Arcana celestia - v. 1 Author:Emanuel Swedenborg Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: broad-way, and street, are predicated of truths, because they lead to truth; as also in Jeremiah: " They have caused them to stumble in their ways, the ancient b... more »yways, to walk in paths. a way nut cast up," (xviii. 15.) In like manner in the book of Judges: " In the days of Jael the highways ceased, and they that walked in paths went through winding by-paths; streets ceased in Israel, (v. 6.) 628. The internal sense here is, that every man, whosoever was on the earth, where the church was, corrupted his way, so that he did not understand truth, because every man was become corporeal; not only those who are treated of in the foregoing verse, but also those who are called Noah, and who are particularly treated of in this and in the following verse; for such were they before regeneration. This previous description is given of them, because their regeneration is treated of in the following verses; and whereas Tittle of the church remained, the name God is here used, and not Jehovah. In this verse is signified that there was nothing true; in the subsequent verse, that there was nothing good; only in the remains which were with those who are called Noah, for without remains regeneration is impossible; also in the doctrinals with which they were acquainted ; but there was no understanding of truth, which never is given except where there is a will of good; where there is no will, neither is there understanding, and as is the will, so is also the understanding. The most ancient people had the will of good, because they had love towards the Lord, and thence haa the understanding of truth, but this understanding perished utterly with the will: a species of rational truth, and natural good remained with those who are called Noah, and therefore they were capable of regeneration. 629. Ver...« less