57. What has been said of heaven can be said of the Church, for the Church is the Lord's heaven on earth. There are also many Churches, and yet any one of them is called the Church and indeed is a Church, so far as the good of love and of faith rules there. There again, the Lord out of diversity makes a unity, thus, one Church out of many Churches. ¹ The same, too, can be said of the man of the Church in particular as is said of the Church in general, namely, that the Church is within a man and not outside him, and that every man in whom the Lord is present in the good of love and of faith is a Church. ² Again, the same can be said of a man in whom is the Church as of an angel in whom is heaven, namely, that he is a Church in least form as an angel is heaven in least form, and furthermore, that a man in whom is the Church, equally with an angel, is a heaven. For man has been created that he may come into heaven and become an angel. Consequently, he who has good from the Lord is an angel-man. ³ It may be mentioned what a man has in common with an angel and what he has in addition to what angels have. A man has this in common with an angel, that his interiors are equally conformed to the image of heaven and that he, too, in so far as he is in the good of love and faith, may become an image of heaven. In addition to what angels have, a man has these things, that his exteriors have been formed according to the image of the world, that so far as he is in good, the world with him is subordinated to heaven and serves heaven, ⁴ and that then the Lord is present with him in both worlds, just as if he were in his heaven. For the Lord is in His Divine order in both worlds, since God is order. ⁵

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911. ¹ As regards 'creeping thing that creeps' meaning corresponding things of a like nature residing with his external man, with a regenerate person external things correspond to internal, that is, they are conformable and subservient to them. External things are rendered subservient when a person is being regenerated, at which point he becomes an image of heaven. But before he has been regenerated external things have dominion over internal; and during that time he is an image of hell. Order entails celestial things governing spiritual things first, then natural things by means of spiritual, and lastly bodily things by means of natural. But when bodily and natural things have dominion over spiritual and celestial, order is destroyed. Once order is destroyed, man is an image of hell, and therefore through regeneration the Lord brings about the restoration of order; and once this has been restored a man becomes an image of heaven. In this way the Lord draws a person out of hell and bears him up to heaven.

[2] To make known the way in which the external man corresponds to the internal, let a brief explanation be given. Every regenerate person is a miniature heaven, that is, a replica or image of the whole of heaven, which also is why in the Word his internal man is called heaven. In heaven order is such that the Lord governs spiritual things by means of celestial, and natural things by means of spiritual. In this manner He governs the whole of heaven as one human being, and therefore heaven is called the Grand Man. Furthermore this same order exists with every individual in heaven. And when the same applies to man too, he likewise is a miniature heaven, or what amounts to the same, is the Lord's kingdom, for the Lord's kingdom is within him. In his case external things correspond to internal, that is to say, they are obedient to them, just as they are in heaven. For there are three heavens which are interrelated as one man - spirits constitute the external man, angelic spirits the interior, and angels the inmost, 459.

[3] It is quite the reverse with people who make life consist solely in bodily things, that is, in the desires, pleasures, appetites, and sensations of the body; with people, that is, who take no delight in anything other than that which accompanies self-love and love of the world, that is, which goes with hatred towards everyone who shows them no favour and does not serve them. Because with these people bodily and natural things have dominion over spiritual and celestial, not only is there no correspondence or obedience on the part of external things, but the total reverse exists, so that order is completely destroyed. And because order is thus destroyed they cannot be anything other than images of hell.

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3451. 'They said, We saw clearly that Jehovah was with you' means that they knew the Divine to be present within it. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing clearly' as discerning and so as knowing for certain, and from the meaning of 'Jehovah being with you' as the Divine being present within it. As stated above in 3447, the subject here is the agreement of the literal sense of the Word with the internal sense, consequently the agreement of matters of doctrine concerning faith - meant by Abimelech, Ahuzzath, and Phicol - with that same internal sense, insofar, that is, as those matters of doctrine are drawn from the literal sense of the Word. Accordingly the subject is the joining together of the Lord's kingdom on earth with the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and so with the Lord, by means of the Word. For the Word, as to the highest sense, is the Lord Himself; as to the internal sense, the Lord's kingdom itself in heaven; and as to the literal sense, the Lord's kingdom itself on earth, as has also been stated already.

[2] As regards the Lord's kingdom on earth, that is, His Church, because its matters of doctrine are drawn from the literal sense of the Word it is inevitably varying so far as these are concerned. That is to say, one group declares that this idea is the truth of faith because it is so stated in the Word, while another declares that that idea is the truth because that likewise is stated there, and so on. Consequently because its matters of doctrine are drawn from the literal sense of the Word the Lord's Church differs from one group to the next, and not only from group to group but sometimes from individual to individual within a group. But dissent in matters of doctrine concerning faith does not mean that the Church cannot be one Church, provided all are of one mind in willing what is good and doing it.

[3] Take for example someone who acknowledges as a matter of doctrine that charity is the product of faith but nevertheless leads a life of charity towards the neighbour. Even though the truth does not exist with him so far as doctrine is concerned, yet it does exist with him so far as life is concerned, and consequently he has the Lord's Church or kingdom within him. Or, to take another example, someone who says that good works ought to be done for the sake of reward in heaven, as accords with the literal sense of the Word in Matthew 10:41-42; 25:34-36, and elsewhere, and yet when performing good works he gives no thought at all to merit. He likewise is in the Lord's kingdom because the truth exists in him so far as life is concerned. This being what he is really like so far as life is concerned, he readily allows himself to be told that nobody is able to reach heaven on merit and that the works which a person regards as meritorious are not good. So it is with every other example that could be taken. For the literal sense is such that in many places it seems to contradict itself, the reason being that it contains appearances of truth that are suited to those who are engrossed in external things, and therefore who are also filled with a love of worldly things as well as bodily pleasures.

[4] Here therefore, through 'Abimelech', those people are dealt with who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith and who, as stated above, make faith the essential thing for salvation. Also dealt with is the agreement of their matters of doctrine with the internal sense. These people too, it is clear, are joined to heaven and the Lord by means of the literal sense, yet only those among them with whom good is present, that is, those who, though they make faith the essential thing so far as their doctrine is concerned, nevertheless make charity the essential so far as their life is concerned. For when they have confidence in, or put their trust in the Lord, which they call faith, affection that goes with love to the Lord is present, and therefore so far as life is concerned good is present in them. But see what has been stated and shown already in the following paragraphs:

Not doctrine but charity taught by it makes the Church, 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844.

Matters of doctrine have no value unless people live according to them, 1515.

The Church varies so far as truths are concerned, but is one through charity, 3267.

Parallelism exists between the Lord and man as regards celestial things that are matters of good, but not as regards spiritual things that are matters of truth, 1831, 1832.

Doctrine is invariably the same, that is to say, it is always concerned with love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, 3445.

The Church would be one if charity were present with all, even though they differed from one another in forms of worship and in matters of doctrine, 809, 1285, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2982.

The Church would be like the Lord's kingdom in heaven if charity were present with all, 2385.

Countless variations of good and truth exist in heaven, but by acting in harmony with one another they nevertheless make one, like the organs and members of the body, 684, 690, 3241.