Divine Love and Wisdom (Harleys) n. 7

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7. THE DIVINE IS NOT IN SPACE

That the Divine, or God, is not in space, although He is Omnipresent and with every man in the world, with every angel in heaven, and with every spirit under heaven, cannot be comprehended by a merely natural idea, but it can by a spiritual idea. It cannot be comprehended by a natural idea because in that there is [the idea] of space. For an idea is formed out of such things as are in the world, and in each and all of these things which are seen by the eyes, there is space. In the world, everything great and small is spatial; everything long, broad, or high there, is spatial; in a word, every measure, figure and form in the world is spatial. This is why it has been said that it cannot be comprehended by a merely natural idea that Divine is not in space although it is said to be everywhere. But yet a man can comprehend this by natural thought provided he admit into it something of spiritual light (lux); therefore, something will first be said concerning the idea and the spiritual thought therefrom. The spiritual idea does not derive anything from space but it derives its all from state. State is predicated of love, of life, of wisdom, of the affections, of the joys therefrom; in general, of good and truth. A truly spiritual idea of these things has nothing in common with space; it is higher, and regards ideas of space under it as heaven regards the earth. But because angels and spirits see with eyes the same as men do in the world, and objects cannot be seen except in space, therefore in the spiritual world where angels and spirits are, there appear spaces similar to those on earth, and yet they are not spaces but appearances; for they are not fixed and constant as they are on earth. For they can be lengthened or shortened; they can be changed and varied. And so, because they cannot be determined by measure, they cannot be comprehended there by any natural idea but only by a spiritual idea. And the spiritual idea concerning distances of space is the same as that concerning distances of good or distances of truth which are affinities and likenesses in accordance with their states.


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