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952 SWEDENBORG’S WRITINGS. [Doc. 313.
He now recognized the existence of an interior sense in the
Word of God in the following words, "That in the Mosaic account
of creation there is everywhere a double meaning of the words,
viz. a spiritual as well as a natural, appears clearly to the apprehen
sion of every man from the tree of life and the tree of knowledge
in the midst of the garden: for life and knowledge are spiritual,
and yet are attributed to a tree, for this reason, that whatever
originates in the ultimate parts of nature, on account of deriving its
origin from heaven, involves something celestial in what is terrestrial,
or something spiritual in what is natural ; and it does so on this ground,
that everything that is represented in the Divine mind, cannot but be
carried out in reality in the ultimate parts of nature, and be
formed there according to the idea of heaven. There results hence
a correspondence of all things, which, with the Divine permission,
we shall follow out in its proper series" (Adversaria, I, no. 23).
Nevertheless, Swedenborg was not yet prepared to enter into the
Word beyond the spiritual-natural, or interior historical sense;
although he was fully aware, even then, of the existence of a still
deeper spiritual and celestial sense; see Adversaria, I, no. 505 et seq.
With regard to the place, which the Adversaria occupies among
the theological writings of Swedenborg: First, it contains the
spiritual-natural or interior historical sense of the Word, in which,
by the individual persons mentioned in the Word, is understood the
Church or the Kingdom of God as it exists among mankind at large,
and more especially among the particular nation to which the
persons in question belong. Secondly, it is a receptacle of the theolo
gical ideas which Swedenborg entertained up to 1746, and which
will be found fully discussed in Note 165. Thirdly, in this work
are also summed up his ideas on the soul of man, and other philo
sophical subjects, which he matured during his elaborate scientific
studies ; and, Fourthly, it contains the record of his first spiritual
experiences, after his spiritual sight had been fully opened. These
spiritual experiences are scattered throughout the whole work; but
they are easily recognized in the text, because they have been printed
by the editor with a larger margin.
The original arrangement of this work is as follows: Volume I of
the original MS. contains an explanation ofGenesis, chapters i to xxxv,
in 1712 numbers or paragraphs. Volume II finishes the explanation
of Genesis, and contains that of Exodus as far as chapter xv, in
2476 numbers ; the numbers beginning afresh in Volume II. Volume III
contains the end of Exodus ; and afterwards gives an explanation
of the rest of the historical works of the Old Testament in the
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