Those who think from interior reason can see that there is a
connection of all things through intermediates with the First, and
that whatever is not in connection is dissipated. For they know, when
they think about it, that nothing can have permanent existence from
itself, but only from what is prior to itself, thus all things from a
First; also that the connection with what is prior is like the
connection of an effect with its effecting cause; for when the
effecting cause is taken away from its effect the effect is dissolved
and dispersed. Because the learned thought thus they saw and said
that permanent existence is a perpetual springing forth; thus that
all things have permanent existence from a First; and as they sprang
from that First so they perpetually spring forth, that is, have
permanent existence from it. But what the connection of everything is
with that which is prior to itself, thus with the First which is the
source of all things, cannot be told in a few words, because it is
various and diverse. It can only be said in general that there is a
connection of the natural world with the spiritual world, and that in
consequence there is a correspondence of all things in the natural
world with all things in the spiritual (see n. 103-115); also that
there is a connection and consequently a correspondence of all things
of man with all things of heaven (see n. 87-102).
304. Man is so created as to have a conjunction and connection with
the Lord, but with the angels of heaven only an affiliation. Man has
affiliation with the angels, but not conjunction, because in respect
to the interiors of his mind man is by creation like an angel, having
a like will and a like understanding. Consequently if a man has lived
in accordance with the Divine order he becomes after death an angel,
with the same wisdom as an angel. Therefore when the conjunction of
man with heaven is spoken of his conjunction with the Lord and
affiliation with the angels is meant; for heaven is heaven from the
Lord's Divine, and not from what is strictly the angels' own
[proprium]. That it is the Lord's Divine that makes heaven may be
seen above (n. 7-12). [2] But man has, beyond what the angels have,
that he is not only in respect to his interiors in the spiritual
world, but also at the same time in respect to his exteriors in the
natural world. His exteriors which are in the natural world are all
things of his natural or external memory and of his thought and
imagination therefrom; in general, knowledges and sciences with their
delights and pleasures so far as they savor of the world, also many
pleasures belonging to the senses of the body, together with his
senses themselves, his speech, and his actions. And all these are the
outmosts in which the Lord's Divine influx terminates; for that
influx does not stop midway, but goes on to its outmosts. All this
shows that the outmost of Divine order is in man; and being the
outmost it is also the base and foundation. [3] As the Lord's Divine
influx does not stop midway but goes on to its outmosts, as has been
said, and as this middle part through which it passes is the angelic
heaven, while the outmost is in man, and as nothing can exist
unconnected, it follows that the connection and conjunction of heaven
with the human race is such that one has its permanent existence from
the other, and that the human race apart from heaven would be like a
chain without a hook; and heaven without the human race would be like
a house without a foundation.{1}
{Footnote 1} Nothing springs from itself, but from what is
prior to itself, thus all things from a First, and they also
have permanent existence from Him from whom they spring forth,
and permanent existence is a perpetual springing forth (n.
2886, 2888, 3627, 3628, 3648, 4523, 4524, 6040, 6056). Divine
order does not stop midway, but terminates in an outmost, and
that outmost is man, thus Divine order terminates in man (n.
634, 2853, 3632, 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 9215, 9216, 9824,
9828, 9836, 9905, 10044, 10329, 10335, 10548). Interior things
flow into external things, even into the extreme or outmost in
successive order, and there they spring forth and have
permanent existence (n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216). Interior
things spring forth and have permanent existence in what is
outmost in simultaneous order (n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099).
Therefore all interior things are held together in connection
from a First by means of a Last (n. 9828). Therefore "the First
and the Last" signify all things and each thing, that is, the
whole (n. 10044, 10329, 10335). Consequently in outmosts there
is strength and power (n. 9836).
305. But man has severed this connection with heaven by turning his
exteriors away from heaven, and turning them to the world and to self
by means of his love of self and of the world, thereby so withdrawing
himself that he no longer serves as a basis and foundation for
heaven; therefore the Lord has provided a medium to serve in place of
this base and foundation for heaven, and also for the conjunction of
heaven with man. This medium is the Word. How the Word serves as such
a medium has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, all
of which may be seen gathered up in the little work on The White
Horse mentioned in the Apocalypse; also in the Appendix to the New
Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, from which some notes are here
appended.{1}
{Footnote 1} The Word in the sense of the letter is natural (n.
8783). For the reason that the natural is the outmost in which
spiritual and heavenly things, which are interior things,
terminate and on which they rest, like a house upon its
foundation (n. 9430, 9433, 9824, 10044, 10436). That the Word
may be such it is composed wholly of correspondences (n. 1404,
1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 8615, 10687). Because
the Word is such in the sense of the letter it is the
containant of the spiritual and heavenly sense (n. 9407). And
it is adapted both to men and to angels (n. 1769-1772, 1887,
2143, 2157, 2275, 2333, 2395, 2540, 2541, 2547, 2553, 7381,
8862, 10322). And it is what makes heaven and earth one (n.
2310, 2495, 9212, 9216, 9357, 9396, 10375). The conjunction of
the Lord with man is through the Word, by means of the internal
sense (n. 10375). There is conjunction by means of all things
and each particular thing of the Word, and in consequence the
Word is wonderful above all other writing (n. 10632-10634).
Since the Word was written the Lord speaks with men by means of
it (n. 10290). The church, where the Word is and the Lord is
known by means of it, in relation to those who are out of the
church where there is no Word and the Lord is unknown is like
the heart and lungs in man in comparison with the other parts
of the body, which live from them as from the fountains of
their life (n. 637, 931, 2054, 2853). Before the Lord the
universal church on the earth is as a single man (n. 7396,
9276). Consequently unless there were on this earth a church
where the Word is, and where the Lord is known by means of it,
the human race here would perish (n. 468, 637, 931, 4545,
10452).
306. I have been told from heaven that the most ancient people,
because their interiors were turned heavenwards, had direct
revelation, and by this means there was at that time a conjunction of
the Lord with the human race. After their times, however, there was
no such direct revelation, but there was a mediate revelation by
means of correspondences, inasmuch as all their Divine worship then
consisted of correspondences, and for this reason the churches of
that time were called representative churches. For it was then known
what correspondence is and what representation is, and that all
things on the earth correspond to spiritual things in heaven and in
the church, or what is the same, represent them; and therefore the
natural things that constituted the externals of their worship served
them as mediums for thinking spiritually, that is, thinking with the
angels. When the knowledge of correspondences and representations had
been blotted out of remembrance a Word was written, in which all the
words and their meanings are correspondences, and thus contain a
spiritual or internal sense, in which are the angels; and in
consequence, when a man reads the Word and perceives it according to
the sense of the letter or the outer sense the angels perceive it
according to the internal or spiritual sense; for all the thought of
angels is spiritual while the thought of man is natural. These two
kinds of thought appear diverse; nevertheless they are one because
they correspond. Thus it was that when man had separated himself from
heaven and had severed the bond the Lord provided a medium of
conjunction of heaven with man by means of the Word.
307. How heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word I will
illustrate by some passages from it. "The New Jerusalem" is described
in the Apocalypse in these words:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy
city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. The
city was foursquare, its length as great as its breadth;
and an angel measured the city with a reed, twelve
thousand furlongs; the length, the breadth, and the height
of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an
hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that
is, of an angel. The building of the wall was of jasper;
but the city itself was pure gold, and like unto pure
glass; and the foundations of the wall were adorned with
every precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls;
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were
transparent glass (21:1, 2, 16-19, 21).
When man reads these words he understands them merely in accordance
with the sense of the letter, namely, that the visible heaven with
the earth is to perish, and a new heaven is to come into existence;
and upon the new earth the holy city Jerusalem is to descend, with
all its dimensions as here described. But the angels that are with
man understand these things in a wholly different way, that is,
everything that man understands naturally they understand
spiritually. [2] By "the new heaven and the new earth" they
understand a new church; by "the city Jerusalem coming down from God
out of heaven" they understand its heavenly doctrine revealed by the
Lord; by "its length, breadth, and height, which are equal," and
"twelve thousand furlongs," they understand all the goods and truths
of that doctrine in the complex; by its "wall" they understand the
truths protecting it; by "the measure of the wall, a hundred and
forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an
angel," they understand all those protecting truths in the complex
and their character; by its "twelve gates, which were of pearls,"
they understand introductory truths, "pearls" signifying such truths;
by "the foundations of the wall, which were of precious stones," they
understand the knowledge on which that doctrine is founded; by "the
gold like unto pure glass," of which the city and its street were
made, they understand the good of love which makes the doctrine and
its truths transparent. Thus do the angels perceive all these things;
and therefore not as man perceives them. The natural ideas of man
thus pass into the spiritual ideas with the angels without their
knowing anything of the sense of the letter of the Word, that is,
about "a new heaven and a new earth," "a new city Jerusalem," its
"wall, the foundations of the wall, and its dimensions." And yet the
thoughts of angels make one with the thoughts of man, because they
correspond; they make one almost the same as the words of a speaker
make one with the understanding of them by a hearer who attends
solely to the meaning and not to the words. All this shows how heaven
is conjoined with man by means of the Word: [3] Let us take another
example from the Word:
In that day there shall be a highway from Egypt to
Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt and Egypt into
Assyria; and the Egyptians shall serve Assyria. In that
day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a
blessing in the midst of the land, Which Jehovah of hosts
shall bless, saying, Blessed be My people the Egyptian,
and the Assyrian the work of My hands, and Israel Mine
inheritance (Isaiah 19:23-25).
What man thinks when these words are read, and what the angels think,
can be seen from the sense of the letter of the Word and from its
internal sense. Man from the sense of the letter thinks that the
Egyptians and Assyrians are to be converted to God and accepted, and
are then to become one with the Israelitish nation; but angels in
accordance with the internal sense think of the man of the spiritual
church who is here described in that sense, whose spiritual is
"Israel," whose natural is the "Egyptian," and whose rational, which
is the middle, is the "Assyrian."{1} Nevertheless, these two senses
are one because they correspond; and therefore when the angels thus
think spiritually and man naturally they are conjoined almost as body
and soul are; in fact, the internal sense of the Word is its soul and
the sense of the letter is its body. Such is the Word throughout.
This shows that it is a medium of conjunction of heaven with man, and
that its literal sense serves as a base and foundation.
{Footnote 1} In the Word "Egypt" and "Egyptian" signify the
natural and its knowledge (n. 4967, 5079, 5080, 5095, 5160,
5460, 5799, 6015, 6147, 6252, 7355, 7648, 9340, 9391).
"Assyria" signifies the rational (n. 119, 1186). "Israel"
signifies the spiritual (n. 5414, 5801, 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817,
5819, 5826, 5833, 5879, 5951, 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035,
7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 7957, 8234, 8805, 9340).
308. There is also a conjunction of heaven by means of the Word with
those who are outside of the church where there is no Word; for the
Lord's church is universal, and is with all who acknowledge the
Divine and live in charity. Moreover, such are taught after death by
the angels and receive Divine truths;{1} on which subject more may be
seen below, in the chapter on the heathen. The universal church on
the earth in the sight of the Lord resembles a single man, just as
heaven does (see n. 59-72); but the church where the Word is and
where the Lord is known by means of it is like the heart and lungs in
that man. It is known that all the viscera and members of the entire
body draw their life from the heart and lungs through various
derivations; and it is thus that those of the human race live who are
outside of the church where the Word is, and who constitute the
members of that man. Again, the conjunction of heaven with those who
are at a distance by means of the Word may be compared to light
radiating from a center all around. The Divine light is in the Word,
and there the Lord with heaven is present, and from that presence
those at a distance are in light; but it would be otherwise if there
were no Word. This may be more clearly seen from what has been shown
above respecting the form of heaven in accordance with which all who
are in heaven have affiliation and communication. But while this
arcanum may be comprehended by those who are in spiritual light, it
cannot be comprehended by those who are only in natural light; for
innumerable things are clearly seen by those who are in spiritual
light that are not seen or are seen obscurely as a single thing by
those who are only in natural light.
{Footnote 1} The church specifically is where the Word is and
where the Lord is known by means of it, thus where Divine
truths from heaven are revealed (n. 3857, 10761). The Lord's
church is with all in the whole globe who live in good in
accordance with the principles of their religion (n. 3263,
6637, 10765). All wherever they are who live in good in
accordance with the principles of their religion and who
acknowledge the Divine are accepted of the Lord (n. 2589-2604,
2861, 2863, 3263, 4190, 4197, 6700, 9256). And besides these
all children wheresoever they are born (n. 2289-2309, 4792).
309. Unless such a Word had been given on this earth the man of this
earth would have been separated from heaven; and if separated from
heaven he would have ceased to be rational, for the human rational
exists by an influx of the light of heaven. Again, the man of this
earth is such that he is not capable of receiving direct revelation
and of being taught about Divine truths by such revelation, as the
inhabitants of other earths are, that have been especially described
in another small work. For the man of this earth is more in worldly
things, that is, in externals, than the men of other earths, and it
is internal things that are receptive of revelation; if it were
received in external things the truth would not be understood. That
such is the man of this earth is clearly evident from the state of
those who are within the church, which is such that while they know
from the Word about heaven, about hell, about the life after death,
still in heart they deny these things; although among them there are
some who have acquired a pre-eminent reputation for learning, and who
might for that reason be supposed to be wiser than others.
310. I have at times talked with angels about the Word, saying that
it is despised by some on account of its simple style; and that
nothing whatever is known about its internal sense, and for this
reason it is not believed that so much wisdom lies hid in it. The
angels said that although the style of the Word seems simple in the
sense of the letter, it is such that nothing can ever be compared to
it in excellence, since Divine wisdom lies concealed not only in the
meaning as a whole but also in each word; and that in heaven this
wisdom shines forth. They wished to declare that this wisdom is the
light of heaven, because it is Divine truth, for that which shines in
heaven is the Divine truth (see n. 132). Again, they said that
without such a Word there would be no light of heaven with the men of
our earth, nor would there be any conjunction of heaven with them;
for there is conjunction only so far as the light of heaven is
present with man, and that light is present only so far as Divine
truth is revealed to man by means of the Word. This conjunction by
means of the correspondence of the spiritual sense of the Word with
its natural sense is unknown to man, because the man of this earth
knows nothing about the spiritual thought and speech of angels, and
how it differs from the natural thought and speech of men; and until
this is known it cannot in the least be known what the internal sense
is, and that such conjunction is therefore possible by means of that
sense. They said, furthermore, that if this sense were known to man,
and if man in reading the Word were to think in accordance with some
knowledge of it, he would come into interior wisdom, and would be
still more conjoined with heaven, since by this means he would enter
into ideas like the ideas of the angels.