NEUOFFENBARUNG← Divine Providence · Contents
181. There is a likeness between the spiritual things of the mind and the natural things of the body, because all things of the mind correspond to all things of the body; therefore also the mind actuates the body in externals, and in general with complete control. It moves the eye to see, the ear to hear, the mouth and the tongue to eat and drink, also to speak, the hands to act, the feet to walk, the generative organs to propagate. The mind moves not only the externals to these actions, but the internals also throughout the whole series, the outmosts from the inmosts, and the inmosts from the outmosts. Thus while it is moving the mouth to speak, it simultaneously moves the lungs, the larynx, the glottis, the tongue, the lips, each one separately to the performance of its function, also the face to fitting expression. [2] This makes clear that what has been said of the natural forms of the body can be said similarly of the spiritual forms of the mind; and that what has been said of the natural operations of the body can be said of the spiritual operations of the mind; consequently as man orders the externals so the Lord orders the internals; thus in one way when man orders the externals from himself, and in another way when he orders the externals from the Lord and at the same time as if from himself. Moreover man’s mind in its entire form is a man; for it is man’s spirit; and this after death appears a man precisely as in the world; consequently there are like things in body and mind. So what has been said of the conjunction of externals with internals in the body can also be applied to the conjunction of externals with internals in the mind, with the difference only that one is natural and the other spiritual.
182. (3) If man clearly saw the Divine providence either he would deny God or he would make himself to be God. The merely natural man says to himself, “What is Divine providence? Is it any thing else or more than a phrase that the common people have learned from the priest? Who sees anything of it? Are not all things in the world done from prudence, wisdom, shrewdness, and cunning? And are not all other things necessities and consequences? And besides there are many happenings. Does the Divine providence lie concealed in these? How can it be in frauds and craft? Yet it is said that the Divine providence does everything. Then make me see it, and I will believe it. Can any one believe it before he sees it?” [2] So says the merely natural man; but the spiritual man speaks otherwise. Because he acknowledges God he also acknowledges the Divine providence, and moreover, he sees it. But he cannot make it manifest to any one who thinks only in nature and from nature; for such a one is unable to lift his mind above nature and to see in its appearances anything of Divine providence, or to draw conclusions respecting it from the laws of nature, which also are laws of the Divine wisdom. If, therefore, he should clearly see the Divine providence he would mix it up with nature, and thus would not only enshroud it in fallacies but would also profane it; and instead of acknowledging it he would deny it; and he who in heart denies the Divine providence denies God also. [3] It must be thought either that God or that nature governs all things. He who thinks that God governs all things thinks that they are governed by Love itself and Wisdom itself, thus by Life itself. But he who thinks that nature governs all things thinks that they are governed by natural heat and light, and yet these in themselves are dead, because they are from a sun that is dead. Does not what is itself living govern what is dead? Can that which is dead govern anything? If you think that what is dead can give life to itself you are insane. Life must be from Life.
183. That if the Divine providence and its operation were clearly seen by man he would deny God does not appear probable; for it would seem that if it were clearly seen by any one he could not but acknowledge it, and thus acknowledge God; yet the contrary is the truth. The Divine providence never acts in accord with the will’s love in man, but constantly against it; since man, because of his hereditary evil, is always panting for the lowest hell; but the Lord by His providence is continually leading and drawing him away from it, first to a milder hell, then out of hell, and finally to Himself in heaven. This operation of the Divine providence is perpetual. Consequently if man clearly saw or felt this drawing or leading away he would grow angry and would regard God as his enemy, and from the evil of his selfhood (proprium) would deny God. Consequently, lest this be known to man he is kept in a state of freedom from which he knows no otherwise than that he leads himself. [2] But let examples serve for illustration. By inheritance man possesses a desire to become great; he has also a desire to gain riches; and so far as these loves are unrestrained he longs to become greater and richer, and at length to be greatest and richest; nor would he rest here; he would wish to become greater than God Himself and to possess heaven itself. This passion lies most deeply hidden in hereditary evil, and thus in man’s life and in his life’s nature. The Divine providence does not instantly take away this evil, for if it were instantly taken away man would cease to live; but providence takes it away so quietly and gradually that man knows nothing about it. This is done by permitting man to act in accordance with the thought that his reason adopts; and then by various means, rational and civil and moral the Divine providence leads him away from the evil; and he is thus led as far away from it as he can be led in freedom. Nor can evil be taken away from any one until it becomes evident and is seen and acknowledged; it is like a wound that does not heal until it is opened. [3] If, then, man were to know and see that the Lord so works by means of His Divine providence against man’s life’s love, from which he has his chief enjoyment, he could not but go in the opposite direction, become enraged, strive against it, say hard words, and finally from his evil set aside the operation of the Divine providence by denying it and thus denying God; especially if he saw in it an obstacle to his success, and saw himself fallen from honor and stripped of wealth. [4] But it must be known that the Lord never leads man away from seeking honors or from acquiring wealth, but He leads him away from a desire to seek honors for the sake of mere eminence, or for the sake of himself; also from acquiring wealth for the sake of mere opulence, that is, for the sake of riches. And when the Lord leads man away from these He leads him into a love of uses, that he may esteem eminence not for his own sake but for the sake of uses, thus that it may belong to uses, and to himself therefrom, and not to himself and to uses therefrom. The same is true of opulence. That the Lord constantly humbles the proud and exalts the humble He Himself teaches in many places in the Word; and what He there teaches pertains also to His Divine providence.
184. The same is true of other evils that man is in by inheritance, such as adulteries, frauds, revenge, blasphemy, and others like these. None of these could be put away unless a liberty to think and will them were left to man, that so he might put them away as if of himself; and yet he can do this only by acknowledging the Divine providence and praying that the work may be done by it. Except for that liberty, combined with the Divine providence, such evils would be like poison kept in and not expelled, which would soon spread and carry death to the whole system; or they would be like a disease of the heart itself, from which the whole body soon dies.
185. The truth of this cannot be better learned than from the states of men after death in the spiritual world. Most of those there who have become great and rich in the natural world, and in their honors and riches have regarded themselves only, at first talk about God and the Divine providence as if they had acknowledged them in heart. But because they then clearly see the Divine providence, and from it their final lot, which is that they are to come into hell, they join themselves with the devils there, and then not only deny but also blaspheme God; and at last they fall into such madness as to acknowledge the more powerful of the devils as their gods, and desire nothing more ardently than to become gods themselves also.
186. Man would run counter to God, and also deny Him, if he clearly saw the workings of His Divine providence, because man is in the enjoyment of self-love, and that enjoyment constitutes his very life; therefore when he is kept in his life’s enjoyment he is in freedom; for freedom and that enjoyment make one. If, therefore, he had a perception of being continually led away from his enjoyment he would be enraged as against one who wished to destroy his life, and would regard him as an enemy. To prevent this the Lord does not manifestly appear in His Divine providence, but by it He leads men as silently as a hidden current or favoring tide bears a vessel; and in consequence man does not know but that he is constantly in his own (proprium), for man’s freedom and his own make one. From this it is clear that freedom appropriates to man what the Divine providence introduces, but that this would not take place if the Divine providence made itself manifest. To be appropriated is to come to be of the life.
187. (4) It is granted man to see the Divine providence in the back and not in the face; also to see it in a spiritual state and not in his natural state. To see the Divine providence in the back and not in the face is to see it after it occurs and not before; and to see it from a spiritual and not from a natural state is to see it from heaven and not from the world. All who receive influx from heaven and acknowledge the Divine providence, and especially those who by reformation have become spiritual, when they see events in some wonderful series see as it were the Divine providence by an interior acknowledgment, and confess it. Such have no wish to see it in the face, that is, before it occurs, fearing that their will might intrude itself into something of its order and tenor. [2] It is otherwise with those who admit into themselves no influx from heaven but only from the world, especially with those who have become natural from the confirmation of appearances in themselves. These see nothing of the Divine providence in the back, or after it occurs; but they wish to see it in the face, or before it occurs; and as the Divine providence works by means, and the means operate through man or through the world, whether they see it in the face or the back they attribute it either to man or to nature, and thus confirm themselves in a denial of it. This they do because their understanding is closed from above and is open only from below, that is, closed towards heaven and open towards the world; and it is not granted to see the Divine providence from the world, but only from heaven. I have sometimes thought within myself whether such would acknowledge the Divine providence if their understanding were opened from above, and they could see as in clear day that nature in itself is dead, and that human intelligence in itself is nothing, while it is from influx that these both have an appearance of being; and I have perceived that such as have confirmed themselves in favor of nature and of human prudence would not acknowledge this, for the reason that the natural light flowing in from below would immediately extinguish the spiritual light flowing in from above.
189. The man who has become spiritual by the acknowledgment of God, and wise by a rejection of what is his own (proprium), sees the Divine providence in the whole world, and in all and each of the things in it. When he looks at natural things he sees it; when he looks at civil matters he sees it; when he looks at spiritual things he sees it; he sees it alike in the simultaneous and the successive relations of things, in ends, in causes, in effects, in uses, in forms, in things great and small. Especially does he see it in the salvation of men, as that Jehovah gave the Word, taught men by it respecting God, heaven and hell, and eternal life, and came Himself into the world to redeem and save men. These things and many others, and the Divine providence in them, man sees from natural light in spiritual light. But the merely natural man sees none of these things. [2] He is like one who sees a magnificent temple, and hears a preacher enlightened in Divine things, and at home declares that he has seen nothing but a house of stone, and has heard nothing but an articulate sound. Or he is like a near-sighted person who goes into a garden remarkable for fruits of every kind, and returning home says that he has seen only trees and woods. When such persons after death have become spirits, and when they are raised up into the angelic heaven, where all things are in forms representative of love and wisdom, they see nothing, not even that they exist; as I have seen tried with many who have denied the Lord’s Divine providence.
190. There are many constant things created in order that things not constant may have existence. The constants are the stated changes in the rising and setting of the sun and moon and of the stars; their obscuration by interpositions called eclipses; the heat and light from them; the seasons of the year called spring, summer, autumn, and winter; the times of the day which are morning, noon, evening, and night; also the atmospheres, waters, and lands, viewed in themselves; the vegetative power in the vegetable kingdom; both the vegetative and the prolific in the animal kingdom; also the things that are constantly effected by these when brought into act according to the laws of order. These and many other things exist by creation; and are provided in order that infinitely varied things may have existence; for the varied can have existence only in the constant, the fixed, and the sure. [2] But let examples illustrate. Varieties of vegetation would not be possible unless the rising and setting of the sun, and the resultant heat and light were constant. Harmonies of sound are of infinite variety, but they would be impossible unless the atmospheres were constant in their laws and the ears in their form. Varieties in sight, which are also infinite, would be impossible unless the ether in its laws and the eye in its form were constant. The same is true of color, unless the light were constant. It is the same with thoughts, words, and actions, which are also of infinite variety; these would be impossible unless the organic forms of the body were constant. Must not a house be constant that various things may be done in it by man; or a temple, that in it there may be the varying services, sermons, instruction, and pious meditation? So in other things. [3] As to the changes themselves that go on in the constant, the fixed, and the sure, they progress to infinity and have no end; and yet there is never one exactly the same as another among all the things of the universe or in any one of them, nor can there be in those that are to follow to eternity. Who so directs these changes going on to infinity and eternity that they may be in order but He who created the constant things to the end that the changes might have existence in them? And who can direct the infinite changes of life in men but He who is Life itself, that is, Love itself and Wisdom itself? Without His Divine providence, which is like a continual creation, could men’s infinite affections and consequent thoughts, and thus the men themselves, be so arranged as to make a one,-evil affections and thoughts therefrom one devil which is hell, and good affections and thoughts therefrom one Lord in heaven? That the entire angelic heaven is in the Lord’s sight as one man, His image and likeness, and that all hell is opposed to it as a monstrous man, has been frequently stated and shown before. These things have now been said because some natural men, even from the constant and fixed things that are necessary to the end that changeable things may have existence in them, find arguments for their madness in favor of nature and of one’s own prudence.
191. MAN’S OWN PRUDENCE IS NOTHING; IT MERELY APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING, AND SHOULD SO APPEAR; BUT THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE, BECAUSE OF ITS MINUTE PARTICULARS, IS UNIVERSAL.
That man’s own prudence is nothing is wholly contrary to appearance, and therefore contrary to the belief of many; and for this reason, whoever from the appearance holds the belief that human prudence does all things can be convinced of the truth only by reasons drawn from deeper investigation, and these must be gathered from the realm of causes. The appearance is an effect, and the causes disclose its source. In this introduction something shall be said about the general belief on this subject. In opposition to the appearance is the teaching of the church, that love and faith are from God and not from man, likewise wisdom and intelligence, and therefore also prudence, and in general all good and truth. When this teaching is accepted it must be conceded also that man’s own prudence is nothing, but only appears to be something. Prudence has no other source than intelligence and wisdom and these two have no other source than the understanding and the thought therefrom about truth and good. Those who acknowledge the Divine providence accept and believe this that has just been said, but not those who acknowledge human prudence alone. [2] Now the truth must be either as the church teaches, that all wisdom and prudence are from God, or as the world teaches, that all wisdom and prudence are from man. Can these be reconciled in any other way than by admitting that what the church teaches is the truth, and that what the world teaches is the appearance? For the church draws its proof from the Word, but the world from man’s own (proprium), and the Word is from God, while man’s own is from man. It is because prudence is from God and not from man that the Christian in his devotions prays that God will lead his thoughts, counsels, and deeds; adding also, because from himself he cannot do this. When, moreover, he sees any one doing good he says that he has been led to it by God; and many other like things. How can any one so speak unless at the time he interiorly believes it? And believing this interiorly is from heaven. But when one thinks within himself and collects arguments in favor of human prudence he can accept the opposite belief, which is from the world. Nevertheless, the internal faith prevails in those who acknowledge God in heart; while the external faith prevails in those who do not acknowledge God in heart, whatever their professions may be.
192. It has been said that one who believes from the appearance that human prudence does all things can be convinced of the truth only by reasons drawn from deeper investigation, which are to be gathered from the realm of causes. In order, therefore, that reasons gathered therefrom may be brought clearly before the understanding they must be presented in their order, which will be as follows:-
(1) All of man’s thoughts are from the affections of his life’s love; and apart from these there are and can be no thoughts whatever.
(2) The affections of a man’s life’s love are known to the Lord alone.
(3) By means of His Divine providence the Lord leads the affections of a man’s life’s love, and at the same time leads his thoughts, from which human prudence is derived.
(4) By means of His Divine providence the Lord combines the affections of the whole human race into one form, which is the human form.
(5) In consequence of this, heaven and hell, which are from the human race, are in such a form.
(6) Those that have acknowledged nature alone and human prudence alone constitute hell; while those that have acknowledged God and His Divine providence constitute heaven.
(7) None of these things could be done except from the appearance to man that he thinks from himself and directs all things from himself
193. (1) All of man’s thoughts are from the affections of his life’s love; and apart from these there are and can be no thoughts whatever. What in their essence the life’s love and the affections and their thoughts are, and what the sensations and actions from these which exist in the body are, has been shown above in this work, and also in the work entitled Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, particularly in Parts One and Five. Since, then, the causes from which human prudence flows forth as an effect are from these, it is necessary to set forth here something in respect to these; for things written elsewhere cannot be brought into close connection with things written later unless they are repeated and viewed together. [2] Earlier in the present work, and in the one just mentioned on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, the following principles are set forth: In the Lord there are Divine love and Divine wisdom; these two are Life itself; from these two man has will and understanding, will from the Divine love and understanding from the Divine wisdom; and to these two the heart and lungs in the body correspond. From this it is clear that as the pulsation of the heart together with the respiration of the lungs governs the whole man in respect to his body, so the will together with the understanding governs the whole man in respect to his mind Thus in every man there are two principles of life, the one natural and the other spiritual, the natural principle of life being the heart’s pulsation, and the spiritual principle of life the mind’s volition; each of these joins to itself its mate, with which it cohabits, and with which it performs the functions of life, the heart joining with itself the lungs, and the will joining with itself the understanding. [3] Since, then, the soul of the will is love and the soul of the understanding is wisdom, both of them from the Lord, it follows that love is every one’s life, and the love is such life as is conjoined with wisdom; or, what is the same, that the will is every one’s life, and the will is such life as is conjoined with the understanding. But more on this subject may be seen above in this work, also in the Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, especially in Parts One and Five.
194. In these works it has also been shown that the life’s love produces from itself subordinate loves, which are called affections, and that these are exterior and interior; also that these when taken together form as it were one sovereignty or kingdom, in which the life’s love is lord or king. It has also been shown that these subordinate loves or affections join to themselves mates, each its own; the interior affections, mates called perceptions, and the exterior affections, mates called thoughts; and that each cohabits with its own mate, and discharges the offices of its life; also that the conjunction of each is like that of life’s being (esse) with life’s going forth (existere), which is such that one is nothing except with the other; for what is life’s being unless it goes forth, and what is life’s going forth except from life’s being? Moreover, the conjunction in the life is like that between tone and harmony, or between tone and speech, and in general like that between the heart’s pulsation and the lungs’ respiration, which conjunction is such that one is nothing without the other, and each becomes something by conjunction with the other. Either there must be conjunctions in them or conjunctions must be effected by them. Take tone for example: He is mistaken who thinks that tone is anything unless there is in it that which makes it distinctive. Moreover, the tone corresponds with the affection in roan; and because there is always something that is distinctive in it the affection of one’s love can be recognized from his tone when speaking; and from the variation of it, which is speech, his thought can be recognized. For this reason the wiser angels merely from the tone of the voice of one speaking have a perception of his life’s loves, together with certain affections derived from them. This has been said to make known that no affection is possible apart from its thought, nor any thought apart from its affection. But more on this subject may be seen in the present work; also in Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom.
195. Now as the life’s love has its delight, and the wisdom thereof has its enjoyment, likewise every affection (which in its essence is a subordinate love derived from the life’s love, as a stream from its fountain, as a branch from its tree, or as an artery from its heart), so every particular affection has its delight, and every particular perception and thought therefrom has its enjoyment. And from this it follows that the varieties of delight and enjoyment constitute man’s life. What is life without delight and enjoyment? It is not anything animate, but it is inanimate. Lessen these and you will grow cold or torpid; take them away and you will cease to breathe and will die. [2] Vital heat is from the delights of the affections, and from the enjoyment of the perceptions and thoughts. And since every affection has its own delight, and the thought therefrom its own enjoyment, the source of good and truth can be seen, also what good and truth are in their essence. Every one’s good is that which is delightful to his affection; and truth is that which is enjoyable therefrom to his thought. For every one calls that good which, from the love of his will, he feels to be delightful; and he calls that truth which, from the wisdom of his understanding, he perceives to be enjoyable therefrom. Both of these flow from the life’s love as water flows from a fountain, or as blood from the heart. Taken together they are like a wave or a breeze in which is the whole human mind. [3] These two, delight and enjoyment, are spiritual in the mind, but natural in the body; and together they constitute man’s life. From all this it is clear what it is in man that is called good, and what it is that is called truth; also what it is in man that is called evil, and what it is that is called falsity; for that is evil to him that destroys the delight of his affection, and that is falsity that destroys the enjoyment of his thought therefrom. It is also clear that evil from its delight and falsity from its enjoyment may be called and may be believed to be good and truth. In fact, goods and truths are changes and variations of state in the forms of the mind; but these are perceived and have their life solely by means of their delights and enjoyments. These things have been presented to make known what affection and thought are in their life.
196. Since, then, it is man’s mind and not his body that thinks (and it thinks from the delight of its affection), and since man’s mind is his spirit, which lives after death, it follows that man’s spirit is nothing but affection and the thought therefrom. That no thought is possible apart from affection is clearly evident from the state of spirits and angels in the spiritual world, in that all there think from the affections of their life’s love, and the delight of these affections encompasses every one as his atmosphere; and all are joined together in accord with these spheres that exhale from their affections through their thoughts. Moreover, what each one is is recognized from the sphere of his life. From all this it may be seen that every thought is from an affection, and is a form of its affection. It is the same with the will and the understanding; also with good and truth; also with charity and faith.
197. (2) The affections of a man’s life’s love are known to the Lord alone. Man knows his thoughts and consequent intentions, because he sees them in himself; and as all prudence is from these, he also sees that in himself. If, then, his life’s love is love of self, he comes into the pride of his own intelligence and ascribes prudence to himself, and collects arguments in its favor, and thus recedes from the acknowledgment of the Divine providence. It is the same when his life’s love is love of the world; although in this case he does not recede in the same degree. This shows that these two loves ascribe every thing to man and his prudence, and, when interiorly examined, ascribe nothing to God and His providence. Consequently, when such men happen to hear that the truth is that human prudence is nothing, but that it is the Divine providence alone that governs all things, if they are complete atheists they laugh at it; but if they retain in their memory something of religion, and it is said to them that all wisdom is from God, at the first hearing they assent, although inwardly in their spirit they deny it. Such, especially, are those priests who love themselves more than God, and the world more than heaven; or what is the same, who worship God for the sake of honor and gain, and yet have preached that charity and faith, every good and truth, also all wisdom and even prudence, are from God, and nothing from man. [2] In the spiritual world I once heard two priests disputing with a certain royal ambassador about human prudence, whether it is from God or from man. The dispute grew warm. In heart the three believed alike, namely, that human prudence does all things, and the Divine providence nothing; but the priests, who were then in theological zeal, asserted that nothing of wisdom or prudence is from man; and when the ambassador retorted that then there is nothing of thought from man, they assented to this. And the angels perceiving that the three believed alike, the ambassador was told to put on priestly robes and to believe himself to be a priest, and then to speak. He put them on and believed, and then loudly declared that there could not possibly be anything of wisdom or prudence in man except from God; and with his accustomed eloquence, full of rational arguments, he defended this. Afterwards the two priests were told to lay aside their vestments and to put on the robes of officers of state, and to believe themselves to be such. This they did, and at once thought from their interior self, and spoke from arguments they had inwardly cherished before, in favor of human prudence and against Divine providence. After this the three, since they held the same belief, became cordial friends, and entered together upon the way of one’s own prudence, which leads to hell.
198. It has been shown above that no thought is possible to man except from some affection of his life’s love; and that thought is nothing but the form of affection. Since, then, man sees his thought, but cannot see his affection, for that he feels, it follows that it is from sight, which is in the appearance, and not from affection, which comes into feeling and not into sight, that man concludes that his own prudence does all things. For affection is evident only through a certain delight in thought and satisfaction in reasoning about it; and this satisfaction and delight then make one with the thought in those who from self-love or love of the world believe in their own prudence; and thought floats on in its delight like a ship in the current of a stream, to which the master pays no attention, regarding only the sail he spreads.
199. Nevertheless, a man may reflect upon a delight of his external affection while that delight is acting as one with the delight of some bodily sensation. Nevertheless, he does not reflect upon the fact that this delight is from a delight of his affection in his thought. For example: when a fornicator sees a lewd woman his eye glows with the fire of lasciviousness, and from that fire he feels a delight in the body. And yet in his thought he feels no delight of his affection or lust except a certain longing connected with the body. So a robber in a forest when he sees travelers; or a pirate on the sea when he sees vessels; and so on. Evidently it is these delights that rule the man’s thoughts and the thoughts are nothing apart from them; yet they seem to him to be nothing but thoughts; when in fact, thoughts are nothing but affections so composed into forms by his life’s love as to be presented in light; for all affection is in heat, and thought is in light. [2] Such are the external affections of thought, which manifest themselves in bodily sensation, but rarely in the thought of the mind But the internal affections of thought, from which the external affections have their existence, never manifest themselves before man Of these man knows no more than one sleeping in a carriage knows of the road, or than one feels the revolution of the earth. Considering, then, that man knows nothing of the things that are going on in the interiors of his mind, which are too limitless to be numbered, and yet those few externals that do come within the view of his thought are produced from the interiors, and the interiors are governed by the Lord alone by His Divine providence, and only those few externals by the Lord and man together, how can any one say that his own prudence does all things? If you were to see but one idea of thought laid open you would see wonderful things, more in number than tongue can express. [3] That in the interiors of man’s mind there are things too limitless to be numbered is clear from the infinite things in the body, from which nothing comes to sight or feeling except action only in much simplicity; and yet in this thousands of motor or muscular fibers concur, thousands of nerve fibers, thousands of blood-vessels, thousands of lung cells, all of which must co-operate in every action, thousands of cells in the brains and spinal cord, and many more yet in the spiritual man, which is the human mind, in which all things are forms of affections and of their perceptions and thoughts. Does not the soul, which directs the interiors, direct also the actions from them? Man’s soul is nothing else than the love of his will and the love therefrom of his understanding. The quality of that love is the quality of the whole man; and that is determined by the way in which the externals are disposed, in which man and the Lord co-operate. Consequently, if man attributes all things to himself and to nature the love of self becomes the soul; but if he attributes all things to the Lord, love to the Lord becomes the soul; and this love is heavenly, while the other is infernal.
200. Since, then, the delights of man’s affections, from inmosts through interiors to exteriors, and finally to the outermosts which are in the body, bear man along as a current or breeze bears a ship, and nothing of these is evident to man except what goes on in the outermosts of the mind and of the body, how can man claim as his own what is Divine merely because these few outermosts appear to him to be his? Still less ought he to claim what is Divine as his own, when he knows from the Word that a man can of himself “receive nothing except it have been given him from heaven;” and from Reason, that this appearance has been granted him in order that he may live as a man, may see what is good and what is evil, may choose one or the other, may appropriate to himself that which he chooses, and may thus be conjoined reciprocally with the Lord, be reformed, regenerated, saved, and may live for ever. That this appearance has been granted to man in order that he may act from freedom in accordance with reason, thus as if from himself, and may not let his hands hang down and wait for influx, has been stated and shown above. From this follows, as already proved, the next proposition to be demonstrated: (3) By means of His Divine providence the Lord leads the affections of a man’s life’s love, and at the same time leads his thoughts, from which human prudence is derived.
201. (4) By means of His Divine Providence the Lord collects the affections [of the whole human race] into one form, which is the human form. That this is the universal [end] of the Divine providence will be seen in the next section. Those who ascribe all things to nature also ascribe all things to human prudence; for those who ascribe all things to nature deny God in heart; and those who ascribe all things to human prudence deny in heart the Divine providence; the two are inseparable. And yet both, for the sake of their good name and from fear of losing it, admit in words that the Divine providence is universal, and that its particulars rest with man, and that these particulars in the aggregate are what are meant by human prudence. [2] But reflect within yourself what a universal providence is when the particulars are taken away. Is it anything more than a mere phrase? For that is called universal which is made up of the most particular things taken together, like any general thing that exists from its particulars. So if the most particular things are taken away what is the universal but like a something empty within, thus like a surface with nothing inside, or an aggregate that includes nothing? If it is claimed that the Divine providence is a universal government, while nothing is governed, but things are merely held in connection, and the matters pertaining to the government are conducted by others, how can this be called a universal government? There is no king with such a government; for if any king should permit his subjects to govern all things of his kingdom he would no longer be a king, but would be merely so called; thus he would have the dignity of the mere title, but not of any reality. Government cannot be predicated of such a king, still less universal government. [3] That which is called providence in God is called prudence in a man; and as a king cannot be said to have universal prudence when he has reserved nothing but the title, in order that his kingdom may be called a kingdom and thus be held together, so there cannot be said to be a universal providence when all things are provided by men from their own prudence. The same is true of the terms universal providence and universal government when applied to nature, with the understanding that God created the universe and endowed nature with the power of producing all things from itself. In this case, what else is universal providence than a metaphysical term, which, except as a term, is a nonentity? Of those who attribute all that is produced to nature and all that is done to human prudence, but who still say with the lips that God created nature, there are many who never think about the Divine providence except as an empty term. But the real truth is, that the Divine providence is in the minutest particulars of nature, and in the minutest particulars of human prudence, and that it is from these that it is universal.
202. The Lord’s Divine providence is universal from the minutest particulars, in that He created the universe that an infinite and eternal creation from Himself might exist in it; and this creation exists by the Lord’s forming a heaven out of men to be before Him as one man, which is His image and likeness. That this heaven formed out of men is such in the Lord’s sight, and that this was the end of creation, is shown above (n. 27-45); also that the Divine in all that it does, looks to the infinite and eternal (n. 46-69). The infinite and eternal that the Lord looks to in forming His heaven out of men, is that it shall be enlarged to infinity and to eternity, and that He may thus have a constant abiding place in the end of His creation. This is the infinite and eternal creation that the Lord provided for through the creation of the universe; and He is constantly present in that creation by His Divine providence. [2] Who that knows and believes from the doctrine of the church that God is infinite and eternal (for it is in the doctrine of all the churches in the Christian world that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, is infinite, eternal, uncreated, and omnipotent, as may be seen in the Athanasian creed), can be so devoid of reason as not to admit as soon as he hears it that God cannot do otherwise than look to what is infinite and eternal in the great work of His creation? For what else can He look to when He looks from Himself? This also He looks to in the human race, from which He forms that heaven which is His own. What else, then, can the Divine providence have for its end than the reformation and salvation of the human race? But no one can be reformed by himself by means of his own prudence, but only by the Lord by means of His Divine providence. Thus it follows that unless man were led every moment and fraction of a moment by the Lord, he would depart from the way of reformation and would perish. [3] Every change and variation of the state of the human mind produces some change and variation in the series of things present, and consequently in the things that follow; why not then progressively to eternity? It is like an arrow shot from a bow, which, if it should depart in the least at its start from the line of aim, would at a distance of a thousand paces or more go far wide of the mark. So would it be if the Lord did not lead the states of human minds every least moment. This the Lord does in accordance with the laws of His Divine providence; and it is in accordance with these laws that it should appear to man that he leads himself; while how he leads himself is foreseen by the Lord with an unceasing adaptation. That laws of permission are also laws of the Divine providence, and that every man can be reformed and regenerated, and that there is no other possible predestination, will be seen in what follows.
203. Since, therefore, every man lives for ever after death, and is allotted a place according to his life, either in heaven or in hell, and since both heaven and hell must exist in a form that will act as a one, as said before, and since no one can be allotted in that form any place but his own, it follows that the human race throughout the whole world is under the Lord’s auspices; and that each one, from infancy even to the end of his life, is led by the Lord in the least particulars, and his place foreseen and at the same time provided. [2] From all this it is clear that the Lord’s Divine providence is universal because it is in every least particular; and that this is the infinite and eternal creation which the Lord provided for Himself by means of the creation of the universe. Of this universal providence man sees nothing. If he did see it it would appear in his eyes only as one passing sees scattered heaps and accumulated material from which a house is to be built, while the Lord sees it as a magnificent palace, with its work of construction and enlargement constantly going on.
204. (5) Heaven and hell are in such a form. That heaven is in the human form has been made known in the work on Heaven and Hell, published in London in 1758 (n. 59-102); also the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom; also in several places in the present treatise. Further evidence will therefore be omitted. Hell also is said to be in the human form; but it is in a monstrous human form, like that of the devil, by whom is meant hell in the whole complex. Hell is in the human form, because those who are there were also born men, and have the two human faculties called liberty and rationality; although they have abused their liberty in willing and doing evil, and their rationality in thinking and confirming evil.
205. (6) Those that have acknowledged nature alone and human prudence alone constitute hell; while those that have acknowledged God and His Divine providence constitute heaven. All who lead an evil life interiorly acknowledge nature and human prudence only; the acknowledgment of these is inwardly hidden in all evil, howsoever it may be covered over with goods and truths. These are only borrowed garments, or are like wreaths of perishable flowers, put on lest evil should appear in its nakedness. Because of this general covering it is not known that all who lead an evil life interiorly acknowledge nature alone and human prudence alone, for this is hidden from sight by the covering. But by considering the source and cause of their acknowledgment it can be made clear that it is such. To make this evident it shall be told whence man’s own prudence is and what it is; and then whence the Divine providence is and what it is; also who and what those are of each class; and finally, that those who acknowledge the Divine providence are in heaven, and those who acknowledge their own prudence are in hell.
206. Whence man’s prudence is and what it is. It is from man’s own (proprium) which is his nature, and is called his soul from his parent. This own is the love of self and the love of the world therefrom, or is the love of the world and the love of self therefrom. It is the nature of the love of self to regard self only, and to regard others as of little or no account; if it gives any consideration to some, it is only so long as they honor and pay court to it. Inmostly in that love, like the endeavor in seed to bring forth fruit or offspring, there lies hidden a desire to become great, and if possible to become a ruler, and still further if possible to become a god. A devil is such, for he is self-love itself; he is such that he adores himself, and favors no one who does not adore him; any other devil like himself he hates, because he wishes to be adored exclusively. As there is no love without its mate, and as the mate of the love or the will in man is called the understanding, when the love of self breathes its own love into its mate, the understanding, this in the mate becomes conceit, which is the conceit of one’s own intelligence. This is the origin of one’s own prudence. [2] Since, then, the love of self wills to be the sole lord of the world, and thus a god, the lusts of evil, which are derivatives of that love, have their life from it; the same is true of the perceptions belonging to the lusts, which are devices; also of the delights belonging to the lusts, which are evils; also of the thoughts belonging to the delights, which are falsities. They are all like servants and attendants of their lord and obey his every nod, not knowing that they do not act, but are only acted upon. They are acted upon by the love of self through the conceit of their own intelligence. This makes clear how it is that in every evil, from its origin, one’s own prudence lies hidden. [3] The acknowledgment of nature alone also lies hidden in it, because it has closed the window of its roof which opens heavenward, as well as the side windows, lest it should see and hear that the Lord alone governs all things, and that nature in itself is dead, and that man’s own is hell, and consequently the love of one’s own is the devil. Then, with its windows closed it is in darkness, and there it makes a hearth for itself at which it sits with its mate, and they reason together in a friendly way in favor of nature and against God, and in favor of one’s own prudence and against the Divine providence.
207. Whence the Divine providence is and what it is. It is the Divine operation in man that takes away the love of self; for, as just said, the love of self is the devil; and lusts and their enjoyment are the evils of his kingdom, which is hell. When that love has been taken away the Lord enters with affections of love of the neighbor, and opens the roof-window, and then the side-windows, and enables man to see that there is a heaven, a life after death, and eternal happiness; and by means of the spiritual light together with the spiritual love then flowing in He enables man to acknowledge that God governs all things by His Divine providence.
208. Who and what those of each class are. Those who acknowledge God and His Divine providence are like the angels of heaven, who are averse to being led by themselves and love to be led by the Lord. It is an evidence that they are led by the Lord that they love the neighbor. But those who acknowledge nature and their own prudence are like spirits of hell, who are averse to being led by the Lord and love to be led by themselves. If they have been great men in a kingdom they wish to rule over all things; likewise if they have been primates of the church; if they have been judges they pervert judgment and exercise arbitrary power over the laws; if they have been learned they employ their knowledges to uphold what is man’s own (proprium) and nature; if they have been merchants they act as robbers; if husbandmen they act as thieves. They are all enemies of God and scoffers at the Divine providence.
209. It is remarkable that when to such heaven is opened, and they are told that they are insane, and this is also made evident to their very perception, which is done by influx and enlightenment, still they shut up heaven to themselves with indignation, and look to the earth, under which is hell. This takes place with those in the spiritual world who are not yet in hell, and who are of this character. This shows how mistaken those are who think, “When I shall have seen heaven and shall have heard angels talking with me I shall acknowledge.” Their understanding acknowledges; and yet if the will does not also acknowledge they do not acknowledge; for the will’s love inspires the understanding with whatever it desires, and not the reverse; it even destroys in the understanding every thing that is not from itself.
210. (8) None of these things could be done except from the appearance to man that he thinks from himself and directs all things from himself. It has been fully shown in what has gone before that man would not be man except for the appearance to him that he lives from himself, and therefore thinks and wills and speaks and acts as if from himself. From this it follows that unless man, as if from his own prudence, directs all things belonging to his employment and life, he cannot be led and directed by the Divine providence; for he would be like one standing with relaxed hands, opened mouth, closed eyes, and breath indrawn, awaiting influx. Thus he would divest himself of humanity, which he has from the perception and sensation that he lives, thinks, wills, speaks, and acts as if from himself; he would also divest himself of his two faculties, liberty and rationality, by which he is distinguished from the beasts. That without this appearance a man would have no capacity to receive and reciprocate, and thus no immortality, has been shown above in the present work, and also in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. [2] If, therefore, you wish to be led by the Divine providence use prudence as a servant and minister who faithfully dispenses the goods of his master. This prudence is the talent given to the servants to trade with, of which they must render an account (Luke xix. 13-28; Matt. xxv. 14-31). Prudence itself appears to man to be his own; and he believes it to be his own so long as he keeps shut up within him the deadliest enemy of God and of Divine providence, the love of self. This has its abode in the interiors of every man from his birth; if you do not recognize it (for it does not wish to be recognized) it dwells securely, and guards the door lest man should open it and the Lord should thereby cast it out. Man opens this door by shunning evils as sins as if from himself, with the acknowledgment that he does it from the Lord. This is the prudence with which the Divine providence acts as one.
211. The Divine providence, in order that man may not perish, works so secretly that scarcely any one knows of its existence. For man’s own (proprium), which is his will, in no wise acts as one with the Divine providence; man’s own has an inborn enmity against it; in fact, man’s own is the serpent that seduced the first parents, of which it is said:-
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; and it shall bruise thy head (Gen. iii. 15).
“The serpent” is evil of all kinds; its “head” is love of self; “the Seed of the woman” is the Lord; the “enmity,” that is put, is between the love belonging to man’s own and the Lord, and thus between man’s own prudence and the Lord’s Divine providence. For man’s own prudence is continually raising its head, and the Divine providence is continually putting it down. [2] If man felt this he would be provoked and enraged against God, and would perish; but as long as he does not feel it he may be provoked and enraged against men and with himself, and also against fortune, but this does not destroy him. In this way the Lord by His Divine providence continually leads man in freedom, and the freedom always appears to man to be that which is his own. And to lead man in freedom in opposition to himself, is like raising a heavy and resisting weight from the earth by means of screws, through the power of which the weight and resistance are not felt; or it is like a man in company with an enemy who intends to kill him, which at the time he does not know, and a friend leads him away by unknown paths, and afterwards discloses his enemy’s intention.
212. Who does not talk about fortune? And who does not acknowledge it, because he talks about it, and knows something about it from experience? But who knows what it is? That it is something, since it exists and operates, cannot be denied; and a thing cannot exist and operate without a cause; but the cause of this something, that is, of fortune, is unknown. But that fortune be not denied because its cause is unknown, take dice or cards and play, or talk with those who play. Do any such deny fortune? For they play with it and it with them in a wonderful way. Who can succeed against fortune if it is obstinate? Does it not then laugh at prudence and wisdom? While you shake the dice and shuffle the cards, does not fortune seem to know and to direct the turns and movements of the muscles of the hand, to favor one party more than the other from some cause? And can the cause have any other possible source than the Divine providence in outmosts, where by things constant and things inconstant it deals wonderfully with human prudence, and yet conceals itself? [2] It is known that the heathen formerly acknowledged Fortune and built her a temple, also the Italians at Rome. About this fortune, which is as has been said, the Divine providence in outmosts, it has been granted me to learn many things that I am not permitted to disclose; by which it has been made clear to me that it is no illusion of the mind or sport of nature, nor a something without a cause, for that is not anything, but an ocular proof that the Divine providence is in the least particulars of man’s thoughts and actions. As the Divine providence is in the least particulars of things so insignificant and trifling, why should it not be in the least particulars of things not insignificant and trifling, as the affairs of peace and war in the world, or of salvation and life in heaven?
213. But I know that human prudence is more able to draw the reason over to its side than the Divine providence is, because the Divine providence does not make itself evident as human prudence does. That there is one only life, which is God, and that all men are recipients of life from Him, as frequently shown before, can be more easily accepted; and yet this is the same thing, for prudence belongs to the life. Who in his reasoning, when he speaks from the natural or external man, does not speak in favor of one’s own prudence and in favor of nature? And who in his reasoning, when he speaks from the spiritual or internal man, does not speak in favor of the Divine providence and of God? But to the natural man I say, Pray write two books, one in favor of one’s own prudence, the other in favor of nature, and fill them with arguments plausible, probable, likely, and in your judgment valid; and then give them into the hand of any angel; and I know that the angel will write underneath these few words, They are all appearances and fallacies.
214. THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE LOOKS TO ETERNAL THINGS AND TO TEMPORAL THINGS ONLY SO FAR AS THEY AGREE WITH ETERNAL THINGS.
That the Divine providence looks to eternal things, and to temporal things only so far as they make one with eternal things, will be shown in the following order:-
(1) Temporal things relate to dignities and riches, thus to honors and acquisitions in the world.
(2) Eternal things relate to spiritual honors and possessions which pertain to love and wisdom in heaven.
(3) Temporal things and eternal things are separated by man, but are conjoined by the Lord.
(4) The conjunction of temporal things and eternal things is the Lord’s Divine providence.
215. (1) Temporal things relate to dignities and riches, thus to honors and acquisitions in the world. Temporal things are manifold, but they all relate to dignities and riches. Temporal things mean such as either perish with time, or are merely terminated with man’s life in the world; but eternal things mean such as do not perish or terminate with time, thus not with life in the world. And since, as has been said, all temporal things have relation to dignities and riches it is important to know the following, namely, what dignities and riches are and whence they are; what the love of them for their own sake is, and what the love of them for the sake of uses is; that these two loves are as distinct from each other as heaven and hell are; that the difference between these two loves can scarcely be known by man. But of these separately. [2] First: What dignities and riches are, and whence they are. Dignities and riches in the most ancient times were wholly different from what they afterwards gradually became. Dignities in the earliest times were such only as were accorded by children to parents; they were dignities of love, full of respect and veneration, not on account of their birth from them but because of the instruction and wisdom received from them, which was a second birth, in itself spiritual, because it was the birth of their spirit. This was the only dignity in the earliest times; for tribes, families, and households then dwelt apart, and not under general governments as at this day. It was the father of the family to whom this dignity was accorded. By the ancients those times were called the golden ages. [3] But after those times the love of rule from the mere delight of that love gradually came in; and because enmity and hostility against those who were unwilling to submit entered at the same time, tribes, families, and households necessarily gathered themselves together into general communities, and appointed over themselves one whom they at first called judge, and afterwards prince, and finally king and emperor. At the same time they began to protect themselves by towers, earthworks, and walls. From judge, prince, king, or emperor, as from the head into the body, the lust of ruling spread like a contagion to others; and from this arose degrees of dignity, and also honors according to them; and with these the love of self and the pride of one’s own prudence. [4] Then there was a like change in regard to the love of riches. In the earliest times, when tribes and families dwelt apart from one another, there was no other love of riches than a desire to possess the necessaries of life, which they acquired by means of their flocks and herds, and their lands, fields, and gardens, which furnished them with food. Among their necessaries of life were also suitable houses, furnished with useful things of every kind, and also clothing. The parents, children, servants, and maids in a house, were engaged in the care and labor connected with all these things. [5] But when the love of rule had entered and destroyed this commonwealth, the love of possessing wealth beyond their necessities also entered, and grew to such a height that it desired to possess the wealth of all others. These two loves are like blood-relations; for he that wishes to rule over all things also wishes to possess all things; for thus all others become servants, and they alone lords. This is clearly evident from those within the papal jurisdiction, who have exalted their dominion even into heaven to the throne of the Lord, upon which they have placed themselves; they also seek to grasp the wealth of all the earth, and to enlarge their treasuries without end. [6] Secondly: What the love of dignities and riches for their own sake is, and what the love of dignities and riches for the sake of uses is. The love of dignities and honors for the sake of dignities and honors is the love of self, strictly, the love of ruling from the love of self; and the love of riches and possessions for the sake of riches and possessions is the love of the world, strictly, the love of possessing the goods of others by any device whatever. But the love of dignities and riches for the sake of uses is the love of uses, which is the same as love of the neighbor; for that for the sake of which man acts is the end from which he acts, and this is first or chief, while all other things are means and are secondary. [7] As to the love of dignities and honors for their own sake, which is the same as the love of self, or, strictly, the same as the love of rule from the love of self, it is the love of one’s own (proprium), and man’s own is all evil. For this reason man is said to be born into all evil, and what he has hereditarily is nothing but evil. What man has hereditarily is his own, in which he is and into which he comes through the love of self, and especially through the love of ruling from love of self; for the man who is in that love looks only to himself, and thus immerses his thoughts and affections in what is his own. Consequently there is in the love of self the love of doing evil; and for the reason that the man loves not the neighbor but himself alone; and he who loves himself alone sees others only as apart from himself, or as insignificant or of no account, and he despises them in comparison with himself, accounting it nothing to inflict evil upon them. [8] And this is why one who is in the love of ruling from the love of self thinks nothing of defrauding the neighbor, committing adultery with his wife, defaming him, breathing revenge against him even to murder, venting his rage against him, and so on. Man becomes such for the reason that the devil himself, with whom he is conjoined and by whom he is led, is nothing else than a love of ruling from the love of self; and he who is led by the devil, that is, by hell, is led into all these evils; and he is led continually by means of the delights of these evils. For this reason all who are in hell wish to do evil to all, while those who are in heaven wish to do good to all. From the opposition between these an intermediate state arises in which man is, and in it he is as it were in equilibrium, which enables him to turn either to hell or to heaven; and so far as he favors the evils of love of self he turns towards hell, but so far as he rejects those evils from himself he turns toward heaven. [9] What and how great the delight of the love of ruling from the love of self is it has been granted me to feel. I was let into it that I might know what it is. It was such as to surpass all the delights that there are in the world; it was a delight of the whole mind from its inmosts to its outmosts; but it was felt in the body only as an agreeable and pleasurable sensation in the swelling breast. It was also granted me to perceive that from that delight, as from their fountain, gushed forth the delights of all evils, as adultery, revenge, fraud, defamation, and evil doing in general. There is a like delight in the love of possessing the goods of others by whatever device, and from that love in the lusts derived from it; yet not in the same degree unless that love is conjoined with the love of self. But in regard to dignities and riches not for their own sake but for the sake of uses, this is not a love of dignities and riches, but a love of uses, to which dignities and riches are serviceable as means; this is a heavenly love. But more on this subject hereafter. [10] Thirdly: These two loves are distinct from each other as heaven and hell are. This is clear from what has just been said; to which I will add, that all who are in a love of ruling from a love of self, whoever they are, whether great or small, are in hell as to their spirits; and that all who are in that love are in the love of all evils, and if they do not commit them, in their spirit they believe them to be allowable, and therefore they do them in the body when dignity and honor and fear of the law do not hinder. And what is more, the love of ruling from the love of self inmostly conceals in itself hatred against God, consequently against the Divine things pertaining to the church, and especially against the Lord. If they acknowledge God it is only with the lips; and if they acknowledge the Divine things of the church it is from a fear of the loss of honor. Such a love has inmostly stored up in it hatred against the Lord, for the reason that there is inmostly in it a desire to be God, since it worships and adores itself alone. Therefore if any one honors it so far as to say that it possesses Divine wisdom and is the deity of the world, it heartily loves him.
[11] It is not so with the love of dignities and riches for the sake of uses; this is a heavenly love, being the same, as has been said, as love of the neighbor. By uses goods are meant; and therefore doing uses means doing goods, and doing uses or goods means serving others and ministering to them. Although such enjoy dignity and wealth they regard them only as a means for performing uses, thus for serving and ministering. Such are meant by these words of the Lord:-
Whosoever will become great among you must be your minister; and whosoever will be first must be your servant (Matt. xx. 26, 27).
To such also dominion in heaven is entrusted by the Lord; because to such, dominion is a means for doing uses or goods, thus for serving; and when uses or goods are the ends or loves it is the Lord and not they that rule, for all good is from the Lord. [12] Fourthly: The difference between these loves can scarcely be made known to man. For most of those who possess dignity and wealth also perform uses; but they do not know whether they do this for their own sake or for the sake of the uses; and this is still less known because there is more of the fire and ardor of doing uses in love of self and the world than there is in those who are not in the love of self and the world; but the former perform uses for the sake of reputation or gain, thus for the sake of self; while those who perform uses for the sake of uses, or goods for the sake of goods, do this from the Lord, and not from self. [13] The difference between these can scarcely be recognized by man, because man does not know whether he is led by the devil or by the Lord. He that is led by the devil performs uses for the sake of self and the world; but he that is led by the Lord performs uses for the sake of the Lord and heaven; and all who shun evils as sins perform uses from the Lord, while all who do not shun evils as sins perform uses from the devil; since evil is the devil, and use or good is the Lord. In this and in no other way is the difference recognized. In external form they appear alike, but in internal form they are wholly unlike. One is like gold within which is dross, the other is like gold with pure gold within. One is like artificial fruit, which in external form appears like fruit from a tree, although it is colored wax containing within it dust or bitumen; while the other is like excellent fruit, pleasing in taste and smell, and containing seeds within.
216. (2) Eternal things relate to spiritual honors and possessions which pertain to love and wisdom in heaven. As the delights of the love of self, which are also delights of the lusts of evil, are called good by the natural man, and he confirms himself in the idea that they are good, therefore he calls honor and possessions Divine blessings. But when this natural man sees that the evil as well as the good are exalted to honors and advanced to wealth, and still more when he sees the good despised and in poverty, and the evil in glory and opulence, he thinks to himself, “Why is this? It cannot be of the Divine providence. For if that governed all things it would heap honors and possessions upon the good, and would afflict the evil with poverty and contempt, and thus drive the evil to the acknowledgment that there is a God and a Divine providence.” [2] But the natural man, unless enlightened by the spiritual man, that is, unless he is at the same time spiritual, does not see that honors and possessions may be blessings and also may be curses, and that when they are blessings they are from God, and when they are curses they are from the devil. Also that honors and possessions may be from the devil is confessed, for from this he is called the prince of the world. Since, then, it is not known when honors and possessions are blessings and when they are curses it shall be told, and in the following order: (1) Honors and possessions are blessings and they are curses. (2) When honors and possessions are blessings they are spiritual and eternal, but when they are curses they are temporal and perishable. (3) Honors and possessions that are curses, compared with honors and possessions that are blessings, are as nothing to everything, or as that which in itself is not to that which in itself is.
217. These three points shall now be illustrated separately. First: Honors and possessions are blessings and they are curses, General experience testifies that both the pious and the impious, or both the just and the unjust, that is, both the good and the evil, alike enjoy dignities and possessions, and yet no one can deny that the impious and unjust, that is, the evil, come into hell, while the pious and just, that is, the good, come into heaven. This being true it follows that dignities and riches, or honors and possessions, are both blessings and curses; blessings to the good and curses to the evil. In the work on Heaven and Hell, published at London in the year 1758 (n. 357-365), it has been shown that in heaven there are both rich and poor, and both great and small, and in hell also; which makes clear that dignities and riches were blessings in the world to those now in heaven, and were curses in the world to those now in hell. [2] But why they are blessings and why they are curses any one may know if he only reflects a little about it from reason; that is, he may know that they are blessings to those who do not set their hearts upon them, and curses to those who do set their hearts upon them. To set the heart upon them is to love oneself in them; and not to set the heart upon them is to love uses in them, and not self. What difference there is between these two loves, and what that difference is has been told above (n. 215); to which must be added that some are led astray by dignities and possessions, and some are not. These lead astray when they excite the loves of man’s own (proprium), which is love of self. That this is the love of hell, which is called the devil, has also been shown above. But they do not lead astray when they do not excite this love. [3] Both the evil and the good are exalted to honors and advanced to wealth, because the evil equally with the good perform uses; but the evil do this for the sake of honors and profit to their own person, while the good do it for the sake of the honors and profit to the work itself. The good regard the honors and profit pertaining to the work itself as principal motives, and the honors and profit pertaining to their own person as instrumental motives; while the evil regard the honors and profit pertaining to the person as principal motives, and those to the work as instrumental motives. But who does not see that the person and his work and honor are for the sake of the matter which he is administering, and not the reverse? Who does not see that the judge is for the sake of justice, the magistrate for the sake of the common welfare, and the king for the sake of the kingdom, and not the reverse? And therefore every one, in accordance with the laws of the kingdom, is in dignity and honor according to the dignity of the task he is performing. And who does not see that the difference is like that between what is principal and what is instrumental? He that attributes to himself or to his own person the honor belonging to his function appears in the spiritual world, when there is a representation of it, like a man with his body inverted, feet up and head down. [4] Secondly: When dignities and possessions are blessings they are spiritual and eternal, and when they are curses they are temporal and perishable. There are dignities and possessions in heaven as in the world, for there are governments there, and consequently administrations and functions, also business transactions and consequent possessions, since there are societies and communities there. The entire heaven is divided into two kingdoms, one of which is called the celestial kingdom, the other the spiritual kingdom; and each kingdom into societies without number, larger and smaller; all of which, with all who are in them, are arranged according to differences of love and of wisdom therefrom; the societies of the celestial heaven according to the differences of celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and the societies of the spiritual kingdom according to the differences of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor. Because these societies are such, and because all who are in them have been men in the world, and therefore retain the loves which they had in the world (with the difference that they are now spiritual, and that the dignities and possessions are now spiritual in the spiritual kingdom and celestial in the celestial kingdom), therefore those who have love and wisdom more than others have dignities and possessions more than others; and these are those to whom dignities and possessions were blessings in the world. [5] From all this it can be seen what spiritual dignities and possessions are, and that they belong to the work and not to the person. A person who is in dignity there is in magnificence and glory like that of kings on earth: and yet they do not regard the dignity itself as anything, but the uses, in the ministration and discharge of which they are engaged. They receive honors, indeed, suited to the dignity of each one; but they do not attribute it to themselves, but to the uses; and because all uses are from the Lord they attribute the honors to the Lord, from whom they come. Such, therefore, are spiritual dignities and possessions, which are eternal.
[6] But it is otherwise with those to whom dignities and possessions in the world have been curses. Because they attributed these to themselves and not to the uses, and because they desired to control the uses and not to be controlled by them, and deemed uses to be uses merely so far as they were serviceable to their honor and glory, they are in hell, and are vile slaves there, despised and miserable. And because such dignities and possessions perish they are called temporal and perishable. Of these two classes the Lord thus teaches:-
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves dig through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal; for where your treasure is your heart will also be (Matt. vi. 19-21).
[7] Thirdly: Dignities and possessions that are curses, compared with dignities and possessions that are blessings, are as nothing to everything, or as that which in itself is not to that which in itself is. Everything that perishes and comes to nothing is inwardly in itself nothing; outwardly indeed it is something, and even seems to be much, and to some it seems to be everything as long as it lasts; but it is not so inwardly in itself. It is like a surface with nothing within it; or like an actor in royal robes when the play is over. But that which remains forever is in itself something perpetually, thus everything; and it also is, for it does not cease to be.
218. (3) Temporal things and eternal things are separated by man, but are conjoined by the Lord. This is true because all things pertaining to man are temporal, and for this reason man may be called temporal; while all things pertaining to the Lord are eternal, and for this reason the Lord is called Eternal. Temporal things are those that have an end and perish; while eternal things are those that have no end and do not perish. Any one can see that the two can be conjoined only through the Lord’s infinite wisdom, and thus can be conjoined by the Lord, but not by man. But to make known that the two are separated by man and are conjoined by the Lord it must be shown in this order: (1) What temporal things are, and what eternal things are. (2) Man is in himself temporal and the Lord is in Himself eternal; and therefore only what is temporal can proceed from man, and only what is eternal from the Lord. (3) Temporal things separate eternal things from themselves, and eternal things conjoin temporal things to themselves. (4) The Lord conjoins man with Himself by means of appearances. (5) Also by means of correspondences.
219. But these points must be illustrated and established one by one. First: What temporal things are and what eternal things are. Temporal things are all things which are proper to nature, and which are therefore proper to man. The things proper to nature are especially spaces and times, both having limit and termination; the things therefrom proper to man are those that belong to his own will and his own understanding, and consequently to his affection and thought, and especially to his prudence; these, it is admitted, are finite and limited. But eternal things are all such as are proper to the Lord, and from Him are seemingly proper to man. All things proper to the Lord are infinite and eternal, thus without time, consequently without limit and without end. Things therefrom seemingly proper to man are likewise infinite and eternal, yet nothing of them is man’s, but they belong to the Lord alone in man. [2] Secondly: Man is in himself temporal, and the Lord is in Himself eternal; and therefore only what is temporal can proceed from man, and only what is eternal from the Lord. It has been said above that man in himself is temporal, and the Lord in Himself eternal. As nothing can proceed from any one except what is in him, it follows that nothing but what is temporal can proceed from man, and nothing but what is eternal from the Lord. For the infinite cannot proceed from the finite; to say that it can is a contradiction. And yet the infinite can proceed from the finite, although not from the finite but from the infinite through the finite. Neither, on the other hand, can the finite proceed from the infinite; to say that it can is also a contradiction; yet the finite can be produced by the infinite, but this is creating, not proceeding. On this subject see Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, from beginning to end. Consequently, when what is finite proceeds from the Lord, as is the case in many things in man, it does not proceed from the Lord, but from man; and it can be said to proceed from the Lord through man, because it so appears.
[3] This may be illustrated by these words of the Lord:-
Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; whatever is beyond these is from evil (Matt. v. 37).
Such is the speech of all in the third heaven; for they never reason about Divine things whether a thing is so or not so, but they see in themselves from the Lord whether it is so or is not so. Therefore a reasoner reasons about Divine things whether they are so or not, because he does not see them from the Lord, but wishes to see from himself; and what man sees from himself is evil. Nevertheless, the Lord is willing that a man should think and talk about Divine things, and also reason about them for the purpose of seeing a thing to be so or not so; and such thought, speech, or reasoning, provided the end is to see the truth, can be said to be from the Lord in man, although it is from man until he sees the truth and acknowledges it. Meanwhile it is only from the Lord that man has the ability to think, to talk, and to reason; for he has this ability from the two faculties called liberty and rationality, and man has these faculties from the Lord alone. [4] Thirdly: Temporal things separate eternal things from themselves, and eternal things conjoin temporal things to themselves. That temporal things separate eternal things from themselves means that this is done by man, who is temporal, from the temporal things in himself; and that eternal things conjoin temporal things to themselves means that this is done by the Lord, who is eternal, from the eternal things in Himself, as has been said above. It has been shown in the foregoing pages that there is a conjunction of the Lord with man and a reciprocal conjunction of man with the Lord; but that this reciprocal conjunction of man with the Lord is not from man but from the Lord; also that man’s will runs counter to the Lord’s will; or, what is the same thing, man’s own prudence runs counter to the Lord’s Divine providence. From all this it follows that man [when acting] from his temporal things separates from himself the Lord’s eternal things, but that the Lord conjoins His eternal things with man’s temporal things, that is, Himself with man and man with Himself. As these points have been fully treated heretofore, further confirmation is not necessary. [5] Fourthly: The Lord conjoins man with Himself by means of appearances. For the appearance is that it is from himself that man loves the neighbor, does good, and speaks the truth; and except for this appearance man would not love the neighbor, do good, and speak truth, thus would not be conjoined with the Lord. But love, good, and truth are from the Lord; evidently, then, it is by means of appearances that the Lord conjoins man with Himself. But this appearance, and the Lord’s conjunction with man, and man’s reciprocal conjunction with the Lord by means of it, have been fully treated of above. [6] Fifthly: The Lord conjoins man with Himself by means of correspondences. This is done by means of the Word, the literal sense of which consists of pure correspondences. That by means of this sense there is a conjunction of the Lord with man and a reciprocal conjunction of man with the Lord has been shown in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, from beginning to end.
220. (4.) The conjunction of temporal things and eternal things in man is the Lord’s Divine providence. But as these things cannot enter even into the first perception of the understanding until they have been arranged in order, and unfolded and made clear according to that order, let them be set forth as follows:-
(1) It is from the Divine providence that by death man puts off what is natural and temporal, and puts on what is spiritual and eternal.
(2) Through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins Himself with natural things by means of spiritual things, and with temporal things by means of eternal things, according to uses.
(3) The Lord conjoins Himself with uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances, in accordance with the confirmations of these by man.
(4) This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine providence.
But let these things be brought into clearer light by explanations. [2] First: It is from the Divine providence that by death man puts of what is natural and temporal, and puts on what is spiritual and eternal. Natural and temporal things are the extremes and outmosts into which man first enters; and this he does at birth, to the end that he may be able afterwards to be introduced into things more internal and higher. For extremes and outmosts are containants; and these are in the natural world. And this is why no angel or spirit was created such immediately, but were all born first as men, and were thus led into higher things. From this they have extremes and outmosts which in themselves are fixed and established, within which and by which interiors can be held together in connection. [3] But at first man puts on the grosser things of nature; these constitute his body; but by death he puts these off, and retains the purer things of nature which are nearest to spiritual things; and these then become his containants. Furthermore, all interior or higher things are simultaneously in extremes or outmosts, as has already been shown; and consequently the entire working of the Lord is from first principles and from outmosts simultaneously, thus in fulness. But inasmuch as the extremes or outmosts of nature are not receptive of the spiritual and eternal things in conformity to which the human mind was formed, as these are in themselves, and yet man was born to become spiritual and to live for ever, therefore these are put off by man, and he retains only the interior natural things that agree and harmonize with the spiritual and celestial, and serve them as containants. This is accomplished by the rejection of temporal and natural outmosts, which is the death of the body. [4] Secondly: Through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins Himself with natural things by means of spiritual things, and with temporal things by means of eternal things, according to uses. Natural and temporal things are not only such as are proper to nature, but also such as are proper to men in the natural world. Both of these man puts off by death, and puts on the spiritual and eternal things that correspond to them. That these are put on in accordance with uses has been abundantly shown heretofore. The natural things that are proper to nature have relation in general to times and spaces, and in particular to the things that are seen on the earth. It is these that man leaves by death, and in place of them he takes on spiritual things, which are similar in outer aspect or appearance, but not in inner aspect and very essence (which also has been treated of above). [5] The temporal things that are proper to men in the natural world have relation in general to dignities and possessions, and in particular to every one’s necessities, which are food, clothing, and habitation. These also are put off by death and left behind; and things are put on and received that are similar in outer aspect or appearance, but not in inner aspect and essence. All these have their inner aspect and essence from the uses of temporal things in the world. Uses are the goods that are called the goods of charity. From all this it can be seen that through His Divine providence the Lord conjoins spiritual and eternal things with natural and temporal things according to uses. [6] Thirdly: The Lord conjoins Himself with uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances in accordance with the confirmations of these by man. As this must needs seem obscure to those who have not yet gained a clear notion of what correspondence is and what appearance is, they must be illustrated by example, and thus explained. All things of the Word are pure correspondences of spiritual and celestial things, and because they are correspondences they are also appearances; that is, all things of the Word are the Divine goods of the Divine love and the Divine truths of the Divine wisdom, which in themselves are naked, but in the sense of the letter of the Word are clothed. They therefore appear like a man in clothing that corresponds to the state of his love and wisdom. All this makes evident that when a man confirms appearances it is the same as asserting that the clothes are the man. It is thus that appearances are converted into fallacies. It is otherwise when man is seeking for truths and sees them in the appearances. [7] Since, then, all uses, that is, the truths and goods of charity that a man does to the neighbor, may be done either in accordance with these appearances or in accordance with the truths themselves in the Word, when he does them in accordance with the appearances confirmed in himself he is in fallacies; but when he does them in accordance with truths he does them as he ought. All this makes clear what is meant when it is said that the Lord conjoins Himself with uses by means of correspondences, and thus by means of appearances in accordance with the confirmations of these by man. [8] Fourthly: This conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine providence. To set this before the understanding with some clearness let it be illustrated by two examples, one relating to dignities and honors, and the other to riches and possessions. Both of these are, in external form, natural and temporal, but in internal form are spiritual and eternal. Dignities with their honors are natural and temporal when in them man regards himself personally, and not the commonwealth and uses; for then man must needs think interiorly in himself that the commonwealth is for his sake, and not he for the commonwealth’s sake. He is like a king who thinks that the kingdom and all the people in it exist for his sake, and not he for the sake of the kingdom and the people. [9] But these same dignities with their honors are spiritual and eternal when man regards himself personally as existing for the sake of the commonwealth and uses, and not that they exist for his sake. When man does this he is in the verity and in the essence of his dignity and honor; but in the former case he is in the correspondence and appearance [of dignity and honor]; and if he confirms these in himself [as the truth] he is in fallacies, and is in conjunction with the Lord only as those are who are in falsities and in evils therefrom; for fallacies are falsities with which evils are conjoined. They have, indeed, promoted uses and good works, but from themselves and not from the Lord; thus they have put themselves in the Lord’s place. [10] It is the same with riches and possessions, which also may be natural and temporal or spiritual and eternal. They are natural and temporal with those who look solely to them, and to themselves in them, finding in these their sole pleasure and delight. But these same things are spiritual and eternal with those who look to good uses in them, and find in these uses interior pleasure and delight. With such, moreover, the outward pleasure and delight become spiritual, and the temporal becomes the eternal. Therefore such after death are in heaven; and there they live in palaces, the furnishings of which are forms resplendent with gold and precious stones; but these they regard only as externals, resplendent and translucent from their internals which are uses, and from these uses they have essential pleasure and enjoyment; and these in themselves are the happiness and bliss of heaven. The reverse is the lot of such as have looked to riches and possessions solely for their sake and for the sake of self, thus for the sake of externals and not for the sake of internals also; thus according to the way they appear and not according to their essences. When such put off these appearances, which they do at death, they put on the internals belonging to them; and as these are not spiritual they must needs be infernal, for one or the other of these must be in them, since the two cannot exist together. Consequently in place of riches they have poverty, and in place of possessions wretchedness. [11] By uses are not meant merely the necessaries of life, which have relation to food, clothing, and habitation for man and for those dependent on him, but also the good of one’s country, of society, and of the fellow citizen. Business is such a good when that is the final love, and money is a mediate and subservient love, provided the business man shuns and turns away from frauds and evil devices as sins. It is otherwise when money is the final love, and the business is the mediate and subservient love; for this is avarice, which is the root of evils (respecting which see Luke xii. 15, and the parable relating to it, verses 16-21).
221. MAN IS ADMITTED INTERIORLY INTO TRUTHS OF FAITH AND INTO GOODS OF CHARITY ONLY SO FAR AS HE CAN BE KEPT IN THEM UNTIL THE END OF HIS LIFE.
It is admitted in the Christian world that the Lord wills the salvation of all, and that He is almighty; and from this many conclude that He is able to save every one, and that He saves those who implore His mercy; especially those who implore it after the formula of the received faith, that God the Father will be merciful for the sake of the Son; and particularly if they pray at the same time that they may receive that faith. But that it is altogether otherwise will be seen in the last chapter of this work, where it will be explained that the Lord cannot act contrary to the laws of His Divine providence, because to act against these would be to act contrary to His Divine love and His Divine wisdom, thus contrary to Himself. It will also be seen there that such immediate mercy is impossible, because the salvation of man is effected by means, and only He who wills the salvation of all, and is at the same time almighty, in other words, the Lord, is able to lead man in accordance with these means. The means whereby man is led by the Lord are what are called the laws of the Divine providence; and among these is this, that man is admitted interiorly into the truths of wisdom and into the goods of love only so far as he can be kept in them until the end of his life. But to make this clear to the reason it shall be explained in the following order:-
(1) A man may be admitted into the wisdom of spiritual things, and also into a love for them, and yet not be reformed.
(2) If he afterwards recedes from them, and passes over into the opposite, he profanes holy things.
(3) There are many kinds of profanation, but this is the worst kind of all.
(4) Therefore the Lord admits man interiorly into the truths of wisdom and at the same time into the goods of love only so far as he can be kept in them until the end of his life.
222. (1) A man may be admitted into the wisdom of spiritual things, and also into a love for them, and yet not be reformed. This is because man has rationality and liberty; and by rationality he may be raised up into wisdom almost angelic; and by liberty into a love not unlike angelic love. Nevertheless such as the love is such is the wisdom. When the love is celestial and spiritual the wisdom also becomes celestial and spiritual; but when the love is diabolical and infernal the wisdom is also diabolical and infernal. In outward form, and thus to others, such wisdom may appear to be celestial and spiritual; but in internal form, which is its very essence, it is diabolical and infernal; not as it is out of the man, but as it is within him. To men it does not appear to be such because men are natural and see and hear naturally, and the external form is natural. But to angels it appears such, because angels are spiritual and see and hear spiritually, and the internal form is spiritual. [2] From all this it can be seen that man can be admitted into the wisdom of spiritual things, and also into a love for them, and yet not be reformed, but in that case only into a natural love for them, and not into a spiritual love for them. This is because man has the ability to admit himself into natural love, while the Lord alone can admit into spiritual love; and such as are admitted into that love are reformed, but those who are admitted into natural love alone are not reformed. For such are mostly hypocrites, and very many of them are of the order of Jesuits, who interiorly do not believe in the Divine at all, but play with Divine things outwardly like actors.
223. By much experience in the spiritual world it has been made known to me that man possesses in himself the ability to understand the secrets of wisdom like the angels themselves. For I have seen fiery devils who, while they were hearing the secrets of wisdom, not only understood them but from their rationality talked about them. But as soon as they returned to their diabolical love they ceased to understand them; and in place of them thought opposite things which were insanities, and this they then called wisdom. I have even been permitted to hear them, when they were in a state of wisdom laughing at their own insanity, and when in a state of insanity laughing at wisdom. The man who has been of this character in the world, when after death he becomes a spirit is usually let into alternate states of wisdom and insanity, that he may see the latter from the former. But although from wisdom such see that they are insane, yet when the choice is given them, as is done with every one, they admit themselves into the state of insanity and love it; and then they regard with hatred the state of wisdom. This is because their internal has been diabolical, and their external seemingly Divine. Such are meant by the devils who make themselves angels of light; also by the one at the house of the wedding who was not clothed in a wedding garment, and was cast into outer darkness (Matt. xxii. 11-13).
224. Who cannot see that the external springs from the internal, and consequently has its essence from the internal? And who does not know from experience that the external can present an appearance not in accordance with its essence from the internal? For there is evidently such an appearance in the case of hypocrites, flatterers and pretenders. And that a man can externally personate other characters than his own is manifest from players and mimics; for they know how to represent kings, emperors, and even angels, in tone, language, face, and gesture, as if they were such, when yet they are but actors. This has been said to show that man can likewise play the sycophant both in civil and moral matters and in spiritual matters; and it is known, moreover, that many do so. [2] When, therefore, the internal in its essence is infernal, and the external in its form appears spiritual, and yet, as has been said, the external draws its essence from the internal, it may be asked where in the external that essence lies concealed. It does not appear in gesture, in the tone, in the speech, or in the countenance; and yet it is interiorly hidden in all four of these. That it is interiorly hidden in them can be clearly seen from these same in the spiritual world; for when a man comes from the natural world into the spiritual world, as he does at death, he leaves his externals behind with the body, and retains his internals which he had stored up in his spirit; and if his internal had been infernal he then appears like a devil, such as he had been as to his spirit while he lived in the world. Who does not acknowledge that every man leaves externals when he leaves the body, and enters into internals when he becomes a spirit? [3] To this I will add that in the spiritual world there is a communication of affections and of consequent thoughts; and therefore no one there can speak otherwise than as he thinks. Also every one’s face there is changed and becomes like his affections; so that what he is is apparent even from his face. Hypocrites are sometimes permitted to speak otherwise than as they think; but the tone of their speech is to the ear wholly discordant with their interior thoughts; and the discordance makes them known. This makes clear that the internal is hidden interiorly in the tone, in the speech, in the countenance, and in the gestures, of the external; and this is not perceived by men in the natural world, but is clearly perceived by angels in the spiritual world.
225. From all this it is now clear that so long as a man lives in the natural world he can be admitted into the wisdom of spiritual things, and also into a love for them; and that this can take place and does take place, both with those who are merely natural and with those who are spiritual; but with this difference, that the spiritual are thereby reformed, while the merely natural by the same means are not reformed. With these there may be an appearance that they love wisdom; but they merely love it as an adulterer loves an honorable woman, that is, the same as he would love a courtesan, talking sweetly to her, giving her beautiful garments, but saying to himself privately, She is nothing but a mere harlot, whom I will make believe that I love because she gratifies my lust; but if she should fail to gratify it I would cast her off. The internal man of such is that adulterer; while their external is that woman.
Emanuel Swedenborg · English translation by John C. Ager (1899) · Source edition · German edition.