Arcana Caelestia: Principally a Revelation of the Inner or Spiritual Meaning of Genesis and Exodus

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1879. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... tion has for its end, that man may receive new life, or rather that he may receive life, and from being no man, may become a man, or from dead be made living, therefore when his former life, which is merely animal, is destroyed by temptations, he cannot but fluctuate between the true and the false. Truth is of the new life, falsity of the old; and unless the former life be destroyed, and this fluctuation take place, it is impossible tor any spiritual seed to be sown, because there is no ground When, however, all this is effected, man scarcely knows what is true and good, and indeed hardly whether there be such a thing as truth in existence. Thus, for example, when reflecting about the goods of charity, or, as they are commonly called, good works, he considers whether he can do them from himself or not, and that in whatever he does from himself there is merit, then he is in such obscurity and darkness, that when informed no one can do good from himself or from proprium, and still less can any one possess merit, but that all good is from the Lord, and all merit is his alone, he can do nothing but express his astonishment. He is also similarly circumstanced with respect to all the other truths of faith; but however great the obscurity and darkness of his mind, it becomes sensibly, although gradually enlightened. Regeneration is accurately represented by man's birth as an infant. His life is then of the most obscure kind; he knows almost nothing, and therefore at first receives only general impressions from the various objects around him. These impressions, however, by degrees become more distinct as particular ideas are conveyed, which in their turn become the mediums of those which are still more specific. Thus general notions become illustrated by indivi...