JOHN. CHAPTER XIV. THE INTERNAL SENSE. THE Word teacheth, that man ought to look inwards towards the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY, for a refuge against evils, v. 1. And to believe that heaven is distinguished into innumerable societies, according to all the discriminations of good and truth, and that every one has a place there, according to the conjunction of those principles in his mind and life, v. 2. And to believe further, that according to the conjunction of those principles in the mind and life, every man hath eter nal conjunction of life with the LORD himself, v. 3. Because according to the conjunction of those principles, every one bath knowledge concerning the glorification of the LORD's humanity, and the process by which it was ef fected, although this knowledge seems to be concealed from him, 4, 5. For in that glorification, and the process by which it was effected, is contained the all of doctrine, together with it's truth and life, by which alone 7. If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. 8. Philip saith unto Him, LORD, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9. JESUS saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; and how sayeth thou, Shew us the Father? 10. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The sayings that I speak unto you, I speak not from myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. 11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, or else believe me for the very work's sake. 12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater that these shall he do, because I go unto 1 my Father. 13. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, this will I do, introduction is given to the su preme good, v. 6. Consequently the knowledge of the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY involves in it the knowledge of his essential divinity, and therefore faith in the visible humanity renders the divinity visible at the same time, v. 7. This reasoning however seems obscure to those in the church, who are principled in the intelligence of truth, and therefore they seek further ins struction concerning the hidden divinity, v. 3. And are further taught, that whosoever hath faith in the vie sible DIVINE HUMANITY, hath faith also in the invisible DIVINITY, since the DiviNITY and HUMANITY are mutually and reciprocally united, like soul and body, so that the humanity both thinks and operates from the divinity which is one with it, v. 9, 10, 11. Whosoever also hath faith in the visible DIVINE HUMATM NITY, operates not only from truth in the understanding, but from the good of love and charity in the will, through the power supplied from that hu manity made divine, v. 12. And thus, inasmuch as he addresses himself immediately 21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; but he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. to the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY, all His prayers are granted, because the di vinity is one with that huma nity, v. 13, 14. He is also instructed that to love the LORD is to live according to His divine precepts, in which case the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY imparts all heavenly good and truth, and this to eternity, v. 15, 16, and part of 17. Which good and truth cannot be received by those who are in evil, but by those who are principled in faith and love, and who consequently have good and truth continually communicated to them from the LORD in His DIVINE HUMANITY, v. latter part of 17, 18. So that whereas they, who are in evil, have no faith in the LORD, they on the other hand, who are principled in faith and love, enjoy his continual presence, as a fountain of truth in their understandings, and of heavenly love in their wills, and, thus have reciprocal conjunction of life with Him, v. 19, 20. For to love the LORD is to live according to His precepts, and they who so love are loved in return by the LORD, who dwelleth in His own Word in the interiors of such, and thus makes them the everlasting 22. Judas saith unto Him,ons of His truth and (not Iscariot) LORD, how is it that thou art about to manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world? love, v. 21, 22, 23, 24. 25. JESUS answered and said unto him, If any one love me, he will keep my Word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him. 24. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my words; and the Word, which ye hear, is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 25. These things have I spoken unto you, remaining with you. 26. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and will remind you of all things which I have said to you. 27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you: Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28. Ye have heard that I said unto you, I go away, and come to you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because I said I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than me. 29. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe. 30. I will not yet speak mány things with you, for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me, 31. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father hath commanded me, so I do; Arise, let us go hence. Instructing them first by the letter of His Word, and afterwards by it's spirit, or spiritual sense, in which is contained the all of truth and good, thus the all of internal peace, by which power is given over all spiritual temptations, v. 25, 26, 27. And instructing them further, that true charity rejoiceth in the idea of the LORD's glorification, or of the union of divine truth with divine good, since truth derives from good all that it hath, or is, and all proper faith results from the accomplishment of their predicted union, v. 28, 29. Nevertheless the union cannot be accomplished without temptation-combats arising from the powers of darkness, by virtue of which the divine love of the LORD is manifested in all it's fulness and purity, calling mankind to elevation of their affections by departing from all contrary love. CHAPTER XIV. Extracts from the Theological Writings OF THE HON. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. ERSE 2. In my Father's house are many mansions. That by mansions are signified the two parts of man, which are the will and the understanding, is manifest from what hath been said, that those two parts are most distinct from each other, and that on this account, as was said, the buman brain is divided into two parts, which are called hemispheres, to it's left hemisphere appertain the things of the understanding, to the right the things of the will; this is the most general distinction, Moreover both will and understanding are distinguished into innumerable parts, for there are so many divisions of the things of the understanding, and so many of the things of the will of man, that it is impossible to express or enumerate them as to the universal genera, still less as to the specieses: Man is a kind of very diminutive heaven, who corresponds to the world of spirits and to heaven, where all genera and all specieses of things of the understanding and will are distinguished by the Lord into such orderly arrangement, that there is not the smallest particle of all which is not distinguished: In heaven these divisions are called societies, in the Word habitations, and by the Lord mansions, John xiv. 2. A. C. 644. They, who are in the grand pan, are in the freedom of respiration, when they are in the good of love; but still they are distinguished according to the quality and quantity of good; hence there are so many heavens, which in the Word are called mansions, Jobu xiv. 2; and every one in his own heaven is in his own life, and hath influx from the universal heaven, every one being there the centre of all influxes, hence in the most perfect equilibrium, and this according to the stupendous form of heaven, which form is from the Lord alone, thus with all variety. A, C. 4225. |