; and as light conjoined to heat, such as there is in spring-time, vivifies all things, so is faith conjoined with charity (n. 385). 412 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS XL. Two angels descended, one from the eastern heaven where love prevails, and the other from the southern heaven, where wisdom prevails, and spoke concerning the essence of the heavens, whether it is love or wisdom; and they agreed that it is love and wisdom therefrom; consequently, that the heavens were created by God, from love by means of wisdom (n. 380). XLI. After that, I entered a garden, where I was led around by a certain spirit, and at length to a palace which was called the Temple of Wisdom. This was four-square, the walls of crystal, the roof of jasper, the substructure of various precious stones. And he said that no one can enter it who does not believe that what he knows, under- stands, and is wise in, compared with what he does not know and understand and is not wise in, is relatively so little that it is scarcely anything. And because I believed this, it was granted me to enter; and it was seen that the whole of it was built to be a form of light. In that temple I related what I had lately heard from the two angels about love and wisdom; and they asked, " Did they not also speak of a third, which is use? " And they said that love and wisdom apart from use are merely ideal entities, but that in use they become real, and that it is the same with charity, faith, and good works (n. 387). XLII. One of the spirits of the dragon invited me to see the delights of his love; and he led me to something like an amphitheater, upon the seats of which sat satyrs and harlots. And then he said, "Now you shall see our sport. " And he opened a door, and let in, as it were, calves, rams, kids, and lambs; and presently through another door he let in lions, panthers, tigers, and wolves, which rushed upon the flock, tearing them and slaughtering them. But all these things which were seen were induced by means of fantasies. Having seen this I said to the dragonist, "After a while you will see this theater turned into a lake of fire and brimstone. " The sport being finished, the dragonist went out, attended by his satyrs and harlots, and saw a flock of sheep; from which he inferred that one of the Jerusalemite cities was near by; on seeing which, he was seized with the desire to take it and cast out the inhabitants; but be- cause it was surrounded by a wall, he planned to take it by stratagem. And then he sent one skilled in incantation, who being admitted spoke craftily with the citizens about faith and charity; especially as to which of them is the primary, and whether charity contributes anything to salvation. But the dragonist, enraged at the answer, went out and gathered together many of his crew, and began to besiege the city; but when he was endeavoring to reach and invade it, fire out of heaven consumed them, according to what is foretold in the Apocalypse (xx. 8, 9) (n, 388). XLIII. A paper was once sent down from heaven, in which there was an exhortation to acknowledge the Lord the Saviour as the God of heaven and earth, according to His words (Matt, xxviii. 18). But two bishops who were there were consulted as to what should be done. They said that the paper should be sent back to heaven from which it came. When this was done that society sank down, but not very deep. The next day some ascended therefrom and told what lot they had met with there; also that they went to the bishops there and reproved them for their advice, and that they had talked much about the state of the church at this day, and had censured the doc- trine of the bishops regarding the Trinity, of justifying faith, of charity, and other things which pertained to their orthodoxy, and asked them to discard those doc- INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 413 trines because they were contrary to the Word; but to no purpose. And because they called their faith dead and diabolical, according to James in his Epistle, one of the bishops took off the miter from his head, and laid it down upon the table, saying that he would not resume it until the scoffing of his faith had been avenged. But then a monster appeared coming up from below, like the beast described in the Apocalypse (xiii. 1, 2), which took up the miter and carried it away (n. 389). XLIV. I went to a certain house where those assembled were arguing one with another, whether the good which a man does in the state of justification by faith is the good of religion or not. There was an agreement that by the good of religion the good which contributes to salvation is meant. But the opinion of those prevailed who said that no good that is done by man contributes anything to salvation; since no voluntary good of man can be conjoined with what is free, because salvation is bestowed freely, neither can any good from man be conjoined with the merit of Christ, by which alone is salvation possible; neither can the operation of man be conjoined with the opera- tion of the Holy Spirit, that does all things without the aid of man. From which it was concluded that good works, even in the state of justification by faith, contribute nothing to salvation; but faith only. On hearing these things, two gentiles who stood at the door said to each other, "These men have no religion. Who does not know that to do good to the neighbor for God's sake, thus from God and with God, is reli- gion?" (n. 390). XLV. I heard the angels lamenting that there is such spiritual destitution at this day in the church that they know nothing else than that there are three Divine persons from eternity, and that faith alone saves; and about the Lord they know only the historical facts; and that they are profoundly ignorant of the things that are taught in the Word respecting the Lord, His oneness with the Father, His Divinity and power. And they said that a certain angel had been sent down by them to discover whether there was such destitution at this day among Christians; and that he asked a certain one what his religion was. He answered, that it was faith. Then he asked him about redemption, regeneration, and salvation. He answered that they were all matters of faith; and also in regard to charity that it is in faith; also, whether any one can do good from himself. Afterwards the angel said to him, "You have an- swered like a man playing but one note on a flute; I hear only faith; but if you know nothing else but that, you know nothing. " Then he led him to his companions in a desert, where there was not even grass. Besides more (n. 391). XLVI. I saw five gymnasia encompassed by different kinds of light, and with many others I entered into the first, which was seen in flame-colored light. Many were assembled there, and the president proposed that they should declare their opinions respecting charity; and when they had begun, the first said that in his opinion charity is moral- ity inspired by faith. The second, that it is pity inspired by commiseration. The third, that it is doing good to every one, both virtuous and vicious alike. The fourth, that it is to serve by every means one's relatives and friends. The fifth, that it is giv- ing alms to the poor and assisting the needy. The sixth, that it is building hospitals, infirmaries, and orphans' homes. The seventh, that it is to endow temples and to do good to their ministers. The eighth, that it is the old Christian brotherhood. The ninth, that it is to forgive every one his trespasses. Each of them fully confirmed his 414 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS opinion; which confirmations cannot be recited because they are many; they may therefore be seen in the Memorable Relation itself. After this there was given me an opportunity to express my opinion; and I said that charity is to act with judgment from a love of justice, in every employment and office but from a love derived from no other source than the Lord the Saviour; and after this had been demonstrated, I added that all those things which had been said before respecting charity by the nine celebrated men were eminent examples of charity when done with judgment from justice; and because justice and judgment are from no other source than the Lord the Saviour, they are to be done by man from Him. This was approved by most of them in their internal man, but not as yet in the external (n. 459). XLVII. At a distance there was heard something like the gnashing of teeth, and mingled with this a kind of beating; and I went toward the sounds, and saw a small house built of reeds plastered together; and instead of the gnashing of teeth and the sound of knocking, I heard within, in the little house, disputes about faith and charity which of them is the essential of the church. And those who were for faith brought forward their arguments, saying that faith is spiritual because it is from God, but charity natural because it is from man. On the other hand, those who were for charity said that charity is spiritual and faith is natural unless it is conjoined to charity. To these things a certain syncretist wishing to settle the dispute added to this the proof that faith is spiritual and charity only natural. But it was said that moral life is of two kinds, spiritual and natural, and that in the man who lives from the Lord it is spiritual-moral but in the man who does not live from the Lord it is natural-moral, such as exists with the evil and sometimes with the spirits in hell (n. 460). XLVIII. In spirit I was brought into a certain garden in the southern quarter, and saw cer- tain persons sitting there under a laurel, eating figs. I asked them how they under- stood that man can do good from God, and yet do it altogether as if from himself. And they answered that God works good inwardly in man; but if man does it from his own will and from his own understanding, he defiles it so that it is no longer good. But to this I said that man is only an organ of life; and that if he believes in the Lord he does good of himself from the Lord; but if he does not believe in the Lord, and still more, if he does not believe in any God, he does good of himself from hell; and further, that the Lord has given to man freedom of choice in acting from the one or from the other. That the Lord has given this freedom was proved from the Word, in that He commanded man to love God and the neighbor, to perform the good works of charity as a tree produces fruit, and to keep God's commandments that he may be saved, and that every one will be judged according to his deeds; and that these things would not have been commanded if man could not do good of himself from the Lord. When this had been said, I gave them twigs from a vine, and the twigs in their hands put forth grapes. And more beside (n. 461). XLIX. I saw a splendid dock-yard, and in it vessels large and small, and on benches there were boys and girls, who were waiting for tortoises to rise up out of the sea; and when they emerged, I saw that they had two heads; one, which at pleasure they drew back into the shell of the body, and another which appeared in form like a man, and from this they spoke with the boys and girls; and these caressed them, because of INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 415 their elegant discourse and also gave them presents. When these things had been seen an angel explained what they signified; namely, that there are men in the world, and as many spirits from the world after death, who say that in those who have ac- quired faith God does not look at anything that they think and do, but only looks at the faith which he has stored up in the interiors of their minds; and that these same persons bring forth before the congregations in temples, holy things from the Word just as others do, but this they do from the greater head which appears as a man, into which they then insert the little one, or draw it into the body. The same persons afterwards were seen in the air in a vessel flying with seven sails, and those in it were decorated with laurels and purple garments, and they cried out that they were the chief of the wise of all the clergy. But the things seen were images of pride flowing from the ideas of the minds of such. And when they were upon the earth I spoke with them, first from reason and afterwards from the Sacred Scripture; and by many means I proved that their doctrine was unsound, and, being contrary to the Sacred Scripture, was from hell; but the arguments by which I proved this were too extended to be set forth here, but may be seen in the Relation itself. Afterwards they were seen in a sandy place, in garments of rags, and girt about the loins with network like fishers' nets, through which their nakedness was visible; and at last they were sent down into a society bordering on that of the Machiavelians (n. 462). An assembly was called together which sat in a circular temple, in which at the sides there were altars, and near these the members of the assembly sat; but there was no president; therefore each one of himself rushed forth into the midst and spoke out the feelings of his mind. A discussion began about Freedom of Choice in spiritual things. The first speaker, rushing forth, cried out that man has no more freedom of choice in those things than Lot's wife when turned into a statue of salt; the second, that he has no more than a beast or a dog; the third, that he has no more than a mole, or than a bird of night in the day-time; the fourth, that if man had freedom of choice in spiritual things he would become a maniac and believe himself to be as a God who can regenerate and save himself. The sixth read from a book of the Evangelical, called Formula Concordia;, that man has no more freedom of choice in spiritual things than a stock or a stone, and that he has no ability whatever to understand think, or will in respect to these things, or even to adapt and accomodate himself to receive what is spiritual; besides other things (of which above, n. 464). When this had been said, and there was also given me an opportunity of speaking, I said, "What else is man, without freedom of choice in spiritual things, than a brute? And with- out it, of what use is anything theological?" But to this they replied, "Read our theology, and you will not find therein anything spiritual; you will find this so con- cealed within that not even a shadow of it appears. Therefore, read what our theol- ogy teaches respecting justification, that is, the remission of sins, regeneration, sanc- tification and salvation; you will not see there anything spiritual, because spiritual things flow in through faith, without any consciousness on man's part. It has also removed charity far from what is spiritual, and repentance also from contact with it. And besides, as to redemption, it attributes to God purely natural human properties, as that He included the human race under a universal damnation; that the Son took that damnation upon Himself, and thus propitiated the Father; and what else are in- tercession and mediation with the Father? From all this it is clear that in all our theology there is nothing spiritual, and not even what is rational, but merely what is natural below them. " But then suddenly a thunderbolt was heard from heaven, and the assembly, seized with terror, rushed forth, and each fled to his own home (n. 503). 416 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS LI. I talked with two spirits, one of whom loved good and truth, and the other evil and falsity; and I found that both enjoyed the same ability to think rationally. But when the one who loved evil and falsity was left to himself, I saw a kind of smoke that arose from hell and extinguished the lucidity which was above his memory; but when the one who loved good and truth was left to himself, I saw, as it were, a gentle flame descending from heaven and illuminating the region of his mind above the memory, and from that the things below it. Afterwards I spoke with the one who loved evil and falsity respecting freedom of choice in spiritual things; and at the mere mention of it he fired up and cried out that no one can move his foot or hand to do any spiritual good, or his tongue and lips to speak any spiritual truth, and thus that he cannot even adapt and accomodate himself to receive any such thing. He said, " Is not man in such things dead, and merely passive? How can what is dead or merely passive do good and speak truth of itself? Does not our church so speak? " But the other, who loved good and truth spoke thus respecting freedom of choice in spiritual things: "Without it what would the whole Word be, or what the church, what religion, what the worship of God, thus what the ministry? And from the light of my understanding, I know that man without that spiritual freedom would not be man but a beast; for man is man and not a beast because of that freedom; and moreover, man without freedom of choice in spiritual things would have no life after death, thus no eternal life, because no conjunction with God; therefore, to deny this is the part of those who are insane in spiritual things. " Afterwards there was seen an appearance of a fiery serpent upon a tree, which handed fruit therefrom to him who denied freedom of choice in spiritual things; and when this had been eaten a smoke appeared ascending from hell, which extinguished the light in the higher part of his rational mind (n. 504). LII. There was heard a grating sound like that of two mill-stones grinding on each other; and I went up to where the sound began and saw a house in which were many little cells, and in these the learned of this age were sitting and confirming justifica- tion by faith alone; and going up to one, I asked what he was now studying. He answered, "Concerning the Act of Justification which is the head of all things of doc- trine in our orthodoxy. " And I asked whether he knew any sign by which to tell when justifying faith enters, and when it has entered. And he said, that this is done passively, and not actively. To which I replied, " If you take away what is active in it, you also take away receptivity; and thus that act would be a purely ideal thing, such as is called a figment of reason, thus nothing more than the state of Lot's wife, composed of mere salt which tinkles when scratched by a scribe's pen or fingernail. " The man growing warm picked up a candlestick, to throw it at me; but the light going out suddenly he threw it at his companion (n. 505). LIII. There appeared two flocks, one of goats and the other of sheep; but when they were viewed closely, in place of goats and sheep men were seen; and it was perceived that the flock of goats consisted of those who make faith alone saving, and the flock of sheep of those who make charity and faith together saving. To the inquiry why they were there, those who were seen as goats said that they were sitting as a council because it had been disclosed to them that the saying of Paul," That man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. iii. 28)" is not rightly understood; be- cause by "faith" here is not meant the faith of this day, but faith in the Lord the Saviour; and by "the deeds of the law" are not meant the deeds of the law of the INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 417 Decalogue, but the deeds of the Mosaic law which were rituals; which also was shown. And they said that they had concluded that faith produces good works as a tree pro- duces fruit. This teaching was favored by those who constituted the flock of sheep. Then an angel, standing between the two flocks, cried out to the flock of sheep, "Do not listen, for they have not receded from their former faith. " And he divided the flock of sheep into two, and said to those on the left, "Join yourselves to the goats; but I tell you that a wolf is coming which will carry them off and you with them. " Then it was asked how they understood that faith produces good works as a tree produces fruit; and it was found that their perception concerning the conjunction of faith and charity was altogether different from that comparison, and thus that it was a fallacious mode of speaking. When these things were understood, the flocks of sheep reunited themselves into one as before, to which some of the goats joined themselves, confessing that charity is the essence of faith, and that thus faith sepa- rate from charity is only natural, but conjoined to it it becomes spiritual (n. 506). LIV. A discourse with angels concerning the three loves, which are universal, and therefore with every man; which are, Love of the neighbor, or the Love of uses, which in itself is spiritual; the Love of the world, or the Love of possessing wealth, which in itself is material: and the Love of self, or the Love of ruling over others, which in it- self is corporeal; and that when these three loves are rightly subordinated in man, he is truly man; and that they are rightly subordinated when love of the neigh- bor forms the head, love of the world the body, and love of self the feet; it is altogether otherwise when they become fixed in man in a contrary order. And it was shown what man is when the love of the world forms the head, and what he is when love of self; that then he is an inverted man; and in respect to the interiors of his mind is a wild beast, and in respect to his exteriors and the body is an actor. Af- ter this there was seen a certain devil ascending from below, having a dusky face with a white circle around the head; and he said that he was Lucifer, although he was not; and that in his internals, he was a devil, but in his externals an angel of light; and he declared when in externals he was moral among the moral, rational among the rational, and even spiritual among the spiritual; and that when he was in the world he had preached; and that then he accursed evil doers of every kind, and this is why he was called "Son of the morning; " and, what he himself wondered at, when he was in the pulpit he had no other idea than that it was as he spoke; but otherwise when he was out of the temple. This he said because in the temple he was in his externals and then in the understanding only, but out of the temple in his internals and then in the will; and thus he was raised into heaven by his understand- ing while his will drew him down into hell; but that the will prevails over the under- standing, because it disposes the understanding according to its beck and nod. After this the devil who pretended to be Lucifer fell down into hell (n. 507). LV. There was seen a round temple, the roof of which was crown-shaped, its walls con- tinuous windows of crystal, its door of a pearly substance. In it there was a pulpit, on which was the Word enveloped in a sphere of light. In the center of the temple was a sanctuary, before which was a veil, at that time raised, where stood a cherub waving a sword in his hand. When this had been seen it was explained to me what each particular signified; which may be seen. Above the gate there was this inscrip- tion, Now it is permitted; which signified, that now it is permitted to enter under- standing^ into the mysteries of faith; and it was given me to perceive that it was VOL. II.— 27 418 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS exceedingly dangerous to enter with the understanding into dogmas of faith which are from self intelligence and thus in falsities, and still more to confirm these from the Word; therefore, by the Divine Providence the Word had been taken away from the Roman Catholics, and with Protestants it had been closed by their dogma that the understanding is to be kept under obedience to their faith. But because the dogmas of the New Church are all from the Word, it is permitted to enter into these with the understanding, because they are continuous truths from the Word, and also shine before the understanding. This was what is meant by the writing above the gate, Now it is permitted, and by the veil of the sanctuary being raised, within which the cherub stood. After this there was brought to me a paper from an infant who was an angel in the third heaven, on which was written, Enter hereafter into the mysteries of the Word which has been heretofore shut up; for the particular truths therein are so many mirrors of the Lord (n. 508). LVI. I was seized with a grievous disease, from the smoke that came in from the Jeru- salem which is called Sodom and Egypt (Apoc. xi. 8); and I was seen by those who were in that city as dead; and they said one to another that I was not worthy of burial, just as it is said concerning the two witnesses in the same chapter in the Apoc- alypse; and meanwhile I heard blasphemies in abundance from the citizens on ac- count of my having preached repentance, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But as a judgment came upon them, I saw that the whole city fell down and was over- flowed with waters; and afterwards that they were running about among the heaps of stones, and lamenting on account of their lot; when their belief was that, by the faith of their church they were born again and were thus righteous. But it was said to them that they were anything else than such, since they had never performed any actual repentance; and were therefore unaware of any damnable evil in themselves. Afterwards it was said to them from heaven, that faith in the Lord and repentance are the two means of regeneration and salvation; and that this is very well known from the Word, and still further, from the Decalogue, baptism, and the holy supper; concerning which see the Relation (n. 567). LVII. All who after death come into the spiritual world at first are kept in the externals in which they were in the natural world; and because most men who are in externals live morally, frequent churches and pray to God, they believe that they will cer- tainly come into heaven. But they are taught that every man after death gradually puts off the external man, and the internal man is opened, and then the man is known, as he is in himself, since man is man from his will and understanding, and not merely from action and speech: and from this it is that man can in externals appear like a sheep, although in internals he is like a wolf, and that he is such in his internal man unless he examines the evils of his will and of his intention therefrom, and repents of them; with more besides (n. 568). LVIII. Every love breathes forth delight. In the natural world the delights from loves are but little felt, but in the spiritual world they are clearly felt; and there they are sometimes turned into odors; and the nature of the delights is then perceived and what love they are from; and the delights from the love of good, such as are in the heavens, are perceived as fragrance in gardens and flower-beds; and on the other hand, the delights from the love of evil, such as are in hell, are perceived as the pun- gent and fetid smells from stagnant waters and from cesspools; and because they are INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 419 so opposite, the devils are tortured when they are sensible of any sweet odor from heaven, and on the other hand, the angels are tortured when they are sensible of any ill-smelling odors from hell. That it is so, was confirmed by two examples. This is why the oil of anointing was prepared from fragrant things, and why it is said of Jehovah that He smelled a sweet savor from the burnt-offerings; and on the other hand, why it was commanded the sons of Israel that they should carry unclean things out of their camps, and that they should bury their excrements; for their camps represented heaven, and the desert outside of the camps represented hell (n. 569). LIX. A certain novitiate spirit, who in the world meditated much upon heaven and hell, desired to know the nature of each; and it was said to him from heaven, "In- quire what delight is, and you will know." Therefore going away he inquired; but among spirits merely natural he inquired in vain. But he was led to three companies in succession; to one where they searched out ends and were therefore called wis- doms; to another where they investigated causes, and were therefore called intelli- gences; and to a third where they inquired into effects, and were therefore called knowledges: and by all these he was taught that every angel, spirit, and man has life from the delight of his love; and that the will and thought cannot move a step except from a delight in some love; and this is to every one that which is called good; and still further that the delight of heaven is a delight in doing good, and the delight of hell a delight in doing evil. That he might be further taught, a devil providentially ascended, and there before him described the delights of hell, that they were the delights of r.evenge, fornication, plunder and blasphemy; and these when perceived there as odors are perceived as balsams and therefore he called them the delights of their nostrils (n. 570). LX. A company of spirits was seen praying to God that He would send angels to teach them about various things pertaining to faith, inasmuch as in most things they were in doubt, because churches so differ one from another, and all their ministers say "Believe us; we are the ministers of God, and we know." And angels appeared, whom they questioned in regard to charity and faith, repentance, regeneration, God, the immortality of the soul, and baptism and the holy supper; about each of which the angels gave such answers as fell into their understanding; saying further that whatever does not fall into the understanding is like what is sown in the sand which, however it may be watered by the rain, still withers away; and the under- standing when closed against religion, no longer sees anything in the Word from the light therein from the Lord; and even if the Word is read he becomes more and more blind in the things of faith and salvation (n. 621). LXI. How man, when prepared for heaven, enters it; namely, that after preparation he sees a path that leads to the society in heaven in which he is to live to eternity; and near the society there is a gate which is opened; and when he has entered an exami- nation is made whether he has in him the same light and the same heat, that is, the same good and truth as are in the angels of that society. When this is determined he goes about and inquires where his house is; for there is for each novitiate angel a new house. When this is found he is received and numbered as one among them. But those who have not in them the light and heat, that is, the good and truth of heaven, have this hard lot, that when they enter they are miserably tortured, and because of the torture cast themselves down headlong. This happens to. them be- 420 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS cause of the sphere of the light and heat of heaven, in the opposite of which they are; and afterwards they no longer desire heaven, but are affiliated with their like in hell. From this it is clear that it is idle to believe that gaining heaven is merely an admission from favor, and that those who are admitted enter into the fruition of the joys there, like those in the world who are admitted into a house where there is a wedding (n. 622). LXII. Many who believe that heaven is a mere matter of admission from grace, and after admission there is eternal joy, were permitted to ascend into heaven; but because they could not endure the light and heat, that is, the faith and love there, they cast themselves down headlong; and they appeared to those who stood below like dead horses. Among those who stood below and who thus saw them, were boys with their master; and he taught them what their appearing like dead horses signified, and who those are who so appear at a distance, saying that they are those who when they read the Word think materially and not spiritually about God, the neighbor, and heaven; and that those think materially about God who think about essence from person, and in regard to the neighbor about his quality from the face and speech, and in re- gard to heaven about the state of love there from place; but those think spiritually who think of God from essence, and from essence of person; of the neighbor from his quality; and from quality of his face and speech; and of heaven from the state of love there and of place from that. And afterwards he taught them that a horse signifies understanding of the Word; and because the Word with those who think spiritually when they read it is a living letter, so such appear at a distance as living horses; and on the other hand, because the Word with those who think materially when they read it is a dead letter, so those at a distance appear as dead horses (n. 623). LXIII. An angel was seen descending from heaven into that world with a paper in his hand, upon which was written the marriage of good and truth, and it was seen that in heaven the paper shone, but in its descent gradually less and less, until neither the paper nor the angel was seen, except before some unlearned ones who were sim- ple-hearted. To these the angel explained what the marriage of good and truth in- volves, namely, that all and each of the things in the whole heaven and in the whole world contain the two together, because in the Lord God the Creator good and truth make one; and therefore nothing is anywhere possible which by itself is good, nor anything which by itself is true; consequently in each and everything there is a mar- riage of good and truth, and in the church a marriage of charity and faith, since charity pertains to good and faith to truth (n. 624). LXIV. When I was in profound thought about the second coming of the Lord, I saw heaven from the east to the west luminous, and heard a glorification and celebration of the Lord by the angels, but from the Word, both the prophetic Word of the Old Testament and the Apostolic Word of the New Testament. The passages themselves by which the glorifications were made may be seen in the Relation (n. 625). LXV. In the north-eastern quarter there are Places of instruction; and those who in- teriorly receive instruction there are called disciples of the Lord. Once when in the spirit, I asked the teachers there whether they knew the universals of heaven and INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 421 the universals of hell; and they answered that the universals of heaven are three loves, the love of uses, the love of possessing the goods of the world from the love of performing uses, and true marriage love; and that the universals of hell are three loves opposite to those three, namely, the love of ruling from the love of self, the love of possessing the goods of others from the love of the world, and scortatory love. It is described afterwards what the first infernal love is, which is the love of ruling from the love of self; that it is such with the laity that, when loose rein is given to it, they wish to rule over all things of the world, and with the clergy, that they wish to rule over all things of heaven. That such a hallucination possesses those who are in that love was proved by the like in hell, where such are together in a certain valley, who find enjoyment for their minds in the hallucinations that they are emperors of emperors, or kings of kings; and elsewhere that they are gods; and it was seen that at the sight of these latter, the former, whose minds were so elated, fell upon their knees and worshiped. Afterwards I spoke with two, one of whom was the prince of a certain society in heaven, and the other was the high-priest there; who said that with those in that society there are magnificent and splendid things, because their love is not from the love of self, but from the love of uses; and that they are sur- rounded by honors and that they accept them not for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of the good of obedience. I then asked them, " How can any one know whether he does uses from the love of self or the world, or from love of uses since uses are performed from all these loves? Let it be supposed that there is a society consisting of satans only and a society consisting of angels only, and I can imagine that the satans, from the love of self and the world, would perform as many uses in their society as the angels would in theirs. Who, then, can know from which love the uses are? " To this the prince and priest replied that satans perform uses for the sake of reputation, that they may be raised to honors and acquire wealth, but angels perform uses for the sake of uses. And the latter are distinguished from the former especially by this, that all who believe in the Lord and shun evils as sins perform uses from the Lord, and thus from the love of uses; but all who do not believe in the Lord and do not shun evils as sins perform uses from themselves and for the sake of themselves, thus from the love of self or the world (n. 661). LXVI. I entered a certain grove and saw two angels talking with each other. I drew near them and they were speaking of the lust of possessing all things of the world; and it was said that many who in actions appear moral and in conversation rational are in the madness of that lust, and that that lust is turned into hallucinations with those who let their minds dwell in ideas .concerning it. And because every one in the spiritual world is permitted to delight himself in his hallucination, provided he does no evil to another there are even congregations of such in the lower earth; and as it was known where they were, we descended and went to them; and we saw that they were sitting at tables, upon which there was an abundance of gold coin, and they said that this was the wealth of all in the kingdom; but it was only a vision of the imagination which is called a hallucination, whereby such an appearance was created. But when they were told that they were insane, they turned away from the tables and confessed that it was so; but because they were exceedingly delighted by the vision, they could not help returning again and again, and indulging the allurements of their senses. To this they added, that if any one deprives another of his goods, or otherwise harms him, he falls down into a kind of prison under them, and is kept there at work for food, clothing, and some little pieces of money; and if they also do evil there, they are deprived of these and punished (n. 662). 422 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS LXVII. A dispute was heard between an ambassador of a kingdom and two priests, whether intelligence and wisdom, and thus also prudence, are from God or from man. The ambassador insisted that these are from man, but the priests that they are from God; nevertheless it was perceived by certain angels that the priests inwardly in them- selves believed the same as the ambassador, namely, that intelligence and wisdom, and prudence therefrom, are from man. That this, therefore, might be made clear, the ambassador was requested to lay aside the garments of his office, and to put on the garments of the sacerdotal ministry, and when this was done the ambassador began to prove by many things that all intelligence and also prudence are from God. And afterwards the priests also were asked to lay aside their garments, and to put on the garments of ministers of state; and when this was done the priests spoke from their interior selves, saying that all intelligence and prudence are from man. They so spoke because a spirit thinks himself to be such as his dress is. After this the three became hearty friends; and as they conversed together they went the way that tended downwards; but afterwards I saw them brought back (n. 663). LXVIII. First those are treated of who in the Word are called the elect; and it is known that they are such as are found after death to have lived a life of charity and faith, and who are separated from those who have not lived that life; thus the elect mean those who are then elected and prepared for heaven. Therefore to believe that only some, before their birth or after it, are elected and predestined to heaven, and not all, since all are called, would be to accuse God of impotence and also of injustice (n. 664). LXIX. It was said in heaven, by a certain new-comer that no one in the Christian world knows what conscience is; and because the angels did not believe this, they said to a certain spirit that he might call together with a trumpet the intelligent, and ask them whether they know what conscience is. And it was so done; and they came, and among them there were statesmen, scholars, physicians, and priests. First, the statesmen were asked what conscience is. They answered that it is a pain arising from fear anticipated or actual, of the loss of honor or wealth; or from a hypochon- driacal humor arising from undigested substances in the stomach; and more besides. Afterwards, they asked the scholars what they knew about conscience. They an- swered that it is a sadness and anxiety infesting the body and from that the head, or the head and from that the body, from various causes, especially from applying the mind to one thing only, which is done especially when the reigning love suffers; giv- ing rise sometimes to hallucinations and deliriums, and with some to a kind of brain sickness in religious matters, which is called remorse of conscience. Next the phy- sicians were asked what conscience is. And they said that it is only a pain arising from various diseases, which they enumerated in abundance; also that they had cured many by means of drugs. The diseases from which the pains called those of conscience spring may be seen enumerated in the Relation. Finally the priests were asked what conscience is. They said that it was the same with the contrition that precedes faith, and that they had cured it by the gospel; moreover, that there are conscientious persons of every religion, true as well as fanatical, who make to them- selves scruples about matters of salvation, also about indifferent matters. The an- gels from hearing these things perceived it to be true that no one knew what con- science is; therefore they sent down one from themselves to teach. He standing in the midst said that conscience is not a pain, as they had all imagined, but is a life INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 423 according to religion; and that that life is especially in those who are in the faith of charity; and that those who have conscience speak from the heart what they speak, and do from the heart what they do. This he illustrated by examples. So, when it is said of any one that he has a conscience, it is meant that he is upright; and con- versely. When all this had been said, those who had been called together divided themselves into four bodies; those who understood and favored the words of the angel passed over into one; those who did not understand but still favored, into another; those who had no wish to understand, saying to each other, "What have we to do with conscience?" passed over into a third; and those who scoffed, saying, "What is conscience but a breath of wind? " passed over into the fourth. After this the two latter bodies were seen to go aside to the left, and the two former to the right (n. 665). LXX. I was led to a place where the ancient Sophi dwelt who had been in Greece, which place they called Parnassium; and I was told that at times they send out some to fetch new-comers from the world that they may inquire about wisdom, how it is at this day on earth. Then two Christians were found and brought, who were presently asked, "What news from earth?" And they answered that this was new there; that they had found human beings in the woods, perhaps left there in early childhood; and that they appeared from the face to be men, and yet they were not men; and that from this it was concluded in the world that man is no more than a beast, ex- cept that he can articulate sound, and thus speak; and that a beast could in like manner become wise if endowed with the ability to make articulate sounds; besides more. The Sophi from hearing these things drew many conclusions respecting wis- dom, what changes it had undergone since their times; especially from this, that they do not now know the distinction between the state of man and that of a beast, nor even that man is born merely the form of a man, and becomes man by instruc- tions and such a man as the kinds of instruction he receives; that he becomes wise from truths, unwise from falsities, and inwardly a wild beast from evils; and that he is born merely a capacity to know, understand, and become wise, in order that he might be a subject into which God might inspire wisdom, from the first degree of it to the highest. They said further that they understood from the new-comers that wisdom which in their time was in its rise, is at this day setting. Afterwards they instructed the new-comers how it is that man, created a form of God, could be turned into the form of the devil. But concerning all this the Relation may be seen (n. 692). LXXI. There was again a meeting appointed in the place where the ancient Sophi were, since they had heard from those sent out by them that they had found three new- comers from the earth, one a priest, another a politician, and a third a philosopher; these were brought and were presently asked, "What news from earth?" And they replied, "This is new; we have heard that a certain man says that he speaks with angels and spirits; and he relates many things concerning their state and among them that man lives a man after death as much as before, with this difference only, that he is then clothed with a spiritual body, but before with a material body. " On hearing which they asked the priest what he had thought about those things on earth. He replied that because he had believed that man was not to live again as a man before the day of the last judgment, he with the rest of his order were of the opinion that the things the man told were visions, and afterwards fictions, and that at last he was in doubt. Then he was asked whether the inhabitants of the earth could not see from reason that man lives a man after death, and thus dissipate the paradoxical notions concerning the state of souls in the mean time, which are, that 424 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS souls meanwhile are flying about like winds in the universe, continually awaiting the last judgment that they may be combined with their bodies; which lot would be worse than the lot of any beast. To this the priest replied that they talk, but they do not convince; and that they ascribe the combining or re-uniting of souls with their bodies and skeletons in the sepulchre to the omnipotence of God; and when they name omnipotence and also faith, all reason is exiled. Afterwards the politi- cian being questioned concerning the things heard, replied that in the world he could not believe that man would live after death, since all of man lies dead in the grave, and thus he thought that that man saw specters and believed them to be angels and spirits; but that now for the first time he was convinced, by his very senses, that he lives a man as before, and that he was therefore ashamed of his former thoughts. The philosopher related nearly the same things concerning himself, and concerning others of his school; saying, moreover, that he referred those things which he had heard respecting the things seen and heard by that man, to a place among the opin- ions and hypotheses which he had collected from the ancients and moderns. On hearing these things the Sophi were astonished, especially that Christians, who are in light above others from revelation, should be in such thick darkness respecting their life after death; when yet they and the wise men of their time knew about and believed in that life; saying further that they had noticed that the light of wisdom had lowered itself since that age from the interior of the brain even to the mouth under the nose, where it appears as a brightness of the lip, and in consequence the speech of the mouth appears like wisdom. To this one of the tyros added, "How stupid are the minds of those who now dwell on the earth! Would that the disci- ples of Heraclitus who laughed at everything and the disciples of Democritus who wept at everything were here, and we should hear both great laughter and great weeping. " After this there were given to the new-comers plates of copper on which hieroglyphics were engraved and they departed (n. 693). LXXII. New-comers from the world were found, and were brought to the city under Par- nassium, and were asked, "What news from earth? " And they answered that in the world they had believed that after death there would be rest from all kinds of labor, and yet they had heard, when they were coming hither, that there are here adminis- trations, offices and employments, as in the former world, and thus that there is not rest. To this the wise ones there replied, "Thus you believed that now you are to live in mere idleness, and yet idleness produces a languid, torpid, stupid and sleepy state of the mind, and from that of the whole body, and this is death and not life. " And then they were led about in the city, and to the administrators and workmen; on seeing which, they wondered that there should be such things, since they had believed that there would be some empty place in which souls were to live until the new heaven and new earth came into existence. They were also taught that all the things that here appear before the eyes are substantial and are called spiritual; and that all things in their former world are material and are called natural; and that there is this difference because they are from different origins; namely, that all things in this world exist and subsist from a sun which is pure love, and all things in that world exist from a sun which is pure fire. They were also taught that in this world there are not only administrations, but also pursuits of every kind, and also writings and books. The new-comers were delighted with what they were taught, and when they were going away, some virgins came with pieces of needle-work and embroidery made with their own hands, and gave these to them; and they sung before them an ode in which they expressed in angelic melody the affection for use- ful labor and its charms (n. 694). INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 425 LXXIII. I was introduced into an assembly where some of the ancient philosophers were present, and was asked what they knew in my world about influx. To which I answered, that the only influx they knew about was that of the light and heat of their sun into the things which are of nature, both into animate and into inanimate things; and that they knew nothing about the influx of the spiritual world into the natural world, although from that influx are all the wonderful things which are beheld both in the animal kingdom there, and in the vegetable kingdom (these were in part re- counted). And because they are ignorant of this influx, they confirm themselves in favor of nature, and become naturalists, and at length atheists (n. 695). LXXIV. I spoke with the followers of Aristotle, Descartes, and Leibnitz, concerning physi- cal influx, occasional influx, and pre-established harmony, and heard how each con- firmed his hypothesis; but as they were able to look into that subject only with an understanding subordinated to confirmations, and not superior to them, they ended the dispute by lot, which came out in favor of spiritual influx, which to some extent coincides with occasional influx (n. 696). LXXV. I was taken into a certain gymnasium in which the young were initiated into various things pertaining to wisdom, and this was done by the discussion of some subject which was there proposed by the president; and the subject then under dis- cussion was, What is the soul, and what is its nature? There was a desk into which those who were to answer ascended. And presently one ascended, who said that no one since the creation of the world had been able to find out what the soul is and what its nature is; but since it was known that there is a soul in man, man had sought to know where it is. There was one who held that it has its seat in man in a certain little gland which is called the pineal gland, which is situated between the two brains in the head; and that at first he had believed this; but as it was rejected by many, he afterwards receded from this view. After this the second ascended, and said that he believed the seat of the soul to be in the head, because the understanding is there; but as he was unable to conjecture where in the head it resided, he acceded now to the opinion of those who said that its seat is in the three ventricles of the brain; now to the opinionof those who said thatit isinthestriated bodies there; now to the opinion of those who said that it is in the medullary or the cortical substance, and now to the opinion of those who said that it is in the dura mater; adding that he would leave it to every one to think what he liked. The third ascending said that the seat of the soul is in the heart and thence in the blood; and this he confirmed from the Word where it is said, heart and soul. The fourth next ascending said that from his child- hood he had believed with the ancients that the soul is not in one part but in the whole, because it is a spiritual substance, of which place cannot be predicated, but impletion; and further, as soul and life mean the same thing, the life is in the whole. The fifth ascending said that he believed the soul to be something pure, like ether or air, and that he believed this because it is supposed that the soul would be such after it had been separated from the body. But the wise ones in the orchestra, per- ceiving that none of them knew what the soul is, requested the president, who had proposed the problem, to descend and teach. He therefore descending, said, "The soul is the very essence of man; and because an essence without a form is not any- thing, the soul is the form of man's forms; and this form is the truly human form, in which wisdom with its perceptions and love with its affections universally reside; and as you believed in the world that you would be souls after death, you are now 426 INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS yourselves the souls; " besides more. And this was confirmed by this declaration in the Book of Creation, "Jehovah God breathed into the nostrils of Adam the soul of lives, and man became a living soul" (Gen. ii. 7) (n. 697). LXXVI. There was seen an angel with a trumpet, with which he called together those celebrated for erudition among Christians, that they might tell what they had be- lieved in the world concerning the joys of heaven and eternal happiness. This was done because it had been said in heaven that no one in the Christian world knew anything about them. And after about an hour there were seen six companies com- ing from the learned Christians, who were asked what they had known about the joys of heaven and eternal happiness. The first company said that they had be- lieved them to be merely an admission into heaven, and then into its festive joys, as one is admitted into a house where there is a wedding and into its festivities. The second company said that they had believed them to be most cheerful companion- ship and the sweetest conversations with angels. The third company said that they had believed them to be feastings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The fourth company said that they had believed them to be paradisal delights. The fifth com- pany, that there would be supreme dominion, boundless wealth, and more than royal magnificence. The sixth company, that there would be a glorification of God and a festival enduring to eternity. Therefore that these learned ones might know whether those things which they had believed to be the joys of heaven were so, it was granted them to enter into those their joys, each company by itself, that they might learn by living experience whether those joys were imaginary or real. This takes place with most of those who come from the natural world into the spiritual (n. 731-733). And then presently the company that had thought the joys of heaven to be most cheerful companionship and sweetest conversations with angels, were let into the joys of their imagination; but because they were external joys and not internal, after some days they were affected with weariness and departed (n. 734). Afterwards those who had believed that the joys of heaven are feasts with Abra- ham, Isaac, and Jacob, were let into like things; but because they perceived that such joys were only external and not internal, they became weary and went away (n. 735). The same was done with those who had believed that the joys of heaven and eternal happiness consist in supreme dominion, boundless riches, and more than royal magnificence (n. 736). Also with those who had believed that heavenly joys, and consequently eternal happiness, are paradisal delights (n. 737). Afterwards with those who had believed that heavenly joys and eternal happi- ness are a perpetual glorification of God, and a festival enduring for ever. These were finally taught what is meant in the Word by the glorification of God (n. 738). Finally, the same was done with those who had believed that they would enter into heavenly joys and eternal happiness if only they were admitted into heaven; and that they would then have joys like the joys of those who enter into the house of a wedding, and join in the festivities there. But when they were shown by living experience that there are no joys in heaven except for those who have lived the life of heaven, that is, a life of charity and faith, but instead, heaven is a torture to those who have led an opposite life, they withdrew and affiliated themselves with their like (n. 739). Because the angels perceived that as yet no one in the natural world knows what the joys of heaven are, and thus what eternal happiness is, the angel with the trum- pet was told to choose ten from those who had been called together, and introduce INDEX TO THE MEMORABLE RELATIONS 427 them into a society of heaven, that they might see with their eyes and perceive with their minds what heaven is and what the joys there are; and so it was done. And when they had been admitted, it was granted them first to see the magnificent palace of the prince there (n. 740). Then the paradise near it (n. 741). Afterwards, the prince himself and his great men in splendid garments (n. 742). Then, being in- vited to the table of the prince, they saw such an entertainment as no eye had ever seen on earth; and at the table they heard the prince give instruction respecting heavenly joys and eternal happiness, that they consist essentially in internal blessed- ness, and from this in external enjoyments; and that internal blessedness derives its essence from an affection for use (n. 743, 744). After dinner, by command of the prince some wise men of the society were sent for, who taught them fully about the nature and source of internal blessedness, which is eternal happiness; and that this causes external enjoyments to be joys; besides more concerning all these things (n. 745, 746). After this they were permitted to see a wedding in that heaven, (of which n. 747-749). And finally, to hear preaching (n. 750, 751). When they had seen and heard all this, full of knowledge concerning heaven and joyful in heart they descended (n. 752). LXXVII. Revelation is here treated of. It has pleased the Lord to manifest Himself to me, and to open the interiors of my mind and to enable me thereby to see the things which are in heaven and hell; and thus He has disclosed mysteries which in excel- lence and dignity surpass all mysteries hitherto disclosed. They are as follows, (i.) That in each thing and all things of the Word there is a Spiritual Sense, which does not appear in the sense of the letter; and that consequently the Word was written by means of the correspondences of spiritual things with natural, (ii.) The Correspondences themselves, what they are has been explained, (iii.) There has also been a revelation concerning the Life of men after Death, (iv.) Also re- specting Heaven and Hell, what the one is and what the other is; also respecting Baptism and the Holy Supper, (v.) Respecting the Sun in the spiritual world, that it is pure love from the Lord who is in the midst of it, the light preceding from which is wisdom, and the heat proceding from which is love; thus that faith and charity are from it; and that all things that go forth from it are spiritual and thus alive; also that the sun of the natural world is pure fire, and therefore all things that are from the sun are natural, and thus dead, (vi.) That there are three Degrees hitherto unknown, (vii.) And furthermore, matters have been revealed relating to the Last Judgment; the Lord the Saviour as the God of Heaven and Earth; the New Church and its Doctrine; the Inhabitants of the Planets, and the Earths in the Universe (n. 846). (viii.) Also respecting Conjugial Love; that with the spiritual it is spiritual with the natural it is natural, and with adulterers it is carnal (n. 847). (Lx.) The angels discerned by inquiry that although these mysteries are more excellent than any mysteries hitherto disclosed, still at this day they are regarded by many as of no account (n. 848). (x.) A murmur was heard from some in the lower earth that they would not believe those things unless Miracles were done; but the answer was made that they would no more believe through miracles than did Pharaoh and the Egyptians; or no more than the posterity of Jacob when they danced about the golden calf in the desert; or no more than the Jews when they saw the miracles done by the Lord Himself (n. 849). (xi.) Finally, why the Lord revealed these mysteries to me, and not rather to some one of the ecclesiastical order (n. 850). The things contained in the Memorable Relations which follow the chapters are true; and like things were seen and heard by the prophets before the coming of the Lord, and like things by the apostles after His coming, as by Peter, Paul, and espe- cially by John in the Apocalypse; which things are set forth (n. 851). IKDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES Note. — In this Index: Full-faced figures 1. 3, designate verses fully quoted. Italic figures 1,3, designate verses given in substance. Figures in parentheses. .. (1, 3), indicate verses merely referred to. GENESIS. ii. 2, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25 490 26, 27 . . 34, 48 (2) 26, 27 20 27 364 28-30 46 31 490 46 7 48 (3), 470 (6), 697 (11) Index Mem. Rel. lxxv. 7 364 Chap, cit 643 (2) iii. 4, 5 822 5 48 (17), 380 (4), 470 (4) 6,18 498 (2) 22 48 (4) 23, 24 260 Chap, cit 643 (2) iv. 14, 15 466 16,17 466 v. 1 48 (2), 48 (4) (21-24) 202 Lx. 14-17 687(2) xi. 1-9 i 121 (1-9) 754 2,4 276 xiii. 10 635 xiv. 18 264 18, 19 715 18-20 264 xv. 16 755 xvii. 9, 10, 11 675 xviii. 21 755 xxi. 10, seq 451 xxviii. 12, 13 24 (2) xxix. 14 727 xxxvii. 27 727 xxxviii. Chap, cit 845 xli. 8 156 xlviii. 6,11 247 xlix. (11) 706(2) 11 708 EXODUS. in. vii. viii. Lx. x. xii. xiv. xLx. xxi. xxiii. xxiv. 13, 14, 15 19 Chap, cit ' 635 Chap, cit 635 Chap, cit 635 Chap, cit 635 7, 13,22 706 (3) Chap, cit 635 10,11,16 284 12, 13, 20-23 284 16-18 284 Chap, cit 691 (3) 2-17 284 8 9 (2), 291 (3), 4, 5, (6) 291 7 297, 682 8, 9, 10 301 12 13 14 15 16 17 21 ... 1,2 .. 3,8.. 4, 10. (7.8) 16 ... 305 309 313 317 321 325 106 299 284 706 285 730 284 (16, 21, 22) 323 17-21 284 18-21 260 (2) 22 260 (2), 284 (30) 707 Chap, cit 284 1,31 260(2) 1,31,86 .' 220 83 284 Chap, cit 284 6, 15, 17-19, 20, 21, 29, 30 218 (429) 430 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES EXODUS (.Continued). xxix. 1,4 670 12, 16,20,21 706(3) xxx. 18-21 670 xxxi. 3 156 (7, 18) 323 18 284 xxxii. 12, 14 226 (2) (15, 16) 323 15,16 284 xxxiii. 5 689 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 . . . 691 (18-23) 786 20 124 20-23 28 20... 107 (3), 135 (4), 370, 787 xxxiv. IS 264 15 314 28 286,325 29-85 284 xxxv. 5,21,29 495 xxxvii. 9 260 (2) xl. 12 670 17-28 284 20 284 (20) 323 (23) 707 80-32 670 88 284 LEVITICUS. i. 5,11, 15 706 (3) ii. (1-11) 707 iii. 2,8,18 706 (3) 11, 16 707 iv. 6,7, 17, 18 706 (3) 26,30,34 706 (3) vi. 14, seq 288 14, 18, seq 506 (3) 14-21 707 vii. 1 288 7,11 288 (9-13) 707 37 506 (3) 87 288 viii. 6 670 16,24 706 (3) x. 6 223 xi. 82 670 46, seq 506 (3) 46, seq 288 xii. 1-3 675 7 506 (3) LEVITICUS {.Continued). 7 288 xiii. 59 506 (3) 69 288 xiv. 2, 82, 64, 67 288, 506 (3) 8,9 670 xv. 6-12 670 32 506 (3) 82 288 xvi. 2-14 seq 284 4,24 670 12-16 706 (3) (13) 323 xvii. 6 706 (3) 11,14 697(6) 16,16 670 xix. 23 675 23,24 468 xx. 6 314 xxi. 6, 8, 17, 21 707 xxii. 6,7 707 xxiv. 6-9 707 (5-9) 707 NUMBERS. ii. Chap, cit 284 iv. (7) 707 v. 29, SO 506 (3) 29-30 288 vi. 1-21 223 13, 21 506 (3) 13, 21 288 vii. 89 260 (2), 284 viii. 6,7 670 ix. 15-23 284 x. 33 285 35, 36 284 85,36 382 xi. Chap, cit 810 xiv. 14 284 18 226 (2) 21 780 xvii. (4, 7, 10) 323 xviii. 17 706 (3) xix. 2 288, 506 (3) 14 288, 506 (3) xxi. 14, 15 265 14, 16, 27-80 279 (3) (14, 15, 27-30) 265 27-30 265 (2) Chap, cit 279 xxii. (13, 18) 264 40 264 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 431 NUMBERS (Continued). xxiii. 1, 2, 14, 29, SO 264 (3, 5, 8, 16, 26) 264 7,18 265 19 226 (2) xxiv. (1, 13) 264 3,15 . 265 (6) 467 (3) 17 264 xxv. 1-3 264 xxviii. 2 707 DEUTERONOMY. i. S3 284 iv. 11 . 284 13 286, 325 13,23 285 v. 2,3 285 6-21 284 7 291 11 297 12, 13, 14 301 16 305 17 309 18 313 19 317 20 321 21 325 22-26 284 vi. 4 6 (3) 4,5 81 5 297, 369 (2), 697 (6) vii. 6 264 viii. 3 707, 709 ix. 9 285 10 284 x. 4 286 (4) 325 6 284 12 697 (6) 16 675 (2) xi. 13 697 (6) xii. 3 264 5, 11, 13, 14, IS 298 27 706(3) xvi. 2,6,11, 15,16 298 xvii. 15-19 288, 506 (3) xviii. 15-19 129 xxi. 23 132 xxiii. 12,13 569 (5) xxiv. 16 521 (2) 16 226 (2) xxvi. 16 697 CO) DEUTERONOMY (Continued). xxx. 6 675 (2) xxxi. 9, 11, 12, 26 288, 506 (3) xxxii. (7, 8) 264 (14) 706(2) Chap, cit 845 xxxiii. 13-17 247 21 51 26, (27) 776 28 190 xxxiv. 9 156 JOSHUA. iii. 1-17 284 11 285 iv. 6-20 284 v. Chap, cit 675 vi. 1-20 284 x. 12, 13 265 12, 13 279(3) JUDGES. xvi. 17 223 29 627 1 SAMUEL. iii. 1-8 211 v. 4 630 11,12 691 (4) Chap, cit 203, 284 vi. 3-5, seq 595 19 691(4) Chap, cit 203, 284 xv. 29 226 (2) xx. 5,12-42 211 2 SAMUEL. i. 17,18 265 17,18 279(3) v. 1 727 vi. 1-19 284 2 284 6,7 691 (4) 7 284 xix. 12,13 727 xxiii. 3, 4 109 (2), 764 (2) 1 KINGS. vi. 7,29,30 221 19, seq 284 29,32,35 260 (2) vii. 23-29 670 (48) 707 432 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 1 KINGS {Continued). viii. 8-9 284 2 284 21 285 xvii. 21 211 xviii. 84 211 xx. 85,38 130 2 KINGS. ii. 2,28,24 223 iv. 88-41 148 vi. 17 851 (3) 2 CHRONICLES. vi. 41 284 JOB. i. (6) 729 ii. (1) 729 ix. (30-31) 671 xii. 7, 8, 9 307 xxvi. 8,9 776(2) PSALMS. i. 2, 3 468 ii. 6, 8 101 7 30 (3) 7, 12 101, 342 (2), 384 v. 6 322 xviii. 9, 10 260 (3) 10,11 776(2) 35 136 (4) 44 251 xix. 1, 2 780 14 83, 188 (3), 294 (14) 637 xxii. 9 583 xxiv. 8, 10 116(3) xxxi. 5 83 xxxii. 2 156 (2). 278, Index Mem. Rel. xxxi. xxxiii. 6 87, 224 10 251 xxxv. 19 262, 288 xxxvi. 6 51 xxxvii. 6 51 xli. (14) 93 xliv. 14 251 22, 23 310 xlv. 3,5 86 3, 5, 6, 7 116(2) 9, 13, 14, 15 748 (3) PSALMS {Continued). xlvi. 5 764 xlvii. 3, 8, 9 251 9 495 li. 2,7 671 8 252 10 573, 773 10, 12 143 11 158 17 156 lii. 8 468 liv. 6 495 lv. 18 303 lix. (5) 93 lx. 7 247 lxvii. (2), 3, 4 251 hcviii. 4 776 (8) 93 34 776 (2) lxxi. 6 583 lxxii. 2 51 13, 14, 15 (16) 706 (5) lxxiv. 14 45 lxxviii. 8 156 9 247 41 93 lxxx. 1 260 (3) 15, 17 136(4) lxxxii. 6 262 6 288 lxxxv. 8-10 303 lxxxix. 14 51 14 Index Mem. Rel. viii. 29 288 SO, 87 262 xc. 4 30 (3) xcvi. 11 252 xcix. 1 260 (3) cii. 18 573, 773 civ. 2 59 16 468 28, 30 573,773 cvi. 4, 5 251 cviii. 8 247 ex. 1 " 101 1 102 1,2 136(4) 3 764 (2) 4 264, 715 4 262, 288 cxi. (9) 730 cxiv. 7 583 cxix. 7, 164 51 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 433 PSALMS (Continued). cxx. (2, 3) 322 cxxii. (1-7) 782 (4) cxxx. 5, 6, 7, 8 764 7, 8 83 cxxxii. 2 116 (3) cxxxii. 6 845 7,8 284, 382 cxxxviii. (4-6) 782 (4) cxxxix. 8 62 cxlviii. 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 307 7, 9 468 ISAIAH. i. 4 93. 251 4, 15 329 (4) 4, 15, 16, 17, 18 459(12) 16 671 16, 17 483(2) 16, 17, 18 329 (3), 435 (4), 536 (3) 21 51 27 51, 95 ii. 19 124 (2) 19,21 691 (2) iii. (9) 782 (5) iv. 2, 3 782 (4) 4 671 5 776 (2) 6 " 213 v. 1 354(2) (1, 2, 4) 708 16 51 19 93 30 761 (3) vi. (1-3) 780 vii. 14 82 viii. (22) 761 (3) ix. 2 270 2, 3. 251 6.. 82 (2), 98, 101,112, 113(8), 116 (3), 137 (11), 180, 188 (6), 294, 303, 307, 583, 625 (4), 786 7 30 (3), 95 7 51 14, 15 628 x. 5, 6 251 20 93 22, 23 755 xi. 1, 2, 4, 5 139 (2) 1,2 188(10) 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10 ... 789(2) 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 354 (3) Vol. 11—28 ISAIAH (.Continued). xi. 10 251 xii. 3 190 6 93 xiii. (6), 9, 13, (22) 689 (6, 9, 13, 22) 82 (2) 9, 10, 11 198 21 45 Chap, cit 754 xiv. 6 251 12 276 (21) 310 29 487 (4) Chap, cit 507 (4), 754 xvii. (6) 93 6,7 93 xviii. 7 251 xix. 1 776 11,13 635 23, 25 200 xx. 2,3 130 3 211 xxi. (10, 17) 93 11, 12 764 xxii. (5, 12) 689 13 252 xxiv. (15) 93 21, 23 198 (23) 782 (4) xxv. 3 251 6 708 7 251 9. .82 (2), 188 (2), 294, 625 (4) (9) 637 xxvi. (8, 13) 298 9 143 18 583 (21) 310 xxvii. 1 182 (3) 6,7 310 xxviii. 7, 8 132 (3) 8 683 15 322 22 755 xxix. 19 93 (23) 93 xxx. 9 322 11, 12 93 (25) 26 109 (3) 26 641 (4) xxxii. 17, 18 303 xxxiii. 5 51 11 156 434 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES ISAIAH (Continued). xxxiii. 20 782 (4), 789 xxxiv. 1 251 11, 13, 14, 15 575 xxxv. 10 252 xxxvii. (32) 782 (4) xl. 3 81 . .3,5 82(2), 780 3, 5, 10, 11 188 (2), 294 8, (5), 10,11 625 (4) (3, 5, 10, 11) 637 10 84 10,11 82(2) xli. 16 93 20 573, 773 25 298 xlii. 1 188 (10) (1), 6, (7), 8 82 (2) 5 773 6 251 6 285 (6) 730 6, 8 780 13 116(3) xliii. (1), 3 93 1,7 573,773 9 251 11 83, 188(3), 294 13 116(3) 14 93, 294 14 83, 188 (3) (14) 637 (14), 15 93 xliv. 2 583 6. .6 (3), 83, 102 (3), 188 (3), 294, 625 (4) 6 13, 19 (6) 261 (6, 24) 637 24 21, 83, 188 (3), 294 24 13 24, 26 782(3) xlv. 12,18 773 14 6 (3) 14, 15 188(3), 294 14, 16,21,22 21 21 6 (3) 21,22 83 21, (22) 188 (3), 294 xlvi. 3 583 xlvii. 4 83, 93, 188 (3), 294 (4) 637 Chap, cit 754 ISAIAH (Continued). xlviii. 11 780 (12) 102 (3) 13 136 (4) 17 83, 93, 188 (3), 294 (17) 637 xlix. 7 93, 294 7 83, 188 (3) (7, 26) 637 (8) 730 8,9 285 22 , 251 26 . . . 83, 188 (3), 294, 625 (4) 1. 1 306 li. 3 252,467(3) 11 252 lii. 1, 2, 6, 9 782 (3) 7 303 liii. 1 84 4, 6, 11 130 (2) 12 104 Chap, cit 130 (2), 302 liv. 5. .83,93,113(7),188(3),625(4) 5, (8) 294 8 '. 83, 294 8 188 (3) lv. 1 708 4 (5) 251 5 93 lvii. 8 314 15 156 lviii. 2 51 8 780 (11) 467(3) lix. 5 487(5) 6 185 (8) 16, 17, 20 116(2) 19, 20 139(2) 19,20 188(10) 21 139(2) lx. 1 780 9 93 16 83, 188(3), 294 (16) 637 lxi. 1 139 (2) 1 188(10) 3 156 (11) 467(3) lxii. 1-4, 11 789(3) 1-4, 11, 12 782 (2) 8 136 (4) lxiii. 1 95 1-9 116 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 435 ISAIAH (Continued). lxiii. 9 92 10,11 158 16 ...83,112,113(8), 188 (3), (6), 294, 307 16 299 (16) 583, 637 Chap, cit 302 Ixv. 17, 18 107, 773, 781 17-19. 25 782(2) 18 573 (21-23) 304 (23) 302 Chap, cit 303 lxvi. 7-10 583 10 252 (10-14) 782 (4) (18) 780 (20) 844 Chap, cit 303 JEREMIAH. i. (4,7, 11-14, 19) 158 ii. (1-5, 9, 19, 22, 29, 31) . . 158 13 1 90 22 671 iii. (1, 6, 10, 12, 14, 16) 158 6,8 314 17 782 (4), 789 iv. (1, 13, 9, 17, 27) 158 2 51 4 675 (2) 4, 14 675 (3) (9) 689 14 671 27 755 (31) 310 v. (1) 782 (5) 1,7 314 (11, 14, 18, 22, 29) 158 vi. (6, 7) 782 (5) (6, 9, 12, 15, 16, 21, 22) . 158 22, (23) 251 vii. (1, 3, 11, 13, 19-21) . . .158 2-4, 9-11 329 (3), 536 (3) (3) 93 (17, 18, seq.) 782 (5) (32) 689 34 252 84 252 viii. (1, 3, 12, 13) 158 6-8, seq 782 (5) 10 322 JEREMIAH (Continued). ix. (3, 7, 9, 13, 15, 17, 22, 24, 25) 158 (10, 11, 13, seq.) 782 (5) 15 93 24 51 x. (1, 2, 18) 158 xi. (1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 17, 18, 21, 22) 158 (3) 93 15 727 16, (17) 468 xii. (3) 310 (14-17) 158 xiii. (1, 6, 9, 11-15, 25) 158 (9, 10, 14) 782 (5) (12) 93 27 314 xiv. (1, 10, 14, 15) 158 (16) 782 (5) xv. (1-3, 6, 11, 19, 20) 158 xvi. (1, 3, 5, 9, 14, 16) 158 9 252 (9) 93 xvii. (5, 19-21, 24) 158 8 468 11 527 (2) 13 190 xviii. (1, 5, 6, 11, 13) 158 xix. (1, 3, 6, 12, 15) 158 (3, 15) 93 xx. (4) 158 xxi. (1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14) 158 xxii. (2, 5, 6, 11, 16, 18, 24, 29, 30) 158 3,13,15 51 xxiii. (2) 93 (2, 5, 7, 12, 15, 24, 29, 31, 38) 158 5 51 (5) 459 (16) 5,6 82 (2), 95, 137 (11), 188 (3), 294, 625 (4). Theorem at end of book. 14 314 (14) 782(5) (14, 32) 322 23,24 30 (3) xxiv. (3, 5, 8) 158 (5) 93 xxv. (1, 3, 7-9, 15, 27-29, 32). . 158 10 252 10 252 436 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES JEREMIAH (Continued). xxv. U .... . 440 (14) 643 (15, 27) 93 xxvi. (1, 2, 18) 158 xxvii. (1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 16, 19, 21, 22) 158 xxviii. (2, 12, 14, 13) 158 xxix. (4, 8, 9, 16, 19-21, 25, 30-32) 158 (4, 8, 21, 25) 93 23 314 xxx. (1-5, 8, 10-12, 17, 18) ... 158 (2) 93 (9) 844 xxxi. (1, 2, 7, 10, 15-17, 23, 27, 28, 31-38) 158 9 190, 247 (12) 467 (3) 20 247 (23) 93 SI -34 730, 789 (2) 33, 34 354(3) xxxii. (1, 6, 14, 15, 25, 26, 28, 30, 36, 42, 44) 158 (14, 15, 36) 93 19 376, 483 (2) 19 440 (19) 643 41 697 (6) xxxiii. (1, 2, 4, 10-13, 17, 19, 20, 23, 25) 158 (4) 93 10,11 252 10,11 252 (15) 459 (16) 15, 16.. 82 (3), 95, 137 (11), 188 (3), 294, 625 (4), Theorem at end of book. xxxiv. (1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 13, 17, 22) . 158 (2, 13) 93 xxxv. (1, 13, 17-19) 158 (13, 17-19) 93 xxxvi. (1, 6, 27, 29, 30) 158 xxxvii. (6, 7, 9) 158 (7) 93 xxxviii. (2, 3, 17) 158 (17) 93 xxxix. (15-18) 158 (16) 93 xl. (1) 158 xlii. (7, 9, 15, 18, 19) 158 (9, 15, 18) 93 JEREMIAH (Continued). xliii. (8, 10) 158 (10) 93 xliv. (1, 2, 7, 11, 24-26, 30) . . „ 158 (2, 7, 11,25) ..„ 93 xlv. (2, 5) .158 xlvi. (1, 23, 25, 28) 158 5, 10 11C (2) (10, 21) .689 xlvii. (1) 158 (4) 689 xlviii. (1) 93 (1, 8, 12, 30, 35, 38, 40, 43, 44, 47) 158 (26) 683 45, 46 265(3) xlix. (2, 5-7, 12, 13, 16, 18, 26, 28, 30, 32, 35, 37, 39) 158 (8, 26) 689 1. (1, 4, 10, 18, 20, 21, 30, 31, 33, 35, 40) 158 (18) 93 34 83, 188 (3) S4 294 (34) 637 39 45 Chap, cit 754 li. 5 93 (25, 33, 36, 39, 52, 58) . . 158 (33) 93 LAMENTATIONS. i. (8, 9, 17) 782 (5) iv. 21 252 EZEKIEL. i. Chap. cit. 157, 260 (3), 851 (2) iii. 12,14 157 iv. 1-15 130 13, 16, 17 130 (2) Chap, cit 782 (5) 9, seq 296 (3) v. 9, seq 782 (5) vii. 6, 7, 10 764 viii. S, seq 157 (4) 93 Chap, cit 851 (2) ix. (3) 93 Chap, cit 260 (3) x. (19, 20) 93 Chap. cit. 157, 260 (3), 851 (2) xi. 1, 24 157 19 705 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 437 EZEKIEL (Continued). xi. 19 143 (22) 93 Chap, cit 851 (2) xii. 3,7,11 130 (18, 19) 782 (5) xiii. (5) 689 3 156 (6-9) 322 xv. (6-8) 782 (5) xvi. (1-63) 782 (5) 16, 16, 26, 28, 32,33 314 (45) 306, 583 (46, 48) 782 (5) xvii. (2-8) 290 24 468 xviii. 6 51 31 143, 156, 601 xix. (10) 306 xx. 32 156 47 468 xxi. 7 156 (29) '. 322 xxiii. (1-49) 782 (5) 2,3,6,7,11,14,17 314 xxvi. 26 705 xxviii. 4, 12, 13 467 12, 13 219 12, 13, 14, 16 260 (3) 13, 15 773 xxx. (2, 3, 9) 689 16 583 xxxi. 3, 8, 9 467 (2) 8 635 (15) 82 (2) 18 467 (2) xxxii. 7, 8 198 xxxiii. 14, 16,19 51 xxxiv. (11, 12) 689 23, 24 171 (23-25) 844 xxxvi. 15 251 26 705 26, 27 143,601 xxxvii. 1-14 534, 594 (9) 310 11 594 12-14 594 (23-26) 844 xxxviii. (14, 16, 18, 19) 689 xxxix. 17-21 705, 706 (5) xl. 2 157 Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) EZEKIEL (Continued). xli. - 18-20 260 (2) Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xlii. Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xliii. (2) 93 6 157 Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xliv. (2) 93 Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xlv. Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xlvi. Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xlvii. Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) xlviii. Chap, cit 157, 851 (2) DANIEL. ii. 3 156 31-36 275, 609 31-47 754 36 788 43 761 (2) 43, 44 625 44 788 Chap, cit 760 iii. 1-7, seq 754 iv. 13,23 93 23 644 v. 11,12 156 Chap, cit 754 vi. (8-28) 754 8-28 292 vii. l.seq 157 (2), 851 (3) (1-14) 754 1,2,7,13 157 (2) 3 788 7, 23 761 (3) 9 223 (13) 776 13, 14. . Page following Title, 113 (7), 416, 625 (2) 788 13,14 851 (3) (13, 14) Title Page, 791 14 251 14 262, 288 Chap, cit 760 viii. 1, seq 157 (2), 851 (3) 2 157 (2) 2-14 537 14, 26 764 ix. 21 157 (2) 25, 27 782(5) 27 179, 378, 755, 761 (2) 27 181,758 Chap, cit 851 (3) 438 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES DANIEL (Continued). x. 1,7,8 157(2) xii. 1 652 (2) 3 606 (4) 788 HOSEA. i. 2-9 130 Chap, cit 247 (4) ii. 2, (5) 306 (2, 5) 583 19 51 iii. 2,3 130 Chap, cit 247 (4) iv. 9 376, 643 9 440 10 314 12 156 v. 3 247 (3) 8 314 4 156 6,9,11, (12-14) 247(2) vi. 4 247 (2) 10 247 (3) 10 314 vii. 1 318 (1) 322 ix. 3 247 (2) xi. 8 247 (4) xii. (1) 322 1 247 (3) xiii. 4 6 (3), 83, 188 (3) 4 21, 294 (4) 637 (12), 13 583 JOEL. i. (15) 82 (2) 16 252 ii. 1, 2, 10 198 1,2,11 689 (1, 2, 11) 82(2) 9 318 10,81 620 17 251 iii. 16 620 (1, 14, 18) 82 (2) 15 198 17, 18, 20 782 (3) 17-21 789 AMOS. v. (13, 18, 20) 82 (2), 689 (18), 20 761 (3) AMOS (Continued). v. 24 51 vi. 12 51 viii. (3, 9, 13) 689 11 707 ix. 2, (3) 62 (14) 467 (3) OBADIAH. 5 318 JONAH. i. 17 211 iii. 9 226 iv. 2 226 MIC AH. ii. 11 156 iv. 1, 2, (8) 782 (4) 4 304 5 298 v. 2 845 vi. 12 322 vii. 9 51 NAHUM. iii. (1) 322 4 314 HABAKKUK. iii. 3 93 ZEPHANIAH. i. (7-18) 82 (2), 689 (15) 761 (3) 18 755 ii. 9 ." 251 (9) 93 iii. 5 764 14, 15, 17, 20 782 (3) HAGGAI. ii. 12 727 ZECHARIAH. i. 6 376, 483(2) 6 440 (6) 643 8, seq 157 (2), 851 (3) 18 157 (2) ii. 1, 5 seq 157(2) 10, 11 82(2) INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 439 ZECHARIAH {Continued). iii. 1, seq 157 (2) iv. l.seq 157 (2) 3, 11, 12 468 v. 1,6 157(2), 851 (3) vi. l,seq 157 (2), 851 (3) vii. 12 527 (2) viii. 3 (20-23) 782 (3) 19 252 22 251 (23) 844 ix. 11 706 11 285 (11) 730 13 247 x. 7 247 xi. 4, 5, (7) 310 xii. 1 143 (3, 6-10) 782 (4) xiii. 1 190 xiv. (1, 4-21) 82 (2) 7, 8, 9 789 (8, 11, 12, 21) ... 782(4) 9 6 (3), 188 (3), 625 (4) MALACHI. i. (7) 11-13 1 1, 2.. 2 ... 707 ... 298 92, 285 ... 688 ... 689 (4) 782 (4) iv. 5, 6 688 MATTHEW. i. 20,25 140,188(2) 20, 25 82(3) (20, 25) Index Mem. Rel. xxix. 22,23 82 (2) 26 683 ii. 1,2, 9-11 205 iii. 2 113(7) 6,6 688 6 677 (4) 7 689 8 483 (2) 10 468 11 144 11 684, 690 13-17 668 (13-17) 684 15 95 16 144 MATTHEW {Continued). iii. 16, 17 164 16, 17 342 (17) 188 (2) iv. 3, 6 342(3) 4 239 16 270 17 528 17,23 113 (7) v. 3 156, 226 (4) 10 96 11,12 440 17, (18) 262 18 262, 278 18, 19 581 (19), 20 96 21, 22 309 27, 28 313 (27), 28 326 43-45 409 45 364 (2), 491 46 43 (2) vi. 1 440 2, 5 452 9 112, 113(5), 299 9, 10 Index Mem. Rel. xvi. xvii. 19,20 318 22 403 (2) 24 383, 536 (3) 33 416 vii. 1, 2 226(5) 7 459 (4) 7, 8 226(3) 12 411,444 15 381 (5) 15, 16 590 16, 17, (18) 435 (4) (16-21) 468 19, (20) 722 (2) 19, (20, 21) 376 19 106 22, 23 518,681 22,23 567(4) 24, 26 347 (3), 375 viii. 11 724 26 123 (5) (29) 342 (2) ix, 15 783 16 252 (15) 307 17 784 35 , ,.,.. 113(7) 440 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES MATTHEW (Continued). x. 12-14 303 22 682 39 532 40 92 41,4^ 440 xi. 6 113(7) (11) 572 27 111(4), 113(7), 370 27 135 (4) xii. 1-9 301 8 301 10-14 301 22-32 137 (12) (28) 572 30 137(12) 31,32 299 31,32 138,299 33 468, 483 (2) 34, 35 653 39 314 46-BO , 102 48-50 306 xiii. 3, 4 375 3-9, 23, 43 376 4,6 527 (2) 14, 15 7 14,16 232 23 347, 483 (2) 24-30 532 24-30, 39, 40 784 SO 653 30,40,41 38 (3) 30, (39), 40 755 31, 32 290 31,32 499 (2) 33 211 38 606 (38) 729 49 96, 755 57 129 xiv. 33 342 (2) xv. 2, 11, 17-20 671 (18, 19) 675(3) 24 92 xvi. 4 314 13, 16-18 342(2) 16 224 16-18 379 (2) 18 '. . 224 (4) 27 376, 483 (2), 643 27 440 27,28 113(7) MATTHEW (Continued). xvii. 1-6 222 (2, seq.) 261 5 342 (5) 188 (2), 776 Chap, cit 85 xviii. 11 142 20 298, 459 (10), 682 21, 22 409,539 xix. 28 226 (7) (29) 729 xx. (1-13) 708 1-16 462 (10) 28 709 xxi. 11 129 (19) 106, 676 21,22 226(3) (33-44) 483 (3) 43 483 (2) (43) 572 xxii. 1-9 358 11-13 380(4), 686 34-39 357, 722 (2) 37, 39, 40 287, 483 (3) 36-37 293 37 297, 697 (6) 37-39 369 (2) 41, 42-46 102(2) xxiii. 8 459(11) (8, 9) 583 8-10 226 (6) 9 306 13, 15, 25 452 23 347 (3) 25, 26 215 (2), 326, 435(4) 517, 671 26,26 670 26-28 673 (37-38) 782 (5) Chap, cit 331 (4) xxiv. 2 174 3 755, 764 (3) 3, SO 121 (2) 3, SO, 31 757 9, (10) 682 11, 15, 21 179 12 434 14, 15 378 15 758, 782 (5) 15 755, 761 (2) 15, 21,22,29 761 15,21,29 384 15,28 634 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 441 MATTHEW {Continued). xxiv. (15, 30) 788 21 179, 181 21-22 182, 598 (22) 772 22 ' 758 29 176 29 181 29, 30 271,764(3) 29-31 198 SO 776, 780 (30) 776 30,32 625 (2), 757 (30, 31) 182 31 791 37, (39), 44, (46) 764 (3) Chap. cit. . .116, (4), 135 (6), 180, 757 xxv. 1, seq 748 (3) 1-12 199 1-12 527(2), 719 1,2, 10 687 (3) 676 14-30 413, 462 (10) (14-31) 483 (3) 26 527 (2) 31, 34-36, 40, 41 643 (2) 31, seq 536 34 440 (34) 729 41, seq 536 26 707 26-28 703,704, 716 27, 28 706,730 28 285 29 708 34 211 39-44 211 (39-44) 104 39,42,44 704 48, 49, 67, 59,67 130 (3) 52, 54, 56 262 61 211 63,64 136(4), 342 (2) 64 776 Chap, cit 708 xxvii. 1, 2, SO, 34, 35, 38, 69. . 130 (3) 29,34, 40 342 (3) (40, 43, 54) 342 (2) 43 342 (2) 46 104, 105, 126 xxviii. 1 211 1-8 170 MATTHEW (Continued). xxviii. 1,6 130 (3) 3 686 18 104, 111 (4), 113 (7), 137 (6), 354 (2) 18 98, 133, 175, 379 (3), 389, 459 (16), 608, 615, 637, 781, 798, (5), 820 (18) 796 (3), Index Mem. Rel. xv. xliii. 19 164 19 668, 677 (3) 20 139 (4), 188(11), 755, 761 (2) 27, 28 730(3) MARK. i. (1) .. 4-... 4 seq. 4.6.. 342 (2) ... 528 ... 690 ... 668 6 677 (4) 7 825 8 144 8-11 684 (9) 684 10 144 10,11 164, 342 13 123 (4) 14, 15 528 14,16 113(7) 15 581 (35) 104 ii. 19,20 252, 783 (19, 20) 307 22 784 23,28 301 28 301 iii. (1-9) 301 (11) 342(2) 31-36 102 33-36 306 iv. 30-32 499 (2) 31,32 290 38,39 123 (5) vi. 2 301 4 129 12 528, 581 (46) 104 vii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15 671 6 452, 517 viii. 36 113(7) 38 314 442 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES MARK (Continued) . ix. 1,47 113 (7) 2 261 7 342 Chap, cit 85 x. 29, SO 113(7) 45 709 xi. 10 113(7) 13 527 (2) xii. 29 6 (3) 29, 30 81 30,33 697 (6) 36-37 102 (2) xiii. (11) 146 26 121 (2), 764 (3) (26) 182 31 190 Chap, cit 180, 757 xiv. 21, 49 262 22 707 22-24 703,704,716 24 706 (24) 730 26 708 32-39 104 36 704 61,62 342 (2) (62) 776 Chap, cit 708 xv. 28 262 34 104 (39) 342 (2) xvi. 2, 9 764 (2) 6,6 170 15 573 15 113(7), 687 16 685 19 136 IUKE. i. 14 252 19 113(7) 31, 32, 34, 35 . . . 188 (2), 342 32, 34,35 Ill (5), 538 32,35 92, 683 34, 35 82(3) 34,35 98 35 93, 112 (5), 140, 158, 164, Index Mem. Rel. xxix. 35 88 41 158 67 158 76 81, 688 LUKE (.Continued). ii. 10, 11 113(7) 22 288, 506 (3) 25 158 30, 31, 32 85 (2), 251 40, 52 89 46, 47 89 iii. 3, 8 528 3, 16 690 7 689 8, 9 483 (2) (8), 9 722 (2) 9 106 16 144, 684, 689 21,22 144,342 (21, 22) 684 iv. 16-21 262 16-22, 32 89 16,31,32 301 18 139 (2), 188 (10) 24 129 43 113(7) (43) 572 v. (16) 104 34,35 252, 783 (34, 35) 307 37, 38 784 vi. 1-6 301 6 301 (6-12) 301 (12) 104 20 226 (4) (20) 572 23,36 440 31,32 411 33-36 439 37 226 (5) 43,44 468 44 373 45 373 46 681 46-49 483 (2) 47-49 375 vii. 16 129 22 113 (7) 27 688 viii. 1 113(7) (1, 10) 572 16 147 20, 21 102 21 306, 376, 483 (2) 23,24 123(5) (28) 342 (2) INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 443 LUKE {.Continued) ix. (11, 60, 62) 572 28 261 82 777 (34, 35) 776 85 342 (60) 113(7) Chap, cit 85 x. 5, 6 303 9,11 113(7) 18 116(3) 25-28 287 26-28 293, 722 (2) 27 411 27 297, 697 (6) 30 378 80-37 410 (3) xi. 34 403 (2) 84 147 44 452 xii. (40) 182 xiii. 5 528 6-9 106 10 301 (10-18) 301 18,19 290 26, 27 567 (4), 723 33 129 xiv. (1-7) 301 12-14 440 (12-14) 425 xv. 7 528 xvi. 13 437 17 262,278,288,341 17 581 19 595 (2) 19, 20 215(3) 26 475 (3), 651 26 455 (2) 31 500 xvii. (2) 505 (3) 20,21 113(7) (21) 572 34 761 xviii. 8 384, 764 (3) xix. 10 142 (13-25) 483 (3) 18-26 462 (10) 20 527 (2) (41-44) 782(5) xx. 41-44 102 (2) xxL 1-3 459 (9) (20-22) 782 (5) LUKE {Continued) xxi. 27 121 (2), 764 (3) (27) 182,776 81 113(7) Chap, cit 180, 757 xxii. 18 113(7), 708 19 704, 707, 709 19,20 703,704,716 20 706 (20) 730 37 262 (41-44) 104 69 136 (4) 70 342 (2) Chap, cit 708 xxiii. (28-30) 782 (5) xxiv. 1-8 170 4 686 25, 26, 27 262 26 128 31 777 37, 39 109 39 170 44, (45) 262 44 288, 506 (3) 47 528 47 581 JOHN. i. (1) 777 1 351 (4) 1 (2) 261 1,2 384 1. (2, 3), 4 190 (1, 2, 14) Index Mem. Rel. xv. 1.3, 4, 10, 14 50 1. 3, 10 76 (5), 224 1, 3, 14 85,716 1,4 39,358.474 1.4, 9, 14 780 1,5,9 269 1,9 59 1, 14.... 3, 111 (8), 112, 140, 354 (2), 777, 786 3,10 87 (3, 10) 224 (4, seq.) 761 (2) (4), 9 85 (2) 4 .... , 261 9 354 (2) 9 176 (9) 776 (3) 12 298, 682 444 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES JOHN (Continued). i. (12, 13) 729 14 261 (14) 637 14, 18 342(2) 18 107 (3), 153 (2), 787 18 98, 135 (4), 137 (11), 339 (2), 683 (18) 188 (2) 26, 26, 31-83 689 25,26,33 690 27 825 32 164 32,83 144 S3 684 34 342 (2) 45 288, 506 (3) 49 349 (2) ii. 3, 4 102 19, 21 221 19 211 23 682 iii. 3, 5, 6 572 3,6, 6 577 5 144 (11) 323 15, 16 337 (15) 16 107 (2), 483 (3), 722 (4) 16, 16, 36. . . 159 (7), 608, 637 16 137 (11), 342 (2), 683 (16) 188 (2) 17, 18 652,772 (17), 18 682 (17, 18) 226 (7) 17,34 92 18 107 (2), 298, 337, 342, (2), 384 (18) 652 19,21 85(2) 21 377 26 689 27 8, 162, 439, 663 (2) 27 359 29 252, 783 (29) 307 34, 35 188(10) 35 Ill (4) 36. 113(7), 153(3), 379(3), 716 36... 2 (2), 107 (2), 337, 384, 483 (2) (3), 722 (4) 36 798 (7) Chap, cit 615 JOHN (Continued). iv. 6,10, (11) 14 190 14 239 (34) 104 36 483 36 440 v. 9-19 301 (9-19) 301 19-27 342 (2) 21 358 23,24, 36-38 92 (24, 29) 652 25 342 (2) 26, .25(4), 40, 358, 461(3), 474 26 21, 153 (3) (26) 718 29 483 (2), 643 29 440 (30) 104 37 . . 107 (3), 153 (2), 370, 787 37 135 (4), 339 (2) vi. 27 239, 707 27, 32, 33, 35, 41, 47-51, 53-56 703 28, 29 107(2), 337 29,39,40,44,67 92 33 358 33, 35 107(2) 35 337 35, 37 358 40 ..2(3), 107(2), 337,483(3) 40. . 608, 637, 722 (4), 798 (7) (45) 288 46 107 (3), 370 46 339 (2) 47 107 (2) 47,48 337 48,61,68 707 53-58 706 (2) 51 494, 707 51 716 51, 56 716 56 100, 368, 371, 372, 725 66 113 (8), 146, 727 (56) 787 (63) 199, 572 63 153 (3), 190, 214 (2), 239, 358, 618 (2) 68 190 69 342 (2) vii. 16, 18,28,29 92 22,23 288, 506 (3) (22, 23) 301 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 445 JOHN (Continued). vii. 24 226 (5) 37 358 37, 38 107(2), 190,337 38, 39 149 39 140, 153, 188 39 158 (40, 41) 129 48, 49 288 viii. 6 288, 506 (3) 12 358, 474 12 107 (2) (12) 761 (2) (13-19) 323 15 652 16, 18,29, 42 92 19 98, 107 (3) 24 107 (2), 337, 384 (26-28) 104 31-36 495 36 106 39 188 (10) 44 310 44 322 56, 58 109(2) ix. 4 761 4 92 51 85(2) (14, 16) 301 31 376, 483 (2), 722 (2) (35) 342 (2) 41 107 (3), 322 x. 1, 2, 9-11 538 1,8,9 133 1,9 174,380 1,9 370, (2) 1 (9) 177 (4), 457 1, 10 318 3, 11 300 3, 4, 5 682(2) 10 310, 358 11,17 131 15. 17 709 18 126 30 112, 188(6) SO. .98, 111, (6), 136, (3), 379, (3), 716, 798 (5) (30) 583 34 262, 288 (36) 342 (2) (36), 38 99 38 371 38 379 (3) JOHN (Continued). xi. 3, 6,36 215 (4) (4, 27) 342 (2) 11 215(4) 25 358 (25) 461 (3) 25, 26.. 107 (2), 337, 483 (3), 722 (4) 26,26 608, 637 (52) 729 xii. 2 215 (4) 24 762 27, 28 128 28 112,299 31 116(3) 32 652 34 262, 288 (35) 776 (3) 35, 36, (46) 85 (2) (35, 36, 46) 761 (2) 36 107 (2), 337 36, 46 618(3) 44, 45 188(6) 45 107 (3), 370 (2) 46 113(8) (45) 307 46 107 (2), 354 (2) 46 176 47, 48 652,772 (47, 48) 226 (7) (49, 50) 104 xiii. 17 347 (3), 376, 483 (2) 18 262 20 98, 107 (3) 31, 32 128 (33) 729 34, 35 357 xiv. 6. .25 (4), 85 (2), 107 (2), 112, 188 (6), 190, 354 (2), 358, 474 6 140, 162, 339 (2) (6) 161, 323, 777 6-11 538, 798 (5) 6-16 159 (7) 6, 7, seq 370(2) 6, 7, 9 ....' 795 6, 7, 9 787 (6, 19) 461 (3) 7 .... , 107 8, 9, 11 307 7-12 339 (2) 7, seq 379(3) (7), 9 180 (8, 9) 583 446 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES JOHN (Continued). xiv. 8, 9, 10 294 8-11 Ill (6), 188 (6) 9 112, 113(8) 9 98 10 112 (10) 104 10, 11 99,371 10,11 136(3), 379 (3) 10, 11, seq 716 (11), 20 153(3) 13-14 153, 299 15-21,23 376 16-19 139 (3) 18, 20, 28 188(11) 19 358 20 368, 370 (2), 371, 458, 787 20 107(2), 113(8), 146 20, 21, 23 231 21 369 (2), 483 (2) 21, 23 329 (4), 359, 458 21, (23) 339 (3) (21-24) 341 26. . .139 (3), 153 (2), 188 (10) 27 303, 599 xv. 1-6 107 (2) 1-7 642 1, seq 354 (1, 6) 708 4 70 4,5 100, 111 (9), 368, 371, 374 (3), 439, 462 (10), 725, 787 4,6 113(8), 146 4, 5, 6 120 (3) 4-6 524 (3) 5 8, 354 (2), 359, 459 (16), 663 (2) 6 539 5, 6 584 6,6 106 6 38 (3), 370 (2), 653 7 226(3) 7 349 8 483, 738 (4) 8, (16) 376 (9) 357 13 709 14, 16 483 (2) 25 262, 288 26 139 (3), 153, 188 (10) 26 153 (26) 323 JOHN (Continued). xvi. 7 139 (3), 153, 188 (10) 8, 9 337,384 8-11 51 11 116(3) 13 139 (3) 13-15 153 14, 15 139(3), 188(10) 15 188 (6) 16 98, 110 (5), 153 (3), 379 (3), 716 26, 27 154(6) (27) 357 28 3 33 116(3), 303 xvii. 1 371 1, (5) 128 2 104,111 (4), 354(2) 2 98, 113 (7), 637 (2) . . . . Index Mem. Rel. xv. 6, 26 298 (9, 15, 20) 104 10 99, 188 (6), 371 12 262 21 99 (21), 22, 23, 26 787 21-23, 26 43 (3) 22, 23, (26) 370 (2) 23 107 (2) xviii. 9 262 11 704 (37, 38) 323 xix. 7 342 (2) 15 637 24 262 (25-27) 306, 307 26, 27 102 28 262 30 262 34 130 36, 37 262 xx. 11-16 170 19,21,26 303 22 140, 146, 153, 188 (10) 31 . . 298, 337, 342 (2), 358, 682 (31) 188(2) xxi. (15-17) 211 22, 23 764(3) THE ACTS. i. 9, 10, 11 764 (4) 11 121 (2) 22 690 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 447 THE ACTS (Continued). ii. 3, 4 146 88 528 iii. 19 528 vi. (5) 378 viii. (9, seq.) . . . . > 378 37 342 (2) ix. 20 342 (2) x. 37 690 xi. Chap. cit. 851 (2) xvi. 30, 31 338 xvii. 30 528 xviii. 25 690 xix. 3-6 690 xx. 21 4, 107 (2), 137 (6), 175, 338, 528 xxvi. 20 528 EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. i. (4) 342 (2) ii. 5, 6 376 5, 6 643 6 506 (2) 13 376, 506 (2) iii. 22, 26 338 27-31 506 (2) 28. . 338, Index Mem. Rel. liii. 28 288, 506 (2) (28) 338 viii. 19-21 687 xii. 4,5 372 xiii. 8-10 330, 444 8-11 506 (4) 1 CORINTHIANS. iii. 16,17 374(3) xi. 24, 25 '.'.' 704 xii. 27 372 xiii. 13 ... 506 (4), 722 (2), 796 (5) 2 CORINTHIANS. i. (19) 342(2) v. 10 ............ . 376, 506 (2), 643 16, 17 601 (16. 17). 573 17..... 687 vi. 16. 374(3) G ALATIANS. ii. 14,16 288, 506 (2) (14, 15) 338 15, 16 338 G ALATIANS (Continued). ii. 16 338 20 338 (20) 342 (2) iii. 1 311 v. 6 338, 675 (2) 17 327 vi. 15 675 (2) 15 687 EPHESIANS. i. 23 372 ii. 21,22 374(3) iv. 4-6, 12, 13 379 (13) 342 (2) PHILIPPIANS. iii. 9 _ 338, 354 (2) 9 . . . . Theorem at end of book COLOSSIANS. ii. 9. . 109, 111 (8), 137 (6), 294, Theorem at end of book 9. .101, 110 (5), 169, 175, 188 (12), 379 (3), 638, 655, 683, 798 (7) (9) Index Mem. Rel. xv. 1 TIMOTHY. vi. 16 59, 176 2 TIMOTHY. iii. 15 338 Epistle cit 378 HEBREWS. iv. (14) 342 (2) v. (5-10) 715 vi. 6 311 (6) 342 (2) (20) 715 vii. (1, 10, 11, 15, 17, 20, 21) 715 (3) 342 (2) x. (29) 342 (2) EPISTLE OF JAMES. i. 14, 15 327 22 376 ii. (17-26) 506 (2) 17,20 453 21, 23 643(3) 448 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 2 PETER. ii. 9, 10 327 1 JOHN. iii. 8 342 (2) 24 371, 458 iv. (13) 371 15. . .342 (2), 368, 371, 379 (2) 20, 21 458 v. 7 164 (10) 342 (2) 12, 13 338 13 342 (2) 20.. 3, 85 (2), 101, 109, 111 (8), 137 (6), 342 (2), 354 (2), 722 (4), 726, 777, Theorem at end of book. 20, 21 294, 560 20.. Ill, 150, 175, 358, 367, 638, 655, 683, 798 (7). Index Mem. Rel. xv. APOCALYPSE. i. (5). 6-9, 10-13 625 (2) (7) 776 8, (11) 102(3) 8,11 19 (8, 11, 17) 261 8,17 13 10 157(3) (12-16) 85 (13-16) 261 18, 17 102 (3) 14 223 17 225,641 (5) Chap, cit 187 (4) ii. (2, 3) 302 (2), 4, 5 528 3 682 (6) 378 7 467 (3), 606 7 48(16) 7, 11, 17, 26 610 (8) 261 13, 16 528 (16) 137(12) (18) 342 (2) (19), 22, (23) 528 iii. 4 298, 682 (2), 686 4, 12 300 (7, 14) 323 5, 12, 21 610 (14) 572, 573, 777 APOCALYPSE {Continued) iii. 15, 16 437 15, 16 651 15, 19 528 (18) 137 (12) 20 ... . 100, 285, 359, 371, 720 20 462 (10) (20) 725 iv. 6, seq 260 (3) v. 6 311 9 251 vi. 6-8 179 9-11 119(3) 12 620 15, 16 641 (4) 15, 16, (17) 124(2) 16 691 (2) vii. 14 706 (3) (14) 686 17 190 viii. 7 635 8 635 12 635 ix. 1-11 162,635 2 113 (8), 462 (5) 2,3 634 2, seq 110(7) (4, 5) 310 11 628 11 182 (3), 310 17 157(3) Chap, cit Index Mem. Rel. xvii. xxv. x. 11 251 xi. 4 468 (7) 310 7, seq 179 8 311,567,635 Index Mem. Rel. lvi. 13 567 (5) 15 113 (7), 788 (15) 791 19 285 Chap, cit 567 xii. 7, 11 706(3) 9, 12, (13) 182(2) (10) 113(7) 11, 17 149 12 619 (5) 13-17 207 14 848 Chap, cit 121 (2), 179, 312, 648 (3) INDEX OF SCRIPTURE PASSAGES 449 APOCALYPSE {Continued). xiii. (1, 2) 389 (7) Index Mem. Rel. xliii. 2 176, 187 Index Mem. Rel. xxviii. 8 107,311,652(2) 11 148 (14, 15) 389 (7) 16 661 (3) Chap. cit. ... 121 (2), 179, 187 xiv. 1 144 4 748 (3) (6) 759 (2), 796 (3) 8 314 9 661 (3) 12 338 13 376, 483 (2) IS 440 (14) 776 19, 20 179 xv. 4 188(10) 4 158 xvi. 2 635 3 187 (4), 635 13 179, 635 (16) 113 Index, Mem. Rel. xvii. 21 635 Chap, eit 179, 761 (3) xvii. 1, 2 314 3 157(3) 8 107, 652 (2) 14 196 (2) 14 724 Chap, cit 754 xviii. Chap, cit 754 xix. 2 314 (7) 790 7,9 307,783 8 686 9 791 10 149 11-18 196, 207 14 686 17, 18 705 19 207 20 635 xx. 4 661 (3) 7,8 384 8,9 388(8) (8, 9). . Index Mem. Rel. xlii. 10 182 (2), 635 Vol. II.— 29 APOCALYPSE {Continued). xx. 12, 13 643 12, 13 376 12, 13 440 12, 15 107, 652 (2) xxi. 1, 2 781 1,2 118, 182(2) (1, 2) Title Page 1-5 -687 1, 2, 3, 9, 10 625(3) 1, 2, 5 107 I, 2, 5, 9, 10. .Page following Title 2 307, 783 2,9 252 (2, 9) 790 3 187 (3) 789 (2) 3, 24, 25 790 (6) 102 (3), 261 9, 10 307 9, 10 783 10 157 (3) II, 12, 16, 21 197 14, 17, 19, 20 217 (16) 769 17-20 137 (5) 17-21 217 22 187 (4) 23, 24 780 (24, 26) 789 26 652 (2) 27 107 Chap, cit 353, 768, 782, 789 (2) xxii. 1 190 1, 2 687 2 467 (3) 2, 14 48(16) 5 59 6, 7, 12 764(4) 8, 13 625(2) 12 376, 483 (2), 643 12, 13 102 (3) (12, 13) 261 IS 19 16 764 (2) 16, 17 764(4), 783 16, 17, 20 625 (3), 790 17 252 20, 21 764 (4) Chap, cit 182 INDEX OF WORDS The Tktje Christian Religion* The numbers following each reference designate the paragraphs as numbered by Swedenborg, and the numbers in parentheses refer to the sub-divisions as given in the Swedenborg Concordance. ABADDON. See Apollyon. ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION Means the infestation of truths by fal- sities, 180; its operation in the Christian world, 181; see 135(6). ABSURDITIES. See Order, 90. ACCOMMODATION On God's part was that He became man, 370(3); see Conjunction, 370(3). ACKNOWLEDGMENT (THE) Of God from a knowledge of God the very soul of theology, 5; see 11; a life according to God's commandments, is an acknowledgment of God, 22(2). When man's acknowledgment is merely from the thought of the understanding he comes to the Lord with only half of his mind, 151; how the acknowledgment which is called faith is effected, 231; see 342; see 795. ACT. What act is in its essence, 387(6); con- cerning the acts of repentance, 510. ACTION. In all action there is an active and a passive, 576; every action of man goes forth from his will, 593; see 420; see 778. ACTIVITY. Life is the inmost activity of love and wisdom, 471; the activity of love is what gives the sense of delight, 570(5). ADAM Was at liberty to eat of the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 341; see 479, 643(2); by Adam and Eve is meant the Most Ancient Church, 466; see 520; explanation of the story of Adam and Eve from the spiritual sense of the Word, 469; see 470(2); the sin of Adam was a desire to become as God, 498(2); see 663. ADAPTED. See Spiritual Sense, 85(2), Natural Sense, 85(2). and ADULTERERS Are those who violate the church, 122; meaning of the commandment "Thou shalt not commit adultery," 236(2); what adultery is in intention as well as in act, 313, 316. What spiritual adultery is, 314; in the celestial sense to commit adultery means to deny the holiness of the Word and profane it, 315; how adul- terers appear in the spiritual world, 316; why those who have spurious faith are called adulterers, 380; the conjunction of evil and falsity is adultery, 398(7). ADVENT. The state of the church before the Lord's Advent likened to evening, 109, 109(2). * Compiled by Ludlow S. Smyth. (451) 452 INDEX OF WORDS AFFECTIONS. See Lusts, 328; thought is the form of affection, 386(2); see 387(4). AFRICANS. Many of the Africans believe in one God, 9(2); position of Africans in the church, 268; the Africans are more interior than the other Gentiles, 835; what some Africans told Swedenborg in regard to God, the Redeemer, and man, 837, 838, 839; the Africans are internal men, 840; they are being in- spired with the worship of the Lord, and there is hope that this new gospel will be extended into the surrounding regions, ib. ALPHA AND OMEGA. Why God is so called, 19(2). ALPHABET. In the spiritual world every letter is significative of some meaning, 280(4). ALTERNATE RECIPROCATION: See Reciprocal, 371(4); examples of, 371(5). ANCIENT CHURCH. 760, 762, 786. All the ancient churches were churches representative of spiritual things, 201; the men of the Most An- cient Church talked with the angels by means of correspondences, 202; see Adam, 466; men of the Most Ancient Church at its end believed that God transferred Himself into man, 470(5); the two ancient churches worshiped an invisible God, 786. ANCIENT PEOPLE Worshiped one God, 9(2); it was a matter of dispute among the ancients whether faith or charity came first, 336; among the ancients there was a knowledge of correspondences, 833(2); see 202, 846(2). ANCIENT WORD. See Word. ANGELS Cannot utter the word Gods, 8(2); what angels are, 29(2), 118, 121, 240; their speech closes at the end of a sen- tence in a oneness of cadence 8(2); an angel who is in Divine truths can put to flight a troop of infernal spirits, 87; angels direct their attention to a man's works, 96; "angel" means in the orig- inal "one sent," 92; without the re- demption the angels could not have continued in a state of integrity, II. (118-120); see Natural Sense, 234, 235; a spiritual angel draws out the spiritual sense of the Word, and a celes- tial angel the celestial sense, 237; angels gain all their wisdom through the Word; 242; celestial angels are in good of love, and spiritual angels are in truths of wisdom, ib.; every one is instructed after death by angels, 255; angels of the highest heaven appear at a distance like little children, 277; how novitiate spirits become angels, 281(3)(4); angels know no other father and mother than God and the church, 306; all the wis- dom of the a?igels is from the marriage of good and truth, 398(4); the delight of the angels is to do good to the neigh- bor, 440; angels call the denial of free- dom of choice madness, 482(3); were it not for the Lord's coming the angels could not have long continued in their integrity, 579(2); concerning those who can counterfeit angels of light, 590; the angels, from a single action of man can perceive what his will is and from a single word what his thought is, 593; see 778; an angel can do no evil to any one, 651; see Baptism, 677(5); see Sun, 691(2); angels cannot think of any kind of blood, nor do they think of the Lord's passion, but only of Divine truth and of the Lord's resurrection, 700(4); the happiness of angels, 735(6); every angel in whatever direction he turns his body and his face looks to the Lord before him, 767. ANIMALS Seen in the spiritual world are not animals but correspondences of the affections, 506; see 66, 78. See Beasts. ANTICHRISTS. 174. INDEX OF WORDS 453 APOCALYPSE (THE) Treats of the present character of the Christian Church and the establishment of a new church, 116(4). APOLLYONS Are those that destroy the church by a total falsification of the Word, 182(3); 310; see 628. APOSTLES. See Disciples; how the Apostles re- ceived the gift of the Holy Spirit, 154; the faith of the Apostles was no other than a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 338; the Apostles present while Sweden- borg was writing on saving faith, 339(3); the Apostles had no idea that the church would separate faith from charity, 355; see 356. APOSTLES' CREED. 175, 636. APOSTOLIC CHURCH Followed command to use the name Lord, 81; a Trinity of persons was un- known in the Apostolic Church, V. (174- 176); see 636; all in the then Chris- tian world acknowledged that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, 637; the faith imputative of Christ's merit was un- known in the Apostolic Church, 639. See Christian Church. APPEARANCES Of truth, 256, 257, 258; appearances in the spiritual world, 29, 462(2), 739. APPLICATION On God's part is perpetual so far as man applies himself in return, 370(3); see Conjunction, 370(3). APPROACH. In proportion as man approaches God, does God approach man, 89; by the Human, Jehovah may be approached, 107; see 176, 641, 700, 838; illustrated by the way men approach each other, 107. ARCANA. The angels call that an arcanum which has not before been disclosed to the world, 153(3); arcana revealed by the Lord still are regarded on earth as of no value, 848; see 846. ARIANISM. See Christian Churches, 94; Arian faith, 137(11), 339; see 380, 638, 795. ARISTOTLE. 692, 696; his contribution to theology, 9(3); how he obtained his knowledge, 273. ARIUS. 137(11), 159(6), 174, 381, 632, 638. ARK (THE) Signifies the Word, 260(2); miracles wrought by means of the ark, 283. ARM (THE) Compared to the Divine Human, 84. ARMAGEDDON. Inhabitants of this place fight against those who belong to the New Church, 113; what the Armageddons signify, 113(4). "ARM OF JEHOVAH" In the Word means the Human of the Lord, 84. ASHUR. See Assyria. ASIA. In many of the kingdoms of Asia the knowledge of correspondences existed and was cultivated, 202; there was in Asia an ancient Word, 260; position of Asiatics in the church, 268. ASIATICS Believe in one God, 9(2). ATHANASIAN CREED. The teaching of the Athanasian Creed respecting God, 98, 26, 101, 112 (4), 172, 632; how far it agrees with the Word, 98; from the Nicene trinity and Athanasian trinity together a faith arose by which the whole Christian Church has been perverted, VI. (177, 178). 454 INDEX OF WORDS ASSYRIA Signifies the rational, 200(3); see also 247(2); 467. ATHEIST. The condition of an atheist, in the spiritual world, 12(10); atheists who are in the glory of fame from self-love, and thereby in the pride of self-intelligence may enjoy a loftier rationality than many others, 507(6); they speak with full persuasion of the certitude of their delusion, 759(3); atheism has begun to take root in the interior rational mind, 771; how man may become an atheist, 612. ATMOSPHERES. The three atmospheres, 32(8); spiritual atmospheres, 76(3), 641. AUGSBURG CONFESSION, The teaching of, 111(10); see 640(2). BABYLON Has exalted itself to such a degree as to transfer the Lord's Divine power to itself, 754; see 759. BALD. In the spiritual world they who de- spise the Word become bald, 223; see 74(4). BAPTISM Signifies regeneration and purifica- tion, 144; see 510, 530, 567(8), 621(11), 674; in itself baptism is a mere ceremony 667; see 685; viewed in the spiritual sense of the Word it is one of the holiest things of worship, 667; baptism was commanded, 668; without a revelation by means of the spiritual sense there would be nothing but scattered conjec- tures about the uses of baptism, 669; this is now disclosed for the New Church for its use in the worship of the Lord, ib.; see 846(2); why washings were com- manded the children of Israel, 670, 671; see Christian Church, 670; the washing of man's spirit was meant by the washing of his body, 671; unless man's internal is purified from evils and falsities bap- tism has no efficacy, 673; see 685; why baptism was commanded in place of circumcision, 674, 675 (3); baptisni was given solely as a sign and memorial that the recipients were to be purified from evils, 676; baptism is introduction into the Christian Church, 677; that it is merely a sign of introduction into the church is made clear by the baptizing of infants, 677(2); not only are infants baptized but all who are converted to the Christian religion, 677(3); why John baptized in Jordan, 677(4); infants are introduced by baptism into the Christian heaven, and angels are appointed over them, 677(5); see 678, 680; when these guardian angels leave them, 677(5); what might happen without this sign of baptism, 678; the second use of baptism is to know and acknowledge the Lord, 681; the first use is a mere name unless the second follows, ib.; this receiving the name of Christian by baptism means to hear and obey the Lord's command- ments, 682(2); the third and the essen- tial use of baptism is that man may be regenerated, 684; the Lord was bap- tized not only that He might institute baptism, but also because He glorified His Human, ib.; the three uses of baptism cohere as a unit, 685; see Holy Spirit, 686; see John the Baptist, 688, 689, 690; the baptism of Christians at the present day represents the cleansing of the internal man which is regeneration, 690; those who were baptized with the baptism of John became internal men when they received faith in Christ and were baptized in the name of Jesus, ib.; baptism and the holy supper are like two gates through which man is intro- duced to eternal life, 721. BASIS. What it is, 210. BATTLE. See Combat. "BEARING INIQUITIES," The meaning of, 130(3). BEASTS Have no ideas, 335(2); through their brains the spiritual world flows into their bodily senses immediately, and INDEX OF WORDS 455 through them determines their actions, 335(6); see 48; difference between man and beasts, 417; the freedom of beasts, 491, 496(2), 499; beasts are organs cre- ated to receive light and heat both from the natural and spiritual world, 473. BEES. 127, 335(3). BEGINNINGS Of space and time are from God, 31. BELIEF In the Lord is to have practical con- fidence that He saves, 2(3); what be- gets a kind of belief, 77(5); belief in the Lord is not merely acknowledging Him but also doing His commandments, 151. BIRTH. In the Word natural births mean spir- itual births, 583. BLASPHEMY Of the Spirit means blasphemy against the Divinity of the Lord's Human, and against the holiness of the Word, 299; in the celestial sense bearing false wit- ness means blaspheming the Lord and the Word, 323. BLOOD Signifies the truth of wisdom and faith, 367(5); see Holy Suppee, 705; see 706. BODY (THE) Is from the mother, 103; see 82; the body acts of itself from the soul, 154(6); see 156; all things in the human body correspond to spiritual things, 201; the body is only an additional external, 401(9); see 224, 454; the church and heaven constitutes the Lord's body, 728; effects of release from the body after death, 569. BONDAGE. The freedom which is from hell is bondage, 495; to one who is in infernal freedom spiritual freedom appears as bondage, ib., see 507 BORDER. A kind of border from the purest things of nature retained by man after death, 103; relative position of this bor- der with a good man and an evil man, ib. BORN OF GOD. 572, 584, 692, 729. BOWS Mean truths combating, 86, 247. BRAIN. The organization of, 160(8), 224, 351(3), 564, 577, 697. BREAD Means Divine good, 372; see Holy Supper, 705. BRIDE. In the Word bride means the Lord's Church, 122, 252; a bride constantly car- ries soinething of the image of the bride- groom in the sight of her spirit, 767(4). BRIDEGROOM In the Word means the Lord, 199, 252. BURIAL OF THE LORD Signified the rejection of what re- mained from the mother, 130(3). BUSINESS. The love of business, when final, is spiritual because of its use, 801. CALVIN. 137(2), 154, 486; Calvin in the spirit- ual world, 798 (whole no.). CALVINISM. See Christian Churches, 94. CANAAN Land of, represented the church, 675 CATECHISM. See Commandments. CATHOLICS. See Roman Catholics. 456 INDEX OF WORDS CAUSE. The cause is the all in the effect, 420; principal cause and instrumental cause, 442; concerning cause and effect, 374(2); see End, 236(4). CELESTIAL. Whatever goes forth from the Lord's Divine love is called the Divine celes- tial, 195; relation of celestial wisdom to spiritual wisdom, 280(6). CELESTIAL SENSE. See Spiritual Sense. Naked goods are in the celestial sense of the Word, 215; the celestial sense has relation chiefly to the Lord, 248; and again to Divine good, ib. CHAOS. 76, 79. CHARITY. The two particulars of faith which are matters of charity, 3(2), every good of the church pertains to charity, 38; see Love, 329(4); charity is first in end and therefore is actually first, 336(2); living well is charity, 340; how natural charity is converted into spiritual char- ity, ib.; man can acquire for himself charity, 357; but of himself only natural charity, 359, 360; see Faith, 362-367; the life of the Divine love is the essence of charity, 365; see 712. See Faith, 367(2); see Faith, 372; charity is will- ing well, and belongs to the internal man, 374, 410, 421; see Faith, 375; if charity is without truths of faith it re- ceives no nourishment, 377; charity is the complex of all things pertaining to the good that a man does to his neigh- bor, 392; the good of charity is spirit- ual heat, 392(2); charity without faith is not charity, 392(3); see 450; charity has something in common with love of uses, of the world, and of self, 394; charity in external form merely presents the show of charity, 421; see 424; charity itself is acting justly and faithfully, 422; charity may be defined as doing good to the neighbor daily and continually, 423; only he who worships the Lord and acts from Him when acting from him- self, attains to spiritual charity, 423; difference between the obligations and benefactions of charity, 425; those who make charity itself consist in benefac- tions must needs claim merit for these works, lb.; genuine charity proceeds from those who are imbued with char- ity because of the justice and judgment in the works, ib.; advantages of the benefactions of charity, 426; but they are not those proper acts of charity that are meant in the Word by good works, 427; they should be practised in accord- ance with genuine charily, 428; differ- ence between the benefactions of charity and the duties of charity, 429; the pub- lic duties of charity, 430; the domestic duties of charity, 431; the private duties of charity, 432; the diversions of charity, 433, 434; in the primitive church there were social gatherings which were gath- erings of charity; but since then there have been no such gatherings, 434; the first thing of charity is not to do evil to the neighbor; and to do good to him holds the second place, 435; see 437; man enters fully into the exercise of charity when he believes that good in itself is from the Lord, 442; when the Lord, charity, and faith are not con- joined charity is either spurious, hypo- critical or dead, 450; charity, not con- joined with faith in one God is spurious, 451; what hypocritical charity is, 452; dead charity is the charity of those whose faith is dead, 453; when it is no charity at all, ib.; there is a conjunction of love to God and love towards the neigh- bor with those who are in charily, 456; conjunction with God is effected by charity because God cannot do good to men immediately, 457(3); what spiritual charity is, 459, (13) (14) (15) (16) (17); the first thing of charity is to shun evils, 535; the works of charity done by a Christian and those done by a heathen appear in outward form to be alike, 654; the faith is what determines their quality, ib.; how those who have to some extent lived a life of charity in the world are prepared for heaven, 802(3). INDEX OF WORDS 457 CHASTITY. What true chastity is, 316. CHERUBS. The sense of the letter of the Word as a guard is signified by cherubs, 260; see 208, 220, 508, 776. CHILDHOOD Idea of God, 9; the effect of teaching a child the doctrine of a Trinity of per- sons, 23(2). CHINESE. Statement concerning them, 279(4). CHRIST Means the Divine truth, 85(2); from His kingly office the Lord is called Christ, 114; the name Christ means everything of salvation through doc- trine, 298; the body of Christ is Divine good and Divine truth, 372; see 379; the church constitutes the body of Christ, 608; without faith in Christ the external man cannot become internal, 690. CHRISTIAN. He who wishes to be truly a Christian ought to believe that Jesus is the Son of the living God, 342(3); a man cannot be a Christian more than in name unless he acknowledges and follows the Lord, 681; see 682(2). CHRISTIAN CHURCH. In its infancy in time of the Apostles, 4; its dementia followed because of the idea of a Trinity of persons, ib.; its doctrines teach that God is one, 7; but men have not believed this in their hearts, ib. Christian churches at this day believe that God begat a Son from eternity, 82; in the Christian churches to-day it is customary to call the Lord the son of Mary, 94; how this has been brought about, ib.; wherein this contra- dicts the Word, ib.; the enormities which have flowed from it, ib.; how it changes the use of the Church, ib.; be- lief of Christian churches to-day in re- gard to the Lord's merit and righteous- ness, 95; see also 96; what the Christian churches consider to be the essential act of redemption, 95; the fundamental er- ror of the church, VII. (132, 133); see 786; how the church becomes natural instead of spiritual, 133, 296(3); the idea of the Holy Spirit in the church to-day, 153; Christians of the primitive church were too simple to have the knowledge of cor- respondences disclosed to them, 206; error of the Christian Church in regard to faith, 338; see 371(3), 378, 379(3); see 391; reciprocal conjunction is un- known in the Christian Church, 371(3); charity of the present church is spurious, 451; the present church stands opposed to freedom of choice, 463; see 616; why the Word has been kept as closed in the present Christian churches, 508(3)(4); teaching of the Reformed Christian Church concerning contrition as repen- tance, 512; why it was adopted in place of repentance, 514; regeneration does not follow the faith of the present church, 577; see 616; if the faith of the present church were to continue religion would be a matter of the mouth and lungs only, 582; in the church to-day it is believed that faith constitutes the internal man, 591; therefore there is no knowledge of regeneration in the present church, ib.; see 605, 616; concerning the spheres in the spiritual world that flow forth from the Christendom of to-day and propa- gate themselves, 619,619(2)(3)(4)(5)(6); see Imputation, 626; see Merit, 627; the consummation of the present church is described in much the same way as the devastation of Egypt is described, 635; see New Church, 647; the faith of the church to-day is a faith in a God invisible, inaccessible, and incapable of conjunction with man 647(2) (3) (4); other points in the faith of the present church, 647(5)(6)(7)(8); from the doc- trine of the imputation of the Lord's merit and righteousness as a root all the dogmas of the present church have sprung up as offshoots, 649; the Chris- tian Church such as it is in itself is just now in its very beginning, 668; the for- mer church was Christian in name only, not in fact and essence, ib.; when the Lord came into the world He instituted 458 INDEX OF WORDS a church all things of which were to be internal, 670; of all the representatives of the former church He retained but two, baptism and the holy supper, ib.; see Baptism, 677; the Christian Church as it is to-day is consummated, 758; it is the fourth church, 760, 762; see 786; its two epochs, and its three progres- sions, 762; Christian churches depend for life upon the Word, 777; see Spirit- ual Sense, 846(2). CHURCH. The church is dead when it does not ac- knowledge one God, 10; whoever does not acknowledge a God is excommunicated from the church and condemned, VII. (14); God is the all of the church, 14; the church and the angelic heaven make one, ib.; with those who acknowledge several Gods there is no coherence in the things relating to the church, VIII. (15); the order in which the church has been es- tablished by God, 55; from His omipo- tence God instituted the church, 74(4); Christian Church was founded solely up- on the worship of Jehovah in the Hu- man, 94; the church would otherwise be destroyed, ib.; the church established after the Lord's coming able to see Di- vine truths in light, 109; the redemp- tion was a preparation for a new church, 1.(115-117); the church constitutes the external of which heaven is the internal, 119; on the idea of God and the idea of redemption," which makes one with salvation, everything pertaining to the church depends, 133; the end of a church is the worship of God, 152; such as is a church's faith such is its doctrine, 177(2); see 178; a church in Divine truths from the Lord has power over the hells, hence the Lord's words to Peter {Matt. xvi. 18), 224(4); what the church is when the understanding of the Word is destroyed, 247(2)(3)(4); in the Lord's sight the church on earth is as a single man, 268; who are in the church, ib.; position of Christians in the church, ib.; all churches before the Lord's coming were representative and typical, 291; the church is the mother, 306; in the celestial sense mother is the New Church, 307; all things pertaining to the church relate to love or charity and faith, 336; with those who do not con- fess that the Lord is the Son of God, the church is not, 342(2); the church is a church from its truths of faith, 354; the church constitutes the body of Christ, 372; every good and truth of the church is propagated by the marriage of the Lord and the church, 380; all things of the church have relation to good and truth, 398(2); see Neighbor, 415; the church must not be apart from religion; 484; the communion called the church consists of all men in whom the church is, and the church enters into man when he is becoming regenerate, and every one becomes regenerate by abstaining from and shunning the evils of sin, 510, 511; after redemption the Lord estab- lishes what pertains to the church in man, and makes him to be a church in particular, 599; the church on earth is arranged by the Lord according to all the varieties of the love of good, 646; there have been several churches and in the course of time they have all been consummated and new ones have arisen, 753; man is a church and in general con- stitutes the church, 756; see 767; in the church there is what is general and what is particular, 775; every church made up of those who see by confirma- tions seems to itself to be the only church that is in the light, 759; there have been in general four churches on earth, 760, 762; see 786; in the Lord's sight the church is seen as a single man, 762; the spiritual things of a church take on their quality through the existence of their opposites, 763; see Marriage, 783; all churches depend upon a knowl- edge and acknowledgment of one God with whom the man of the church can be conjoined, 786. CIRCUMCISION. See Israelitish Church, 674; cir- cumcision signifies purification from evils, 674, 675; circumcision was given solely as a sign and memorial that the recipients were to be purified from evils, 676. INDEX OF WORDS 459 CLERGY. The instruction of, in the spiritual world, 138; enlightenment and instruc- tion from the Divine operation are com- municated especially to the clergy, 146; see 155, 405; the clergy and the New Church, 784. CLOUDS OF HEAVEN (Matt. xxiv.J signify the sense of the letter of the Word, 198, 271, 776, 780; also the cloud in which Jehovah de- scended upon Mount Sinai, 776(2); the Lord will not appear in a cloud of heaven in Person, 777. COMBAT. The nature of the combat which the Lord waged against hell, 124(2); see 301; man is not sensible of the conflict during reformation and regeneration except as in himself and as remorse of conscience, 596(2); see 302; it is the Lord and the devil that are fighting in man, ib.; it takes place in the spiritual world, ib.; see Reformation, 610. COMFORTER (THE). The meaning of this term as applied to the Lord, 139(3)(4); the Comforter and the Holy Spirit are the same, 153(2). COMING OF THE LORD. See Lord, and Second Coming. COMMANDMENTS (TEN). See Man, 96; why they were promul- gated in so miraculous a way, 282, 283, 444; the commandments were the first- fruits of the Word, 283; they are in a brief summary the complex of all things of religion, ib.; or all things of doctrine and life, 287, see 290; through them there is conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord, 285, 287; see 458; the ten commandments must needs be explained according to the natural, the spiritual, and the celes- tial senses of the Word, 289. Meaning of the first commandment in the natural sense, 291-293; in the spiritual sense, 294; in the celestial sense, 295; meaning of the second commandment in the nat- ural sense 297; in the spiritual sense, 298; in the celestial sense, 299; meaning of the third commandment in the natural sense, 301; in the spiritual sense, 302; in the celestial sense, 303; meaning of the fourth commandment in the natural sense, 305; in the spiritual sense, 306, in the celestial sense, 307; meaning of the fifth commandment in the natural sense, 309; in the spiritual sense, 310; in the celestial sense, 311; meaning of the sixth commandment in the natural sense, 313; in the spiritual sense, 314; in the celestial sense, 315; meaning of the seventh commandment in the natu- ral sense, 317; in the spiritual sense, 318; in the celestial sense, 319; meaning of the eighth commandment in the natural sense, 321; in the spiritual sense, 322; in the celestial sense, 323; meaning of the ninth and tenth commandments in the natural sense, 325, 326; these two commandments have relation to all the preceding ones, 325, 326; meaning of these two commandments in the spiritual sense and celestial sense, 327; eight of the commandments show that so far as evil is removed so far man looks to good, 330; thus the commandments contain all things of love to God and love towards the neighbor, ib.; see 444; see 456, 458; they contain the precepts of civil soci- ety, and natural moral life as well as spiritual precepts, 444; he who tres- passes against one commandment tres- passes against all, 523; how this state- ment is to be understood, ib.; the relation of the commandments to repent- ance, 530. COMMUNION. 15, 347, 416, IX.(607-610). COMPARISONS In the Word are at the same time cor- respondences, 215. CONCEPTION. 110(3), 584, 585. CONFESSION After examination will be that man sees, recognizes and acknowledges his 460 INDEX OF WORDS evils and finds himself to be a miserable sinner, 539; there is no need for man to enumerate his sins before the Lord, ib.; concerning natural confession, ib., 562(2); confession should be made before the Lord the Saviour, and then supplica- tion, 539; the confession of the Lord and of one God conjoins minds with heaven, 828. CONFIDENCE In the Saviour is the Esse of New Church faith, 344. CONFIRM. Human ingenuity can confirm what- ever it will, 621(12); see 334, 758. CONFIRMATION. The effect of confirming belief, 110(2); see 398(9); confirmation enters the will, 255; the confirmation of falsity is the denial of truth, 758. CONFIRMER. Memorable Relation concerning con- firmed who make whatever they wish seem true, 334. CONFLICT. See Combat. CONJUGIAL. Concerning marriage or conjugial love, 805, 847; see 746(4). CONJUNCTION. How charity and faith are conjoined; also Lord and man, 3 (2); see 43 (3) (4), 234, 369 (whole no.), 666 (3); see Order, 89; conjunction to be full must be always reciprocal, 99; reciprocal conjunction, effected by mutual ap- proach, is internal, ib.; conjunction of the Lord and man is effected recipro- cally and mutually, 100; see 718, 726; in every Divine work there is good con- joined with truth, 248; how conjunction is effected with God by means of the ten commandments, 287; see 456; if man is merely natural-rational and also natu- ral-moral there is a conjunction of God with man, but not conjunction of man with God, 369(3); there must be accom- modation before there is application; and there must be accomodation and application both together before there is conjunction, 370(3); the reciprocal con- junction of Lord and man is a mutual conjunction, 371(6); spiritual conjunction is effected solely by means of charity and faith, 372; see 457(3), 458; see 484, 576; conjunction with God would be denied if it were denied that man is a receptive form, 472(3); reciprocal con- junction with God is the cause that man is man, 504(7); man's action in harmony with the Lord's action is meant by co- operation, 576; the conjunction between men and spirits is by means of affections, 607; see 613; see Holy Supper, 725; all conjunction is effected by love, 727(3); see Love, 786; conjunction of God with man is possible only through worship of one visible God, 787; there is conjunc- tion with the invisible God through the visible, ib. CONNATE IDEAS. Memorable Relation concerning con- nate ideas, 335; see Man, 335(7); man is born destitute of connate ideas, 480. CONQUEST. Divine Human illustrated by the need of physical instruments for con- quest, 84. CONSCIENCE. Concerning various false ideas of con- science, 665 (whole no.); mental pain is not conscience but temptation, 666; conscience, is a spiritual desire to act in accordance with whatever pertains to religion and faith, ib.; examples of con- science, 666(2); all who have conscience say and do whatever they say and do from the heart, 666(3); a more perfect conscience may exist with those who have more of the truths of faith than others, ib.; a true conscience is the seat of man's spiritual life itself for there his faith is conjoined with charity, ib. CONSOCIATION With spirits, 14, 137, 239, 365, 607. INDEX OF WORDS 461 CONSONANTS. Use of consonants in the writings in heaven, 278. CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE Mentioned in Matthew, means the end of the present church, 182; see 755, 757; the spiritual interpretation of, 198; in the consummation of the age there will be no faith, 384; the consumma- tion of the church takes place when there is no Divine truth left in it, 753; when truth is consummated in a church good is also consummated there, ib.; the consummation of the age is the last time of the church, 755; the fact that a church is consummated cannot be recognized by natural light, 759(3); the last time of the Christian Church the very night in which former churches have come to an end, 761; the formation of the New Church takes place at the consummation of the age, 784. CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 632, 636, 637. CONTACT. See Human (Divine), 84. CONTRITION. See Christian Church, 512; the con- trition that is declared to be necessary to faith has nothing in common with re- pentance, 513; it is of no consequence, 514; unless it is true repentance it is nothing but a freak of the imagination, 515; see Temptation, 597. CONVERSION. Man is constantly held in a state of possible repentance and conversion, 720; see 642. CO-OPERATION. See Conjunction. CORPOREAL-SENSUAL. Those are corporeal-sensual who have turned away from all thought of a Di- vine, 12(4). CORRESPONDENCE. There is a correspondence between things in the spiritual and natural world, 75(5); effect of correspondences in each world, 78(3)(4); the Word was written purely by correspondences, 194, 201; see 771; the Lord when in the world spoke by correspondences, 199; what cor- respondence is was very well known in ancient times, 201; Divine things pre- sent themselves in the world in corre- spondences, ib.; correspondences are rep- resentations of things spiritual and celestial in things natural, 204; why the knowledge of correspondences has been at this day revealed, 207; correspondence exists that heaven may be conjoined with the church on earth, 238. COUNTRY. Why men should love their country, 305; see 414. COVENANT (THE). Why the ten commandments are called the Covenant, 285; see 456; cove- nants are made for the sake of love, friendship, affiliation, and conjunction, 285; the Lord's blood is a covenant, 730. CREATION. The end of creation was an angelic heaven from the human race, 13; see 66; the created universe is a complex of useslooking to this end, 13(2); see 67; creation is from Divine love through the Divine wisdom, 13(3); see 37, 76, 87; God in created things, 30(2); the cause of creation, 46, 47; creation of the uni- verse, 75, 78(3)(4); created things are in themselves finite, 470(2)(4); what things are not creatable, but organs receptive of them are creatable, 472; it is from the order of creation that wherever there are actives there are also passives, 472(2); see Freedom of Choice, 489; God did not create evil, 490; creation could not have taken place without some kind of freedom of choice in both animate and inanimate things, 499; without order no creation was possible, 500; in every cre- ated thing there is an internal and an external, 595. CRUCIFIXION (THE) Signified the destruction and profana- tion of the Word, 130(3); see 311. 462 INDEX OF WORDS "CROWN" (THE) Means the Lord's dominion, 16(2). CROWN OF THORNS. 130(3). DAGON Represents the religion of the Philis- tines, 203; see 71, 283, 614. DAMNATION Of the race threatened before the Lord's coming, 3; see 122, 579; what condemns a man is living wickedly and confirming falsities to such an extent as to destroy genuine truths, 254; man causes his own damnation, 366(3); see 629; life from hell is spiritual death, 471; what it is to be damned, 531; see 536(2); see Reformation, 571; see Lord, 651; when faith is conjoined to evil the verdict is for eternal death, 655. DARKNESS. 271, 635. DAVID In the Word means the Lord, 171. "DAY OF JEHOVAH" Means the Lord's coming, 82(2),- 198, 761. DEATH. 138, 281, 369, 447, 568, 792, 793. DECALOGUE. See Commandments (Ten). DECISION Signifies the full consummation of truth and good, 755. DECREE (THE) In Psalms ii. 7, is a prophecy about the Lord who was to come, 101. DEED And intention, 309. DEGREES. Their progression and independence, 32(8); how degrees were constituted, 33, 34; creation by degrees, 33; there are three degrees of life, 42; see 239, 608, 609, 846(6); the human mind is divided into three degrees, 69; the three degrees of height in each world, 75(4); men knew nothing formerly about the degrees be- tween the prior and the posterior 846(6). DELIGHT Is the all of life, 570(5)(6)(7); see 622, 737. DESCARTES. 696. DESOLATION Signifies the consummation of truth, 755; see 180. DEVASTATION Signifies the consummation of good, 755; see 635. DEVILS Are those who have confirmed in them- selves evils, 80(4); see Satans, 80(4); difference between devils and satans, 281(12); devils are spiritual murderers, 310, 312; when the natural is inwardly in the spiritual, the man in his internals is a devil, 361(3); every devil can under- stand truth when he hears it, but he cannot retain it, 388(7); the sphere of infernal spirits joins itself with the sen- sual things of man from behind, 402(8); the ability to understand truth and to will it is given even to devils, 481; devils have rationality from the glory of the love of self, 507(6); see Combat, 596(2); see Imputation, 650; where the devil is there also are evil and falsity therefrom, 713; an evil spirit turns away from the Lord and looks to his own love, 767(2). DIABOLICAL LOVE Is the love of self, 45. DIGNITIES. The love of self is chiefly a love of dignities, 403. DISCIPLES (THE TWELVE) Sent through the spiritual world, 4, 108; see 791; the Disciples were com- INDEX OF WORDS 463 manded to use the name Lord, 81; by the twelve Disciples is meant the church in respect to all the truths and goods which it has from the Lord through the Word, 226(7); how the Disciples saw the Lord in His glorified Human, 777; see 793. See Apostles. DISPOSITION Is from the affection of the will's love, and that which disposes is the delight of that love, 155; see 8. DIVIDE. What is divided does not become more simple but more manifold because it approaches nearer to the infinite, 280(6). DIVINE (THE) Cannot be divided, 82(3); in every- thing Divine there is a first, a middle, and a last, 210; what is from God is not called God but is called Divine, 25(2); it is not in space although God is omni- present, 30; the celestial Divine, the spiritual Divine and the natural Divine, 195; the Divine Itself, 23, 193. DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. 26, 623(4) (5). DIVINE HUMAN. See Human. DIVINE NATURAL. The Lord's glorified Human is the Divine Natural, 109; this explained by reference to His resurrection, ib.; the Lord having put on also the Divine Natural, enlightens both the internal spiritual man, and the external natural man, 109(3). DOCTRINE. Faith is the first principle and doc- trinals are derivatives, 177(2)(3); with- out doctrine the Word is not understood, 1.(226-228); see 245; those who read the Word without doctrine are in ob- scurity respecting all truth, 228; doc- trine should be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word and confirmed by it, II. (229-230); see 231; not doctrine but a faith and life in accordance with doctrine that establishes the special church in the individual man, 245; see 287; see Man, 274; doctrinals of the New Church, 508(5); the spiritual sense of the Word only illustrates and corrobo- rates doctrine, 230. DOGMAS. 508(3) (4). DOMINANT. Man is wholly such as that which is dominant in his life; and this cannot be changed after death, 399(4). DORT (SYNOD OF). 487(2), 634, 759(2), 798(3), 803. DOVES Are correspondences of the affections, 144. DRAGON (THE) In the Apocalypse means those who are in the faith of the present church, 182(2), 648; meaning of the dragon's persecuting the woman, 207; see also 312, 388, 619. DUAL. Explanation of dual expressions in the Word, 250. DUTCH. The Dutch have spiritual light more deeply and fully joined in with their natural light than others, 800; their po- sition in the spiritual world, ib.; with the Dutch business is their final love and money a mediate subservient love, 801; the Dutch cling more firmly than others to the principles of their religion, 802; they separate themselves from any in- tuition of truth, ib.; how they are pre- pared for heaven, ib., 802(2); the gar- ments of the Dutch in the spiritual world, 804; the cities of the Dutch in the spirit- ual world, 805. EARTH (THE) Signifies the church, 585(4). 464 INDEX OF WORDS EARTHQUAKE. Signification of, 179. EAT. By eating is meant appropriating, 466, 702, 709, 716, 728. EDOM Signifies the natural, 200. EFFECTS Are produced in the external man, 374. See Cause. EFFLUX. Influx adapts itself to efflux, 814. EGYPT Signifies the scientific, 200(3); see also 247(2); see Christian Church, 635; Egypt means a church that was in its beginning pre-eminent, 635; knowl- edge of representatives cultivated in Egypt, 833(2). ELECT (THE). 198. ELECTION 480, 628, 664 ELIAS Or Elijah means the prophetical Word, 222, 261. ELISHA Represented the church as to doc- trine from the Word, 223. END. In every complete thing there is a trine called end, cause and effect, 32(7), 46, 67, 210; where ends, cause and effect reside, 236(5); see 374, 387(3); that evil is excused or condemned which the end excuses or condemns, 523; the first and last ends contain in them the mediate ends, 152; he who loves the end also loves the means, 13, 43. ENERGIES. See Operation. ENGLISH. Position of the English nation in the spiritual world, 807; the better ones have an interior intellectual delight, ib.; they acquire this from their freedom of thought, ib.; the English are lovers of their country, 808; the cities of the English in the spiritual world, 809, 811; the English preachers in the spiritual world, 809, 810; 812; the two kinds of theology of the English, 812. ENJOYMENT. See Love, and Delight. ENLIGHTENMENT. When the internal spiritual in man and the external natural, are simultan- eously enlightened, man is, as it were, in the light of day, 109(2); see also Shad- ow, 109(3); Divine Natural, 109(3); enlightenment of the Word is from the Lord, 155, 176, 231. ENOCH Collected correspondences from the men of the Most Ancient Church, 202. EPHRAIM Signifies the understanding of the Word in the church, 247. EPICURUS. 693. EQUILIBRIUM. There is not a substance in the created universe that does not tend to equilib- rium in order that it may be in freedom, 496(4); man is in spiritual equilibrium, 383, 475, 478. ESSE. Nothing can exist in the created uni- verse that does not derive its esse from God, 19; unless esse is substance it is a figment of the reason, 20. ESSE (DIVINE). It is impossible to define the Divine Esse, 18; uncreate and infinite, ib.; the Divine Esse must be in all things, ib.; INDEX OF WORDS W5 the Divine Esse is called Jehovah, 1.(19); the Divine Esse is at once Esse and Ex- istere in itself, III. (21, 22); as God is Esse in itself, He is Love in itself, Wis- dom in itself, and Life in itself, 21; it is impossible for the Divine Esse and Exis- tere in itself to produce another Divine which is Esse and Existere in itself, IV. (23); see 25, 26; see Jehovah, 81. ESSENCE Has no quality except from form, 367(3); to think of essence from person is to think of essence also materially, while to think from essence of person is to think of person also spiritually, 623(5). ESSENCE (DIVINE). Distinction between the Esse of God and the Essence of God, 36; love itself and wisdom itself constitute the Divine Essence, I. (37); God as He is in His es- sence could not come near to hell to con- quer it, 124. ESSENTIALS. The general and particular essentials in one thing make one essence, 166. ETERNITY. In relation to times God's infinity is called eternity, IV. (31); to angels the eternity of God means His Divinity in respect to His Existere, 31(2); man can- not think of God's eternity as antecedent to time, ib.; the eternity of God is not an eternity of time, 31(3); see illustration of eternity, 32(3); eternal life can be granted only by an eternal God, 32(7); see This Day, 101; the eternal is infinite as to time, 415. EVENING In the Word, 109, 764. EVANGELICAL CHURCHES. The faith of, 101. EVIL. Divine omnipotence cannot go forth to a contact with anything evil, but merely sustains its existence, 56; how God per- Vol. II.— 30 ceives the quantity and quality of all evil, 61, 62; man has all the less power against evil because he is born into evil, 68; also 329(2); see Omnipotence, 68; evil blots out truth and introduces falsity, 77(3); evils pertain not solely to the external man, but also to the inter- nal, 326; evils must be put away before the good that a man does becomes good in the sight of God, 329(3); so far as one shuns evils as sins so far he does good from the Lord, 330; man ought to shun evils as sins as if from himself, ib.; if one shuns evils for any other reason than because they are sins he does not shun them, ib.; good and evil cannot exist together, 331; man ought to purify himself from evils and not wait for the Lord to do this without his co-operation, 331(4); the life of God in all its fulness is in evil men, 366(2); with the evil there is no faith, X. (382-384); those who deny God .cannot receive good from any other source than what is their own which is the lust of the flesh, 382; those who have no regard for the Divine commandments are practically evil, ib.; evil belongs to hell, 383; also to hatred towards the neighbor, 435(2); evil is firmly seated in every man's will from his birth, 435; see 520, 567(6); so far as it is not put away the good that he does is impregnated with that evil, 435; see 435(4), 436; no one is able to purify himself from evils by his own power, 438; evils may be breathed into the good, but not goods into the evil, 448; the friendship of love among the evil is intestine hatred, 455(3)(4); it is the same, in different degrees, with those who have led a civil moral life but have not curbed the lusts residing in the internal, 455A; see Freedom of Choice, 490; evil was in- troduced by man himself, 490; the doing of evil in both the spiritual and the nat- ural world is restrained by laws, 498(2); evils would destroy the whole human race if the fear of legal penalties did not restrain men, 498(3); he who denies and rejects the idea of sin gives no thought to anything that is called sin, 523; those who have removed some evils are kept in the purpose to refrain from other 466 INDEX OF WORDS evils, ib.; when the committing of evil is not the confirmation of it in man, ib.; see End, 523; no man in the Christian world can be without recognition of sin, 525; evil of sin is no other than evil against the neighbor, and evil against the neighbor is also evil against God, which is sin, ib.; the recognition of sin effects nothing unless a man examines the actions of his life, ib.; sins are not abolished but removed, 539; the evil that a man does see, recognize and ac- knowledge, remains, 564; if evils are dismissed from any other purpose or end than from religion they are done so only that they may not appear before the world, 566; he who does not shun evil is in evil, 567(4); evils have their seat in the natural man, 574; the evils into which man is born are generated % the will of the natural man, 587; evil cannot fight from itself but by means of falsities, 596; every evil is composed of innumerable lusts, 611; see Heaven, 622(2); evil and a faith in the one true God cannot exist together, 657; the good that an evil man does is in itself evil, ib.; see Good, 763; with the evil every evil is an image of his ruling love, 767(2). EXAMINATION. The need of self-examination, 526; see 530; who those are who are not capable of self-examination, 527; nature of those who are capable of it but do not do it, 527 (2) (3); he who has not examined himself finally ceases to know what damning evil or saving good is, 564. EXHORTATION (THE) To the holy supper, 722(3); see 812. EXINANITION. The Lord's state of exinanition de- scribed, 104, 105, 110(4). EXISTERE. God is not only Esse but also Existere, 21; why, ib.; Divine Existere, see Esse (Divine), IV.(23); see 624. EXPIATION. What it signifies, 135(5). EXTERNAL. In all of man's will and thought there is an internal and external, 147; the ex- ternal chooses from the internal only such as are suited to its use, 154(5); the external man is cleansed by means of the internal, 331(4); see 340(2)(3); the exter- nal is in the world and its light, 401(2); see 806; a holy external and a profane internal do not accord, 519; concerning a moral life in externals, 568, 568(2) (3) (4); the external man is his action and words, 592; the external is estimated from the internal, 595(4); by victory over the external man man becomes spiritual, 597; there are in man's external three things corresponding to the three things of the internal, 712. FABLES. 171, 201, 202, 275, 693. FACULTIES. The various faculties of man, 48, 70, 335, 601, 658, 718, 719, 729. FAITH. Particulars of faith on man's part, (32); faith is from God, 8; see 712; faith is to see spiritually that God is, 22(2); every truth of the church per- tains to faith, 38; by faith men learn that the Lord is He in whom they ought to believe, 107(2); see also 108; such as is a church's faith such is its doctrine, 177(2)(3); the faith of every church is like the seed from which all its dogmas spring, 178; everything that flows forth from faith is called true, 336; see 347(2); faith is not faith unless it is conjoined with charity, ib.; see 654; faith is first in time but is not actually first, 336(2); see Charity 336(2); saving faith is faith in the Lord God the Saviour, Jesus Christ, I. (337-339); see 379, 655; every doc- trine of the church that will teach and point out the way to salvation depends on faith, 338; faith in a visible God enters into man, for faith in its essence INDEX OF WORDS 467 is spiritual but in its form is natu- ral, 339; merely natural faith is only persuasion or knowledge, ib.; see 384; faith in an invisible God is actually blind, 339(2); the sum of faith is that he who lives well and believes rightly is saved by the Lord, II. (340-342); how natural faith is converted into spiritual faith, 340; man acquires faith by going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, and living according to them, 111.(343-348); see 356, 358; faith enters into all parts and each part of a system of theology, 343; the general principles which the New Church teaches respect- ing its faith, 344; the constituents of merely natural faith thus spurious faith, meretricious faith, blind faith, wander- ing faith, purblind faith, hypocritical faith, visionary faith; each explained, 345, 346; faith is from the Lord, and in the Lord, 347; the three things of faith, going to the Lord, learning truths from the Word, living according to them, must be conjoined to make saving faith, 348; what faith is like when they are separated, ib.; truth is the essence of faith; therefore as the truth is, such is the faith, 348; see 353; an abundance of truths cohering, as in a bundle, exalts and perfects faith, IV. (349-354); see 379; in every one in whom there are truths from the Word, the Lord causes truths to shine and thus become truths of faith, 349; according to the abundance and coherence of truths faith is perfected, 352, 353; see 365; faith without charity is not faith, neither has it life except from the Lord, V.(355-361); see 367(2), 385; unless man were able to acquire faith for himself, all that is commanded in the Word respecting faith would be useless, 356; man of himself is unable to acquire for himself any but natural faith, 359; by means of it he prepares himself to be a receptacle of the Lord, ib.; when man is in spiritual faith he is also in natural faith, 360(3); the Lord, charity, and faith make one; and if they are divided, each perishes.VI. (362-367); the life of the Divine wisdom is the essence of faith, 365; charity is the es- sence of faith, and faith is the form of charity, 367(3); see 386(3), 442; faith is conjunction with God by means of truths, 369(3); reciprocal conjunction of the Lord and man is effected by means of charity and faith, 372; thus con- joined it produces a spiritual-natural charity and faith, ib.; charity and faith are only mental and perishable unless they are determined to works, 375, 376; there is a true faith, a spurious faith, and a hypocritical faith, IX. (378-381); unless faith is faith in God it is no faith, 379(2); see 453; not all who approach the Lord have faith in Him; for true faith is both internal and external, 379(4); it must be faith in one God, ib.; what spurious faith is, 380; hypocritical faith is nc faith, 381; faith belongs to heaven be- cause all truth is from heaven, 383; evil by means of falsities extinguishes faith, ib.; those who reject the Lord and the Word have no faith, although they live morally, and speak rationally about faith, 384; faith is the complex of all things pertaining to the truth that a man thinks respecting God and things Divine, 392; if faith alone could regener- ate man the internal would be like a waste, 582; faith is not possible without truths, 618(2); the necessity of intel- lectual faith, 621 (2) (3) (4); see Impu- tation 626; see Charity, 654; faith in the one and true God causes good to be good in internal form also, 655. FALLACIES. The origin of fallacies in the church; 57; see 254. FALSE WITNESS. Meaning of the commandment " Thou shalt not bear false witness," 236(41; 321-324. FALSITIES. How God is omniscient with regard to falsities, 62; those who are in falsities of doctrine have no communication with heaven through the Word, 209(4); condition of those who confirm falsities by the Word, 162, 232, 233, 254, 255, 281 (whole no.); how men may be de- livered from falsities, 254, 255; truth fal- 468 INDEX OF WORDS sified takes away communication with heaven, 258; those who teach what is false are spiritual thieves, 320; to pur- posely persuade oneself that falsity of belief is true belief is bearing false wit- ness, 322; those who confirm falsities have a sort of backward sight, but no forward sight, 334(8); falsity that is not the falsity of evil may be joined to good, 398(8); evil cannot fight from itself but by means of falsities, 596; see Truth 763. FANTASY. 80, 187, 339, 462, 662, 819. FATHER. Description of how the soul from the father descended from generation to generation, 103(2) (3); how the change of type may be effected, 103(2). FATHER (AS APPLIED TO GOD). Imaginary description of the Father as a separate God, 15, 16; why the Lord called Jehovah His Father, 82(3); by the Father the Divine good is meant, 88; no one can see the Father etc., ex- cept through the Divine Human, 94; how the Lord united Himself to the Father, and the Father to the Lord Himself, VI. (97-100); the Father co-operated with the Human in the acts of redemp- tion, 97; whosoever believes in the Son believes in the Father, 107(3); by the Father should be understood the Divine from whom, 172(3); God is the Father in the Human, 180; God is the Father 306; in the celestial sense father means the Lofd Jesus Christ, 307; see Lord, 370; if the Father should draw near to man, or man to Him, man would be consumed, 370; an essential truth of faith is that the Lord is one with God the Father, 379(3); man is not to ap- proach the Father, 538. FEASTS. Concerning feasts which are diversions of charity, and their spiritual meaning, 433; see 727 FESTIVITIES In heaven, 735(5), 745 (whole no.) FINITE. Every created thing is finite; and the Infinite is in finite things, 28, 29; VI. (33, 34); God first rendered His in- finity finite by means of substances emitted from Himself, 33; the Infinite cannot create anything but what is finite, 470(4). FIRE Signifies love, good or evil, 35(12), 159, 455, 684, 686. FIRST AND THE LAST (THE). Meaning of, 84, 102, 261. FLESH Signifies the good of love and char-' ity, 367(5); see Holy Supper, 705. FOOD In the spiritual world, 281 (7)(9)(10), 735; heavenly food in its essence is no other than love, wisdom, and use to- gether, 735(6). FORGIVENESS. The Lord forgives to every one his sins, 409; why it is not necessary to supplicate forgiveness of sins, 539; forgiveness of sins is not their being rooted out but their removal, and thus their separation, 614; see Regenera- tion, 614. FORM Itself is the verily Human Form, that is that God is verily Man, 20; see also 28; the part which form plays in the Divine order, 52; concerning sub- stance and form, ib.; wisdom from love constitutes form, 53; God is substance itself and form itself, ib.; form is not a subsistent entity except from essence, 367(3). FORMULA CONCORDIA. 101, 112(3), 137(7); the teaching of the Formula Concordia concerning INDEX OF WORDS 469 God's grace, 356; Formula Concordioe on freedom of choice, 463, 464 (whole no.); see 484; Formula Concordia? on lip-confession, 516; Formula Concordia and predestination, 798(10). FORSAKEN. Why the Lord exclaimed, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? " 105; see 126. FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Man in acquiring knowledges exer- cises his freedom of choice, 24(2); God touches man's freedom of will but does not violate it, 74(3); see Regeneration, 105; Reformation, 105; see 106; it is from this freedom of choice that man is capable of reformation, 154(4); freedom of choice is granted in order that recip- rocal conjunction may exist, 371(2); man's equilibrium between heaven and hell constitutes his freedom of choice, 383; see Christian Church, 463; Formula Concordiae on freedom of choice, 464 (whole no.); the origin of freedom of choice is in the spiritual world, 475; man is kept midway be- tween heaven and hell so that he may have freedom of choice, 477, 478; man would be like beasts if his freedom to do were equal to his freedom to think, 478(3); he who accepts the spiritual things of the church restrains his free- dom of choice, ib.; he is led by the Lord away from lusts and evil pleasures, ib.; some general things showing that man has freedom of choice in spiritual things, 479; some particulars which prove that man has freedom of choice, 480; a man breathes from a freedom of choice both in things natural and in things spiritual, ib.; also 481; man would have no freedom of choice in civil, moral, or natural things if he had none in spiritual things, 482; from spiritual freedom man has a perception of what is good and true, ib.; freedom of choice may be called the living effort in man, 482(2); without freedom of choice in spiritual things the Word would be of no use, 483; without freedom of choice salvation would be impossible, 485; see 502; man could not have been created as to be a man without giving him freedom of choice, 489; unless free- dom of choice had been given to man God would have been the cause of evil, 490; see Predestination 490; that which is received by man with freedom re- mains with him, 493, 496; but only the spiritual things of the Word and church which man imbibes from love, 494; how freedom of choice in spiritual things descends into freedom of choice in natural things, ib.; how it may be turned into merely natural freedom, ib.; see Bondage, 495; why freedom of choice resides in the will and under- standing, 497, 498; see Creation, 499; how God could, in one day, lead all men to believe in the Lord if man did not have freedom of choice, 500; if man had no freedom of choice in spiritual things he would be but a brute, 503(6); with- out freedom of choice no man can repent, 509; or be regenerated, 615. FREE WILL. See Freedom of Choice. FRENZY Has invaded all churches on account of a confused belief in a Trinity of persons, 4(2). FRIENDSHIP. A friendship of love means interior friendship, 446; difference between it and external friendship, ib.; friendship in the spiritual world is interior, or be- tween those of interior likeness, 447; interior friendships contracted in the world, are detrimental in the spiritual world when one is in evil and the other in good, 448; different with those who love the good in another, 449; but see Internal, 449; the friendship of love among the evil is intestine hatred of each other, 454, 455; see 44. FRUIT. State of regeneration likened to a plant bearing fruit, 106; fruits corre- spond to the various kinds of good, ib.; see 462(10). 470 INDEX OF WORDS GABRIEL. 300. GARDEN OF EDEN Signifies wisdom and intelligence from the Word, 219; see 200, 461, 466, 467, 606. GARMENTS Signifies truths, 686, 815; those in the spiritual world who are in Divine truths have white garments, 804; gar- ments in the spiritual world, 742; the garments of the Lord which were divided after His crucifixion, 130(3). GENERAL. Particulars adapt themselves to their own general, and the general arranges them in a harmonious form, 47; see 60; what is general and what is particular are together in every single thing, 775. GENESIS. First chapters of Genesis transcribed from the ancient Word, 279(4). GENTILES Of every cult are averse to Chris- tianity solely on account of its belief in three Gods, 183; the means for regen- eration are given to Gentiles in their religions, 580(3); see 107(3); the posi- tion of the Gentiles in the spiritual world, 835; see Man (as applied to God), 836; ancient Gentiles, 9(3), 275, 624. GEOMETRY. 32(8), 387(5). GERMANS. Germany as an empire, 813; the result of their despotic government, 814; the nation is little devoted to matters of judgment but rather to matters of memory, ib.; their state in the spiritual world, ib., 815; the German clergy in the spiritual world, 815; the people of Hamburg are nowhere now gathered together in the spiritual world-, 816. GLORIFICATION. See Human (The Divine), 94; what the Lord's glorification, is, 97; see 110(4), 105, 126, 128; its distinction from redemption, 126; state of, described, 104; when the Lord was in that state, ib.; the Lord glorified His Human in the same manner in which He regenerates man, 105; see 684; see also Passion of the Cross, 95; see Exinanition. GLORY. When glory is predicated of the Lord it signifies Divine truth united to Divine good, 128; glory (Matt, xxiv.) signifies the spiritual sense of the Word, 198, 271; see 776, 780. GOATS. 95. GOD Is love and wisdom, 3; the Scrip- ture and all doctrines of the Christian churches teach that God is one, 1.(6, 7); see also 111.(9, 10); God cannot be seen by any creature, 6; see 691; the deriva- tives of God which are like draperies of Him, 6; nevertheless God beams forth to man like light through crystalline forms, 6(2); men differ in their ideas of God, IV. (11); some of the crude ideas of God, 11(2); a man's knowledge of God is his mirror of God, 11(3); see also 13(4); God cannot turn Himself- away from man, 56; see 490; no one but God can resist evils and their falsities, 68; worse than incredible to say that the one God begat a Son from eternity and that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each one of whom singly is God, is one God, 82; knowledges respecting God prepare man for conjunction with.Him, 89; on a right idea of God the whole body of theology hangs, 163; by God is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom, 253; development of those who had known nothing about God, 274; how one is able to think of God from eternity, 280(10); what class of men do not in heart acknowledge any God, 293; why the name of God must be INDEX OF WOKDS 471 used continually in holy things, 297; the name of God means everything which the church teaches from the Word, 298; God cannot but save those who live according to His command- ments and have faith in Him, 341; impossible for God to save any one who lives wickedly and therefore believes falsely, ib.; ideas of God which follow from a belief in predestination, 486(3), 487, 488, 489; see Christian Church, 647 (2) (3) (4). "GOD OF ISRAEL" Means Jehovah God as to His Human, 101. GOG Signifies external worship apart from internal, 200(3). GOLD In the Word signifies good, 203, 205; that is internal good, 595(4), 609. GOODS Should be done because they are of God and from God, 3(2); all good that is in itself good is from God, 8; God is good itself because good is of love, 38; see 651; what it is which gives life to good, 38; see 239; every kind of good gives itself form by means of truths, 38(3); as God wills only what is good He can do nothing but what is good, 56; His omnipotence must go forth and operate within the sphere of the extension of the good, ib.; see Jehovah God 85; Divine good alone inadequate to effect redemp- tion, 86; compared to the round hilt of a sword, ib.; ineffectiveness of good apart from truth, 87; although God de- scended as Divine truth, He did not separate therefrom the Divine good, 88; see Use, 96; Divine good has relation to the priestly office, 114; no man is in good from himself, but all good is from the Lord, 121(3); see 163; power of good 224; he who wills and does only what is good becomes that good, 263; Divine good in its heat is in the interior senses of the Word, 289; see Will, 397; good desires to be conjoined to truth, 398(5); there is spiritual good and natural good, 398(6); the good that a man does by means of his body proceeds from his spirit, or out of his internal, 435(3); so far as one does not will evil he wills good, 437; see Evil, 448; everything that goes forth from the Lord is good, but it may be turned into evil by the spirits in hell, 492; all who do good from religion, not only Christians, but even pagans are saved, 536; after death they reject falsities and accept with pleasure what belongs to the New Church, ib.; those who do good from natural goodness only and not also from religion are not accepted after death, 537; Divine good is the being of God's substance, 624(3); spiritual goodness belongs to the spirit born anew from the Lord 537/ see Faith, 655; see Love, 658(2); nothing that is proper and good in any virtue can pass by successive steps to what is improper and evil, but only to its least phase until it perishes, 745(5); when there is no genuine truth no genuine good is possible, but merely natural good, 753, 754; good is the essence of truth, 753; good takes on its quality through the existence of evil as an opposite, 763. GOOD WORKS. Man should lead himself into charity by means of good works, 71(2); charity and faith are together in good works, VIII. (373-377); good works are doing well from willing well, and belong to the external man, 374; see 421; illus- trations of how charity descends into good works, 374(3) (4); good works are produced by charity and faith together, 377; living well naturally is understood at this day, but not living well spirit- ually, 393; charity and good works are distinct, 421; such as charity and faith are together, such are works, 442; how natural good works become interiorly spiritual, 654. GOTSCHALK. 798(2)(3). 472 INDEX OF WORDS GRACE. If grace were to depart from God there would be an end to the human race, 161(2); the teaching of the Evangelical churches and Reformed churches con- cerning God's grace, 356; see 486; faith in God's grace, 440. GRAND MAN. The whole angelic heaven together with the church on earth is in the Lord's sight like one man, 119; see 32(6), 65, 613. 739(8); see Hell, 32(6); in the Lord's sight the church is seen as a single man, 762. GREECE. The knowledge of correspondences was carried into Greece but was there turned into myths, 202, 275. GREEK CHURCH. 153(3); 760. GRIEF. The grief which God takes away, 126. H. Signification of the letter H, 278. HABIT. Disusage makes a man old in his habits, 561; habit in repentance, 562; habit makes a second nature, 563; every one becomes imbued with the end he has in view and the habit arising there- from, ib. HAIR Signifies intelligence from Divine truth in things outmost or last, 223. HAND. The right hand of God signifies om- nipotence, 136(5); the two hands are the outermosts of man, 462(9). HARLOT Signifies falsification, 277. HATRED. Evil belongs to hatred towards the neighbor, 435(2); among those who have confirmed themselves in evil there is in- testine hatred, 455(4); see 593, 612. HEAD Signifies the intelligence that men have from the Lord through Divine truth, 223; see 160(8), 565. HEART (THE) Corresponds to love, 37(2); or to the will, 87; see 143, 154, 367, 371, 577, 601; what societies in heaven are in the prov- ince of the heart and lungs 269; their effect on other societies, ib. HEAT (THE) That goes forth from the sun of the spiritual world is in its essence love, 37(2); see 39, 360, 365, 385, 392, 585; natural heat serves as a covering and auxiliary to spiritual heat to enable it to pass over to man, 75(2); see 35; it is by heat that the bodily parts are adapted to receive freely those things to which the love aspires, 496(3). HEATHEN. Many of the gods of the heathen were simply men, 292. HEAVEN And the church act as a one, like the internal and external man, I.; see 380; how heaven is arranged in societies, 15; 447, 622, 646, 739(8); heaven represents one Divine man, 32(6); the entire heaven is in the sight of God like one man, 65, 268, 269; there is a plenary correspond- ence between heaven and man, 65; heav- en constitutes the internal of which the church is the external, 119; heaven con- sists of men from the earth, 119(3); condition of the heavens at the Lord's first coming, 121; every one is allotted his place in the heavens in accordance with his idea of God, 163; see 621(7); when heaven is closed man either sees nothing of truth or is spiritually insane, 208; there are three heavens, celestial, spiritual, and natural, 212; see 580(2), 608, 609; love to the Lord and to the neighbor constitute heaven in man, INDEX OF WORDS 473 399(7); so far as man turns away from hell so far he turns towards heaven, 437; to think about getting into heaven, and that good ought to be done for that rea- son is not to regard reward as an end 440; what heaven is, 455; the regenerate man is in the heat and light of heaven, 605; see Man, 607; all who are in heaven look toward the Lord, 613; see 795, 799; man as to the other nature which he ac- quires by the second birth is a heaven in miniature, 613; in heaven the idea of God is that He is the Lord the Saviour, 621 (7); concerning those who have been pre- pared for heaven, 622; those who are in evils may ascend to heaven by permis- sion, 622(2); see 652(2); it is the belief of the present day that to be received into heaven is a matter of mercy only, 622(3); see Lord 652(3); the universals relating to heaven 661(3); distinction in the heavens between those who have been regenerated by Divine good and by Divine truth, 686; how regeneration is represented in heaven, 687; concerning employments, etc. in heaven, 694(3)(4) (5)(6)(7); concerning worship in heaven, 695; concerning joy and happiness in heaven, 732-752; see particularly 734 (3), 735(5)(6), 736(3)(4), 737(4)(5), 738 (4)(5), 739(7)(8), 744(2)(3), 746(3); in heaven place is not place but an appear- ance of place, 739(7); man by creation is a lesser likeness of the great heaven, 739(8); concerning some who were ele- vated into heaven for instruction, 740- 752; the universe was created for no other end than the formation from men of an angelic heaven, 773; all that is magnifi- cent in heaven is from the light that goes forth from the Lord, 780; the worship of saints is such an abomination in heaven that when it is merely heard of it excites horror, 824; at this day the nature of heaven has been disclosed by the Lord, 846(4). HEBREW LETTERS. 241, 278. HELL. How the Lord removed hell from man, and holds it under obedience to Himself, 2(2); when man enters into communion with hell, 14(2)(3); hell represents one monstrous devil, 32(6); why those in hell do not acknowledge God, 45; all hell is like a single gigantic monster, 68; hell could have been subjugated only through Divine truth from the Word, 86; when the Lord was in the world He conquered the hells, 116; see 117; con- dition of the hells at the Lord's first coming, 121; see 579; at His second coming, 121(2); see 123; the nature of hell, 123; what would happen to man if hell were not kept in subjugation, 123(5); see Man, 274; those who reject faith and charity think from hell, 360(3); evil belongs to hell, 383; love of self and of the world constitute hell in man, 399(7); see Heaven, 437; an evil man goes to the society in hell where his rul- ing love prevails, 447; see 646; what hell is, 455; the unregenerate man is in the heat and darkness of hell, 605; see Man 607; man is from birth a hell in miniature, 612; see 739(8); all who are in hell turn their faces from the Lord 613; the three universals relating to hell, 661(3); those who do not acknowledge the Lord after instruction are cast down to hell, 795; those who have confirmed themselves in falsities and those who have lived an evil life do not suffer themselves to be instructed and asso- ciate themselves with their like in hell, 799; at this day the nature of hell has been disclosed by the Lord, 846(4). HEREDITARY EVIL. How it acts in man, 154(4); see 659, 822; it is from parents, but man may accede to or withdraw from it, 469; see 520, 521; the hereditary evils into which man is born have arisen principally from love of ruling and of possessing, 498(2); see Judgment, 521(2); heredi- tary evils are broken only by regenera- tion, 521(3); otherwise it is increased by successive parents, ib. HERESIES A belief in three Divine persons is the only source of the heresies concerning God, 23; how heresies have been drawn 474 INDEX OF WORDS from the Word, 254; heresies themselves do not condemn men, ib.; the various heresies of the Christian Church. 378(2); causes of same, 378(3); charity may be joined to any heretical belief, but the quality of charity is changed in accord- ance with the faith, 450; see 451; here- sies are permissions, 479; heresies have flowed chiefly from such as were sensual, 402(10). HIEROGLYPHICS Of the Egyptians were nothing but correspondences, 201, 205, 833. HOLINESS. The difference between a holiness that is merely declared, and a holiness that is seen, 701(4). HOLY OF HOLIES. 220. "HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL." 93, 253. HOLY SPIRIT. Imaginary description of the Holy Spirit as a separate God, 15, 16; rightly the Holy Spirit means the operations of the Divine omnipresence, 16(2); see 138, 172(3), 188; "the Holy Spirit the Com- forter" means the Divine truth, 85(2); see 684; the Holy Spirit is the Divine truth and also the Divine energy and operation proceeding from the one God, I. (139-141); the Lord Himself is the Holy Spirit, 139; what it means to send the Holy Spirit, 153 (whole no.); the Holy Spirit first was, when the Lord had come into the world, 158; see Lip- Confession, 516; to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire means that the Lord regenerates man by the Divine truth of faith and the Divine good of love, 686. HOLY SUPPER, Why it was instituted, 238; all are forewarned that before they can wor- thily approach the holy supper they must repent <>i their sins, 530; see 567(7)(8); by the holy supper man is conjoined with the Lord and introduced into heaven, not with the bread and wine, but with the love and faith of the man who has repented, 621(13); see Chris- tian Church, 670; without a knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word it can- not be known what the holy supper in- volves and effects, 698, 701; see 846(2); the need of a spiritual interpretation of the holy supper, 699; the institution of the holy supper, 703; the Lord's doc- trine concerning the bread and wine, ib.; the flesh and bread mean the Lord in respect to the Divine good of love, and the good of charity, 705; see 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 730; the blood and wine mean the Lord in respect to the Divine truth of wisdom, and the truth of faith, 705; see 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 730; the holy supper involves the Lord, His Divine good, and His Divine truth; hence it contains the universals and particulars of heaven and the church, 711; how the Lord is wholly present in the holy supper, 716; the holy supper is a spiritual eating, ib.; the whole of the Lord's redemption is in the holy supper, 717; see 728; with both the worthy and the unworthy the Lord is present in the holy supper, 719; with those who come unworthily His presence is only His uni- versal presence, 719(2); the holy supper is introduction into heaven, 721; if one comes to the holy supper without ac- knowledging God he profanes it, 722; after the acknowledgment of God char- ity is the second means which enables one to come to the holy supper worthily, 722(2); faith in the Lord is the third means, 722(4); these three essentials must be of man's interior, 723; those who come to the holy supper worthily are conjoined with the Lord, 725; they come to the holy supper like a signature and seal that they are sons of God, 728; see 730. HOMOGENEOUS Affection conjoins, and heterogeneous affection separates, 622(3). HORSE Signifies understanding of the Word, 113(3): see 623, 623(2), 776(2). INDEX OF WORDS 475 HOSEA Treats entirely of the falsification of the genuine understanding of the Word, 247(4). HUMAN. God came into the world by means of a human which He took on through the virgin Mary, 92; when He became God the Lord had put off everything of the human He had derived from His mother. HUMAN (DIVINE). The Lord's Human is Divine truth, 3; the Human has life in itself, 40; God could not by His omnipotence have re- deemed men unless He had become Man, 73(3); the Divine Human was not the Divine Esse, 81; Jehovah assumed the Human in accordance with His Di- vine order, 111.(89-91); the Human is actually the Son of God, 92; see 102, 538; the Human enabled God who is in inmost things to pass over to outmost things, 84; see 125; in respect to the Lord's Human He was an infant like other infants, a boy like other boys, etc., 89; but with a difference, ib.; how the Lord glorified His Human, 94; see Arm, 84; "Arm of Jehovah," 84; Father, 94; Glorification, 105; Jehovah, 81, 1.(82-84); Redeemer, 81; false con- ceptions of the Human, 90; it was not in respect to His Divine but in respect to His Human that the Lord suffered, 12G; the soul of His Human is the Divine of the Father, and the Human is His body, 154(6); there is no conjunction with God with those who do not ap- proach God in His Human, 457; see Baptism, 684; the Lord's Divine cannot be separated from His Human, 716; it is in respect to His Human that the Lord is the Redeemer, 717; since the Lord ascended into heaven He is in His glori- fied Human, 777; before the assump- tion of the Human God was not visible, 787; He is visible through His Human- ity, ib.; it is the Lord the Saviour in His Human who is to be worshiped, Theorem at end of book. HUMAN THOUGHT Can take in only what is created and finite, 18. HUMILIATION. See Exinanition, 104; in reforma- tion man is in a state of humiliation, 106; Lord's humiliation, 110(4). HUSBAND. 41(3), 377. HYPOSTATIC UNION Does not exalt the Human of the Lord to Divinity, 94; see 137(10), 174. HYPOCRISY. How it originates, 111, 340(2); see 381, 517, 518, 592; the hypocrite is the lowest natural for he is sensual, 381 (2). IDEA. Spiritual ideas 30; see 111(5)(6), 280 (5); a man can think only from ideas drawn from such things as belong to space and time, 31(2); see 280(6)(9) (10); where there is no thought there are no ideas, 335(7); ideas are fixed in the mind and remain as they have been accepted and confirmed, 351(2). IDENTICAL. No two things are identical, 32. IDOLATRIES. Knowledge of correspondences per- ished when the representative things of the church were turned into idolatries, 204; see 11(2), 205, 275, 291, 833. IMAGES. The ancients made images corre- sponding to heavenly things, but not for worship, 205; when these images be- gan to be worshiped, ib. IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD. Why men are so called, 20; the infi- nite Divine is in men as in its images, 34; when man becomes truly an image of God, 34(2); see 41(2), 692; the less per- fect images, 34(2); when man is no more 476 INDEX OF WORDS an image of God but like some animal, ib.; why God made man in His image, 46; see 65, 74; Memorable Relation con- cerning the image of God, 48; every good of love is an image of the Lord, 767. IMMENSITY. In relation to spaces God's infinity is called immensity, IV. (31); to angels the immensity of God means His Divinity in respect to His Esse, 31(2); man can- not think of God's immensity as antece- dent to space, ib.; see illustration of immensity, 32(3). IMMORTALITY. Man lives after death, 792; see 621; the Lord at this time has made a revelation respecting the life of men after death, 846(3); it is the spirit or internal man which lives after death, 156; man re- stored after death to the morning of his life and develops to eternity, 766. IMMUTABLE. Divine order is immutable, 105. IMPUTATION. See Predestination, 72, 73; impu- tation has reference to those who know, 107(3); discussion concerning imputa- tion in Memorable Relation, 134; the conclusions that follow from the idea of imputation without freedom of choice, 485; see 489, 514, 581, 616, 630; in the present church faith and imputation make one, 626; it is taught in the pres- ent church that justification and salva- tion are effected by God the Father through the arbitrary imputation of the merit of Christ His Son, 628; see 644, 645; why this is a double imputation, 629; see 631; there is an imputation of good and evil which is the imputation meant in the Word where it is men- tioned, 643; see 647(6); there is also an imputation of faith, 643(3); how the imputation of good and evil are effected after death, 646; see New Church, 647; the true and false doctrines of imputa- tion cannot exist together, 648, 649; see Christian Church, 649; the Lord im- putes to man good; the devil imputes to him evil, 650; thought is not imputed to man, but will, 658(6); imputation cor- responds to the estimate and price, 660; through this the value of the church may be estimated, ib.; of the ministry of the church, ib.; of worship, 660(2); of government, ib.; imputation is to the essential, not to the formal, ib. INCARNATION. Redemption could not have been ac- complished except by God incarnated, V.(124,125). INCLINATION To evil, 469, 521, 612, 659. INFANTS. Those who die in infancy are educated under the auspices of the Lord, and are saved, 521(2); see 661; see Baptism, 677(5); see 729; infants in heaven, 306; how thought is formed and ideas exist with infants, 335(7). INFINITE. Immensity and eternity are included in infinity, 27; God is Infinite because He is Being and Existence in Himself, 1.(28); the human mind is incapable of seeing the infinity of God, 28; sufficient to acknowledge Him from finite things in which He is infinitely, ib.; God is Infinite because He was before the world was, 11.(29); the infinity of God can be seen by enlightened reason in very many things in the world, V.(32); infinite variety impossible except from an infin- ity in God, 32. INFLUX. There is an influx from God into man that there is one God, 11.(8); see also 9; how this influx may be perverted, 8(3)(4); see also 9, 11; the Divine in- flux into the outmosts of nature, 12 (5)(6)(7)(8); concerning influx of the spiritual world into the natural world, 695(2)(3)(4)(5); see Efflux, 814; the Lord inflows into the whole universe, 641(2); the Lord's influx into man, 633, INDEX OF WORDS 477 364, 365, 366, 457, 458; influx of the spiritual world into animals, 335(3) (4) (5) (6); if it were denied that man is a form receptive of love and wisdom from God, influx would also be denied, 472(3). INGENUITY. Human ingenuity can confirm what- ever it will, even until it seems to be actually true, 621(12). INIQUITY. To bear iniquities does not mean to take them away, 130. INMOST. 56, 70(2). INSTINCT Of animals, 145, 335; 6ee also 508. INSTRUCTION Follows from enlightenment, percep- tion and disposition as an effect from causes, 155; instruction is the first period of man's life, 443(2); instruction of the clergy, 146; instruction after death, 138, 255; man without instruction, 692(4). INSTRUMENTAL (THE) And the principal together, 473, 576. INTELLIGENCE. By education every one is exteriorly in intelligence, 662(2); intelligence is the light of life, 41(2); it is from the Lord, 276, 350, 401(8), 663; it resides in the understanding, 658; according to the af- fection for knowledges every one has intelligence, 694(6). INTENTION. Whatever pertains to the intention pertains also to the will, and so essen- tially to the deed, 309; see 313, 523, 532, 658(4). INTERCESSION. Absurdity of the idea of the inter- cession of the Son, 90; see 135. INTERCOURSE Between the soul and body, 154(6). INTERNAL. It is the internal that makes the man, 14(4), 156, 676; in all of man's will and thought there is an internal and exter- nal, 147; see 785; the internal acts in and into the external, 154(5); see 340(2) (3), 462; when the body is cast off the internal is in a complete human form, 156; see 340(3); see 595(2); the external acts as one with the internal only when lusts have been removed, 326; in the internal the quality inwardly lies, 373; love to God and to the neighbor open the internal man; love of self and the world close it, 399(8); with the good man the internal is in heaven; with the evil man it is in hell, 401(2); the internal spiritual man viewed in himself is an angel of heaven, 401(4); the interiors of his mind are elevated towards heaven, 401(5); but with those who are natural the interiors are turned towards the world, ib.; see 401(6)(7); no one is able to explore the interiors of the mind of those with whom he associates or deals, 449; see Christian Church, 591; the internal man pertains to the will 592; the external is estimated from the in- ternal, 595(4); if the internal man were reformed and not the external also it would have no means of determining itself to doing good, 600; there are three things in man in respect to his internal, 712. ISRAEL Means in the Word the spiritual church, 200(3); Israel is the church it- self, 247(3). ISRAELITES. With the Israelites worship was ex- ternal, 109(2). ISRAELITISH CHURCH Instituted to restore the worship of one God, 9(2); it was the third church, 760, 762, 786; condition of the Israelit- ish Church at the Lord's first coming, 121 (2); 'the condition of the Israelitish 478 INDEX 01 WORDS Church represented in the various acts of the Lord's passion, 130(3); worship of the Israelitish Church consisted solely of correspondences or representatives, 204; see 291, 501(2); 833(2); Israelitish Church became destroyed by falsifica- tions of the Word 247(4); see Com- mandments (Ten), 283; that which pri- marily distinguished the Israelitish Church was circumcision, 674; the Jew- ish Church when it was wholly devas- tated declared that it alone was in heavenly light, 759; the Israelitish Church worshiped an invisible God un- der a human form, representative of the Lord who was to come, 786. ITALY. 275. JACOB Means in the Word the natural church 200(3); see 9(2). JASHER (BOOK OF). 265, 279. JEHOVAH Signifies the supreme and only Being, and the Creator of the universe, 9(3); Jehovah means the Divine Esse, 81; Je- hovah of the Old Testament is called the Lord in the New, 81; Jehovah Himself descended and assumed a Human, 81; see 786; Scripture passages to show this, 82 (2) (3), 83; this was in order that He might redeem and save men, 1.(82-84); with Jehovah the future is present, 101; Jehovah spoke the Word through Moses and the Prophets, 190; Jehovah means the Lord in respect to the Divine good of the Divine love, 253. "JEHOVAH GOD." The two terms separately or together mean in the Word, Divine love or Di- vine good, and Divine wisdom or Di- vine truth, 85; the Divine Human of the Lord is meant by the name Jehovah God, 299. "JEHOVAH OF HOSTS" Means Jehovah God as to His Human, 101. JERUSALEM. By "Jerusalem" is meant a church that is to descend from the Lord out of heaven, 107; see 782 (whole no.), 789, 841. See New Jerusalem. JESUITS, The zeal of, 146. JESUS Signifies Saviour, 111(3), 149, 150; see 726; from His priestly office the Lord is called Jesus, 114; the name Je- sus is holy, 297; the name Jesus means everything of salvation through re- demption, 298. JESUS CHRIST. See Lord. JEWS Believe in one God, 9(2); Jews durst not utter the name Jehovah on account of its holiness, 81, 297; see Israelites, 109(2); Jews are averse to Christianity on account of its belief in three Gods, 183; the Jews in heart were idolaters, 205; the Jews rejected the Lord solely because He taught them of a heavenly instead of an earthly kingdom, ib., 246; the Jews and the Word, 246, 270; why the Jews are still images of their father Judah, and why they are still unable to embrace the Christian religion, 521(3); the Jews who were baptized by John were merely external men, 690; see 691(4); with the Jews money is the final love, and business a mediate subser- vient love, 801; the position of the Jews in the spiritual world previous to and after the last judgment, 841; an angel sometimes exhorts them to refrain from their expectation of a Messiah, 842; see 845; some are thereby converted, 842; in the spiritual world the Jews engage in traffic, 843; the Jews more than others are unaware that they are in the spirit- ual world (after death) because they are external men, 844; they believe they will all get to the land of Canaan, 845. JEWISH CHURCH. See Israelitish Church. INDEX OF WORDS 479 JOB, A book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences, 201; see 846. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 510, 088; by the baptism of John a way was prepared for the coming of the Lord, 689; the effect of this in heaven was to close up the hells and guard the Jews against total destruction, ib.; see 691(4); the baptism of John represented the cleansing of the external man, 690; and is called the baptism of repentance, ib.; see Baptism 690. JOVE. 9(3), 275, 655. JOY AND GLADNESS. Their meaning in the Word, 252; heavenly joy and happiness, 731-752. JUDAH Means in the Word the celestial church, 200(3). JUDAISM. See Christian Churches, 94. JUDAS. 130(3). JUDGES. Memorable Relation concerning judges who had been influenced by friendship and bribes, 332; see 317, 666; conscien- tious judges, 422, 459(15). JUDGMENT Is predicated of wisdom, 51; by means of justice and judgment God's govern- ment is carried on, ib.; see 134, 459; the judgment that is effected in man after death is in accord with the use he has made of freedom of choice in spiritual things, 497(5); man is not judged from any inherited evil but from the actual evils which he himself has committed, 521(2); judgment means judgment to hell, but of salvation judgment is not predicated but resurrection to life, 652. JUDGMENT (THE FINAL) An act of redemption, 95; the final judgment of 1757, 115, 116; see 124(3), 388(8), 772, 820, 796, 841; concerning the popular idea of the final judgment, 693(4)(5)(6); see 768, 769, 770. 846(3); see Swedenborg, 771; since the last judgment the state of all in the spiritual world is so changed that they are not permitted, as formerly, to congregate in bodies, 818. JUSTICE Is predicated of love, 51; by means of justice and judgment God's government is carried on, ib.; the laws of justice are truths that cannot be changed, 341; see Judgment. JUSTIFICATION. What this means, 142. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE. This doctrine blinds men from under- standing the doctrine of the true Trinity, 98; see 181; justifying faith treated of in a Memorable Relation, 161; also 182(3); see 206; see 389; see 505, 506; see 809, 810; those who are confirmed in the doctrine of justification by faith alone are incapable of self-examination, 527; concerning justification by faith alone, 616; when justification by faith alone is established by confirmations man confirms himself against the spir- ituality of charity, 796(5). KILL. Meaning of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill, " 236; what it means to kill in intention as well as in act, 309; what it means to kill in a spiritual sense, 310; in the celestial sense to kill means to be rashly angry with the Lord, 311. KING Signifies Divine truth, 114; see 219; king of Tyre, 260; king of the abyss, 310; kings in the world, 422, 533(2). KINGDOM (LORD'S) Means the church throughout the world, also heaven, 416; what love 480 INDEX OF WORDS towards the Lord's Kingdom is, ib.; the Lord's Kingdom, 113(6)(7); see also 199, 212, 236. KNOWLEDGES Necessary for the understanding of God, 24; what these are, ib.; knowledges open the lowest degree of life, 42; thoughts from knowledges open the next, ib.; knowledge of the Lord surpasses in excellence all other knowledges, 81. KORAN (THE). 833. LABOR. The six days of labor, 302; the com- bats of the Lord are called labors, ib. LADDER OF JACOB. 24(2). LAITY. Love of ruling with the laity, 405(4). LAMB Signifies innocence, 200(2); the Lamb in the Apocalypse, 144, 311. "LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE" Means the Word, 107. LAMPS Signify things pertaining to faith, 199; see 396, 606. LANGUAGE (THE) Of angels, 19(2); agrees in no respect with any natural language on earth, ib.; see also 280(2)(3)(4); spiritual language embraces thousands of things which natural language cannot express, 386(4). LAW (THE). See Commandments (Ten); why the Decalogue is called the law, 287; the law and the prophets signify the whole Word, ib.; see 262; meaning of the law in a strict sense, in a broader sense, and in the broadest sense, 288; laws of order; see Order; what the spiritual law is, 444; see 411, 497; laws of justice, 55, 341, 498(2) (3); by the works of the law Paul meant the works of the Mosaic law, 338, 506(2) (3) (4). LAZARUS. 215(3)(4). LEIBNITZ. 335(7), 696. LETTERS In the spiritual world, 19(2), 241, 278. LEVIATHANS. 74(2), 182(3). LIFE. Because God is love itself and wisdom itself He is life itself, which is life in itself, 111.(39, 40); see 362; how love and wisdom make up life 39; man's life, that is acting and thinking, is not from him- self, 40; from His life God gives life to every man, 364; God because He is in- finite is Life in Himself, 470(4); life is not creatable nor can it be transferred into man except in connection with love and wisdom, 471; life from hell is inverted life or spiritual death, 471; it is God's gift that man should feel life in himself as if it were his own, 504(5); if life were to act merely, and man were not to co-operate as if of himself, he could not think, 577(3). LIGHT (THE) That goes forth from the sun of the spiritual world is in its essence wisdom, 37(2); see 39, 59, 269; whenever light is mentioned in the Word it means wisdom, or Divine truth, 59; see 76(5), 85(3); natural light serves as a covering and auxiliary to spiritual light, 75(2); light of heaven, 76(3), 187(3), 215(5), 242, 400; spiritual light, 365; natural light, 40; fatuous light, 162(2), 334(4), 335. LIKENESS. See Image; see Father, 103(2). LIP-CONFESSION. Teaching of the Reformed Church on lip-confession, 516; it is based on the be- INDEX OF WORDS 481 lief that there is no co-operation on man's part with the Holy Spirit in the act of justification, ib.; why it is not repentance, 517, 518; see 529; concern- ing a spirit who believed that after lip- confession evils were no longer evils in the sight of God, 518. LITERAL SENSE Of the Word is the sense which may be construed to confirm some dogma of the church, 194; see Natural Sense. LONDON. 809, 811. LORD. The name Lord is used in the New Testament, 81; see 297; the Lord had His soul and life from Jehovah God, 82(3); from the union of God and Man in one Person, Jehovah God calls both Himself, and His Human, Lord, 101; see 370(3); how the Lord was present with men before His coming, 109, 109(2); how since His coming, 109; see Re- deemer, 81; conjunction of Lord and man, how effected, 100; the Lord, as described in Apoc. xix., 196; see New Heaven, 108; condition of those who do not believe in the Lord, 108; the three essentials called Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are one in the Lord, 139; where the Lord is meant, the Word also is meant, 221; without the Lord there is no salvation, 267; the Lord is present by means of the Word throughout the whole world, ib.; the first command- ment means that no other God than the Lord Jesus Christ is to be worshiped, 294, 296; the Lord draws near to every man so far as man recognizes and ac- knowledges Him, 339(3); see 766; ac- cess to the Lord is closed to no man, 358; see 719, 720; nothing of faith or of char- ity or of the life of either, is from man, but from the Lord alone, 359; see 365, 522; see Faith, 362-367; the Lord with all of His Divine love, with all of His Di- vine wisdom, thus with all of His Di- vine life, flows into every man, 364; see 580(3); the Lord is charity and faith in man, and man is charity and faith in the Lord, VII. (368-372); conjunction Vol. II.— 31 with God the Father is not possible, but only conjunction with the Lord, and through Him with God the Father, 370; conjunction with the Lord and man is a reciprocal conjunction, 371; see 728; conjunction with the Lord and Father is reciprocal, ib.; an essential truth of faith is that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, 379(3); so far as any one rejects the devil he is accepted by the Lord, 437; man cannot do good that in itself is good except from the Lord, 439; how reciprocal conjunction with the Lord is effected, 484; since the Lord's coming every man has the ability to be- come spiritual from the Lord through the Word, 501; no evil can be removed ex- cept by the Lord, 522; see 662(2); the Lord God the Saviour is to be ap- proached, 538; the power to act aright is from the Lord, 576; see Combat, 596(2); the Lord is the church with those who acknowledge and believe in Him, 608; no man could endure the actual presence of the Lord, 641(5); see Imputation, 650; the Lord could not save the good from grace and damn the evil from a feeling of revenge, 651; there is a sphere proceeding continually from the Lord which raises all towards heaven 652(3); all who believe in the Lord and live according to His commandments enter that sphere and are elevated, ib.; see Man, 662(3); see Baptism, 681; the name of the Lord Jesus Christ means in the Word nothing else than acknowl- edgment of Him and a life according to His commandments, 682; see Baptism, 684; what the Lord's universal presence is, 719(2); what the Lord's universal and particular presence together is, 719(3); the Lord is called the morning, 764(2); all truth and all good are from the Lord, and are the Lord's in man, 767; the Lord's presence is with every man, but His coming is only to those who receive Him, 774; see Marriage, 783. LOVE Of God the center of all loves of goods, 15; see 38; who those are who love God, 22(2); love and wisdom the two essen- tials of God, 37; see 778; love abstracted 482 INDEX OF WORDS from a form is impossible, 37; what the essence of love is, V. (43-45); God's love consists of these essentials, 43; these essentials were the cause of crea- tion, and the cause of its preservation, VI. (46, 47); love is an endeavor towards conjunction, 43(3); love affects not only the good but also the evil, 44; in every love there is an end, 47; the reciprocal of conjunction with God is man's loving God, 48(6); where knowledge is not love is not, 48(12); how love flows into wisdom and is guided by it, 50; see Uses, 67; all things belonging to doc- trine and life have reference to love to God and love towards the neighbor, 287; the sphere of love which goes forth from the Lord, 308; the two opposite loves, 329(2); love and charity follow when by shunning evils what is commanded in the Decalogue is done, 329(4); love is conjunction with God by means of the goods that belong to the will, 369(3); love is the esse of man's life, 386(2); love of heaven means both love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor thus love of uses, 394; see 399(6); what love of the world is, 394; see 399(6); what love of self is, 394; see 399(6), 822; see Char- ity, 394; how these three loves should be related to each other, 395 (whole no.); see 403, 507(2)(3)(4)(5)(6); the very life of man is his love, 399; what belongs to the dominant love is what is loved above all things, 399(2); it is his end, 399(3); according to it his heaven or his hell is formed, 399(4); it is the de- light of his life, 399(5); heavenly lave is loving uses for the sake of uses, 400(5) in this way he is led by the Lord, 400(6) what love to the neighbor is, 400(8) love of dominion continues with man after death, but in accordance with the end which it sought, 400(9); the char- acter of every love is determined by the end which it regards and intends, 404; see Man, 457(2); when there is conjunc- tion with God through charity God's love is within man's love towards the neigh- bor, 457(3); the difficulty of examining the love of ruling and the love of possess- ing, 533; see Will, 533(3); every love in man breathes forth a delight by which it makes itself felt, 569; see 570(5); whatever proceeds from the love is called good, even if it be evil, this being the result of delight, which constitutes the life of the love, 658(2); love in the will is the end, and in the understanding seeks and finds the causes whereby it advances into effect, 658(4); in every man of sound mind there is an ability to receive love from the Lord, 718; the sole end of God's Divine love was to con- join man to Himself and Himself to man, 786; the final love has its seat in the highest or inmost parts of the mind, 801. LUCIFER. Concerning a spirit who imagined himself to be Lucifer, 507(4)(5); those who are meant by Lucifer, 146; see 41 (2), 276. LUNGS (THE) Correspond to wisdom, 37(2); or un- derstanding, 87; what societies in heav- en are in the province of the heart and lungs, 269; their effect on other socie- ties, ib. LUST. He who refrains from doing evils and yet lusts to do them still does them, 313, 326; unless lusts are subdued the flesh let loose would rush into every wicked- ness, 327; difference between lusts and affections, 328; what makes him a man, ib.; how lusts have their dwelling place in man, 611; every evil is com- posed of innumerable lusts, ib.; by birth every one is interiorly in lust, 662(2). LUTHER. A statement concerning Luther, 137 (8); Luther in the spiritual world, 796 (whole no.). MACHIAVELIANS. 462(5)(11). MAMMONS. 404. » INDEX OF WORDS 483 MAN. When man is inwardly like an angel, 1; see also 14, 15; man perceives God according to the state of his mind, 6(2); there is in every man an internal dictate that there is one God, 9; but see 24; in man love and wisdom are separated, 41(2); God is continually working to conjoin them, ib.; see Memorable Rela- tion, 48(5); why man is not born into the knowledge proper to any love, 48(8) (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15); man with- out instruction knows nothing whatever of the modes of loving the sex, (48)8; man was created into his own order, 54; man was created a form of Divine order, VI. (65-67); that is, a receptacle of Divine love and wisdom, 65; see 481; see Heaven, 65; all things that proceed from the sun of the spiritual world have relation to man, 66; all objects in the spiritual world are representa- tive of man, ib.; man is the chief end of creation, 67; every man is in an equilibrium, and thus in freedom of choice, between heaven and hell, 69(2); see 477, 478, 497(3); God is in man to the extent that man is living in ac- cordance with Divine order, 70; never- theless God is in the evil man but he is not in God, ib.; man should govern his little cosmos just as God governs the great cosmos, 71(2); in proportion as man prepares himself God enters in- to him, 89; how He enters into him, 96; see also 100; what it is necessary for man to do to thereby acquire right- eousness, 96; subsequent statement in regard to relations with the neighbor, ib.; what man retains after death, 103; in every man there is soul, body, and operation, 169; the three degrees of life in man, 239; see 498; each man is his own love and his own wisdom, 263; see 778; what man is of himself is made clear from those who are in hell, 274; nature of doctrines he could hatch from himself, ib.; man by the freedom he has from the Lord opens to Him, 285; noth- ing is connate with man except a capac- ity to know, to understand, and to be wise, as also an inclination to love, 335 (7); man obtains life by going to the Lord, 358; man is a form of life, 364; see 461(2), 470, 470(3); what flows in from the Lord is received by man according to his form, 366; the life of God in its fulness is in wicked men as well as in good men, 366(2); how it differs, ib.; the man who divides the Lord, charity and faith is not a form that receives but a form that destroys them, 367; see Lord, 368-372; man himself cannot be in the Lord, but the charity and faith that are in him from the Lord, 368; see Salvation, 369; when con- junction of man and God is not recipro- cal, 369(3); in every work that pro- ceeds from man there is the whole man such as he is in his disposition or essen- tially, 373; all things in man have rela- tion to the will and understanding, 397; see 417; it is the dominant love that makes the man, 399; man was created so as to be at the same time in the spirit- ual world and in the natural world; thus there was given him an internal and an external, 401; see 420, 454; thus he can be affiliated both with angels and devils, 454; see 462(7)(8)(9)(10), 472 (3), 475, 475 (2) (3), 476; a com- munity is like a single man, 412; differ- ence between man and beast, 417; see 454, 473, 481, 574, 692; see Under- standing, 443(2); see Will, 443(2); God flows into man's knowledge of Him with acknowledgment of Him, and at the same time flows in with His love to- wards men 457(2); when man receives only in the former way he has no in- terior acknowledgment of Him, ib.; but he who receives in both ways has such an acknowledgment, ib.; man lives wholly as if from himself, 470; see 473; so far as man receives from God good of love and truth of wisdom he lives from God, 471; every man is born with an inclination to evils, 520, 521(2), 612; man is born for heaven, 574; every man is in communion either with angels or devils though both sides are unaware of this, 607; every man who is not interi- orly led by the Lord is a man in appear- ance only, 662(3); why man was created an image and likeness of God, 712; from spiritual heat which is charity, and 484 INDEX OF WORDS from spiritual light which is the truth of faith, every man has life, 722(4); every man runs through the circle of nature, 756; the interior and exterior man, 839. MAN (AS APPLIED TO GOD). The Lord within the spiritual sun is a Man, 25(4); Jehovah is Man as in things first so also in things last, 102(3); unless in thought God is approached as a Man every idea of God perishes, 538; the faith of the New Church is that God is a Man, because the one God who was from eternity became Man in time, 647(2); conjunction with God is possible when God is thought of as a Man, 787; all among the Gentiles who acknowledge and worship one God, the Creator of the universe, cherish an idea of God as being a Man, 836. MARRIAGE Of good and truth in the Word, how effected, 248; see 398 (3), 624 (4); how there is a marriage of the understanding and will, 249; see 737(5); marriage love 431; all things are by creation nothing but a marriage of good and truth, 624 (2) (3) (4); concerning a marriage in heaven, 746 (4), 747 (whole no.), 748 (whole no.); marriages in heaven repre- sent the marriage of the Lord with the church, 748, 748(2); from the spiritual marriage which is that of good and truth the Lord is called the Bridegroom and the church the bride, 783; see 199; see Conjugial, 847. MARY (THE MOTHER). Absurd to say that the soul of the Lord was from His mother Mary, 82(3); see 92, 94, 140, 342; the Lord Himself never called Mary His mother, 102; what this shows, ib.; an interview with Mary the mother, in heaven, 102(3); a statement by Mary the mother, 827. MATERIAL. All the material that man has is from the mother, 92; substantial things are the beginnings of material things, 280 (8); see 624, 694. MATERIALISM. The difference between thinking spir- itually and thinking materially, 623(3) (4) ; the material does not enter into the spiritual, but the spiritual enters into the material, 623(5). MEDIATION. Memorable Relation concerning me- diation, 135; see 518. MEDITATION. Difference between spiritual and ma- terial meditation about the Word, . 623 (2)(3)(4)(5)(6). MELANCTHON In the spiritual world, 797(whole no.). MELCHIZEDEK. 715. MEMORABLE RELATIONS. Why they were written, 188; see 851. MEMORY Is the soil of intelligence in man, 32 (4); it is from the things contained in the memory that every one thinks, 173; faith of the memory, 344; memory and the understanding, 621(4). MERIT. Why it is harmful to ascribe merit to works that are done for the sake of sal- vation, 439; see 441; see 536(3); those who are in the delight of doing good are unwilling to hear of merit, 440; when a man believes that all good that is good in itself is from the Lord he does not ascribe merit to works, 442; sense of merit is removed with difficulty from those who do not understand true char- ity, ib.; the faith of the present church concerning merit, 582; in the present church, faith, imputation, and Christ's merit make one, 627; the merit of the Lord our Saviour is redemption, 640; see 649; the Lord's merit cannot be imputed to any one, 640, 641 (3). "MESSIAH" In the Word means the Divine truth, 85(2); see 691; the Jews and the Mes- siah, 205, 246. INDEX OF WORDS •485 MICHAEL. 113(6), 300. MICROCOSM. Why man was called by the ancients a microcosm, 604. MIND. How the human mind is constituted, 34, 224(2); man's mind consists of un- derstanding and will, 151; see 397; the exaltation of the mind is effected as man acquires for himself truth and con- joins them with good, 152; the spirit of man is his mind and whatever pro- ceeds from it, VI. (156, 157); see 816; the human mind is a spiritual organism terminating in a natural organism, 351(2); there can be nothing in the mind that does not have some corre- spondent or embodiment in the body, 375; the three regions of the human mind, 395, 395(2)(3), 603, 608; internal and external mind, 420. MIRACLES. The Divine miracles have been wrought in accordance with Divine order, 91; see Glorification, 104; mir- acles to-day would make man natural instead of spiritual, 501; see 501(3); why they were wrought before the Lord's coming, 501(2); men cannot be made to believe by miracles, 849. MOAB Signifies the adulteration of good, 200(3). MOHAMMEDANS Believe in one God, 9(2); Moham- medans are averse to Christianity solely on account of its belief in three Gods, 183; see 831; position of Mohammedans in the church, 268; see 342(3); Moham- med was permitted to establish a relig- ion in many respects not conformable to Sacred Scripture, 479; the Moham- medans in the spiritual world appear behind the Papists, 828; they acknowl- edge the Lord to be the greatest prophet, ib.; some Mohammed is always kept before their sight, 829; the Mohammed who wrote the Koran is not seen at the present day, 830; the Mohammedans call the Roman Catholics idolaters, 831; the Mohammedan heaven, 832, it is possible for them to believe that the Lord rules over the heavens and the hells because He is the Son of God the Father, ib.; the Mohammedan religion was raised up by the Divine Provi- dence to blot out the idolatry of many nations, 833 (whole no.). MOON (THE) (Malt, xxiv.) means the Lord in re- spect to faith, 271. MORAL. ' Relative position of moral subjects in a man's mind, 186; in children, even to early youth, moral life is natural, and becomes afterwards more and more rational, 443; in the first period of life a moral life is a life of charity in outer- mosts, ib.; from the morality of the ex- ternal man no one can form any con- clusion as to the morality of the internal, 443(3); moral life when it is also spirit- ual is a life of charity because the laws are the same, 444; see Commandments, 444; from the external moral life may be seen charity in its true image, 445. MORNING Likened to the state of the church after the Lord's coming, 109; see 764; this explained, 109(2); morning signi- fies the first time of a church, 764. MOSES Means the historical Word, 261; Moses and the ten commandments, 283; in a broad sense the law means the statutes given by Moses, thus the whole book of Moses is called the law, 288. MOTHER. See Church, 306, 307. MOTION. In all motion there is an active and a passive, 576. MURDER. See Kill. 486 INDEX OF WORDS MUTUAL RECIPROCATION. See Reciprocal, 371(4); see Conjunc- tion, 371(6); examples of 371(7). MYRRH Signifies natural good, 205. NAME Of any one means not his name alone, but his every quality, 300; see 683; in the spiritual world every one is named according to his character, 300; see 682(2); names in the Word mean things of the church, 300; see 298; the Lord's Divine Human is the Father's name, 112(6), 113(6); see 682. NATIONS AND PEOPLES. Their meaning in the Word, 251; con- cerning nations which are free and na- tions which are not free, 815. NATURAL. What natural things are, 75(3); the condition of those who think from the natural without regard to the spiritual, 147, 148; the distinction between nat- ural things and spiritual things, 78, 280 (8); see Spiritual, 339; the natural viewed in itself is passive, 607(2). NATURAL (DIVINE), What it is, 195. NATURALISM. 4(2), 75(7), 173, 342, 771; see Chris- tian Churches, 94; faith in an invisi- ble God is the origin of the prevailing naturalism of the day, 339(2). NATURAL MAN (THE) Is opposed to the spiritual man, 11, 276; the knowledges of the natural man comprise within them the perceptions and affections of a spiritual truth, 215; natural man desires to extirpate the spiritual things that enter, or to involve them in fallacies, 276; the merely nat- ural man thinks of Divine truths only from things of the world, 296(3); see Conjunction, 369(3); the natural man can talk about faith but not from faith, 384; he is a sensual man who judges of all things by the bodily senses, 402; the interiors of his mind are closed, 402(2); he is inwardly opposed to the things of heaven and the church, 402(3); why he reasons keenly and ingeniously, 402(4)(5)(6); he does not see any gen- uine truth in light, 402(9); see 754; heretical doctrines have been introduced chiefly by sensual men, 402(10); various kinds of sensual men, 402(11); most men at the present day are natural, 470; the natural man judges from appearances ib.; everything that is compulsory be- takes itself to the natural man and closes the door to the spiritual man, 501; the natural man can see good and evil in others, but not having examined him- self he does not see any evil in himself, 564(3); a brief description of the merely natural rational and moral man, 565; the natural man must be subdued be- fore man can advance a single step toward heaven, 574; before regenera- tion the internal and the external con- stitute the natural man, 592. NATURAL SENSE. In the natural sense of the Word, Di- vine truth is seen obscurely, 85(2); the Word's holiness is not apparent in the inner sense of the letter, 200; when Di- vine truths are in man the sense of the letter of the Word cannot be perverted, 207; the doctrines of the New Church are derived from the sense of the letter of the Word, 209(5), 217; the sense of the letter is the containant, basis, and support of the two interior senses of the Word, 212, 213; in the sense of the letter of the Word Divine truth is in its fulness, holiness, and power, 214, 223; the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are appearances of truth, 215; see 226, 650; the externals of the Word are the holy things of the sense of its letter, 221; the Word in the sense of the let- ter consists purely of correspondences, 226; genuine truth can be seen in the sense of the letter of the Word only by those who are in enlightenment from the Lord, III. (231-233); conjunction with the Lord is effected by means of the sense of the letter of the Word, 234; also affiliation with the angels, ib., 235; INDEX OF WORDS 487 the sense of the letter is a guard for the genuine truths concealed within it, 260; Memorable Relation concerning the natural sense of the Word, 277; the Word in its letter makes mention only of the outer things of worship, 427. NATURE Is not of itself the operative power, 12; the reason, 12(2)(8)(9); all in hell worship nature, 77(4); see 79; nature does nothing of itself, 77(6); all things in nature correspond to spiritual things, 201; nature is the receptacle by which love and wisdom may accomplish their uses, 35(6); consequences of believing that nature is the creator of the universe, 178; see 9; nature is from God, 280(10); see 695. NAZARITES. The power of the Word in its out- mosts was represented by the Nazarites, VII. (223). NEIGHBOR. Order must be practised toward the neighbor, 55; see Man, 96; man is born not for the sake of himself but for the sake of others, 406; every man is neigh- bor to himself, ib.; but the end should be society, ib.; what love to the neigh- bor is, 407; brotherly love constitutes the distinction between the Old and New Testament, 409; good itself is essen- tially the neighbor, 410; degrees of love toward the neighbor are to be measured by love to the Lord, 410(2); it is suffi- cient that the neighbor be loved accord- ing to the degrees that are known, 410 (3); what it means to love the neighbor as oneself, 411; a community smaller or greater is the neighbor, 412; he who wills and acts rightly towards a com- munity consults the good of each indi- vidual, ib.; love towards a community is a fuller love to the neighbor, 412(2); love to the neighbor ascends more and more interiorly, 413; one's country is the neighbor, 414; the church is to be loved as the neighbor in a higher degree, 415; distinction between church and coun- try, ib.; the Lord's kingdom is the neighbor that is to be loved in the high- est degree, 416; good is the neighbor, 418; see Charity, 435; love towards the neighbor is man's reception of his con- junction with God, 458; see Evil, 525; man as first created was imbued with wisdom and its love, not for his own sake, but that he might communicate it from himself to others 746. NEW CHURCH. The faith of, 2-3; see 647 (whole no.); a new church could have been estab- lished only through Divine truth from the Word, 86; the establishment of a new church an act of redemption, 95; a new church is now to be established, 115; unless a new heaven and a new church were established there could no flesh be saved, VIII. (182); see 758; to work redemption means to found a new heaven and a new church, 182; why the New Church was established, 271; see 699, 700; those who are received into the New Church will come into the state of peace into which men are to come from the Lord, 303; see Faith, 344; how truths will be received by those of the New Church, 354(3)(4); why it is permitted in the New Church to enter with the understanding into truths, 508(5); see Good 536; the need of a new church, 598; the faith and im- putation of the New Church cannot exist together with the faith and impu- tation of the existing church, 647, 649; see Baptism, 669; the morning that is the beginning of a new church is now at hand, 764; see Second Coming, 773; the New Jerusalem means a new church, 782; see New Heaven, 784; the New Church is the crown of all churches be- cause it is to worship one visible God, 787, 788; predictions concerning the New Church, 788, 789; revelations made by the Lord at the establishment of the New Church, 846 (whole no.); these are now regarded on the earth as of no value, 848. NEW HEAVEN Could have been built up only through Divine truth from the Word, 86; how the new heaven is being formed, 108; see 781; why a new heaven should be formed 488 INDEX OF WORDS before a new church is established on earth, 784; this new heaven constitutes the internal of the church with man, ib.; it is formed to the extent that the falsities of the former church are set aside, ib.; see 796(3). NEW JERUSALEM Mentioned in Apocalypse xxi. means a new church, 197, 217, 307, 782, 784, 790; without the spiritual sense nothing relating to the New Jerusalem could be seen, 197. See New Church. NICENE COUNCIL. 94; a Trinity of persons was hatched by the Nicene Council, V. (174-176); see 632, 634, 636, 786; from the Nicene trinity and Athanasian trinity together a faith arose by which the whole Chris- tian Church has been perverted, VI. (177, 178); the Nicene Council pre- vented a disclosure of the knowledge of correspondences, 206; Nicene Council and faith, 338; the Nicene Council hatched the belief that God is the cause of evil, 489; the Nicene Council marks the second epoch of the Christian Church, 760. NUNC LICET. 508(3) (4). NIGHT Is the last time of the church, 761. OATHS. Those which are vain, and those which are not, 297. OBEDIENCE To ecclesiastics, 840. OCCUPATIONS Of the minds of angels, 695. ODORS. Concerning odors in the spiritual world, 569, (2) (3) (4) (5). OLD MEN Signify wisdom, 205; old men in heav- en, 766. OLD TESTAMENT. Why nowhere in the Old Testament is it said that the prophets spoke from the Holy Spirit, 158. OLIVE TREE Signifies the heavenly good and truth of the church, 200(2) ; see 205, 609. OMNIPOTENCE Pertains to the Divine essence, 49; it proceeds from the Divine love and wisdom, ib.; omnipotence pertains to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love, I. (50, 51); omnipotence proceeds and operates in accordance with the laws of Divine order III. (56-58); see also 74(4) (5); God is omnipotent be- cause He alone has from Himself all power, 56; God's power and His will are one, ib.; God's omnipotence cannot do evil, 57, 58; from the Divine omnipo- tence man has power over evil and fal- sity, VII. (68); God had omnipotence in the work of redemption by means of His Human, 84; see Order, 90; the in- sane thoughts which follow a belief in omnipotence as superior to order, 502. OMNIPRESENCE. See Holy Spirit, 16(2); God is omni- present in nature and yet separate from it, 30(2); omnipresence pertains to the Divine essence, 49; it proceeds from the Divine love and wisdom, ib.; omnipre- sence pertains to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love, I. (50, 51); God is omnipresent from the firsts to the lasts of His order, V. (63, 64); from the Divine omnipresence man is in God, VII. (70); how God is omnipresent in those things contrary to order, 70(2); where the Lord is present there He is with His whole essence, 364(3). OMNISCIENCE Pertains to the Divine essence, 49; it proceeds from the Divine love and wisdom, ib.; omniscience pertains to the Divine wisdom from the Divine love, I. (50, 51); the omniscience of God, IV. (59-62); from the Divine omnis- cience man has wisdom respecting what INDEX OF WORDS 489 is good and true, VII. (69); omnis- cience is infinite wisdom, 69. ONE. If God were not one, the universe could not have been created and pre- served, VI. (13); love and wisdom in God make one, IV. (41, 42), the condi- tion of man when love and wisdom are not conjoined in one, 41(2) (3); see Universal, 54; the internal and ex- ternal man should act as one, 340(2). ONENESS. The necessity of oneness in every thing, 10; the oneness of God confirmed by many things in the world, V. (12). OPERATION. How God operates in man, 105; the Divine operation is effected by means of the Divine truth which goes forth from the Lord, 139; operation of the Holy Spirit; what it is, II. (142-145); the Divine operations are the mediate ends, 142; the Divine energy and oper- ation are enlightenment and instruction, III. (146-148); the Lord makes these energies operative in those who believe in Him, IV. (149-152); the Lord oper- ates of Himself from the Father, V. (153-155); operations constitute the third essential, 167. OPPOSITES Are things without, and are opposed to things within, 62; there are relatives in each opposite, ib.; the relatives in hell are opposite to the relatives in heaven, ib.; see 78(5), 435; the neces- sity of opposites, 763. ORDER. Definition of, 52; see 65; Divine qual- ities can be understood when it is known what order is, and that God is order, II. (52-55); see 89; God is order because He is substance itself and form itself, 53; see 500; consequently God introduced order into the universe, 53; also 54, 10G; see Omnipotence, III. (56-58); what are contrary to the laws of Divine order, 58; see 90; see 341; an image of God is a form of Divine order, 65; some of the laws of order, 71(2); also 74(3); devel- opment of the Human was in accord- ance with the laws of Divine order, 89; Divine order requires that man should prepare himself for the reception of God, 89; see Man, 96; Miracles 91; what follows if it is believed that the Divine omnipotence does not operate in accordance with order, 90; Right- eousness, 95; it is according to Divine order for good and truth to be con- joined, 398(3); all things contrary to Divine order have relation to evil and falsity, 398(7); the primary thing of order is for man to be an image of God, 500; God cannot act contrary to His own Divine order, ib.; God leads every man according to that order which is Himself, ib.; the necessity of order, 679; it must center on God, ib.; order must have distinction, 680; it is according to order that a first should go forth to its last both in general and in particular, 763; see 775. ORGAN. Man is an organic form recipient of God, 34; see 504; organism of the mind, 351, 461, 577, 578; organs of sense, 577(3). ORIENTALS. The knowledge of correspondences remained with many of the people of the East even until the advent of the Lord, 205; to uproot idolatries a new religion adapted to the genius of the Orientals was introduced, 833(4). OUTMOSTS. No announcements are made from heaven except through outmosts, 222. OWN. See Self and Proprium. OX Means natural affection, 200(2), 205. PAGANS. See Good, 536. PALLADIUM. 177(4) 692, 693, 694, 759. 490 INDEX OF WORDS PAPISTS. See Roman Catholics. PARABLES. In each word of the parables there is a spiritual meaning, 199. PARADISE. 74(3). 461, 661. PARENTS. Their love for their children, 44, 305, 308; love to parents, 305; see 431(3). PARISIANS. To the Parisians in the spiritual world there sometimes appears a woman who is worshiped as a saint, 826. PARTICULARS. To retain particulars in their order there must be universals from which they spring, 714; see 775; particulars taken together are called the general, 60; they emulate the general, 32(8); see 47. See General. PASSION OF THE CROSS Not an act of redemption but of glorification, 95; see 581, 706; it was the last temptation which the Lord endured, VI. (126-131); the belief that the passion of the cross was redemption itself is the fundamental error of the church, VII. (132, 133); see 378, 518, 581, 582. PASSIVE (THE) Force must be impelled by the active force, 607(2); man cannot effectively think, trust, and pray, passively, 505(3). PAUL. What kind of faith is meant by Paul, 338; see 506(2); an epistle of Paul not published during his life, 701(4); what Paul meant by the works of the law, 338, 506(2) (3) (4); Paul sets charity be- fore faith, 796(5). PEACE. What heavenly peace is, 303, 304; the Lord gives to man after temptation a sense of peace, 599. PEGASUS. 276, 693(2). PERCEPTIONS Of moral and spiritual truths open the highest degree of life, 42; perception pertains to man, how attained, 155; see 62; perception comes from affection, and thought from perception, 231; see 386, 697; in wise men internal and ex- ternal, or spiritual and natural, per- ception make one, 461(8); there is an interior thought called perception which looks down into the lower which is called thought, 603; perception and reception, 339. PERFECTION Of life, 42. PERMISSION OF EVIL. From permission of evil man has spiritual freedom, 479. PERSON. God became Man, and Man became God in one Person, VII. (101-103); see 700; definition of person, 17(3); see 110, 188(8). PERSUASION. The power of persuasion flows from the love of self, 796(2); in externals per- suasion emulates faith, 339; see 759. PHILISTINES Signify faith separate from charity, 200(3), 203. PLACE In the spiritual world, 157, 739(5)(7) (8). PLAGUES OF EGYPT. 635. PLANTS. Concerning the processes of plant growth, 585; see 12(2); the vegetative soul is from no other source than the heat of the spiritual world, 585(2). PLATO. His contribution to theology, 9(3); see also 692, 693. INDEX OF WORDS 491 PLURALITY OF GODS. Whence it arose, V. (24); see 275, 623(5). POLITICS. Relative position of political sub- jects in a man's mind, 186; see 661(6). POLYGAMY. Why polygamy was permitted to the Orientals, 833(4); the nature of the heat of polygamic love in the spiritual world, 834. POOR (THE) In the Word mean those who are without knowledges of truth and good, 427; alms to the poor, ib.; see 442, 459(7). POPE. To imputation, application, and as- cription, add transcription only, and you will be a vicarious pope, 640(3); see Roman Catholics, 820. POSTERIOR. All things posterior are made recep- tacles of things prior, 33; see 21, 35(9); 280(2). POSTHUMOUS. Man's mind is the posthumous man, 816. POWER. All the strength, energy, and power of God belong to Divine truth from the Divine good, 86; see also 56, 87, 124; the will's power is by means of the under- standing, 87; "all power in heaven and on earth " means that the union of the Father and the Son in one Person is complete, 104; power (Malt. xxiv. 30), means the Lord's power through the Word, 776; man's power through the Lord, 68, 71(3), 438, 481, 576. "POWER OF THE MOST HIGH" Means the Divine good, 88; also the Divine truth, 140. PRACTICE. What charity and faith are when not put into practice 375, 376; see 387(6). PRAYER. When man's asking is from the Lord what he asks is given him, 226(3); be- fore washing or purification from evils prayer to God is not heard, 329(4); supplication should come after exami- nation, 539; man cannot effectively pray passively, 505, 505(2) (3). PRAYER (THE LORD'S). A discussion concerning same, 112, 113 (5)(6)(7)(8)(9). PRECIOUS STONES Of which the foundations of the New Jerusalem consisted (Apoc. xxi.) mean the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, I. (217); meaning of the pre- cious stones in the garden of Eden, III. (219); see 467; precious stones sig- nify truths translucent because of good, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, 219; see 353, 209(5), 843. PREDESTINATION. Memorable Relation concerning pre- destination, 72, 73; see 177(4), 664, 798 (2)(3) (4) (8) (9) (10) (11); predestination is born from a belief in man's abso- lute impotence, 486; see 628; the teach- ing of the present church concerning predestination, 486(2) (3), 487, 488, 489; see 803; every man was predestined to heaven, 490; but man may give himself over to hell by the abuse of his freedom of choice, ib. PRESENCE. How angels or spirits may instantly become present with another, 64; bodily vision emulates presence, ib.; the Lord's presence with man, 225, 229, 364, 365, 719, 766, 774, 780. PRESERVATION Is perpetual creation, 46, 224; see 679. PRIESTS. The power of priests over those who think of three Gods, 7; see 134; priest signifies the Divine good, 114; the good and truth of the church should be loved, and the priesthood for the sake of these, 415; priesthood of Aaron, 218; 492 INDEX OF WORDS priests who are spiritual thieves, 318, 320; other kinds of priests, 380(2), 382, 422, 66G, 751. PRIMARY. 388(6). PRINCIPAL And instrumental, 35(6). PRINCIPLES And derivatives, 37(3), 156, 177(2), 280(8), 403(2). PRIOR AND POSTERIOR. 21, 33, 35(9), 280(2). PROPHECY. See Decuee, 101; see 149. PROPHET. The prophets formerly signified the doctrine of the church from the Word, 129, 130; the Lord was the essential Prophet, 129; thus He represented the Jewish church as to the Word, ib.; see also 130(3); prophecy signifies doctrine, 149; when the prophets were in a state like that of spirits, 157. PROPITIATION. 135(5). PROPRIUM. Man's will is his selfhood (proprium), 233, 273, 382, 399(4), 400(6), 439, 493, 658(5). See Self. PROVIDENCE Is the government of the Divine om- nipotence in accordance with order, 73(3); laws of Divine Providence, 479. PUNISHMENT, Eternal, 79(8). PURGATORY Is a fiction invented by the Roman Catholics, 475(4). PURPLE, Meaning of, 215(3), 220; see also 439, 686. PYTHAGORAS. 692. PYTHONS. 324. QUALITY Is perfected by means of differences relating to what is more or less oppo- site, 763; quality in relation to the Itself, 25(3); quality is from form, 53. QUARTERS In the spiritual world, 476. RAPHAEL. 233. RATIONAL. By means of things rational above the sensual man communicates with heaven, 402(13); see 565(3); there are two ways to rationality, 564(2); the natural ra- tional faculty is able to confirm what- ever it pleases, 758; the spiritual ration- al faculty is wholly different, ib.; see also 215(4), 334(6), 384, 507. REACTION Of evil and falsity against the Lord's good and truth, 61. REASON. Why it should not be neglected, 178, 183(2); see also 186; see Ingenuity, 621(12); sound reason must see the unity of God, 10, 12; see 23, 169; human reason and the infinity of God, 32, 33; false ideas of faith and omnipotence banish reason, 57, 770; see New Church, 508(5). REASONERS. Memorable Relation concerning rea- soners who merely dispute, 333. RECEPTACLE. How man may become a receptacle of the Divine omnipotence, 74(3); see 65, 362, 470, 474; whatever proceeds from the sun of the world is a receptacle of life, 35(11). INDEX OF WORDS 493 RECEPTION Of God in man, 105; what man must do towards this, ib.; it is the only way by which he progresses, ib.; see 33, 35 (11), 339, 366, 457. RECIPROCAL. Without a reciprocal no conjunction is possible, 48(6); see 457, 588, 786, 787; see Union, 98, and 99; see Conjunction, 100; see 287, 485, 504; there are two kinds of reciprocation by which conjunc- tion is effected, alternate and mutual, 371(4), 372. RECREATIONS Of charity, 433. 434. REDEEMER. By the Lord the Redeemer is meant Jehovah in the Human, 81; see 127, 599; the Lord by glorifying His Human became the Redeemer, Regenerator, and Saviour for ever, 579(3); see 647(7); see Human, 717. REDEMPTION. Jehovah assumed a Human in order that He might effect redemption, 81; see 599, 838; why this was necessary, 84; see 182; in what redemption con- sisted, 84; see I. (115-117); see also 224(3), 579, 717, 684, 134; what the acts of redemption, whereby the Lord made Himself righteousness, were, 95; by the acts of redemption the Lord put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father, 102; see Pas- sion of the Cross, 95; at this day the Lord is effecting a redemption, 115; to redeem means to liberate from damna- tion, 118; redemption was effected in the spiritual world, ib.; redemption was a work purely Divine, IV. (123); the idea of redemption at the present day, 133; in the conflicts or temptations of men the Lord works a particular redemption, 599; the Lord by means of redemption took to Himself the power to regenerate and save those who be- lieve on Him and do His command- ments, 640; all nations have been re- deemed by the Lord, and hence they can be saved, 729. RED SEA Signifies hell, 635. REFORMATION. In the state of reformation man acts in freedom, 105; the understanding takes the chief part, ib.; see 571, 587; why this must be, 587; the Lord reforms and regenerates man in the same man- ner in which He glorified His Human and made it Divine, 302; reforma- tion is the first state which man must pass through when from being natural he is becoming spiritual, 571; he looks towards and longs for the spiritual state, ib.; he who has not entered into the first state in the world cannot after death be introduced into the second, ib.; the commandments are the start- ing point of reformation, 582; reforma- tion means an affection for truth for the sake of truth, 589; man is reformed by means of conflicts with and vic- tories over the evils of his flesh, 610. REFORMED CHURCH. 82(3); why the Reformation took place, 270; to the Reformed Christian world actual repentance is a very diffi- cult task, 561, 562; see 567(7); in the Reformed Church it is declared that God justifies the wicked man by means of the merit of Christ infused into him, 642; the Reformed Church the last stage of the present Christian Church, 760; position of the Reformed churches in the spiritual world, 800; the Reformed look at the Word from their own doctrine, 227; the Reformed and confession, 516. REGENERATION. See Glorification, 105; in the state of regeneration man acts in freedom, but from love and intelligence, which are from the Lord, 105; see 621(9); the will takes the chief part, 105; see 571; see Fruit, 106; see Reformation, 302; see Church, 510; until repentance takes place man stands outside of re- generation, 510; see Hereditary Evil, 521(3); regeneration is the second state man must pass through when from being natural he is becoming spiritual, 571; in the Word regeneration is de- 494 INDEX OF WORDS scribed by a new heart and a new spirit, 572; see 583; to be born again is to be regenerated, 573; regeneration is effected by the Lord through charity and faith, 576; see 618, 620; the Lord is unceas- ingly in the act of regenerating man, 577; since all have been redeemed they may be regenerated, 579(2); each man is regenerated according to his state, 580; regeneration is effected in a manner similar to conception, gestation, birth and education, 583, 584; man can only be regenerated gradually, 586; regenera- tion is effected by means of the under- standing as the mediate cause, 587; when man's will leads him to shun evil and do good the state of regeneration begins, ib.; the internal man must first be regenerated and by means of it the external, 591; it is the internal natural man that is first to be regenerated, 593; man's regeneration is described in Eze- kiel by the "dry bones, " etc., 594; the internal and external of a regenerate man, 595(3); the regenerated man has a new will and a new understanding, 601; regeneration and the three regions of the mind, 603; see Heaven, 605; by regener- ation man becomes spiritual natural, 607(2); a regenerate man is in commun- ion with angels, 607(3); regeneration is effected from the beginning to the end of man's life in the world, and is after- ward continued and perfected, 610; see 611; so far as man is regenerated he attributes nothing of good and truth to himself but to the Lord, 610; so far as man is regenerated sins are removed, 611; that is forgiven, 614y without free- dom of choice in spiritual things man could not be regenerated, 615; some natural representations of regeneration, 687(2)(3); those who confess the Lord and who do good to the neighbor are not regenerated unless this is done from love to the neighbor, and from faith in the Lord, 726. RELATIVES Pertain to the harmonious arrange- ment of many parts, 62; there are rela- tives in each opposite, ib.; the relatives in hell are opposite to the relatives in heaven, ib. RELIGION Occupies the highest seat in the hu- man mind, and sees beneath it the civil matters pertaining to the world, 601; see 829; God must be acknowledged in order that man may have religion, 722; religion is to shun evil and do good, 389(3); whence have sprung the dif- ferent religions in the world, 275; by the things of religion there is conjunc- tion between God and man, 283; see 536. REMAINS. See Freedom of Choice, 493; every evil that a man has actually appropri- ated to himself remains, 614; the sub- stance of anything that is not received in the understanding does not remain in the memory, 621(4). REMISSION OF SINS. The arbitrary remission of sins would be contrary to Divine order, 90; what remission of sins is, 142; see 409, 510, 559, 614, 621. RENOVATION. 142. REPENTANCE. Sins can be washed away only by re- pentance, 409; without repentance true faith and genuine charity are impossible, 509; the means whereby the church is established in man are acts of repent- ance, 510; acts of repentance are all such things as cause man not to will and not to commit evils which are sins against God, ib.; the first thing of the church in man is repentance, ib.; man cannot enter into conjunction with the Lord unless to some extent he removes his evils by repentance, 522; those who are unwilling to hear anything about repentance reject the idea of sin, 523; to actually repent man must examine himself, recognize and acknowledge his sins, pray to the Lord, and begin a new life, 530; see 561, 567(5), 621(6); what is sufficient to initiate man into the actuality of repentance, 530; true repentance is the examination not only of the actions but also of the inten- INDEX OF WORDS 495 tions of one's will, 532; see 533(3); man can repent of evils he has done in the body and still think and will evil, 532; if after scrutiny man determines that he will not will to do sins because they are sins he truly and interiorly repents, ib.; how repentance may be performed without self-examination, 535; actual repentance is easy to those who at times practise it, but is extremely difficult to those who have not practised it, 562(3); man is held constantly in a state of possible repentance, 720. REPRESENTATIVE. See Man, 66; all churches before the Lord's coming were representative churches, 109; see 201, 670, 786; repre- sentative things of the church vanished after the Lord's coming, 109(2); repre- sentations are such things in the world as correspond to and signify heavenly things, 275. RESISTANCE. When one who has charity resists an enemy he does it by means of the ex- ternal man, 408; how man should resist evils, 438; see also 68. REST. When man is regenerated he has rest, 302. RESURRECTION. See Divine Natural, 109; the Lord's resurrection signified His glorification, 130(3); resurrection to life signifies sal- vation, 652. REVELATION. Knowledge of God is not possible without revelation, 11; the primeval revelation has been perverted, ib.; the Word is the crown of revelation, ib.; through revelation man is able to re- ceive influx from God, ib.; see 22(2). REWARD. 439, 440, 441. RICH MAN In Luke xvi., 215(4), 246, 595. RICHES. 404. RIGHTEOUSNESS. God cannot impute to man the right- eousness of the Son, 58; see 640(2)(3), 641, 641(3); through the acts of redemp- tion the Lord made Himself righteous- ness, V. 95, 96; righteousness is doing and restoring all things in accordance with Divine order, 95; the righteous are those who have lived in accordance with Divine order, 96; see Man, 96; see Re- demption, 95; to claim merit to oneself is to deny the righteousness of the Lord, 439. RITES. Representative rites of the church were turned into idolatries, 204. ROCK Means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, 224(4); see 342(2); 379(2), 788. ROMAN CATHOLICS. 82(3), 174-176, 177 (4), 268, 270, 489, 415, 562(2) (3), 567(7), 634, 760; the Papists in the spiritual world appear round about and beneath the Protes- tants, 817; the place of council of the Papist leaders in the spiritual world, 819: no one who had been a pope is ad- mitted to this assembly, ib.; the wor- ship is nearly the same as their worship in the world, ib.; the Papists in the spir- itual world have a representative of a pope placed over them, 820; after in- struction they are introduced into a society composed of those who have withdrawn from the worship of the pope and the saints, ib.; Catholics in this world who had thought more of God than of the papacy, and from a simple heart had done works of charity are easily led away in the spiritual world from the superstitions of their religion, '821; those who have been made saints by papal bulls are removed from the sight of others in the spiritual world, 823, 824, 825. ROYALTY. Signifies Divine truth, 114. 496 INDEX OF WORDS RUBY Signifies heavenly good, 609. RULERS. Those who have promoted uses from love to the neighbor are placed as rulers over heavenly communities, 412(3). SABBATH Means rest, 301, 303; with the Jews it was the sanctity of sanctities, 301; it became a day of instruction in Divine things, ib.; see 738, 750. SACRAMENT. See Baptism and Holy Supper. SACRED SCRIPTURE. See Word. SACRIFICES. Why the worship of the Israelites con- sisted chiefly of sacrifices, 495. SAINTS. Concerning the worship of saints, 824; the invocation of saints is a mere mock- ery, and is not heard by them, 825; see Roman Catholics, 823; see also 292. SALVATION. How salvation is possible, 2; how im- possible, 2(2); see 457, 726; see also 3; the righteousness of the Lord's redemp- tion cannot directly effect salvation, 96; what can effect it, ib.; why salvation depends upon a knowledge and acknowl- edgment of God, 98; upon a belief in Him as visible, 159(7); how those may be saved who know nothing about the Lord, 107(3); hereafter no one from among Christians enters heaven unless he believes in the Lord God the Saviour and approaches Him alone, 107, 108; without the redemption no man could have been saved, II. (118-120), 294; in reference to salvation, redemption and the passion of the cross make one, 127; the salvation of all is the Lord's end, 142; the Lord is all that whereby salvation is obtained, 150; see 766; un- less a new heaven and a new church were established there could no flesh be saved, VIII. (182); whatever Jehovah commands is something to be done for the sake of salvation, 282; God never ceases to look to man and to make oper- ative such things as relate to man's sal- vation, 287; the two general means of salvation, 340; he who conjoins the in- ternal and external man in good be- comes happy to eternity, 340(3); see 361(2); see God, 341; by conjunction with God man has salvation, 369; see 484, 787; for a man to have salvation faith and charity must not be separated, 393; see 450; see Freedom of Choice, 485; until repentance takes place salva- tion enters no further than into the ideas of man's thought, 510; see 528, 655; see Good, 536; unless a man is born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, 572, 577; since all may be regenerated all may be saved, 579(2); see Lord, 651; see Judgment, 652; see Second Coming, 772; the salvation of men is the continuation of creation, 773. SAMSON. 223. SANCTIFICATION Of man, how it is accomplished, 142; see 150. SATANS Are those who have confirmed in themselves falsities, 80(4); see 35, 76, 151, 401(4); see Devils, 80(4); how novitiate spirits become satans, 281 (whole no.); difference between devils and satans, 281(12); no satan can bear to hear any truth from the Word or to hear Jesus named, 380(3). SAVING FAITH. Why it is impossible to make faith alone a saving faith, 96. SAVIOUR. A Christian cannot enter heaven un- less he believes in the Lord God the Saviour and approaches Him alone, IX. (107, 108); see 150, 538; those who go to God the Saviour, at the same time go to the Father also, 337; see Heaven, 621(7). INDEX OF WORDS 497 "SCEPTER (THE)" Means the Lord's government, 16(2). SCIENCE. Relative position of scientific subjects in a man's mind, 186. SCOTLAND. 812. SECOND COMING. At this day is the second coming of the Lord, 115; concerning a glorification of the Lord on account of His second com- ing, 625; the second coming of the Lord marks the consummation of the present church, 764(3)(4); the second coming of the Lord is for the purpose of saving those who believe in Him, 772; it is for the purpose of forming a new heaven and a new church, 773; the second com- ing of the Lord is not a coming in Per- son but in the Word, 777. SEED (THE) Of man, means the truth of the Word, 761(2); see 350; in all seed there is in- herent a certain immensity and eter- nity, 32(3); see 32(4); see also 374, 499, 585, 794. SELF. Love of self, and the conceit of one 's own intelligence are signified by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil 48(18); condition of those with whom self and the world are ends, 233; man has no wish to understand any- thing except what is from the selfhood of his will, 273; from the selfhood could spring no other worship than the wor- ship of self, 274; to one who loves him- self or the world above all things, him- self or the world is his God, 293; to claim for oneself the Lord's merit and righteousness is stealing in the celestial sense, 319; in natural faith and charity there is what is one's own, 359; what man himself does from himself has no real life in it, ib.; so far as faith and charity in man become spiritual he is withdrawn from his own, 361(2); it is provided by the Lord that man should Vol. II.— 32 feel in himself as his own whatever flows in from without, 362(2); see 461(4)(5) (6)(7), 727(3); see Evil, 382; see Lovf and Charity, 394; how love of self is of use in good works, 395; what love of self is, 400; man is in the love of self when he has no regard for anything else, 400(2); he loves others, but for the sake of himself, 400(3); he despises his neighbor in comparison with himself, 400(4); he wishes the church, his coun- try, society, and his fellow-citizens to serve him, 400(5); so far as any one is in the love of self, so far he is led by himself, 400(6); until he desires to rule even over God Himself, 400(7); the evils that prevail with those who are in the love of self, 400(10); see 405(3); when the love of self constitutes the head, the love of heaven passes down to the feet 405; rulers are not neces- sarily in the love of self, 405(2); con- cerning the power to fight against evils, which seems to man to come from himself, 438; see 457(4), 596(2); those who value salvation immerse the in- terior desires of the mind in what is their own, 439; see Man, 470; man is composed of the love of use, of the world, and of self in order that he may think from God, yet wholly as if of himself, 507(6); man exercises thought and will as if of himself, 588; a man becomes guilty when he believes that he acts from himself, whether in doing good or evil, 621(10); concerning the love of ruling from the love of self, 661(4)(5)(6) (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12); man has no other feeling or perception than that intelli- gence and wisdom are in himself, 663; the love of self is the opposite of love to God, 754. See Proprium. SEMEN. How it is conceived and given Trrm, 584; see 103(2)(3). SENECA. 273. SENSATION. From what sensation results, 577(3); see 35(6). 498 INDEX OF WORDS SENSE OF THE LETTER. See Natural Sense. SENSUAL-CORPOREAL. When spiritual light becomes sensual- corporeal, 94; the sensual and corpor- eal man is merely natural and differs from an animal only in being able to talk and reason, 296(2); by means of sensual things man communicates with the world, 402(13); see 35(6); may be of service to the internal spiritual, 402 (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20); the sen- sual is the outmost of the life of man's mind, adherent to and coherent with his five bodily senses, 565; sensual things ought to occupy the last place, 565(3). SENSUAL MAN. See Natural Man. SERIES. Arrangement into series, 351, 352; see 32(8). "SERPENT (THE)" Means the devil in respect to self love and pride, 48(18); see 205, 324, 380, 402; serpents of the tree of knowledge of good and evil are those who reason only from sensual things, 565(2). SERVANTS May be said to be like those who are not conjoined to the Lord, 105, 306. SEVENTH DAY Was a representative of the close of the whole of the Lord's work of redemp- tion, 301; it also signifies man's conjunc- tion with the Lord, and regeneration thereby, 302. SHADES OF NIGHT. Who those are, who are in the shades of night; and how they try to pervert Divine declarations, 83; see 109(2)(3). SHADOW. When only the internal man is en- lightened and not the natural as well, and vice versa, there is shadow, 109(3). SHEBA. 706(5). SHEEP. 200(2). SIGHT. Spiritual and natural sight, 346; see 395, 504, 767; see also 334(8). SILVER Signifies spiritual good, 609. SIMPLE. Who are meant by the simple in the Word, 147; "simple in spirit," 443(2). "SIMPLE SUBSTANCE" Of Wolff, see Order, 90. SIMULTANEOUS ORDER, What it is, 214; its relation to the vari- ous senses of the Word, 214(2). SIN. See Evil. SIRENS. 80. "SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND" Means God's omnipotence through His Humanity, 16(2); see 136 (whole no.). SIX DAYS OF LABOR Signify man's warfare against the flesh and its lusts, 302. SLEEP. 199, 606. SOCINIANISM. See Christian Churches, 94; see 339, 380. SOCINUS. 159(6). SOCRATES. 692. SOLDIER. It is glorious for a soldier to shed his blood for his country, 414. INDEX OF WORDS 499 SON (AS APPLIED TO GOD) Imaginary description of the Son as a separate God, 15, 16; why Jehovah called the Lord His Son, 82(3); whoso- ever believes in the Son believes in the Father, 107(3); approach to the Father is through the Son and in the Son, 113(6); the Son operates these energies (pertaining to the Holy Spirit) of Him- self from the Father, 153(2); by the Son should be understood the Divine Human from the Father, 172(3); the first principle of faith in the Lord is the acknowledgment that He is the Son of God, that is God from God, 342; those who believe the Lord to be the Son of God also have the true faith, be- cause such believe Him to be God, 379(2); the Human whereby God sent Himself into the world is the Son of God, IV. (92-94); Son of God means Je- hovah God in His Human, 92; these two (the Divine from Jehovah and the human from Mary) united are the Son of God, 92. SON OF DAVID. The Lord did not acknowledge Him- self to be the Son of David, 102(2). SON OF MAN Means the Lord in respect to the Word, 92, 271; or Divine truth, 85(2); see 198. SON OF MARY Means strictly the human the Lord took on, 92; explanation of why this means the human, ib.; see 94; it is true that the Lord was the Son of Mary, but not true that He still is, 102; see also 342(3). SOOTHSAYER. When a man thinks about spiritual things as a soothsayer thinks of them, 94. SOPHI. 692, 693, 695. SOUL (THE) Is woven of such things as exist in the spiritual world, 103; the soul is from the father, ib.; see 82(3), 92; the soul acts in and into the body, 154(6); the body is conceived and derived from the soul, 166, 167; Memorable Relation concerning the soul, 697; soul is the in- most and highest part of man, and the influx from God enters into that, 8; see 25(4), 111(7), 112(5). SPACE A property of the natural world which causes all things of it to be finite, 27; see 29, 35(11); in the spiritual world space exists only apparently, 29; God is in space without space, III. (30); affection of love and thought of the understanding are in space without space, 64; see Spiritual, 103(3); see also 280(9)(10). SPEARS Mean truths combating, 86. SPEECH. In the natural world man's speech is twofold, but not in the spiritual world, 111; see 386(2) (3) (4). See Language. SPHERES. See Spiritual World, 331. SPIRITS Could not continue to exist if men were taken away from under them, 118; man's spirit means simply his mind; for this it is that lives after death, and it is then called a spirit, 156; "being in the spirit " means a state of mind sepa- rate from the body, 157; some spirits below the heavens abuse man's sharing of the Word with angels, 235; spirits are like men, 240; see 792, 793; difference between them, 240, 793, 798, 280(8), 694(5); spirits can comprehend such things as transcend man's natural ideas, 280(9); with every man there is an associate spirit, 380(3); why spirits can- not be seen, 475; by means of his in- teriors man communicates with spirits, ib.; if all connection with spirits were taken from him man would instantly die, ib.; man's spirit is in every least thing that takes place in the body, 607 (2); it is peculiar to the spiritual world 500 INDEX OF WORDS that a spirit thinks himself to be such as his dress is, 663(3). SPIRIT OF TRUTH. The meaning of this term as applied to the Lord, 139(3). SPIRITUAL. Man becomes spiritual in accordance with faith from God, together with life from God, 8(4); he was so created as to be spiritual as well as natural, 22; what spiritual tilings are, 75(3); all the spirit- ual that man has is from the father, 92; the spiritual has nothing in common with space, 103(3); whatever goes forth from the Lord's Divine wisdom is called the Divine Spiritual, 195 ; spiritual thoughts are the beginnings of nat- ural thoughts, 280(5); relation of celes- tial wisdom to spiritual wisdom; 280 (7); spiritual or substantial things are the beginnings of material things, 280 (8); see 208 (9) (10); anything spiritual in order to be anything with man must have a recipient in the natural, 339; by the life in faith and charity is meant spiritual life, 358; spiritual heat and light are inwardly in natural heat and light, 360(2); the Lord enters into man through spiritual things, 482; it is the spiritual which is the living force, 607(2); what it is to think spiritually, 623(2) (3) (4) (5) (6). SPIRITUAL SENSE. In the spiritual sense of the Word Divine truth is seen in clear light, 85(2); what the spiritual sense of the Word is, and its value, 192; I. (194, 195); see 846, 846(2); where this spiritual sense is hidden in the Word, 193; II. (196- 199); by means of the spiritual sense the Word has communication with the heavens, 194; no one can see the spirit- ual sense except from a knowledge of correspondences, 196; the spiritual sense of the Word is to be opened at the end of the church (mentioned in Apoca- lypsexix. 11-18), 196(3); it is because of . the spiritual sense that the Word is Divinely inspired and holy in every word, III. (200); why the spiritual sense is now revealed, 200, 271, 700; heretofore the spiritual sense has been unknown, IV. (201-207); the spiritual sense will not for a long time be ac- knowledged, 207; henceforth the spir- itual sense of the Word will be given only to such as are in genuine truths from the Lord, V. (208); the spiritual sense can be seen by no one except from the Lord alone, 208, 230; the spiritual sense treats of the Lord alone and His Kingdom, 208; wonderful things in re- gard to the Word arising from its spirit- ual sense, VI. (209); the celestial and spiritual senses separated from the nat- ural sense are not the Word, 214(2); naked truths are in the spiritual sense of the Word, 215; doctrine is not ac- quired by means of the spiritual sense, but only illustrated and corroborated by it, 230; by means of it the Lord in- flows into the natural sense of the Word, 231; to whom the things that lie hidden in the spiritual sense are apparent, 244; the spiritual sense has relation chiefly to the church, 248; and again to Divine truth, ib.; in the spiritual and celestial senses the Decalogue contains all things of faith and charity, 289; the Lord's presence in the Word is by means of the spiritual sense, 780; by means of the spiritual sense the Word conjoins the men of the church with the Lord, and associates them with angels, 846; by the opening of the spiritual sense the Christian Church is revived, 846(2). SPIRITUAL WORLD As to time and space, 29(2); in the spiritual world creation is a continuous process, 78(4); heretofore no one has known anything about the spiritual world, 91; the connection between the spiritual world and the natural world, 118; the distinction is like that be- tweeen the prior and the posterior, or cause and effect, or particulars and generals, 280(2) (8); the spiritual world enters into the natural and perceives the thoughts of men there, 137(8); nothing exists in this world that does not also exist in the spiritual world, yet in origin they differ, 185, 209(5); see 693(3), 694(5), 794; in the sviritual INDEX OF WORDS 501 world wonderful things from the Word appear, 209; -a man of the spiritual world does not see a man of the natural world, 280, 280(7); there exhales from every one in the spiritual world a sphere of his love, and by these spheres the good are separated from the evil, 331 ; in the spiritual world all conjunctions and consociations are effected by simili- tudes, 365(4); in the spiritual world all things appear at a distance in accord- ance with correspondences, 388(3); the intermediate state in the spiritual world, 447; friendship in the spiritual world, ib.; also 448; arrangement of the spirit- ual world, 47 5(2) (3) (4); from infancy to old age the natural man is changing his locality or situation in the spiritual world, 476; man does this himself, ib.; all in the spiritual world have their abodes according to the quarters, ib.; see 661, 800; all in the spiritual world are affiliated according to their loves, 569; when this body is laid aside man enters a world where all things are spiritual, 583; see 607(3); see Combat, 596(2); see Christian Church, 619; it is by their religions that peoples and nations in the spiritual world are distin- guished from each other, 678; upon the distinct arrangement of the spiritual world the preservation of the whole universe depends, ib.; in the spiritual world the variety and commingling of affections is distinctly perceived in the tone of the voice, 694; concerning clouds in the spiritual world, 776(3); the state of every one in the spiritual world is in accordance with his acknowledgment and worship of God, 795; the Chris- tians are in the center of the spiritual world, 800; see 828; in the internal of man's thought man is in the spiritual world, 806; such as the state of man's mind is in the natural world, such it is in the spiritual world, 816; all who go to the spiritual world are kept at first in the confession of faith and religion of their own country, 820; revelations of the spiritual world as described in the Word, 851 (whole no.). STARS. 32(5), 160. STARS (THE) (Matt, xxiv.) mean the Lord in re- spect to knowledges of truth and good, 271; see 176, 198. STATE (SPIRITUAL) Is predicated in general of good and truth, 30; see 35(11); see Reforma- tion, Regeneration, Internal, Ex- ternal. STEAL. Meaning of the commandment "Thou shalt not steal," 236(3); 317-320. SUBJUGATION OF THE HELLS. 115-117. SUBSISTENCE Is perpetual existence, 35(8), 46, 224. SUBSTANCE. God is Substance itself and Form itself, II. (20); see 33, 37; unless a sub- stance is a form it is a figment of the reason, 20; see also 21, 28; concerning substance and form, 52; see Order, 53; love and wisdom are in God as sub- stance, 76(4); matter originates in sub- stance, 694(5); see 470(2)(3). SUBSTANTIAL. Spiritual atmospheres are substan- tial, 76(3); the substantial is the primi- tive of the material, 79(7); see 30(2); see Spiritual, 280(8). See Spirit and Spiritual World. SUCCESSIVE ORDER, What it is, 214. SUN (THE) In the spiritual world is pure love from Jehovah God, 24; see 661, 691, 846(5); consequences of this, 24; see 691(2); from this sun is the first of the Uniting process, 29(3); see 33; by means of the spiritual sun order was produced. 63; how the spiritual sun affects man, 75(2); see 364(2), 618(3), 641(2), 774; by the sun is meant the Lord in respect to love, 271; the heat and light from the sun of the spiritual world have life 502 INDEX OF WORDS within them, but not so with the heat and light from the sun of the natural world, 360; see 365(2), 366(3), 392, 622: sun of this world consists of created substances, 472(3); the sun from which the light of truths flows forth is the Lord in the spiritual world, 620; the sun of the spiritual world after Jehovah God assumed the Human, 641(4); effect upon the wicked when the Lord ren- ders Himself more immediately present in heaven than its sun, 691(2); this is done by an angel with a sphere of love from the Lord encompassing him, ib.; every angel sees the Lord in front of him, the Lord being the sun of heaven, 767. SUPPERS. Concerning slippers which are diver- sions of charity, and their spiritual meaning, 433. SUPPLICATION. See Confession and Prayer. SUPRALAPSARIANS. 72, 183(3), 486(2). SWAMMERDAM. 585(3). SWEDENBORG. His statement as to being in the spirit, 14(4), 64, 123, 157, 188, 233, 240, 277, 280, 280(7), 281, 608, 613, 625(4), 695(2), 774, 779, 795, 806, 851; his per- ceptions while reading the Word, 272; an experience of Swedenborg's while al- most dead, 567; he has observed the changing of appearances of truths into genuine truth, 650; he has seen the wicked terrified by an angel encom- passed with a sphere of love from the Lord, 691(2); he has been commanded by the Lord to make known various things concerning the last judgment, etc., 771; Swedenborg saw the last judg- ment which took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757, 772; the Lord has opened the spiritual sense of the Word to Swedenborg, 776, 780; the Lord manifested Himself before me (Swedenborg) His servant, 779; see 851; Swedenborg has not received anything whatever pertaining to the doctrines of the New Church from any angel but from the Lord alone while he has read the Word, ib.; Swedenborg conversed with Luther, 796(3)(4); with Melanc- thon, 797, 797(4) (5); with Calvin, 798 (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10); with followers and opponents of these three men, 799; with one who had been a pope, 820; with those who had been made popish saints, 824; Swedenborg saw Mohammed, 830; it was granted to Swedenborg to perceive the nature of the heat of polygamic love, 834; Swedenborg conversed with some Africans in the spiritual world, 837; Swedenborg prepared for his office by the Lord from earliest youth, 850; Swedenborg's statement concerning the Memorable Relations, 851; from infancy Swedenborg has had the idea of one God, 16(2); his meditation concerning crea- tion, 76; also about God from eternity, 31 (3), 280 (10); Swedenborg sees the Temple of Wisdom, 387(2); the twelve Apostles were present with Swedenborg while he was writing on the subject of the Lord God the Saviour, 339(3); Swedenborg has seen the omnipotence of the Lord in reducing heaven and hell to order, 123(2); Swedenborg fell into profound meditation concerning God, 25; see also 26. SWORDS Mean truths combating, 86. SYNONYMS. Explanation of many expressions in the Word which appear to be synony- mous, 250. SYMPATHIES. Origin of, 44; see also 99, 331. TABERNACLE. Meaning of the curtains, veils, and pillars of the tabernacle, IV. (220); also meaning of the tabernacle itself, 220; the holiness of the tabernacle, 283; see also 187(4). TABLE Upon which was the bread of faces, 220. INDEX OF WORDS 503 TABLES. Why there were two tables for the ten commandments, 285, 287; see 456; one table contained in the complex all tilings that look to God, and the other in the complex all things that look to man, 286, 287; see 456; the two tables united exhibit the conjunction of love to God with love to the neighbor, 456; the holiness of Jehovah in the two tables, 691(3). TARES. 784. TARTARY. See Word, 266, 279(3)(4). TEACHER In natural sense and in spiritual sense, 226(6). TEETH. 402(9); gnashing of teeth, ib. TEMPLE. Meaning of the externals of the tem- ple at Jerusalem, V. (221); also the mean- ing of the temple itself, 221; see also 126, 134, 175, 508, 660, 750; how man becomes a temple of God, 374(4). TEMPTATION. It is by means of temptations that conjunction with the Lord is effected, 126; spiritual temptation is a conflict between the truths of good and the fal- sities of evil, 596; no one has been ad- mitted into spiritual temptation since the Nicene Council, 597; the contrition which is said to precede the present faith is not temptation, ib.; by means of temptations there is a conjunction of heaven and the world effected in men, 598; see Redemption, 599; see Con- science, 666; the passion *of the cross was the last temptation of the Lord, 126. TEN WORI3S. Why the ten commandments were called ten words, 286. TESTAMENT. The New and Old Testament, 409, 730. TESTIMONY Of Jesus means confession from faith in Him, 149; why the ten command- ments are called the testimony, 285; see 323, 456; testimony means the truth itself, 323. THAT DAY Twice mentioned, means the first and the second coming of the Lord, 200(4). THEOLOGY. Relative position of theological mat- ters in a man's mind, 186; see 147, 482; what the very essence of theology is, 5; see 133, 181, 619, 620, 644. THIEVES. Spiritual thieves, 318, 319, 320. THIS DAY In Psalm ii. 7, does not mean from eternity, but in time, 101. THOUGHT Is so far the man, in quantity and quality, as it adjoins the will to itself, 347(3); see 64; thought is a form of affec- tion, 386(2); see 231, 570(6), 160(8); every word of man is from his thought 593; the two kinds of thought in the nat- ural man, ib.; see Perception, 603; no evil that a man thinks is imputed to him, 659; thought is the seat of purifica- tion and excretion of the evils resident in man from his parents, ib.; there are two states of thought in man, an exter- nal and an internal 806; see 111; see also 280(5), 335(7), 461(3). THREE In the Word means what is complete and perfect, 211; see 212, 387(5). "THRONE (THE)" Means the Lord's Kingdom, 16(2). THUNDER. 77. TIGERS And diabolical love, 45. TIME Is not applicable to the Infinite, 21; see 27; in the spiritual world time exists 504 INDEX OF WORDS only apparently, 29; God is in time without time. III. (30); there was no time before the world was created, 31(2); affection of love and thought of the un- derstanding are in time without time, 64. See Space. TORMENT. The prohibition and withdrawal of evil delights with those in hell is what is called the torment of hell, 570(7). TORTOISES. 462. TOWER. Meaning of the tower built in Shinar, 121. TRANSFIGURATION. See Glorification, 104; the Word in its glory was represented in the Lord when He was transfigured, VI. (222); see 157(3), 261. TREE Signifies man, 48(16), 374(3), 467, 468; see 41(2), 106,584. "TREE OF. LIFE" Signifies man living from God, 48(16); see also 260(2), 466, 467, 663; eating of this tree signifies reception of eternal life, 48(18); see 606; see also 469, 489. TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL Signifies a man who believes that he lives from himself, 48(17); see 324, 466, 663; eating of this tree signifies recep- tion of damnation, 48(18); see 466, 606; see also 469, 489. TRENT (COUNCIL OF). 640(2). TRINE. In every complete thing there is a trine, 210; see 387(5). TRINITY. What the Trinity is, 2(2); 188(12); to show that the Divine Trinity is united in the Lord is the chief object of this work, 108; there is a Divine Trinity, which is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I. (164, 165); these three are the three essentials of the one God, II. (166-169); before the world was created this Trin- ity was not; but after creation, when God became incarnate, it was provided and brought about, III. (170, 171). TRINITY OF PERSONS. The idea of a Trinity of Persons in- volves no knowledge of God, 4(2); it makes God merely a word on the lips, 7; see 15(2), 16, 17, 23; the idea of the Trinity, which prevails in the Christian Church, 170, 171, 177, 180, 619(2), 633; a Trinity of Divine persons from eter- nity is a trinity of Gods, IV. (172, 173); in heaven no one can utter the words, a Trinity of Persons, 173(2); from a Trinity of Persons have arisen many phantasies and abortions, IX. (183, 184); discussion concerning the Trinity of Persons and Trinity of Person, 188; those who persuade themselves of the existence of three Divine persons sin against the first commandment, 296; as they confirm themselves in that error they become unable to comprehend interiorly any Divine truth, ib.; mon- strosity of such a belief would be shown by a picture of three Divine persons, 296(4); the separation of faith and char- ity was introduced when the church divided God into three Persons, 355; see 634, 656; there is no conjunction with God with those who divide God into three, 457. TRUST. Love is not love without trust, 727(3). TRUTHS That man learns from the Word are like a mirror wherein he sees God, 6(2); by means of truths man is made ready to receive influx from God, 8; what it is which gives life to truths, 38; God is truth itself because truth is of wisdom, II. (38); see 231, 354(3); Jehovah de- scended as Divine truth, II. (85-88); see 624(3); Scripture passages to show this, 85(3); man may wander away from Divine truths, 90; see Jehovah INDEX OF WORDS 505 God, 85; Power, 86; truth derives its quality from good, 163; Divine truth has relation to the kingly office, 114; light of truth illuminates from the high- est region, 186; power of truth, 224; living in accordance with Divine truths, 231; how truths are acquired, ib.; man is in the spiritual degree so far as he is in truths, and in the celestial degree so far as he is in a life according to those truths, 239; how the Lord flows into truths, 249; he who thinks and speaks nothing but truth becomes that truth, 263; Divine truth in the interior senses of the Word, 289; spiritual life and truths which actually live, 347(3); see Faith, 348, 349; the truths of faith may be multiplied to infinity, 350; they are disposed into series, 351; however numerous the truths of faith are they make one from the Lord, 354; the truths of faith determine the quality of charity, 377; truth desires to be con- joined to good, 398(5); the various things truths teach man, 587; see Reformation, 589; the internal man is reformed by truths and from truths he sees what is evil and false, 596; good cannot fight from itself but fights by means of truths, ib.; no man is in truths unless he approaches the Lord, 597; those who are not in truths cannot see the declaration that the Lord and the Father are one, 618, 619; without truths the first thing in regeneration cannot be seen, 618; concerning spheres in the spiritual world which pervert spiritual truth, 619, 619(2)(3)(4)(5)(6); truth is the form of good, 753; truth takes on its quality through the existence of falsity, 763. TWELVE Signifies all things of truth from good, 217; see 218. TYRE AND SIDON Signify knowledges of good and truth, 200(3); see 219, 260(3), 467. UNANIMITY. 25(2). UNDERSTANDING (THE). How man's understanding arrives at a knowledge of and faith in God, 11 (3); the understanding cannot be en- tirely closed up in respect to the inter- nal man, 14(2); man's understanding is where his intelligence and wisdom ger- minate, 32(4); see 37(2), 658; life of man dwells in his understanding, 39; see 658(3); all truth in man has its seat in his understanding, 87; see 249, 397, 620; see Reformation, 105; the bare knowl- edge which enters the understanding has no authority over the will, 255, 273; why some who understand better than others do not live better, ib.; allure- ment enters into the understanding only, 313; the ability to see that truth is truth, and that falsehood is falsehood, and to confirm it, is an indication of understanding, 334(8); spiritual sight is the sight of the understanding, 346; the understanding is the receptacle of wisdom, also of faith, 362; the will and the understanding cannot be separated, 367(2); the will searches the under- standing for the means of attaining its ends, thus seeing the reasons and op- portunities for determining itself to action, 374(2); see 377; the second period of man's life is when he acts from himself under the guidance of the understanding, 443(2); see Will, 443 (2); see 657; the fourth period is when he acts from confirmed principle and deliberate purpose, 443(2); he who re- ceives the influx of God only as ac- knowledgment of Him receives that in- flux only in the understanding, 457(2); see Will, 457(2); perception of what is good and true is the underslatuling it- self in its essence, 482; the xnvierstarvd- ing is the form whereby the will renders its love visible, 493; the will and the understanding are the two receptacles of the Lord, 497(4); tile understanding in every man is capable of elevation ac- cording to his knowledges, 507(6); the thought of the understanding possesses the external man, ib.; it is dangerous to enter with the understanding into dog- mas of faith that are concocted out of self-intelligence, 508(3)(5); in the New 506 INDEX OF WOKDS Church it is permitted to enter with the understanding into the mysteries of faith, 508 (3) (5) (6); the outmost of the understanding is the natural knowing faculty, 565(3); see Will, 570(6); it is in his understanding that man differs from beasts, 574; see Regeneration, 587; the understanding can be elevated almost into the light in which the angels of heaven are, 588, 605; see 602; this ability is inherent in every one, 589; man becomes unhappy if he makes his understanding subservient to his will, 588; and would rush into great wickedness, ib.; regeneration is predi- cated secondarily of the understanding, 602; the new understanding which is formed by regeneration, 604; when the Lord is enlightening the understanding He withdraws it from the world, 621(4); what is not received in the understand- ing does not remain in the memory, ib.; the will through its delight enters the understanding and produces consent, 658(2); when man acknowledges the Lord his understanding begins to be enlightened in spiritual things, 766. UNION Of the Father and Son was effected by the acts of redemption, 97; it is like the union of soul and body, 98; this union is afterwards reciprocal, ib.; see also 99; this is taught in the Word, 98; only by means of this union that a con- junction of man with God is possible, and by conjupction salvation, 98; how the union of the Father and Son was effected, and what this union is, VIII. (104-100); see also 97; only possible through exinanition and glorification, 105; see 126, 127, 128. UNITY OF GOD Is inscribed on the mind of every man, 24; see 379. UNIVERSAL. Each particular order has subsistence in the universal and thus all make one, 54; see 60, 661, 711, 714; universals of the world, 32(8); see Holt Supper, 711; universals of the church, 722; the faith of the New Church in its universal form, 1, 2. UNIVERSE Like a stage upon which are exhibited evidences that God is one, 12; the uni- verse is a work coherent as a unit, 13; see 47; it was created that God might be omnipresent, ib.; it is outside of God, 46; see Order, 53, 54; all things in the universe which are according to order, have relation to good and truth, 397, 398; see 714. URIM AND THUMMIM On Aaron's ephod, meaning of, II. (218). USES. The universe consists of perpetual uses, 47; love and wisdom apart from use are only fleeting matters of reason, 67; the universe was created by God to give existence to uses, ib.; use is the end which love purposes, and through the cause accomplishes, ib.; righteousness has its abode in the good itself or use itself which man performs, 96; men live in accordance with Divine truths when from those truths they perform uses, 231; condition of those who have re- gard to uses, 233; condition of a man who reads the Word for the sake of the uses of life, 238; how there comes a determination to uses, 374(4); love and wisdom apart from use are not any- thing, 387(3); see Love, 394, 400(5); love of heaven, world and self, when properly subordinated, by the influx of one into the other, breathe forth uses, 403; rulers can perform uses and not love the neighbor, 412(3); concerning those who perform uses from love to the neighbor, ib.; concerning the love of ruling from the love of uses, 661(4) (5) (13) (14); all heaven is nothing but a containant of uses from things first to things last, 661(14); see 736(3), 737 (5), 739(7); man is unable to distin- guish between love of uses for the sake of uses and for the sake of self, 661 (14); love of use, 735(6), 741(3); it is a matter of public welfare that every one INDEX OF WORDS 507 should be of some use in society as in the common body, 736(4); all use is from the Lord, and is effected through angels and men as if it were done by them, ib.; love and wisdom have a real existence in use, 744(3), 746, 746(2)(3); see Business, 801. VARIATIONS. 366. VARIETY. A first must go forth to its last both in general and in particular in order that variety may exist in all things, 763; variety tends to things opposite, ib. VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 78, 145, 308, 584, 585, 586, 620. VEILS Of the Tabernacle, 220. VINE. 200(2), 205, 708. VIRGINS In the Word signify those who consti- tute the church, 199; see 748; also they signify affections for truth, 205; the un- regenerate man is meant by the foolish virgins who had lamps but no oil, 606; see also 719. VIVIFICATION Of man, how it is accomplished, 142. VOWELS. Use of vowels in the writings in heav- en, 278; see 19(2). WAKEFULNESS. In the Word spiritual life is compared to wakefulness, 606. WARS For the defence of the country are not contrary to charity, 407; see 414; wars are permissions, 479. WARS OF JEHOVAH. 265, 279 279(3). WASHINGS Were commanded the Children of Is- rael, 670, 671; this signified purification from evils and falsities, and thus re- generation, 670, 671; the washing called baptism means spiritual washing, 671, 672, 673; see Baptism; before washing, or purification from evils prayer to God is not heard, 329(4). WATER Signifies truth, 572; see 190; water signifies truth in the natural or external man, 144; see also 567(3). WEALTH. No man of sound reason can condemn wealth, 403(3); it can be condemned when it is the ruling love, 404. WEDDING. See Marriage. Meaning of the wed- ding garment in Matthew, xxii., 380(4). WHEAT. 784. WHOREDOM Signifies falsification of truth, 247(4). WICKED. See Evil. WIDOWS. 427. WIFE. 277, 307, 377. WILL. When the will may be closed up in respect to the internal man, 14(2); the will is where man's intelligence and wisdom fructify, 32(4); the will is the receptacle of love, 37(2); see 87, 249; also of charity, 362; see 397, 658; the love of the will modifies man's life dwelling in his understanding, 39; in the spirit- ual world no one is able to do any- thing contrary to his will, 56; see Re- generation, 105; the will is the man himself, 255; see 347(3); that is, the interior will, 494; and not the under- 508 INDEX OF WORDS standing, 507(5), 510; the understand- ing is subject to the will, 273; whatever pertains to the intention pertains also to the will, 309; when lust enters the will it becomes, as it were, a deed, 313; so far as man slums evils as sins, so far does he will the goods that pertain to love and charity, 329; if the will and the understanding are separated they come to nothing, 367(2); see Under- standing, 374(2); the will by itself can have no existence, 377; as good is the very being of a thing, so is the will in man the very being of his life, 397; see 482(2), 658(3); the third period of man's life is when the will acts upon the understanding, and the understand- ing regulates the will, 443(2); see 571, 657; the fourth period is when he acts from confirmed principle and deliberate purpose, 443(2); he who receives the in- flux of God as acknowledgment of Him and with God's love to Him, receives the influx into the will and from that into the understanding, 457(2); because freedom belongs to man's will it also belongs to his love, 493; the will and the understanding are the two recepta- cles of the Lord, 497(4); the will can be elevated only by a life according to the truths of the church and of reason, 507 (6); it is the will and thought that sin when the body sins, 532; man examines the intentions of his will when he ex- amines his thoughts, ib.; from the will every love breathes out its delights into the perceptions and thoughts of the understanding, 533(3); how through the spiritual will the natural will and the body is reformed and regenerated, ib.; the outmost of the will is sensual de- light, 565(3); since the will moves the understanding to think, not the least thought is possible except from an in- fluent delight of the will, 570(6); see Regeneration, 587; see Understand- ing, 588; the will by birth inclines to evils, 588; see 593, 658(5); two wills are formed in the natural man, 593; see 659; the conflict between them, 596; the will cannot fight from itself but by means of the understanding, ib.; regen- eration is predicated primarily of the will, 602; the new will which is formed by regeneration, 604; see 659; all good as well as all evil belong to the will, 658(2). WINE Means Divine truth, 372; see Holt Supper, 705, 706. WISDOM And love the two essentials of God, 37; see 778; wisdom is the complex of all varieties of truth, 38; wisdom brings forth the desires of love, 43; wisdom itself perceives all things, 59; through wis- dom man is prepared for conjunction with God, 89; wisdom of those who are in faith and charity, 361; wisdom in its origin is love, 386(2); see 387; see Self, 663; in every man of sound mind there is an ability to receive wisdom from the Lord, 718; man is in wisdom concerning good and truth from the Divine omnis- cience, 69; therefore from God man is in wisdom, ib.; see 350; elevation of wis- dom to various degrees, 69; see 280(5) (6), 290, 350, 565; all angelic wisdom is from the Word, 350; see 242; where the good of love is there wisdom dwells at the same time, 242; wisdom is for the sake of use, 746. WISE MEN (THE) Of the East, 205. WOLFF. 90, 335(7), 696. WOLVES And diabolical love, 45. WORD (THE) Is Divine truth, 3; see 50; I. (189- 192), 224(3), 777; the second coming is the opening of the Word, 3; the Word in its inmosts nothing but God, 6; see also 225, 234, 263; it was dictated by God, 6; in its derivatives it is adapted to the perception of men, ib.; the Word is like a mirror wherein man sees God, each in his own way, 6(2); the Word teaches that there is one God, 6(3); references made to Scripture passages, INDEX OF WORDS 509 ib.; no light perceived in the Word by a man who thinks of three Gods, 7; the Word is the crown of revelations, conse- quently the means of a knowledge of God, 11; how the man who denies God thinks of the Word, 14(3); God has pro- vided the Word for the instruction of man, 22; the Word teaches that Jehovah Himself descended and became Man, and also Redeemer, 82; what those be- lieve who are not yet awakened by the Word, 82(3); Jehovah descended as the Divine truth, which is the Word, 85; see 730; explanation of the passage, " In the beginning was the Word, "etc., 85, 224(4); the Word is the sole medium through which man draws near to the Lord, 142; how man may speak and act of himself from the Word, 154(5); how the Word is to be read in order to under- stand the Divine Trinity, 165; from the faith of a church it can be seen how the Word is understood in that church, 177(3); how those who worship nature look upon the Word, 189, 191; the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, 190; see 354(2), 751; style of the Word is such that there is a holiness in every sentence and in every word, 191; by means of the Word man has life, ib.; such as heaven is such also is the Word, 195; the Word treats of nothing but heavenly things, 200(3); the Lord teaches every one by means of the Word, 208; some of the wonderful things which appear in the spiritual world from the Word, 209; see 776(3); when the read- ing of the Word effects conjunction with the angels, 209(4); the power of the Lord proceeding from the Word is infi- nite, 209(5); there are three senses of the Word, celestial, spiritual, and nat- ural, 212; effect upon those who read the Word in the belief that it is the holy Divine, 215(5); the exteriors of the Word represent the exteriors of heaven and the church, 221; the inexpressible power of the Word, VIII. (224); God came into the world as the Word, 224 (3); in the Word alone there is spirit and life, 239; there is a Word also in the heavens, 240; how it is written, 241, 278: written differently in celestial kingdom than in spiritual kingdom, 242; in the Word which is in the world is concealed all angelic wisdom, ib.; the church is from the Word, 243; that it is in accordance with the understanding of the Word, 244; truths of faith and goods of charity pervade the whole Word, ib.; not the Word that establishes the church but faith and life derived from the Word, 245; in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of the Lord and the church, and good and truth, 248; see 706; the Lord when in the world fulfilled all things of the Word and thereby became Divine truth or the Word, 261; the whole Word was writ- ten concerning the Lord, 262; before the Israelitish Word there was another Word, 264; this Word is preserved in heaven among the angels who lived in those times, 266, 279; it is still in exis- tence among the nations of Great Tar- tary, 266, 279(3)(4); no conjunction with heaven is possible unless somewhere on the earth there is a church that has the Word, 267; knowledge of God has existed first from the ancient Word, then from the Israelitish Word, 275; in the broadest sense the law means the whole Word, 288; there is an infinity in every least particular of the Word, 290; the Word is profaned by those who in heart ridicule all things of the church and of religion, 315; the essence of the faith of the New Church is truth from the Word, 344; truths ought to be taken from the Word, 347(2); see 350, 351; faith is from the Word, 384; those who reject the Word reject the Lord also, and the church, ib.; see Freedom of Choice, 483; if the faith of the present church were to continue the whole Word would be rejected, 582; see Second Coming, 777; how some idea may be formed of how the Lord is the Word, 778. WORDS. • The Lord's words are truths, 349. WORKS. Man is known from his works, 96; works belong essentially to the will, 510 INDEX OF WORDS formally to the understanding, and ac- tually to the body, 374(2); see 373; see Faith, 375, 376; see 387(4); merely natural works, 726. See Charity, and Good Works. WORLD. Owing to his worldly occupations man can acquire for himself only a few of the truths of faith, 354(3); the things which belong to the world do not re- main with man, 494. WORLD OF SPIRITS Is the great interspace between heav- en and hell, 475(3)(4); see 795; every man after death first goes there, 475 (4); see 646, 797(2) (3); the condition of the world of spirits since the last judgment, 818. WORLD (LOVE OF THE), What it is, 400(11); not opposed to heavenly love to such a degree as the love of self is, 400(12); its various forms, 400(13); see 662 (whole no.); love of the world is the opposite of love to the neighbor, 754. WORSHIP. From the faith of any church flows forth all its worship, 177(2); every true worshiper of God as soon as he hears any truth of faith he has not known before, accepts it, 354(3); there is not conjunc- tion with God with those who merely worship God, 457; worship from freedom is truly worship, 495; worship by sacri- fices, 264; representative worship, 109 (2), 188(6), 201, 670, 674; a description of how the angels worship God, 750, 751; a false idea of this worship, 738; worship of self, 274. WRITINGS In the spiritual world 241, 278, 280 (4), 794. XENOPHON. 692. Y. Angels in the third heaven cannot utter i but instead of it y, 278. YOUTH. 476. ZEAL In itself considered, is a glow of the natural man, 146; when it may be in- ternal, ib.; see 155; zeal may appear in the external man like anger, 408. ZION Means the church, 467(3). 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