4403. CONTINUATION CONCERNING THE GRAND MAN AND CONCERNING CORRESPONDENCE, HERE CONCERNING CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EYE AND WITH LIGHT.

Of what quality spirits were, and to what province of the body they belonged, it has also been given me to observe and know from their position and place with me, and also from the plane in which they were, and from their distance therein. Those who were seen near me were for the most part subjects of entire societies; for societies send spirits from themselves to others, and through these spirits they perceive the thoughts and affections, and thus effect communication. But concerning these so-called Subjects-that is, emissary spirits-something shall of the Lord’s Divine mercy be said in particular. The following facts have been observed in connection with these emissary spirits. Those who appear above the head, and near it, are those who teach, and who also easily suffer themselves to be taught. Those who are under the back of the head are those who act silently and prudently. Those who are near the back act similarly, with a difference. Those who are at the chest or breast are those who are in charity. Those who are at the loins are those who are in conjugial love. Those who are at the feet are those who are natural, and those who are at the soles of the feet are the more gross of this kind. But those who are at the face vary in genius, according to their correspondence with the sensories of this part, those for instance who are at the nostrils are those who excel in perception, those who are at the ears are those who obey, and those who are at the eyes are those who are intelligent and wise, and so on.

4287. For as a prince hast thou contended with God and with men, and hast prevailed. That this signifies continual victories in combats as to truths and goods, is evident from the signification of “contending as a prince,” as being to overcome in combats, here in the combats of temptations, for these are what are treated of; and from the signification of “with God and with men” as being as to truths and goods, of which below.

[2] As in the supreme sense the Lord is treated of, it is He who is meant in this sense by “him that contended as a prince with God and men;” for He endured all temptations by His own power, and by means of them conquered the hells; for He admitted all the hells into Himself in their order, yea, even to the angels-of which in the following pages. And He thus reduced into order all things in the heavens and in the hells, and at last glorified Himself, that is, made the Human in Himself Divine.

[3] From this it is manifest that in the supreme sense the Lord is “Jacob” and “Israel” (as shown just above, n. 4286), not only in that He contended as a prince, that is, endured all the combats of temptations, and conquered in them, but in that He also endures them in every man. But see what has been said on these subjects many times before, namely: That the Lord beyond all endured the most grievous temptations (n. 1663, 1668, 1787, 2776, 2786, 2795, 2816): That the Lord fought from Divine love, differently from all men (n. 1690, 1691, 1789, 1812, 1813, 1820): That the Lord fought against hereditary evil from the mother, so that at last He was not her son, although He had no actual evil (n. 1444, 1573, 2025, 2574, 2649, 3318): That the Lord through combats of temptations and continual victories disposed all things into a heavenly form (n. 1928): That by continual victories in the combats of temptations He united the Divine Essence to the Human (n. 1616, 1737, 1813, 1921, 2025, 2026, 2500, 2523, 2632, 2776): And that the Lord endures temptations in man, and subjugates evil and the hells (n. 987, 1661, 1692).

[4] That “to contend with God and with men” denotes to be tempted as to truths and as to goods, is a secret which does not appear from the letter. That it was not God with whom Jacob contended must be evident to everyone, and will also appear from the explication below; for it cannot be predicated of any man that he contends with God and prevails. But the internal sense teaches what is here signified by “God” and by “men”—namely, that by “God” is signified truth and by “men” good, and this for the reason that in the internal sense the name “God” signifies truth, and hence that when the subject treated of is truth, this name is used (n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822); and that when “man” is mentioned, good is meant. That “man” denotes good is because the Lord is the only man, and because man is called man from Him (see n. 49, 288, 565, 1894); also because from Him heaven is a man, and is called the Grand Man (n. 684, 1276, 3624-3649, 3741-3751).

[5] For this reason the Most Ancient Church also, which was in celestial good, was called “man” (n. 478); and therefore also in the Word, where good is treated of, good is signified by “man,” as in Isaiah:

I will make a man [vir homo] ¹ more rare than gold, and man [homo] than the gold of Ophir (Isaiah 13:12).

The inhabitants of the earth shall be burned, and few shall be the man [vir homo] left (Isaiah 24:6);

a “man” [vir homo] denotes spiritual good, or the good of truth; a “man” [homo], good.

In the same:

The paths are laid waste, the wayfaring man hath ceased; he hath made vain the covenant, he hath loathed the cities, he regardeth not a man [vir homo] (Isaiah 33:8).

In Jeremiah:

I beheld the earth, and lo it was a void and emptiness, and the heavens, and they had no light; I beheld and lo there was no man, and all the birds of heaven had flown away (Jeremiah 4:23, 25).

In the same:

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast (Jeremiah 31:27).

In Ezekiel:

Thy merchants with the soul of man and vessels of brass they gave thy trading (Ezekiel 27:13).

In the same:

Ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, ye are man, and I am your God (Ezekiel 34:31).

Again:

The waste cities shall be filled with the flock of man (Ezekiel 36:38).

In these passages “man” [homo] denotes those who are in good, thus good, because man is man from good. But the truth which is from good is called in the Word a “man” [vir homo], and also the “son of man.”

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