9279. And on the seventh day thou shalt cease. That this signifies the state of good when the man is in internal things, and his tranquility of peace then, is evident from the signification of “the seventh day,” or “Sabbath,” as being when the man is in good, and is led by the Lord by means of good (see n. 8495, 8510, 8890, 8893); and from the signification of “ceasing,” or “resting from works,” as being the tranquility of peace then. (Concerning this state see what has been said and shown above, n. 9274, 9278)

[2] But it shall be briefly stated why, when a man is in good, he is in internal things. Man’s External Things have been formed according to the Image of the World, and his Internal Things according to the Image of Heaven (see n. 6057); wherefore also his external things receive those which are of the world, but his internal things those which are of heaven. The external things which are of the world are opened in man successively from infancy even to manhood; in like manner the internal things. But the external things are opened by means of those which are of the world, whereas the internal things are opened by means of those which are of heaven. The things thus opened are twofold, namely, those of the understanding, and those of the will. The things of the understanding are opened by means of those which bear relation to truth, and the things of the will by means of those which bear relation to good; for all things in the universe, both those in the world and those in heaven, bear relation to truth and to good. Those which bear relation to truth are called knowledges; and those which bear relation to good are called loves and affections. From this it is clear what, and of what nature, are the things which open the life of man.

[3] As regards the internal man, which as above said has been formed according to the image of heaven, it is the knowledges of the truth and good of faith from the Lord, and consequently of faith in the Lord, that open the things of its understanding; and it is the affections of truth and good, which are of love from the Lord, and consequently of love to the Lord, that open the things of its will, and consequently form within him heaven, thus the Lord in an image, for heaven is an image of the Lord. From this it is that heaven is called the Grand Man (n. 1276, 2996, 2998, 3624-3649, 3741-3750, 4218-4228); that man has been formed according to the image of heaven and the image of the world (n. 3628, 4523, 4524, 6013, 6057); and that a regenerate man, and an angel, is a heaven and a church in the least form (n. 1900, 3624, 3634, 3884, 4040, 4041, 4292, 4625, 6013, 6057, 6605, 6626, 8988). From all this it can be seen why, when a man is in good, he is in internal things. But concerning the opening of man’s internal and external things, of the Lord’s Divine mercy more in what follows.

6053. On influx, and on the interaction of the soul with the body.

Nothing whatever can be known or even thought about influx, and about the interaction of the soul with the body, unless it is known what the soul is, and also something of its nature. If nothing is definitely known about the soul, nothing can be said about its influx and interaction. For how can the communication of two parts be thought of in the total absence of knowledge about the nature of one of them? That complete ignorance prevails about the nature of the soul, especially in the learned world, is evident from the fact that some believe it to be an aerial thing, others something flaming or fiery, others a purely thinking entity, others a general vital force, and others a natural activity. And what is a still further proof of the prevailing ignorance about the nature of the soul is that various places in the body are assigned it, some placing it in the heart, some in the brain and its fibers, others in the corpora striata, others in the ventricles, and others in a small gland; some in every part, but in so doing they conceive of a vitality such as is common to every living thing. From all this it is evident that nothing is known about the soul, and this is the reason why all that has been asserted on the subject is conjectural. And as in this way men could have no idea about the soul, very many have not been able to avoid the belief that the soul is a mere vital thing that is dissipated when the body dies. And this is the reason why the learned have less belief in the life after death than the simple; and because they do not believe in it, neither can they believe in the things which belong to that life, which are the heavenly and spiritual things of faith and love. This also appears from the Lord’s words in Matthew:

Thou hast hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and hast revealed them unto babes (Matt 11:25).

And again:

Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

For the simple have no such thoughts about the soul; but believe that they will live after death; in which simple faith, unknown to them, there is hidden the belief that they will live there as men, will see angels, will speak with them, and will enjoy happiness.