God's Creation of the Spiritual and Natural Worlds - of the Mineral, Plant, Animal Kingdoms of this World and Mankind and of the Spirits and Angels of the Heavens
By Rev. Paul Booth
Part 1
By Rev. Paul Booth
Part 1
All that exists continually does so from the Sun of the spiritual world and the sun of the natural world and these do so from the Lord, who is the Creator of the universe. Creation is not from eternity, but comes from the Lord's proceeding love. The Sun of the spiritual world is of the Divine Love of the Lord, and the sun of the natural world is of pure fire. Creation's beginning was from Divine's Love and was made completed by the natural sun ending in the making of mankind. Life is from the Spiritual Sun, while there is nothing of life that comes from the natural sun; only the clothing for the spiritual. Therefore, from these two sources contained in both worlds has life existed and still subsists. Thus, in everything are the spiritual and the natural - the Spiritual as the Soul and the Natural as the body. The Spiritual is the internal; the Natural is the external. So the Spiritual is the cause while the effect is the Natural.
God has created the universe out of His own substance, which is Love itself. From this is seen that all things in the natural world are the effects produced by the Spiritual as a cause. Spiritual substance is prior to natural substance. Thus, there is both a spiritual and natural creation as may be seen here. The Spiritual world, as said is the cause of the Natural; while the Natural is the effect of the Spiritual. Here one sees the universe involves a spiritual creation. In the Word written by Emmanuel Swedenborg in "Divine Wisdom: Xii. e" - "All things are from a spiritual, none from a natural origin. A spiritual origin is life from the Lord. To correspond to these [spiritual] things are created all the things which appear in the natural world, where similar things therefore exist, with the difference that these, [although] they are likewise from a spiritual origin, are simultaneously from a natural origin. A natural origin is added, that they may be at the same time material, and thence fixed, to the end that the human race may be procreated, which could not occur except in ultimates where there is fullness; and so that there might - from the human race as a seminary - exist inhabitants of the spiritual world, who are the angels: this is the first and last end of creation." Creation is only possible because God is Man; He is the center of the universe and is from His Divine proceeding which is life itself. All things are created from life and through life.
The love and wisdom of God which inflows into creation is God and He is the Lord with men. What is the first, the beginning or finite of things? "God . . . finished all things by means of (per) His Sun, in the midst of which He is, which consists out of (ex) the Divine Essence that goes forth from Him as a sphere. There and thence is the first of creation . . ."
We conceive the spiritual has nothing to do with spatial existence. We know the Divine is not in space, so "this is true of that Sun, which is . . . the only substance of creation." This is true for it is the only substance and is the all in all.
It is said and thought the soul is infinite, but it is a spiritual substance and thus does not have extension or impletion, and in this way can reproduce itself without loss. However this does not mean it is infinite; it is finite like other spiritual things - like human states are finite.
From the spiritual Sun comes a universal substance from which everything is formed finite. It is called living and yet is has no life of its own. The purpose of creation is that the Divine may give of its life to others so that they may receive its gifts of love and wisdom. This is why vessels receptive of life and responsive to it were created
The Sun of the spiritual world; its love and truth proceeding forth is greater than any angel can receive, so one learns there are radiant belts by which the spiritual Sun's rays are tempered to accommodate the heavens. These are called "devolutions of the infinite" or "infinite circumvolutions" which diminish the fire of the spiritual Sun. This is because the infinite Divine itself cannot possibly be received by any living substance which is finite, therefore not by an angel, spirit in heaven. Above the heavens are the first two circles or belts around the heavenly Sun. It is the third successive "devolution" which carries the Divine truth down to the heavens - to those nearest the Lord. This is the first of the spiritual atmospheres. One also thinks of the Divine proceedings of heat and light as atmospheres. Heat manifests the Lord as love, and light as wisdom. So atmospheres are use.
The infinite Divine, the proceeding and the finite, the spiritual and atmosphere is the instrument by which the Lord operates. These act as one, however they are not to be confused - one is infinite, the other is created. The idea proceeding and creating are distinct. It is what proceeds [from the Divine], that produces. This Divine Proceeding was formed successively into spheres; the last is the atmosphere of the natural world. There are spiritual atmospheres from the spiritual Sun. First is the radiation of the Sun of the heaven as a sphere of Divine truth and these by means of the proceeding; These were created as successives and substance in which the angelic heavens were to be formed. These were formed as one thing after another and made into degrees. The result is there are degrees of atmospheres one after another and one from another. These successive circles extend far and wide; first as spiritual atmospheres and on into the natural which are afterwards by means of the sun of the world that is the creation of the earth. No angels were created from the beginning, or before the natural world. Still it is reiterated that successive spiritual atmospheres of three distinct degrees of perfection were created 'one from another' so as to become the ground or original substance for as many heavens - three. These three spiritual auras are represented as the real cause and formative internal for the three natural atmospheres which are to follow. These latter are only the clothing of the spiritual atmospheres, and to carry their efficient power to nature itself and thereby create the ends of creation.
So we see the three spiritual atmospheres or degrees was created from the spiritual Sun, effected by a process of discrete conformations - one degree from another until the third was reached and effected 'without nature' and, so, were 'apart from the forces which serve as substitutes and aids from light and heat from the sun of this world.'
Thus it is described spiritual substances as finite forms, and spiritual auras as composed of discrete forms out of which our spirits, our souls, our spiritual states, our affections and thoughts are constructed. Here we see thought is a modification of the spiritual substances of the mind, and does not come from the physical substances which are associated with the natural mind as it operates in the body. Therefore the spirit of man is also created from finite things - the finite things that are spiritual substances found in the spiritual world. From past sermons we know that in the spiritual world are states though seen and felt as appearances or manifestations of physical things or conditions; there is no space or time in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world the variations of states of love and wisdom, charity and faith are seen and touched by the spirits or angels. Nonetheless these states exist only from the Lord who continually gives life to them. But is to be known these things are from a spiritual origin which is life from the Lord and not from a natural origin.
These spiritual atmospheres are contrasted with the natural ethers. The natural are dead, but the spiritual are themselves active with life in them. Spiritual atmospheres were created for transmission to angels of light and heat and are accommodated to the life of both their minds and their bodies so that they receive intelligence and see, plus according to correspondence might breathe, have sensation and also their hearts might beat. However these atmospheres were to serve as a means of further creation before there were any angels. Therefore one atmosphere came from another and one after another. So were there steps and stages in creation occurring by discrete degrees - by the formation of successives.
We learn that these atmospheres process towards its ultimates and that this is so in both worlds. They are distinguished into discrete degrees or degrees of height. But as they descend lower they decrease according to degrees of breadth and become gradually and imperceptibly less active, more inert and compressed that finally they are in ultimates and no longer atmospheres but substances.
These take place in both worlds, but in the natural world the terminations or endings of the various atmospheres are fixed and inactive matters. In the spiritual world the atmospheres terminate in substances at rest, of these three degrees. Therefore it is in this connection that the Spiritual is living in intermediates, but not living in its ultimates. In ultimate the spiritual retains no more of life than is sufficient to produce a likeness of what is living. The 'lands' in the spiritual world are spiritual from their origin and are the ultimates of the forces of acting, creating, and forming, which inhere in everything spiritual.
Here is where the spiritual enters into the work of creation of the natural world. So far one sees only the spiritual world as full of potentialities, but empty of inhabitants and barren of uses. Thus far we have not come to creations end even though the spiritual atmospheres have ended and are set into discrete degrees in relation of end, cause, and effect. They are however an intermediate world of causes - there are eventually the glories of heavens created. The one thing we must know is that the spiritual universe cannot exist without a natural universe. For it is through it that the spiritual might act out its effects and uses, that act and proceed, was created, similarly by means of light and heat and the three atmospheres. Nature was necessary to carry the spiritual into effect and subsist in ultimates and to be fixed, have uses and continually persist and endure through generations. The Spiritual is terminated in effect by being clothed with correspondent forms which serve for uses. There are not only ultimates of the natural world, but of spiritual too. These are substances at rest, which are terminations of every degree and series of spiritual things. Here, one must realize that the ultimates of an order can become the primes (or firsts) of another order. Here, then is that the spiritual or 'substantial' and the beginnings (initial) of the material. So it is that the natural draws its origin from the spiritual, and its existence is nothing other than congeries congregated out of spiritual things. However there is nothing in nature which is spiritual, yet it can be said nature has its essence out of which it comes forth (existit) which is spiritual. Thus it may be said natural creation is a by-product of spiritual creation.
God has created the universe out of His own substance, which is Love itself. From this is seen that all things in the natural world are the effects produced by the Spiritual as a cause. Spiritual substance is prior to natural substance. Thus, there is both a spiritual and natural creation as may be seen here. The Spiritual world, as said is the cause of the Natural; while the Natural is the effect of the Spiritual. Here one sees the universe involves a spiritual creation. In the Word written by Emmanuel Swedenborg in "Divine Wisdom: Xii. e" - "All things are from a spiritual, none from a natural origin. A spiritual origin is life from the Lord. To correspond to these [spiritual] things are created all the things which appear in the natural world, where similar things therefore exist, with the difference that these, [although] they are likewise from a spiritual origin, are simultaneously from a natural origin. A natural origin is added, that they may be at the same time material, and thence fixed, to the end that the human race may be procreated, which could not occur except in ultimates where there is fullness; and so that there might - from the human race as a seminary - exist inhabitants of the spiritual world, who are the angels: this is the first and last end of creation." Creation is only possible because God is Man; He is the center of the universe and is from His Divine proceeding which is life itself. All things are created from life and through life.
The love and wisdom of God which inflows into creation is God and He is the Lord with men. What is the first, the beginning or finite of things? "God . . . finished all things by means of (per) His Sun, in the midst of which He is, which consists out of (ex) the Divine Essence that goes forth from Him as a sphere. There and thence is the first of creation . . ."
We conceive the spiritual has nothing to do with spatial existence. We know the Divine is not in space, so "this is true of that Sun, which is . . . the only substance of creation." This is true for it is the only substance and is the all in all.
It is said and thought the soul is infinite, but it is a spiritual substance and thus does not have extension or impletion, and in this way can reproduce itself without loss. However this does not mean it is infinite; it is finite like other spiritual things - like human states are finite.
From the spiritual Sun comes a universal substance from which everything is formed finite. It is called living and yet is has no life of its own. The purpose of creation is that the Divine may give of its life to others so that they may receive its gifts of love and wisdom. This is why vessels receptive of life and responsive to it were created
The Sun of the spiritual world; its love and truth proceeding forth is greater than any angel can receive, so one learns there are radiant belts by which the spiritual Sun's rays are tempered to accommodate the heavens. These are called "devolutions of the infinite" or "infinite circumvolutions" which diminish the fire of the spiritual Sun. This is because the infinite Divine itself cannot possibly be received by any living substance which is finite, therefore not by an angel, spirit in heaven. Above the heavens are the first two circles or belts around the heavenly Sun. It is the third successive "devolution" which carries the Divine truth down to the heavens - to those nearest the Lord. This is the first of the spiritual atmospheres. One also thinks of the Divine proceedings of heat and light as atmospheres. Heat manifests the Lord as love, and light as wisdom. So atmospheres are use.
The infinite Divine, the proceeding and the finite, the spiritual and atmosphere is the instrument by which the Lord operates. These act as one, however they are not to be confused - one is infinite, the other is created. The idea proceeding and creating are distinct. It is what proceeds [from the Divine], that produces. This Divine Proceeding was formed successively into spheres; the last is the atmosphere of the natural world. There are spiritual atmospheres from the spiritual Sun. First is the radiation of the Sun of the heaven as a sphere of Divine truth and these by means of the proceeding; These were created as successives and substance in which the angelic heavens were to be formed. These were formed as one thing after another and made into degrees. The result is there are degrees of atmospheres one after another and one from another. These successive circles extend far and wide; first as spiritual atmospheres and on into the natural which are afterwards by means of the sun of the world that is the creation of the earth. No angels were created from the beginning, or before the natural world. Still it is reiterated that successive spiritual atmospheres of three distinct degrees of perfection were created 'one from another' so as to become the ground or original substance for as many heavens - three. These three spiritual auras are represented as the real cause and formative internal for the three natural atmospheres which are to follow. These latter are only the clothing of the spiritual atmospheres, and to carry their efficient power to nature itself and thereby create the ends of creation.
So we see the three spiritual atmospheres or degrees was created from the spiritual Sun, effected by a process of discrete conformations - one degree from another until the third was reached and effected 'without nature' and, so, were 'apart from the forces which serve as substitutes and aids from light and heat from the sun of this world.'
Thus it is described spiritual substances as finite forms, and spiritual auras as composed of discrete forms out of which our spirits, our souls, our spiritual states, our affections and thoughts are constructed. Here we see thought is a modification of the spiritual substances of the mind, and does not come from the physical substances which are associated with the natural mind as it operates in the body. Therefore the spirit of man is also created from finite things - the finite things that are spiritual substances found in the spiritual world. From past sermons we know that in the spiritual world are states though seen and felt as appearances or manifestations of physical things or conditions; there is no space or time in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world the variations of states of love and wisdom, charity and faith are seen and touched by the spirits or angels. Nonetheless these states exist only from the Lord who continually gives life to them. But is to be known these things are from a spiritual origin which is life from the Lord and not from a natural origin.
These spiritual atmospheres are contrasted with the natural ethers. The natural are dead, but the spiritual are themselves active with life in them. Spiritual atmospheres were created for transmission to angels of light and heat and are accommodated to the life of both their minds and their bodies so that they receive intelligence and see, plus according to correspondence might breathe, have sensation and also their hearts might beat. However these atmospheres were to serve as a means of further creation before there were any angels. Therefore one atmosphere came from another and one after another. So were there steps and stages in creation occurring by discrete degrees - by the formation of successives.
We learn that these atmospheres process towards its ultimates and that this is so in both worlds. They are distinguished into discrete degrees or degrees of height. But as they descend lower they decrease according to degrees of breadth and become gradually and imperceptibly less active, more inert and compressed that finally they are in ultimates and no longer atmospheres but substances.
These take place in both worlds, but in the natural world the terminations or endings of the various atmospheres are fixed and inactive matters. In the spiritual world the atmospheres terminate in substances at rest, of these three degrees. Therefore it is in this connection that the Spiritual is living in intermediates, but not living in its ultimates. In ultimate the spiritual retains no more of life than is sufficient to produce a likeness of what is living. The 'lands' in the spiritual world are spiritual from their origin and are the ultimates of the forces of acting, creating, and forming, which inhere in everything spiritual.
Here is where the spiritual enters into the work of creation of the natural world. So far one sees only the spiritual world as full of potentialities, but empty of inhabitants and barren of uses. Thus far we have not come to creations end even though the spiritual atmospheres have ended and are set into discrete degrees in relation of end, cause, and effect. They are however an intermediate world of causes - there are eventually the glories of heavens created. The one thing we must know is that the spiritual universe cannot exist without a natural universe. For it is through it that the spiritual might act out its effects and uses, that act and proceed, was created, similarly by means of light and heat and the three atmospheres. Nature was necessary to carry the spiritual into effect and subsist in ultimates and to be fixed, have uses and continually persist and endure through generations. The Spiritual is terminated in effect by being clothed with correspondent forms which serve for uses. There are not only ultimates of the natural world, but of spiritual too. These are substances at rest, which are terminations of every degree and series of spiritual things. Here, one must realize that the ultimates of an order can become the primes (or firsts) of another order. Here, then is that the spiritual or 'substantial' and the beginnings (initial) of the material. So it is that the natural draws its origin from the spiritual, and its existence is nothing other than congeries congregated out of spiritual things. However there is nothing in nature which is spiritual, yet it can be said nature has its essence out of which it comes forth (existit) which is spiritual. Thus it may be said natural creation is a by-product of spiritual creation.
End
| About |
| Doctrine
Site Content Copyright 2010 by The Lord's New Chapel All Rights Reserved
Site Concept and Creation Copyright 2010 by Stealth Media Solutions All Rights Reserved