AR 29
The Lord calls Himself
"the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,"
because "Alpha and Omega" refer to His Divine love,
and "Beginning and End," to His Divine wisdom;
for there is, in every particular of the Word,
a marriage of love and wisdom,
or of good and truth . . ..
[2] The Lord is called "the Alpha and the Omega,"
because Alpha is the first letter
and Omega the last in the Greek Alphabet,
and therefore they signify all in their entirety.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
AR 17 - the first and primary of the church
AR 17
. . . truth in act and work,
which is the good of life . . .
is the first and primary of the church . . .
. . . truth,
which is not in act or work,
does not live.
[2] With the understanding it is similar,
which is formed in a person first,
but to the end that
what a person sees with his understanding, he may do;
otherwise the understanding is like a preacher,
who teaches well, but lives wickedly.
Moreover all truth is sown in the internal man,
and rooted in the external;
wherefore, unless the truth that is inseminated
takes root in the external person,
which is effected by doing,
it becomes like a tree planted, not in the soil, but upon it,
which immediately withers on exposure to the heat of the sun.
The person who has done the truth,
takes this root with him after death;
but not the person who had only known and acknowledged it in faith.
. . . truth in act and work,
which is the good of life . . .
is the first and primary of the church . . .
. . . truth,
which is not in act or work,
does not live.
[2] With the understanding it is similar,
which is formed in a person first,
but to the end that
what a person sees with his understanding, he may do;
otherwise the understanding is like a preacher,
who teaches well, but lives wickedly.
Moreover all truth is sown in the internal man,
and rooted in the external;
wherefore, unless the truth that is inseminated
takes root in the external person,
which is effected by doing,
it becomes like a tree planted, not in the soil, but upon it,
which immediately withers on exposure to the heat of the sun.
The person who has done the truth,
takes this root with him after death;
but not the person who had only known and acknowledged it in faith.
Monday, September 28, 2009
AR 8 - prophets and priests
AR 8 [6]
In these passages, by "prophets" and "priests," in the spiritual sense,
are not meant prophets and priests, but the entire church;
by "prophets," the church as to the truth of doctrine,
and by "priests" the church as to the good of life . . .
these things are so understood by the angels in heaven;
while by men in the world
they are understood according to the sense of the letter.
In these passages, by "prophets" and "priests," in the spiritual sense,
are not meant prophets and priests, but the entire church;
by "prophets," the church as to the truth of doctrine,
and by "priests" the church as to the good of life . . .
these things are so understood by the angels in heaven;
while by men in the world
they are understood according to the sense of the letter.
AR - angel, John, twelve disciples or apostles, Peter, James, John
AR 5
. . . by "an angel" is signified heaven, and in the supreme sense the Lord.
The reason why by "angel" the Lord is meant in the supreme sense, is,
because heaven is not heaven from the things proper to the angels,
but from the Divine of the Lord,
from which is derived their love and wisdom, yea, their life.
Hence it is that the Lord Himself is called "Angel" in the Word.
From these things it is manifest
that the angel did not speak from himself with John;
but the Lord by means of heaven through him.
[2] By these words is meant, that they were revealed to those
who are in the good of life from charity and its faith,
because these are meant by "John."
For by the "twelve disciples" or "apostles" of the Lord,
are meant all who are of the church in truths from good;
and in the abstract sense, all things of the church;
and by "Peter," all who are in faith, and, abstractly, faith itself;
by "James," they who are in charity, and, abstractly, charity itself;
by "John," they who are in the good of life from charity and its faith,
and, abstractly, the good of life itself therefrom.
[3] Since the good of life from charity and its faith makes the church,
therefore through the apostle John were revealed
the arcana concerning the state of the church
which are contained in his visions.
. . . by "an angel" is signified heaven, and in the supreme sense the Lord.
The reason why by "angel" the Lord is meant in the supreme sense, is,
because heaven is not heaven from the things proper to the angels,
but from the Divine of the Lord,
from which is derived their love and wisdom, yea, their life.
Hence it is that the Lord Himself is called "Angel" in the Word.
From these things it is manifest
that the angel did not speak from himself with John;
but the Lord by means of heaven through him.
[2] By these words is meant, that they were revealed to those
who are in the good of life from charity and its faith,
because these are meant by "John."
For by the "twelve disciples" or "apostles" of the Lord,
are meant all who are of the church in truths from good;
and in the abstract sense, all things of the church;
and by "Peter," all who are in faith, and, abstractly, faith itself;
by "James," they who are in charity, and, abstractly, charity itself;
by "John," they who are in the good of life from charity and its faith,
and, abstractly, the good of life itself therefrom.
[3] Since the good of life from charity and its faith makes the church,
therefore through the apostle John were revealed
the arcana concerning the state of the church
which are contained in his visions.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
AR 1 - the spiritual sense of the Word
Apocalypse Revealed
AR 1
What the spiritual sense is, has been hitherto unknown.
That there is such a sense in every particular of the Word,
and that without it,
the Word in many places cannot be understood . . ..
This sense does not appear in the literal sense,
for it is in it as the soul in its body.
[2] It is similar in each and everything in the world;
there is in them the spiritual, which is the inmost of the cause,
and there is the natural, which is its effect,
and these two make one;
and the spiritual does not appear in the natural,
because it is in it as the soul in the body,
and as the inmost of the cause in the effect . . ..
It is similar with the Word;
that this in its bosom is spiritual, because it is Divine . . .
but as the spiritual does not appear in the sense of the letter, which is natural,
therefore the spiritual sense has been hitherto unknown;
nor could it have been known
before genuine truths were revealed by the Lord,
for that sense is in these.
For this reason Revelation has not been understood before.
But lest there should be doubt that such things are within it,
the particulars must be explained,
and demonstrated by similar passages elsewhere in the Word.
AR 1
What the spiritual sense is, has been hitherto unknown.
That there is such a sense in every particular of the Word,
and that without it,
the Word in many places cannot be understood . . ..
This sense does not appear in the literal sense,
for it is in it as the soul in its body.
[2] It is similar in each and everything in the world;
there is in them the spiritual, which is the inmost of the cause,
and there is the natural, which is its effect,
and these two make one;
and the spiritual does not appear in the natural,
because it is in it as the soul in the body,
and as the inmost of the cause in the effect . . ..
It is similar with the Word;
that this in its bosom is spiritual, because it is Divine . . .
but as the spiritual does not appear in the sense of the letter, which is natural,
therefore the spiritual sense has been hitherto unknown;
nor could it have been known
before genuine truths were revealed by the Lord,
for that sense is in these.
For this reason Revelation has not been understood before.
But lest there should be doubt that such things are within it,
the particulars must be explained,
and demonstrated by similar passages elsewhere in the Word.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
DP 335, 336 - means and methods
DP 335
The operation of Divine providence takes place unceasingly,
through means, out of pure mercy.
Divine providence has its means and methods.
Its means are the instruments by which a person becomes human
and is perfected in intellect and in will.
Its methods are the ways these goals are accomplished.
that still less is it possible
to penetrate into the secret operations of Divine providence.
It is enough to know its laws.
The operation of Divine providence takes place unceasingly,
through means, out of pure mercy.
Divine providence has its means and methods.
Its means are the instruments by which a person becomes human
and is perfected in intellect and in will.
Its methods are the ways these goals are accomplished.
The means by which a person becomes human and is perfected in intellect
are in common parlance called truths,
which in thought become ideas,
and in the memory are called facts,
and which in themselves are
the concepts on which the various branches of knowledge are founded.
All of these means regarded in themselves are spiritual.
But because they exist in natural embodiments,
owing to their investiture or clothing they appear to be natural,
and some of them material.
DP 336
The methods, on the other hand,
by which Divine providence operates upon the means
and through the means to form the person and perfect him,
are also infinite in number and infinite in their variety,
being as many as the operations of Divine wisdom out of Divine love
to save mankind.
Thus they are as many as the operations of Divine providence
in accordance with its laws . . ..
That these methods are most secret
is something we illustrated by the operations of the soul in the body,
of which a person knows so little as to know scarcely anything . . ..
that still less is it possible
to penetrate into the secret operations of Divine providence.
It is enough to know its laws.
Friday, September 25, 2009
DP 329 - all are predestined for heaven, & no one for hell
DP 329 [3]
. . . because a belief in predestination to something other than salvation,
namely damnation, has prevailed in some,
and because this belief is a harmful one
and cannot be dispelled unless reason sees the insanity and cruelty in it,
we must therefore discuss it under the following series of headings:
. . . because a belief in predestination to something other than salvation,
namely damnation, has prevailed in some,
and because this belief is a harmful one
and cannot be dispelled unless reason sees the insanity and cruelty in it,
we must therefore discuss it under the following series of headings:
- Any predestination other than a predestination to heaven
is contrary to Divine love and its infinity.
- Any predestination other than a predestination to heaven
is contrary to Divine wisdom and its infinity.
- The idea that only those people born in the church are saved
is an insane heresy.
(DP 330 [7] What then is more insane than to believe
that only Christians are saved, and those others condemned?
Or that a person gains heaven by virtue of his birth
and not his life?)
- The idea that some members of the human race
have been damned by predestination is a cruel heresy.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
DP 326 [9, 11-13] - the Ark when the Philistines took it to the temple of Dagon in Ashton
DP326 [9]
Acknowledging God
and not doing evil because it is contrary to God
are the two ingredients which make a religion a religion.
If one of these is lacking, it cannot be called a religion,
inasmuch as to acknowledge God and do evil is a contradiction,
and so is it to do good and not acknowledge God.
For one is impossible without the other.
The Lord has provided that some religion exist almost everywhere,
and that each have in it these two elements.
Moreover, the Lord has also provided
that there be a place in heaven for everyone who acknowledges God
and does not do evil because it is contrary to God.
For heaven in its totality resembles a single person,
whose life or soul is the Lord.
That heavenly person
has in it all the constituents found in a natural person,
with the kind of difference
that exists between heavenly things and natural ones.
[11] That these two elements are the primary ones in any religion
can be seen from the fact
that it is these two that the Decalogue teaches,
and the Decalogue was the beginning of the Word,
proclaimed by Jehovah from Mount Sinai in His own voice
(Exodus 20:1, 19. Deuteronomy 5:4, 22).
and written on two tablets of stone with the finger of God.
(Exodus 31:18. Deuteronomy 9:10).
Moreover, having been placed in the Ark,
it was then called Jehovah (Numbers 10:35, 36),
and it sanctified the holy of holies in the Tabernacle,
and the inner sanctuary in the Temple in Jerusalem;
and everything there was sacred, owing to it alone.
We know from the Word
that the Ark containing the two tablets on which the Decalogue was written
was captured by the Philistines
and placed in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod;
that Dagon fell to the ground before it,
and later his head was found lying on the threshold of the temple
with the palms of his hands torn from his body;
that the people of Ashdod and Ekron
were stricken with hemorrhoids because of the Ark,
affecting many thousands,
and that their land was ravaged by mice;
moreover, that on the advice of the leading men of their nation,
the Philistines made five hemorrhoids and five mice of gold,
and a new cart, on which they placed the Ark,
with the hemorrhoids and mice of gold beside it,
and sent it back by means of two cows,
which lowed along the way before the cart,
to the children of Israel, who sacrificed the cows and the cart
(1 Samuel 5, 6).
[12] We shall now say what all these things meant symbolically.
The Philistines
symbolized people caught up in faith separated from charity.
Dagon
represented that religious persuasion.
The hemorrhoids with which they were stricken
symbolized natural loves,
which, when separated from spiritual love,
are unclean.
And the mice
symbolized the devastation of the church by falsifications of truth.
The new cart on which they sent back the Ark
symbolized a new doctrine, though a natural one,
for a conveyance in the Word symbolizes doctrine founded on spiritual truths.
The cows
symbolized good natural affections.
The hemorrhoids of gold
symbolized natural loves purified and made good.
The mice of gold
symbolized the devastation of the church removed by good,
for gold in the Word symbolizes good.
The lowing of the cows along the way
symbolized the difficult conversion of lusts for evil in the natural self
into good affections.
The offering of the cows together with the cart as a burnt offering
symbolized the Lord's being thus propitiated.
[propitiate - make peace with]
[13] These are the things spiritually meant by those narrative details.
Connect them into a single sense and form an application.
That the Philistines
represented people caught up in faith separated from charity . . ..
And that the Ark was the holiest object of the church
because of the Decalogue contained in it . . ..
Acknowledging God
and not doing evil because it is contrary to God
are the two ingredients which make a religion a religion.
If one of these is lacking, it cannot be called a religion,
inasmuch as to acknowledge God and do evil is a contradiction,
and so is it to do good and not acknowledge God.
For one is impossible without the other.
The Lord has provided that some religion exist almost everywhere,
and that each have in it these two elements.
Moreover, the Lord has also provided
that there be a place in heaven for everyone who acknowledges God
and does not do evil because it is contrary to God.
For heaven in its totality resembles a single person,
whose life or soul is the Lord.
That heavenly person
has in it all the constituents found in a natural person,
with the kind of difference
that exists between heavenly things and natural ones.
[11] That these two elements are the primary ones in any religion
can be seen from the fact
that it is these two that the Decalogue teaches,
and the Decalogue was the beginning of the Word,
proclaimed by Jehovah from Mount Sinai in His own voice
(Exodus 20:1, 19. Deuteronomy 5:4, 22).
and written on two tablets of stone with the finger of God.
(Exodus 31:18. Deuteronomy 9:10).
Moreover, having been placed in the Ark,
it was then called Jehovah (Numbers 10:35, 36),
and it sanctified the holy of holies in the Tabernacle,
and the inner sanctuary in the Temple in Jerusalem;
and everything there was sacred, owing to it alone.
We know from the Word
that the Ark containing the two tablets on which the Decalogue was written
was captured by the Philistines
and placed in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod;
that Dagon fell to the ground before it,
and later his head was found lying on the threshold of the temple
with the palms of his hands torn from his body;
that the people of Ashdod and Ekron
were stricken with hemorrhoids because of the Ark,
affecting many thousands,
and that their land was ravaged by mice;
moreover, that on the advice of the leading men of their nation,
the Philistines made five hemorrhoids and five mice of gold,
and a new cart, on which they placed the Ark,
with the hemorrhoids and mice of gold beside it,
and sent it back by means of two cows,
which lowed along the way before the cart,
to the children of Israel, who sacrificed the cows and the cart
(1 Samuel 5, 6).
[12] We shall now say what all these things meant symbolically.
The Philistines
symbolized people caught up in faith separated from charity.
Dagon
represented that religious persuasion.
The hemorrhoids with which they were stricken
symbolized natural loves,
which, when separated from spiritual love,
are unclean.
And the mice
symbolized the devastation of the church by falsifications of truth.
The new cart on which they sent back the Ark
symbolized a new doctrine, though a natural one,
for a conveyance in the Word symbolizes doctrine founded on spiritual truths.
The cows
symbolized good natural affections.
The hemorrhoids of gold
symbolized natural loves purified and made good.
The mice of gold
symbolized the devastation of the church removed by good,
for gold in the Word symbolizes good.
The lowing of the cows along the way
symbolized the difficult conversion of lusts for evil in the natural self
into good affections.
The offering of the cows together with the cart as a burnt offering
symbolized the Lord's being thus propitiated.
[propitiate - make peace with]
[13] These are the things spiritually meant by those narrative details.
Connect them into a single sense and form an application.
That the Philistines
represented people caught up in faith separated from charity . . ..
And that the Ark was the holiest object of the church
because of the Decalogue contained in it . . ..
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
DP 326 [8] - live rightly
DP 326 [8]
. . . goodness of life, or living rightly,
means refraining from evils
because they are contrary to religion,
thus contrary to God . . ..
To it we will add only this,
that if you do good works in abundance
if, for example,
you build churches, adorn them and fill them with offerings,
contribute money to hospitals and shelters,
give alms daily, aid widows and orphans,
diligently observe the sanctities of worship,
indeed think, speak and preach these from the heart
and yet do not refrain from evils as sins against God,
then all those good works are not good.
They are either hypocritical or merit-seeking,
for evil is still inwardly present in them,
inasmuch as everyone's life is present in each and every thing that he does.
Good works, on the other hand,
become good only by the removal of evil from them.
It is apparent from this
that to refrain from evils because they are contrary to religion,
thus contrary to God,
is to live rightly.
. . . goodness of life, or living rightly,
means refraining from evils
because they are contrary to religion,
thus contrary to God . . ..
To it we will add only this,
that if you do good works in abundance
if, for example,
you build churches, adorn them and fill them with offerings,
contribute money to hospitals and shelters,
give alms daily, aid widows and orphans,
diligently observe the sanctities of worship,
indeed think, speak and preach these from the heart
and yet do not refrain from evils as sins against God,
then all those good works are not good.
They are either hypocritical or merit-seeking,
for evil is still inwardly present in them,
inasmuch as everyone's life is present in each and every thing that he does.
Good works, on the other hand,
become good only by the removal of evil from them.
It is apparent from this
that to refrain from evils because they are contrary to religion,
thus contrary to God,
is to live rightly.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
DP 321[8] - Divine providence does not assign evil or good to anyone
DP 321[8]
. . . Divine providence does not assign evil to anyone,
nor good to anyone,
but that it is a person's own prudence
that assigns the one or the other to him. . ..
The end in Divine providence is goodness.
It therefore intends this in its every operation.
Consequently it does not assign good to anyone,
for in that case it would be made deserving of merit.
Nor does it assign evil to anyone,
for in that case it would make him guilty of evil.
Nevertheless a person does both owing to his inherent nature . . ..
The inherent nature of his will is a love of self,
and the inherent nature of his intellect is a conceit in his own intelligence,
and it is of the latter that his own prudence is born.
. . . Divine providence does not assign evil to anyone,
nor good to anyone,
but that it is a person's own prudence
that assigns the one or the other to him. . ..
The end in Divine providence is goodness.
It therefore intends this in its every operation.
Consequently it does not assign good to anyone,
for in that case it would be made deserving of merit.
Nor does it assign evil to anyone,
for in that case it would make him guilty of evil.
Nevertheless a person does both owing to his inherent nature . . ..
The inherent nature of his will is a love of self,
and the inherent nature of his intellect is a conceit in his own intelligence,
and it is of the latter that his own prudence is born.
Monday, September 21, 2009
DP 313 - the Garden of Eden
DP 313
The character of people caught up in their own prudence
and the character of those governed by prudence not their own
and consequently by Divine providence
is described in the Word
by Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden,
in which there were two trees
one the tree of life
and the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
and by their eating of the latter tree. (Genesis 2:1-3:24.)
By Adam and his wife Eve in the Word's internal or spiritual sense
are meant and described the Lord's Most Ancient Church on this earth,
a church more noble and more heavenly than those that followed . . ..
The rest of the particulars symbolize the following:
[2] The Garden of Eden
symbolizes the wisdom of the people of that church.
The tree of life,
the Lord in respect to His Divine providence,
and the tree of knowledge,
mankind in respect to his own prudence.
The serpent,
the sensual nature and inherent character of mankind,
which in itself is self-love and a conceit in its own intelligence,
thus the devil and satan.
Eating of the tree of knowledge,
the arrogation to self of goodness and truth
as being not from the Lord and thus not the Lord's,
but the product of mankind and thus the property of mankind.
And because goodness and truth
are the fundamental Divine qualities in a person,
as goodness means everything connected with love,
and truth, everything connected with wisdom,
therefore if a person claims them for himself as his own,
he cannot but believe that he is like God.
Therefore the serpent said,
In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.
(Genesis 3:5)
That, too, is what those do in hell who are caught up in self-love
and a consequent conceit in their own intelligence.
[3] The curse on the serpent
symbolizes the damnation of mankind's own love
and mankind's own intelligence.
The curse on Eve,
the damnation of his volitional nature,
and the curse on Adam,
the damnation of his intellectual nature.
The thorn and thistle which the earth would cause to sprout up for him
symbolize sheer falsity and evil.
Being expelled from the garden
symbolizes the loss of wisdom.
Guarding the way to the tree of life,
the Lord's protection to keep the sanctities of the Word
and the church from being violated.
The fig leaves with which Adam and Eve covered their nakedness
symbolize the moral truths
with which those people veiled the inclinations of their love and conceit.
And the tunics of skin with which they were afterward clothed
symbolize appearances of truth,
which were the only ones they had.
This is the spiritual meaning of these things.
But let anyone who wishes remain in the literal sense.
Only let him know that the foregoing is the meaning in heaven.
The character of people caught up in their own prudence
and the character of those governed by prudence not their own
and consequently by Divine providence
is described in the Word
by Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden,
in which there were two trees
one the tree of life
and the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
and by their eating of the latter tree. (Genesis 2:1-3:24.)
By Adam and his wife Eve in the Word's internal or spiritual sense
are meant and described the Lord's Most Ancient Church on this earth,
a church more noble and more heavenly than those that followed . . ..
The rest of the particulars symbolize the following:
[2] The Garden of Eden
symbolizes the wisdom of the people of that church.
The tree of life,
the Lord in respect to His Divine providence,
and the tree of knowledge,
mankind in respect to his own prudence.
The serpent,
the sensual nature and inherent character of mankind,
which in itself is self-love and a conceit in its own intelligence,
thus the devil and satan.
Eating of the tree of knowledge,
the arrogation to self of goodness and truth
as being not from the Lord and thus not the Lord's,
but the product of mankind and thus the property of mankind.
And because goodness and truth
are the fundamental Divine qualities in a person,
as goodness means everything connected with love,
and truth, everything connected with wisdom,
therefore if a person claims them for himself as his own,
he cannot but believe that he is like God.
Therefore the serpent said,
In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.
(Genesis 3:5)
That, too, is what those do in hell who are caught up in self-love
and a consequent conceit in their own intelligence.
[3] The curse on the serpent
symbolizes the damnation of mankind's own love
and mankind's own intelligence.
The curse on Eve,
the damnation of his volitional nature,
and the curse on Adam,
the damnation of his intellectual nature.
The thorn and thistle which the earth would cause to sprout up for him
symbolize sheer falsity and evil.
Being expelled from the garden
symbolizes the loss of wisdom.
Guarding the way to the tree of life,
the Lord's protection to keep the sanctities of the Word
and the church from being violated.
The fig leaves with which Adam and Eve covered their nakedness
symbolize the moral truths
with which those people veiled the inclinations of their love and conceit.
And the tunics of skin with which they were afterward clothed
symbolize appearances of truth,
which were the only ones they had.
This is the spiritual meaning of these things.
But let anyone who wishes remain in the literal sense.
Only let him know that the foregoing is the meaning in heaven.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
DP 307 - our wandering spirit
DP 307 [2]
. . . in respect to his spirit
a person is in the spiritual world and in some society there
in a society of hell if he is evil,
and in a society of heaven if he is good.
For a person's mind,
being in itself spiritual,
can only be among spiritual beings,
into whose company he also comes after death.
. . . in respect to his spirit
a person is in the spiritual world and in some society there
in a society of hell if he is evil,
and in a society of heaven if he is good.
For a person's mind,
being in itself spiritual,
can only be among spiritual beings,
into whose company he also comes after death.
The person is not present there as a spirit enrolled in the society, however,
for a person is continually in a state to be reformed.
Consequently, in accordance with his life and the changes in it,
he is conveyed by the Lord,
if he is evil,
from one society of hell to another.
And if he allows himself to be reformed,
he is led out of hell and raised into heaven,
and there, too, conveyed from one society to another, and this until his death.
After that he no longer travels from society to society there,
because he is then no longer in a state to be reformed,
but remains in the state he had in accordance with his life.
It is when a person dies, then, that he is enrolled in his place.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
DP 298 [6] - someone who trusts in Divine providence is turned away from evil
DP 298 [6]
As regards intelligence,
it appears to be one's own and inherently so,
both in the case of a good person and in the case of an evil one,
and a good person is bound to act in accord with his intelligence
as though it were his own
just as much as an evil person.
But someone who trusts in Divine providence is turned away from evil,
while someone who does not trust in it is not turned away.
Moreover, the person who trusts in it
is someone who acknowledges evil to be a sin
and wishes to be turned away from it,
while someone who does not have that acknowledgment and wish
does not trust in it.
As regards intelligence,
it appears to be one's own and inherently so,
both in the case of a good person and in the case of an evil one,
and a good person is bound to act in accord with his intelligence
as though it were his own
just as much as an evil person.
But someone who trusts in Divine providence is turned away from evil,
while someone who does not trust in it is not turned away.
Moreover, the person who trusts in it
is someone who acknowledges evil to be a sin
and wishes to be turned away from it,
while someone who does not have that acknowledgment and wish
does not trust in it.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
DP 292 - sun and rain
DP 292
The fact that everything a person thinks and wills
and so speaks and does flows in from a single fount of life,
and yet that the single fount of life, namely the Lord,
is not the cause of a person's thinking evil and falsity,
may be illustrated by the following circumstance in the natural world:
Heat and light exist there, too, from its sun, which is the Lord,
and they flow from that sun into their vessels and objects.
The vessels and objects there are angels and spirits . . ..
For the Lord says that
"He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and the unjust"
(Matthew 5:45).
By the sun in the highest spiritual sense is meant Divine love,
and by rain Divine wisdom.
The fact that everything a person thinks and wills
and so speaks and does flows in from a single fount of life,
and yet that the single fount of life, namely the Lord,
is not the cause of a person's thinking evil and falsity,
may be illustrated by the following circumstance in the natural world:
From the sun in that world emanate heat and light,
and these two flow into all vessels and objects visible to the eye
not only into good vessels and beautiful objects,
but also into evil vessels and ugly objects
and produce various effects in them. . .
They flow likewise into good seeds and also into weeds.
So, too, into bushes that serve a good purpose or are healthful,
and also into bushes that serve an evil purpose or are toxic.
And yet it is the same heat and the same light,
in which no cause of any evil is to be found.
Rather the cause lies in the recipient vessels and objects.
[2] The warmth that hatches eggs containing
a screech owl, eagle owl, or asp
operates the same as when it hatches eggs containing a dove,
ornamental bird, or swan. . .
The warmth flowing into marshy, feculent, rotten or decayed recipients
operates the same as when it flows into wine-making,
fragrant, growing and living ones.
Who does not see that the cause lies not in the warmth
but in the receiving vessel?
The same light, too, . . . shines brightly on white objects and radiates,
and grows dim on those nearly black and becomes dusky.
Heat and light exist there, too, from its sun, which is the Lord,
and they flow from that sun into their vessels and objects.
The vessels and objects there are angels and spirits . . ..
For the Lord says that
"He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and the unjust"
(Matthew 5:45).
By the sun in the highest spiritual sense is meant Divine love,
and by rain Divine wisdom.
Monday, September 14, 2009
DP 282 - 283 - the Lord heals
DP 282 - 283
The Lord could heal the intellect in everyone
and so cause him to entertain in thought not evils but goods,
and this by various fears, by miracles,
by conversations with the deceased,
and by visions and dreams.
But to heal the intellect only is to heal the person only outwardly.
For the intellect with its thought is the outer constituent of a person's life,
while the will with its affection is the inner constituent of his life.
Consequently a healing of the intellect alone
would be a kind of palliative cure,
which would allow the inner malignity,
being shut in and prevented from emerging,
to consume first the neighboring areas and afterward the outlying ones,
until the whole was necrotic and dying.
It is the underlying will that must be healed,
not by an influx of the intellect into it,
because that is impossible,
but by being instructed and exhorted by the intellect.
A person is permitted to entertain evils in thought
even to the point of intending them
in order that they may be displaced, as we said,
by civil, moral and spiritual precepts,
and this is the case when he thinks
that something is contrary to justice and equity,
contrary to honor and decorum,
and contrary to goodness and truth,
thus contrary to peace, happiness and blessedness of life.
Through these three classes of precepts
the Lord heals the will's love in a person
at first, indeed by fears, and afterward by loves.
But still, evils are not separated and cast out of a person,
but are only displaced and banished to the sides;
and when that is where they are,
and good at the center,
then the evils do not appear.
For whatever is at the center is directly in view
and is seen and perceived.
The Lord could heal the intellect in everyone
and so cause him to entertain in thought not evils but goods,
and this by various fears, by miracles,
by conversations with the deceased,
and by visions and dreams.
But to heal the intellect only is to heal the person only outwardly.
For the intellect with its thought is the outer constituent of a person's life,
while the will with its affection is the inner constituent of his life.
Consequently a healing of the intellect alone
would be a kind of palliative cure,
which would allow the inner malignity,
being shut in and prevented from emerging,
to consume first the neighboring areas and afterward the outlying ones,
until the whole was necrotic and dying.
It is the underlying will that must be healed,
not by an influx of the intellect into it,
because that is impossible,
but by being instructed and exhorted by the intellect.
A person is permitted to entertain evils in thought
even to the point of intending them
in order that they may be displaced, as we said,
by civil, moral and spiritual precepts,
and this is the case when he thinks
that something is contrary to justice and equity,
contrary to honor and decorum,
and contrary to goodness and truth,
thus contrary to peace, happiness and blessedness of life.
Through these three classes of precepts
the Lord heals the will's love in a person
at first, indeed by fears, and afterward by loves.
But still, evils are not separated and cast out of a person,
but are only displaced and banished to the sides;
and when that is where they are,
and good at the center,
then the evils do not appear.
For whatever is at the center is directly in view
and is seen and perceived.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
DP 280 - repentance and forgiveness
DP 280
Another error of the age
is to suppose that when sins have been forgiven
they are also put away.
People caught up in that error are those
who believe that sins are forgiven them by the Holy Supper,
even if they have not put them away from themselves by repentance.
. . . repentance precedes forgiveness,
and apart from repentance
there is no forgiveness.
Therefore the Lord commanded His disciples
to preach repentance for the remission of sins (Luke 24:47)
. . . and repentance and forgiveness of sins
will be preached in his name to all nations . . .
And John preached a baptism of repentance
for the remission of sins (Luke 3:3)
He went into all the country around the Jordon,
preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
The Lord forgives all people their sins.
He does not accuse or impute.
But He still cannot take those sins away
except in accordance with the laws of His Divine providence.
For when Peter asked Him
how often he should forgive a brother sinning against him,
whether he should do so up to seven times,
the Lord said that he should forgive not only seven times,
but up to seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21, 22).
That being the case,
what will the Lord not do,
who is mercy itself?
Another error of the age
is to suppose that when sins have been forgiven
they are also put away.
People caught up in that error are those
who believe that sins are forgiven them by the Holy Supper,
even if they have not put them away from themselves by repentance.
. . . repentance precedes forgiveness,
and apart from repentance
there is no forgiveness.
Therefore the Lord commanded His disciples
to preach repentance for the remission of sins (Luke 24:47)
. . . and repentance and forgiveness of sins
will be preached in his name to all nations . . .
And John preached a baptism of repentance
for the remission of sins (Luke 3:3)
He went into all the country around the Jordon,
preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
The Lord forgives all people their sins.
He does not accuse or impute.
But He still cannot take those sins away
except in accordance with the laws of His Divine providence.
For when Peter asked Him
how often he should forgive a brother sinning against him,
whether he should do so up to seven times,
the Lord said that he should forgive not only seven times,
but up to seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21, 22).
That being the case,
what will the Lord not do,
who is mercy itself?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
DP 278 - Evils cannot be removed unless they appear.
DP 278
Evils cannot be removed unless they appear.
We do not mean
that a person has to commit evils in order for them to appear,
but that he must examine himself, not only his deeds, but also his thoughts,
and what he would do if he did not fear the laws and disgrace
especially what evils he makes in his spirit allowable
and does not regard as sins,
for these he continues to do.
To enable a person to examine himself,
he has been given an intellect,
and this separate from his will,
in order that he may know, understand and acknowledge
what is good and what is evil,
and may also see the character of his will,
or what he loves and what he desires.
For a person to see this,
his intellect has been endowed with a higher and lower thought,
or an inner and outer thought,
that from the higher or inner thought he may see
what his will is doing in the lower or outer thought.
He sees this as someone sees his face in a mirror,
and when he does,
and knows what sin is,
he can, if he implores the Lord's aid,
stop willing it, refrain from it, and subsequently behave contrary to it.
If he cannot do this readily,
still he can overcome it through struggle,
and at last become averse to it and abhor it.
Moreover, for the first time then he perceives and also feels
that evil is evil
and good good,
and not before.
Evils cannot be removed unless they appear.
We do not mean
that a person has to commit evils in order for them to appear,
but that he must examine himself, not only his deeds, but also his thoughts,
and what he would do if he did not fear the laws and disgrace
especially what evils he makes in his spirit allowable
and does not regard as sins,
for these he continues to do.
To enable a person to examine himself,
he has been given an intellect,
and this separate from his will,
in order that he may know, understand and acknowledge
what is good and what is evil,
and may also see the character of his will,
or what he loves and what he desires.
For a person to see this,
his intellect has been endowed with a higher and lower thought,
or an inner and outer thought,
that from the higher or inner thought he may see
what his will is doing in the lower or outer thought.
He sees this as someone sees his face in a mirror,
and when he does,
and knows what sin is,
he can, if he implores the Lord's aid,
stop willing it, refrain from it, and subsequently behave contrary to it.
If he cannot do this readily,
still he can overcome it through struggle,
and at last become averse to it and abhor it.
Moreover, for the first time then he perceives and also feels
that evil is evil
and good good,
and not before.
Friday, September 11, 2009
DP 262, 264 - the protection of the Lord's Divine providence
DP 262
In the spiritual world,
where everyone is constrained to speak as he thinks,
no one can even utter the name Jesus
unless he lived as a Christian in the world.
This, too, is of the Lord's Divine providence,
to keep His name from being profaned.
DP 264
. . . the spiritual meaning of the Word was not revealed before,
because if it had been,
the church would have profaned it,
and profaned thereby the very sanctity of the Word.
In the spiritual world,
where everyone is constrained to speak as he thinks,
no one can even utter the name Jesus
unless he lived as a Christian in the world.
This, too, is of the Lord's Divine providence,
to keep His name from being profaned.
DP 264
. . . the spiritual meaning of the Word was not revealed before,
because if it had been,
the church would have profaned it,
and profaned thereby the very sanctity of the Word.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
DP 259 - three essential components of the church
DP 259 [3]
There are three essential components of the church:
from the Word he has a concept of what that life must be;
and from the Lord he gains reformation and salvation.
There are three essential components of the church:
- acknowledgment of the Lord's Divinity;
- acknowledgment of the holiness of the Word;
- and living the life called charity.
from the Word he has a concept of what that life must be;
and from the Lord he gains reformation and salvation.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
DP 251 - war
DP 251
It is not owing to Divine providence that wars exist,
because they are accompanied by murders, lootings,
acts of violence and savagery, and many other heinous evils
which are diametrically contrary to Christian charity.
But still, they cannot but be permitted,
because since the time of the most ancient people . . .
people's life's love has become such that it wishes to rule over others,
and in the end over all others,
and to possess the world's riches,
and in the end all riches.
These two loves cannot be kept bound,
since it is according to Divine providence
that everyone be permitted
to act in freedom in accordance with his reason . . .
and because without permissions
a person cannot be led by the Lord away from evil
and so be reformed and saved.
For if evils were not permitted to break out,
a person would not see them,
and therefore would not acknowledge them,
and so could not be brought to resist them.
It is on this account that evils cannot by any providence be prevented.
For in that case they would remain shut in,
and would, like the diseases called cancer and gangrene,
spread and eat away every human spark of life.
For from birth a person is like a miniature hell,
and between it and heaven there is perpetual dissension.
No one can be withdrawn from his hell by the Lord
unless the person sees that he is in it and wishes to be led out of it;
and this cannot come about without permissions,
the reasons for which are found in the laws of Divine providence.
A natural person . . . has complete freedom
to think affirmatively of Divine providence
or in opposition to it,
indeed affirmatively of God
or in opposition to Him.
Only let him know that not a whit of any strategy or plan
originates from him.
Everything flows in either from heaven or from hell --
from hell by permission,
from heaven by providence.
DP 252
Spirits of hell attack,
and the angels of heaven defend themselves.
It is not owing to Divine providence that wars exist,
because they are accompanied by murders, lootings,
acts of violence and savagery, and many other heinous evils
which are diametrically contrary to Christian charity.
But still, they cannot but be permitted,
because since the time of the most ancient people . . .
people's life's love has become such that it wishes to rule over others,
and in the end over all others,
and to possess the world's riches,
and in the end all riches.
These two loves cannot be kept bound,
since it is according to Divine providence
that everyone be permitted
to act in freedom in accordance with his reason . . .
and because without permissions
a person cannot be led by the Lord away from evil
and so be reformed and saved.
For if evils were not permitted to break out,
a person would not see them,
and therefore would not acknowledge them,
and so could not be brought to resist them.
It is on this account that evils cannot by any providence be prevented.
For in that case they would remain shut in,
and would, like the diseases called cancer and gangrene,
spread and eat away every human spark of life.
For from birth a person is like a miniature hell,
and between it and heaven there is perpetual dissension.
No one can be withdrawn from his hell by the Lord
unless the person sees that he is in it and wishes to be led out of it;
and this cannot come about without permissions,
the reasons for which are found in the laws of Divine providence.
A natural person . . . has complete freedom
to think affirmatively of Divine providence
or in opposition to it,
indeed affirmatively of God
or in opposition to Him.
Only let him know that not a whit of any strategy or plan
originates from him.
Everything flows in either from heaven or from hell --
from hell by permission,
from heaven by providence.
DP 252
Spirits of hell attack,
and the angels of heaven defend themselves.
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