the Truth, inafmuch as it may be falfified. The Word is Spirit and Life according as it is understood, for the mere Letter, without the Understanding of it, is dead. Since, therefore, Man hath Truth and Life according to his Understanding of the Word, fo alfo he hath Faith and Love according to it; for Truth comes from Faith, and Love from Life. Now because it is by Faith and Love, and according to them, that the Church exifteth, it follows as a neceffary Confequence, that by the Understanding of the Word, and according to it, the Church is a noble Church if grounded in genuine Truths, and an ignoble one if not in genuine Truths, and a destroyed one if in falfified Truths.

78. Moreover, the Lord is prefent and in Conjunction with Man through the Word, feeing that the Lord is the Word, and, as it were, converses in it with Man, because the Lord is Divine Truth itself, and the Word is Divine Truth alfo. From hence it plainly appears, that the Lord is present with Man, and in Conjunction with him according to his Understanding of the Word; for according to it, Man has Truth, and confequently Faith, and alfo Love, confequently Life: The Lord is prefent with Man, through the Reading of the Word, but he is in Conjunction with him through the Understanding of Truth derived from the Word, and according to it; and in Proportion as the Lord is in Conjunction with Man, so much of the Church is in Man. The true Church is in Man, the Church which is without him, is compofed of the many in whom the true Church is. This is understood by the Lord's Answer to the Pharifees, inquiring when the Kingdom of God fhould come, "The Kingdom of God is within you," Luke xvii. 21; by the Kingdom of God is here meant the Lord and the Church from him.

79. Many Parts of the Prophetical Writings treat of the Understanding of the Word, where the Church is mentioned, and it is taught that the Church cannot exist but where there is a juft Understanding of the Word, and that the State and Nature of the Church is always to be determined by it's Understanding of the Word. The Prophets likewife, in many Parts of their Writings, defcribe the Ifraelitifh and Jewish Church as totally destroyed and annihilated, in Confequence of fa fifying the Senfe or right Understanding

Understanding of the Word; for the Deftruction of the Church proceedeth from no other Source than this. The Understanding the Word, both true and falfe, is defcribed in the Prophetic Writings by Ephraim, and particularly in the Prophet Hofea, for by Ephraim in the Word is fignified the Understanding of the Word, in the Church. Inafmuch as the Understanding of the Word conftituteth the Church, therefore Ephraim is called "A Dear Son and a "Pleasant Child," Jer. xxxi. 20. "The First Born," Jer. xxxi. 9. "The Strength of the Head of Jehovah," Pfalmix. 7. cviii. 8. "A Mighty Man," Zech.x. 7. "Filled with the "Bow," Zech. ix. 13. and the Children of Ephraim are called "Armed, and Carriers of Bows," Pfal. lxxviii. 9; for by Bow is fignified Doctrine collected from the Word, combating with Falfes. For the fame Reafon alfo,

Ifrael fet his right Hand upon Ephraim, and bleffed him, and fet him before Manaffeh," Gen. xlviii. 5. 14, 20. And for the fame Reason, "Ephraim with his "Brother Manaffeh, under the Name of his Father Jofeph, was exalted by Mofes, in his Bleffing of the "Children of Ifrael above all the reft," Deut. xxxiii. 13 to 17. But the State and Nature of the Church, when the Understanding of the Word is deftroyed, is alfo defcribed in the Writings of the Prophets, by Ephraim, particularly in Hofea, as in thefe Paffages, Ifrael and

Ephraim fhall fall in their Iniquity, Ephraim fhall be "defolate, Ephraim is oppreffed and broken in Judg"ment, I will be as a Lion to Ephraim, I will tear and "will go away, I will take away and none shall rescue "him," Hofea v. 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14. "O Ephraim, "what fhall I do unto thee? for thy Goodness is as a

Morning Cloud, and as the early Dew it goeth away,' Hofea vi. 4" They fhall not dwell in the Lord's Land, "but Ephraim fhall return to Egypt, and fhall eat unclean "Things in Affyria," Hofea ix. 3. The Lord's Land is the Church, Egypt is the Scientifics of the Natural Man; Affyria is Reafoning founded thereon, from which the Word, as to the Understanding thereof, is falfified. Therefore it is faid, "Ephraim fhall return into Egypt, "and eat unclean Things in Affyria. Ephraim feedeth "on Wind, and followeth after the Eaft Wind; he daily increafeth Lyes and Defolations, he maketh a Covenant 4

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"with Affyria, and Oil is carried into Egypt," Hofea xir. To feed on Wind, to follow after the Eaft Wind, to increase Lyes and Defolations, is to falfify Truths, and fo to destroy the Church. The fame is fignified alfo by the Whoredom of Ephraim; for Whoredom fignifieth the Falfification of the Understanding of the Word, that is, of it's genuine Truths, as in these Paffages, “For I know, "O Ephraim, thou committest Whoredom, and Ifrael is "defiled," Hofea v. 3. "I have feen an horrible Thing "in the Houfe of Ifrael; there is Whoredom of Ephraim, "and Ifrael is defiled," Hofea vi. 10. Ifrael meaneth the true Church, and Ephraim the Understanding of the Word, which determines the State and Quality of the Church; wherefore it is faid, Ephraim committeth Whoredom, and Ifrael is defiled. Forafmuch as the Church amongst the Jews was totally deftroyed by Falfifications of the Word, therefore it is faid of Ephraim, "I "will give thee up Ephraim, I will deliver thee up Ifrael, "I will make thee as Admah, I will fet thee as Zeboim,' Hofea xi. 8. Now fince the Prophet Hofea, from the first Chapter to the laft, treateth of the Falfification of the genuine Underftanding of the Word, and of the confequent Destruction of the Church, and because the Falfification of the Word is there fignified by Whoredom; therefore he was commanded, for the Purpose of representing that State of the Church, to take unto himself " Wife "of Whoredoms, and Children of Whoredoms," Chap. i. 2; and again, to take to himself "an Adulterefs," Chap. iii. 1. We have quoted thefe Paffages, for the Sake of fhewing and proving from the Word, that the State and Nature of the Church is always to be determined by it's Understanding of the Word; and that it acquireth an excellent and precious Quality, if it's Understanding be grounded on the genuine Truths of the Word, but that it is destroyed and defiled, if it be grounded on Truths falfified. For a further Confirmation, that by Ephraim is fignified the Understanding of the Word, and in a contrary Sense the Falfification of it, and that thence proceeds the Deftruction of the Church, the other Places which treat of Ephraim may be referred to, as in Hofea iv. 17, 18. vii. I, 11. viii. 9, II. ix. II, 12, 13, 16. x. 11. xi. 3. xii. 1, 9, 15, xiii. 1, 12. Ifaiah xvii. 3. xxviii. 1.

Jerem.

Jerem. iv. 15. xxxi. 6, 18. 1. 19. Ezech. xxxvii. 16. xlviii. 5. Obad. Verte 9. Zechar. ix. 10.

That the Marriage of the Lord and his Church, and confequently the Marriage of Goodness and Truth, is in every Part of the Word.

80. THAT the Marriage of the Lord and his Church, and confequently the Marriage of Goodness and Truth, is in every Part of the Word, hath never yet been discovered by mortal Eyes, nor could it be discovered fo long as the fpiritual Senfe of the Word remained unknown, inafmuch as it is this Senfe alone that can make manifeft fuch a Marriage. For there are two Senfes contained in the Word, which lie concealed in it's literal Senfe, and which are called Spiritual and Celestial; what belongeth to the fpiritual Senfe of the Word, hath Relation to the Church, and what belongeth to the celeftial Sense of the Word, hath Relation to the Lord; the Contents alfo of the fpiritual Senfe have Relation to Divine Truth, and the Contents of the celeftial Senfe to Divine Good; and this is the Ground of the above-mentioned Marriage in the literal Senfe of the Word. But this is only apparent to thofe, who, by Virtue of the spiritual and celeftial Senfe of the Word, are acquainted with the Significations of it's Names and Expreflions; for fome particular Expreffions are predicated of Good, and fome of Truth, and fome include both; wherefore, without the Knowledge of fuch Significations, it is impoffible to fee how fuch a Marriage exifteth in every Part of the Word, and this is the Reafon why this Arcanum was never heretofore discovered.

81. Inafmuch as fuch a Marriage exifteth in every Part of the Word, therefore we frequently find in the Word two Expreffions which appear like Repetitions of one and the fame Thing; whereas they are not Repetitions, but one hath Relation to Good, and the other to Truth, and both taken together effect the Conjunction of Good and Truth, and confequently make them One. This is the true Ground of the Divine Sanctity of the Word; for

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in every Divine Work there is a Conjunction of Good with Truth, and Truth with Good.

82. The Reafon why we affert the Marriage of Good and Truth in the Word, to be a Confequence of the Marriage of the Lord and the Church therein, is, because wherever the Marriage of the Lord and the Church is, there alfo is the Marriage of Good and Truth, inafmuch as the latter Marriage is derived from the former; for whilst the Church, or any of it's Members, are under the Influence, and in the Poffeffion of Truths, then the Lord, by Virtue of his influencing Good, enters into those Truths, and communicates Life to them; or what amounts to the fame Thing, whilft any Member of the Church is in the Understanding of Truth, then the Lord, by Influx of the Good of Charity, enters into that Underflanding, and thereby communicateth Life to it.

83. There are two Faculties or Forms of Life in Man, which are called the Understanding and Will; the Underflanding is the Receptacle of Truth, confequently of Wifdom, and the Will is the Receptacle of Good, and confequently of Charity; thefe two Faculties, or Forms, ought to be united and make One, in Order that Man may become a Member of the Church; and they are united when Man formeth his Understanding of genuine Truths, which is done to all Appearance as of himlelf, and when his Will is replenished with the Good of Love, which is effected by and from the Lord; hence Man deriveth the Life of Truth in his Understanding, and the Life of Good in his Will, which being united, conftituteth no longer two but one Life. Herein confifteth the Marriage of the Lord and the Church, and the Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth in Man. But concerning this reciprocal Conjunction which is here called Marriage, more will be feen in the ANGELIC WISDOM Concerning DIVINE PROVIDENCE, of DIVINE LOVE and DIVINE WISDOM, and of LIFE,

84. That there are two Expreffions used in the Word, which appear like Repetitions of the fame Thing, muft be evident to every attentive Reader; as for Inftance, Brother and Companion, Poor and Needy, Wilderness and Defart, Vanity and Emptinefs, Enemy and Adversary, Sin and Iniquity, Anger and Wrath, Nation and People, Joy and Gladnefs, Mourning and Weeping, Juftice and Judgment,