Page:The Garden of Eden (Doughty).djvu/112

106 In the Eden state all the faculties developed into good, naturally, without struggle, pain or sorrow. Now we emerge from natural states into spiritual, through much conflict, through dark temptations, through severe inward combats, through painful losses of things we had set our hearts upon, through many sighs and tears. Then truth came to the mind in lightning flashes, quick, clear and unmistakable; to hear spiritual truth, was to grasp it and believe it. Now we have to wrestle with it, reason about it, sometimes almost to agonize over it, in order to its reception. These children of the spiritual affections, are conceived in sorrow and brought forth through much affliction. It is part of the curse. It is the result of a fallen state. It is easy to descend; but to reascend the mountain of the Lord, is a weary work indeed. It is added, "Thy obedience shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

The man or husband is the symbol of the intellect, as woman is of the will or affection. In true order the intellect is subordinate to the will. It is love for the Lord which renders the truths of the Lord clear. It is the love of the neighbor which teaches all life's proper duties. But another result of the curse is, that the will yields obedience to the intellect. And now in spiritual things we must retrace our steps. Now the intellect must acknowledge the Lord, before the heart will love Him; the