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All things that appear on the face of the earth, being objects which compose the macrocosm or great world, are corresponding emblems of all the various affections, thoughts, intellectual faculties and powers of man, whom the ancients called the microcosm or little world; consequently, not only trees and vegetables, but also beasts, birds, fishes of every kind, with all other animals, down to the worm and creeping things of the ground. These are all mentioned in Scripture in reference to the mental properties and qualities of man. Hence the Lord says by the prophet, "In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground." (Hosea ii. 18.) This covenant is certainly not made with unthinking animals, but with reflecting man, who is here described as to his affections and thoughts, from the highest to the lowest, by beasts, birds, and creeping things.

In agreement with the universal principles of correspondence, the ancients, who were versed therein, made themselves images to represent things celestial, and were, no doubt, greatly

delighted therewith. By reason of their spiritual signification, they could, and did, discern in them what related to heaven and the church; hence they placed those images both in their temples and houses, not with any intention to worship them, but to serve as means of recollecting the celestial things signified by them. In Egypt and in other places, they made images of calves, oxen, serpents, and also of children, old men, and virgins. Why they did this, correspondence alone can show. Calves and oxen signify the affections and powers of the natural mind; serpents, the prudence and cunning of the sensual man; children, innocence and charity; old men, wisdom; and virgins, the affections of truth. Succeeding ages, when the knowledge of correspondency became obliterated, because they found these pictures and images, set up by their forefathers in and about their temples, began to worship them as deities, and from this idolatrous worship took its rise. The ancients performed their worship in gardens and groves, and also on mountains and hills; by the lan

* See Appendix, where all these terms are explained, each one under its own head.

guage of correspondence, gardens and groves signify wisdom and intelligence, and every particular tree something relating thereto: a mountain denotes the highest principle of celestial love to the Lord; and hills, brotherly love and charity. It is from this their spiritual signification, that we read in Scripture, "The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (Isaiah lv. 12.) This true science not only lucidly explains all Scripture, but also the manners and customs of those who lived in the primitive times; and if ever the ancient Grecian fables, or the Egyptian hieroglyphics, shall be truly deciphered, it must be by this means. No other method will ever correctly unfold their meaning.

CHAP. II.

THE ORIGIN OF CORRESPONDENCE, AND WHY THE SCRIPTURE IS WRITTEN IN AGREEMENT WITH IT -NUMEROUS PROOFS GIVEN-REVELATION THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING TO THE WILL AND INTELLECT OF MAN, THEREFORE OF PLENARY INSPIRATION-OPINIONS OF ANCIENT AND MODERN AUTHORS RESPECTING CORRESPONDENCE -THE PRAYER OF MOSES, LORD, I BESEECH THEE SHEW ME THY GLORY," EXPLAINED THE TRI-UNITY OF GOD, AS CONSISTING OF LOVE, WISDOM, POWER, EXHIBITED IN ALL CREATION -CORRESPONDENCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS OF NATURE WITH THE THREE DEGREES OF LIFE IN MAN.

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To point out the origin of correspondence, and why the Word of God is written according to it, we must endeavour to show the orderly descent of Divine Truth from its beginnings in the bosom of Deity, to its being embodied in the natural language of men on earth. This is indeed no very easy task; but still, some knowledge, however faint we may deem it, can be obtained by those who thirst for the truth, that they may be

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