THE LAWS OF PERMISSION
ARE ALSO
LAWS OF THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE
(CONTINUATION)
nos.241-248
Selection from
ANGELIC WISDOM
CONCERNING
THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE
Translated from the Latin of
EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
• When he reads in the Word that the wisest of
mankind, Adam and his wife, suffered themselves to be seduced by a serpent, and
that God did not avert this by His Divine providence
The wisest of mankind, Adam and his wife, suffered themselves to be seduced
by a serpent, and God did not avert this by His Divine providence. This is so,
inasmuch as by Adam and his wife the first of all mankind that were created on
this earth are not meant, but the men of the Most Ancient Church; and their new
creation or their regeneration is thus described. Their new creation itself,
that is, their regeneration, is described in the first chapter of Genesis by the
creation of heaven and earth; their wisdom and intelligence by the garden of
Eden; and the end of that church by their eating from the tree of knowledge. For
the Word in its bosom is spiritual, containing arcana of Divine wisdom; and that
it may contain these it is written throughout wholly by correspondences and
representatives. This makes clear that the men of that church, who were in the
beginning the wisest of men, but in the end, from the conceit of their own
intelligence, became the worst, were not seduced by any serpent, but by the love
of self; and it is this that is meant by "the serpent's head" that the Seed of
the woman, that is, the Lord, should bruise.
Who is not able to see from
reason that other things are meant than those that are there related
historically in the letter? For who can comprehend how the world could have been
created in the way there described? Therefore the learned strenuously try to
explain the contents of that first chapter, and at length confess that they do
not understand it. And the same is true of what follows, that two trees, a tree
of life and a tree of knowledge, were placed in their garden or paradise, the
latter as a cause of stumbling; also, that from the mere eating of this tree
they so far transgressed that not only they but the whole human race, their
posterity, became subject to damnation; furthermore, that they could have been
seduced by a serpent; besides other things there stated; as that the wife was
created from the rib of the husband; that after their fall they acknowledged
their nakedness and covered it with fig-leaves, and that coats of skin were
given them for bodily coverings; and that cherubim were placed with a flaming
sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
All these things are
representatives, depicting the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, its
condition, its change, and finally its destruction. The arcana involved in all
these things, which are contained in the spiritual sense that is in every
particular of the story, may be found explained in the Arcana Coelestia on
Genesis and Exodus, published at London; and it can there be seen that "the tree
of life" means the Lord in respect to His Divine providence; and "the tree of
knowledge" means man in respect to his own prudence.
• that their first son Cain killed his brother Abel, and that God did not
withhold him at the time by speaking with him, but only after the deed, by
cursing him
Their first son Cain killed his brother Abel, and God did not withhold him at
the time by speaking with him, but only after the deed, by cursing him. As Adam
and his wife, as has been said above, mean the Most Ancient Church, so Cain and
Abel, their first sons, mean the two essentials of the church, which are love
and wisdom, or charity and faith, "Abel" meaning love and charity, and "Cain"
wisdom or faith; strictly, wisdom separated from love, or faith separated from
charity; and wisdom as well as faith when so separated is such that it not only
rejects love and charity, but even annihilates them; and thus it kills its
brother. That faith separate from charity does this is well known in the
Christian world, as may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, concerning
Faith.
The cursing of Cain involves the spiritual state into which those
come after death who separate faith from charity or wisdom from love. And yet,
that wisdom or faith might not perish in consequence, a mark was put upon Cain
to prevent his being slain; for love cannot exist apart from wisdom, or charity
apart from faith. These things have nearly the same representation as the eating
from the tree of knowledge; and this is why it properly follows the description
of Adam and his wife. Moreover, those who are in faith separated from charity
are in their own intelligence; while those who are in charity and in faith therefrom are in intelligence from the Lord, thus in the Divine providence.
• that the Israelitish nation worshiped a golden calf in the desert, and acknowledged it as
the God who led them out of the land of Egypt, and yet Jehovah saw this from
Mount Sinai near by and did not seek to prevent it
The Israelitish nation worshiped a golden calf in the wilderness and
acknowledged it as the God who led them out of the land of Egypt; and yet
Jehovah saw this from Mount Sinai near by, and did not seek to prevent it. This
took place in the desert of Sinai near the mountain. Jehovah's not withholding
them from that abominable worship is in accordance with all the laws of the
Divine providence heretofore set forth, as well as with those that follow. This
evil was permitted them lest they should all perish. For the sons of Israel were
led out of Egypt that they might represent the Lord's church; and this they
could not represent unless Egyptian idolatry had first been rooted out of their
hearts; and this could not have been done without its having been left for them
to act in accord with what was in their hearts, that this might thereby be
removed by means of severe punishment. What is further signified by that
worship, and by the threat that they should be wholly rejected and that a new
nation should be raised up by Moses, may be seen in the Arcana Ccelestia on the
thirty-second chapter of Exodus, where these things are treated of.
• also that David numbered the people, and in consequence a plague was sent upon them, by which so many
thousands of men perished, and that God, not before but after the deed, sent Gad
the prophet to David and denounced punishment
David numbered the people, and in consequence a plague was sent upon them, by
which so many thousands of men perished; and God, not before but after the deed,
sent Gad the prophet to David, and denounced punishment upon him. Whoever
confirms himself against the Divine providence may have various thoughts and
reflections about this also, especially why David was not admonished in advance,
and why the people were so severely punished for the king's transgression. His
not having been admonished in advance is in accordance with the laws of Divine
providence already set forth, especially the two explained from DP 129 to 153,
and from DP 154 to 174. This severe punishment of the people on account of the
king's transgression, and the smiting of seventy thousand with the plague, was
not for the king's sake but for the people's sake. For it is said,
Again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; therefore He moved David
against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 24:1).
• that Solomon was permitted to
establish idolatrous worship,
Solomon was permitted to establish idolatrous worship. This was done that he
might represent the Lord's kingdom or the church, with all the varieties of
religion in the whole world; for the church instituted with the nation of Israel
and Judah was a representative church; therefore all the judgments and statutes
of that church represented the spiritual things of the church, which are its
internals; that people itself representing the church, the king representing the
Lord, David representing the Lord who was to come into the world, and Solomon
the Lord after His coming. And because the Lord after the glorification of His
Human had power over heaven and earth (as He Himself says Matthew 28:18), so
Solomon His representative appeared in glory and magnificence, and possessed
wisdom above all the kings of the earth, and also built the temple. Furthermore,
Solomon permitted and set up the worship of many nations, by which the various
religions in the world were represented. His wives, seven hundred in number, and
his concubines, who numbered three hundred (1 Kings 11:3), had a like
signification, for a "wife" in the Word signifies the church, and a "concubine"
a religion. This makes clear why it was granted to Solomon to build the temple,
which signified both the Lord's Divine Human (John 2:19, 21) and also the
church; and why he was permitted to establish idolatrous worship, and to marry
so many wives. That by "David," in many places in the Word, the Lord who was to
come into the world is meant, can be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem
concerning the Lord (43, 44).
• and many kings after him were permitted to profane
the temple and the holy things of the church
Many kings after Solomon were permitted to profane the temple and the holy
things of the church. This was because the people represented the church, and
their king was their head; and as the nation of Israel and Judah was such that
they could no longer represent the church, for they were idolaters at heart,
they gradually fell away from representative worship by perverting all things of
the church, till at last it was devastated. This was represented by the
profanations of the temple by the kings, and by their idolatries; and the
essential devastation of the church was represented by the destruction of the
temple itself, and by the carrying away of the people of Israel, and by the
captivity of the people of Judah in Babylonia. Such was the cause; and whatever
is done from any cause is done from the Divine providence according to some law
of it.
• and finally, that that nation was permitted to crucify the Lord
That nation was permitted to crucify the Lord. This was because the church with
that nation had been wholly devastated, and had become such that not only they
did not know and acknowledge the Lord, but they even hated Him; and yet all
things that they did to Him were done in accordance with the laws of His Divine
providence. That the passion of the cross was the last temptation or the last
combat, by which the Lord fully conquered the hells and fully glorified His
Human may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord (12-14); and in the
Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning Faith (34, 35).
This is an explanation of the things enumerated above (in DP 236), which are
some of the things from the Word by which a natural man who is a reasoner can
confirm himself against the Divine providence. For whatever such a man sees,
hears, or reads, as has been said, he can employ as an argument against the
Divine providence. There are few, however, who confirm themselves against the
Divine providence from such things as are in the Word; but many do so from
things that take place before their eyes, such as are mentioned (in DP 237), which
will now likewise be explained. ... (Continue)
(The Divine
Providence 241 - 248)
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