if any such wrong opinion has crept into any family, that that family is taken from the midst, not by any punishment of death inflicted by their companions, but by being deprived of respiration, and consequently of life, by spirits, after they have first been threatened with death. For on that earth spirits speak with the people, and chastise them if they have done evil, and also if they have intended to do evil (see n. 7801-7812). Therefore if they think badly concerning the one Lord, they are threatened with death unless they return to right mind. In this manner is preserved among them the worship of the Lord, Who to the inhabitants of that earth is the supreme Divine.

8543. They do not know that their one Lord has been born a man on this earth. They said that it is of no concern to them to know this, but only to know that He is Man and rules the universe. When I said that on our earth He is named Jesus Christ, and that Christ signifies the Anointed or King, and Jesus signifies Saviour, they said that they do not worship Him as King, because royalty savors of what is worldly, but that they worship Him as Saviour. And because doubt was cast from the spirits of our earth, whether their one Lord was the same with our Lord, they removed the doubt by recalling that they had seen Him in the Sun, and that they recognized that it was He whom they had seen on their earth. As to this, more may be seen above (n. 7173), as also that our Lord is the Sun of heaven (n. 1053, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4321, 5097, 7078, 7083, 7171, 7173).

8544. When the spirits of the earth Jupiter had stayed with me for several weeks, there suddenly flowed into them a doubt whether their one Lord was the same with our Lord; but this doubt which came in a moment, was also in a moment dispelled. It flowed in from some spirits from our earth; and then, what I wondered at, the spirits from Jupiter blushed with so great shame at their doubting it only for a moment, that they told me not to publish it

on this earth, lest they should therefor be charged with any doubt about it, when yet they now know it better than others.

8545. There were spirits from the earth Jupiter with me while I was reading the seventeenth chapter of John, concerning the Lord's love and His glorification; and when they heard what is there written, a holy influence came upon them, and they confessed that all things therein were Divine. But then spirits from our earth who were infidels continually suggested objections, saying that He was born an infant, lived a man, appeared as another man, was crucified, and the like. But the spirits of the earth Jupiter paid no attention at all to these things. They said that such are their devils, whom they abhor, adding that nothing heavenly has any place in their minds, but only what is earthly, which they call dross. That such is the case, they discovered from this, that when mention was made of men going naked on their earth, obscene ideas at once took possession of their thoughts, and they paid no attention to their heavenly life, of which they were told at the same time (see n. 8375).

8546. Once also I talked with the spirits of the earth Jupiter concerning the Lord, saying, that no one can do any good of himself, but from the Lord, Who is Good itself, consequently the fountain of all good. Then they modestly replied that they suppose they can do good of themselves, and do not know otherwise. But when it was shown them that all good comes solely from the Lord, they said that they spoke after a human manner, and that this was said in a heavenly manner, and that their angels so think, and they themselves also, as far as they become angels. They added that it is simpler to speak in that way. Then it was given to reply, that the Lord suffers those who live in simplicity and innocence so to speak, provided they know that nothing of good comes from themselves, but all from the Lord.

8547. The spirits of the earth Jupiter were very much affected and rejoiced, when they heard it said that the one Lord is Man alone, and that all have from Him what entitles them to be called men; but that they are men so far as they become images of Him, that is, so far as they love Him and love the neighbor, thus so far as they are in good; for good of love and of faith is an image of the Lord.

CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH.

THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY.

8548. He who does not receive spiritual life, that is, who is not born anew by the Lord, cannot come into heaven. This the Lord teaches in John: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God (iii. 3).

8549. Man is not born of his parents into spiritual life, but into natural life. Spiritual life is to love God above all things and to love the neighbor as one's self, and this according to the precepts of faith which the Lord taught in the Word. But natural life is to love self and the world above the neighbor, yea above God Himself.

8550. Every man is born of his parents into the evils of the love of self and of the world. Every evil which by habit has, as it were, become one's nature, is derived into the offspring, thus successively from parents, from grandparents, and from great-grandparents, in a long series. downward. Therefore the derivation of evil has at length become so great, that all of man's own life is nothing else than evil. This continuous derived nature is not broken and changed, except by a life of faith and charity from the Lord.

8551. Man continually inclines and lapses to what he derives hereditarily. Thereby he confirms in himself such evil, and also of himself superadds more evils.

8552. These evils are altogether contrary to spiritual life; they destroy it; wherefore unless man as to spiritual life is by the Lord conceived anew, born anew, and reared anew, that is, created anew, he is damned, for he wills nothing else, and therefore thinks nothing else, than what is of hell.

8553. When man is such, the order of life in him is inverted. What ought to have dominion, this is made to serve, and what ought to serve, this has dominion. This order with man must be wholly inverted that he may be saved; and this is effected by the Lord through regeneration.

CHAPTER XVII.

1. And all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to the mouth of Jehovah, and pitched their camp in Rephidim and there was no water for the people to drink.

2. And the people strove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt Jehovah?

3. And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore this, that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?

4. And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, What shall I do unto this people? a little more and they stone me.

5. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take it in thine hand, and go.

6. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come waters out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.

7. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the striving of the sons of Israel, and because they tempted Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah among us, or not?

8. Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.