to our common Head, and mutual communion with each other throughout this one whole family, apply and bring home to us each glorified saint's felicity, and to him ours, by a blessed circulation, till we are in a manner multiplied into as many happy persous on earth, as there are associated saints and angels blest in heaven. Rev. v. 10. See BOYLE's Seraphic Love, 156.

See No. 1270.

-

Pp. 154.

-

5694. [Ephes. iv. 13-16.] The Lord, Who alone is inan, from Whom angels, spirits, and the inhabitants of the earth, are called men ; He, by his influx into heaven, causes universal heaven to represent and resemble one man; and by influx through heaven and from Himself immediately into the individuals there, causes each to appear as a man, the angels in a more beautiful and splendid form than it is possible to describe. In like manner by influx into the spirit of a man who lives in charity towards his neighbour and in love to the Lord, the smallest of all the things of his thought resemble man, by reason that such charity and such love is from the Lord, and 'whatever is from the Lord resembles man. Those principles of love and charity are also what constitute a man. But on the other hand in hell, as the inhabitants there are in spheres contrary to charity and celestial love, though in their own lumen they appear as men, yet in the light of heaven they are monsters, in some of whom scarcely any thing of human form is discernible. The reason is, the Lord's influx through heaven is not received, but rejected, extinguished, or perverted: whence they have such an appearance. In like manner, in the smallest things of their thought, or in their ideas, they are such forms; for, such - the whole as any one is in the whole, such is he in part, and its parts being analagous and homogeneous. That form in which they appear, is also the form of the hell in which they are; for every hell has its form, which in the light of heaven is like a monster; and such of the inhabitants as appear thence, by their form discover from what hell they are.

See No. 1225.

as

the

SWEDENBORG, Arcana, n. 6626.

5693. [—————— 15.] Though the members of the church militant, and those of the triumphant, live as far asunder, ́ as heaven is from earth, and are not more distant as to place, than differing as to condition; yet our perfect union

5695. [Ephes. v. 19.] It is a very just observation, that since the establishment of Christianity, nothing has contributed so much to its propagation, as the singing of sacred hymus and songs. Pliny the younger, in one of his letters to the emperor Trajan, informs him that the Christians sung hymns in their religious assemblies to Christ as God. Arius,

6 G

5703. [Philip. iii. 1. To write the same things [as Paul] to you, to me [Timothy] is not grievous, but for you it is safe] POLYCARP, a Disciple of the Apostle John, points to a First and Second Part of this Epistle, in his Letter to the Philippians, Chap. iii.

destruction, whose God is their belly], which they obey rather than the true God; in eating and drinking contrary to His precepts.

5704. [- -8.] Zemia (Grk.), loss as by shipwreck, Acts xxvii. 21. In this sense he has virtually said, What things were gain to me, these I threw away as mariners do their goods, on which they before set a value, lest they should endanger their lives.

5705. [ 10. That I may know him] He that by the influx of his sphere can enter the divine glory, knows the Lord; as spiritual beings by their influx know

man.

5706. [ 15. God reveal] The future Indicative for the Imperative is a frequent Hebraism.

KNATCHBULL.

5708. [Philip. iv. 3.] In India, they write on palm-leaves, which, when several of them are stitched together, and fastened between two boards, form an Indian book.

BARTOLOMEO, by Johnston, p. 262.

In this kind of book probably, were the names of the Israelites registered at their coming out of Egypt; and again at their return from the Babylonish captivity, as may be seen in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The Hebrew word pechah, rendered kill in Num. xi. 15, properly signifies to blot out or cancel the name; as Moses at that time wished to be cut off, or crossed out, from the Public Register., Hence to be written in the Book of life, signifies to be under the favor and protection of God; and to be blotted out of it whilst living, signifies to lose that favor and protection in consequence of some egregious misdemeanor.

See Essay for a New Translation, part ii. p. 204. Thus the palm, from the kind of books made from its leaves, is, we see, appropriately called the tree of life, See Rev. xxii. 2.

5707. [ 18, 19. Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is

5709. [ 21.] The baptized, among primitive christians, were denominated Hagioi (Grk.), saints. BINGHAM'S Antiquities, vol. i. p. 2.

5710. [— i. 13.] "There was a gentleman of great courage and understanding," says BOYLE," who was a major under King Charles the First. This unfortunate man sharing in his master's misfortunes, and being forced abroad, ventured at Madrid to do his king a signal service; but, unluckily, failed in the attempt. In consequence of this, he was instantly ordered to a dark and dismal dungeon, into which the light never entered, and into which there was no opening but by a hole at the top; down which the keeper put his provisions, and presently closed it again on the other side. In this manner the unfortunate loyalist continued for some weeks, distressed and disconsolate; but, at last, began to think he saw some little glimmering of light. This internal dawn seemed to increase from time to time, so that he could not only discover the parts of his bed, and such other large objects, but, at length, he even began to perceive the mice that frequented his cell; and saw them as they ran about the floor, eating the crumbs of bread that happened to fall. After some months' confinement he was at last set free; but, such was the effect of the darkness upon him that, he could not for some days venture to leave his dungeon, but was obliged to accustom himself by degrees to the light of day."

instead of proteros. And the import of these words is explained by those parallel words in verse 17, Kai autos esti pro panton, And he is before all things. In which likewise we should observe that it is said, he is, not he was before all things; to denote his eternity: And withal that prototokos here in the 15th verse, is applied to the eternal generation of the divine nature, in plain distinction from prototokos in the 18th verse, where it is applied to the human nature's rising from the dead, and being the first-fruits of the (external man's) resurrection (according to JOHN vi. 54).

Bp. BROWNE'S Procedure of the Understanding, p. 304.

Verses 21, 22.] See Luke xxiv. 39.

5712. [- ii. 8.] Sophia and Philosophia, among the Antients, implied skill in any particular branch of knowledge thus rhetoric and oratory are the philosophy of words (often combined with vain deceit); government, political philosophy; and so on. But philosophy, primarily, refers to theology; and the priest is expressly called the philosopher. Archeologia, vol. vii. p. 312.

5711. [ 15.] The true rendering of the words. Prototokos pases ktiseos (Grk.) is, born before all creation, the Genitive case being governed of protos in composition,

5713. to christianity.

A little Philosophy leads to atheism, much

LAVATER.

Of those who wait for influx, it may be expedient to observe, that they do not receive any influx, except sometimes the few, who from their hearts desire it, by a lively perception in their thought, or by a tacit speech therein; rarely by any manifest specch, and then it is to this effect, that they may think and act as they will or can, and that he who acts wisely is a wise man, and he who acts imprudently is foolish. They are never instructed what they ought to believe, and what they ought to do; lest human rationality and liberty should be destroyed. They who are instructed by influx what they ought to believe and do, are not instructed by the Lord, nor by any angel of heaven, but by some enthusiastic spirit; and are seduced.

SWEDENBORG, on Divine Providence, n. 321.

5717. [Coloss. iii. 2.] The will and affections of a human soul are never by any direct and immediate operation employed on abstract intellectual ideas of heavenly things; but are then lifted up from earth to heaven, when they are exercised on our common and natural ideas or notions considered as types, which represent answerable inconceivable antitypes. Bp. BROWNE'S Procedure of the Understanding, p. 201.