Mankind: The Development of God's Presence - The Church - Part 2
By Rev. Paul Booth
By Rev. Paul Booth
All that began to change in him and his love to God began to change to a love of self. You see here the man's proprium rising up over God in man. It is 'as if' as a child no longer wants to be told by his parents how to live, wanting to live on his own. And, instead of God's love being primary in his life, now, he wants to rule, to teach and, lead. Next, we see that there came a new doctrine or teaching. This is seen in the birth of Cain and Able, which signify a man's faith and charity. These in man became separate in them as to which is to lead - charity or faith. As a consequence Cain killed Able, that is, a separated faith killed charity. In time, the celestial man fell from Paradise and his heart and mind changed to where he had no peace or rest. And, we see that his new 'self' had risen to the place where he thought he became as god himself. His celestial nature was destroyed. One reads of this destruction in the story of the flood, which spiritually is a flood of evils and falsities drowning the celestial man or Church. Yet, all was not lost. There was hope for mankind. What is it that caused man to continue? Within each child the Lord insinuates His presence within. This is done through the mother's and parents love, along with others, teachers, who taught good and truth which flows into his will and understanding. What we are talking about, here, is what E. Swedenborg calls 'remains', for there remains are stored up within us and can be brought out in our memory to help us grow spiritually.
Now, before we leave the celestial state of man's development and come into the spiritual state, there are a few things that we need to know. Remember, it was said that the celestial man had silent speech and that there was no written Word, because God was with them. Well, in his progress or growth, man's ability of perceiving good and truth was lost and articulation was learned, just as when a child learns to talk. Along with his speaking came a written language. He developed a memory and in this preserved the things that his forefathers had taught. These were recorded or written down for man's future use. In this, one sees God's love working in man, for man no longer could perceive God in his life directly. Still there was a way for God to come into a man's heart and mind, and, so, be confirmed as true. And, that way was no longer through means of internal thought, but was now through an external way. Thus, man had to be brought to the state where he not only knows God intellectually, but also in his affection.
The Spiritual Man - In the end of the celestial man there can be seen the rise of a new spiritual life with man. This can be seen coming through the remains - those goods and truths from God. For, it is out of the things that man learns from his beginning with God that can develop a good and true life, but the celestial man no longer accepts these and began accepting falsities and evil things into his mind and heart. The beginning of the spiritual man is depicted in the story of Noah and his three sons entering the ark with all the animals. We need to remember that animals represent man's affections. And so, these enter man's mind - both good and evil both truth and false - just as when a child grows up and leaves his parents he must learn 'as it were' how to live on his or her own. Man learns good and evil, both truth and falsity, and these affect how he lives. In short, the child is no longer a child, but has become a youth and is heading towards adulthood.
The way the Lord must now enter his life is now through the understanding. The celestial, the inmost of man, has been closed. You can see that the man has now become a different genius and has his own rational understanding; now, he is led by his own will and understanding. If he learns and follows what he is taught from his forefathers, he comes into the spiritual state of life. He, in effect, could choose what thoughts come to predominate his thinking. After all, he has the freedom of choice, of either rejecting the truths taught by the celestial man or his accepting them. In this process, the spiritual man developed an internal dictate 'as it were'. This replaced perception. The spiritual man's instruction comes no longer directly from God and angels, but comes through his understanding and, thus, through the natural bodily senses - his seeing, hearing, and the other senses.
It is in the development of man's natural life, in his ability to communicate with word and language that a written Word was recorded for his use and enables the spiritual man to develop and progress towards a new spiritual life. In this way, God and Heaven could still be known and acknowledged.
In the spiritual man's thoughts came the good of charity and the truth of charity. This became the doctrine that he lived by. This was that internal dictate within that guided him. The spiritual man developed intelligence and from that intelligence acted according to his affections for good and truth. This he manifested as charity, that is, he had love towards the neighbor. So, man, now, developed love to the Lord through representatives. His intelligence now comes through his understanding and the understanding of the Lord was seen through the knowledge of correspondences, that is, they could learn from the Word that had been and was recorded or written by the Ancient Church from the Most Ancient Church. Here, we need to learn something about correspondences and why they are necessary. In the celestial Church, man talked with God and angels, that is, there was direct communication between Heaven and earth. Man, then, understood what the things he saw through his natural sight meant in Heaven. However, that communication was lost and man's perception ended. However, now, it was through the natural senses that man could come to know God and the things of Heaven, that is, the good and the truth. It was in God's Providence that these correspondences were written down into a Word for the spiritual man.
It is the knowledge that man learns through that Word together with the act itself of doing good that established the ancient or spiritual Church in man. It is in this way, that the truth entered and could guide him into a spiritual life. You can see in this that though man had become as a beast, that is, that his sense and desire - his appetite and affections - are similar to a beast's, he could still come know and experience God's love. Such love now enters through the marriage of good and truth in man.
What this shows is that the spiritual man's life is in his love that he developed through his understanding of the things of the Lord, such as the love for mankind. The spiritual man's love, now, enters through an external way, through his understanding. That state in man is the love of charity and the faith of charity. This had developed in his families and relatives and, thus, into tribes and, was spread over the world. Each had a common doctrine of charity or of love towards the neighbor. In this way, there was peace and respect for one another. There, the spiritual nature reigned or ruled, as did the celestial nature of the celestial man's rule before his fall.
Worship with the spiritual man was, first, an internal worship. He worshipped from the love he had, knowing that his existence, his very life, was from the Lord, from His proceeding good and truth. Second, they later developed a corresponding external worship. To understand this, we need to remember that instead of perceiving Celestial or Heavenly things, he learn these things only from his understanding of correspondences. Thus, certain things came to represent things of Heaven and things about God. In this, one comes to understand how external worship developed. Man worshiped in groves, and made stone alters that would remind him and bring his thoughts to what was signified by them in Heaven. In this, he developed faith. So, in this way the Lord was present with him, though not as before - immediately. However, this Church in man ended as did the prior and their external worship separated him from charity ending his love. Only external worship - worship without an internal - continued. It was a faith separated from charity. Man too fell. How could this happen and why?
This can be seen in the love of self. Remember that man was given a proprium or what was his own. Into this desire for one's self enters both good and evil and both truth and falsity. For instance, the pride of one's intelligence, of learning and knowing these things of Heaven, man began to forget what the things in his worship represented, and he came to love his self more than God. The Ancient Church's children drifted away from what they had been taught - the correspondence between Heaven and earth. Thus, man's internal understanding ended and external things became primary with him. His internal worship came to an end and was lost. Man turned to idolatry, worshipping the thing itself. The Garden that the spiritual man planted 'as it were' for himself from which he could learn and know good and truth, became 'as it were' over grown with weeds, that is, with falsities and evils.
The spiritual man's garden as seen in Noah, who planted a vineyard. The results in caring for is seen in the producing of its fruit, which is the good, he received. Even as from grapes comes wine, from the works of charity comes the truths of faith and thus, their doctrine of charity grew. However, this began to change. The spirit of man 'as it was' became drunk on all the new knowledge he had learned and the internal dictate that guided him could no longer be heard. Yet, he had freedom and could choose either good or evil; he had the ability to understand, but his desire or love for himself caused him to choose 'self', as did the celestial man.
Now, before we leave the celestial state of man's development and come into the spiritual state, there are a few things that we need to know. Remember, it was said that the celestial man had silent speech and that there was no written Word, because God was with them. Well, in his progress or growth, man's ability of perceiving good and truth was lost and articulation was learned, just as when a child learns to talk. Along with his speaking came a written language. He developed a memory and in this preserved the things that his forefathers had taught. These were recorded or written down for man's future use. In this, one sees God's love working in man, for man no longer could perceive God in his life directly. Still there was a way for God to come into a man's heart and mind, and, so, be confirmed as true. And, that way was no longer through means of internal thought, but was now through an external way. Thus, man had to be brought to the state where he not only knows God intellectually, but also in his affection.
The Spiritual Man - In the end of the celestial man there can be seen the rise of a new spiritual life with man. This can be seen coming through the remains - those goods and truths from God. For, it is out of the things that man learns from his beginning with God that can develop a good and true life, but the celestial man no longer accepts these and began accepting falsities and evil things into his mind and heart. The beginning of the spiritual man is depicted in the story of Noah and his three sons entering the ark with all the animals. We need to remember that animals represent man's affections. And so, these enter man's mind - both good and evil both truth and false - just as when a child grows up and leaves his parents he must learn 'as it were' how to live on his or her own. Man learns good and evil, both truth and falsity, and these affect how he lives. In short, the child is no longer a child, but has become a youth and is heading towards adulthood.
The way the Lord must now enter his life is now through the understanding. The celestial, the inmost of man, has been closed. You can see that the man has now become a different genius and has his own rational understanding; now, he is led by his own will and understanding. If he learns and follows what he is taught from his forefathers, he comes into the spiritual state of life. He, in effect, could choose what thoughts come to predominate his thinking. After all, he has the freedom of choice, of either rejecting the truths taught by the celestial man or his accepting them. In this process, the spiritual man developed an internal dictate 'as it were'. This replaced perception. The spiritual man's instruction comes no longer directly from God and angels, but comes through his understanding and, thus, through the natural bodily senses - his seeing, hearing, and the other senses.
It is in the development of man's natural life, in his ability to communicate with word and language that a written Word was recorded for his use and enables the spiritual man to develop and progress towards a new spiritual life. In this way, God and Heaven could still be known and acknowledged.
In the spiritual man's thoughts came the good of charity and the truth of charity. This became the doctrine that he lived by. This was that internal dictate within that guided him. The spiritual man developed intelligence and from that intelligence acted according to his affections for good and truth. This he manifested as charity, that is, he had love towards the neighbor. So, man, now, developed love to the Lord through representatives. His intelligence now comes through his understanding and the understanding of the Lord was seen through the knowledge of correspondences, that is, they could learn from the Word that had been and was recorded or written by the Ancient Church from the Most Ancient Church. Here, we need to learn something about correspondences and why they are necessary. In the celestial Church, man talked with God and angels, that is, there was direct communication between Heaven and earth. Man, then, understood what the things he saw through his natural sight meant in Heaven. However, that communication was lost and man's perception ended. However, now, it was through the natural senses that man could come to know God and the things of Heaven, that is, the good and the truth. It was in God's Providence that these correspondences were written down into a Word for the spiritual man.
It is the knowledge that man learns through that Word together with the act itself of doing good that established the ancient or spiritual Church in man. It is in this way, that the truth entered and could guide him into a spiritual life. You can see in this that though man had become as a beast, that is, that his sense and desire - his appetite and affections - are similar to a beast's, he could still come know and experience God's love. Such love now enters through the marriage of good and truth in man.
What this shows is that the spiritual man's life is in his love that he developed through his understanding of the things of the Lord, such as the love for mankind. The spiritual man's love, now, enters through an external way, through his understanding. That state in man is the love of charity and the faith of charity. This had developed in his families and relatives and, thus, into tribes and, was spread over the world. Each had a common doctrine of charity or of love towards the neighbor. In this way, there was peace and respect for one another. There, the spiritual nature reigned or ruled, as did the celestial nature of the celestial man's rule before his fall.
Worship with the spiritual man was, first, an internal worship. He worshipped from the love he had, knowing that his existence, his very life, was from the Lord, from His proceeding good and truth. Second, they later developed a corresponding external worship. To understand this, we need to remember that instead of perceiving Celestial or Heavenly things, he learn these things only from his understanding of correspondences. Thus, certain things came to represent things of Heaven and things about God. In this, one comes to understand how external worship developed. Man worshiped in groves, and made stone alters that would remind him and bring his thoughts to what was signified by them in Heaven. In this, he developed faith. So, in this way the Lord was present with him, though not as before - immediately. However, this Church in man ended as did the prior and their external worship separated him from charity ending his love. Only external worship - worship without an internal - continued. It was a faith separated from charity. Man too fell. How could this happen and why?
This can be seen in the love of self. Remember that man was given a proprium or what was his own. Into this desire for one's self enters both good and evil and both truth and falsity. For instance, the pride of one's intelligence, of learning and knowing these things of Heaven, man began to forget what the things in his worship represented, and he came to love his self more than God. The Ancient Church's children drifted away from what they had been taught - the correspondence between Heaven and earth. Thus, man's internal understanding ended and external things became primary with him. His internal worship came to an end and was lost. Man turned to idolatry, worshipping the thing itself. The Garden that the spiritual man planted 'as it were' for himself from which he could learn and know good and truth, became 'as it were' over grown with weeds, that is, with falsities and evils.
The spiritual man's garden as seen in Noah, who planted a vineyard. The results in caring for is seen in the producing of its fruit, which is the good, he received. Even as from grapes comes wine, from the works of charity comes the truths of faith and thus, their doctrine of charity grew. However, this began to change. The spirit of man 'as it was' became drunk on all the new knowledge he had learned and the internal dictate that guided him could no longer be heard. Yet, he had freedom and could choose either good or evil; he had the ability to understand, but his desire or love for himself caused him to choose 'self', as did the celestial man.