The Search for Intelligence and Wisdom
Finding a life of True Happiness and Peace - Part 3
By Rev. Paul Booth
Finding a life of True Happiness and Peace - Part 3
By Rev. Paul Booth
In so doing - in applying the laws of Order to ourselves - aren't we returning God's love to Him? Of course we are free to think and to will otherwise, that is, against God and Divine order. We have that freedom. However, in so doing, love is not actually reciprocated and the result is that neither do we receive love or truth having not appropriated it 'as if' of ourselves. What man actually appropriates as his becomes distorted. Thus, the man is not made into an image of God, that is, he does not have good and truth and as such is not a true man. By the reciprocity of love, we see that there is such a thing or a third quality of the Lord that has not been mentioned before and it is called of use. The acceptance of Divine Truth and the willingness to live according to reason from the Lord 'as if' of one's self, is that use with man.
Through use the degrees of life, the degrees of the recipients of life one is conjoined to the Lord, not by continuous degrees, but by degrees of contiguity, that is, by one's nearness to Him. For instance, the spiritual degree of life is closer than the natural degree and the celestial is even closer to God. As an example: It is from the use of good that there is a conjunction with the Lord and this according to degree that man enters.
Now, let us examine the quality use. We know that in the creation God made not only man, but all things such as the animal and the plant kingdoms, and the mineral kingdom. Now all these have a relation to mankind. For instance, the animals have limbs by which they move as does a man, they feel as we, they have natural appetites and affections as we. They have a connate knowledge corresponding to their affections. Speech seems to be the only difference between them and man.
While, in the vegetable or plant kingdom one sees that plants come out of seeds and go through stages of growth and production. This is akin to marriage and proliferation, all are seen in relationship to man. And, in the mineral kingdom, these are of use to perform uses, so there is the endeavor toward being more alive 'as it were'. The idea, here, is that this life does not come from the earth, but life comes through spiritual heat, that is through love according to its reception. Although, we on earth cannot see this relation, but only obscurely, yet all these things, the animals, plants, and minerals are representations of the Lord. And, in a certain way, one can recognize himself and sees himself in them as in a mirror. Herein we can see that the universe is created in God's image and that He is Very Man.
Each of all the created things ascends by degrees from the lowest to man and through man to God, and so, is of a use. Within the lowest - the mineral kingdom - lies hidden the building blocks 'as it were' - the end and the beginning of all uses of life. Any scientist will tell you that from his study of the structure of atomic matter. Is not the end of all uses the endeavor to produce uses and the beginning is the force acting from that endeavor? The use of all things of the animal kingdom is the nourishment, the delights, and the vivifying - making alive. In the animal kingdom all have use for a love to the highest, thus, to man. Therefore, man is the recipient of life of the lower natural degrees of the natural world order. However, man alone is a recipient of the degrees of the spiritual world and so; he can be raised above nature, above the natural degree of life into the spiritual and celestial degrees.
We all know that man can think analytically and rationally about civil and moral things, but he can also think about spiritual and Heavenly things that are above nature. He can seek God if he desires. He rises unto intelligence and into wisdom. What we have shown is that there is an ascent of all things towards the First Who alone is Life. Also, that the uses of all things are the very recipients of life and, so, are forms of uses.
Let us now see how man ascends through these degrees of life. First, he is born into the lowest degree, the natural degree of life in this world. Then, by the means of natural knowledge, he raises to the next degree in which he gains an understanding and is then raised into the third degree and becomes rational. Because of his ascent in the natural, the spiritual degrees may be opened and, so, when he puts off his earthly body he comes into the spiritual according to the application of the use of the things of this world. The spiritual degree in him is opened in accordance with the reception of Divine Love and Wisdom from the Lord, and if man receives nothing of Divine Love and Wisdom he will remain in the natural degree with only the ability to think, to speak, to will, and to act, although not intelligently.
From what has thus been said, one comes to understand that there are these degrees of love and wisdom in all things created, both spiritual and natural. Thus, as in this world in which we saw were three kingdoms or degrees of life from the lowest, the mineral, through the middle, the animal, to the highest, which is mankind, so too, is there in the spiritual world three degrees of life. The lowest is called the natural where it was shown man was not intelligent. The next is the spiritual where he is intelligent, and the highest is the celestial where man is wise. If there are degrees of love and wisdom, so too, there are degrees of heat and light, both in the spiritual world and in the natural world, though in the spiritual world the heat and light are spiritual. By heat in the spiritual is meant love (or good) and by light is meant truth.
Now, also, man, having been created in the Lord's image and likeness here on earth, the same degrees of spiritual heat or love and spiritual light or truth, thus the wisdom that angels receive, man receives, except, while being in this world, he cannot feel them as do angels. The reason man on earth has these same spiritual degrees of love and wisdom as do those in the spiritual world is because the mind makes man to be man, both natural and spiritual. In other words, there are in man both natural and spiritual degrees of life. The natural is open to man while he is on earth and the spiritual can be opened in him so that he can live in the next world, the spiritual world upon death.
Of course, man lives there only to the degree that he opens here, and if he does not, he then only lives in the natural degree of this life according to his reception of either good and truth or evil or falsity. If the reception of good and truth has been little, he is a servant there, for he has lived in this world only from his natural senses and, so, he is but sensuous, desiring only the appetite for self and for worldly gain. Thus, he has in place of will, lust, and for understanding he has mere knowledge. As such, the degree of his knowledge is only one of the continuous natural degrees. They are not degrees of contiguity, whereby a man is brought closer to God.
So far we have learned the degrees of life are of two kinds - one of height and breadth or of what are call continuous degrees, and the other called discrete degrees, which is a state of love and wisdom. The nature of man is to strive to gain knowledge that he may live a good life. So, the knowledge of these degrees may be seen as a 'key' that opens the cause of things to him and that he enter into them. As an example: The knowledge of natural or exterior things leads into interior things and these into inmost things by degrees, however not by continuous degrees, but by discrete degrees. Here, there needs to be an explanation between continuous and discrete degrees.
Through use the degrees of life, the degrees of the recipients of life one is conjoined to the Lord, not by continuous degrees, but by degrees of contiguity, that is, by one's nearness to Him. For instance, the spiritual degree of life is closer than the natural degree and the celestial is even closer to God. As an example: It is from the use of good that there is a conjunction with the Lord and this according to degree that man enters.
Now, let us examine the quality use. We know that in the creation God made not only man, but all things such as the animal and the plant kingdoms, and the mineral kingdom. Now all these have a relation to mankind. For instance, the animals have limbs by which they move as does a man, they feel as we, they have natural appetites and affections as we. They have a connate knowledge corresponding to their affections. Speech seems to be the only difference between them and man.
While, in the vegetable or plant kingdom one sees that plants come out of seeds and go through stages of growth and production. This is akin to marriage and proliferation, all are seen in relationship to man. And, in the mineral kingdom, these are of use to perform uses, so there is the endeavor toward being more alive 'as it were'. The idea, here, is that this life does not come from the earth, but life comes through spiritual heat, that is through love according to its reception. Although, we on earth cannot see this relation, but only obscurely, yet all these things, the animals, plants, and minerals are representations of the Lord. And, in a certain way, one can recognize himself and sees himself in them as in a mirror. Herein we can see that the universe is created in God's image and that He is Very Man.
Each of all the created things ascends by degrees from the lowest to man and through man to God, and so, is of a use. Within the lowest - the mineral kingdom - lies hidden the building blocks 'as it were' - the end and the beginning of all uses of life. Any scientist will tell you that from his study of the structure of atomic matter. Is not the end of all uses the endeavor to produce uses and the beginning is the force acting from that endeavor? The use of all things of the animal kingdom is the nourishment, the delights, and the vivifying - making alive. In the animal kingdom all have use for a love to the highest, thus, to man. Therefore, man is the recipient of life of the lower natural degrees of the natural world order. However, man alone is a recipient of the degrees of the spiritual world and so; he can be raised above nature, above the natural degree of life into the spiritual and celestial degrees.
We all know that man can think analytically and rationally about civil and moral things, but he can also think about spiritual and Heavenly things that are above nature. He can seek God if he desires. He rises unto intelligence and into wisdom. What we have shown is that there is an ascent of all things towards the First Who alone is Life. Also, that the uses of all things are the very recipients of life and, so, are forms of uses.
Let us now see how man ascends through these degrees of life. First, he is born into the lowest degree, the natural degree of life in this world. Then, by the means of natural knowledge, he raises to the next degree in which he gains an understanding and is then raised into the third degree and becomes rational. Because of his ascent in the natural, the spiritual degrees may be opened and, so, when he puts off his earthly body he comes into the spiritual according to the application of the use of the things of this world. The spiritual degree in him is opened in accordance with the reception of Divine Love and Wisdom from the Lord, and if man receives nothing of Divine Love and Wisdom he will remain in the natural degree with only the ability to think, to speak, to will, and to act, although not intelligently.
From what has thus been said, one comes to understand that there are these degrees of love and wisdom in all things created, both spiritual and natural. Thus, as in this world in which we saw were three kingdoms or degrees of life from the lowest, the mineral, through the middle, the animal, to the highest, which is mankind, so too, is there in the spiritual world three degrees of life. The lowest is called the natural where it was shown man was not intelligent. The next is the spiritual where he is intelligent, and the highest is the celestial where man is wise. If there are degrees of love and wisdom, so too, there are degrees of heat and light, both in the spiritual world and in the natural world, though in the spiritual world the heat and light are spiritual. By heat in the spiritual is meant love (or good) and by light is meant truth.
Now, also, man, having been created in the Lord's image and likeness here on earth, the same degrees of spiritual heat or love and spiritual light or truth, thus the wisdom that angels receive, man receives, except, while being in this world, he cannot feel them as do angels. The reason man on earth has these same spiritual degrees of love and wisdom as do those in the spiritual world is because the mind makes man to be man, both natural and spiritual. In other words, there are in man both natural and spiritual degrees of life. The natural is open to man while he is on earth and the spiritual can be opened in him so that he can live in the next world, the spiritual world upon death.
Of course, man lives there only to the degree that he opens here, and if he does not, he then only lives in the natural degree of this life according to his reception of either good and truth or evil or falsity. If the reception of good and truth has been little, he is a servant there, for he has lived in this world only from his natural senses and, so, he is but sensuous, desiring only the appetite for self and for worldly gain. Thus, he has in place of will, lust, and for understanding he has mere knowledge. As such, the degree of his knowledge is only one of the continuous natural degrees. They are not degrees of contiguity, whereby a man is brought closer to God.
So far we have learned the degrees of life are of two kinds - one of height and breadth or of what are call continuous degrees, and the other called discrete degrees, which is a state of love and wisdom. The nature of man is to strive to gain knowledge that he may live a good life. So, the knowledge of these degrees may be seen as a 'key' that opens the cause of things to him and that he enter into them. As an example: The knowledge of natural or exterior things leads into interior things and these into inmost things by degrees, however not by continuous degrees, but by discrete degrees. Here, there needs to be an explanation between continuous and discrete degrees.