Page:The Judgment Day.pdf/88

been given to him, and which is to live for ever, and that that mind, viewed in itself, is wisdom from the Lord grounded in love to him, and that the angels have also a like mind; hence it is evident, that in man there is an angelic mind: add to this, that that mind is the man himself, for every man is a man by virtue of that mind, and such a man as that mind is; the body with which that mind is clothed and encompassed in the world, in itself is not a man, for the body cannot enjoy wisdom from the Lord and love him from itself, but from its mind, for also it is separated and rejected when the mind is about to depart and become an angel. The reason why then also man comes into angelic wisdom, is, because the superior degrees of the life of his mind are opened; for every man has three degrees of life; the lowest degree is natural, and man is in it during his abode in the world; the second degree is spiritual, and in that degree is every angél in the inferior heavens; the third degree is celestial, in which is every angel in the superior heavens, and man is an angel in proportion as the two superior degrees are opened in him in the world by wisdom from the Lord, and by love to him; nevertheless he does not know in the world that those degrees are opened, until he is separated from the first degree which is natural, and the separation is effected by the death of the body. That he is then wise as an angel, although not in the world, it has been given me both to see and hear; there were seen in the heavens several of each sex, who were known to me in the world, and who, whilst they lived in the world, simply believed those things which are from the Lord in the Word, and fully lived according to them; and they were heard in heaven speaking things ineffable, as it is said of the angels. That such a mind cannot be formed except in man. The reason is, because all divine influx is from first principles into last, and by connection with the last into middle principles, and thus the Lord connects all things of creation, on which account also He is called the First and the Last; this too was the reason why He came into the world, and put on a human body, and like wise glorified himself therein, that from first principles and at the same time from last He may govern the universe, both heaven and the world. The case is similar with all divine operations, the reason of which is, because in ultimates all things co-exist, for all things which are in successive order are in ultimates in simultaneous order, wherefore all things which are in this latter order are in continual connection with all things in the former order; from which consideration it is evident, that the Divine (principle) in what is last or ultimate is in its fulness: what and of what quali-