such discourses, they depart out of the temples, and the preachers are afterwards deprived of the priestly office.

810. "I have been told several reasons why the preachers are deprived of the priestly office, the principal whereof is, because they do not frame their discourses from the word, and thereby from the spirit of God, but from their own rational light, and thereby from their own spirit; they take a text indeed, as a prelude, from the word, but this they only touch with their lips, and then leave as a thing without relish, and presently choose some more savoury subject from their own intelligence, which they chew, and turn over their tongues, as a rich dainty, and in this manner give instruction. I have been informed further, that in consequence of this practice, their discourses are as void of whatever is truly spiritual, as the songs of nightingales; and that their metaphorical ornaments are like false hair, neatly curled and powdered, on a bald head; and that the mystic contents of their discourses, in relation to justification by faith alone, may be compared with the quails brought up from the sea to the camp of the children of Israel, which proved fatal to many thousands of the people, Numb. xi. whereas theological doctrine concerning charity and faith, jointly, may be compared

with manna from heaven. I once heard those presbyters conversing together about faith alone, and I saw a kind of image formed by them, which represented their solitary faith; it appeared in the light of their eyes, which was a light originating in phantasy, like a great giant; but when light from heaven was let in upon it, it appeared, as to its upper parts, like a monster, and as to its lower parts like a serpent; at the sight whereof they started aside, and it was cast by the by-standers into a lake."

811. "The other great city, called also London, is not in the middle part of the christian region, but is separated from it towards the north, and is the receptacle of those after death, who are inwardly wicked. In the midst of it there is an open communication with Hell, into which the inhabitants sink down, and are swallowed up in their turns."

SPECIMENS OF BARON SWEDEN BORG'S COMMENTARIES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

The following commentaries are extracted from the Baron's Arcana Cœlestia, vol. i. And it must be observed that the Baron has taken the liberty to new translate the text: I shall therefore give the text as he has rendered it.

Gen. Chap. ii. 18.-And Jehovah said, it is not good that man should be alone, I will make him an help as with him. By being alone is signified, that he was not content to be guided by the Lord, but desired to be under the guidance of self and the world. By an help as with him, is signified proprium, which in the subsequent verse is called a rib built into a woman,

Verses 19, 20. And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heavens, &c.—but to the man there was not found an help as with him. By beasts are signified the celestial affections; by fowls of the heavens the spiritual, or by the beasts are signified the things appertaining to the will, and by fowls the things appertaining to the understanding, &c.

Verse 21. And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in the place thereof. By rib, which is a hone of the breast, is meant man's proprium, wherein there is but little of any vital principle, and indeed a proprium which is dear to him: by flesh in place of the rib, is meant a proprium in which there is a vital principle: by a deep sleep is meant that state into which he was let, that he seemed to himself to have pro

prium, which state is like that of sleep, because in that state he knoweth no other, but that he liveth, thinketh, speaketh, and acteth of himself; but when he beginneth to know that this is false, he then starteth as it were out of sleep, and becometh awake.

Verse 22. And the rib which Jehovah had taken from man, he builded into a woman. By building is signified to raise up what was fallen: by rib is signified proprium not vivified: by woman proprium vivified by the Lord: by bringing her to the man, that proprium was granted him. The posterity of this church, not willing like their parents to be a celestial man, but to be under their own self-guidance, and thereby inclining to proprium, had a proprium granted them, but still vivified by the Lord, wherefore it is called woman, and afterwards wife.

man.

Verse 23. And the man said, this now is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; therefore she shall be called wife because she was taken out of Bone of bone, and flesh of flesh, signifies the proprium of the external man; bone proprium scarcely vivified; flesh proprium vivified; man signifies the internal man, and whereas this internal man is copulated with the external, according to the description in the subsequent verse, there

fore this proprium is called wife, which was before called woman: now signifies that it was now effected thus, because the state was changed.

Verse 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, aud shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. To leave father and mother is to leave the internal man, for it is the internal which conceiveth and bringeth forth the external to cleave unto a wife, signifyeth that the internal is in the external: to be one flesh meaneth that they are therein united together, and that heretofore the internal, and the external from the internal, were spirit, but that they are now made flesh. Thus celestial and spiritual life was adjoined to proprium that they might be one.

Verse 25. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed. Their being naked, and not ashamed, signifies that they were innocent, viz. that the Lord insinuated innocence into their proprium, to prevent its being unpleasant, or disagreeable.

Chap. v. 23, 24. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him. By all the days of Enoch being three hundred and sixty and five years, is signified that they were few by his walking with God is