Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 2.djvu/58

 sometimes see remote societies consisting of many thousands of angels, as one in such a form. And from a society as from a part, they form a conclusion concerning the whole which is heaven. For in the most perfect form, the whole is as the parts and the parts as the whole; the only difference being like that between similar things of greater and less magnitude. Hence they say that the whole heaven is such in the sight of the Lord [as a single society is when seen by them], because the Divine from the inmost and supreme beholds all things.

Such being the form of heaven, it is therefore ruled by the Lord as one man, and thence as one whole. For it is well known that although man consists of an innumerable variety of things, both in the whole and in part,—in the whole, of members, organs and viscera; in part, of series of fibres, nerves and blood vessels,—thus of members within members and parts within parts, yet the man, when he acts, acts as a unit. Such also is heaven under the auspices and guidance of the Lord.

The reason why so many different things in man act as one, is, because there is nothing whatever in him which does not contribute something to the common weal, and perform some use. The whole performs use to its parts, and the parts perform use to the whole; for