Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/187

Rh a Son and a God born from eternity? And how can the Divine Essence, which is one and indivisible, be separated, and one part of it descend, and not at the same time the whole?" The second subject of inquiry concerning the Lord was, Whether the Father and He are not therefore one, as the soul and body are one. They said that this followed, because the soul is from the Father. Then one of those who sat upon the third row of seats read from the creed called Athanasian these words: "Although our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; yea, one altogether; He is one person; for, as the soul and body make one man, so God and Man is one Christ." The creed, said the reader, where these words are found, is received in the whole Christian world, even by the Roman Catholics. And they said, "What need is there for more? 'God the Father and He are one, as the soul and body are one.'" And they added, "Since this is so we see that the Human of the Lord is Divine, because it is the Human of Jehovah; and also that the Lord as to the Divine Human should be approached, and that thus and not otherwise the Divine may be approached which is called the Father." This their conclusion the angel confirmed by many passages from the Word; among which were these: ''"Unto us a Child is Born, unto us a Son is given,. . . and His name shall he called Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, the Father of Eternity, the Prince of Peace" (Isa. ix. 6.) "Abraham doth not know us, and Israel doth not acknowledge us; Thou Jehovah art our Father, our Redeemer; Thy name is from everlasting" (lxiii. 16); and in John: "Jesus said. He that believeth on Me, believeth. . . on Him that sent Me; and he that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me" (xii. 44, 45). "Philip saith unto Jesus, Show us the Father. . . . Jesus saith unto him,. . . He that seeth Me, seeth the Father; how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? . . . Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me" (xiv. 8, 9). "Jesus said, I and the Father are one" (x. 30); and also, "All things that the Father hath are Mine," and "all Mine are the Father's" (xvi. 15; xvii. 10). Lastly, "Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me"'' (xiv. 6). To this the reader added, that similar things to what are here said by the Lord concerning Himself and His Father, may be said also by man concerning himself and his soul. Having heard these things, they all with one voice and one heart said that the Human of the Lord is Divine, and that this must be approached in order to approach the Father; since Jehovah God by means of it sent Himself into the world, and made Himself visible to the eyes of men, and thus accessible. In like manner He made Himself