Page:The New Church - What, How, Why .djvu/43

Rh history written upon the pages of her strata more fully than pen can tell. Man can search out for himself the history of the earth's formation. God makes revelation of such things as man can not find out for himself by searching. Though the letter of the Word contains the words of man in the form of allegory, parable, history, song, prophecy, and fact, it is from beginning to end a Divine parable reflecting through its letter spiritual things.

"In the beginning" is the commencement of man's regeneration, for the Word treats of spiritual things.

"God created the heavens and the earth" tells us of the two natures in every one, a heavenly nature in correspondence with heaven, and an earthly nature in correspondence with the world. "The earth was without form and void" is descriptive of the lower nature of man before regeneration. The creation of light is the spirit of God first wakening man to the consciousness of heavenly things, which light