Logopraxis

True Christian Religion

243. VIII. THE CHURCH IS FROM THE WORD, AND WITH MAN IT IS SUCH AS HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD IS.

That the church is from the Word no one can doubt, since it has been shown above, that the Word is Divine truth (n. 189-192); that the doctrine of the church is from the Word (n. 225-233); and that by means of the Word there is conjunction with the Lord (n. 234-239). But that the understanding of the Word constitutes the church, may be called in question; for there are those who believe themselves to be of the church by virtue of their having the Word and reading it, or hearing preaching from it, and knowing something of the sense of its letter. But how this or that in the Word is to be understood they do not know; and some do not regard it as of much importance.

Therefore it shall now be established that it is not the Word that constitutes the church, but the understanding of it, and that the church is such as is the understanding of the Word with those who are in the church

 

 

 

Doctrine of Sacred Scripture

77. The Word is the Word according to the understanding of it in a man, that is, as it is understood. If it is not understood, the Word is indeed called the Word, but it is not the Word with the man. The Word is the truth according to the understanding of it, for it may not be the truth, because it may be falsified. The Word is spirit and life according to the understanding of it, for its letter if not understood is dead. And as a man has truth and life according to his understanding of the Word, so has he faith and love according thereto, for truth is of faith, and love is of life. Now as the church exists by means of faith and love, and according to them, it follows that the church is the church through the understanding of the Word and according thereto; a noble church if in genuine truths, an ignoble church if not in genuine truths, and a destroyed church if in falsified truths.

 

Arcana Coelestia

10761. The term 'Church' is appropriate wherever the Lord is acknowledged and the Word exists; for the essential constituents of the Church are love to the Lord and faith in the Lord, received from the Lord, and the Word teaches how a person must live in order to receive love and faith from the Lord.

6056. It has been said that the internal man, being prior, can subsist without the external, because this is posterior; but not the converse. For it is a universal rule that nothing can subsist from itself, but from and through something else, consequently that nothing can be kept in form except from and through something else, which may also be seen from everything in nature. The case is the same with man. In respect to his external, man cannot subsist except from and through his internal. Neither can the internal man subsist except from and through heaven. And neither can heaven subsist from itself, but only from the Lord, who alone subsists from Himself. Influx is according to existence and subsistence, for all things subsist by means of influx. But that all things in general and in particular subsist by influx from the Lord, not only mediately through the spiritual world, but also immediately in both mediates and ultimates, will be shown in what follows.

 

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

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6189. Continuation about influx and the interaction of the soul and the body.

That two angels from heaven and two spirits from hell are with man, and that thereby he has communication with both heaven and hell, and also has freedom thereby to turn to the one or to the other, has been shown at the end of chapters 44 and 45. But that each and all things with man flow in according to his freedom-evil from hell, and good from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord-is what man does not know, and therefore will perhaps scarcely believe.

6190. As the subject here treated of is Influx, and this is mentioned so frequently, it is necessary to say in advance what influx is. What is meant by spiritual influx cannot be better seen than by means of the natural influxes which take place and appear in this world-as by the influx of heat from the sun into all things of the earth, with all variety in accordance with the seasons of the year and the climates of the earth; and by the influx of light into the same, with all variety likewise in accordance with the times of the days and also of the years, also in a varied manner according to the climates. From the influx of heat from the sun into all things of the earth, whence comes vegetative life; and from the influx of light into the same, whence comes support to that life, and also colors and displays of beauties; in like manner from the influx of the same heat into the surface of our bodies, and also of light into the eye; likewise from the influx of sound into the ear; and from other instances of a similar kind, it may be comprehended what is the influx of life from the Lord, who is the Sun of heaven, from whom comes heavenly heat, which is the good of love, and heavenly light, which is the truth of faith. The influx of these is also plainly felt, for heavenly heat which is love produces the vital heat which is in man, and heavenly light which is faith produces his understanding, because the truth of faith which proceeds from the Lord enlightens his intellectual; but in both cases with much variety, for it is according to the reception on the part of man.

6191. That man is governed by the Lord by means of angels and spirits, has been given me to know by experience so manifest as not to leave even the smallest doubt concerning it; for now through a course of many years all my thoughts and all my affections, even to the most minute of all, have flowed in by means of spirits and angels. This it has been given me to perceive so plainly that nothing could be more plain; for I have perceived, I have seen, and I have heard, who they were, what was their quality, and where they were. And when anything adverse fell into my thought or will, I have spoken with them and chided them. And I have also observed that the power they had of infusing such things was restrained by the angels; and also in what manner; and likewise often that they were driven away, and that then new spirits were present in their place, from whom again there was influx. It has also been given me to perceive whence those spirits came, or of what societies they were the subjects; and an opportunity of speaking with those societies themselves has likewise frequently been granted. And notwithstanding that everything, even to the most minute, of the thoughts and affections, flowed in through the spirits and angels, still I thought as before, and willed as before, and conversed with men as before, no difference from my former life being observed by anyone. I am aware that scarcely anyone will believe that such is the fact, but still it is an eternal verity.

6192. It has been shown me to the life in what manner spirits flow in with man. When they come to him, they put on all things of his memory, thus all things which the man has learned and imbibed from infancy, and the spirits suppose these things to be their own. Thus they act as it were the part of the man in the man. But they are not allowed to enter further with a man than to his interiors which are of the thought and will, and not to the exteriors which are of the actions and speech; for these latter come into act by means of a general influx from the Lord without the mediation of particular spirits and angels. But although the spirits act the part of the man with a man in respect to those things which are of his thought and will, they nevertheless do not know that they are with a man, for the reason that they possess all things of his memory, and believe that these are not another's, but their own; and this for the reason also that they may not injure the man. For unless the spirits from hell who are with a man believed these things to be their own, they would attempt in every way to destroy the man both body and soul, because this is the infernal delight itself.

6193. As in this way spirits possess all things of a man's thought and will, and angels things which are still more interior, and as the man is thus most closely conjoined with them, therefore the man must necessarily perceive and feel that it is he himself who thinks and wills; for the communications in the other life are of such a nature that in a society containing similar spirits each one believes that to be his own which is another's. And therefore when the good come into heavenly society, they at once enter into all the intelligence and wisdom of that society, insomuch that they know no otherwise than that these are in themselves. And such also is the case with a man, and with a spirit who is attendant upon him. The things which flow in from the spirits who are from hell are evils and falsities, but those which flow in from the angels who are from heaven are goods and truths. Thus by means of influxes opposite to each other the man is kept in the midst, thus in freedom. As the things which flow in from the angels, flow in through the more inward interiors, they are not so apparent to the outward sense as are those which flow in from evil spirits. Moreover the angels are of such a character that they never desire to hear that the influxes of good and truth are from themselves, but that they are from the Lord, and they are indignant if it is thought otherwise; for they are in the manifest perception that it is so, and they love nothing more than to will and think not from themselves, but from the Lord. On the other hand, evil spirits are angry if told that they do not think and will from themselves, because this is contrary to the delight of their loves; and they are more angry when told that life is not in them, but that it flows in. When this is shown them by experience to the life, which has often been done, they then indeed confess that it is so, for they cannot speak contrary to experience; but still after some delay they deny it, and then they are not willing that it should be any further confirmed by experience.

6194. It has sometimes happened that I have meditated by myself, and have also talked with others, without reflecting that spirits were present who excited these activities. But directly afterward the spirits accosted me, and told me the state in which they had then been, namely, that they knew no otherwise than that they were the ones who were thinking, and this in my case in such a manner that the nearest believed themselves to be absolutely those who were thinking, but the more remote less so, and they who were still more remote, still less so. And it was also shown what societies flowed into the spirits as into their subjects.

6195. There were spirits with me a long time, neither very good nor very evil, a little above the head. They had the power to inflow deeply into the affections, and because they so willed, after a while they entered, and then bound themselves with me in such a manner that it seemed as if they could scarcely be separated. I spoke with them in regard to this, saying that they ought to separate themselves; but they could not. When they attempted it, and separated themselves a little, they then so dulled my thoughts that I could not think except confusedly and disconnectedly, and a painful sensation was felt in my head, like that with those who fall into a swoon. By this it was made evident in what manner loves conjoin, and that thereby is the conjunction of all in the other life. Wherefore spirits who enter into the very affections possess the other, as is also the case In the world when a man favors another's love; whereas truths do not conjoin, but the affections of truth. From this it was made evident to me how man is conjoined either with heaven or with hell, namely, by means of his loves; with hell by means of the loves of self and of the world, but with heaven by means of the loves of the neighbor and of God. It was also evident that a man bound to hell can in no wise be loosed therefrom except through Divine means by the Lord; as was also shown from those who were bound with me only by slight affections, and yet I was not loosed from them except by means of intermediate loves, whereby they were gradually conjoined with others. And as they were separated they appeared to be removed to a distance from me toward the left in front, and the separation was observed by means of changes of state of the affections; for as the affections were changed, so they receded. From this it is also evident whence come the appearances of distance in the other life.

6196. That spirits are associated with a man in accordance with his loves, has been made known to me by manifold experience, for as soon as I have begun to intensely love anything, spirits were present who were In such love, and they were not removed until the love ceased.

6197. As often as anything has fallen into my thought and the desires of my will, the source of which I have not known, so often when I have desired to know the source, I have been shown from what societies it came, and sometimes through what spirits as subjects....

Arcana Coelestia

6053... the learned have less belief in the life after death than the simple; and because they do not believe in it, neither can they believe in the things which belong to that life, which are the heavenly and spiritual things of faith and love. This also appears from the Lord’s words in Matthew:

Thou hast hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and hast revealed them unto babes (Matt 11:25).

And again:

Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

For the simple have no such thoughts about the soul; but believe that they will have after death; in which simple faith, unknown to them, there is hidden the belief that they will live there as men, will see angels, will speak with them, and will enjoy happiness.

 

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia

 

AC 6059 The Contents.

 

After spiritual good from the natural, which is “Israel,” has been conjoined with the internal celestial, which is “Joseph,” as described in the foregoing chapter, the subject treated of in the internal sense of this chapter is the insinuation of the truths of the church, which are in the natural, into memory-knowledge. The truths of the church which are in the natural are the sons of Jacob; general truth itself therein is “Jacob;” the memory-knowledge into which these truths are insinuated is “Pharaoh.”

 

129. Everyone may know that man is governed by the principles he assumes, be they ever so false, and that all his knowledge and reasoning favor his principles; for innumerable considerations tending to support them present themselves to his mind, and thus he is confirmed in what is false. He therefore who assumes as a principle that nothing is to be believed until it is seen and understood, can never believe, because spiritual and celestial things cannot be seen with the eyes, or conceived by the imagination. But the true order is for man to be wise from the Lord, that is, from His Word, and then all things follow, and he is enlightened even in matters of reason and of memory-knowledge [in rationalibus et scientificis]. For it is by no means forbidden to learn the sciences, since they are useful to his life and delightful; nor is he who is in faith prohibited from thinking and speaking as do the learned of the world; but it must be from this principle-to believe the Word of the Lord, and, so far as possible, confirm spiritual and celestial truths by natural truths, in terms familiar to the learned world.

 

Thus his starting-point must be the Lord, and not himself; for the former is life, but the latter is death.

 

 

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia

6055. He who does not know the interiors of man, cannot know about influx and the interaction of the soul with the body; for the interaction and the influx are effected by means of these interiors. In order to know the interiors of man, it is necessary to know that there is an internal man and an external man, and that the internal man is in the spiritual world, and the external man in the natural world; thus that the former is in the light of heaven, and the latter in the light of the world. It is also necessary to know that the internal man is so distinct from the external man that the former, being prior and interior, can subsist without the latter; but that the latter or external man, being posterior and exterior, cannot subsist without the former.

It must be known, further, that the internal man is what is properly called the intellectual or rational man, because this is in the light of heaven,” in which light are reason and understanding;

whereas the external man is what is properly to be called that of memory-knowledge, because in him there are memory-knowledges, which for the most part derive their light from those things which are of the light of the world, when this light is enlightened and thus vivified by the light of heaven.

 

6062. The Internal Sense.

Verse 1. And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold they are in the land of Goshen.

“And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said,” signifies the presence of the internal celestial in the natural where memory-knowledges are, and the consequent influx and perception;

“My father and my brethren,” signifies spiritual good in the natural and the truths of the church there;

“and their flocks, and their herds,” signifies the interior and exterior goods of truth;

“and all that they have,” signifies whatever is thence derived;

“have come out of the land of Canaan,” signifies that they are from the church;

“and behold they are in the land of Goshen,” signifies that they are in the midst of the natural where are memory-knowledges.

Heaven and Hell

432. IN RESPECT OF HIS INTERIORS EVERY MAN IS A SPIRIT

Whoever duly considers the subject can know that the body does not think, because it is material, but that the soul, which is spiritual, does. The soul of man, upon the immortality of which many have written, is his spirit, for this as to everything belonging to it is immortal. This also is what thinks in the body, for it is spiritual, and what is spiritual receives what is spiritual and lives spiritually, which is to think and to will. Therefore, all rational life that appears in the body belongs to the soul, and nothing of it to the body; for the body, as said above, is material, and the material, which is the property of the body, is added to and, as it were, almost adjoined to the spirit, in order that the spirit of man may be able to live and perform uses in the natural world, all things of which are material and in themselves devoid of life. And because the material does not live but only the spiritual, it can be established that whatever lives in man is his spirit, and that the body merely serves it, just as what is instrumental serves a moving living force. An instrument is said indeed to act, to move, or to strike; but to believe that these are acts of the instrument, and not of him who acts, moves, or strikes by means of the instrument, is a fallacy.

 

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291. THE CONJUNCTION OF HEAVEN WITH THE HUMAN RACE.

It is well known in the church that all good is from God, and that nothing of good is from man, consequently that no one ought to ascribe any good to himself as his own. It is also well known that evil is from the devil. Therefore those who speak from the doctrine of the church say of those who behave well, and of those who speak and preach piously, that they are led by God; but the opposite of those who do not behave well and who speak impiously. For this to be true man must have conjunction with heaven and with hell; and this conjunction must be with man's will and with his understanding; for it is from these that the body acts and the mouth speaks. What this conjunction is shall now be told.

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292. With every individual there are good spirits and evil spirits. Through good spirits man has conjunction with heaven, and through evil spirits with hell. These spirits are in the world of spirits, which lies midway between heaven and hell. This world will be described particularly hereafter. When these spirits come to a man they enter into his entire memory, and thus into his entire thought, evil spirits into the evil things of his memory and thought, and good spirits into the good things of his memory and thought. These spirits have no knowledge whatever that they are with man; but when they are with him they believe that all things of his memory and thought are their own; neither do they see the man, because nothing that is in our solar world falls into their sight.[1] The Lord exercises the greatest care that spirits may not know that they are with man; for if they knew it they would talk with him, and in that case evil spirits would destroy him; for evil spirits, being joined with hell, desire nothing so much as to destroy man, not alone his soul, that is, his faith and love, but also his body. It is otherwise when spirits do not talk with man, in which case they are not aware that what they are thinking and also what they are saying among themselves is from man; for although it is from man that they talk with one another, they believe that what they are thinking and saying is their own, and everyone esteems and loves what is their own. In this way spirits are constrained to love and esteem man, although they do not know it. That such is the conjunction of spirits with man has become so well known to me from a continual experience of many years that nothing is better known to me.

[1] There are angels and spirits with every man, and by means of them man has communication with the spiritual world (see numbers 697, 2796, 2886, 2887, 4047, 4048, 5846-5866, 5976-5993).

Man without spirits attending him cannot live (see number 5993).

Man is not seen by spirits, even as spirits are not seen by man (see number 5862).

Spirits can see nothing in our solar world pertaining to any man except the one with whom they are speaking (see number 1880).

293. The reason why spirits that communicate with hell are also associated with man is that man is born into evils of every kind, consequently his whole life is wholly from evil; and therefore unless spirits like himself were associated with him he could not live, nor indeed could he be withdrawn from his evils and reformed. He is therefore both held in his own life by means of evil spirits and withheld from it by means of good spirits; and by the two he is kept in equilibrium; and being in equilibrium he is in freedom, and can be drawn away from evils and turned towards good, and thus good can be implanted in him, which would not be possible at all if he were not in freedom; and freedom is possible to man only when the spirits from hell act on one side and spirits from heaven on the other, and man is between the two. Again, it has been shown that so far as a man's life is from what he inherits, and thus from self, if he were not permitted to be in evil he would have no life; also if he were not in freedom he would have no life; also that he cannot be forced to what is good, and that what is forced does not abide; also that the good that man receives in freedom is implanted in his will and becomes as it were his own.[1] These are the reasons why man has communication with hell and communication with heaven.

[1] All freedom pertains to love and affection, since what a man loves, that he does freely (see numbers 2870, 3158, 8987, 8990, 9585, 9591).

As freedom belongs to man's love, so it belongs to man's life (see number 2873).

Nothing appears as man's own except what is from freedom (see number 2880).

Man must have freedom that he may be reformed (see numbers 1937, 1947, 2876, 2881, 3145, 3146, 3158, 4031, 8700).

Otherwise no love of good and truth can be implanted in man and be appropriated seemingly as his own (see numbers 2877, 2879, 2880, 2883, 8700).

Nothing that comes from compulsion is conjoined to man (see numbers 2875, 8700).

If man could be reformed by compulsion everyone would be reformed (see number 2881).

Compulsion in reformation is harmful (see number 4031).

What states of compulsion are (see number 8392).

294. What the communication of heaven is with good spirits, and what the communication of hell is with evil spirits, and the consequent conjunction of heaven and hell with man, shall also be told. All spirits who are in the world of spirits have communication with heaven or with hell, evil spirits with hell, and good spirits with heaven. Heaven is divided into societies, and hell also. Every spirit belongs to some society, and continues to exist by influx from it, thus acting as one with it. Consequently as man is conjoined with spirits so is he conjoined with heaven or with hell, even with the society there to which he is attached by his affection or his love; for the societies of heaven are all distinguished from each other in accordance with their affections for good and truth, and the societies of hell in accordance with their affections for evil and falsity. (As to the societies of heaven see above, n. 41-45 also n. 148-151.)

295. The spirits associated with man are such as he himself is in respect to his affection or love; but the Lord associates good spirits with him, while evil spirits are invited by the man himself. The spirits with man, however, are changed in accordance with the changes of his affections; thus there are some spirits that are with him in early childhood, others in boyhood, others in youth and manhood, and others in old age. In early childhood those spirits are present who are in innocence and who thus communicate with the heaven of innocence, which is the inmost or third heaven; in boyhood those spirits are present who are in affection for knowing, and who thus communicate with the outmost or first heaven; in youth and manhood spirits are present who are in affection for what is true and good, and in consequent intelligence, and who thus communicate with the second or middle heaven; while in old age spirits are present who are in wisdom and innocence, and who thus communicate with the inmost or third heaven. But the Lord maintains this association with such as can be reformed and regenerated. It is otherwise with such as cannot be reformed or regenerated. While with these also good spirits are associated, that they may be thereby withheld from evil as much as possible, they are directly conjoined with evil spirits who communicate with hell, whereby they have such spirits with them as are like themselves. If they are lovers of self or lovers of gain, or lovers of revenge, or lovers of adultery, like spirits are present, and as it were dwell in their evil affections; and man is incited by these, except so far as he can be kept from evil by good spirits, and they cling to him, and do not withdraw, so far as the evil affection prevails. Thus it is that a bad man is conjoined to hell and a good man is conjoined to heaven.

296. Man is governed by the Lord through spirits because he is not in the order of heaven, for he is born into evils which are of hell, thus into the complete opposite of Divine order; consequently he needs to be brought back into order, and this can only be done mediately by means of spirits. It would be otherwise if man were born into the good that is in accord with the order of heaven; then he would be governed by the Lord not through spirits, but by means of the order itself, thus by means of general influx. By means of this influx man is governed in respect to whatever goes forth from his thought and will into act, that is, in respect to speech and acts; for both of these proceed in harmony with natural order, and therefore with these the spirits associated with man have nothing in common. Animals also are governed by means of this general influx from the spiritual world, because they are in the order of their life, and animals have not been able to pervert and destroy that order because they have no rational faculty.[1] What the difference between man and beasts is may be seen above (see number 39).

[1] The difference between men and beasts is, that men are capable of being raised up by the Lord to Himself, of thinking about the Divine, loving it, and being thereby conjoined to the Lord, from which they have eternal life; but it is otherwise with beasts (see numbers 4525, 6323, 9231).

Beasts are in the order of their life, and are therefore born into things suitable to their nature, but man is not, and he must therefore be led into the order of his life by intellectual means (see numbers 637, 5850, 6323).

According to general influx thought with man falls into speech and will into movements (see numbers 5862, 5990, 6192, 6211).

The general influx of the spiritual world into the lives of beasts (see numbers 1633, 3646).

297. As to what further concerns the conjunction of heaven with the human race, let it be noted that the Lord Himself flows into each man,...

Intercourse of the Soul and the Body

12. [4] Furthermore, unless the understanding could be separately perfected, and the will by means of it, a man would not be a man, but a beast. For without that separation, and without the ascent of the understanding above the will, he would not be able to think, and from thought to speak, but only to express his affection by sounds; neither would he be able to act from reason, but only from instinct; still less would he be able to know the things which are of God, and God by means of them, and thus to be conjoined to Him, and to live to eternity. For a man thinks and wills as from himself, and this as from himself is the reciprocal of conjunction; for there cannot be conjunction without a reciprocal, just as there cannot be conjunction of the active with the passive without reaction. God alone acts, and man suffers himself to be acted on, and he reacts in all appearance as from himself, though interiorly it is from God.

 

11. [5] It is believed by many that the soul is life, and thus, that a man, because he lives from the soul, lives from his own life, thus from himself, and therefore not by an influx of life from God; ...

[6] For from such a belief proceed innumerable fallacies, each of which is horrible; as that God transfused and transcribed Himself into men, and that thus every man is a sort of Deity, which lives from itself, and thus that he does good and is wise from himself; likewise that he possesses faith and charity in himself, and thus derives them from himself, and not from God; besides many monstrous beliefs such as prevail with those in hell, who, when they were in the world, believed that nature lived, or produced life by its own activity.

When these look towards heaven they see its light as mere thick darkness. I once heard the voice of one saying from heaven, that if a spark of life in man were his own, and not of God in him, there would be no heaven, nor anything therein, and hence that there would not be any church on earth, and consequently no life eternal. More upon this subject may be consulted in the Relation inserted in the work on Conjugial Love (132-136).

 

Arcana Coelestia

6056. It has been said that the internal man, being prior, can subsist without the external, because this is posterior; but not the converse. For it is a universal rule that nothing can subsist from itself, but from and through something else, consequently that nothing can be kept in form except from and through something else, which may also be seen from everything in nature. The case is the same with man. In respect to his external, man cannot subsist except from and through his internal. Neither can the internal man subsist except from and through heaven. And neither can heaven subsist from itself, but only from the Lord, who alone subsists from Himself. Influx is according to existence and subsistence, for all things subsist by means of influx. But that all things in general and in particular subsist by influx from the Lord, not only mediately through the spiritual world, but also immediately in both mediates and ultimates, will be shown in what follows.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

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6168. Verses 27-31. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they had a possession therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years, and a hundred and forty years. And the days of Israel drew near to die; and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes, put I pray thy hand under my thigh, and do mercy and truth with me; bury me not I pray in Egypt; and I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their sepulcher. And he said, I will do according to thy word. And he said, Swear to me; and he sware to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, signifies that spiritual good lived among the memory-knowledges which are of the church; in the land of Goshen, signifies in the midst of them; and they had a possession therein, signifies given and set in order in this way by the internal; and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, signifies the derivative goods of charity and truths of faith; and Jacob lived in the land of Egypt, signifies that the truth of the natural was in memory-knowledges; seventeen years, signifies the state therein; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years, and a hundred and forty years, signifies the general state and its quality; and the days of Israel drew near to die, signifies the state immediately before regeneration; and he called his son Joseph, signifies the presence of the internal; and said to him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes, signifies longing; put I pray thy hand under my thigh, signifies a sacred binding; and do mercy and truth with me, signifies humiliation; bury me not I pray in Egypt, signifies regeneration not in memory-knowledges; and I will lie with my fathers, signifies life such as the ancients had; and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, signifies that there may be elevation out of memory-knowledges; and bury me in their sepulcher, signifies such regeneration; and he said, I will do according to thy word, signifies that so it shall be done of providence by the Divine; and he said, Swear to me, signifies that it may be irrevocable; and he sware to him, signifies that it was irrevocable; and Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head, signifies that he turned to those things which are of the interior natural.

6169. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that spiritual good lived among the memory-knowledges which are of the church, is evident from the signification of dwelling, as being to live (see n. 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451); from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (see n. 5801, 5803, 5807, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833); and from the signification of the land of Egypt, as being the natural mind where memory-knowledges are (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301); (that Egypt signifies the memory-knowledges of the church may be seen above, n. 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004).

6170. In the land of Goshen. That this signifies in the midst of them, is evident from the signification of the land of Goshen, as being the midst or inmost in the natural (see n. 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068), thus in the midst of memory-knowledges, because Goshen was the best tract of land in Egypt.

6171. And they had a possession therein. That this signifies given and set in order in this way by the internal, is evident from the signification of a possession, as being the residence of spiritual life (see n. 6103); and as Joseph gave them this possession (verse 11), it is signified that this residence was given and set in order by the internal. That this is signified, follows from the series.

6172. And were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. That this signifies the derivative goods of charity and truths of faith, is evident from the signification of being fruitful, as being to bring forth the goods of charity; and from the signification of multiplying, as being to bring forth the truths of faith (see n. 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847); for the expression to be fruitful comes from fruits, which in the internal sense signify the works of charity; and to be multiplied, from multitude, which in the internal sense is predicated of the truths of faith; for in the Word many is said of truths, and great of goods.

6173. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that the truth of the natural was in memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of living, as being spiritual life (see n. 5890); from the representation of Jacob, as being the truth of the natural (n. 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538); and from the signification of the land of Egypt, as being the memory-knowledges of the church (as just above, n. 6169).

6174. Seventeen years. That this signifies the state therein, is evident from the signification of seventeen, as being from beginning to end, or from the beginning to what is new (n. 755, 4670); and from the signification of years, as being states (n. 487, 488, 493, 893). Thus here by the seventeen years which Jacob lived in Egypt is signified the beginning of a state of spiritual life in the natural among memory-knowledges even to its end. (That all numbers in the Word are significative of things, see n. 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265.)

6175. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years and a hundred and forty years. That this signifies the general state and its quality, may be seen if the numbers seven, forty, and a hundred are unfolded. What seven signifies may be seen above (n. 395, 433, 716, 728, 881, 5265, 5268); what forty signifies (n. 730, 862, 2272, 2273); and what a hundred (n. 1988, 2636, 4400). But the numbers thus compounded cannot be easily unfolded, for they contain more things than can be reduced to a summary statement, and be expressed to the apprehension. These numbers in general contain the whole state of that which is represented by Jacob, and its quality. These things the angels see in one complex from the very number a hundred and forty-seven; for all numbers in the Word fall with them into ideas of things, as has been made plain to me from the fact that sometimes numbers in a long succession have appeared to me, and the angels then said that those numbers enfolded within them in succession likewise the things of which they were conversing. From this also the most ancient people, who were of the celestial church, made a computation consisting of numbers, by which were conveyed heavenly things not easily comprehensible to the ideas of the natural mind. But after their times these computations perished, together with the perception of heavenly things, and there remained only the knowledge of the general signification of the simple numbers, as three, six, seven, twelve; and not so much of the signification of compound numbers. But at this day it is not known that the numbers in the Word signify anything except number, and therefore what has been said on the subject will perhaps be thought incredible.

6176. And the days of Israel drew near to die. That this signifies the state immediately before regeneration, is evident from the signification of drawing near, as being to be nigh, thus immediately previous; from the signification of days, as being states (see n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850); from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (of which above, n. 6169); and from the signification of dying, as being to rise again and be awakened into spiritual life (n. 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036), thus to be regenerated; for he who is being regenerated rises again from spiritual death, and is awakened into new life.

6177. And he called his son Joseph. That this signifies the presence of the internal, is evident from the signification of calling unto himself, as being to make present with himself, thus as being presence; and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (as frequently shown above, n. 6089, 6117, 6120, 6128, 6132, 6136, 6145, 6149, 6152, 6153, 6156, 6163, 6167).

6178. And said to him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes. That this signifies longing, is evident from the affection in which Jacob was when he spoke these words to Joseph. This affection is within this form of speech; for the words If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes are merely a form of speech by which is expressed the affection, thus the longing of the will (as also above, n. 6162).

6179. Put I pray thy hand under my thigh. That this signifies a sacred binding, is evident from the signification of putting the hand under the thigh, as being a binding, with all power, by means of that which belongs to conjugial love; for by the hand is signified power (see n. 878, 3091, 4931-4937, 5328, 5544), and by the thigh that which is of conjugial love (n. 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575, 5050-5062). In the supreme sense the conjugial is the union of the Divine and the Divine Human In the Lord; and from this it is the union of the Divine good and the Divine truth in heaven; for that which proceeds from the Lord is the Divine truth from the Divine good. From this, heaven is heaven, and is called a marriage, for it is the conjunction of the good and the truth there, which proceed from the Lord, that makes it. And as the Lord is the good there, and heaven is the truth thence derived, therefore in the Word the Lord is called the bridegroom, and heaven and also the church are called the bride; for good and truth make a marriage, and their conjunction is what is meant by the conjugial. Hence it is plain how sacred a thing it was to be bound by means of what is conjugial,...

Arcana Coelestia

6058. But influx is of such a nature that there is an influx from the Divine of the Lord into every angel, into every spirit, and into every man, and that in this way the Lord rules everyone, not only in the universal, but also in the veriest singulars, and this immediately from Himself, and also mediately through the spiritual world.

6057[3] From all this it is now evident that in man the spiritual world is conjoined with the natural world, consequently that with him the spiritual world flows into the natural world in so vivid a manner that he can notice it, provided he pays attention.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia

6048...In general be it known that every significative in the Word derives its origin from representatives in the other life, and these from correspondences. The reason is that the natural world is from the spiritual world as an effect from its cause, to the end that the spiritual world may flow into the natural world and there act as the causes. In this way also all things of this world are held together in their tenor and in order. (That universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom, that is, of the spiritual and heavenly things therein, may be seen, n. 2758, 2987-3002, 4939, 5116)

6040... For of itself the natural perceives nothing whatever, but its perceiving is from what is prior to itself; nay, neither does the prior perceive from itself, but from what is still prior to itself, thus finally from the Lord, who Is of Himself. Such is the nature of influx, and therefore such is the nature of perception. It is with influx as it is with coming forth (exsistentia) and subsistence.

Nothing comes forth (exsistit) of itself, but from what is prior to itself, thus finally all things from the First, that is, from the Esse and the Existere of Itself. And also from the same all things subsist, for it is with subsistence as with coming forth, for to subsist is perpetually to come forth. The reason why it is said “the perception of truths in the natural,” but not “the perception of those who are in these truths,” is that such is the nature of spiritual speech. For in this way ideas of thought are abstracted from persons, and are determined to things; and things, that is, truths and goods, are what live with man and cause man to live, for they are from the Lord, from whom is everything of life.

1954 (2)... with man: it is his spirit that sees, not his eye: the spirit sees through the eye. The same thing may be seen from dreams, in which a man sometimes sees as in the day. The case is the very same in regard to this interior sight, or that of the spirit; this again does not see from itself, but from a still more interior sight, or that of man’s rational. Nay, neither does this see of itself, but does so from a still more internal sight, which is that of the internal man (concerning which, n. 1940). And even this does not see of itself, for it is the Lord who sees through the internal man, and He is the Only One who sees because He is the Only One who lives, and He it is who gives man the ability to see, and this in such a manner that it appears to him as if he saw of himself. Such is the case with influx.

6032 [2] As regards spiritual light, it is with this in the understanding of man as it is with natural light in his external sight; namely, in order that the eye may see, it is necessary that there be light to illumine, and then the eye sees in the light all things which are round about outside of it. So the intellectual mind, which is man’s internal eye-in order that this eye may see, it is necessary for the light of heaven, which is from the Lord, to illumine it; and when this eye is illumined by this light, it then sees the things which are round about outside of itself; but the objects which it sees are spiritual, namely, memory-knowledges and truths.

But when this light does not illumine, the intellectual mind or internal eye of man, like the external or bodily eye, is in darkness and sees nothing, that is, from memory-knowledges nothing of truth, and from truths nothing of good. The light which illumines the intellectual mind is in very truth light, and such light that it a thousand times surpasses the midday light of the world, which I bear witness to because I have seen it. By this light all the angels in the heavens see the things which are round about outside of themselves, and also by the same light they see and perceive the truths which are of faith, and their quality. Hence then it is that by “seeing” is signified in the spiritual sense not only the understanding, but also whatever is of the understanding, as thought, reflection, observation, prudence, and many such things; likewise not only faith, but also whatever is of faith, as truth, doctrine from the Word, and the like.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.