5. Swedenborg has explained it, and, therefore,

6. He must have received his commission from the Lord himself.

And now we proceed to lay down the rules by which the interpretation of the Word in its spiritual sense, is rendered certain, and this by the science of correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE DEFINED. Correspondence is the resemblance and analogy between an earthly thing and a heavenly one, by which a natural and visible object becomes the image or correspondent form of a spiritual and invisible one. Thus, the body is the correspondent form of the spirit, the natural world is the correspondent form of the spiritual world, and man the correspondent form or "image" of his Maker. The apostle (Gal. iv. 22—25) says, that the two sons of Abraham correspond to the two covenants; and in his epistle to the Romans (i. 20) declares, that the invisible things of him (God) from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; even his eternal power and Godhead."

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The natural world, in all its parts, corresponds to the spiritual world, not only in general, but in the most minute particular, and is dependent on it, as an effect is dependent on its cause. What thus exists in the natural world from the spiritual is called its correspondence, and there is a real union between the two, as close as between the soul and body of man."

The knowledge of this correspondence between heaven and earth, was well known to man in the most ancient time; so that there was not a single object, bird, beast, plant, mineral, but conveyed to the mind a spiritual idea, and led to the knowledge of some of the "invisible things of God." The apostle Paul expressly says, that men originally thus knew God," but ceasing "to glorify him as God," (Rom. i. 21) ceasing to make a practical use of these glorious truths, and becoming vain in their imaginations, they gradually lost this knowledge, and their hearts were darkened.

The loss of this knowledge led to the practice of idolatries. The visible things of the world which were looked upon as representations of the love and wisdom of the Most High, became objects of adoration, and were worshipped as

gods themselves. Thus was changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible men, and to birds, and to four-footed beasts and creeping things. (Rom. i. 23.)

As pride led to folly and idolatry, so error led on to evil. They were given up to uncleanness "through the lusts of their own hearts." Still some faint resemblance of the truth long remained. In Egypt, which has been termed the cradle of science, their hieroglyphic writing, in which every visible object has its meaning, may be looked upon as a relic of true knowledge ;* and, indeed, without some tradition that visible objects had a connection with invisible, it is scarcely possible to account for the worship of animals, and even herbs, so prevalent in that intellectual country. Many of the fables of the Greeks, which were confessedly derived from Egypt, may in the same manner be fragments of this lost science, the resemblances remaining when the meaning was forgotten.

For ages, this knowledge, which at first shone so brightly, was utterly obscured. The nations of the earth were “wholly given to idolatry," and the revival of it took place when the Most High, separating a particular people to be the depositories of his truth, gave that people a written word, and a law, in which every object named, and every ceremony instituted, had its rspresentative or correspondent meaning. The people thus chosen as "God's librarians,” to whom "his oracles were committed," were miraculously preserved as a nation, until the full time was come for the whole world to receive the knowledge of God. The Deity himself then assumed the nature of man, and by completing the Word, and fulfilling it, made it a medium of communication, a door of entrance from himself to man.

From the earliest ages of christianity, the fathers and writers of the christian church had a faint idea of the doctrine of analogies, and a conviction that the Word of God, if divinely inspired in all its parts, must be written according to this science. Hence, several undertook the task of giving a spiritual meaning to the literal narrative. But the true nature of correspondence was not then revealed. The additional light promised by our Lord (John xvi. 25), * See this further illustrated in the note on Matt. ii. 13, 14.

was not then given. It was reserved for us in "the latter day" to behold the fulfilment of that promise, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days.”

The knowledge of the correspondence between earth and heaven is now made known, and the true basis or foundation of scriptural knowledge fully established in the doctrine, that every natural object corresponds to a spiritual one, and that every natural expression in the holy Word has a correspondent spiritual meaning.

RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN STUDYING CORRESPONDENCE.— In speaking of correspondence as a science, it may be observed,-1. That every natural object has the same general reference to a spiritual one; and, 2. That there is not a mere imaginary connection, but a real and substantial union between the spiritual object and its natural corresponding form. In this view the whole universe is but a shadow of invisible things, a vail which intervenes between us and the most holy place, upon which the images of spiritual things are thrown, and manifested in shadow to the natural eye; a glass, a mirror, in which we see (though darkly) the form of things in the heavens and as the shadow depends on the substance, as the image in the mirror depends on the object, so do the corresponding earthly forms depend for existence on their spiritual prototypes.

This science, then, opens a field which presents new ideas to the mind. Not only does the natural world express in general terms the power and goodness of the Supreme; but every object, however minute, teaches a particular lesson of truth, and points out some spiritual thing to be loved, or to be avoided. The soul enlightend by this science can really find truth in

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-running brooks,

Sermons in stones, and good in everything;" and in every form that meets the eye discovers something which reminds it of its spiritual origin.

We must, however, carefully distinguish between correspondence and metaphor-between metaphorical language, considered essentially as such, and the language of pure analogy. There are many who will acknowledge that the bible is in many parts written in figurative language, but

who possess very obscure ideas respecting the science of analogy or correspondence.

A metaphor is the substitution of one thing for another to which it bears some resemblance in form or quality. Thus, if we compare an empire to an oak, rising, spreading wide its branches, flourishing in glorious maturity, and at last decaying, it is a metaphor, or figure of speech; there is no real connection between an empire and an oak; the resemblance is but imaginary. But if we compare the Supreme Being to the sun, enlivening by his love, and enlightening by his wisdom the souls of men, in the same way as the heat and light of the natural sun enlivens and illuminates the natural world and its inhabitants, this is a correspondence; there is here a real connection--the sun depending for his very existence upon that God whom he images to the mind. And again, if we compare man to a cloud, seen for a while, and then vanishing away, it is a metaphor-there is no real connection between them. But if we compare the soul of man to his body, having its powers, senses, enjoyments, and pains, it is a real correspondence, because the body depends, both for its life and form, upon the soul, of which it is the representative in the material world, in the same way as the soul depends for its life upon God, in whose image and likeness it was originally created.

It must, therefore, be remembered, that the difference between metaphor and correspondence lies in the real connection between the thing named and the thing understood

-a connection which in metaphor does not always exist. There are, however, many parts of the Word of God in which metaphorical language is used, and in which the spiritual meaning lies hidden under the metaphorical terms. The metaphor itself generally refers to the Jewish nation, or to the other nations so frequently mentioned in connection with them, and either promises temporal blessings, or threatens temporal punishment; while the spiritual meaning concealed within it, refers to the church of God, and to the spiritual state of man.

Many of the parables of our Lord exhibit the union of figure and correspondence. The figure referring to the state of the Jews, and their coming punishment; the cor

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respondence to the church of God, the spiritual Israel. The denunciations of the prophets against the surrounding nations, are also instances in point, the threatenings being couched in metaphor, under which lies concealed a spiritual meaning. The parable of the husbandmen, and of the talents, will readily occur to memory. The first in figurative language, setting forth the wickedness and punishment of the Jews for their rejection of the Saviour, while within this meaning lies hidden another, referring to every individual member of the church, and of infinite importance to all.

Generally, however, and especially in the historical portions of the holy Word, the language is correspondent without the admixture of metaphor. The travels, policy, wars, victories, and ceremonies of the Jews, being all emblematical of the life, temptations, progress, and victories of the christian; so that there is not a single object named in the history that has not a spiritual meaning; the whole referring generally to the church of God, particularly to each individual man, and in its inmost sense to the Lord himself. "All things in the law, the prophets, and the psalms containing things concerning himself."

Each object or person thus named in the Word of God has therefore one unalterable spiritual meaning, and whenever, or however, the word expressive of such person or object occurs, that meaning still attaches to it; for instance, the sun, as the correspondence of LOVE, which warms and gives life to the spiritual universe, as its representative does to the natural. Waters, as expressive of opinions or knowledge, and light, as the representative of truth.

OPPOSITES.-There are two qualities which exist in all affections, and which effectually distinguish one from the other, namely, good and evil; according, therefore, to the nature of the subject treated of, the correspondence of each object will be a good or an evil one. If the subject be the life and regeneration of man, the correspondence will be good; if the nature and quality of evil or its effects, it will be evil. This distinction runs through the whole of the Word of God, and must be attended to by all who wish to form a clear idea of its spiritual meaning.

It must be remembered, however, that the basis of the