men make a one by correspondences, like end, cause, and effect; for ends do actually exist in the celestial kingdom, causes in the spiritual, and effects in the natural kingdom. Such conjunction by correspondences results from the laws of creation. Hence then it is, that man has consociation with the angels by means of the Word.

68. The reason that man has consociation with angels by the natural or literal sense of the Word, is, likewise, because in every man, from creation, there are three degrees of life, the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural; man, however, is in the natural degree, so long as he continues in this world; and, at the same time, so far in the spiritual degree, as he is principled in genuine truths, and so far in the celestial degree, as he is principled in a life according to those truths; nevertheless, he is not admitted into the spiritual and celestial degrees themselves till after death. But more concerning this elsewhere.

69. From what has been said, it must appear evident, that only in the Word, by which man has conjunction with the Lord and consociation with the angels, there is spirit and life; as the Lord says, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life" (John vi. 63). "The water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life" (John iv. 14). "Man

shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. iv. 4). "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you" (John vi. 27).

VII. THAT THE WORD IS IN ALL THE HEAVENS, AND THAT THE WISDOM OF THE ANGELS IS THENCE DE

RIVED.

70. That the Word is in the heavens, has remained a secret unto this day, nor could it be made known so long as the church was ignorant that angels and spirits are men like men in this our world, and that they resemble them in every particular, with this only difference, that they themselves are spiritual beings, and that all things which they have amongst them are from a spiritual origin; whereas men on earth are natural beings, and all things amongst them are from a natural origin. So long as this remained

concealed, it could never be known that the Word is also in the heavens, and that it is there read by the angelic inhabitants; and also by the spirits who are beneath the heavens. But that this truth might not remain for ever a secret, it has been granted me to be in fellowship with angels and spirits, and to converse with them, and to see what is in their world, and afterwards to relate to mankind many of the things which I have seen and heard this I have done in a treatise concerning Heaven and Hell; from which work it will appear, that angels and spirits are men, and that they have amongst them an abundance of all such things as exist amongst men on earth.*

:

71. As to what respects the Word in heaven, it is written in a spiritual style, which differs entirely from a natural style a spiritual style consists of mere letters, each of which involves some particular sense; and there are marks above the letters, which exalt the sense. The letters in use amongst the angels of the spiritual kingdom, are like the letters used in printing amongst men; and the letters in use amongst the angels of the celestial kingdom, each of which in itself involves some entire sense, are like the old Hebrew letters, but inflected above and beneath, with marks above, between, and within them. As their writing is of such a nature, there are not any names of persons and places in their Word, as in ours, but instead of names are the things which they signify; thus instead of Moses is mentioned the historical Word; instead of Elias, the prophetic Word; instead of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord with respect to his Divine-celestial, his Divinespiritual, and his Divine-natural; instead of Aaron, the priestly office; instead of David, the kingly office, each in relation to the Lord; instead of the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, or the tribes of Israel, various things respecting heaven and the church; so also instead of the names of the Lord's twelve disciples: instead of Zion and Jerusalem, the church as to doctrine derived from the Word; instead of the land of Canaan, the church itself; instead of the places and cities therein, on this side the river Jordan, and beyond it, various things relating to the

*That angels and spirits are men, may be seen in that Treatise, n. 73-77, and n. 453-456; that similar things exist amongst them that exist here amongst men, n. 170-190; also, that they have divine worship amongst them, and have preaching in their temples, n. 221-227; likewise writings and books, n. 258–264; and also the Holy Scriptures or Word, n. 259.

church and its doctrine. The case is the same in respect to numbers; they do not occur in the copies of the Word written in heaven, but instead of them are expressed the things with which the numbers correspond. It may hence be seen, that the Word in heaven corresponds to our Word, and that consequently they are one, for correspondences make things one.

72. This is a wonderful circumstance, that the Word in heaven is so written, that the simple may understand it in simplicity, and the wise in wisdom; for there are various points and marks over the letters, which, as was observed, exalt the sense, but to which the simple do not attend, nor understand their meaning; whereas the wise are attentive to them, every one in proportion to his wisdom, even to its highest degree. A copy of the Word, written by angels under the Lord's inspiration, is kept by every considerable society, in a sacred repository appointed for that purpose, to preserve it from any alteration in any of its points and marks. The Word in our world is so far similar to that in heaven, that the simple understand it in simplicity, and the wise in wisdom; but yet this difference of understanding in our world, arises from a different ground, and is effected in a different manner.

73. The angels themselves confess that they derive all their wisdom from the Word, for in proportion to their understanding of the Word is the degree of light in which they dwell the light of heaven is divine wisdom, which appears before the eyes of the angels as light. In the sacred repository, where the copy of the Word is kept, the light is bright and flaming, exceeding every degree of light that shines in the other parts of heaven without the cause is the same as has already been mentioned that the Lord is in the Word.

74. The wisdom of the celestial angels exceeds the wisdom of the spiritual angels almost as much as the wisdom of the spiritual angels exceeds the wisdom of men; and this because the celestial angels are in the good of love from the Lord, and the spiritual angels in the truths of wisdom from the Lord; and wherever the good of love is, there wisdom resides at the same time; but where truths are, there no more wisdom resides, than in proportion to the good of love by which it is attended. This is the reason why the Word, in the Lord's celestial kingdom, is differently written from the Word in his spiritual king

dom; for in the Word of the celestial kingdom the goods of love are the things expressed, and the marks denote affections; but in the Word of the spiritual kingdom the truths of wisdom are the things expressed, and the marks denote perceptions.

75. From what has been observed we may conclude, how great the wisdom must be which lies concealed in the Word we have here on earth; for in this all angelic wisdom, which is inexpressible, is hidden; and every man who is made an angel by the Lord by means of the Word, comes into this wisdom after death.

VIII. THAT THE CHURCH EXISTS FROM THE WORD, AND THAT, WITH MAN, THE QUALITY OF THE CHURCH IS ACCORDING TO HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD.

76. That the church exists from the Word, cannot possibly be a matter of doubt; for the Word is divine truth itself (n. 1-4); the doctrine of the church is derived from the Word (n. 50-61); and conjunction with the Lord is effected by means of the Word (n. 62—69). But that the understanding of the Word constitutes the church, may be made a matter of doubt; as there are some who believe that they belong to the church, merely because they are in possession of the Word, and read it, or hear it from the minister, and have some knowledge of its literal sense; although, at the same time, they are totally ignorant of its meaning, and how it is to be understood in different passages; which some make a matter of small account. It will be necessary to prove, then, that it is not merely the Word which constitutes the church, the right understanding of it, and that the quality of the church is determinable by the understanding of the Word amongst its members. This is confirmed from these cir

cumstances.

but

77. The Word is properly the Word according to the understanding of it with men, that is, as it is understood: if it is not understood, it indeed is called the Word, but in reality it is not such with man. The Word is truth, according to the understanding of it; for the Word may be not the truth, inasmuch as it may be falsified. The Word is spirit and life according as it is understood; for the mere letter, without the understanding of it, is dead. Since,

therefore, man has truth and life according to his understanding of the Word, so also he has faith and love according to it; for truth has relation to faith, and love to life. Now because it is by faith and love, and according to them that the church exists, it follows, that by the understanding of the Word, and according to it, the church is a church; a noble church if grounded in genuine truths, an ignoble one if not in genuine truths, and a ruined one if in falsified truths.

78. Moreover, the Lord is present and in conjunction with man through the Word, seeing that the Lord is the Word, and, as it were converses in it with man, because the Lord is divine truth itself, and the Word is divine truth also. From hence it plainly appears, that the Lord is present with man, and in conjunction with him, according to his understanding of the Word; for, according to it, man has truth, and from thence faith, and also love, and thence life. The Lord is also present with man through the reading of the Word; but he is in conjunction with him through the understanding of truth derived from the Word, and according to it; and in proportion as the Lord is in conjunction with man, so much of the church is in man. The church is properly in man; the church without him is the church with many others in whom the church is. This is meant by the Lord's answer to the Pharisees, on their inquiring when the kingdom of God should come: "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke xvii. 21): by the kingdom of God is here meant the Lord, and the church from him.

79. Many parts of the prophetical writings, where the church is treated of, treat also of the understanding of the Word, and it is taught that the church cannot exist but where there is a just understanding of the Word, and that the state and nature of the church is always to be determined by the manner in which the Word is understood by those who belong to the church. The prophets, in many parts of their writings, describe the Israelitish and Jewish church as totally destroyed and annihilated, in consequence of falsifying the meaning or understanding of the Word; for the destruction of the church proceeds from no other source than this. The understanding of the Word, both true and false, is described in the prophetic writings, particularly in the prophet Hosea, by EPHRAIM; for the understanding of the Word in the church is signified in the Word