12.⑸若愿意，人类理性能通过世间的诸多现象发觉和确信存在一位神，祂是一。这一真理可通过世上无数可见事物得以证实；因为整个宇宙就象一个大舞台，有关“存在一位神，祂是一”的证据在这个舞台上层出不穷。我引用下面的灵界记事来证明这一点：
有一次，我正与天使交谈，一些尘世来的新灵来了。看到他们，我向他们表示欢迎，并告诉他们很多他们此前所不知道的有关灵界的真相。谈话结束后，我问他们从尘世带来多少有关神和自然的知识。“这个嘛，”他们说，“自然执行整个受造宇宙中所进行的一切运作。创世之后，神就将这种能力和力量归给了自然，并将其铭刻在它上面；神只是维持并保护这力量，免得它消失。所以，地上万物的萌发、产生或再生，现在都归因于自然。”我回答说，自然凭自身不能执行任何运作，而是神藉着自然这样做的，而是神通过自然来运行。他们要求证据，于是我说：“那些相信神的运作可见于自然界的一切细节之人，同样能从这个世界找出诸多现象来支持他们对神的信仰，甚至比支持自然的还要多。
“因为那些寻求证据支持神性运作于自然界一切细微之物中的人，会细心观察可见于动植物繁殖中的奇事。如植物的繁殖，他们发现：把一粒小种子丢进土里，它就会发出根来，根又会长出茎，然后相继开枝散叶，开花结果，直到结出新种子，就好象这种子知道自己借以重新开始的先后次序或发展过程一样。稍具理性者，谁会以为纯然是火的太阳知道这一切？或这太阳能将产生这类效果、着眼于这类功用的能力赋予它的热和光？凡理性提升者，看到并反思这些事时，必会得出结论：它们来自拥有无限智慧的那一位，即来自神。那些承认神性运作于自然界一切细节中的人，在看到这些事时，都会确认这个结论。另一方面，那些不承认的人则用他们脑袋后面而非前面的理性眼光看待这些事。这些人就是诸如一切思想观念皆从身体感官获得，并证实感官谬论，说：“难道你没看到这太阳凭它的热和光产生所有这些事物吗？看不到的东西什么也不是。
“那些确认支持神性的人会认真观察他们在动物繁殖过程中所看到的奇事。先说说蛋，它包含藏在其精子中的雏鸟，还包含雏鸟的形成、孵化后整个成长过程、直到长成父母样式的小鸟所需的一切。此外，如果我们想到一般的飞行生物，深思的头脑会被有关它们的奇事所震撼；无论最小的还是最大的，无论不可见的还是可见的，即无论细小的昆虫还是飞禽和大型走兽，都拥有视、嗅、味、触的感觉器官；也有能使它们飞翔或行走的运动器官或肌肉；还有附于心肺、受大脑支配的脏腑。诚然，那些将一切归于自然的人会看到这些事，但他们仅仅将其当成事实来看，并声称它们是自然的产物。之所以这样说，是因为他们的心思从神性那里转离。从神性那里转离使得他们无法对所看到的自然界中的奇妙现象进行理性思考，更不用说作属灵地思考。其思维局限于感官和物质，以致他们只在自然界内并通过自然界思考，而非越过它。他们与动物的区别仅在于，他们享有理性能力，也就是说，若愿意便能理解。
“那些将一切思维从神性那里转离，从而变得肉体感官之人永远想不到，肉眼的视觉如此粗糙和物质化，以致它将很多小昆虫看成一个模糊的物体；然而，它们当中的每一个都为着感觉和运动而被有机组织起来，因而被赋予纤维和血管，有纤细的心脏、肺管、脏腑和大脑；这些由自然界中最纯的元素构成，这些结构对应其最低等的生命，它们最细微的部位藉此分别被驱动。想想我们肉体视觉的粗糙，许多这类昆虫（其中每一个都具有无数部位）看似一个细微的模糊物体，而感官人仅竟据此思考并得出结论，可见其心智何等迟钝，他们必在属灵事物上陷入何等黑暗。
“若愿意，谁都能在自然界的可见事物中找到支持神性的证据；每当他思想神，思想祂在创造宇宙时的全能、在维护宇宙时的全在时，更能做到这一点；例如，当他看到空中各种飞鸟都知道自己的食物及觅食之处，能凭视觉和声音识别同伴，在其它种类中分辨哪些是友，哪些是敌；它们知道如何求偶婚配，能娴熟地建造巢穴，并在里面产蛋，然后孵化它们，还知道孵化的时期；孵出幼雏后，它们精心呵护之，将其覆佑在翅膀下，喂养它们，直到它们能照顾自己、履行类似职责为止。凡愿意思考神性经由灵界流入尘世者，都能在这些生物中看到神。而且，若愿意，他还会发自内心说，太阳及其热与光不可能是这类知识的源头，因为作为自然界源头和本质的尘世太阳纯粹是火，所以它放射的热和光完全是死的；因此，他会得出以下结论：这些知识来自神性经由灵界进入自然界最表层的流注。
“谁都能在自然界的可见事物中找到支持神性的证据。如当他观察毛虫时，看到它们在特有之爱的喜悦驱动下，渴望从地上的状态转变为类似天堂的状态。为此它们爬到合适的地方，将自己包裹在一个遮蔽物中，因而仿佛将自己置于一个子宫里，在那里重生；它们还在那里逐渐蜕变成茧、蛹、幼虫，最后成蝶；经过这样的蜕变后，它们各按其类着上美丽的翅膀飞入空中，犹如进入它们的天堂；它们在空中快活玩耍，婚配，产卵，预备抚养后代，与此同时，还从花朵中吸取甘甜美味的食物来滋养自己。凡在自然界的可见事物中看到支持神性的证据之人，谁不能在这些如毛虫之类的小生物身上看到人的尘世状态的某种形像？在这些如蝴蝶之类的生物身上看到人的天堂状态的某种形像？那些确认支持自然之人看到同样的现象后，却从思想上拒绝人的天堂状态，只将其称为自然的运作。
“谁都能在自然界的可见事物中找到支持神性的证据。如当他研究蜜蜂时，就会了解到，蜜蜂知道如何从玫瑰和花丛中采集蜂蜡、吸食花蜜；知道如何建造类似小房子的蜂室，并将它们布置成一座城市的样式，还有进出的街道；它们远远地就能嗅到花草的芳香，然后从中采集建房用的蜂蜡和作为食物的花蜜，并满载这些东西径直飞回自己的蜂巢。它们就这样为即将来临的冬天预备食物，好象它们预见到这一点。它们还指定一个女主人作为自己的王后，通过她繁殖后代；它们在上面为她建造宫室，并在周围安置警卫。分娩之际，蜂后在叫做雄蜂的‘警卫’陪伴下，逐个蜂室产卵，然后她的随从便将这些卵密封起来，以免被空气伤害。新的一代就这样出生了；等到这一代达到能重复上述过程的适当年龄，它就被逐出蜂巢，新蜂群首先聚集成一团，以免分离，然后四处飞行另觅家园。约在秋季时分，那些没有提供蜂蜡或花蜜的雄蜂就被带出来，并被剥去翅膀，以免它们飞回来消耗食物，因为它们没有为这些食物劳力。由此及其它现象可以看出，鉴于这些小昆虫为人类所发挥的功用，它们凭神性经由灵界的流注而接收一种类似世人，确切地说，类似天堂天使那样的治理模式。
“凡理智健全者，谁看不出尘世不可能是所有这一切的源头？作为自然界源头的太阳，与效仿和类似天堂治理模式有何共同之处？从这些动物所展现的这些及类似事实，既能使一个承认和敬拜自然的人确认支持自然，也能使一个承认和敬拜神的人确认支持神；因为属灵人在它们里面看见属灵事物，而属世人则从中看见属世事物，因而各自都取决于其本性。就我自己而言，这类事物就是从神而来的流注经灵界进入尘世的明证。试想一下，若不假定有一个凭自己的智慧经由灵界的神性流注，你们还能否分析思考什么政府形式、世间法律、道德美德或属灵真理？至于我本人，这是不可能的，永远也不可能。我对这种流注的觉察和感受现已持续了二十六年；因此，我能立此声明作为一个见证。
“自然界能以功用为目的，并将功用安排得井然有序吗？唯有一位智者才能做到这一切；而唯独拥有无限智慧的神，才能安排并形成整个宇宙。还有谁能预见和供应人类衣食？衣食皆出自田地的出产，地上的果实和动物。其中一个奇迹是：那些被称为蚕的不起眼的小虫子，居然用蚕丝为人类提供衣裳，华美地装扮男男女女，上至国王王后，下至男仆女佣；象蜜蜂这样微不足道的小昆虫都会提供蜡烛用的蜂蜡，使得圣殿和宫殿灯火通明。所有这些以及更多奇迹都是确凿证据，证明神凭祂自己经由灵界执行在自然界进行的一切运作。
“对此，我再补充以事实：在灵界，我见过那些凭世间可见事物确认支持自然的人，他们逐渐沦为无神论者；在属灵的光照下，这种人的理解力看似向下开放，向上关闭。这是因为他们的思维向下注视尘世，而不是向上仰望天堂。其感官官能之上，也就是理解力的最低层有一种能看到地狱之火的遮光板，有时黑如煤烟，有时灰如死尸。所以，要谨防通过这些确认支持自然，而是确认支持神，这并不缺乏材料。”
12. (5)基於世間諸多現象, 人的理性能認識到並得出結論:有上帝存在, 並且只有一位。
這個事實可被世上無數事物證實。大千世界如同一個舞臺, "上帝存在, 並且只有一位"的各種證據不斷地在這個舞臺上面展現。為了進一步說明, 我會引用以下來自心靈世界的經歷:
有一次, 我正與天人談話, 一些剛從人間來的靈(人死後, 脫離肉體, 靈魂進入心靈世界, 被稱為靈, 之後按其屬性進入天國或地獄)出現在我們面前。當我看到他們, 就跟他們打招呼並歡迎他們, 並告訴許多他們未知的關於心靈世界的事情。
然後, 我問他們在人間所知道的對上帝和自然的認識。
"這個嘛, "他們說:"自然是作用於被造宇宙萬物中的運行力量。至於上帝, 在創世之後, 賦予自然這樣的能力和力量, 並將這能力和力量植入在自然之中。而上帝就只是維持和保護這樣的力量, 免得它滅亡。結果呢, 地上所有衍生的,生產的或再生的萬物都歸功於自然。"
於是我向他們解釋, 自然本身並非作用於任何事物的運行力量, 只是上帝藉著自然來運行。當他們請求證據時, 我說:"若人相信上帝治理每一樣自然之中的至微之物, 會在世界上許多事物中發現更多歸功於上帝的證據, 遠勝過歸功於自然。
[2]"其中, 關於植物和動物繁殖的證據中, 會發現許多神奇之事。在植物的繁殖中, 他們觀察到, 從一個小小的種在地裡的種子, 生出根, 又從根長出莖, 接著長出枝,發芽,長葉,開花,結果, 再結新的種子, 好像種子一早就知道這一系列發展過程的規律, 並用來更新自己。有些人設想是太陽。難道純粹是火的太陽, 一早知道這些嗎？又或是這太陽所散發的熱和光有能力製造這樣的效果, 起到以上的作用？任何有理性的人抬頭仰望, 當他目睹這些事情並合理地思考這些, 必會推想到這些事情的發生必定來自某位無限智慧者, 那就是上帝。那些認可自然萬物所有至微之物都由上帝治理的人們, 當他們觀察這些事物時, 會從這樣的推論中得到確證。另一方面, 不承認上帝治理萬物的人們, 他們看這些事情時, 其理性的雙眼會跑到腦袋後面。這些人一切的思維方式都來自肉體的感官, 並以此去確證這些感官的錯覺, 說:'難道你們沒看見是太陽的熱和光來成就的嗎？你沒見過任何這方面的報告嗎？'
[3]"那些承認上帝治理的人們還會細心觀察到動物繁殖過程中所發生的奇妙之事。例如雞蛋, 小雞日後成形所需的因素都隱藏在這蛋裡, 日後孵出並長大, 甚至再成為'父母'樣式的發展規律也隱藏在蛋裡。而且, 頭腦再深想一層, 總體上觀察有翅動物時, 令人驚奇的事情就會出現:它們中無論最小的和最大的, 無論是看不見還是看得見的, 也就是無論是微小的昆蟲還是大型的飛禽, 都有感覺器官, 就是視覺,嗅覺,觸覺。也有運動器官, 有肌肉用來飛翔和行走。還有內臟與心肺連接, 由大腦驅動。所有這些現象, 將一切歸功於自然的人也都看在眼裡。但這些人只注意到它們的存在, 聲稱這些是自然的產物。他們這樣講, 是因為他們已將頭腦離棄一切神性的觀念。當他們看見自然界中這些奇妙事情時, 認定只是自然產物而已。他們無法理性地思考, 更不能屬靈的思考。他們只會在肉體和物質層面思考。因此他們只會從自然,並在自然中思考問題, 而不會超越自然。
[4]"那些自行轉離所有神性觀念者, 因而變為肉體感官之人。他們從未想到肉眼視覺如此粗糙和物質, 看微小昆蟲如同單個模糊之物。然而每一個微小昆蟲都因感覺和運動的需要而有條理地被組織為一體, 被賦予纖維和血管, 有微型的心臟和肺部氣管, 有微型內臟和大腦。這些由純自然之物構成, 它們的結構對應於最低等級的生命, 藉此它們各個最微小部分分別被驅動。想想我們肉體視覺的粗糙, 許多這些的昆蟲, 每一個都有無數部分, 看起來就像一個極小且模糊物體。而屬肉體的人們僅從這樣的看見中去思考和得結論。很明顯, 他們的頭腦是何等粗糙。關於屬靈之事, 他們又是在何等黑暗之中。
[5]"只要人願意, 他能在自然界可見之物中發現許多證據來證實上帝的治理。無論何時, 他只要想到上帝和上帝創世的全能, 以及上帝在維護宇宙中的全在。例如, 當他看到空中各種飛鳥知道各自的食物並在何處覓食; 憑著視覺和聲音來識別同伴; 對其它物種, 知道哪些是友, 哪些是敵; 它們懂得如此彼此交配; 嫺熟地建造愛巢; 在巢中下蛋並孵蛋, 且知道孵卵的日期; 當雛鳥孵出後, 至寶般愛護它們,庇護在翅膀下,餵食滋養它們, 直到它們能自我照顧,並能履行類似的職責。假如某人有意去思想神性的注入從心靈界進入自然界, 他能在這些被造物中看到, 並能發自內心地去說:'太陽的熱與光並非這些知識的源頭; 太陽的本質只不是純粹的火, 因此它排放的熱和光全然無生命'。因此他可以得出結論, 這些知識來自神性的注入, 由心靈界流入物質界。
[6]"當人觀察那些有獨特需求的蠕蟲, 它們渴望從屬世的狀態進入某種類似屬天的狀態, 就會在這些可見的事物上找到上帝治理的證據。為此, 它們爬進適宜的地點, 將自己包裹在一個遮蓋物內, 這樣就將自己置身於一個'子宮'內,由此獲得重生; 在那裡, 它們變成蛹,幼蟲, 最後成為蝴蝶; 經歷轉變後展開雙翅飛進空中, 仿佛進入它們自己的天國; 在那裡歡娛嬉戲,成雙結對,產卵繁衍; 從花朵中汲取香甜美味的食物餵養後代。在這樣自然可見之物看到上帝治理的證據, 誰能不聯想到這些蠕蟲是人們屬世狀態的寫照, 蝴蝶是人們屬天狀態的寫照呢？而將一切歸功於自然的人, 當他們看到這些事情, 只會將人的屬天狀態從他們的思想中摒棄, 他們聲稱這些現象不過是自然之作而已。
[7]"當人們將思想集中在蜜蜂所知道的事情上時, 誰都能看出上帝治理的證據。蜜蜂們知道如何從玫瑰和果樹花叢中采蜜, 分泌蜂蠟, 建造房子般的蜂窩; 將其安排得如同一個城市, 還有街道出入。它們能在很遠距離之外聞到花卉與芳草並在那裡采蜜, 裝滿肚子後徑直回到它們的蜂房。它們能為即將來臨的冬天儲備食物, 似乎它們能預見這些。它們還選定一名雌蜂如王后在它們之上, 通過她來繁衍後代。它們還蜂后建造王宮, 設置衛兵環繞周圍。生產的時候到了, 那些被稱為雄蜂的衛兵們陪伴著, 她逐一到各個蜂室產卵。於是, 新的一代出生了。當新生蜜蜂長到適合的年齡, 能重複以上過程時, 就被趕出蜂室。這個新的蜂群聚集一處, 飛走去尋求建設自己的家。從這些事實可看出, 為了它們能為人類發揮功用, 這些昆蟲接受了從靈界注入的某種治理方式, 類似於人在地上形成的, 甚至類似于天國中天人們形成的方式。
[8]"有正常理性之人, 誰看不出來這自然界並非所有這些現象的源泉？僅散發自然之光熱的太陽, 跟這樣的的治理方式有何共通, 更何況這種方式這麼像天國的治理方式？
"從動物的上述事實中, 人若承認和敬拜自然, 就會以此自行確證來支援自然。而人若承認和敬拜上帝, 就會自行確證來支持上帝。因為屬靈之人在其中看到屬靈事物, 而屬世之人在其中只看到自然之物, 各自按他的品質而行。就我本人而言, 這些事情是給我的證據:證明從上帝有神性流注,由心靈界注入自然界。
"你想一想, 如果不是有神性流注從心靈世界而來, 有可能去條理地思考出關於政府的形式,民間的法律,倫理美德,屬靈真理？至於我自己, 不能這樣做。如今我已持續二十六年意識並體會到那樣的注入, 這是我的個人經驗。
[9]"自然能夠以追求用途為目的, 按規律和形式來安排這些用途？唯有一位智者才有能力來安排-唯有上帝, 祂的智慧是無限, 才有能力定規和構造這宇宙。除祂以外, 還有誰能預見並從田中的穀物,地長的果實以及從動物中為人類提供食物與衣裳？在這些神奇的事實中, 那些被稱為蠶的小蠕蟲吐絲來裝扮男男女女, 從王后和國王直到女僕和男僕。那些諸如蜜蜂之類的小昆蟲, 為輝煌照亮皇宮殿宇的蠟燭提供蜂蠟。所有這些,甚至更多的事實都是確鑿的證據, 來證明上帝自己通過靈界來運行這些發生在自然界中的所有事情。
[10]"請許我再講述多一點心靈世界所見到的真相:那些從自然可見之物來證明並歸功於自然的人, 他們會逐漸成為無神論者。在屬靈的光照下, 這類人的認知顯現為向下開啟, 而向上關閉。因為在他們的思想之中, 一直是朝地下看, 而不是向天上看。在他們的感官功能之上, 可看見某種閃爍著地獄之火的覆蓋物, 有時候如同黑煙灰, 有時候如同死屍。"
12. 5. On the basis of many phenomena in the world the human reason is capable of perceiving and concluding, if it wants to, that God exists and that there is one God. This truth can be corroborated by countless phenomena in the visible world [around us], for the universe is like a stage on which proofs are constantly being demonstrated that God exists and that there is one God.
By way of illustration I will cite a memorable occurrence that I experienced in the spiritual world: Once when I was having a conversation with angels, there were several people present who had recently arrived from the physical world. When I saw them I wished them a happy arrival and told them a number of things they would not otherwise have known about the spiritual world. After that I asked them what considered opinions about God and nature they were bringing with them from the world.
Their answer was this: "Nature produces everything that occurs in the created universe. After creation, God endowed nature with this productive power and ability; he imprinted this power on it. God's only role [now] is to maintain nature's productive power and ability and keep them from failing. Therefore these days everything in the world that comes about and is produced or reproduced is attributed to nature. "
I replied that nature of itself does nothing; it is God who produces things through nature. They asked me to prove it. So I said, "People who believe that the Divine is at work in every detail of nature find support for a belief in God in many of the phenomena they observe in the world. They find much more evidence to support a belief in God than to support a belief in nature.
[2] "Those who see evidence of God at work in the details of nature ponder the obvious yet astounding phenomena in the reproduction of plants and animals.
"In the reproduction of plants, a tiny seed is put in the ground, and a root comes out. Up through the root comes a stem, and then in succession come branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruit, leading to new seeds, completely as if the seed knew the sequence of events or procedure to follow in order to create itself anew! What rational person could think that the sun, which is nothing but fire, knows how to achieve this? Or that the sun can empower its heat and light to bring about these developments? Is the sun capable of intending to be useful? Those with an elevated rational mind, when they see and consider these phenomena in the proper light, cannot help but think that these phenomena come from One whose wisdom is infinite - namely, God. Others as well who do recognize the divine handiwork in the details of nature find additional support for their belief in these phenomena.
"On the other hand, those who do not acknowledge that God is at work in nature move the eyes of their reason to the back of their heads rather than the front when looking at these phenomena. They are the type who derive every idea of their thought process from their bodily senses, and let themselves be convinced by false sensory evidence, saying, 'You see the sun producing all these changes through its heat and light, don't you? What is a thing you can't even see? Is it in fact anything at all?'
[3] "People who are strengthening their belief in the Divine take note of the astounding things they see in the reproduction of animals: Here I should first mention eggs as an example. In the seed of an egg there is a potential chick, together with everything required for its formation and for every stage it will go through after hatching until it becomes a bird just like its mother.
"Furthermore, if it considers flying creatures of every kind, a mind capable of deep thought will encounter stupefying things. For example, in the smallest thing that flies, just as in the largest, in the microscopic, just as in the plainly visible, in tiny insects, just as in songbirds and giant birds of prey, there are sensory organs of sight, smell, taste, and touch, and motor organs or muscles allowing them to fly and walk; and there are internal organs attached to their hearts and lungs that are activated by their brains.
"Those who attribute everything to nature do indeed see these phenomena, but their only thought is that they exist. They simply say that nature has that effect. They say this because they turn their minds away from thoughts about the Divine; and when people who turn away from the Divine see astounding things in nature they cannot think about them rationally, much less spiritually. They think with their senses and in a material way. They think in nature, from nature, and not beyond it. The only difference between them and animals is that they have rational capability, meaning that they could understand if they wanted to.
[4] "Those who are averse to thinking about the Divine and have therefore become mindlessly sense-oriented, fail to realize that their eyesight is so dull and limited to physical matter that it sees a mass of tiny insects as a single vague object, although in fact every single one of those insects has organs for sensing and moving. They are equipped with fibers and vessels, with tiny little hearts, windpipes that function like lungs, internal organs, and brains that have all been woven out of the finest substances in nature. Those structures respond to life at the lowest level; that life individually activates their most minuscule parts. Eyesight, then, is so dull that it sees many things, each of which has countless elements, as nothing more than a little blur; and yet sense-oriented people think and pass judgment on the basis of their eyesight. Obviously, then, their minds are dulled, and they are in darkness regarding what is spiritual.
[5] "All of us, if we want to, can use phenomena in nature to support a belief in the Divine; and we do so when we think about God, about the omnipotence he displayed in creating the universe, and about his omnipresence in preserving the universe.
"For example, when we see the birds that fly in the sky we can reflect on the fact that each species of them knows its own food and where to find it, and recognizes its companions by sight and sound. In fact it knows which birds among all others are friendly and which are hostile. Birds know the mating of their kind; they pair off with a mate, they artfully arrange nests, and in them they lay their eggs and brood over them; they know how long to incubate them; and when the time comes they hatch their young, give them tender love, nurture them under their wings, and gather food and feed them, until the young come of age and can take on those tasks for themselves. All who are willing to think about a divine inflow through the spiritual world into the physical world can see that inflow from these examples. If they are willing, they can say in their hearts that such knowledge cannot be acquired from the sun through its heat and light. The sun, nature's origin and essence, is nothing but a fire. The flow of heat and light from it is utterly dead. From this they can conclude that these phenomena are the result of divine inflow through the spiritual world into the outermost aspects of nature.
[6] "When they look at caterpillars, too, all people can put the visible features of nature to use to strengthen their belief in the Divine. The delight of some love impels caterpillars to long and strive for a change from their earthly condition to something like a heavenly state. So they crawl into a suitable place, wrap themselves in a covering, and create for themselves a kind of womb in which to be reborn. In that womb they become chrysalises, pupas, nymphs, and finally butterflies. After they have undergone their metamorphosis and have been adorned with beautiful wings that reflect their species, they fly into the air as if it were their own heaven and cheerfully play there. They find a partner, lay eggs, and provide for the next generation. During their butterfly phase they nourish themselves with sweet and pleasant food from flowers. Surely all who use the phenomena visible in nature to strengthen their belief in the Divine see an image of our earthly state in the caterpillars, and an image of our heavenly state in the butterflies. Those who convince themselves in favor of nature do indeed see these phenomena, but because they reject the existence of a heavenly human state, they call these phenomena the mere workings of nature.
[7] "By focusing on what is known about bees as well, anyone can use things visible in nature to strengthen a belief in the Divine. Bees know how to collect wax from roses and other flowers, and how to extract honey. They know how to build cells like little apartments and lay them out in the form of a city with passages for coming and going. From far away they smell the flowers and plants from which they get wax for their hive and honey for food. Once stuffed with these, they fly in a straight line back to their own beehive. By doing so they store up food for themselves for the coming winter as if they saw it coming. They set over themselves a female to lead them as their queen. She gives birth to the next generation. They also set over themselves a kind of court for her, complete with bodyguards. When the time comes for her to give birth, she takes an entourage of these bodyguards, called drones, and goes from cell to cell laying eggs, which her crowd of followers covers with daub to protect the eggs from the air. This results in new offspring. Later on, when they have grown to the age at which they can take on these tasks, the young bees are expelled from the hive. They first gather into a swarm in order to stay together and then fly to look for a new home. In the fall the drones are taken away because they have contributed no wax or honey. Their wings are removed to prevent them from coming back and consuming the hives food, for which they did no work.
"All this and more besides serves to show that because bees are useful to the human race, a divine inflow through the spiritual world gives bees a form of government like the one among people on earth, and even like the one among angels in the heavens.
[8] "Surely everyone of sound reason sees that it is not because of the physical world that bees behave this way. What does the sun, the origin of nature, have in common with a government that emulates and is analogous to a government in heaven?
Those who believe in nature and worship it use these and similar animal phenomena to support their belief in nature. Those who believe in and worship God use the same phenomena to support their belief in God. The spiritual person sees something spiritual in these phenomena, while the earthly person sees something earthly; everyone sees it in her or his own way. To me, these phenomena have been evidence of an inflow of the spiritual world into the physical world - an inflow from God.
"While you are at it, ponder whether it would be possible for you to think analytically about a form of government, or about a civil law, or about a moral virtue, or about a spiritual truth, if the Divine were not flowing in from its wisdom through the spiritual world. It has not been possible for me, nor is it now. I have been aware of and have sensed this inflow continually for twenty-six years now. Therefore I speak from personal experience.
[9] "Can nature have usefulness as a goal? Can it sort useful functions into well-ordered sequences and forms? This is impossible except for one who is wise. And to arrange and form the whole universe like this is impossible except for God, whose wisdom is infinite. Who else could foresee and provide substances for people to eat and to wear - food from the fields harvest, from the earths fruit, and from animals; and clothing from the same sources? Among the marvels of the universe is that those lowly insects called silkworms clothe with silk and magnificently adorn both women and men from queens and kings down to maids and butlers. And those lowly insects called bees supply wax for the lamps that give churches and royal courts their splendor. These and many other things are obvious proof that everything occurring in nature is produced by God himself through the spiritual world. "
[10] To that statement I should add that in the spiritual world I have had a chance to observe people who used phenomena visible in the physical world to support a belief in nature even to the point that they became atheists. In spiritual light it became apparent that their intellect was open at the bottom but closed at the top, because they had looked downward toward the earth in their thought rather than upward to heaven. Just above the lowest level of their intellect, the sensory level, I saw a kind of covering that was flickering with hellish fire. In some it was as black as soot; in others, gray like a corpse.
Everyone needs to beware of affirming a belief in nature. Affirm a belief in God instead. There is no shortage of support for it.
12. (v) THERE ARE MANY THINGS IN THE WORLD WHICH CAN LEAD THE HUMAN REASON, IF IT WISHES, TO GRASP AND DEDUCE THAT THERE IS A GOD AND THAT HE IS ONE.
This truth can be supported by countless things in the visible world; for the universe is like a theatre, upon the stage of which demonstrations of the existence of God and His oneness are continually being presented. To illustrate this I shall relate this account from my experiences in the spiritual world.
Once when I was talking with angels, some newcomers from the natural world arrived. On seeing them I made them welcome, and told them many facts they did not know about the spiritual world. After this conversation I asked them what learning about God and nature they brought with them from the world.
'We have been taught,' they said, 'that nature performs all the operations which take place in the whole of creation. After the act of creation God assigned to nature and stamped upon her this ability and power; God only supports and preserves everything from being destroyed. Consequently everything on earth which comes into existence, is born or re-born, is to-day put down to nature.'
I replied that nature of herself performs no operation; but it is God who does this by means of nature. Since they demanded a proof, I said: 1 'Those who believe in the working of God in the details of Nature can find many sights in the world in favour of their belief in God, many more than in favour of nature.
[2] Those who favour the working of God in the details of nature pay attention to the amazing sights to be seen in the reproduction of both plants and animals. In the case of plants, a tiny seed cast into the ground produces a root, by means of the root a stem, and so in order branches, twigs, leaves, flowers and fruit, until the result is fresh seeds, just as if the seed knew the pattern of successive stages or processes which lead to its renewal. Can any rational person think that the sun, which is nothing but fire, has this knowledge, or that it can instruct its heat and light to produce such effects, and that it can act purposefully? A person whose reasoning faculty is uplifted, on seeing and duly considering these facts, is inevitably led to think that they come from Him who possesses infinite wisdom, that is, from God. Those who acknowledge the working of God in the details of nature are further confirmed in their view on seeing these things; those on the other hand who do not make this acknowledgment see them not with the eyes of reason set in the face, but with eyes in the back of the head; these are the people who get all the ideas in their heads from the bodily senses and support their fallacious beliefs by saying 'Surely you see it is the sun which produces all these results by its heat and light. Something you cannot see cannot be anything.'
[3] 'Those seeking support for a Divine origin pay attention to the amazing sights to be seen in animal reproduction. First of all I may mention eggs, which contain the chick hidden in its seed together with everything needed for its development, and its whole future growth after hatching until it becomes a bird resembling its mother. Further if we consider flying creatures in general, the mind which thinks profoundly boggles at the astonishing facts about them; that the smallest as well as the largest, the invisible as well as the visible, that is, tiny insects as well as birds and large animals, possess sensory organs of sight, smell, taste and touch; also motor organs or muscles which allow them to fly and walk; also viscera attached to a heart and lungs, all controlled by brains. Those who attribute everything to nature admittedly see these things, but they think of them merely as facts and call them the products of nature. They say this because they have turned their minds away from thinking about the Divine. This turning away from the Divine prevents them from thinking rationally, much less spiritually, about the amazing sights they see in nature. Their thoughts are limited to the senses and matter, so that they think in nature from nature, rather than above her. Their only difference from animals is that they enjoy the faculty of rationality, that is, they can understand if they wish.
[4] 'Those who have turned away from thoughts of the Divine, which makes them dependent upon the bodily senses, do not realise that the sight of the eye is so coarse and gross that it sees a group of tiny insects as a dark mass. Yet every one of these is endowed with the powers of sensation and movement, that is to say, it is provided with fibres and vessels, a tiny heart, breathing pores, viscera and brain. These are constructed of the simplest natural substances, and their systems answer to the vital principle in its lowest degree, for even the tiniest organs are individually activated by it. Since the sight of the eye is so gross that a number of creatures, each with its countless parts, look like a small dark mass, and yet those who rely on their senses found their thought and judgment on those visual powers, it is obvious how blunted their minds are and thus how blind they are on spiritual matters.
[5] 'Anyone can, if he wishes, find support for the Divine idea in the sights of nature, and also further if he thinks about God and His omnipotence in the creation of the universe and His omnipresence in preserving it. As when he considers the birds of the air, each species of which knows its proper food and where to find it; it recognises its kind by sight and sound; it knows which birds are its friends and which its enemies; they know how to nestle under their plumage, they form pairs, cleverly construct nests, lay eggs in them and sit on them; they know how long to sit, and in due season hatch their chicks, whom they love dearly, protecting them under their wings, providing food and nourishing them, and continuing until they can look after themselves and perform the same service. Anyone who is willing to think how the Divine influences the natural world by means of the spiritual can see this in these facts. He can even, if he wishes, say in his heart, 'Such knowledge cannot be acquired from the sun's heat and light, for the sun which is the origin and essence of nature is nothing but fire. Consequently the radiation of its heat and light is totally devoid of life.' This may lead them to deduce that such things are the effect of Divine influence working on the lowest forms of nature by means of the spiritual world.
[6] 'Anyone can find support for the Divine idea from the sights of nature, when he looks at grubs. The pleasure of a certain love makes them seek and aspire to change their earthly condition into one analogous to the heavenly condition. Therefore they creep into suitable places, surround themselves with a cocoon and so put themselves into a womb that they may be born again. There they become chrysallises, pupae, nymphs, and finally butterflies. And when they have undergone their metamorphosis and have put on the lovely wings typical of their species, they fly up into the air as into their private heaven, play happily together, mate, lay eggs and see to the continuation of their race. Then they feed on lovely, sweet food provided by flowers. Can anyone, who finds support for the Divine idea in the sights of nature, fail to see a picture of man's earthly state in their life as grubs and his heavenly state when they become butterflies? But those who support the idea of nature admittedly see these facts, but because they have mentally rejected the idea of man's heavenly state, they call these nothing but the workings of nature.
[7] 'Anyone can find support for the Divine idea from the sights of nature when he pays attention to the facts known about bees. They know how to collect wax and suck up honey from roses and other flowers, how to construct cells as their tiny homes and arrange them so as to resemble a city with streets by which to come in and go out. They smell out from a distance the flowers and plants from which they collect wax for building and honey to eat. When they are loaded with these they know their bearings to fly home to their hive, and thus provide themselves with food for the coming winter, as if they could foresee it. They set a mistress or queen over them; she is the mother of their offspring. They build a sort of court above their own quarters for the queen surrounded by her courtiers. When the time comes for her to give birth, she goes around accompanied by her courtiers, called drones, from one cell to the next and lays her eggs which the attendant crowd seal in to protect them from the air. These produce their new stock. Later on when this grows up sufficiently to behave in the same way, it is expelled from the hive; the swarm first of all gathers into a cloud to keep together in formation, and then flies off to find themselves a home. Towards autumn the drones, because they have brought home no wax or honey, are taken out and stripped of their wings, so that they cannot come back and consume the food to which they have done nothing to contribute; and much more might be said. From all this it can be clearly seen that for the sake of the service they perform to human beings the Divine influence coming through the spiritual world has given them an organisation similar to that of men on earth, or indeed of angels in the heavens.
[8] 'Is there anyone of unimpaired reason who does not see that such effects are not produced in them by the natural world? What has the sun, the origin of nature, in common with an organisation which rivals and mirrors the organisation of the heavens? These and similar facts concerning the lower animals confirm in his belief the man who makes a profession of and worships nature. But the man who professes belief in and worships God uses the same facts to reinforce his belief in God; for the spiritual man sees in them spiritual facts, while the natural man sees natural ones, in other words, each sees what he is. For my part, such facts have been evidence to me of the influence of the spiritual world coming from God on the natural. Consider too whether you could think analytically about any type of organisation, or any civil law, or any moral virtue, or any spiritual truth, if the Divine influence did not make itself felt as a result of its wisdom by means of the spiritual world. I for my part have never been able to do so, nor can I now. I have consciously perceived that influence and felt it through the senses continuously for the last twenty-six years. So I make this statement as a witness.
[9] 'Can nature have as its aim the fulfilment of a purpose, and arrange these purposes into organised structures? Only a wise being can do this; and no one could so order and structure the universe except God, whose wisdom is infinite. Who else can foresee and provide what men need to eat and clothe themselves: the crops of the field, the fruits of the earth and animals for food, and clothing from the same sources? One of the astonishing things in this is that those insignificant insects called silk-worms dress both women and men in silk and adorn them magnificently, from queens and kings down to maids and servants; and that those insignificant insects called bees supply wax to illuminate splendidly churches and halls. These and many more are the outstanding proofs that God of Himself performs all the workings of nature by means of the spiritual world.
[10] 'To this I must add that I have seen in the spiritual world those who found confirmation of their naturalistic view in the sights of the world, to such an extent that they became atheists. Seen in spiritual light, their understandings seemed to be open underneath, but closed on top, because their thoughts had been turned downwards to earth, and not up to heaven. Above their sensual area, which is the lowest level of the understanding, there appeared a sort of covering flashing with hellish fire, in some cases black as soot, in others livid like a corpse. Therefore let everyone take care not to confirm his belief in nature, but seek rather proofs of God; there is no lack of material.'
Footnotes:
1. The following passage is adapted from Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Wisdom 351-357, Conjugial Love 416-421.
12. (5) Human reason can, if it will, perceive and be convinced, from many things in the world, that there is a God, and that He is one. This truth may be confirmed by innumerable things in the visible world; for the universe is like a stage, upon which evidences that there is a God and that He is one are continually exhibited. To illustrate this I will cite this Memorable Relation from the spiritual world:
Once while I was talking with angels, certain spirits that had recently arrived from the natural world were present. Seeing them, I bade them welcome, and told them many things they had not known before about the spiritual world.
After this I asked them what knowledge about God and about nature they had brought with them from the world.
"This," they said, "that nature is the operative power in all things that are done in the created universe; and that God, after creation, endowed nature with and impressed upon it that capability and power; and that God merely sustains and preserves that power lest it perish; consequently, all things that spring forth or are produced and reproduced upon the earth are now ascribed to nature."
But I replied that in nothing is nature of itself the operative power, but God through nature. And when they asked for proof I said, "Those who believe the Divine operation to be in every least thing of nature find in very many things they see in the world much more evidence in favor of a God than in favor of nature.
[2] For those who find evidences in favor of the Divine operation in every least thing of nature observe attentively the wonderful things that are seen in the production of plants and of animals. In the Production of Plants, they observe that from a little seed sown in the ground there goes forth a root, and from the root a stem, and successively branches, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits, even to new seeds, just as if the seed knew the order of succession or development by which to renew itself. What rational person can imagine that the sun, which is pure fire, knows this, or that it can impart to its heat and light the power to produce such effects and to have such uses in view? Any man whose reason looks upward, when he sees these things and properly considers them, must needs conclude that they are from one whose wisdom is infinite, that is, from God. In this conclusion those who recognize a Divine operation in all the particulars of nature confirm themselves when they observe these things. On the other hand, those who do not recognize such an operation in nature behold these things with the eyes of their reason in the back of the head, and not in the front. These are such as derive all the ideas of their thought from the bodily senses, and confirm the fallacies of the senses, saying, 'Do you not see the sun accomplishing all these things by means of its heat and light? Is that which you do not see of any account?'
[3] Those who confirm themselves in favor of the Divine carefully observe the wonderful things they see in the Production of Animals; as in regard to eggs (speaking first of these), the chick in its seminal state lies concealed in them With every thing requisite for its formation, and also for its entire development after it is hatched until it becomes a bird in the form of the parent. Moreover, to any mind that thinks deeply, things which excite wonder are presented whenever winged creatures in general are observed; as that both the smallest and largest of them, both the invisible and the visible, that is, both minute insects and great birds and beasts, possess organs of sense, namely, sight, smell, taste, and touch; also organs of motion, which are muscles, for they fly and walk; also viscera connected with the heart and lungs which are moved by the brains. All these things are seen also by those who ascribe everything to nature; but such merely notice their existence, and claim that they are products of nature. This they claim because they have turned away their minds from all thoughts of the Divine; and those who have done this, when they behold the wonderful things in nature, are unable to think about them rationally, still less spiritually; but they think sensually and materially; thus they think in nature from nature, and not above nature; and such differ from beasts only in being endowed with rationality, that is, only in an ability to understand if they wish to.
[4] Those who have turned themselves away from all thought of a Divine, and have thereby become corporeal-sensual, never consider that the sight of the eye is so gross and material that it sees many small insects as a single obscure object; and yet each one of these is organized for sensation and motion, and is consequently endowed with fibers and vessels, with a minute heart and pulmonic tubes, with minute viscera and with brains; and these are composed of nature's purest elements, these textures corresponding to life in its lowest degree whereby their least parts are severally actuated. Considering the grossness of our bodily vision, to which many such insects, with the innumerable parts in each, appear as a single minute indistinct object, while yet it is from this vision that sensual men think and draw conclusions, it is evident how gross their minds must be, and in what darkness they must be respecting spiritual things.
[5] "Any man is able, if he will, to find evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things of nature; and this he does whenever he thinks of God and of His omnipotence in the creation of the universe, and of His omnipresence in the preservation of it; as, for instance, when he sees that among the birds of heaven each species knows its own food and where to find it, recognizes its companions by sight and sound, and among other species knows which are friends and which enemies; that they know how to mate, to form marriages, construct their nests skillfully, place their eggs in them and hatch them, also the period of incubation; and when the young have been hatched they love them most tenderly, shelter them beneath their wings, feed and nourish them, and this until they are able to provide for themselves and to perform like offices. If anyone is willing to think about a Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural he can see it in these creatures; and can also, if he will, say from his heart that the sun through its heat and light cannot be the source of such knowledge, for the sun from which nature has its rise and essence is pure fire, and consequently its effluent heat and light must be utterly dead; and thus he may reach the conclusion that these knowledges are from a Divine influx through the spiritual world into the outmosts of nature.
[6] "Anyone can find evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things of nature when he observes those worms which are moved by the joy of a peculiar love to aspire after a change of their earthly state into one somewhat analogous to a heavenly state. For this purpose they crawl into suitable places, enclose themselves in a covering, and thus place themselves in a womb from which to be born again; and there they become chrysalids, aureliae, nymphs, and finally butterflies; and having undergone this transformation and been decked with beautiful wings according to their species, they fly forth into the air as into their heaven, and there disport themselves merrily, marrying, laying eggs, and providing for themselves a posterity, meanwhile nourishing themselves with sweet and pleasant food from flowers. Who that sees evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things of nature can help seeing in these as worms an image of man's earthly state, and in these as butterflies an image of his heavenly state? Those who have confirmed themselves in favor of nature behold the same things, but having rejected man's heavenly state from their thought they call them mere operations of nature.
[7] "Anyone can find evidences in favor of a Divine in the visible things in nature when he gives thought to what is known of bees, their knowing how to collect wax from roses and blossoms, to suck out honey, to build cells like little houses, to arrange them like a city, with streets for going in and out; their smelling from a distance the flowers and herbs from which they collect wax for their houses and honey for food, being loaded with which they fly back straight to their hive. Thus they provide themselves with food for the coming winter as if they foresaw it. They also appoint a mistress over themselves as queen, and through her they propagate a posterity; and for her they build a sort of palace above themselves, and place guards around it. When the time for propagation arrives, accompanied by her guards, which are called drones, she goes from cell to cell, and lays her eggs, which her retinue seal up lest they be injured by the air. Thus a new generation is born; and when this generation has reached the proper age to be able to repeat the process it is expelled from the hive, and the new swarm, after gathering into a body to prevent separation, flies forth to find itself a home. About the time of autumn, as the drones have added nothing to the supply of wax or honey, they are led out and deprived of their wings to prevent their returning and consuming the food on which they had spent no labor. From this and other facts it can be seen that on account of the use they perform for the human race these insects receive by influx from the spiritual world a form of government similar to that which is formed among men on the earth, and even among the angels in the heavens.
[8] What man of sound reason does not see that the natural world cannot be the source of all this? What has the sun, from which nature springs, in common with a government which so vies with and closely resembles heavenly government? From these and like facts exhibited among animals, one who acknowledges and worships nature confirms himself in favor of nature; while he who acknowledges and worships God confirms himself from the same facts in favor of God; for the spiritual man sees in them spiritual things, and the natural man sees in them natural things, thus each in accord with his character. For my own part, such things have been to me evidences that from God there is an influx of the spiritual world into the natural. Consider, moreover, whether you are able to think analytically of any form of government, of any civil law, or any moral virtue, or any spiritual truth, except on the supposition that there is an inflow of the Divine from its own wisdom through the spiritual world. As to myself, I am not able to do so, and never have been. I have now for twenty-six years continually observed that influx perceptibly and sensibly; I therefore speak from what I know.
[9] "Can nature pursue use as an end, and arrange uses in order and in forms? Only a wise being is able to do this; and God alone, whose wisdom is infinite, is able so to order and form the universe. Who else can foresee and provide food and clothing for man-food from the products of the field, from the fruits of the earth, and from animals; and clothing from the same sources? It is among these marvelous facts that those petty worms called silkworms clothe with silk and magnificently adorn both women and men, from queens and kings even to maidservants and menservants; and that a petty insect like the bee supplies the wax for the tapers that make temples and palaces brilliant. All these and more are conclusive proofs that God from Himself through the spiritual world operates all things that take place in nature.
[10] "To all this let me add the fact that I have seen in the spiritual world those who from things visible in the natural world had confirmed themselves in favor of nature until they had become atheists; and that in spiritual light the understanding of such appeared to be open below, but closed above, for the reason that in their thought they had looked down toward the earth, and not up toward heaven. Above their sensual faculties, which form the lowest part of the understanding, a kind of covering flashing with infernal fire was seen, in some cases like soot, and in others livid like a corpse. Let everyone therefore beware of these confirmations in favor of nature; and let him confirm himself in favor of God; there is no lack of means. "
12. (5) HUMAN REASON MAY, IF IT WILL, PERCEIVE AND CONCLUDE FROM MANY THINGS IN THE WORLD THAT THERE IS A GOD, AND THAT HE IS ONE.
This truth may be confirmed by innumerable testimonies from the visible world; for the universe is like a stage on which are continually being exhibited evidences that there is a God, and that He is one.
To illustrate this I will mention the following remarkable experience from the spiritual world. 1 I was once talking with angels and there were present some spirits who had just arrived from the natural world. When I saw them I wished them happiness on their arrival, and told them many things that were new to them about the spiritual world. After talking to them, I enquired of them what knowledge concerning God and nature they brought with them from the world. They replied that according to their knowledge nature is the agent by which all things are done in the universe; for God, after creation, endowed and impressed upon nature this faculty and power, and God merely sustains and preserves all things lest they should perish. Therefore the existence, production and reproduction of all things are to-day ascribed to nature.
[2] To this I replied that nature of herself does nothing, but that it is God who operates through nature. When they asked for proof I said that those who believe in the Divine agency in the various works of nature can confirm their view from the many things they see in nature much more than those who believe in the agency of nature. Those who believe in the Divine agency in nature study the wonders that appear in the production of plants and animals. In the production of plants they see that from a tiny seed sown in the ground there issues a root, by means of the root a stem, and successively branches, buds, leaves, flowers and fruit, till finally new seeds are produced just as if the seed knew the order of the successive stages by which it should reproduce itself. What rational man can suppose that the sun, which is pure fire, knows this, or can endow its heat and light with the power to accomplish such things, or can intentionally perform uses? The man whose rational faculty has been elevated cannot do otherwise than suppose, when he sees and duly considers these things, that they are from Him who has infinite wisdom, that is, from God. Those who acknowledge the Divine agency in the various works of nature confirm their view when they see these things. On the other hand, those who do not acknowledge it regard these things from an inverted point of view. They derive the ideas in their mind from the senses of the body, and confirm them by the illusions of the senses of the body, and confirm them by the illusions of the senses, saying: 'Surely you see the sun effecting all these things by its own heat and light-sun effecting all these things by its own heat and light. What you cannot see cannot exist.'
[3] Those who believe in the Divine study also the wonders that appear in the production of animals. First may be mentioned the egg. In it the chicken lies in its seed, with all things necessary for its formation and also for its future growth till it becomes a bird like its parent. Further, when regard is paid to winged creatures in general, the thoughtful mind is astonished at what is presented to it. For in the least as in the greatest, in the invisible as in the visible, that is, in the least of insects as in birds and great animals, there are organs of sense, namely sight, smell, taste and touch; also organs of motion, or muscles, for they fly and walk. There are viscera also, connected with the heart and lungs, and these are actuated by the brain. Those who ascribe all things to nature indeed see these things, but note only their existence, and say that nature produces them. They say this because they have turned away their minds from thinking of the Divine; and those who have done this, when they regard the wonders of nature, cannot think rationally, still less spiritually, but sensually and materially, and finally they think in nature from nature, and not above nature; they differ only from beasts in that, having rationality, they are capable of understanding, if they will.
[4] Those who have turned away from thinking of the Divine and have thereby become sensual and corporeal, do not realize that the sight of the eye is so gross that it sees many tiny insects as mere dark specks; and yet each is organized to feel and to move, and so has fibres and vessels, a minute heart and pulmonary tubes, viscera and brains. All these are composed of the purest substances in nature, and their structures correspond to life in its lowest degree, by which the minutest of them are distinctly actuated. Since the sight of the eye is so gross that many insects, each with its innumerable parts, appear to it as tiny, dark specks, it is manifest how gross the minds of sensual men must be who base their thoughts and conclusions on that sight, and consequently in what darkness they are with respect to spiritual things.
[5] Every man, if he will, may confirm his belief in the Divine from the visible things in nature; and he does so who thinks about God and His omnipotence in creating the universe, and about His omnipresence in preserving it. As for instance when he observes the fowls of the air, how every species knows its own proper food, and where it may be found, and recognizes its own kind by sound and sight; how birds can distinguish friends and enemies among other birds, know the mating season, choose their mates, skillfully build their nests, lay their eggs and sit upon them; and how they know the time of hatching when they help their young out of the shell. These they love most tenderly, cherishing them under their wings, providing them with food, and supporting them until they are able to provide for themselves, and in their turn perform the same offices. Every man who is disposed to think of the Divine influx through the spiritual world into the natural may see it in those things; and, if he will, he may say in his heart that such knowledge cannot be communicated to these creatures from the sun through its heat and light. For the sun, from which nature derives her own origin and essence, is pure fire, and consequently its emanations of heat and light are completely void of life. It may therefore be concluded that such things are the result of Divine influx through the spiritual world into the ultimates of nature.
[6] Every one also may confirm his belief in the Divine when he considers those insects which, impelled by the craving of a sort of love, ardently seek for a change from their earth-bound state to one like that of heaven. For this purpose they creep into suitable places, weave round themselves a cocoon and thus, as it were, return into the womb to be born again, becoming pupae and finally butterflies. When they have passed through these changes and put on their beautiful wings, after their kind, they fly into the air as into a heaven of their own, where they sport in happy mood, choose mates, lay their eggs, and provide for themselves a posterity. In this state they feed upon a sweet and pleasant nectar drawn from the flowers. Any one who confirms his belief in the Divine from the visible things of nature sees an image of man's earthly state in them as insects, and of his heavenly state in them as butterflies. Those, however, who confirm their belief in nature, see these things indeed, but as they have renounced all belief in the heavenly state, they call them merely the operations of nature.
[7] Again, every man may confirm his belief in the Divine from the visible things of nature when he studies the well-known facts about bees. They know how to gather wax and honey from roses and other flowers, and build cells like little houses, arranged in the form of a city, with passages by which to go in and out. They scent from afar the flowers and herbs from which they gather the wax for their homes and honey for food; and laden with these they fly back in the right direction to their own hive, and thus provide for themselves food for the coming winter, as if they foresaw its approach. They also set over themselves a queen, from whom to propagate their posterity. They provide a sort of palace for her with guards, called drones, and when her time comes, accompanied by them, she proceeds from cell to cell and lays her eggs, which her attendants seal up to protect them from the air. In this way a new progeny arises. When its time comes to perform similar offices it is driven from the hive. The swarm first gathers itself into a band so as not to be scattered, and then flies abroad to seek a home for itself. About autumn the drones, having brought in neither wax nor honey, are taken out and deprived of their wings, to prevent them from returning and consuming the food they had expended no labor to collect. Many other facts might be added; but from those just related it is evident that for the sake of the use they perform to mankind, from the Divine influx through the spiritual world, they have a form of government resembling that of men on earth, and indeed that of angels in heaven.
[8] Any one of sound reason may see that the bees do not acquire their instincts from the world of nature, and that the sun, from which nature is derived, has no form of government like that of heaven.
From these and similar observations in the animal world he who believes in nature and worships her confirms his belief in her; while he who believes in God and worships Him confirms his belief in Him. The spiritual man sees what is spiritual in them, but the natural man only what is natural, each according to his own nature. For myself such things have been manifestations of Divine influx from the spiritual world into the natural. Consider also whether one could think analytically concerning any form of government, or any civil law, or any morel virtue, or any spiritual truth unless the Divine wisdom entered by influx through the spiritual world. For my own part, I never could, nor can I now, as I have perceptibly and manifestly observed this influx continuously, for twenty-six years: I therefore speak from my own experience.
[9] Could nature regard use as an end, and arrange uses into their orders and forms? No one could do this but one who is wise, and no one could so order and form the universe but God, whose wisdom is infinite. No other could foresee and provide for man food and clothing, food from the harvests of the fields, the fruits of the earth, and from animals, and clothing from the same. It is a wonderful thing that those humble insects called silk-worms should clothe with silk and magnificently adorn men and women, from kings and queens, even to menservants and maidservants; that those humble insects called bees should furnish wax for lamps to illuminate temples and palaces. These and many other things are outstanding proofs that God Himself, acting through the spiritual world, directs all the operations of nature.
[10] I should add that in the spiritual world I have seen some who had so confirmed their belief in nature from what they saw while in this world that they became atheists. In the light of the spiritual world their understanding appeared open from beneath but closed from above, because in thought they looked downwards to the earth, and not upwards to heaven. Over the sensual faculty, which is the lowest part of the understanding, there appeared as it were a veil, sparkling with infernal fire. With some it appeared black as soot, with others livid, corpse-like in color. No one, therefore, ought to confirm himself in a belief in nature from nature's manifestations: these rather furnish grounds for belief in God.
Footnotes:
1. We render thus "memorabile" (pl. memorabilia). Swedenborg uses this term for the illustrative narratives he gives, as those appended to chapters of TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, of things seen and heard in the spiritual world. The reader should reserve judgment on Swedenborg's descriptions of experiences in the spiritual world till he has satisfied himself as to the reality as well as the nature of that world. 851, and Tafel's Doc., Vol. 2, pp. 415-416.
12. V. QUOD RATIO HUMANA EX MULTIS IN MUNDO PERCIPERE AUT CONCLUDERE POSSIT, SI VULT, QUOD DEUS SIT, ET QUOD UNUS SIT. Haec veritas per innumerabilia in Mundo aspectabili, confirmari potest; est enim Universum sicut Theatrum, super quo Testimonia, quod Deus sit, et quod unus sit, continue exhibentur. Sed ad hoc illustrandum adducam MEMORABILE hoc e Mundo Spirituali. Quondam inter loquendum cum Angelis, aderant aliqui Novitii e Mundo naturali, quibus visis optabam felicem adventum, et narravi plura ignota de Mundo Spirituali; et post sermonem de illis quaesivi, quam eruditionem de Deo et de Natura e Mundo secum ferrent; dicebant hanc, quod Natura operetur omnia quae in Universo Creato fiunt, et quod Deus post Creationem illi indiderit et impresserit facultatem et potentiam illam, et quod Deus solum sustentet et conservet illa ne pereant; quapropter cuncta quae existunt, nascuntur et renascuntur super Tellure, Naturae hodie adscribuntur: sed respondi, quod Natura ex se non operetur quicquam, sed Deus per naturam: et quia poscebant demonstrationem, dixi; illi qui credunt Divinam operationem in singulis naturae, possunt ex permultis, quae in Mundo vident, se confirmare pro Deo, multo plus quam pro Natura:
[2] illi enim, qui se confirmant pro Divina Operatione in singulis naturae, attendunt ad Mirabilia, quae conspiciuntur 1 in Productionibus tam Vegetabilium quam Animalium: in PRODUCTIONIBUS VEGETABILIUM; quod ex seminulo jacto in terram exeat radix, per radicem caulis, et successive rami, termites, folia, flores, fructus, usque ad nova semina, prorsus sicut Semen sciret ordinem successionis seu processum, quo se renovaturum sit. Quis rationalis cogitare potest, quod Sol, qui est purus ignis, hoc sciat, aut quod possit indere calori suo et luci suae, ut talia efficiat, et quod possit intendere usus; homo, cui rationale elevatum est, dum illa videt et rite expendit, non potest aliter cogitare, quam quod sint ab Ipso, cui infinita Sapientia est, ita a Deo; illi qui Divinam Operationem in singulis naturae agnoscunt, etiam confirmant se in eo, cum illa vident; at vicissim illi qui illam non agnoscunt, non vident talia oculis rationis in fronte, sed in occipitio, qui sunt qui omnes ideas cogitationis suae attrahunt ex sensibus corporis, et fallacias illorum confirmant, dicentes, nonne vides Solem per calorem suum et lucem suam omnia illa operantem; quid est quod non vides, num est aliquid.
[3] Illi qui se confirmant pro Divino, attendunt ad MIRABILIA quae vident in PRODUCTIONIBUS ANIMALIUM; ut hic primum memorem in Ovis, quod in illis lateat pullus in suo semine cum omni requisito ad formationem, et quoque cum omni progressione post exclusionem 2 usque dum fiat avis in forma genetricis. Porro, si attenditur ad Volatilia in genere, sistuntur menti, quae alte cogitat, talia, quae creant stuporem, ut quod in minimis illorum ut in maximis, in invisibilibus ut in visibilibus, hoc est, in insectulis ut in alitibus et bestiis magnis, sint organa sensuum, quae sunt visus, odoratus, gustus et tactus, tum organa motuum, quae sunt musculi, volant enim et gradiuntur; ut et viscera adhaerentia cordi et pulmoni, quae actuantur a cerebris. Qui omnia Naturae adscribunt, illi quidem vident talia, sed cogitant modo quod sint, et dicunt, quod Natura producat; et hoc dicunt, quia averterunt mentem a cogitando de Divino, et qui averterunt se a Divino, dum vident mirabilia in Natura, non possunt rationaliter, minus spiritualiter, de illis cogitare, sed cogitant sensualiter et materialiter, et tunc cogitant in natura a natura, et non supra illam; solum cum differentia a bestiis, quod rationalitate polleant, hoc est, quod possint intelligere, si volunt.
[4] Illi, qui averterunt se a cogitando de Divino, et per id facti sunt sensuales corporei, non cogitant, quod visus oculi tam crassus et materialis sit, ut plura insectula spectet ut unum obscurum, et tamen unumquodvis organizatum est ad sentiendum et ad se movendum, et sic quod praeditum sit fibris et vasis, tum corculis, fistulis pulmonicis, viscerulis ac cerebris, et quod haec contexta sint a purissimis in natura, et quod contextus illi correspondeant vitae in ultimo gradu, e qua minutissima illorum distincte aguntur. Cum Visus oculi tam crassus est, ut plura cum innumerabilibus in unoquovis, appareant ei sicut parvum obscurum, et tamen illi, qui sensuales sunt, ex illo visu cogitant et judicant, patet quam incrassata est Mens illorum, et inde in qua caligine sunt de spiritualibus.
[5] Quisque ex visibilibus in Natura potest se confirmare pro Divino, si vult, et quoque se confirmat, qui de Deo et Ipsius Omnipotentia in creando Universum, et de Ipsius Omnipraesentia in conservando illud, cogitat; ut dum videt Volatilia Coeli, quod quaelibet eorum species sciat sua alimenta, et ubi haec sunt; cognoscat ex sono et visu consocios; tum inter aves, quaenam earum amicae, et quaenam inimicae sunt, quod congressus sub plumis sciant, connubia jungant, arte struant nidos, ibi ponant ova, incubent illis, tempus incubatus sciant, quo exacto excludunt pullos, quos tenerrime amant, sub alis fovent, escas porrigunt, et alunt, et hoc usque dum sui juris fiunt, et similia possunt agere. Omnis qui vult de Divino influxu per Mundum spiritualem in naturalem cogitare, potest eum in illis videre; potest etiam, si vult, corde suo dicere, tales Scientiae non possunt illis dari ex Sole per ejus calorem et lucem, est enim Sol, ex quo Natura suum ortum et essentiam ducit, purus Ignis, et inde effluxus caloris et lucis ejus prorsus mortui; et sic possunt concludere, quod talia sint ex influxu Divino per Mundum spiritualem in ultima naturae.
[6] Quisque potest ex Visibilibus in Natura pro Divino se confirmare, dum videt Vermes, qui ex jucundo cujusdam amoris affectant et spirant mutationem sui status terrestris in statum quendam analogum status coelestis, et propterea repunt in loca, circumdant se tegmine, et sic mittunt se in uterum ut renascantur, et ibi fiant chrysallides, aureliae, nymphae, et tandem papiliones; et cum Metamorphosin subierunt, et secundum speciem pulchris induti sunt alis, evolant in aerem sicut in suum coelum, ac ibi genialiter ludunt, et agunt connubia, ponunt ova, ac prospiciunt sibi posteritatem; et tunc victu amoeno et dulci ex floribus se nutriunt. Quis non, qui pro Divino ex visibilibus in natura se confirmat, non videt aliquam imaginem terrestris status hominis in illis ut vermibus, et imaginem status coelestis in illis ut papilionibus: at illi, qui pro Natura se confirmant, vident quidem illa, sed quia coelestem hominis statum rejecerunt ex animo, vocant illa meras naturae operationes.
[7] Quisque ex Visibilibus in Natura pro Divino se potest confirmare, dum attendit ad illa quae nota sunt de 3 Apibus, quod sciant ex rosis et floribus colligere ceram, et exsugere mel, ac struere cellas sicut domunculas, et disponere illas in formam civitatis, cum plateis per quas intrent et per quas exeant; quod e longinquo odorent flores et herbas, ex quibus colligant ceras pro domo, et mella pro victu, et quod illis refertae revolent secundum plagam ad suum alveare, et sic prospiciant sibi victum pro ventura hyeme, sicut illam praeviderent: praeficiunt etiam sibi dominam sicut Reginam, ex qua Posteritas propagetur, et pro illa quasi Aulam supra se struunt cum satellitiis circum, quae, cum tempus partus instat, vadit in comitatu a satellitibus, qui vocantur Fuci, a cellula in cellulam, et ponit ova, quae turba sequens circumlinit, ne laedantur ab aere; inde illis nova soboles: postea cum haec ad aetatem suam provecta est, ut similia possit facere, expellitur domo, et examen se primum colligit in turmam, ne consociatio divellatur, et dein evolat ad investigandum sibi domicilium: circa Autumnum fuci illi, quia nihil cerae aut mellis intulerunt, educuntur et deprivantur alis, ne redeant, et escas suas, quibus nihil operae impenderunt, consumant; praeter plura: ex quibus constare potest, quod illis, propter Usum, quem praestant Generi humano, ex influxu Divino per Spiritualem Mundum, sit forma regiminis, qualis est apud homines in terris, imo apud angelos in Coelis.
[8] Quis, cui ratio illibata est, non videt, quod talia apud illos non sint ex Naturali mundo; quid Sol, a quo Natura, commune habet cum Regimine aemulo et analogo Regiminis coelestis. Ex his et similibus apud Animalia bruta, confessor et cultor Naturae confirmat se pro Natura, dum confessor et cultor Dei ex iisdem se confirmat pro Deo, nam Spiritualis homo videt spiritualia in illis, et Naturalis homo videt naturalia in illis, ita quisque qualis est: quod me attinet, talia mihi fuerunt testimonia Influxus Mundi Spiritualis in Naturalem a Deo. Expende etiam, Numeri de aliqua Forma regiminis, aut de aliqua Lege civili, aut de aliqua Virtute morali, aut de aliqua Veritate spirituali, potes analytice cogitare, nisi Divinum ex Sapientia sua per Mundum Spiritualem influat; quod ad me, non potui nec possum; animadverti enim perceptibiliter et sensibiliter Influxum illum nunc per 26 annos continue, quare hoc dico ex testato.
[9] Num Natura pro fine potest habere Usum, et disponere usus in ordines et formas, hoc non potest nisi quam Sapiens; ac Universum ita ordinare et formare non potest nisi Deus, Cui infinita Sapientia est; quis alius potest praevidere et providere quae victus et amictus sunt, hominibus, victus ex messibus agri, fructibus terrae, et ex animalibus, et vestitus ex iisdem. Inter Mirabilia ibi est, quod viles illi vermes, qui vocantur Bombyces, serico vestirent, et magnifice ornarent et foeminas et viros, a Reginis et Regibus, usque ad ancillas et famulos: et quod viles illi vermes, qui vocantur Apes, suppeditarent Ceras pro luminaribus, ex quibus Templa et Aulae in splendore sunt. Haec et plura sunt Auctoramenta exstantia, quod Deus a Se per Mundum Spiritualem operetur omnia quae in Natura fiunt.
[10] His adjiciendum est, quod in Mundo Spirituali visi sint illi, qui pro Natura ex visibilibus in Mundo se confirmaverunt, usque ut athei facti sint, et quod Intellectus eorum in Luce spirituali apparuerit apertus infra, sed occlusus supra, ex causa, quia Cogitatione spectaverunt deorsum ad terram, et non sursum ad Coelum: supra sensuale, quod est infimum intellectus, apparuit sicut velamen fulgurans ex igne infernali, apud quosdam atrum sicut fuligo, et apud quosdam lividum sicut cadaver. Caveat itaque quisque sibi a confirmationibus pro Natura, sed confirmet se pro Deo; non deest supellex.
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