flick, the Golden Altar for Incenfe, and also the Table for Shew-Bread, which are it's Holy Things, without it's Ultimates, which are Curtains and Veils. Yea, the Word, without the Sense of it's Letter, would be like the human Body without it's Integuments, which are called Skins, and without it's Supporters, which are called Bones, in which Cafe all it's Interiors would vanish and be difperfed: Or it would be like the Heart and Lungs in the Thorax, without their Covering which is called the Pleura, and without their Supporters which are called the Ribs; or like the Brain without it's Covering which is called the Dura Mater, and without it's common Covering, Continent, and Firmament, which is called the Skull. So would it be with the Word without it's literal Senfe, wherefore it is faid in Ifaiah, "That Jehovah will create "upon all the Glory a Covering," iv. 5.

34. Similar to this would be the Cafe with the Heavens, where the Angels dwell, without the World where Men dwell, Mankind being the Bafis, Continent, and Firmament thereof, and the Word being with Men and in them. For all the Heavens are diftinguished into two Kingdoms, which are called the Celeftial Kingdom and the Spiritual Kingdom, and thefe two Kingdoms are founded on the Natural Kingdom where Men have their Abode: That the Angelic Heavens are diftinguished into two Kingdoms, the Celestial and the Spiritual, may be seen in the Treatise on HEAVEN and HELL, n. 20 to 28.

35. That the Prophets of the Old Teftament reprefented the Lord as to the Word, and thereby fignified the Doctrine of the Church derived from the Word, and that hence they were called Sons of Man, was fhewn in the DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE LORD, n. 28; whence it follows, that by the various Things which they suffered and endured, they reprefented the Violence offered by the Jews to the literal Senfe of the Word; as where Isaiah was commanded "to put off the Sackcloth from his "Loins, and his Shoe from his Foot, and to go naked and bare-foot three Years," Ifaiah xx. 2, 3; in like Manner where Ezechiel was commanded" to take a Barber's "Razor, and cause it to pafs upon his Head and upon "his Beard, and to burn a third Part in the Midst of the City, and to fmite a third Part with the Sword, and to difperfe

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difperfe a third Part to the Wind, and to bind a little "thereof in his Wings, and at length to caft it into the "Midft of the Fire and burn it," Ezech. v. 1 to 4. The Ground and Reason of this Signification and Reprefentation is, because by the Head is fignified Wisdom derived from the Word, hence by Hair and by Beard is fignified the Ultimate of Truth: In Confequence of this Signification, it was a Mark of great Mourning, and alfo a great Difgrace, for any one to bring upom himself Baldnefs, and likewife to appear bald: This too, and no other, was the Reason, why the Prophet fhaved the Hair of his Head and his Beard, that thereby he might represent the State of the Jewish Church as to the Word: This too, and no other, was the Reason, why the Forty and two Children, who called Elifba bald, were torn in Pieces by two Bears, 2 Kings ii. 23, 24, 25; for the Prophet, as was before obferved, reprefented the Word, and Baldness fignified that without it's ultimate Senfe. That the Nazarites represented the Lord as to the Word in it's Ultimates, will be feen below, n. 49; and therefore it was an Ordinance with them, that they fhould cause their Hair to grow, and fhould fhave no Part of it; a Nazarite also in the Hebrew Tongue fignifies Hair: It was also an Ordi. nance for the High Prieft, that he should not fhave his Head, Levit. xxi. 10; and in like Manner for the Father of a Family, Levit. xxi. 5. Hence it was, that Baldness was to them a great Difgrace, as may appear from the following Paffages, "On all Heads fhall be Baldness, and

every Beard thaved," Isaiah xv. 2. Jer. xlviii. 37. "On all Faces fhall be Shame, and on all Heads Bald"nefs," Ezech. vii. 18. "Every Head was made bald, "and every Shoulder was deprived of Hair," Ezech. xxix. 18. I will caufe Sackcloth to come up upon all "Loins, and Baldnefs upon every Head," Amos viii. 10. Put on Baldness, and fhave thyfelf because of the "Sons of thy Delights, and dilate thy Baldnefs, because

they have removed from thee," Micah i. 16; where by putting on and dilating Baldness, is fignified to falfify the Truths of the Word in it's Ultimates, which being falfified, as was done by the Jews, the whole Word is deftroyed; for the Ultimates of the Word are it's Props and Supports, yea, every single Expreffion is a Prop and Sup

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port of it's celeftial and spiritual Truths. Inafmuch as Hair fignifies Truth in it's Ultimates, therefore in the Spiritual World,. all who defpife the Word, and falfify it's literal Senfe, appear bald; but they who honour and love it, appear adorned with decent and becoming Hair. On this Subject fee alfo below, n. 49.

36. The Word in it's ultimate or natural Sense, which is the Senfe of the Letter, is fignified also by the Wall of the Holy Jerufalem, the Building whereof was Jafper, and by the Foundations of the Wall which were precious Stones, and alfo by the Gates which were Pearls, Rev. xxi.: 18 to 21; for by Jerufalem is fignified the Church as to Doctrine; but more may be seen on this Subject in thẹ following Article. From what hath been here obferved. it may appear, that the literal Senfe of the Word, which is natural, is the Bafis, Continent, and Firmament of it's interior Senfes, which are spiritual and celestial.

That the Divine Truth, in the literal Senfe of the Word, is in it's Fulness, in it's Holiness, and in it's Power.

37. THE true Ground and Reason why the Word, in it's literal Senfe, is in it's Fulnefs, in it's Holiness, and in it's Power, is, because the two prior or interior Senfes, which are called fpiritual and celeftial, are together in the natural Senfe, which is the Sense of the Letter, as was faid above, n. 29; but how this is, fhall be now briefly explained.

38. Both in Heaven and in the World there exist two Kinds or Eftablishments of Order, fucceffive Order, and fimultaneous Order; * in successive Order one Thing fuc

ceeds

* We are well aware that the Author's Reasoning in this Place. concerning fucceffive and fimultaneous Order, will appear to many Readers obfcure and abstracted. He is endeavouring to explain how the celeftial and fpiritual Senfes of the Word exist together, and at once, in the natural Sense. With this View he diftinguifhes between what he calls fuc

ceffive

ceeds and follows another, from what is highest to what is loweft; but in fimultaneous Order one Thing is next to another from what is innermost to what is outermost. Succeffive Order is like a Column with Degrees from higheft to loweft; but fimultaneous Order is like a Work whose Center and Circumferences have a regular Coherence even to the extremeft Superficies. We fhall now fhew how fucceffive Order becometh, in it's Ultimate, fimultaneous Order, which is thus; the highest Parts of fucceffive Order become the inmoft Parts of fimultaneous Order, and the loweft Parts of fucceffive Order become the outermoft Parts of fimultaneous Order; comparatively as a Column of Degrees, when it fubfideth, becometh a coherent Body in a Plane. Thus what is fimultaneous is formed from what is fucceffive, and this in all and every Thing of the natural World, and in all and every Thing of the Spiritual World, for there is every where a First, a Middle, and a Laft, and the Firft, by Means of the Middle, tendeth and proceedeth to it's Laft. To apply now this Reasoning to the Word. The celeftial Principle, the fpiritual, and the natural, proceed from the Lord in fucceffive Order, and in the Ultimate they are in fimultaneous Order; thus therefore the celeftial and fpiritual Senfes are together in the natural Senfe. If this be comprehended, it may be seen how the natural Sense of the F 2 Word,

ceffive and fimultaneous Order. By fucceffive Order he means. the Arrangement of Things, one after another, in regular Succeffion, as of the different Degrees of a Column from Top to Bottom, or of the different States of the Atmosphere, in Respect to Density, from the Surface of the Earth upwards. But by fimultaneous Order he means the Arrangement of Things one within another, as of the Contents between a Center and it's Circumferences; or as of the three Atmofpheres, as exifting one within the other; or as of the Soul, the animal Spirit, and the Body; or as of the End, the Caufe, and the Effect. Thus he fheweth, that as the End and the Caufe exift together, and at once, in the Effect; and as the Soul and animal Spirit exift together, and at once, in the Body, fo according to the fame Law of fimultaneous Order, the celestial and fpiritual Senfes of the Word exift together and at once in the natural Sense,

Word, which is the Senfe of the Letter, is the Bafis, Continent, and Firmament of it's fpiritual and celestial Senses; alfo how the Divine Good and Divine Truth are in their Fulness, in their Saneity, and in their Power, in the literal Sense of the Word.

39. From thefe Confiderations it may appear, that the Word is the very effential Word in it's literal Sense, for within in this Senfe there is Spirit and Life, the fpiritual Senfe being it's Spirit, and the celeftial Senfe it's Life. This is what the Lord faith, "The Words which I speak "unto you are Spirit and Life," John vi. 63. The Lord fpake his Words before Men, and in a natural Sense. The fpiritual Senfe and the celeftial Sense are not the Word without the natural Senfe, which is the Senfe of the Letter, for in this Cafe they are as Spirit and Life without a Body; or, as was obferved above, n. 33, like a Palace without a Foundation.

40. The Truths of the literal Senfe of the Word, in Part, are not naked Truths, but Appearances of Truth, and as Similitudes and Comparisons, taken from fuch Things as are in Nature, confequently which are accommodated and adapted to the Apprehenfion of the Simple, and likewife of Infants: But inafmuch as they are Cor refpondencies, they are the Recipients and Abodes of genuine Truth, and are as it were Veffels which inclofe and contain it, just as a Chryftal Cup inclofeth excellent Wine, and as a Silver Difh containeth wholefome Food; they are also like Garments for Covering, as Swaddling Cloaths for Infants, and handfome Raiment for beautiful Virgins; they are further like the Scientifics of the natural Man, which comprehend in them the Perceptions and Affections of Truth of the fpiritual Man. The naked Truths themfelves which are thus included, contained, cloathed, and comprehended, are in the fpiritual Senfe of the Word, and the naked Goodneffes are in it's celeftial Senfe: But let this be illuftrated from the Word; " Jefus faid, Wa "unto you Scribes and Pharifees, for ye cleanfe the Out"fide of the Cup and Platter, but the inner Parts are full "of Rapine and Excefs: Thou blind Pharifee, cleanfé "first the inner Part of the Cup and Platter, that the "Outfide may be clean alfo," Matt. xxiii, 25, 26. The Lord here fpeaks by Ultimates, or Things that are of the

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