intellectual principle-the understanding. Hence it is used in this sense throughout the Word of God, differing in quality according to the state or colour of the animal. Thus our Lord is said to ride upon a white horse," to denote that He achieves His conquests on earth by guiding the purified mind or understanding in the knowledge of genuine truth. And when the destruction and fall of the Church is spoken of, it is said, “I will smite every horse with astonishment or stupor, and his rider with madness: I will smite every horse of the people with blindness." That is, the understanding shall be darkened, and the ruling affection (the guide of the understanding) shall be perverted to evil. In other words, faith shall cease in the mind, and evil rule in the heart.

But by far the most remarkable application of this figure is found in the Apocalypse. I allude to the opening of the first four seals: (ch. vi.) "And when he had opened the first seal, I heard the first living creature say, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." The whole scope of this vision is to shew the successive states of the Christian Church, to its final apostacy and fall; and the rider on the horse is in all cases the same,-the Word of God, (See Rev. xix.) either in its purity, or perverted and abused. The first seal opens with the primitive state of the Church in its simplicity and purity. The horse is white, to denote the pure and simple state of the understanding; "he that sat on him," he that guided the understanding, "had a bow, and a crown was given unto him," the Word of God was a ruling as well as a guiding power; " and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

The second seal shews a perversion of truth, but a continuance of love in the Church. The horse is red, the colour of flame; its whiteness has disappeared. "And it was given to the rider to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword." Can any thing more clearly express the effect of error, as it existed in the Church during its second period. The ecclesiastical historians, from Eusebius downwards, describe the state of the Church as that of a company of contending sects, anathematizing each other, and only agreeing in one point,—that of arrogating all power to themselves. All real truth was lost; the doctrines of the Gospel were used as weapons against each other; and the whole Christian world was in uproar and confusion. "Peace" was indeed "taken from the earth." Formerly, the heathens persecuted the Christians; now the Christians persecuted the heathens, and each other. A man's

spiritual life was endangered, and his natural life was not safe in the whirlwind of error; yet God had a remnant: love still lingered in the midst of falsehood.

The third seal describes the effect of this. "I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand." The understanding was now completely darkened: the horse is black. All good and all truth has vanished, and now judgment is about to "begin at the house of God: "he that sat on him had a pair of balances." "And I heard a voice say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; but see that thou touch not the oil and the wine." Here the Love and Truth of God are represented as being undervalued, as counted worth nothing; although the letter of the Word was falsified and perverted, the spiritual sense denoted by the "oil and the wine" could not be injured.

The completion follows. "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I looked, and behold a pale horse; and he that sat on him was death, and hell followed him." Here every appearance of Good and Truth is lost; and the Word of God, which was at first "the savour of life unto life," is "the savour of death unto death." "He that sat on him was death, and hell followed him!" If any one will peruse the history of the Christian Church in its latter day, he will see the truth and applicability of this prophecy.

The sixth seal shews the abolition of the fallen Church, and the raising up of a purer system; but the horse is no more named. We find it, however, in the ninth chapter, but distorted and deformed. "The heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and those that sat on them had breast-plates (coverings for the heart) of fire, and jacinth, and brimstone." Their hearts were guarded against all approach, by a covering of evil affections and vile inclinations; while their understandings were not only darkened, but deformed and perverted.

Once more. In the nineteenth chapter we find the second coming of the Lord to restore His Church described: and as in the beginning of the Church he is said to ride on 66 a white horse," and to tr go forth conquering, and to conquer;" so here we find Him again on a "white horse," guiding the sincere mind in the understanding of the truth, "clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God." The "vesture," or outward covering, "dipped in blood,' shews the pervertion of the letter of the Word,-the violence done to the literal meaning by the contending and perverted sects. "And the armies of heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean;" those whose minds were illuminated, and their outward

conduct reformed. Accompanied by these, he is described as fighting against evil and error, and finally destroying them from the earth. This event is succeeded by the establishment of a new descent of the Divine Truth, and the building up of a Church in which dwelleth righteousness. These figures, or rather correspondences, will serve to shew, that not only is the letter of the Word of God holy, but that there is within the letter a meaning far more elevated, and far more important than even the letter can furnish.

Time will not allow us to go through the whole of the various figures; but by fixing the signification of the more important ones, and then examining what relation other natural objects bear to these, the spiritual meaning may be very closely approached; for the spiritual will bear to the spiritual the same relation, in a spiritual sense, as the natural bears to the natural, in a natural sense.

In this internal glory we are to look for the peculiar inspiration of the Scriptures. Though written by different hands, and by men, many of whom did not comprehend the meaning of what they wrote; yet the rule by which they were guided was in all cases the same; the figures or correspondences they employ, bear universally the same meaning, and treat exactly on the same subjects, while yet those subjects were hidden from their view, and were beyond their comprehension.

No one on earth can form an idea of the infinite holiness of the Divine Word, or of the infinite wisdom contained within it: eternity may unveil a portion; but even eternity cannot give us the knowledge of the whole.

EXTRACTS FROM SWEDENBORG'S SPIRITUAL DIARY. (Now first translated from the original Latin; continued from page 100.)

Concerning the Fear of those who have led a perverse or wicked life. 149. It was observed respecting those spirits who, although instructed, had still led a wicked life, that they were much more frightened and terrified at the judgment of truth than others [who had not been so instructed]. They were more dejected as to their minds, and they had recourse to more humble supplications than others, nor did they know where to conceal themselves. But so soon as they revive from their terror, they return to their former proud states of mind, and imagine themselves to be the only ones [worthy of being] in heaven: this fact I have this day perceived,-1747, Oct 9, st. vet.*

*The reader is informed that the Diary commences with this number 149, and as this is immediately preceded, even on the same page in the MS., by the conclusion

Concerning the genius of the Posterity of Jacob.

159. From considerable experience in the other life respecting the posterity of Jacob, who act from the nature (indole) they had acquired, it has been ascertained of what nature they were, and of what character they still are:-they succumb in every danger, (periculo) or trial; they are most timid, and inclined to despair; and they humble themselves even to the dust. But immediately the state of danger, or trial, is passed, they return to their own peculiar genius or nature, and are haughty and despise all others in the universe in comparison with themselves. Moreover, if they can only possess earthly and worldly things, they employ any means, even deceitful supplications, and many other things [to obtain their ends].

That an Intellectual idea exists from, and consists of very

many ideas.

158. Through the Lord's mercy* I perceived this day, that the intellectual ideas of goodness and truth, exist from, and indeed successively, and thus consist of, very many ideas of those who are intellectual angels, so that there is a form of consentient, or agreeing influences, when the truth flows in, and a form of dissentient, or disagreeing influences when any confusion arises; the intermediate differences,-from the consent to the dissent are indefinite. These forms are arranged by the Lord alone, entirely according to that state into which a man comes; wherefore not the slightest particle of human thought concerning the truths and goods of faith flows in from man. But when any thing, even in the slightest degree, flows in from those things which are in the memory, the [intellectual] idea is immediately disturbed and confused. The same confusion [in respect to intellectual ideas] also arises when spirits reason together. When that dissension

of a

"Dictionary of Correspondences," drawn up by Swedenborg himself, it is supposed that 149 is the real commencement of the Diary, which was begun after the "Adversaria" was completed, or the notes which he penned during the period of between two and three years, when he was studying the Word, both as to the Hebrew Text, and the Internal Sense, before he began to write out the Arcana Cœlestia for the press. The last date to the " Adversaria" is found at the conclusion of the notes on Jeremiah, and is Feb. 9th, 1747. This Dictionary of Correspondences, which if printed will consist of about 100 sheets, or 1600 pages, making three volumes 8vo. of more than 500 pages each, is now in the hands of Dr Tafel, and will probably be put to press as soon as the Diary is completed. This is another monument of the amazing industry of Swedenborg!

*The author in the former part of the Diary uses the expression Deus Messias as in the " Adversaria," instead of Dominus, but as he afterwards thought proper, for reasons stated in A. C. 14, to employ the latter term, we translate it "Lord."

was continued, it wearied my mind, but when there was consent [or harmony] my mind was restored to its cheerful and active state,a fact which I had sometimes previously experienced.

Concerning the nature of men in the other life.

191. Men in the other life are not such as they are in the life of the body. They then cannot dissemble, that is, say one thing and do another, and, by means of their intellectual mind, feign what is good, when, at the same time, they are evil. Their nature as to its willprinciple remains, but the intellectual things, which are not inscribed upon their nature, pass away. Thus no one can assume any other character than his own, nor can he act in any other manner than according to his will. There are deceitful [or hypocritical] spirits, who can assume the appearance of angels, but they are the worst kind of spirits, since it is manifest that deceit and cunning are implanted in their nature. 1747, Aug. 31.

Concerning the fallacies of the senses in all things, which, if not dissipated, prevent the truth from ever appearing.

205. The angels are much surprised, that men, at the present time, even those who are called learned, do not understand that man consists of three distinct faculties [or degrees of life] which have reference to as many heavens of angels, besides the body which dies. It was also a matter of great surprise, that men are still ignorant, that the life of man is by no means man's, but that all life flows in from the Lord. So great is the darkness and fallacy, that they can scarcely imagine but that the eye sees from itself (ex se); thus, that the interior mind perceives of itself, and that the understanding understands of itself. Whereas what is inferior is and subsists from what is superior, and all from the Supreme, thus from the Lord. Man possesses only organic forms from which the differences [as to the manifestation of life] arise, as may be known. Wherefore, unless those fallacies be shaken off, it can by no means be said, that man is in the truth, and that he has faith, since it is necessary that the truth be believed, because that opens the way to the Lord, who is the TRUTH Itself. On which account they greatly wonder, that, since man does not perceive the proximate causes of natural objects, he should not have faith in spiritual, celestial, and divine things, which are remote, yea most remote, unless he can perceive them with his eyes, and, as it were, feel them. 1747, Oct. 9.

That "Abraham

doth not know us," as we read in Isaiah, chap. lxiii., and that the angels do not know us.

206. For a long time I thought that the more interior angels knew what I did, and thought, because I considered that the evil intentions