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may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.) This is especially said of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and consequently of the prophets. But the "profitableness for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction," is not seen so much from the literal as from the spiritual sense. It is from this latter that the truth of the Apostle's declaration is especially seen; hence, from the spiritual sense it may be seen that every thing said of Moab is exceedingly "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction," &c.-but not so from the literal sense only. It is the spirit which quickeneth, and not the letter. When, therefore, we read the Scriptures, even in the prophecies which in the letter appear to have little or no reference or application to us, we derive but little profit unless we, at the same time, see the doctrine therein contained for our reproof, for our correction, and for our instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

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Man has an external or natural mind, and an internal or spiritual mind. The external has, by nature, an outward tendency; its thoughts and affections are directed to what is external; it looks outwards into the world, and fixes its affections upon earthly things; even in its profession of religion, and in its acts of worship, it still maintains its outward tendencies. The externals of worship may be assiduously observed, and yet its tendencies to external things may be as strong as ever. When the external man reads the Word, he sees but little that has any relation to himself. He never thinks that he is "the man to whom every particular refers and applies. He reads of Moab, but he only thinks of the historical Moab, who lived many ages ago, and whose history has long since ceased to have any thing to do with the present state of things, or with the present members of the church. Thus the external or natural mind renders the Word of God, to a great extent, of none effect, in reference to its own states; and consequently derives but little of that profit which all Scripture, says the apostle, was divinely designed to give; and especially to the very external mind itself, who thus reads it, and who requires so much "doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness," that it may be converted and saved. The prophecies are consequently considered by the natural mind either as records of events that have long since happened, or as predictions that have not yet been fulfilled, and that scarcely any reference or application can be found therein to men and things of the present time. Thus the external man, in reading the Scriptures, has a strong tendency to leave himself, as one of the especial subjects to whom they relate, entirely out of sight and out

of question. But how unprofitable such a mode of reading the Word is, may on the slightest reflection abundantly appear.

The internal or spiritual mind, however, takes quite another view of things. Its tendencies are not directed outwards, but inwards. It delights in the law and word of God from very different grounds and motives. It desires not to fix its affections on things below, but on things above. It delights "in the newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." What to the natural mind, when it reads the Word, appears dark and distant, either in the past or in the future, to the internal or spiritual mind appears clear, present, and at all times applicable. The account given of the creation, in Genesis, appears to the natural mind a dark, unscientific description of the divine work of creation. It cannot comprehend it; its knowledge of astronomy and geology revolts at the divine statements there made of the creative process. There is no harmony between the merely natural ideas of the external man and the divine record of creation. The thought does not occur to him that he himself may be the especial subject to which the whole record especially relates. In looking out of himself he loses sight of the divine design. Like Nicodemus, when the divine Speaker (who also spoke the divine record of creation in Genesis) speaks of "heavenly things," he can only think of earthly things." When the divine subject is concerning regeneration, or being "born again of water and the Spirit," like Nicodemus, the natural mind can only think of natural generation, and wonders "how a man can enter a second time into his mother's womb." (John iii. 4.)

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But the internal or spiritual mind thinks very differently; in the divine record of creation, as in the Lord's words to Nicodemus, it beholds a spiritual creation or regeneration, which every man must undergo before he can be prepared for heaven,—before he can become a new creature in Christ Jesus." To make us new creatures meet for heaven, is the great object and design of all religion. "For in Christ Jusus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Gal. vi. 15.) Thus the spiritual mind sees in the history of creation the process of becoming "new creatures in Christ Jesus." This is the design supremely worthy of the divine record, and the main object for which it was divinely inspired. What would it profit a man if he knew and could scientifically and philosophically explain the entire process of the mundane creation, and yet not see that his own mind and character must be created and become a 66 new creature in Christ Jesus," before he could enter into the kingdom of God? By what is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Hence the spiritual

mind has no difficulties whatever with the Mosaic account of the creation; but the natural mind, not instructed and influenced by the spiritual, labours under insuperable obstacles. The spiritual mind sees that the divine record is, in every particular, correspondent to the divine creating or regenerating process of forming us into new creatures in Christ Jesus. Hence the life and spirit" of the Word becomes the 'life and spirit" of the human mind.

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As to the fulfilment of the prophecies, much error and delusion have prevailed in the church. The natural mind, in looking for the fulfilment of prophecy, has, consistently with its own external tendencies, looked out of itself, and ransacked the history of nations for the events to prove the accomplishment of prophetic predictions. It has never properly thought of looking into the real internal and spiritual history of the church, to seek for testimonies and proofs of the fulfilment of prophecy. Still less has it considered that the prophecies, either in a good or bad sense, have their individual fulfilment in every member of the church; and least of all has it properly considered that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev. xix. 10.) Thus in the prophecy concerning Moab, no "doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," &c., is seen by the natural man not enlightened and influenced by a "spiritual discernment of truth;" but he imagines that these words are predicated of Moab only as an historical character, and not as the emblem of himself, who peradventure is exactly the man to whom the divine words are addressed. Thus he catches at the shadow, and loses the substance. In the "dark place" of his natural mind, "the light of prophecy does not yet shine," (2 Peter. i. 19.) and the prophecies are consequently to him as "a book that is sealed." (Isaiah xxiv. 11.)

It is of great importance, that when reading the prophecies we should consider that they have an individual fulfilment in the members of the church, since every member is a church in its least form. Those prophecies which relate to the church in its states of order, wisdom, and happiness, have reference to the spiritual states of man when regenerate, -when "spiritually-minded, which is life and peace;" and those which relate to the church in its states of debasement and misery, relate to the states of man when unregenerate and carnal, which state "is enmity against God."

It is commonly supposed that the term prophecy means to predict; but this is not the meaning of the expression either in Hebrew or Greek. The generic meaning of the term is to teach, and especially to pronounce and interpret the oracles of God; thus he who teaches from God is

called a prophet, whether the things he utters be predictions or not, and, in a wider sense, every one who teaches truth is a prophet.*

The prophecies, therefore, are divine declarations concerning states and events in the church, expressed in natural language, which corresponds to the spiritual states and realities intended to be revealed to the apprehension of man. Thus when we read of "the wolf dwelling with the lamb, the leopard lying down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child leading them;" when also we read of the 66 sucking child playing on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child putting his hand on the cockatrice' den, and of there being nothing to hurt or to destroy in all the Lord's holy mountain," the natural mind, unless instructed and influenced by a spiritual discernment, looks out of itself to some distant period in the history of the world, when, it imagines, this prophecy will be literally fulfilled; not thinking that it must have its individual fulfilment in himself if he is to be admitted into heaven, and that he is consequently the man to whom it relates. Whereas the spiritual mind sees in these declarations a divine prophecy, or a divine teaching, shewing the necessity of having all principles in the natural mind, however opposed and rebellious, brought into subjection and subordination to the heavenly principles of love and innocence in the internal or spiritual mind, thus to the Lord himself, who in His divine Humanity can alone accomplish the blessed work. In like manner, when we read of Moab, "that he hath been at ease from his youth; that he hath settled upon his lees; that he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, and that as a consequence, his taste hath remained in him, and his scent is not changed," the spiritual mind perceives a prophetic declaration, or a divine teaching, "or doctrine for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness," &c. For he perceives that Moab is a type of the natural man in the church who has not yet become regenerate and spiritual; and who is consequently a spurious or illegitimate member of the church, having probably "the form of Godliness, but not the power thereof," as Moab was literally illegitimate by his birth, (see Gen. xix.) and born to Lot, who, after his separation from Abram, signified the external church. Thus Swedenborg says:

"The nature and quality of that religious principle which is signified by Moab and the sons of Ammon, may appear from their origin, which is here described, and also from several passages both in the historical and prophetical parts of the Word, where they are named; they, in general, denote those who are principled in external worship, which appears in some respect holy, but not in internal worship, and who

* See Rom. xii. 6; 1 Cor. xiv. 1, 3, 4, 5: also A. C. 2534, 7269.

eagerly embrace as good and true whatever relates to external worship, but reject and despise what relates to internal worship. Such worship, and such a religious principle, take especial root in those who are principled in natural good, but who despise others in comparison with themselves. Persons of this complexion are not unlike fruits whose external form is not unpleasing to the sight, but which are inwardly musty or decayed; they are also not unlike marble vases, which contain things impure, and sometimes things filthy; or they are not unlike women who, as to the face, and body, and gestures, are not unhandsome, but who are inwardly diseased, and full of defilements; for there is a common or general good appertaining to such persons, which appears not altogether void of beauty, but the particulars which enter into the composition thereof are filthy and abominable; this is not, indeed, the case in the beginning, but by successive degrees, inasmuch as they suffer themselves easily to be tainted with any principles whatsoever which are called good, and thereby with all sorts of false persuasions, which they conceive to be true in consequence of confirming them, and this because they despise the interior things of worship, and all because they are principled in self-love. Such persons have their existence and derivation from those who are in external worship only, who are represented by Lot in this chapter, and this when the good of truth is desolated."— (A. C. 2468.)

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Moab, therefore, signifies the member of the church "who remains at ease from his youth," who, as he arrives at maturity, does not consider that "he should grow in wisdom, and in favour with God and man," that the great end of his life is to become spiritually-minded, and thus fitted for heaven. How singular Moab would appear if, when arrived at manhood, he should be clothed in the garments of a similar make and fashion to those in which his childhood and youth were clad! He could not but excite the derision of every beholder. He would be considered as not in his right mind, and would be treated accordingly. Yet how many there are who remain, in respect to religious and spiritual attainments, "at ease from their youth," clad only in the religious and doctrinal ideas impressed upon their minds in childhood and youth, who bear the name of Christian, but possess none of the spiritual intelligence and power involved in that holy appellation. They never take an interest in the cause of truth, so as to consider its value more precious than the finest gold. Their ideas of Christian doctrine and of heavenly things remain obscure, general, and contracted; and their worship, if it deserve the name, is merely external and formal. To save appearances with the world, and to secure an external reputation for propriety and honesty, is the great object of their religious concern. This secured, every thing internal and spiritual is to them as nothing, and the things of the world, its wealth, pleasure, power, and fame, are the great and commanding objects of life. Such are Moabites in the church; and it requires but little consideration to see that the army of Moab is very

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