Page:Sermons on the Ten Commandments.djvu/97

 so the two may be conjoined within him, and accomplish his regeneration.

And now, let us consider the celestial sense of this Commandment. By Father and Mother, in the celestial sense, are signified the Lord and the Church.

That the Lord Jesus Christ, and He alone, is our Divine Father, both naturally and spiritually, is clearly taught in the Word, and on a little reflection will be made manifest. In the Old Testament, where the prophecy is uttered concerning the Lord's coming into the world, the Being about to be born is expressly called "Father." Thus: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father." Here the Son is declared to be also the Father, because Jehovah, the Father, incarnated Himself in the Son: Jesus Christ was simply Jehovah in a human form,—the expression, Son, meaning the humanity which Jehovah assumed. Hence, also, when Jesus appeared, he declared Himself to be one with "the Father:" "the Father," said he, "dwelleth in me;" "He that seeth me, seeth the Father;" "I and the Father are one." And after his resurrection, "he ascended to the Father," as he expressed it, that is, the human became completely united to the Divine, the Son to the Father, so as to form one Person, Jehovah Jesus. And He it is, who is our Creator, that is, our Divine Father naturally, and also our Regenerator, that is, our Father spiritually; for it is