Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 9835

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9835. With the work of a thinker.* That this signifies from the understanding, is evident from the signification of "a thinker,"* as being the understanding (n. 9598, 9688); and therefore "the work of a thinker"* denotes that which is from this. That "a thinker"* denotes the understanding, is because thought belongs to the understanding, just as the affection of love belongs to the will. In the internal sense "a thinker"* signified the like as "thought;" for in the internal sense the person is not attended to, but only the thing itself, and a thinker* implies a person (on this subject, see n. 5225, 5287, 5434, 8343, 8985, 9007). What is meant by being derived from the understanding must be briefly stated. The subject here treated of is the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and in respect to all the truths and goods which are therein, this kingdom belongs to the intellectual part; while the truths and goods in the Lord's celestial kingdom belong to the will part. For there are two things to which all things in the universe bear relation, namely, good and truth; for which reason there are in man two faculties, the will and the understanding; the will being for the sake of good, and the understanding for the sake of truth; for the will receives good, and the understanding truth. [2] The case is similar in the heavens, where there are two kingdoms, the celestial and the spiritual; the celestial kingdom is for the sake of the reception of good, and the spiritual kingdom is for the sake of the reception of truth. And because the universal heaven corresponds to all things that are in man, therefore before the Lord heaven is like one man, who accordingly also has two faculties, a will and an understanding; his will being in the celestial kingdom, and his understanding in the spiritual kingdom. Now because the spiritual kingdom was represented by the garments of Aaron, and the intellectual part of heaven is in this kingdom, therefore by "the work of a thinker"* is signified the intellectual part. (That from its correspondence with each and all things in man, the universal heaven is like one man, and is called the Grand Man, may be seen in the passages already cited in n. 9276e; and that with those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom goods and truths have been inscribed on their intellectual part; but with those who are in the celestial kingdom on their will part, may also be seen in the passages already cited in n. 9277, 9596.) * skilled craftsman


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