courfing, which maketh the Distinction between Man and Beaft. It is owing to the Understanding being capable of Elevation to Heaven, whilft the Will remains unelevated, that Man hath a Capacity of being reformed, and of becoming fpiritual, but he never is reformed and becometh fpiritual, until the Will alfo is elevated. By Virtue of this Faculty of the Understanding fuperior to that of the Will, Man is capable of thinking rationally, and confequently of difcourfing rationally, like a spiritual Perfon, whatsoever be his Nature and Quality, even though he be principled in Evil; nevertheless it doth not hence follow that he is rational; and the Reason is, because the Underftanding doth not lead the Will, but the Will the Understanding, whilst the Understanding only teacheth and pointeth out the Way, as was observed in the DocTRINE CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, n. 115; and fo long as the Will is not One with the Understanding in Hea

ven, Man is not fpiritual, and confequently not rational; for when he is left to his Will, or to his Love, then he rejects the rational Conclufions of his Understanding concerning God, concerning Heaven, and concerning eternal Life, and in their Place affumes fuch Conclufions as are in Agreement with the Love-Principle of his Will, and thofe he calls rational. But more of this will be fhewn when we come to treat of ANGELIC WIS

DOM.

16. In the following Work, they who do Good from Themselves fhall be called Natural Men, inasmuch as the Moral and Civil Principle with them is Natural as to it's Effence: But they who do Good from the Lord, fhall be called Spiritual Men, inasmuch as the Moral and Civil Principle with them, as to it's Effence, is Spiritual.

17. That no one can do any Good,

which is really Good, from Himfelf, the Lord teaches in John, "A Man cannot "take any Thing, unless it be given him

"

from Heaven," iii. 27. And again, " He "who abideth in Me, and I in him, the

fame bringeth forth much Fruit; for with"out Me ye can do Nothing," xv. 5. He who abideth in Me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much Fruit, fignifies, that all Good is from the Lord; Fruit is Good; without Me ye can do Nothing, fignifies, that no one can do Good from himself. They who believe on the Lord, and do Good from Him, are called Sons of Light, John xii. 36. Luke xvi. 8; and Sons of the Marriage, Mark ii. 19; and Sons of the Refurrection, Luke xx. 36; and Sons of God, Luke xx. 36. John i. 12; and born of God, John i. 13; and it is faid of fuch, That they shall fee God, Matt. v. 8; and that the Lord fhall make his Abode with them, John xiv. 23; and that they have the Faith of God, Mark xi. 22; and that their Works are done from

This is fummed up

God, John iii. 21.

in these Words, "As many as received

་

Jefus, to them gave he Power to become the "Sons of God, even to them that believe on "bis Name, who are born not of Bloods, nor of "the Will of the Flefb, nor of the Will of "Man, but of God," John i. 12, 13; to believe on the Name of the Son of God, is to believe the Word, and to live according to it; the Will of the Flesh, is the Propriety of Man's Will, which in itself is Evil; and the Will of Man is the Propriety of his Understanding, which in itself is the Falle derived from Evil: The born thereof are thofe, who will and act, and think and fpeak from Propriety; the born of God are thofe, who will and act, and think and speak from the Lord. In fhort, from the above Paffages it appears, that what is from Man is not good, but that what is from the Lord is good.

That

That fo far as Man fhunneth Evils as Sins, fo far he doeth what is good, not from himself, but from the Lord.

18.

WHO doth not, or may not

know, that Evils prevent the Lord's Entrance into Man? For Evil is Hell, and the Lord is Heaven, and Hell and Heaven are Oppofites; so far therefore as Man is in the one, so far it is impoffible for him to be in the other for one acteth against and destroyeth the other.

19. Man, during his Abode in the World, is in the Midft between Hell and Heaven; beneath is Hell, and above is Heaven, and at the fame Time he is kept in the Liberty of turning himself either to Hell or to Heaven; if he turneth himself to Hell, he turneth himself away from Heaven,

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