one Creator and Upholder of all things. All Created existences came forth from his love by his wisdom. The proximate sphere of His glory, is the bright SUN of all the heavens, and the everlasting light of creation. The going forth of these Divine creative rays formed the sun in nature to be their receptacle, and to become the instrumental cause of producing those worlds which revolve in our system; making these again to be the abodes of rational and intelligent beings, formed to make endless progressions in love and wisdom, and to pass through natural life to the attainment of that which is spiritual, everlasting, and pure. The sphere of Divine Truth thus descending with life and vigour, produced all creation as a mighty mirror in which the love, wisdom, goodness, providence, and presence of God, were

entire in its first principle, and incapable of alteration and decay." Again, Plutarch, when arguing against the stoics, who supposed if there were a plurality of worlds, that many Jupiters or gods would be necessary to govern them; says, "Where is the necessity of supposing many Jupiters for this plurality of worlds? Is not One Excellent Being, endued with reason and intelligence, such as He is whom we acknowledge to be the Father and Lord of all things, sufficient to direct and rule these worlds? If there were more supreme agents, their decrees would be vain, and contradictory to cach other."

clearly reflected and seen. This truth at last, by Divine arrangement, flowed into the previously prepared minds of those appointed to embody it in natural language, and by maintaining a strict relationship between spiritual states of mind and the objects of nature, a close correspondence between them is observed throughout the inspired language of Revelation, so that the Divine Truth thus embodied, partaking, in its descent from God to man, of all the states of affection and thought both of angelic and human life, became the "Lamp unto our feet," and emphatically "the Word of God." It is the true light of every man's little world, full of spirituality and life, and is as the "finger of God," to point to the regions of immortality. and peace.

Now as the Word of God is written in agreement with the science of correspondence, it follows that nothing but this science can correctly explain its sacred contents. He, therefore, who desires to be further acquainted with these matters, is requested to read the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg; they

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• London Publisher, J. S. Hodson, 112, Fleet Street.

will afford him information of the most instructive and delightful kind.

Reader! I must now bid you farewell! Sufficient has been said, it is hoped, to excite in your mind a veneration for those Divine Oracles of Truth which shadow forth, by the luxuriant appearances in nature, that everlasting land of promise, where an exuberance of celestial felicity must ever reside, and where still flow the luscious streams of milk and honey.

AN

ALPHABETICAL APPENDIX,

Showing, by the law of correspondence, the spiritual explanation of more than 120 objects in the three kingdoms of nature, as mentioned in the Word of God, together with proofs of their true signification drawn from those passages of Scripture where they are respectively named. In this Appendix, it will be found that about 500 passages in the Old Testament and the New are referred to, and a clue given to their interpretation. It is hoped, from the facility with which reference can be made to the various parts of Scripture, that this will be found beneficial to those who devoutly read the Oracles of Divine Truth.

A.

ALMOND TREE. Perception of interior truth from celestial goodness; its blossoms or flowers, the expansion or unfolding of the principles of intelligence; the fruits, the purities of life. From this we may see the reason why Aaron's rod for the tribe of Levi, when laid up with the other rods in the tabernacle of witness, brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." (Numbers, xvii. 8.) It

shows us that when the power of truth in which the mind is principled, and denoted by Aaron's rod, is laid up in the tabernacle of witness, or brought to square with the Divine commandments, the rod will then be found to be fat and flourishing. Not only the buds and the blossoms, but the fruits, or almonds, by which are meant the principles of charity and goodness in the external life, will manifestly appear. The work of regeneration, which is gradual and progressive, is beautifully described by the rod, with its buds, blossoms, and fruits; the buds are the first conceptions of truth in the mind; the blossoms, the expansion of those conceptions into wisdom and intelligence; and the fruits, the pure affections and works of the celestial life. The fruit comes last, but in reality it is the first in thought, value, and use

the buds come first, but in value and end they are last; for they only exist for the sake of the blossoms, and these for the sake of the fruit thus what is first to the eye of mau, is last or least in the sight of God, and vice versa; proving the truth of our Lord's words, "the last shall be first, and the first last." By this signification of the almond tree and its fruits, we discover the reason why Israel commanded his sons, when they were about to visit Joseph in Egypt, to take among other good things, a present of almonds. (Gen. xliii. 11.)

APPLE TREE. Sensual good and truth, belonging to the ultimate of the natural mind.