Session Fourteen
God is Very Man (The Divine Human): The Form of Uses within man
Study Lessons: The Doctrine of Uses - The Divine Love
By Rev. Paul Booth
God is Very Man (The Divine Human): The Form of Uses within man
Study Lessons: The Doctrine of Uses - The Divine Love
By Rev. Paul Booth
I "There is but little comprehension in the world as to what love is, and yet it is man's very life.
1. "This is evident from its being frequently asked, What is Love? The reason for this ignorance is that love is not apparent to the sight of the Understanding, and it is the understanding that is the receptacle for the light of Heaven; whatever enters into that light is seen interiorly, for a man is aware of what he is thinking, and so he speaks of this or that thing as being in the "light" of his Understanding, or of such and such a thing that he "see" it to be so; moreover he prays that God will enlighten him and give him illustration. There is indeed a light that is spiritual, to which natural light corresponds; it is from that light that a man says in reference to his Understanding that he sees, and that a wise man also prays God to enlighten him and give him illustration, that is, to give him understanding. As, therefore, it is the Understanding, and not the love, that presents itself by means of thought so as to be seen, man is unable to have any idea of the love. But as love is the very soul or life of thought, therefore thought, if deprived of love, grows cold and lifeless, like a flower deprived of heat; for love kindles, enlivens and animates thought. Direct your attention to your own mind and consider whether you would be able to think apart from some affection that is of love, and you will discover within yourself that you cannot. From this it is evident that love is the life of the Understanding, and so of the thought; and being the life of the Understanding and so of the thought, it is also the life of the whole man; for it is the life of all sense and of all motion, thus it is the life of the organs by means of sense and motion come into existence; that it is also the life of the other viscera will be seen below.
2. "Another reason for the ignorance as to what love is, is that the love in a man is a universal life; by a universal life is meant a life that is present in the smallest individual things, for it is on account of its being in the veriest singulars that is so called on account of its parts. What is thus universal is only perceived as a one, and this, without a perception of each individual thing, is obscure. Such, too, is the universal Divine in the smallest individual things of the world; on which account of this also is so obscure to man that it is not visible to the naked eye, but only to "the eye that is shut"; for everything in the world is the work of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, and the wisdom in its smallest individual things of it is Divine light so bright that it blinds, as said above."
It has been said that when a person comes into the world of spirits when he departs from this world that he often does not know it, for there in that world are seen the things that he sees here. Though, later he does become aware of it. Thus, in the spiritual world, there is a Sun from which there is heat and light as there is in this world, though, here, it is natural while in Heaven it is spiritual. We know that the sun of this world is of pure fire and therefore, has no life, nor does life proceed from it, yet from its light and heat there proceeds 'as it were' life, as can be seen in plant germination, growth, etcetera, from which it appears that we live our natural life. Though, unless one has the Word of the Divine Human - the Third Testament - and accepts and believes it, he will not accept the truth that in the spiritual world the Sun there is from pure Divine Love - Love which is the Lord's Essence. The First or Old Christians that have the Old and New Testaments will probably agree that God is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, though they will not understand what 'Love' is, but only what wisdom is. This is understandable for what love is, is not apparent to the sight of the Understanding, yet it is the understanding that is the receptacle for the light of Heaven, which has been said in that new Word that, that light is from the Sun there. We know what we are thinking, thus it is that the spiritual light enters man, and a man says this or that thing that is according to his understanding though he does not understand how he has such understanding. Besides this, he may pray that God will enlighten him and give him illustration. Thus, a man may know what wisdom is, but not what love is.
So, from this new Word, we also learn that the light of this world or natural light corresponds to spiritual light. Therefore, as said, we understand what wisdom is, but not what love is, for the understanding presents its self by means of thought so as to be seen. Still a man is unable to have an idea of love. There is a reason for this, and it is that man has fallen from God's grace - from His love. We, who are believers in the Lord, know this because His Word tells us that man turned away from God and towards one's self, thus to self-love. Therefore our thoughts no longer have that Proceeding love from the Lord within them as their soul or life, for it has been distorted because of man's self-love. This is just as when heat from the natural world had been deprived and the life of a plant dies. So, too, the spiritual heat of the Sun of Heaven, when deprived from man, causes his love of the Lord grows cold and lifeless. That is why God had said "you shall surely die" to the Most Ancient Church - Adam and Eve. The result is that the life of our understanding and so, of our thought, lacks the ability to understand what love is. Yet, love is the life of the understanding and the thought, the affection and emotions and so, is of the whole man.
II "The Lord alone is Love Itself, because He is Life in Itself, and men and angles are recipients only.
As we have shown God is Love; He is the very Divine Itself and thus, is uncreated and infinite. Man, on the other hand, is formed of things created and finite and is into which the Divine can be and to which He can communicate His life. It is thus that we see this is by the means of the heat and light of the Sun of the Heavens, for from that Sun His Divine Love is Life there. Wasn't it by God's Divine Love and Wisdom that the universe and all in it, even man, were created? Let us make a comparison between the two suns so that we may understand this creation. One knows that germination on earth is not from the sun's essence - it being pure fire and dead, but such germinations is from the things of the soil in which heat and light of that sun enters and, so, to which it communicates its life. From this it is learned that men and angels in themselves are not life, but recipients of life, for it is only spiritual heat and light that creates life, the heat and the light of this world's sun is only an appearance.
That conception of life in man is the conceiving of life, but is only the first and purest form that is able to receive life. As a study of the development of the fetus, we see added or adjoined to this beginning substances and matters in the womb which are adapted into forms for receiving life and thus, the Lord's love and wisdom. All this goes to show that all in the universe and nature are forms receptive of God's life. Man being created in the highest form in that man can be created into an image and a likeness of God.
III "Life, which is Divine Love, is in a form.
It is plain from this that the Lord's presence with man is not His occupying space, but is a presence devoid of space. Angels can grasp this idea of His presence for the idea of space does enter their thoughts. While, in man's thoughts there adheres the idea of space and time and this makes it difficult for man to understand how God is with Him, yet He is not in space. We have shown that as the Lord or as Love or Life goes forth Himself into the man's form from the first conception to the conception of all that which forms the man and so, man is said to be a receptacle of Life, but yet he is not life Itself. Thus, that Life Itself is in a Man and contains an infinite form in each and all things that are in man. We, thus, may understand that Divine Love, which is Life, is in a form and that form is Man and thus, God is Very Man and that before Him Heaven is as a grand man and that men on earth are to become formed a man, so as to enter Heaven.
Thus, that Divine Life proceeding forth is the Lord Himself. Therefore, the angels can understand that the Lord is indeed in that Sun in the Heavens from which goes forth love as heat and wisdom as light into His creation, thus into man forming them into angels. And, in this, ones understand love and wisdom together is also the Lord Himself outside the Sun. Again, in this, one comes to understand this is only an appearance, for the Divine is not in space as already shown. Here, one sees that Divine Love is in a form and that it has been accommodated to vessels into which it enters so that there is the Lord's presence, though not in space, but is devoid of space.
IV "This form is the form of Uses in their total compass.
Life is not man's, but only applies to the uses in him and these uses are spiritual uses, while their forms taken are natural, such as are our members, organs or viscera, etc. It is Divine Life applying Itself to the uses in a whole series that gives life and that life to man is called the man's soul. In this we see the accommodating of life to angels and man. The Divine that proceeds forth from the Lord is Divine in firsts to lasts things or ultimate things or subjects. Now, man can only receive the Divine Love and Wisdom, but not be that Divine Love and Wisdom Itself. Yet, the Divine proceeds forth from the Lord and are in first things to last or ultimate things by which is meant 'flesh and bones'.
It is known from the Word that the Lord Himself became flesh, and that He put on the natural body of mankind - 'flesh and bones'. It is also known that He glorified His body and became the Divine Human while He was in the Natural body. In that glorification, He made it Divine, even His flesh and bones. For, He had said to His disciples, "Why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and feet, that it is I myself: handle not me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have" (Luke 24: 38, 39). Man, who was made in ultimates, now, has correspondence and conjunction with the Divine because of the Lord's coming and of His glorification. However, one knows that when he dies, he is not raised up with his natural body, for man is not made divine, nor becomes divine, but can be regenerated and so returns to his spirit in which his soul is, that is, in which life is given him. Thus, as was said, life does not apply itself to man, but only to the uses in him. Thus, it is that the Lord is present with him in spirit as He is with angels even though in Heaven and the spiritual world there is also the appearance of space. Thus is there an accommodation before Divine Love is received and, so, the Lord becomes present in angels and spirits. It is, as here, in this world where the heat and light of the physical sun, that if it were not at such a great distance and proceed through the various atmospheres before it reaches us, it would consume us. In addition, there are the clouds that help accommodate the heat and light in this world. So, too, does the heat or love and the light or wisdom of the Sun in Heaven proceed through infinitely successive means to angels and men until it can be tempered and accommodated for them, plus the angels, too, are veiled 'as by' a cloud for protection from injury from that Heavenly Sun, being the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom Itself.
End.
1. "This is evident from its being frequently asked, What is Love? The reason for this ignorance is that love is not apparent to the sight of the Understanding, and it is the understanding that is the receptacle for the light of Heaven; whatever enters into that light is seen interiorly, for a man is aware of what he is thinking, and so he speaks of this or that thing as being in the "light" of his Understanding, or of such and such a thing that he "see" it to be so; moreover he prays that God will enlighten him and give him illustration. There is indeed a light that is spiritual, to which natural light corresponds; it is from that light that a man says in reference to his Understanding that he sees, and that a wise man also prays God to enlighten him and give him illustration, that is, to give him understanding. As, therefore, it is the Understanding, and not the love, that presents itself by means of thought so as to be seen, man is unable to have any idea of the love. But as love is the very soul or life of thought, therefore thought, if deprived of love, grows cold and lifeless, like a flower deprived of heat; for love kindles, enlivens and animates thought. Direct your attention to your own mind and consider whether you would be able to think apart from some affection that is of love, and you will discover within yourself that you cannot. From this it is evident that love is the life of the Understanding, and so of the thought; and being the life of the Understanding and so of the thought, it is also the life of the whole man; for it is the life of all sense and of all motion, thus it is the life of the organs by means of sense and motion come into existence; that it is also the life of the other viscera will be seen below.
2. "Another reason for the ignorance as to what love is, is that the love in a man is a universal life; by a universal life is meant a life that is present in the smallest individual things, for it is on account of its being in the veriest singulars that is so called on account of its parts. What is thus universal is only perceived as a one, and this, without a perception of each individual thing, is obscure. Such, too, is the universal Divine in the smallest individual things of the world; on which account of this also is so obscure to man that it is not visible to the naked eye, but only to "the eye that is shut"; for everything in the world is the work of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, and the wisdom in its smallest individual things of it is Divine light so bright that it blinds, as said above."
It has been said that when a person comes into the world of spirits when he departs from this world that he often does not know it, for there in that world are seen the things that he sees here. Though, later he does become aware of it. Thus, in the spiritual world, there is a Sun from which there is heat and light as there is in this world, though, here, it is natural while in Heaven it is spiritual. We know that the sun of this world is of pure fire and therefore, has no life, nor does life proceed from it, yet from its light and heat there proceeds 'as it were' life, as can be seen in plant germination, growth, etcetera, from which it appears that we live our natural life. Though, unless one has the Word of the Divine Human - the Third Testament - and accepts and believes it, he will not accept the truth that in the spiritual world the Sun there is from pure Divine Love - Love which is the Lord's Essence. The First or Old Christians that have the Old and New Testaments will probably agree that God is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, though they will not understand what 'Love' is, but only what wisdom is. This is understandable for what love is, is not apparent to the sight of the Understanding, yet it is the understanding that is the receptacle for the light of Heaven, which has been said in that new Word that, that light is from the Sun there. We know what we are thinking, thus it is that the spiritual light enters man, and a man says this or that thing that is according to his understanding though he does not understand how he has such understanding. Besides this, he may pray that God will enlighten him and give him illustration. Thus, a man may know what wisdom is, but not what love is.
So, from this new Word, we also learn that the light of this world or natural light corresponds to spiritual light. Therefore, as said, we understand what wisdom is, but not what love is, for the understanding presents its self by means of thought so as to be seen. Still a man is unable to have an idea of love. There is a reason for this, and it is that man has fallen from God's grace - from His love. We, who are believers in the Lord, know this because His Word tells us that man turned away from God and towards one's self, thus to self-love. Therefore our thoughts no longer have that Proceeding love from the Lord within them as their soul or life, for it has been distorted because of man's self-love. This is just as when heat from the natural world had been deprived and the life of a plant dies. So, too, the spiritual heat of the Sun of Heaven, when deprived from man, causes his love of the Lord grows cold and lifeless. That is why God had said "you shall surely die" to the Most Ancient Church - Adam and Eve. The result is that the life of our understanding and so, of our thought, lacks the ability to understand what love is. Yet, love is the life of the understanding and the thought, the affection and emotions and so, is of the whole man.
II "The Lord alone is Love Itself, because He is Life in Itself, and men and angles are recipients only.
- 3 "This has already been made clear before by many things to which only the following need be added. The Lord, because He is God of the universe is uncreated and infinite whereas men and angels are created and finite. That which is uncreated and infinite is the very Divine in Itself. It is not possible for man to be formed of this, for he would then be the Divine in Itself; but he can be formed of things created and finite, in which the Divine can be and to which He can communicate His life, and this, by means of heat and light from Himself as a Sun, thus from His Divine Love; it is comparatively like germinations on the earth, which cannot be formed of the essence itself of the world's sun, but of the created things of which the soil consists, in which, by means of its heat and light, the sun can be, and to which it can communicate its life. From this it is evident that men and angels, in themselves, are not life, but only recipients of life.
As we have shown God is Love; He is the very Divine Itself and thus, is uncreated and infinite. Man, on the other hand, is formed of things created and finite and is into which the Divine can be and to which He can communicate His life. It is thus that we see this is by the means of the heat and light of the Sun of the Heavens, for from that Sun His Divine Love is Life there. Wasn't it by God's Divine Love and Wisdom that the universe and all in it, even man, were created? Let us make a comparison between the two suns so that we may understand this creation. One knows that germination on earth is not from the sun's essence - it being pure fire and dead, but such germinations is from the things of the soil in which heat and light of that sun enters and, so, to which it communicates its life. From this it is learned that men and angels in themselves are not life, but recipients of life, for it is only spiritual heat and light that creates life, the heat and the light of this world's sun is only an appearance.
That conception of life in man is the conceiving of life, but is only the first and purest form that is able to receive life. As a study of the development of the fetus, we see added or adjoined to this beginning substances and matters in the womb which are adapted into forms for receiving life and thus, the Lord's love and wisdom. All this goes to show that all in the universe and nature are forms receptive of God's life. Man being created in the highest form in that man can be created into an image and a likeness of God.
III "Life, which is Divine Love, is in a form.
- 5. "The Divine Love which is Life Itself, is not love simply, but is the Divine proceeding forth, and the Divine proceeding forth is the Lord Himself. The Lord is indeed in the sun that is seen by angels in the Heavens, from which goes forth love as heat, and wisdom as light; nevertheless, the love together with the wisdom is also Himself outside of the Sun; distance is only the appearance, for the Divine is not in space, but is "without spatial distance" (indistans), as said above. The reason there appears to be distance, is that the Divine Love, such as it is in the Lord, cannot be received by any angel, for in itself being more ardent than the fire of the world's sun, angels would be consumed by it. On this account it is successively lessened in intensity by means if infinite circumvolutions, until, tempered and accommodated, it at length reaches the angels, who in addition are veiled by a thin cloud lest they should suffer injury from its ardor. This is the reason for what appears like distance between the Lord as a Sun and Heaven where angels are; it is still the Lord Himself present in Heaven, but suitably for His being received.
6. "The Lord's presence, moreover, is not like the presence of a man occupying space; which is that He is in greatest things and in least things, thus He Himself is in greatest things and He Himself is in least things. I know it is only with difficulty that a man can grasp this idea, because it is only with difficulty that he can remove space from the ideas of his thought. It can be grasped by angels, however, into whose ideas spaces do not enter. In this respect spiritual thought differs from natural thought.
7. "Since therefore the Love going forth from the Lord as a Sun, is the Lord Himself, and since that Love is Life Itself, it follows that Love Itself which is Life, is a Man, and so contains in an infinite form each and all things that are in man. These things are also logical inferences from the Lord, and also about His Providence, His Omnipotence, His Omnipresence and His Omniscience.
8. "GOD is VERY MAN.
It is plain from this that the Lord's presence with man is not His occupying space, but is a presence devoid of space. Angels can grasp this idea of His presence for the idea of space does enter their thoughts. While, in man's thoughts there adheres the idea of space and time and this makes it difficult for man to understand how God is with Him, yet He is not in space. We have shown that as the Lord or as Love or Life goes forth Himself into the man's form from the first conception to the conception of all that which forms the man and so, man is said to be a receptacle of Life, but yet he is not life Itself. Thus, that Life Itself is in a Man and contains an infinite form in each and all things that are in man. We, thus, may understand that Divine Love, which is Life, is in a form and that form is Man and thus, God is Very Man and that before Him Heaven is as a grand man and that men on earth are to become formed a man, so as to enter Heaven.
Thus, that Divine Life proceeding forth is the Lord Himself. Therefore, the angels can understand that the Lord is indeed in that Sun in the Heavens from which goes forth love as heat and wisdom as light into His creation, thus into man forming them into angels. And, in this, ones understand love and wisdom together is also the Lord Himself outside the Sun. Again, in this, one comes to understand this is only an appearance, for the Divine is not in space as already shown. Here, one sees that Divine Love is in a form and that it has been accommodated to vessels into which it enters so that there is the Lord's presence, though not in space, but is devoid of space.
IV "This form is the form of Uses in their total compass.
- 9. "This is because the form of love is a form of uses, the "subjects" of love being uses; for love wishes to do goods, and goods are nothing else than uses; and since the Divine Love infinitely surpasses all other loves, its form is the form of uses in there total compass. That the Lord is actually Himself present with angels in the Heavens and with men on earth, and that He is in those with whom He is conjoined by love, and further, that He is in them notwithstanding His being infinite and uncreated, whereas angels and men are created and finite - this is beyond the comprehension of the natural man, so long as he cannot, through enlightenment from the Lord, be withdrawn from the natural idea in regard to space and thereby be [brought] into light in regard to spiritual essence. This, regarded in itself, is the Divine Itself proceeding forth, accommodated to every angel, whether in the highest Heaven or the lowest, and also to every man, whether wise or simple. For the Divine that proceeds forth from the Lord, is Divine from first things to ultimates. Ultimate things are what are called flesh and bone. That these also were made Divine by the Lord, He taught His disciples,
- "That He has flesh and bones, which a spirit did not have" [Luke xxiv. 39]: moreover, He entered through closed doors, and also became invisible, a clear proof that in Him the things that are man's ultimates has also been made Divine, and that consequently there is correspondence between the Divine and man's ultimates.
Life is not man's, but only applies to the uses in him and these uses are spiritual uses, while their forms taken are natural, such as are our members, organs or viscera, etc. It is Divine Life applying Itself to the uses in a whole series that gives life and that life to man is called the man's soul. In this we see the accommodating of life to angels and man. The Divine that proceeds forth from the Lord is Divine in firsts to lasts things or ultimate things or subjects. Now, man can only receive the Divine Love and Wisdom, but not be that Divine Love and Wisdom Itself. Yet, the Divine proceeds forth from the Lord and are in first things to last or ultimate things by which is meant 'flesh and bones'.
It is known from the Word that the Lord Himself became flesh, and that He put on the natural body of mankind - 'flesh and bones'. It is also known that He glorified His body and became the Divine Human while He was in the Natural body. In that glorification, He made it Divine, even His flesh and bones. For, He had said to His disciples, "Why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and feet, that it is I myself: handle not me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have" (Luke 24: 38, 39). Man, who was made in ultimates, now, has correspondence and conjunction with the Divine because of the Lord's coming and of His glorification. However, one knows that when he dies, he is not raised up with his natural body, for man is not made divine, nor becomes divine, but can be regenerated and so returns to his spirit in which his soul is, that is, in which life is given him. Thus, as was said, life does not apply itself to man, but only to the uses in him. Thus, it is that the Lord is present with him in spirit as He is with angels even though in Heaven and the spiritual world there is also the appearance of space. Thus is there an accommodation before Divine Love is received and, so, the Lord becomes present in angels and spirits. It is, as here, in this world where the heat and light of the physical sun, that if it were not at such a great distance and proceed through the various atmospheres before it reaches us, it would consume us. In addition, there are the clouds that help accommodate the heat and light in this world. So, too, does the heat or love and the light or wisdom of the Sun in Heaven proceed through infinitely successive means to angels and men until it can be tempered and accommodated for them, plus the angels, too, are veiled 'as by' a cloud for protection from injury from that Heavenly Sun, being the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom Itself.
End.
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