How the Child Jesus Received Through Sensuous Truth the Essential Things of Love
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Genesis 12: 1-7 | Luke 1: 67-80 | Arcana C&œ;lestia 1432, 1434
By Rev. Paul Booth
Lessons: Genesis 12: 1-7 | Luke 1: 67-80 | Arcana C&œ;lestia 1432, 1434
"And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. That this signifies that He (Jesus) thus advanced to the celestial things of love is evident from the signification of the land of Canaan. That the land of Canaan represents the Lord's Kingdom in the Heavens and on earth, is evident from many things in the Word."
(AC 1437)
And further,
"And into the land of Canaan they came. That this signifies the He (Jesus) attained to the celestial things of love, is evident from what has just been said concerning the land of Canaan. There is here described the first things in the Lord's life (from birth to childhood) namely, that He attained to the celestial things of love."
(AC 1438)
In the lessons we read about the life of the Lord as a child, though to those who see no internal sense in the Word, Genesis is not looked upon as concerning the Lord's earthly life as a child. What we read here is about the Lord's prima-animadvertentia, His first advertence, His first act of taking notice of the Divine in all creation. This was the first mental awareness or turning in the Lord when He was just an infant. We read about a second state. This was when celestial things of love first appeared to Him. The next state, the third state, was when He received perception. The Lord had come to not only know but also to acknowledge that the Divine was in everything. Most people go through their entire life without knowing and acknowledging this seeing creation as natural. Yet, these are the three states that the Lord went through from birth up to His childhood. What is revealed here is how the Lord became aware of His purpose to unite His kingdom with the Divine. We see He began this chore early in His life after becoming cognizant of the celestial things of love that He was to attain.
(AC 1437)
And further,
"And into the land of Canaan they came. That this signifies the He (Jesus) attained to the celestial things of love, is evident from what has just been said concerning the land of Canaan. There is here described the first things in the Lord's life (from birth to childhood) namely, that He attained to the celestial things of love."
(AC 1438)
In the lessons we read about the life of the Lord as a child, though to those who see no internal sense in the Word, Genesis is not looked upon as concerning the Lord's earthly life as a child. What we read here is about the Lord's prima-animadvertentia, His first advertence, His first act of taking notice of the Divine in all creation. This was the first mental awareness or turning in the Lord when He was just an infant. We read about a second state. This was when celestial things of love first appeared to Him. The next state, the third state, was when He received perception. The Lord had come to not only know but also to acknowledge that the Divine was in everything. Most people go through their entire life without knowing and acknowledging this seeing creation as natural. Yet, these are the three states that the Lord went through from birth up to His childhood. What is revealed here is how the Lord became aware of His purpose to unite His kingdom with the Divine. We see He began this chore early in His life after becoming cognizant of the celestial things of love that He was to attain.
The truth that had been adjoined to the Lord as a child is not seen in the sense of the letter in the story of Abram taking Sarai His wife and Lot His brother's son and all the substance or acquisition and all the souls that were gained in Haran. The truths that are gained are not recognized as the Lord's receiving perception, but of beginning of establishing a new Church on earth. Neither can it be seen that man having become natural is able to receive conscience and thus, can come to know and acknowledge God as creator.
It is in Arcana C&œ;lestia 1431 that we learn of the insinuation of sensuous truth through the Lord's senses. We should know that truths are insinuated into all infants through the senses, for it is of Divine order in the natural world. However, with the Lord they are perceived direct and so, the Lord could see that all earthly and worldly things were created by God while with man he comes into or develops a conscience that all things are from God and thus must have faith. The Lord could see an image in all things of the Divine that resembles a marriage of the essence of God, which essence is Divine Love and Wisdom. Although these are the first truths that insinuates itself into man as they were into the Lord, they are not the genuine truth with a man. The Lord being a celestial man could accept the influx of such truths from the Divine alone. Man receives influx through mediate means naturally. The Lord's Soul was Divine. Unfortunately, man's soul is not, coming from his father and becomes evil from his proprium. So not only sensuous truths come through the senses, but so do sensuous falsities and so, the man being natural, receives falsities adhering to the truths that he receives or learns from the Word.
Receiving sensuous truths from the Divine had prepared the Lord's human for reception of celestial things of love. We know that truths are acquired from the senses. It is in Arcana C&œ;lestia that in the story in the Old Testament we see these truths were called 'acquisition' or 'substance' that Abram took with him into the land of Canaan and that these are called with the Lord 'sensuous truths'. The acquisition was the knowledges gained or accepted by the Lord. Thus, ideas and thoughts were impressed upon the Lord's memory, although the Lord at this age was unaware of the influx from His soul. Sensuous truth given to Him was insinuated, that is, it was subtly instilled or infused. It is just as the insinuated love the angels have for an infant. The result was that vessels were formed in Him for receiving of both spiritual and celestial things or the essentials of love. These, became His, thus began the uniting of His Human Exsistere with the Divine Esse.
In this, we see the Lord gained knowledge that formed vessels of scientifics for spiritual things. He also received affection from good pleasures of his body from which vessels were formed for celestial things.
We learn that it was from an obscure state in the life of the child Jesus that the Lord gained or obtained every living essential possible. Love was not just given abundantly, infinitely. We see that the living essential is signified in the Word by the 'soul' that was gained in Haran. We as Christian know the soul is the very life that it is not the body that lives, but that it is the soul within which causes its actions or movement. Since life is from celestial love and 'soul' signifies that life, then it is called the living essential Itself. What needs to be understood here is that the Lord forms or creates in man, when man is still in infancy and childhood, the means to receive and to believe the Lord's truths, and thus the Word. The difference between the Lord as an infant and child and mankind is that the Lord could receive sensuous truths from the Divine within Him and man cannot. Such truths were united with the good and are the truth of good, for from the Divine comes good and truth united. A man receives truth separate from good because his will or desire is for his good pleasures, which are the love of self and for worldly things. Also, the natural truth that a man does and receives and obeys is only apparent truths, until he becomes regenerated.
Our first text state, "And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. That this signifies that He (the Lord as an infant) thus advanced to the celestial things of love" (AC 1437). The Lord advanced out of obscurity into celestial things or the essential things from the Divine. What is learned here is that celestial things of love are the Lord's Kingdom both in the Heavens and upon the earth. But, what is the Lord's Kingdom? Of course a cursory answer might be: those who have faith in the Lord and who receive His Word or Truth into their will and understanding. However, there is an even more internal answer or understanding. It is: all the good and the truth that proceeded from the Lord, the Divine and that is reciprocated. Now, the Lord while in the world, received or accumulated all the good and truth into His Human assumed from the mother from which He expelled all evils and falsities and thus made His Human Divine.
We, as new Church people, are familiar with the Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - in one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Human. We believe that from the Father or the Divine through the Son who is the Human proceed Love and Wisdom or Good and Truth. This proceeding is the Holy Spirit. It is often attributed to Love, that is, the Lord gives of its own to another so that its joy and delights are another's and becomes one with itself. Not only is Divine Love received it also must be reciprocated in order to be love, for if it is not than it cannot be united with itself. Unition and reciprocation of Divine Love can be only from vessels or containants formed to receive itself and, thus can become a likeness and image of the Divine. Therein is now conjunction and thus a marriage of Good and Truth in the same way in man as there was in the Lord who came on earth.
However, before the Lord was glorified, before His Human became Divine this communication was not happening with man: the Lord's goods and truths with man had become evil and false. Man's will and his understanding had been destroyed by his proprium. Thus, it became necessary for the Lord to redeem mankind. The Lord Himself had to be born as a man. Then, just as man, He received truth from the Proceeding from the Divine, which was the Spirit of Jehovah; thus could the Proceeding Good and Truth on earth again bring His kingdom under His control. The Lord had to 'put on', that is, He had to receive the hereditary evil from Mary, His mother, so that evil could assault Him and He expel them and, so, bring the hells under His subjugation and order. The Lord advanced to the celestial things of love, and attained His Kingdom.
And again the text continues; "And into the land of Canaan they came. That this signifies that He attained to the celestial things of love" (AC 1338). By the Lord assuming the natural Human, He became a man as we. In doing so His Good and Truth becomes Divine in Use in the natural state. Vessels were formed to receive the Good and Truth - the Proceeding or Spirit- and, therefore the Lord was able to regain or to win His Kingdom from the influences of the hells. In the text for today we can see this as represented by Abram 'going into the land of Canaan' and as 'coming into the land of Canaan'. Thus, the Lord became prepared to fight the evil in His Kingdom, which was signified by the Canaanite.
However, before the Lord could fight the evils, He had to attain the celestial things or essentials of love, for from them come all the remains of the goods and truths in which He united with the Divine in His natural Human and so, could then become the Divine Human. These celestial things of love were as a seed in the Lord. Indeed, He was born of Jehovah and, thus, the 'Seed' in Him was His Soul; it was the Divine Itself.
As was said, it is because of the celestial things of love that the Lord gained or received from the Divine, that He had perception. Thus, He not only knew, but He acknowledged and acted to attain the things of His Kingdom. Thus, He became not only united with the Father, that is, with the Divine, but He became the Divine Human or Divine Use, thus the proceeding Good and Truth. So, He became the kingdom within His Human assumed in the Natural. In so doing the Lord became aware of evils from the infernal spirits that were excited because of the human that He appropriated from the mother, for without this human the Lord could not be approached and, if not approached He could not defeat evil.
We have learned that the Lord was a celestial man and therefore He alone could receive perception. Thus, He could continually receive influx from the Divine and thus scientifics and affections could be formed into vessels in which He could receive all the celestial things of love - the Divine Love and Wisdom, the Good and Truth - thus His Human in the world became a Kingdom of the Lord. For hasn't the Lord told His disciples and every follower that He is to be in them and they in Him and in this way He had received again His Kingdom unto Himself.
We know we are not celestial men and women and that our spiritual life has been destroyed because of our love of self and the world because of our proprium. One might question how, then, can a man become like the Lord, how can we become of His Kingdom here in the Church on earth and afterwards in the Heavens?
First, we can receive faith through believing the Word. Then we can receive charity by acting or by obeying the Word. These, we can receive only because the Lord first became a Man in the world and fought against the hells in Himself, and thus, He glorified His Human and became the Divine Human. Then He redeemed man. We cannot have perception in our present state, but we can receive faith through knowledge and through scientifics formed into vessels from the Lord. Thus, we can receive spiritual truths in which we may receive charity. This charity is something is analogous to perception. It is what the Word calls the 'dictate of conscience' or an awareness of the Divine in creation.
Now, let us consider what is meant by the 'Canaanite' that was then in the land by which was meant all kinds of evils were in mankind. Thus, by the Abram signifying Lord we can see that by the Lord coming on earth they were in Him having been born as are all men. As we have already shown this made it possible for Him to be tempted and attacked; that He could fight against the evils and defeat them. In so doing He became the Divine Human, thus the Human united with the Divine that was in Him. He became the Divine Human not only in the Celestial and Spiritual, but in the Natural as well. Evil spirits had infected His Kingdom, that is, His Proceeding Good and Truth within man, which is the creation of mankind and all men became subjugated to the hells and its influence.
When the Lord was but a child He learned sensuous truths. They were implanted in His human He assumed from the mother from the Divine within Him. These celestial truths appeared to Him and He perceived them to be the Divine's. Thus, He perceived that these celestial things were His Kingdom and that those in His kingdom are those who have faith in Him and so, He went on to the work of redemption and salvation.
Faith in the Lord is that 'seed' in man which increases to eternity. Those who have faith become those who gain a new will and understanding. When truths are acquired or appropriated from the Lord and are formed into vessels, then truths received and thus faith received from the Lord is increased in man.
From this faith in the Lord received from the Divine can celestial things be acquired or appropriated in man. These are the essentials needed for man to receive charity from the Lord. They are also multiplied to eternity. It is known that there is to be formed in man a new will and understanding from the Lord and thus, a man is to attain both good and truth united even as did the Lord as a child as seen in the signification of Abram and the representative of His going into the land of Haren. The Lord had attained the celestial things of truth into His Human. Thus, when He came into the 'land' or into His kingdom, He could go through the states of glorification. So, we can now go through the states of our regeneration, if we will to, for the Lord has defeated and subjugated the evils influence over us.
Amen.
It is in Arcana C&œ;lestia 1431 that we learn of the insinuation of sensuous truth through the Lord's senses. We should know that truths are insinuated into all infants through the senses, for it is of Divine order in the natural world. However, with the Lord they are perceived direct and so, the Lord could see that all earthly and worldly things were created by God while with man he comes into or develops a conscience that all things are from God and thus must have faith. The Lord could see an image in all things of the Divine that resembles a marriage of the essence of God, which essence is Divine Love and Wisdom. Although these are the first truths that insinuates itself into man as they were into the Lord, they are not the genuine truth with a man. The Lord being a celestial man could accept the influx of such truths from the Divine alone. Man receives influx through mediate means naturally. The Lord's Soul was Divine. Unfortunately, man's soul is not, coming from his father and becomes evil from his proprium. So not only sensuous truths come through the senses, but so do sensuous falsities and so, the man being natural, receives falsities adhering to the truths that he receives or learns from the Word.
Receiving sensuous truths from the Divine had prepared the Lord's human for reception of celestial things of love. We know that truths are acquired from the senses. It is in Arcana C&œ;lestia that in the story in the Old Testament we see these truths were called 'acquisition' or 'substance' that Abram took with him into the land of Canaan and that these are called with the Lord 'sensuous truths'. The acquisition was the knowledges gained or accepted by the Lord. Thus, ideas and thoughts were impressed upon the Lord's memory, although the Lord at this age was unaware of the influx from His soul. Sensuous truth given to Him was insinuated, that is, it was subtly instilled or infused. It is just as the insinuated love the angels have for an infant. The result was that vessels were formed in Him for receiving of both spiritual and celestial things or the essentials of love. These, became His, thus began the uniting of His Human Exsistere with the Divine Esse.
In this, we see the Lord gained knowledge that formed vessels of scientifics for spiritual things. He also received affection from good pleasures of his body from which vessels were formed for celestial things.
We learn that it was from an obscure state in the life of the child Jesus that the Lord gained or obtained every living essential possible. Love was not just given abundantly, infinitely. We see that the living essential is signified in the Word by the 'soul' that was gained in Haran. We as Christian know the soul is the very life that it is not the body that lives, but that it is the soul within which causes its actions or movement. Since life is from celestial love and 'soul' signifies that life, then it is called the living essential Itself. What needs to be understood here is that the Lord forms or creates in man, when man is still in infancy and childhood, the means to receive and to believe the Lord's truths, and thus the Word. The difference between the Lord as an infant and child and mankind is that the Lord could receive sensuous truths from the Divine within Him and man cannot. Such truths were united with the good and are the truth of good, for from the Divine comes good and truth united. A man receives truth separate from good because his will or desire is for his good pleasures, which are the love of self and for worldly things. Also, the natural truth that a man does and receives and obeys is only apparent truths, until he becomes regenerated.
Our first text state, "And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. That this signifies that He (the Lord as an infant) thus advanced to the celestial things of love" (AC 1437). The Lord advanced out of obscurity into celestial things or the essential things from the Divine. What is learned here is that celestial things of love are the Lord's Kingdom both in the Heavens and upon the earth. But, what is the Lord's Kingdom? Of course a cursory answer might be: those who have faith in the Lord and who receive His Word or Truth into their will and understanding. However, there is an even more internal answer or understanding. It is: all the good and the truth that proceeded from the Lord, the Divine and that is reciprocated. Now, the Lord while in the world, received or accumulated all the good and truth into His Human assumed from the mother from which He expelled all evils and falsities and thus made His Human Divine.
We, as new Church people, are familiar with the Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - in one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Human. We believe that from the Father or the Divine through the Son who is the Human proceed Love and Wisdom or Good and Truth. This proceeding is the Holy Spirit. It is often attributed to Love, that is, the Lord gives of its own to another so that its joy and delights are another's and becomes one with itself. Not only is Divine Love received it also must be reciprocated in order to be love, for if it is not than it cannot be united with itself. Unition and reciprocation of Divine Love can be only from vessels or containants formed to receive itself and, thus can become a likeness and image of the Divine. Therein is now conjunction and thus a marriage of Good and Truth in the same way in man as there was in the Lord who came on earth.
However, before the Lord was glorified, before His Human became Divine this communication was not happening with man: the Lord's goods and truths with man had become evil and false. Man's will and his understanding had been destroyed by his proprium. Thus, it became necessary for the Lord to redeem mankind. The Lord Himself had to be born as a man. Then, just as man, He received truth from the Proceeding from the Divine, which was the Spirit of Jehovah; thus could the Proceeding Good and Truth on earth again bring His kingdom under His control. The Lord had to 'put on', that is, He had to receive the hereditary evil from Mary, His mother, so that evil could assault Him and He expel them and, so, bring the hells under His subjugation and order. The Lord advanced to the celestial things of love, and attained His Kingdom.
And again the text continues; "And into the land of Canaan they came. That this signifies that He attained to the celestial things of love" (AC 1338). By the Lord assuming the natural Human, He became a man as we. In doing so His Good and Truth becomes Divine in Use in the natural state. Vessels were formed to receive the Good and Truth - the Proceeding or Spirit- and, therefore the Lord was able to regain or to win His Kingdom from the influences of the hells. In the text for today we can see this as represented by Abram 'going into the land of Canaan' and as 'coming into the land of Canaan'. Thus, the Lord became prepared to fight the evil in His Kingdom, which was signified by the Canaanite.
However, before the Lord could fight the evils, He had to attain the celestial things or essentials of love, for from them come all the remains of the goods and truths in which He united with the Divine in His natural Human and so, could then become the Divine Human. These celestial things of love were as a seed in the Lord. Indeed, He was born of Jehovah and, thus, the 'Seed' in Him was His Soul; it was the Divine Itself.
As was said, it is because of the celestial things of love that the Lord gained or received from the Divine, that He had perception. Thus, He not only knew, but He acknowledged and acted to attain the things of His Kingdom. Thus, He became not only united with the Father, that is, with the Divine, but He became the Divine Human or Divine Use, thus the proceeding Good and Truth. So, He became the kingdom within His Human assumed in the Natural. In so doing the Lord became aware of evils from the infernal spirits that were excited because of the human that He appropriated from the mother, for without this human the Lord could not be approached and, if not approached He could not defeat evil.
We have learned that the Lord was a celestial man and therefore He alone could receive perception. Thus, He could continually receive influx from the Divine and thus scientifics and affections could be formed into vessels in which He could receive all the celestial things of love - the Divine Love and Wisdom, the Good and Truth - thus His Human in the world became a Kingdom of the Lord. For hasn't the Lord told His disciples and every follower that He is to be in them and they in Him and in this way He had received again His Kingdom unto Himself.
We know we are not celestial men and women and that our spiritual life has been destroyed because of our love of self and the world because of our proprium. One might question how, then, can a man become like the Lord, how can we become of His Kingdom here in the Church on earth and afterwards in the Heavens?
First, we can receive faith through believing the Word. Then we can receive charity by acting or by obeying the Word. These, we can receive only because the Lord first became a Man in the world and fought against the hells in Himself, and thus, He glorified His Human and became the Divine Human. Then He redeemed man. We cannot have perception in our present state, but we can receive faith through knowledge and through scientifics formed into vessels from the Lord. Thus, we can receive spiritual truths in which we may receive charity. This charity is something is analogous to perception. It is what the Word calls the 'dictate of conscience' or an awareness of the Divine in creation.
Now, let us consider what is meant by the 'Canaanite' that was then in the land by which was meant all kinds of evils were in mankind. Thus, by the Abram signifying Lord we can see that by the Lord coming on earth they were in Him having been born as are all men. As we have already shown this made it possible for Him to be tempted and attacked; that He could fight against the evils and defeat them. In so doing He became the Divine Human, thus the Human united with the Divine that was in Him. He became the Divine Human not only in the Celestial and Spiritual, but in the Natural as well. Evil spirits had infected His Kingdom, that is, His Proceeding Good and Truth within man, which is the creation of mankind and all men became subjugated to the hells and its influence.
When the Lord was but a child He learned sensuous truths. They were implanted in His human He assumed from the mother from the Divine within Him. These celestial truths appeared to Him and He perceived them to be the Divine's. Thus, He perceived that these celestial things were His Kingdom and that those in His kingdom are those who have faith in Him and so, He went on to the work of redemption and salvation.
Faith in the Lord is that 'seed' in man which increases to eternity. Those who have faith become those who gain a new will and understanding. When truths are acquired or appropriated from the Lord and are formed into vessels, then truths received and thus faith received from the Lord is increased in man.
From this faith in the Lord received from the Divine can celestial things be acquired or appropriated in man. These are the essentials needed for man to receive charity from the Lord. They are also multiplied to eternity. It is known that there is to be formed in man a new will and understanding from the Lord and thus, a man is to attain both good and truth united even as did the Lord as a child as seen in the signification of Abram and the representative of His going into the land of Haren. The Lord had attained the celestial things of truth into His Human. Thus, when He came into the 'land' or into His kingdom, He could go through the states of glorification. So, we can now go through the states of our regeneration, if we will to, for the Lord has defeated and subjugated the evils influence over us.
Amen.
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