Session Fifteen
On Line Study
Doctrine of Uses - The Divine Love: V - VII
The form and use of the Divine in all of creation
By Rev. Paul Booth
On Line Study
Doctrine of Uses - The Divine Love: V - VII
The form and use of the Divine in all of creation
By Rev. Paul Booth
From our last study we saw that the creation is both spiritual and natural and that it is the spiritual that pertains to uses and are of life itself, which is called the soul. The natural, which pertains to their forms, is called the members and organs, etc., they are the last or ultimate, which in the Word is call 'flesh and bones'. It is to this - the ultimate - that Jehovah came that He could save mankind, for man had descended into the natural life and no longer was conjoined with the uses of the spiritual which are from the Lord God. Of course, one sees that the first is of spiritual substances while the later is of natural substances and materials and that these are the vessels for the spiritual as the spiritual is the vessel for the celestial which is the vessel or receptacle of the Divine. That all the various and infinite things of Divine Love proceeds forth in its compass is seen as Man, and in fact, before the Lord Heaven is as it were a Grand Man standing before Him and are of men that were on earth, who had received that love and who became formed as angels and, so, entered Heaven and, thus are there before the Lord as the Grand Man as in His own image and likeness.
Our lesson begins in section:
V. A Single Human Being is in such a Form. (11 - 16)
In today's world, physical scientists of the human body, some medical doctors, and many others have shown that the human body is composed of myriads and myriads of cells, all of which go to make the various parts - members, organs, muscles, etc., of the human body and that each has its function and purpose - or its use - to sustain the whole. From this is seen that all things in the body become a one - working for the good of man. This becomes illustrated when there is an attack on the body of a foreign body upon the person for then doesn't all the rest of the body's cells, organs, etc., work in consort to defend itself from the attack?
Now, it has been said that there is a correspondence between the spiritual and the natural. Otherwise, if there were not, then the Lord would have no way of communicating, let alone for a man once again to be conjoined with Heaven and the Lord as he was in the first Church on earth - the Most Ancient or Celestial Church. It is thus in this correspondence that one sees the uses of the body and its primary use - which may be understood as making man into an image and after the Lord likeness. It has been confirmed that life applies to the spiritual man and not to the natural man, which is only that form and so is a receptacle for the qualities of love and wisdom. So it is that the spiritual gives life to the form and is the receptacle for that life. From this, one understands that man has a will and an understanding and that these are spiritual. The Word in its literal sense called these or they are signified by the heart and the lungs. Then, the question is, how do these correspond to the natural body of man or of a single human being? In what form do these take? And, we see they take the form of a Man and that Man is the Lord God Himself. Of course, we understand that into the understanding of man proceeds the Lord's wisdom and into the will of man proceed His love. We come also to see that these two of the spiritual and natural of man - the will and the understanding or the heart and lungs - are supported by all the other members, organs, viscera even to the smallest of the parts of the human being.
We will look for these forms by their uses or purpose. What causes the natural body to move - to have life - is seen in these two forms - the lungs and the heart - as without these the natural life of the body will cease. One - the lungs - relates to breathing, the other - the heart - to circulating the blood through the body in order to feed or furnish nutrients to all the parts 'as it were'. Together the heart and lungs allow one's body to move as it wills and it is from this when seen in the spiritual sense that they make man into the likeness and image of the Lord. For it is the will and understanding, which are spiritual, that make man become like the Lord. This working together as one can be seen in the "lungs receiving into themselves all the blood of the body from the right side of the heart to cleanse it from viscous and phlegmy contents and expel them, to supply it with fresh elements, or food so to speak, from the inhaled air, and send it back to the left chamber of the heart" (Doctrine of Uses - The Divine Love 12). Spiritual is seen the understanding receiving truths from the will of doing good by learning true doctrine, thus removing as it were false doctrine and so, appropriating true faith. This effort is also seen naturally in supplying the brain - the cerebrum and cerebellum - with filtered blood to nourish and bring life 'as it were'.
The correspondences of these - the lungs and heart - of the natural human to the spiritual man are seen in one's faith in the understanding and in one's love or charity in the will. Now, isn't it from the sun that light and heat proceed to this world and, therefore, to man himself life 'as it were'? However, these are only appearances. Thus, don't these correspond to the heat and light of the Sun in Heaven, it being the Lord 'as it were', and so, His love and wisdom flows to all those in Heaven and, so too, to mankind in this world? And, so these too, are appearances in the spiritual, therefore, the Lord is present with angels and men, when the Lord's love and wisdom or as when 'heat and light' has been accommodated to them they are in His image and likeness.
Thus, it is that man embraces within him all uses in both the spiritual and natural worlds and each use has within it what is typical of the whole or of the man. Nonetheless, the man is a use according to his being a recipient of the Lord's Life or Love. For if you take away the Lord - His goodness and truth, which are everything of Life and Life Itself - from infinitely proceeding into man, a man would not exist, for that infinite use would not be finite in any man. In fact, then the lack of these qualities in men turns him into devils.
We now continue with:
VI. Man in the aggregate is in such a form. (17, 18)
We know that 'man' is meant in general mankind - the whole human race - and the Kingdom of God and even less the worldly kingdoms and nations, even down to the single household. Thus, to the Lord's sight the whole human race is one man as is seen in Heaven as the Grand Man, but it is the uses that appear together that make that form of Man. Herein is their beauty and form - man's or mankind's good uses. And, it is when the man does good (or well) for the sake of good uses for the whole, whether to the house hold, or to the country or the world or to God's kingdom. Those who do uses for themselves are contrary and are seen as ugly and as a defective man. From this we see that the Lord looks upon the individual according to his uses - what he performs. One may wonder what uses are meant here. Such uses are those in connection with the office, or with his occupation and work that he individually or collectively fills. You can see here that these are called 'good works' in the Lord's sight.
Here on earth we know there are various races, example: the English, German, Dutch, Swedes, Danes, Spanish, Poles, Russians and many others. Thus, it is in these that the Lord sees them as one man with their love of uses, some who love doing these uses for good and others who love doing them for themselves. To the Lord the prior are seen as angel-man, the later as devil-man. Those seen as angel-man upon coming into Heaven become angels and those who are devil-man come into hell. The first are those who love the Lord in their work, while the last are those who love themselves in their work. If the use is seen in making money the first are of a use to the whole for their effort helps others while the later are a use to the whole only after they die and the money is then a benefit to the whole, though one sees that this has not been of a benefit to their souls. Here, is seen that possessing wealth for the sake of wealth is harmful, but that possessing wealth for the sake of the whole as the benefit of the whole and is therefore good.
Let us now look at Heaven as such a form for which mankind was made.
VII Heaven is in such a form. (19)
It should be known that Heaven is distinguished in providences in which are all the various parts of man - such as the members, organs and viscera - thus, the in various uses of these parts are called in Heaven's Grand Man societies such as the eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth and tongue, etc., of man. In these are seen the uses that each society adds to the use of the whole - to the Grand Man of Heaven - that is before the Lord as His image and likeness. Of course, this is because the proceeding forth from the Lord is that Life and form, which is Man -God, God-Man in the least or ultimate of things. Thus, it is that in Heaven all are in the love of good work. We can see here that the Lord had to come on earth, put on the natural body - flesh and bones - of mankind - overcome all the evils and thus become victorious that man could be saved. In other words, the Lord made His Human Divine and now proceeds in power to make man into His image and likeness.
Hell is as the form of a defective or ugly man, whose work is from a love of use for self - for the need of food, clothing - that they appear as man, though not as angel-man, but devil-man and in hell they work for food and clothing. While in Heaven, angels are given spiritual garments and food for the soul. Thus, the Divine's love and wisdom continually sustains angels with happiness, joy, and delight.
Again, let us examine the Word.
VII All things in the world, moreover, tend towards a life form. (20)
So far we have spoken mainly about man or mankind, even the Heavenly Kingdom, thus of the spiritual and the natural of man and angles and, we understand that the forms are of the Lord who is the only true Man. We have seen that these forms are made in accordance with the life proceeding from the Lord - His love and His wisdom - thus are seen as it were in forms and uses of truths and goods which are all working for the love of good and truth in man giving him faith and charity. Let us now come to understand about "all things in the world", that is, about the things that walk or crawl, swim in water, or fly in the air and also about all vegetation such as plants and grasses, flowers, etc., and about atmospheres, waters, and material substances of the earth. These later are means for generation, that is, for the soul and body of man, thus to bring forth the life of the living things.
Here, one comes to see that in the creation of the Universe is seen the Divine Love, which is Life Itself and is the Lord Himself in the form of all forms of all uses and that this form is Man. Thus, it is that nothing is made that is not for a use, from their first things to their ultimate and so, form one use to another in unbroken succession. It is from this that one has proof that "the Creator and Former, who is the Lord is the infinite enfolding of all uses, in His essence Love, and in His form Man in whom that enfolding is." It is thus evident that by the ordinary intelligence of this world one cannot reach this truth, but only by spiritual intelligence, thus, man must be 'born again' spiritually.
In this the truths and goods of the Divine Human, the Lord God Himself, enters man and there forms a new will and understanding in which abides the Lord.
End.
Our lesson begins in section:
V. A Single Human Being is in such a Form. (11 - 16)
In today's world, physical scientists of the human body, some medical doctors, and many others have shown that the human body is composed of myriads and myriads of cells, all of which go to make the various parts - members, organs, muscles, etc., of the human body and that each has its function and purpose - or its use - to sustain the whole. From this is seen that all things in the body become a one - working for the good of man. This becomes illustrated when there is an attack on the body of a foreign body upon the person for then doesn't all the rest of the body's cells, organs, etc., work in consort to defend itself from the attack?
Now, it has been said that there is a correspondence between the spiritual and the natural. Otherwise, if there were not, then the Lord would have no way of communicating, let alone for a man once again to be conjoined with Heaven and the Lord as he was in the first Church on earth - the Most Ancient or Celestial Church. It is thus in this correspondence that one sees the uses of the body and its primary use - which may be understood as making man into an image and after the Lord likeness. It has been confirmed that life applies to the spiritual man and not to the natural man, which is only that form and so is a receptacle for the qualities of love and wisdom. So it is that the spiritual gives life to the form and is the receptacle for that life. From this, one understands that man has a will and an understanding and that these are spiritual. The Word in its literal sense called these or they are signified by the heart and the lungs. Then, the question is, how do these correspond to the natural body of man or of a single human being? In what form do these take? And, we see they take the form of a Man and that Man is the Lord God Himself. Of course, we understand that into the understanding of man proceeds the Lord's wisdom and into the will of man proceed His love. We come also to see that these two of the spiritual and natural of man - the will and the understanding or the heart and lungs - are supported by all the other members, organs, viscera even to the smallest of the parts of the human being.
We will look for these forms by their uses or purpose. What causes the natural body to move - to have life - is seen in these two forms - the lungs and the heart - as without these the natural life of the body will cease. One - the lungs - relates to breathing, the other - the heart - to circulating the blood through the body in order to feed or furnish nutrients to all the parts 'as it were'. Together the heart and lungs allow one's body to move as it wills and it is from this when seen in the spiritual sense that they make man into the likeness and image of the Lord. For it is the will and understanding, which are spiritual, that make man become like the Lord. This working together as one can be seen in the "lungs receiving into themselves all the blood of the body from the right side of the heart to cleanse it from viscous and phlegmy contents and expel them, to supply it with fresh elements, or food so to speak, from the inhaled air, and send it back to the left chamber of the heart" (Doctrine of Uses - The Divine Love 12). Spiritual is seen the understanding receiving truths from the will of doing good by learning true doctrine, thus removing as it were false doctrine and so, appropriating true faith. This effort is also seen naturally in supplying the brain - the cerebrum and cerebellum - with filtered blood to nourish and bring life 'as it were'.
The correspondences of these - the lungs and heart - of the natural human to the spiritual man are seen in one's faith in the understanding and in one's love or charity in the will. Now, isn't it from the sun that light and heat proceed to this world and, therefore, to man himself life 'as it were'? However, these are only appearances. Thus, don't these correspond to the heat and light of the Sun in Heaven, it being the Lord 'as it were', and so, His love and wisdom flows to all those in Heaven and, so too, to mankind in this world? And, so these too, are appearances in the spiritual, therefore, the Lord is present with angels and men, when the Lord's love and wisdom or as when 'heat and light' has been accommodated to them they are in His image and likeness.
Thus, it is that man embraces within him all uses in both the spiritual and natural worlds and each use has within it what is typical of the whole or of the man. Nonetheless, the man is a use according to his being a recipient of the Lord's Life or Love. For if you take away the Lord - His goodness and truth, which are everything of Life and Life Itself - from infinitely proceeding into man, a man would not exist, for that infinite use would not be finite in any man. In fact, then the lack of these qualities in men turns him into devils.
We now continue with:
VI. Man in the aggregate is in such a form. (17, 18)
We know that 'man' is meant in general mankind - the whole human race - and the Kingdom of God and even less the worldly kingdoms and nations, even down to the single household. Thus, to the Lord's sight the whole human race is one man as is seen in Heaven as the Grand Man, but it is the uses that appear together that make that form of Man. Herein is their beauty and form - man's or mankind's good uses. And, it is when the man does good (or well) for the sake of good uses for the whole, whether to the house hold, or to the country or the world or to God's kingdom. Those who do uses for themselves are contrary and are seen as ugly and as a defective man. From this we see that the Lord looks upon the individual according to his uses - what he performs. One may wonder what uses are meant here. Such uses are those in connection with the office, or with his occupation and work that he individually or collectively fills. You can see here that these are called 'good works' in the Lord's sight.
Here on earth we know there are various races, example: the English, German, Dutch, Swedes, Danes, Spanish, Poles, Russians and many others. Thus, it is in these that the Lord sees them as one man with their love of uses, some who love doing these uses for good and others who love doing them for themselves. To the Lord the prior are seen as angel-man, the later as devil-man. Those seen as angel-man upon coming into Heaven become angels and those who are devil-man come into hell. The first are those who love the Lord in their work, while the last are those who love themselves in their work. If the use is seen in making money the first are of a use to the whole for their effort helps others while the later are a use to the whole only after they die and the money is then a benefit to the whole, though one sees that this has not been of a benefit to their souls. Here, is seen that possessing wealth for the sake of wealth is harmful, but that possessing wealth for the sake of the whole as the benefit of the whole and is therefore good.
Let us now look at Heaven as such a form for which mankind was made.
VII Heaven is in such a form. (19)
It should be known that Heaven is distinguished in providences in which are all the various parts of man - such as the members, organs and viscera - thus, the in various uses of these parts are called in Heaven's Grand Man societies such as the eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth and tongue, etc., of man. In these are seen the uses that each society adds to the use of the whole - to the Grand Man of Heaven - that is before the Lord as His image and likeness. Of course, this is because the proceeding forth from the Lord is that Life and form, which is Man -God, God-Man in the least or ultimate of things. Thus, it is that in Heaven all are in the love of good work. We can see here that the Lord had to come on earth, put on the natural body - flesh and bones - of mankind - overcome all the evils and thus become victorious that man could be saved. In other words, the Lord made His Human Divine and now proceeds in power to make man into His image and likeness.
Hell is as the form of a defective or ugly man, whose work is from a love of use for self - for the need of food, clothing - that they appear as man, though not as angel-man, but devil-man and in hell they work for food and clothing. While in Heaven, angels are given spiritual garments and food for the soul. Thus, the Divine's love and wisdom continually sustains angels with happiness, joy, and delight.
Again, let us examine the Word.
VII All things in the world, moreover, tend towards a life form. (20)
So far we have spoken mainly about man or mankind, even the Heavenly Kingdom, thus of the spiritual and the natural of man and angles and, we understand that the forms are of the Lord who is the only true Man. We have seen that these forms are made in accordance with the life proceeding from the Lord - His love and His wisdom - thus are seen as it were in forms and uses of truths and goods which are all working for the love of good and truth in man giving him faith and charity. Let us now come to understand about "all things in the world", that is, about the things that walk or crawl, swim in water, or fly in the air and also about all vegetation such as plants and grasses, flowers, etc., and about atmospheres, waters, and material substances of the earth. These later are means for generation, that is, for the soul and body of man, thus to bring forth the life of the living things.
Here, one comes to see that in the creation of the Universe is seen the Divine Love, which is Life Itself and is the Lord Himself in the form of all forms of all uses and that this form is Man. Thus, it is that nothing is made that is not for a use, from their first things to their ultimate and so, form one use to another in unbroken succession. It is from this that one has proof that "the Creator and Former, who is the Lord is the infinite enfolding of all uses, in His essence Love, and in His form Man in whom that enfolding is." It is thus evident that by the ordinary intelligence of this world one cannot reach this truth, but only by spiritual intelligence, thus, man must be 'born again' spiritually.
In this the truths and goods of the Divine Human, the Lord God Himself, enters man and there forms a new will and understanding in which abides the Lord.
End.
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