Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/140

44. coming into the world, but mediately through angels who represented Him; but since His advent in the world, He is immediately present with the men of the church. For in the world He put on also the Divine Natural, in which He is present with men. (T. C. R n. 109.)

It is frequently said, in the Word concerning the Lord, that He was sent by the Father, as also it is said here (Gen. xix. 13), "Jehovah hath sent us;" and everywhere, to be sent, signifies in the internal sense, to go forth; as in John: "They have received and have known, surely, that I came forth from Thee, and have believed that Thou hast sent Me" (xvii. 8). So in other places; as in the same Evangelist: "God sent not His Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world through Him might he saved." (iii. 17). Again: "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father who sent Him" (v. 23); besides many other passages. In like manner it is said of the Holy of the Spirit, that it is sent; that is, that it goeth forth from the Divine of the Lord; as in John: "Jesus said, When the Comforter shall come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, which goeth forth from the Father, He shall testify of Me" (xv. 26). Again: "If I go away I will send the Comforter unto you" (xvi. 7). Hence the Prophets were called the Sent, because the words which they spake went forth from the Holy of the Spirit of the Lord. And because all Divine Truth goes forth from Divine Good, the expression, to be sent, is properly predicated of Divine Truth. And what it is to go forth is also evident, namely, that he who goes forth, or that which goes forth, is of him from whom it goes forth. (A. C. n. 2397.)

In the spiritual sense to go forth or to proceed is to present one's self before another in a form accommodated to him, thus to present one's self the same only in another form. In this sense going forth is predicated of the Lord in John: "Jesus said of Himself, I proceeded forth and came from God" (viii. 42). "The Father loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God: I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and go to the Father. The disciples said, . . . We believe that thou camest forth from God" (xvi. 27, 28, 30). "They have known truly that I came forth from God" (xvii. 8). To illustrate what is meant by going forth or proceeding, take the following examples:—It is said of truth, that it goes forth or proceeds from good when truth