given me to be in that light, and from it, to see what the internal is, in the men of various kingdoms, by an intercourse of many years with angels and spirits, it behoves me, from the importance of the subject, to declare what I have seen. I shall here confine myself to saying something of the noble English nation.

40. The more excellent of the English nation, are in the centre of all Christians, (see above, n. 20.), and the reason why they are in the centre is, because they have interior intellectual light. This is not apparent to any one in the natural world, yet it is conspicuously so in the spiritual world. This light, they derive from the liberty they enjoy of thinking, and thence of speaking and of writing. Among the people of other nations, who have not such liberty, intellectual light is buried, because it has no outlet. This light, however, of itself, is not active, but is rendered active by others, especially by men of reputation and authority among them. As soon as any thing is said by these men, or as soon as any thing they approve, is read, that light shines forth; and seldom sooner. On this account the English have governors placed over them in the spiritual world, and priests of great name for learning and powerful ability given them, whose commands and monitions, from this their natural disposition, they cheerfully obey.

41. They rarely go out of their own society, because they love it, even as, in the world they love their country. Moreover, there is a similitude of animi among them, in consequence of which, they contract intimacy with friends of their own country, and seldom with others: and they mutually minister to each other's wants, and love sincerity.

42. There are two great cities similar to London, into which many of the English enter after death: these cities, it was given me to see, as well as to walk through. The middle of the one city answers to that part of the English London, where there is a meeting of merchants, called the Exchange; there dwell the governors. Above that middle is the east; below it is the west; on the right side of it is the south; on the left side of it is the north. They who preëminently have led a life of charity, dwell in the eastern quarter, where there are magnificent palaces. The wise, among whom there is much splendor, dwell in the southern quarter. They who foremostly love the liberty of speaking and of writing, dwell in the northern quarter. They who make profession of faith, dwell in the western quarter; to the right in this quarter, there is an entrance into, and an exit from the city; they who live wickedly are there sent out of it.

The priests, who are in the west, and profess faith (as was said above), dare not enter the city through the broad ways, but only through the narrow streets, because they who are in the faith of charity, are the only inhabitants who are tolerated in the city. I have heard persons complaining, that the preachers in the west make up their discourses with such mingled art and eloquence, interweaving the strange doctrine of justification by faith, that they leave it doubtful whether good is to be done or not; they preach intrinsic good, and separate it from extrinsic good, which they sometimes say is meritorious, and therefore not acceptable to God; yet still they call it good, because it is useful. But when those who dwell in the eastern and southern quarters, hear such mystical discourses, they walk out of the churches, and the preachers are afterwards deprived of the priestly office.

43. The other great city similar to London, is not in the Christian centre, (see n. 20) but lies beyond it in the north. They who are inwardly wicked, enter it after death. In the middle of it there is an open communication with hell, by which the inhabitants are absorbed in their turns.

44. I once heard some of the English clergy conversing together concerning faith alone, and I saw them form a certain image, which represented solitary faith. It appeared in obscure lumen like a great giant, and in their eyes like a handsome man; but when the light of heaven was let in upon it, the upper part of it appeared like a monster, and the lower like a serpent, not unlike the description which is given of Dagon, the idol of the Philistines. When they saw this, they left it, and the bystanders cast it into a stagnant pond.

45. It was perceptible to me, from those of the English who are in the spiritual world, that this nation has, as it were, a twofold theology, derived on the one hand, from the doctrine of faith, and on the other, from the doctrine of life; from the doctrine of faith, with those who are initiated into the priesthood: from the doctrine of life, with those who are not initiated into the priesthood, and who are commonly called the laity. This doctrine of life is avowed in an exhortation which is read in the churches on certain Sabbathdays, to those who take the sacrament of the supper; and it is there openly declared, that if they do not shun evils as sins, they cast themselves into eternal damnation, and that if they then attend the holy communion, the devil will enter into them, as he entered into Judas. I have sometimes told the clergy, that this doctrine of life does not agree with

their doctrine of faith: they made no reply, but entertained thoughts they dared not utter. You may see that exhortation in THE DOCTRINE OF LIFE FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM, 5, 6,

n.

7.

46. I have often seen a certain Englishman, who became celebrated by a book he published some years ago, in which he attempted to establish the doctrine of a conjunction of faith and charity, by an influx, and interior operation of the Holy Spirit. He gave out, that this influx affected man in an inexpressible manner, and without his being conscious of it, but did not touch, much less manifestly move his will, or excite his thought, to do any thing as of himself, except permissively; the reason being, that nothing of man might enter into union with the Divine Providence; also, that thus evils might not appear in the sight of God. He therefore excluded the external exercises of charity from having any concern in salvation, but admitted them for the sake of the public good. Since his arguments were ingenious, and the snake in the grass was not seen, his book was received as most orthodox. This author retained the same dogma after his departure from the world, nor could he recede from it, because it was confirmed in him. The angels conversed with him, and told him, that his dogma was not truth, but mere ingeniosity, aided by eloquence, and that the truth is, that man ought to shun evil, and do good, as from himself, yet with an acknowledgment, that it is from the Lord, and that there is no faith before this is done,-still less, they said, is the mere thought, faith, which is called so. And since this was opposed to his dogma, it was permitted him, of his own sagacity, to inquire further, whether any such unknown influx, and internal operation, apart from the external operation of man, is possible. He was then seen to strain his mind, and to wander about (pervagari vias) in thought, always in the persuasion, that man was no otherwise renewed and saved; but as often as he came to the end of his journey, his eyes were opened, and he saw that he was wandering, and even confessed it to those who were present. I saw him wandering thus for two years, and in the end of his journeyings, I heard him confess, that no such influx is given, unless evil in the external man be removed, which is effected by shunning evils as sins, as if from one's self; and I heard him at length declaring, that all who confirm themselves in that heresy, will be insane from the pride of self-intelligence.

47. I have conversed with Melancthon, and questioned him concerning his state; but he was not willing to make

any reply: wherefore, I was informed of his lot by others. They told me, that he is in a fretted stone chamber, and in hell, alternately, and that, in his chamber, he appears clad in a bear's skin on account of the cold, and that such is the filth there, that he does not admit those visiters from the world, whom the repute of his name inspires with a desire of seeing him. He still speaks of faith alone, which, in the world, he was foremost in establishing.

OF THE DUTCH IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.

48. It was said above, n. 20, that Christians, among whom the Word is read, and the Lord worshiped, are in the middle of the whole spiritual circle of nations and peoples, because spiritual light is greatest among them, and thence, as from a centre, is propagated to, and enlightens, all, even the remotest circumferences: in accordance with what has been said in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, n. 104 to 113. In this middle, the Reformed Christians have places allotted them, according to their reception of spiritual light from the Lord; and since among the English that light is treasured up in the intellectual part, they, therefore, are in the very centre of the middle region; and since the Dutch keep that light more nearly conjoined to natural lumen, and hence, there is no such brightness of light apparent among them, but in its place a certain opacity, which is receptive of rationality from spiritual light, and at the same time from spiritual heat, they, therefore, in the Christian middle region have obtained dwellings in the east, and in the south; in the east, from the faculty of receiving spiritual heat, which in them is charity, and in the south, from the faculty of receiving spiritual light, which in them is faith. That the quarters in the spiritual world are not like the quarters in the natural world, and that dwellings according to quarters, are dwellings according to the reception of faith and love, and that they who excel in love and charity, are in the east, and they who excel in intelligence and faith, are in the south, may be seen in the work on HEAVEN and HELL, n. 141 to 153. Another reason why the Dutch are in these quarters of the Christian middle region is, that trade is their final love, and money is the mediate subservient love, and such love is spiritual; but where money is the final love, and trade the mediate subservient love, such love is

natural, and originates in avarice. In the before-mentioned spiritual love, which, regarded in itself, is the common good, in which and from which is the good of country, the Dutch excel other nations.

49. The Dutch adhere more firmly than others to the principles of their religion, and do not give them up, and if they are convinced that one or the other of them is erroneous, still, they do not confess it, but relapse into their former opinion, and remain where they were: thus they remove themselves from an interior intuition of truth, by keeping their reason under obedience on spiritual subjects. In consequence of this their nature, when they enter the spiritual world after death, they are prepared for receiving the Spiritual of heaven, which is Divine Truth, quite differently from other nations. They are not taught, because they are not receptive of instruction, but what heaven is, is described to them, and afterwards it is granted them to ascend there, and to see it, and then, whatever agrees with their genius is infused into them, which being done, they are sent down, and return to their companions, with a strong desire for heaven. If then they do not receive this truth, that God is One in Person, and in Essence, and that that God is the Lord, and that in Him is the Trinity; and also this truth, that faith and charity as matters of knowledge and discourse, are of no avail, apart from the life of faith and charity, and that faith and charity are given by the Lord, when evils are avoided as sins;-if when they are taught these truths, they turn themselves away, and still think of God, as existing in three persons, and of religion, merely that there is such a thing, they are reduced to misery, and their trade is taken away, until they are brought to the greatest extremities. They are then led to those who have abund ance of every thing, and a flourishing trade, and when there, it is insinuated into them from heaven, to think of the reason of their own condition, and at the same time, to reflect on the faith of these persons concerning the Lord, and upon their life,—in that they shun evils as sins. little time they make inquiries, and perceive an agreement of what they hear, with their own thought and reflection: this is done repeatedly. At length, they think of themselves, that in order to be relieved from their miseries, they must believe, and do the same. Then, as they receive that faith, and live that life of charity, opulence and joyousness of life are conferred upon them. In this manner, those of them, who have led any thing of a life of charity in the world, are amended by themselves, and not by others, and

In a