The Bible

 

Genesis 1:30

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30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Commentary

 

Morning

  
Two gorgeous red poppies -- one popped, and one just about to.

Morning comes with the rising of the sun, and the sun -- which gives life to the earth with its warmth and light -- represents the Lord in His divinity, bringing spiritual life through love and wisdom. Thus, the morning represents the coming of the Lord into our lives, and all the things that flow from it: the love, joy and enlightenment He brings; the peace and tranquility of passing the spiritual obscurity of night; the anticipation of the learning and usefulness of a new day; and the awareness of The Lord's renewed presence.

(References: Apocalypse Explained 179; Apocalypse Revealed 151; Arcana Coelestia 2333 [1-3], 2540, 2780, 5740, 8211, 8812, 10134, 10200, 10413; True Christian Religion 764 [1-2])

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #6107

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6107. 'According to the mouth of a young child' means each one in keeping with the essential nature of the good of innocence. This is clear from the meaning of 'according to the mouth' as each one and in keeping with the essential nature; and from the meaning of 'a young child' as the good of innocence, dealt with in 430, 2126, 3183, 5608. What the description 'influx from the internal celestial into spiritual good and the Church's truths within the natural in keeping with the essential nature of the good of innocence' really means is this: Innocence is what gives all the good of charity and love its essential nature from deep within. For the Lord flows by means of innocence into charity; and the amount of innocence present determines the amount of charity received, since innocence is the very essence of charity, 2780, 3111, 3183, 3994, 4797, 6013.

[2] What innocence is like is mirrored by young children. That is to say, one can see what it is like in the way they love their parents and trust only them, also in their lack of all concern except to please their parents, so that food and clothing are to them not only something they need but also a source of delight. Because they love their parents they do with affection and delight whatever their parents approve of, thus not only what their parents command but also what they think they wish to command. In addition they have no regard for themselves, besides having many other characteristics. But it should be recognized that the innocence of young children is not really innocence, only a semblance of it. Real innocence resides solely in wisdom, see 2305, 2306, 3494, 4797; and wisdom consists in behaving towards the Lord in the ways, as have just been described, that young children do towards their parents, yet with the good of love and faith as the motivation.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.