1076. CONCERNING UNIVERSAL AND SINGULAR GOVERNMENT I have now spoken with spirits concerning the Lord's universal government, saying that a universal cannot be given unless it is in the most single things, and that from the most single things the universal exists, as the general exists from the particulars; and that without the most single things there could be no universal, for thus a universal sense would be nothing. This was demonstrated in a spiritual manner by a general consideration of the government of the soul in each single point of the body. Unless there were this government of the soul in the single things, so as to dispose each thing to its own function and work, the whole could never be under its universal auspices. Although this was so clearly seen by demonstration from spiritual intuition that it can never be denied, nevertheless, when very many spirits began to raise doubts from the memory of particulars a general obscurity at once arose. The same would happen if the things just said and demonstrated were to be told to any learned man of the present day, for his doubts, accumulated from very many things, such as those concerning the souls of beasts and like questions, and also his notions concerning the soul and body, induce a similar and even denser cloud. And if any doubts should arise of themselves, the mind, from being in a clear universal idea, would be determined to some particular doubt, and thereby each and all things would be confused and would end in negation. So also would it be with everything else. These things were said and written in the presence of very many souls and spirits, and they cannot bring forth anything against it because they see that the matter is as stated, for they are withheld from setting forth particular doubts. 1748, Feb. 28.