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LESSON FIFTH.

In this lesson I am to speak of the correspondence between spiritual things and natural things. Before I can explain this I must tell you what I mean by spiritual things, and what I mean by natural things. And I will tell you first what I mean by natural things. Natural things are things of your body, and things of this world. All your actions, that is, all your movements, and all that you do with your hands, and all things you see, or hear, or feel, in this world, are natural things. So the earth you walk on, the homes you live in, the sun which shines upon you, the moon and stars, trees, birds, insects, and all things which live on the earth, or in the air or waters, all are natural things. There is another meaning to the word natural, of which I may perhaps speak hereafter; but when we speak of the correspondence between natural things and spiritual things, we mean by natural things what I have told you of above.

Now, spiritual things are of two kinds. They are the things of your spirit, and the things of the spiritual world. You see, feel and hear, walk and talk, with your bodily organs and limbs, and therefore these are things of your body. But you also love and think; you do not however love and think with your body, but with your spirit; and therefore all your affections and all your thoughts are things of your spirit, or spiritual things. This is one meaning of the word, and the meaning we usually have when we speak of the correspondence between natural things and spiritual things. But, presently, you will die. Some people think that when they die, they cease to be, and do not live any longer. This is a dreadful falsity. When you die, your body stops living, and soon after it decays into black dust, which is the same as other dust, and you never have anything more to do with it. But when your body dies, you rise out of it. You are your spirit. You rise from your body, and live on continually, without ever ceasing to live. And when live in your spirit, you live in a spiritual body.

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And you live also in a spiritual world. Your spiritual body has eyes, and organs, and limbs, and senses, just as the body has in which you are living now. And the spiritual world is full of things which then you hear, and see, and feel. There is an earth there, on which you walk and live, and it has hills, and valleys, and waters, and trees, and animals, and you live there in houses. And in that spiritual world, all are living in spiritual bodies who have died in this world, and no others.

Now, all the things in this spiritual world, which you will see, hear and feel with your spiritual senses, when you are there, all these things are spiritual things. And this is the other meaning of spiritual things.

I suppose you now understand what I mean by the natural world, and what by the spiritual world. The natural world lies about us here; and the spiritual world is all around those who have died and gone there, for it is their world. Now both of these worlds are external, or outside of their inhabitants; and they both correspond with the internal worlds, or the thoughts and affections

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which are within their inhabitants. That is, the world in which spirits live corresponds with the thoughts and affections of spirits, and the world in which men live corresponds with the thoughts and affections of men. How this is, you will better understand presently, after we have considered together some examples and instances of this correspondence. Before we come to them, let me try to tell you why you will find it useful to learn the science of correspondence. The science of correspondence means all the knowledges about correspondence put together and arranged in

order.

The first great use of the science of corresdence, is, the instruction it gives as to the meaning of the Bible. This use is so great, that it is entirely impossible for you, or I, or any created being, to think of or to know the whole of it. You may form some idea of it, when you remember that every word of the Bible is the Word of God, and when you are told that it is impossible for you to know the whole meaning of any of its words, excepting from the science of correspondence.

The reason of this is, that the Bible is written according to correspondences. Let me try to

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The words of the Bible, as you read them, speak of things of this world; of such things as you live among, and see about you, and may read of in any book. But every such thing, which is natural, corresponds to something spiritual. Every thing mentioned, which belongs to this world, corresponds to something which belongs to the spirit or soul of men or spirits; and what it corresponds to, that it signifies or means. And all the words of the Bible are such and are so arranged, that the spiritual meanings therein, understood in order, contain truths which relate to your conduct, to your character, to your happiness, and to your salvation. The spiritual meanings of the words of the Bible relate to your soul, to the Lord, to heaven, and to hell; and describe the way in which He endeavors to save you from hell, and lead you to heaven; and they also describe the way in which you must act and live, if you would work with the Lord and escape from hell,

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