OR HEAVENLY MYSTERIES CONTAINED IN THE SACRED SCRIPTURES, OR WORD OF THE LORD, MANIFESTED AND LAID OPEN BEGINNING WITH THE BOOK OF GENESIS. INTERSPERSED WITH RELATIONS OF WONDERFUL THINGS SEEN IN THE WORLD OF SPIRITS AND THE HEAVEN OF ANGELS. Now first translated from the original Latin of BY A SOCIETY OF GENTLEMEN. VOL. VII. SECOND EDITION. MANCHESTER: Printed by J. Gleave, 196, Deansgate; And Sold by J. and E. Hodson, Cross Street, Hatton Garden, Messrs. Clarkes', Manchester, and all other Booksellers. 1812. Matt. vi. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD and his Righteousness, and all Things shall be added unto you. THE HE term humanum in the orignal Latin having been variously rendered by the different translators of Baron Swedenborg's Writings, some expressing it by the English humanity, and others by the human, or the human principle, and this variety having led some readers to suppose, that the humanity and the human or human principle had diverse meanings, it is thought proper to inform the public, that the three expressions mean one and the same thing, being translations of one and the same term, humanum. A confusion also having been observed to arise in the ideas of some readers, respecting the glorification of the LORD's humanity or human principle, in consequence of confounding together the maternal humanity and the natural humanity, by supposing them to mean one and the same thing, it is thought proper further to remind the reader, that the author in all his Writings considers the maternal humanity and the natural humanity as things totally distinct. The maternal humanity is regarded by him as what was taken from the mother, and this, we are informed again and again, was successively put off, until there was not the smallest particle thereof remaining in the LORD's humanity; whereas the natural humanity was from the FATHER, consisting of all those natural affections and thoughts which properly constitute the natural mind or man, and this humanity, we are further informed, was opened and formed successively, after the birth of the maternal humanity, and in it, in like manner as man's natural principle, or mind, is opened and formed successively after and in the birth which is from the Mother. In this natural humanity of the LORD, was afterwards opened and formed successively the rational humanity, in like manner as man's rational principle is succesively opened and formed in his natural principle. If the distinct natures of these various principles, the maternal, the natural, and the rational humanity of the LORD, be seen clearly, it may then also be seen with equal clearness, what that humanity was which he glorified, or made divine, and what that was which he put off.* The humanity It may here be proper to note, that considerable embarrassment on this subject has been produced in the minds of several readers, from a passage in the English translation of the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the LORD, where are these words, "Now whereas the LORD from the beginning had a humanity from the mother, and successively put off the same, that is, glorified or made it Divine, &c." See No. 35. In this passage the act of putting off is confounded with the act of glorifying or making Divine, as if they were one and the same act; and this confusion must necessarily produce a confusion in the ideas of the reader, until he be informed, that the words that is, glorified or made Divine, are not in the original, but have been interpolated by the translator. |