349. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth unto ages of ages. That this signifies humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart of all those who are in truths from good, that the Lord alone liveth, and that from Him alone is life eternal, is clear from the signification of four-and-twenty elders, as denoting all those who are in truths from good (concerning which see above, n. [270] 1
); from the signification of falling, down and worshipping, as denoting humiliation and acknowledgment from the heart, that all good and truth that have life in themselves, are from the Lord (concerning which also see above, n. 290, 291); and from the signification of Him that liveth, when said of the Lord, as denoting that He alone lives, and that from Him is life eternal (concerning which also see above, n. 82, 84, 186, 289, 291).
[2] Since it is at this day believed in the world, that the life which every one has, is given and implanted, and is thus his own, and that it does not flow in continually, I wish to say something respecting it. That it is believed that life is in man so as to be man's, is only an appearance arising from the perpetual presence of the Lord, and from His Divine love, willing to be conjoined with man, to be in him, and impart to him its own life, for such is the nature of the Divine love; and because this is perpetual and continuous, man supposes that the life thus in him is his own; notwithstanding it is known that there is no good and truth in man that does not come from above, and thus flow in. Similarly love and faith; for the whole of man's love is from good, and the whole of his faith is from truth; for what a man loves is to him good, and what he believes is to him truth. Hence it is in the first place evident, that no good and no truth, so neither love nor faith, is in man, but that they flow in from the Lord, life itself being in good and truth, and not elsewhere. The receptacle of the good of love with man is the will, and the receptacle of the truth of faith with him is the understanding; and to will good is not of man, neither to believe truth. These two faculties are those in which all the life of man is, outside of them there is none; hence also it is evident that the life of those faculties, consequently, the life of the whole man, is not in man, but flows in. That evil and falsity, or the will and the love of evil, and the understanding and the faith of falsity, are with man, is also from influx; but that influx is from hell. For man is kept in the freedom of choosing, that is, of receiving good and truth from the Lord, or of receiving evil and falsity from hell, and man is kept in this for the sake of reformation, for he is kept between heaven and hell, and hence in spiritual equilibrium, which is freedom. This freedom itself is not in the man, but it is together with the life which flows in. (Concerning the freedom of man, and its origin, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 293, 537, 540, 541, 546, [589]-603 2
, and in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem [n. 141-147].)
[3] Those who are in hell also live from the influx of life from the Lord, for good and truth similarly flow into them; but they turn the good into evil, and the truth into falsity; and this is done because they have inverted their interior recipient forms by a life of evil; and all influx is varied according to the forms. In the same way also man's thought and will [are varied] when they act in members distorted from the birth, or in injured organs of sensation. And similarly also the light of heaven when it flows into objects whose colours vary, and the heat of heaven when it flows into the same whose odours are varied, according to the interior receptive forms. But it should be known, that the life itself is not changed and varied, but that by means of it there is presented an appearance of the recipient form, through which and from which the life passes, nearly in the same manner as every one appears by the same light in a mirror according, to his own quality.
[4] Moreover, all man's senses, namely, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are not in the man, but are excited and produced from influx; in the man there are only organic receptive forms; these possess no sense until something adequate from without flows in. It is the same with the internal organs of sensation of the thought and affection, which receive influx from the spiritual world, as with the external organs of sensation that receive influx from the natural world. That there is one only fountain of life, and that all life is thence, and continually flows in, is well known in heaven, and is never called in question by any angel of the higher heavens, for they perceive the influx itself. That all lives are like streams from one only and perpetual fountain of life, has been also rendered evident to me from much experience, and has been seen in the spiritual world with those who believed that they lived from themselves, and would not believe that they lived from the Lord. These, when the influx into the thought was withheld from them as to some part, lay deprived of life, as it were, and presently on the influx approaching, they revived, as it were, from death; and they afterwards confessed that the life in them was not their own, but flowed continuously into them, and that men, spirits, and angels were only forms receptive of life.
[5] The wise, there, conclude that it is so from this fact, that nothing can exist and subsist from itself, but from what is prior to itself, and thence that neither can that which is prior exist from itself, save in successive order from a First; and thus life itself, viewed in itself, is only from Him, who alone is Life in Himself. Hence also they know, and likewise from a spiritual idea perceive, that everything must be in connection with a First in order that it may be something, and that it is something only as it is in such connection. From these considerations it is evident how foolishly they think who derive the origin of life from nature, and suppose that man learns to think through the influx of interior nature and its order, and not from God, who is the very Being (Esse) of life, and from whom is all the order of both worlds, - the natural and the spiritual, - according to which the life flows in, - life eternal into those who can be disposed to receive life according to Divine order, but an opposite life, which is called spiritual death, into those who cannot be so disposed, thus who live contrary to Divine order. The Divine good which proceeds from the Lord, is that from which order exists, and Divine truths are the laws of order. (As may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 279.)
[6] Let every one take heed lest he believe that the Divine Life with any one, even indeed with the evil and in hell, is changed; for, as said above, the life itself is not changed or varied, but by it an appearance of the receptive form is presented, through which and from which it passes; nearly in the same manner as every one appears in a mirror according to his own quality, by light, which still remains in its own state, and only produces the form to the sight; and as the same life presents itself to be felt according to the form of the organ of the body, thus after one manner in the eye, after another in the hearing, and otherwise in the smell, taste, and touch. If it is believed that the life is varied and changed, it is from the appearance, which is a fallacy like the fallacy from the appearance that influx is physical, whereas influx is spiritual. (Concerning this matter more may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 9; to which may be added what is adduced concerning the influx of life, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem from the Arcana Coelestia 277, 278; and concerning the influx of life with animals, in the Arcana Coelestia 5850, 6211; and in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 39, 108, 110, 435, 567; likewise in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 25.)
[7] These things are said in order that it may be known, that there is one only Life, and that whatever things live, live from it. It shall now be shown that the Lord is that Life itself, or that He alone lives, since this is signified by Him that liveth unto ages of ages. That there is one only Divine, and that this is not distinguished into three persons, according to the faith of Athanasius, is evident from what has been frequently said above, and especially from what will be specifically said upon this subject at the end of this work; and because the Lord's Divine, which is the one only Divine, assumed the Human, and made this also Divine, therefore each is the Life from which all live. That this is the case may be known from the words of the Lord Himself, in the following passages. In John:
"As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, so also the Son quickeneth whom he will. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (5:21, 26).
By the Father is here meant the Lord's very Divine which assumed the Human, for this Divine was in Him from conception, and because He was conceived from it, therefore He called this the Father, and not another. By the Son is meant the Lord's Divine Human; that this also is life itself, the Lord teaches in express words, by saying as the Father quickeneth, the Son also quickeneth whom He will; and, as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself. To have life in Himself is to be Life itself; others however are not life, but have life thence.
[8] In the same:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (14:6).
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, are spoken of the Lord's Human; for He also says, "No one cometh unto the Father, but by me," His Father being the Divine in Him, which was His own Divine; whence it is evident, that the Lord also as to His Human is the Life, consequently, that it also is Divine.
[9] In the same:
"Jesus said, I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (11:25, 26).
These words also the Lord spake concerning His Human; and because He is Life, and all have life from Him, and those who believe in Him have life eternal, therefore He says that "He is the resurrection and the life," and that "he who believeth in me shall never die." By believing in the Lord is signified to be conjoined with Him in love and faith; and by never dying is signified not to die spiritually, that is, to be damned, for the life of the damned is called death.
[10] In the same:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (1:1, 4, 14).
That by the Word is meant the Lord, is known; that His Human is the Word, is evident, for it is said that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and that His Human was equally Divine with the Divine itself which assumed the Human, is evident from this circumstance, that a distinction is made between them, and that each is called God, for it is said, "the Word was with God, and the Word was God; and in him was life." That all live from Him is meant by, the life was the light of men. The light of men is the life of their thought and understanding; for the proceeding Divine, which is specifically meant by the Word, appears in heaven as the light by which the angels not only see, but also think and understand, and are wise according to its reception (see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 126-140). This, the light proceeding from the Lord, is life itself, which not only enlightens the understanding, as the sun of the world does the eye, but also vivifies it according to reception; and when that light is received in the life, it is then called the light of life. In the same:
"Jesus said, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (8:12).
[11] And He is also called, in the same, the Bread of life.
"The bread of God is he who cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. I am the Bread of life" (6:33, 35, 47, 48, 51).
The Bread of God and the Bread of life is that from which all have life. Since life, which is called intelligence and wisdom, is from the Lord, it follows also that life in general is from Him; for the particulars of life which make its perfection, and are insinuated into man according to reception, are all things of the general life. It is perfected in proportion as the evils into which man is born are removed from it.
[12] That those who are conjoined with the Lord by love and faith receive life eternal, that is, the life of heaven, which is salvation, is evident from the following passages. In John:
"I am the Vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth, and as a branch he is withered" (15:5, 6).
In the same:
"Every one who believeth on me, hath life everlasting (3:14-16).
In the same:
"He that believeth on the Son, hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (3:36).
"Whoever believeth on the Son, hath life eternal, and I will raise him up at the last day" (6:40, 47, 48 3
).
In the same:
"The sheep follow me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish" (10:27, 28).
And in the same:
"Search the Scriptures; they testify of me; but ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life" (5:39, 40).
Mention is made in the Word of believing in God, and of believing the things which are from God; and to believe in God is the faith which saves, but to believe the things that are from God is an historical faith, which without the former does not save, and therefore, is not true faith; for to believe in God is to know, to will, and to do; but to believe the things that are from God, is to know, which is possible without willing and doing. Those who are truly Christians know, will, and do; but those who are not truly Christians, only know; but the latter are called by the Lord foolish, and the former wise (Matthew 7:24, 26).
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