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words flowed from his pen, though they did from his mouth. On hearing this, all the servants of the Lord retired from him, and he betook himself hastily to a way that led towards a cave, inhabited by those who have confirmed themselves in the execrable doctrine of predestination. I afterwards conversed with some of the spirits imprisoned in that cave, and inquired into their condition; and they informed me, that they were compelled to labour for food, and that they were all at enmity one against another, and that every one was watching for an excuse to do some mischief to his companions, and really did the mischief whenever the slightest occasion offered, and that this was the delight of their lives. For a further account of Predestination, and Predestinarians, see what was said above, n. 485, 488.

799. I have conversed with many other spirits, followers of the three leaders above described, as well as heretics; and from their several cases it was given me to see clearly, that such of them as have lived a life of charity, and particularly if they have loved truth for truth's sake, suffer themselves to be instructed in the spiritual world, and receive the doctrines of the New Church; but that on the contrary, such as have confirmed themselves in the falses of religion, and likewise such as have led evil lives, do not suffer themselves to be instructed, but by degrees remove themselves from the new heaven, and consociate themselves with their like in hell, where they confirm themselves more and more obstinately against the worship of the Lord, and that to such a degree, that they cannot endure to hear the name of Jesus mentioned; which is exactly contrary to what occurs in heaven, where all unanimously acknowledge the Lord to be the God of beaven.

OF THE DUTCH IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. 800. In the Treatise concerning HEAVEN and HELL it is shewn, that Christians, among whom the Word is read,

and who know and acknowledge the Lord the Redeemer and Saviour, are in the middle of all the nations and people that inhabit the spiritual world, for they possess the greatest spiritual light, and the light is propagated from them, as from a centre, to all, even the most remote circumferences, agreeable to what was shewn above, in the chapter on the SACRED SCRIPTURE, n. 267 to 272. In this middle region, possessed by Christians, the Reformed have places allotted them according to their reception of spiritual light from the Lord; and as the Dutch possess that light more deeply and fully inserted; into their natural light, and are thus more receptible than others of whatever relates to reason, they have therefore, in that middle region of Christians, acquired habitations in the east and south; in the east by the faculty of receiving spiritual heat, and in the south by the faculty of receiving spiritual light. That the quarters, or cardinal points, in the spiritual world, are not like the quarters in the natural world, and that an allotment of habitations according to such quarters is an allotment according to the reception of faith and love, and that such as excel in love are in the east, and such as excel in intelligence are in the south, may be seen in the Treatise concerning HEAVEN AND Hell, n. 141 to 153.

801. A further reason why the Dutch are in those quarters of the middle region possessed by Christians is, because trade is their final love, and money is a mediatory subservient love, and the former love is of a spiritual nature; but where money is a final love, and trade the mediatory subservient love, as it is with the Jews, then that love is merely natural, and grounded in avarice. But what causes the love of trade, if it be final, to be of a spiritual nature, is its use; for it administers to the general good, with which the particular good of the person who exercises it is indeed connected, and this particular good is more directly apparent than the general good, because the person thinks from his natural man; but

nevertheless where trade is the end, the love of it is also the final love, and every one is regarded in heaven according to his final love; for this is as the Lord of a kingdom, or as the master of a house, and the other loves are as subjects and servants: the final love too resides in the highest and inmost regions of the mind, and the mediate loves are in a region beneath and without, and are subservient to its controul. The Dutch, above all other people, are under the influence of this spiritual love of trade, whereas the Jews are under the influence of an opposite or inverted love, so that their love of trade is merely natural, in which there is no latent respect to the general good, but only to private emolument.

802. The Dutch adhere to their religious principles more tenaciously than others, not being easily tempted to forsake them; and even if they are convinced that they are wrong upon particular points, still they will not confess it, but turn back to their old opinions, and there remain unmoved; thus they remove themselves from the interior intuition of truth, not suffering their reason to exert itself in any freedom of inquiry. In consequence of this pertinacity, when they come after death into the spiritual world, they are prepared after a particular manner to receive the spiritual knowledges of heaven, which are divine truths: they are not taught truths, because they are in no disposition to receive them, but heaven is described to them as to its nature and quality, and afterwards they are permitted to ascend and to behold it, and then whatsoever agrees with their genius is infused into them, and in this state they return down again to their associates, possessed with a strong desire for heaven. After this process they are instructed in this truth, that God is one both in essence and person, and that the Lord, the Redeemer and Saviour, is that God, and that the Divine Trinity is in Him; and in also this truth, that faith and charity are of no avail, if they are only known and

talked about, without being determined to life, and that they are communicated by the Lord to such as actually repent after self-examination: but in case they are averse from these truths when they are taught them, and still persist in conceiving of God as being in three persons, and of religion, merely that there is such a thing, they are then reduced to a state of much misery, and their trade is taken away from them, until they find themselves brought to a state of extreme distress. Then they are conducted to those, who, in consequence of being in divine truths, have abundance of every thing, and enjoy a flourishing trade; and here a thought is insinuated into them from heaven as to the cause of their own situation, and they reflect at the same time on the faith and life of those persons who enjoy such prosperity, observing how they shun and detest evils as sins; they also make a few inquiries, and perceive an agreement between what they thus learn, and their thoughts and reflections: this they do at intervals repeatedly: at length it occurs to them, in the exercise of their own thoughts, that to be released from their miseries, they must believe and live like those around them and then, as they receive that faith, and live that life of charity, wealth is given them, and every satisfaction of life. This is the process by which those who in any degree have led a life of charity in the world, are enabled to amend themselves, and are prepared for heaven. These afterwards become more fixed and constant than others, so that they may well be called CONSTANCIES, for they do not suffer themselves to be led away by any reasoning, fallacy, nor by obscurity induced by sophistry, nor by any mistaken views confirmed merely by arguments; for they then become more clearsighted than before.

803. The doctors who teach in their public schools are particularly attentive to the mystical parts of the present faith, especially those teachers who are called CoCCEIANS; and as these mysteries inevitably give birth to the dogma of

predestination, and as this too received the sanction of, and was confirmed by, the synod of Dort, it is sown and implanted, like seed in the ground, gathered from the fruit of any tree, without any regard to its quality. Hence it is, that the laity talk much among each other about predestination, but with very different views; for though some embrace it with both their hands, others take it only with one hand, and with a smile, while others cast it from them as they would a snake: indeed they are ignorant of the mysteries of faith whence that viper was hatched; for being intent on their business, the mysteries of that faith touch indeed their understanding, but do not penetrate into it; so that the dogma of predestination among the laity, and among the clergy too, is as an image in a human form, placed on a rock in the midst of the sea, with a great shell in its hand that glitters like gold, at the sight of which some captains strike their top-sails in passing by, as a token of honour and reverence, whilst some only wink at it with their eyes and salute it, and others hiss at it as an object of ridicule. It is also like an unknown bird from the Indies placed on a high tower, which some swear to be a turtle, some conjecture to be a cock, and others cry with oaths "It is certainly an owl.”

801. The Dutch are particularly distinguished from others in the spiritual world, by appearing in garments similar to those they wore in the natural world, with this difference only, that they are neater with those who have received faith and spiritual life. The reason for their appearing in similar garments, is, because they rest stedfastly in the principles of their religion, and all in the spiritual world are clothed according to those principles; hence white garments, and of fine linen, are worn in the spiritual world, by those who are in divine truths.

805. The cities which the Dutch inhabit, are guarded in a particular manner; all their streets are roofed over, and

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