{"id":12581,"date":"2016-12-04T13:17:06","date_gmt":"2016-12-04T18:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordstudy.newchurch.org\/?page_id=12581"},"modified":"2016-12-04T13:17:06","modified_gmt":"2016-12-04T18:17:06","slug":"gate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societies.newchurch.org\/wordstudy\/bible-keywords\/gate\/","title":{"rendered":"Gate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gates in ancient times had a significance that does not hold in the modern world. Cities then were enclosed by walls for protection; gates in the walls let people in and out to do their business, but were also the weak points in the cities\u2019 defenses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swedenborg<\/a> says that in the Bible<\/a>, cities on one level represent<\/a> the minds<\/a> of individual people. On a broader level, they represent beliefs<\/a> shared by a community. The gates, then, represent openings where the Lord<\/a> can feed us an understanding of truth<\/a> and a desire for good<\/a>. They also represent points where the hells<\/a> can invade and sway us with false<\/a> ideas and evil<\/a> desires.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Swedenborg,\u00a0we are kept in balance during our lifetimes, with influences from both the Lord and from hell. Ideally, we will over our lifetimes continue to invite the Lord farther and farther in and drive the hells back until ultimately the Lord can occupy our minds<\/a> completely. And that point our belief will hold the gates and deny evil any entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

As individuals, we at that point become angels<\/a>. As communities, we at that point become part of the Lord\u2019s church<\/a>. And at that point the gates become an entry point, introductory truths that allow people to enter churches and start bringing the Lord into their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Passages from Swedenborg<\/b><\/p>\n

Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2851<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. ‘Your seed will inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of their enemies’ means that charity and faith will take the place occupied previously by evil and falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘inheriting’ as receiving the Lord’s life, dealt with in 2658, here as taking the place of, for when charity and faith exist in the place occupied previously by evil and falsity, the Lord’s life enters in there; from the meaning of ‘seed’ as charity and faith, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1941; from the meaning of ‘gate’, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘enemies’ as evils and falsities, or what amounts to the same, people who are subject to evil and falsity. It is the latter who are meant by enemies and foes in the internal sense of the Word.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[2] As regards the meaning of ‘a\u00a0gate’, there are in general two gates with each individual person. One\u00a0gate\u00a0is exposed towards hell and is open to evils and falsities from there. In that\u00a0gate\u00a0genii and spirits from hell are present. The other gate\u00a0is exposed towards heaven and is open to goods and truths from there. In that gate\u00a0angels are present. Thus there is a\u00a0gate\u00a0leading to hell and a\u00a0gate\u00a0leading to heaven. The\u00a0gate\u00a0to hell is open to those who are immersed in evil and falsity, and only through chinks round about overhead does any light at all from heaven penetrate, which enables them to think and to reason. But the\u00a0gate\u00a0to heaven is open to those who are immersed in good and truth from there.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[3] For there are two paths which lead into a person’s rational mind, a higher or internal path along which good and truth from the Lord enter in, and a lower or external path along which evil and falsity enter in surreptitiously from hell. In the middle is the rational mind towards which the two paths converge. From the goods and truths present there the rational mind is compared in the Word to a city and is actually called a city. And because it is compared to and actually called a city it is depicted as having gates, and is described in various places as having enemies, that is, evil genii and spirits, besieging it and assaulting it, while angels from the Lord are defending it, that is, the Lord Himself is doing so. The genii and spirits from hell, with their evils and falsities, can go no further than towards the lower or outergate, and cannot pass at all into the city. If they were able to pass into the city, which is the rational mind, man would be completely done for. But when they reach the point, as it seems to them, that they have taken the city by storm, it is then closed, so that good and truth no longer flow into it from heaven, apart, as has been stated, from that small amount which comes in through chinks round about. As a consequence such persons no longer possess any charity at all or any faith at all, but make good consist in evil, and truth in falsity. They also as a consequence cease to be truly rational, though they seem to themselves to be so, 1914, 1944, and are called ‘dead men’, though they themselves believe they are more alive than any others, 81, 290 (end). These things are so because the\u00a0gate\u00a0to heaven is closed to them. The fact that it is closed to them is quite apparent and is discerned in the next life, and so conversely that the\u00a0gate\u00a0to heaven is open to those in whom good and truth are present.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0[4] As regards ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of enemies’ in particular, spoken of in this verse, it is the gate\u00a0that exists with a person in his natural mind. That\u00a0gate\u00a0when the person is wholly natural or as yet unregenerate is occupied by evils and falsities, or what amounts to the same, evil genii and spirits are flowing into it together with evil desires and false persuasions, see 687, 698, 1692. When however a person is spiritual or being regenerated, evils and falsities, or what amounts to the same, evil genii and spirits, are driven away from that\u00a0gate, that is, from the natural mind. Once they have been driven away, goods and truths, or charity and faith, take their place; and these – charity and faith – are meant by ‘your seed will inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of their enemies’. This is what takes place in particular with each individual person when he is being regenerated, and similarly in the next life with those entering the Lord’s kingdom; and also what takes place in general, that is, in the Church, which is made up of many individuals.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[5] This transformation was represented by the children of Israel driving the nations from the land of Canaan. Such expulsion of those nations is what, in the literal sense, the words ‘your seed will inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of their enemies’ are used to mean; but in the internal sense the things which have just been described are meant. This also explains why in ancient times it was customary to use words such as these when blessing persons who were about to be married, as is also evident from the blessing which Laban gave to Rebekah his sister when, already betrothed, she was about to go to Isaac,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Our sister, may you be [the mother] of thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of those who hate you. Gen. 24:60.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[6] That such things are meant in the Word by ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of enemies’ or ‘of those who hate’ becomes clear from the following places: In Isaiah,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will I slay. Wail, O\u00a0gate; cry, O city; you have melted away, O Philistia, all of you, for smoke comes out of the north. Isa. 14:30, 31.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘Killing the root with famine and slaying the remnant’ stands for the removal of goods and truths which the Lord has stored away inwardly – ‘the remnant’ meaning such goods and truths, see 468, 530, 560- 562, 661, 798, 1050, 1738, 1906, 2284. ‘Gate’ stands for the place of entry into things that are interior, that is, into the rational mind. ‘City’ stands for that mind, or what amounts to the same, for the goods and truths there, 402, 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712. ‘Philistia’ stands for knowledge of the cognitions of faith, or what amounts to the same, for those who have a knowledge of those cognitions but not of the goods that spring from faith, 1197, 1198. ‘Smoke from the north’ stands for falsity from hell – smoke being falsity arising out of evil, 1861.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[7] In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0The city of hollowness will be broken down, every house will be shut up to prevent it being entered. There will be an outcry in the streets over [the lack] of wine, all joy will be made desolate, the gladness of the earth will be banished. What is left in the city will be desolation, and the\u00a0gate\u00a0will be smitten with vastation, for thus will it be in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the peoples. Isa. 24:10-13.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘The city of hollowness’ which ‘will be broken down’ stands for the human mind deprived of truth. ‘Every house will be shut up’ stands for lack of good – ‘house’ meaning good, 2233. ‘An outcry in the streets over [the lack of] wine’ stands for a state of falsity – ‘outcry’ having reference to falsities, 2240. ‘Wine’ means truth over which there will be an outcry because there is none, 1071, 1798, and ‘streets’ means the things that lead to truths, 2336. ‘The joy which is being made desolate’ has reference to truth, ‘the gladness of the earth that is being banished’ to good. All this shows what is meant by ‘what is left in the city will be desolation’ and ‘the\u00a0gatewill be smitten with vastation’. The\u00a0gate\u00a0is said to be vastated when nothing but evils and falsities reign.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[8] In Jeremiah,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0The roads of Zion are mourning that none come to the appointed feast. All her gates are desolate, her priests groan, her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness. Her enemies have become the head, her foes secure, because Jehovah has afflicted [her] over the multitude of her transgressions. Her young children have gone away captive before the enemy. Lam. 1:4, 5.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘The roads of Zion mourning’ stands for there being no longer any truths that come from good -‘roads’ meaning truths, 189, 627, 2333. ‘All her gates are desolate’ stands for all the entrances being occupied by falsities. ‘Her enemies have become the head’ stands for evils reigning.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[9] In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Jehovah has caused the rampart, and the wall of the daughter of Zion, to mourn; they languish together. Her gates have become pressed down into the ground; He has destroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the nations. The law is no more; even her prophets have found no vision from Jehovah. All your foes have opened their mouth against you, they have hissed and gnashed their teeth; they have said, We have swallowed her up; this is the day we have awaited; we have found, we have seen it. Lam. 2:8, 9, 16.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘Gates pressed down into the ground’ stands for the natural mind when occupied by evils and falsities. ‘Her king and princes are among the nations’ stands for truths immersed in evils – ‘king’ meaning truth in general, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, ‘princes’ first and foremost truths, 1482, 2089, and ‘nations’ evil, 1259, 1260, 1849, 1868, 2588.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[10] In Moses,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0A nation from far away, from the end of the earth will distress you within all your gates until your high and fortified walls in which you trust come down in all your land. And it will distress you within all your gates, in the whole of your land. Thus will your enemy distress you. Deut. 28:49, 52, 53.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0These calamities are found among the curses which Moses foretold to the people if they did not hold fast to the commandments and statutes. ‘A nation from far away, from the end of the earth’ stands in the internal sense for evils and falsities, that is, for those who are immersed in evil and falsity. ‘Distressing them within all their gates’ stands for sealing off every access to good and truth.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[11] In Nahum,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Behold, your people are women in the midst of you. The gates of your land have been opened wide to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars. Draw yourself water for the siege, strengthen your fortifications; go into the mud and tread the bitumen; strengthen the brick-kiln. Nahum 3:13, 14.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘The gates of the land opened wide to enemies’ stands for evils occupying the position where goods ought to be. In the Book of Judges, The highways ceased to be, and they went along by-paths; they went along twisting ways; the streets in Israel ceased to be. He chose new gods, at which point the gates were assailed – was a shield seen, or a spear, among the forty thousand of Israel? Judg. 5:6-8.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0This is the prophecy of Deborah and Barak. ‘The gates were assailed’ stands for an assault on goods and truths.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[12] In David,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Those who dwell in the\u00a0gate\u00a0plot against me; those who drink strong drink sing songs. Ps. 69:12.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘Those who dwell in the\u00a0gate’ stands for evils and falsities, and also for those who are from hell. In Ezekiel,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the visions of God he was brought to the door of the inner\u00a0gate\u00a0which looked towards the north. There he saw the great abominations of the house of Israel. He was also brought to the door of the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the house of Jehovah which looked towards the north. There also [he saw] abominations. Ezek. 8:3, 6, 14, 15.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘The door of the inner\u00a0gate\u00a0which looked towards the north’ stands for the place where interior falsities exist. ‘The door of the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the house of Jehovah towards the north’ stands for the place where interior evils exist. The fact that the falsities and evils are interior, and that it is an interior sphere in which such spirits and genii reside, see 2121-2124.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[13] In David,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Behold, sons are a possession of Jehovah, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like darts in the hand of a strong man so are the sons of youth.* Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them. They will not be put to shame, for they will speak with enemies in the\u00a0gate. Ps. 127:3-5.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0‘Speaking with enemies in the\u00a0gate’ stands for having no fear of evils and falsities, nor thus of hell. In Isaiah,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0On that day Jehovah Zebaoth will be a spirit of judgement to him who sits in judgement, and strength to those who turn back the battle towards the\u00a0gate. They are also made senseless from wine, and err from strong drink. Isa. 28:5-7.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0They will be cut off who cause people to sin by a word, and who lay a snare for him who reproves in the\u00a0gate\u00a0and cause him who is just to turn aside to something empty. Isa. 29:20, 21.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Elam bore the quiver in the chariot of man (homo), [and] horsemen, Kir uncovered the shield, and the choicest of your valleys was full of chariots and horsemen; they positioned themselves at the\u00a0gate. And he looked on that day to the armoury of the house of the forest. Isa. 22:6-8.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In Jeremiah,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Judah mourned and her gates languished; the people were in black down to the ground, and the cry of Jerusalem went up. Their great men sent lesser ones to the waters; they came to the pits, they found no water. Jer. 14:1-3.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0The elders have ceased from the\u00a0gate, the young men from their singing. Lam. 5:14<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[14] All these places show what is meant by ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of enemies’, namely hell, or those from hell who are constantly mounting an assault on goods and truths. They have their seat with a person, as has been stated, in his natural mind; but when the person is such that he allows goods and truths, and so angels, to enter in, the Lord drives away from that seat those who are from hell. And once they have been driven away, the\u00a0gate\u00a0to heaven, or heaven itself, is opened. This\u00a0gate\u00a0also is mentioned in various places in the Word, as in Isaiah,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0A song in the land of Judah, Ours is a strong city, salvation will establish walls and rampart. Open the gates and the righteous nation that keeps faith will enter in. Isa. 26:1, 2.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Thus said Jehovah to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to put down nations before him, and I will open the loins of kings, to open doors before him, and the gates will not be shut; I will go before you and make straight the crooked places; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron. Isa. 45:1, 2.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0The sons of the foreigner will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you. They will keep your gates open continually, day and night they will not be shut. Violence will no more be heard in your land, devastation and ruin within your borders; and you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. Isa. 60:10, 11, 18.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same prophet,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way for the people; level out, level out the highway. Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes. Isa. 62:10-12.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In Micah,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0They will go through the\u00a0gate, and go out by it; and their king will go on before them, and Jehovah at the head of them. Micah 2:13.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In David,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, lift up, O eternal doors. Ps. 24:7-10.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same author,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Celebrate Jehovah, O Jerusalem, praise your God, O Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates, He blesses your children in the midst of you. Ps. 147:12, 13.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>[15] From all these places it is evident that ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of heaven’ is the place where angels are present with a person, that is, where good and truth are flowing in from the Lord. Thus there are, as has been stated, two gates, to which the Lord refers in Matthew as follows,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Enter by the narrow\u00a0gate, for the\u00a0gate\u00a0is wide and the road is broad which leads away to destruction; and those who enter by it are many. For narrow and strait is the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matt. 7:12-14; Luke 13:23, 24.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0In addition the gates to the New Jerusalem and the gates to the new Temple are dealt with extensively in Ezekiel and also in John, in the Book of Revelation. By these gates nothing else is meant than the entrances into heaven – see Ezek. 40:6-49; 43:1, 2, 4; 44:1-3; 46:1-9, 12; 48:31-34; Rev. 21:12, 13, 21, 25; 22:14; Isa. 54:11, 12. And this is why Jerusalem is called The\u00a0Gate\u00a0of the People, Micah 1:9; Obad. verse 13.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>* lit. the sons of firstfruits<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2943<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. ‘To all entering into the\u00a0gate\u00a0of his city, saying’ means matters of doctrine through which one comes to faith. This is clear from the meaning of ‘a\u00a0gate’ as a place of entry and so as that which, in the same way as a door, leads in, dealt with in 2145, 2152, 2356, 2385, and from the meaning of ‘a city’ as truth, which constitutes faith, dealt with in 402, 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712. In the Ancient Church a city was not like the city of later or of modern times. That is to say, a city did not consist of a collection or gathering together of individuals but of separate families living side by side. A family descended from the same forefather constituted a city. The city of Nahor, for example, to which Abraham’s servant went to betroth Rebekah to Isaac, Gen. 24:10, consisted of the family of Nahor which was there. And Shalem, the city of Shechem, to which Jacob came after his departure from Paddan Aram, Gen. 33:18 and the whole of Chapter 34, consisted of the family of Hamor and Shechem which was there. And the same was so with all other cities in those times.<\/span>
      \n<\/span>
      \n<\/span>[2] And as it had come down to them from the most ancient people that nations and families represented heavenly communities, and so the things of love and charity, 685, 1159, therefore when a city is mentioned instead of a family, and a people instead of a nation, truth that constitutes faith is meant. It is also why in the genuine sense the city of God and the holy city mean faith in the Lord. And as ‘a city’ meant faith, ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the city’ means matters of doctrine through which one comes to faith. The same was also meant in the Jewish representative Church by the judges and elders sitting in the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the city and giving judgement there, as is evident from historical sections of the Word, and also in Zechariah,<\/span>
      \n<\/span>
      \n<\/span>These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth, everyone to his companion; judge in your gates the truth and the judgement of peace. Zech. 8:16.<\/span>
      \n<\/span>
      \n<\/span>And in Amos,<\/span>
      \n<\/span>
      \n<\/span>\u00a0Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgement in the\u00a0gate. Amos 5:15.<\/span>
      \n<\/span>
      \n<\/span>\u00a0‘A\u00a0gate’ also means the place of entry into the rational mind, and the rational mind is compared to a city, see 2851.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3187<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. ‘And may your seed inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of those who hate you’ means the Lord’s spiritual kingdom sprung from the marriage of good and truth in the Divine Human, a kingdom possessing charity and faith where evil and falsity had been previously. This becomes clear from what has been stated and explained above in 2851 where practically the same words occur. ‘Seed’ means those who are called spiritual, and so in the universal sense means all who constitute the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, or what amounts to the same, that kingdom itself. This is clear from the meaning of ‘seed’ as charity and faith, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1940, consequently as those in whom charity received through faith is present. These are they who are spiritual, see 2088, 2184, 2507, 2708, 2715, 2954, and to whom charity and faith come from the marriage of good and truth in the Lord’s Divine Human, and so to whom salvation comes, 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834.<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>[2] In the Ancient Church there existed this customary expression of a heartfelt desire which was said to a betrothed virgin when about to be married – ‘may you become thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of your enemies (or those who hate you)’. But the wise of that Church understood spiritual things by these words. That is to say, to them that customary expression meant that when people entered into the marriage of good and truth – that is, once they were regenerate – goods and truths would become fruitful by thousands of myriads, that is, without end. That expression also meant to them that charity and faith would assume the position previously occupied by evil and falsity. But when the wisdom of the Ancient Church died out they no longer understood that customary expression in a spiritual way but in an altogether worldly one. That is to say, they meant that they would have countless descendants who would take possession of and inherit the land of the gentile nations. Jacob’s descendants more than all others understood the expression in this way and convinced themselves that this was how it was to be understood from the fact that they not only did increase enormously but also inherited the land, which to them was ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of their enemies’. They did not know that all these things were representatives, that is to say, representatives of the Lord’s celestial and spiritual kingdom, and that consequently after the expulsion of evils and falsities good and truth took their place. This will be especially clear when, in the Lord’s Divine mercy, those representatives are explained.<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>[3] In particular, that is to say, with each individual person who becomes the Lord’s kingdom, the situation is that before he becomes the kingdom, that is, before he is regenerated, nothing but evil and falsity exists within. Indeed hellish and devilish spirits are in possession of that which is called ‘the\u00a0gate’, dealt with in 2851. But when he is becoming the Lord’s kingdom, that is, being regenerated, evils and falsities, or what amounts to the same, hellish and devilish spirits, are driven away from there, and good and truth enter in and inherit that position. A conscience for good and truth is in that case present. And what applies to the individual in particular applies also to people in general. This shows what these words are used to mean in the internal sense.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4861<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. ‘And sat in the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the fountains, which is on the road to Timnah’ means that which lies between the truths of the Church and falsities. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the fountains’ as the truths of the Church which arise out of the Word, for ‘a fountain’ in the universal sense means the Word, dealt with in 2702, 3096, 3424. ‘In the\u00a0gate\u00a0of them’ means at the place of entry into them. And because the external truths which belong to the sense of the letter of the Word serve as the place of entry, these are meant by ‘the\u00a0gate’. Unless those truths receive light from internal truths, that is, from those which belong to the internal sense, they present themselves as falsities among those governed by evil. Therefore ‘the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the fountains’ here means that which lies between the truths of the Church and falsities. ‘On the road to Timnah’ means for the use of the Church, for ‘Timnah’ means a state when the interests of the Church are consulted, 4855, 4857.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10483<\/b><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. ‘And Moses stood in the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the camp’ means where the opening to hell is situated. This is clear from the representation of ‘Moses’ as the internal, dealt with above in 10468; from the meaning of ‘in the\u00a0gate’ as where the opening is situated, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘the camp’ as hell, also dealt with above, in 10458. The reason why Moses stood in the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the camp and did not go inside the actual camp was in order that the impossibility for the internal to enter hell might be represented; for Moses represented the internal and the camp represented hell. The interest of all those in hell lies in external things separated from what is internal, because self-love and love of the world rule within them. Therefore what is internal cannot go in there since it is not received. Instead some who are there immediately reject it, some smother it and snuff it out, and some pervert it. Whether you say the internal or heaven, it amounts to the same thing; for heaven constitutes what is internal, not only the internal side of the Word but also the internal side of the Church and of worship, consequently the internal of the person who has celestial and spiritual love reigning within him, that is, love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>[2] What hell’s opening is, meant by ‘the\u00a0gate’ of this camp, must be stated briefly. Each hell is closed all the way around it, but it is opened above as necessity and need demand. It is an opening into the world of spirits, the world that lies midway between heaven and hell; for that world serves as the upper boundary of the hells and as the lower boundary of the heavens, 5852. The reason for saying that they are opened as necessity and need demand is that each person in the world has spirits present with him from hell, and angels from heaven. The spirits from hell are present in his bodily and worldly loves, and the angels from heaven in those which are celestial and spiritual; for without the spirits the person can have no life at all. If the spirits were taken away from him he would drop dead as a stone. Consequently to enable a person to lead a life in keeping with his loves the hells are opened of necessity and as need demands, and from there such spirits come out to him as are ruled by loves similar to his.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>[3] That opening is what should be understood by the\u00a0gate\u00a0of hell. I have been allowed several times to see such openings. They are gates which the Lord guards by means of angels, to stop more spirits than are needed from coming out of there. From this it is evident what ‘the gates of hell’ and ‘the gates of enemies’ mean in the Word, as in Matthew,<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>Jesus said to Peter, On this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Matt. 16:18.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0‘The gates of hell will not prevail’ means that the hells will not dare to come out and destroy the truths of faith, ‘the rock’ on which the Church stands being faith in the Lord received from the Lord. This faith is the faith of charity because it is rooted in charity and for that reason makes one with it.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0‘The rock’ means that faith, see Preface to Genesis 22, and also 8581,<\/span>
            \n<\/span>10438.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>Real faith consists in charity, 654, 1162, 1176, 1608, 2228, 2343, 2349, 2419, 2839, 3324, 4368, 6348, 7039, 7623-7627, 7752-7762, 8530, 9154, 9783, 9924.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>[4] The like is also meant by your seed will inherit the\u00a0gate\u00a0of their enemies, Gen. 22:17; 24:60. ‘Inheriting the\u00a0gate\u00a0of their enemies’ means destroying evils and falsities which come from hell. This was also represented by driving out and destroying the nations in the land of Canaan; for the nations there represented evils and falsities which come from hell, see 1573, 1574, 1868, 4818, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327. Also in David,<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0Those who dwell in the\u00a0gate\u00a0plot against me; those who drink strong wine sing songs. Ps. 69:12.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0In the same author,<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver. They will not be put to shame, for they will speak with enemies in the\u00a0gate. Ps. 127:5.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0‘Gates’ in the good sense however stands for the opening into heaven. In David,<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will come in. Ps. 24:7-10.<\/span>
            \n<\/span>
            \n<\/span>\u00a0In addition admission into heaven and into the Church through truth and good is meant in the Word by ‘gates’, and also good and truth flowing in and present with a person.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 916<\/b><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each\u00a0gate\u00a0was of one pearl. This symbolically means that an acknowledgment and concept of the Lord join all the concepts of truth and goodness in the Word into one and introduce into the church.<\/span>
              \n<\/span>The twelve gates symbolize in sum the concepts of truth and goodness by which a person is introduced into the church (nos. 899, 900). Twelve pearls also symbolize in sum concepts of truth and goodness (no. 727). That is why the gates were pearls. Each\u00a0gate\u00a0was of one pearl because all the concepts of truth and goodness symbolized by the gates and by pearls relate to a single concept, one that is their containing vessel, and that single concept is a concept of the Lord. We say, a single concept, even though there are many that make up that single concept, for a concept of the Lord pervades all other doctrinal concepts, and so all concerns having to do with the church. All matters of worship take their life and soul from that concept, for the Lord is everything in the whole of heaven and the church, and so in the whole of worship.<\/span>
              \n<\/span>[2] An acknowledgment and concept of the Lord join all the concepts of truth and goodness in the Word into one because all spiritual truths are connected, and if you would believe it, their connection is like the connection between all the members, viscera and organs of the human body. Consequently, as the soul holds everything together in their organization and connection, so that they are sensed only as a unit, so the Lord holds together all the spiritual truths that a person possesses.<\/span>
              \n<\/span>That the Lord is the true door by which one is to enter into the church and so into heaven, He Himself teaches in John:<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved…. (John 10:9)<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>And that an acknowledgement and concept of Him is the true pearl is meant by these words of the Lord in Matthew:<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one precious pearl, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45, 46)<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0The one precious pearl is an acknowledgment and concept of the Lord.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              DIVINE WORD OPENED\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Bayley, John”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01888\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 p. 387<\/b><\/p>\n

              We are all, by nature, in the way of the\u00a0gate\u00a0northward, when our regeneration begins. We have exceedingly obscure views of God, of duty, of heaven, and of ourselves. We know, however, that if we continue in evil we cannot enter heaven. We have already experienced much sorrow, and we perceive that sin is its cause, and therefore we desire to repent. Divine Mercy sees us while yet very far off, sends a messenger of love and faithfulness to assist and strengthen us, who brings us out of the way of the\u00a0gate\u00a0northward, and leads us about the way without unto the utter\u00a0gate, by the way that looketh eastward.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Gates represent introductory truths. By these we are admitted to the higher things of the church, as by means of gates we enter a city. Of the spiritual city, the church, it is said, They shall call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise (Isa. lx. 18). The Lord Himself says, I am the door, by Me if any man shall enter in he shall be saved (John x. 9).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The utter\u00a0gate\u00a0by the river, which looketh eastward, means the most general knowledge which leads the Lord, the rising Sun of the Soul. This is the knowledge of the Lord as the Savior. To be assured that the Lord Jesus is able and willing to save; that none who come to Him will be cast out; that He came to seek and save those who are lost; that He is kind and smiles upon our humblest effort to cast away our sins, and walk in the way which leadeth to life,–these simple but all-important truths form the utter\u00a0gate, by the way which looketh eastward. By this\u00a0gate\u00a0we can enter and press on to find the Lord, who is in the spiritual east.<\/span><\/p>\n

              It is said, He led me about, the way without, unto the utter\u00a0gate. And these simple words conduct us to most interesting and important considerations. The circumstances of our outward life constitute the way without These are all the objects of divine care, and are made subservient to our spiritual good. Not a hair of our heads falls to the ground but our heavenly Father knoweth it. How often do we find human prudence baffled in its best laid plans! Unforeseen circumstances arise and obtrude themselves, disturbing our calculations, and leading to results very different from those we anticipated.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Man proposes, but God disposes. Our business pursuits require us often to change from town to town, from kingdom, it may be, to king. Our friends and associates are thus changed. We cannot into contact with new scenes, new books, new trains of thought. Our position in life is sometimes changed. We suffer afflictions in the loss of property, or separations, from those dear to us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              Doctrinal Papers\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Alden, Karl”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01951\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 p. 150<\/b><\/p>\n

              Then we read a little farther, and the second heading in the chapter is that the washing of baptism is a spiritual washing, and the third is that baptism was given to the Christian Church by the Lord in order to take the place of all the washings and circumcision of the Jewish Church, as a\u00a0gate\u00a0of entrance. And every single case where a person is converted to the Christian Church as recorded in Apostolic history, he is baptized, confessing his faith; for Christians recognized that baptism was a\u00a0gate\u00a0through which people came into the Church, and so is a spiritual ceremony which is, as it were, the\u00a0gate\u00a0to the Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

              Here I may say that gates to the Church are most important. Wherever the Church is described in the Word, either gates or doors are mentioned, as in the description of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle means the tent of congregation or the habitation that holds the Lord. It had one\u00a0gate; one great\u00a0gate\u00a0in the outer court, and one\u00a0gate\u00a0in the Tabernacle itself, and then a veil between the holy place and the holy of holies. The same was true of Solomon’s Temple, and the same is true of the New Jerusalem, which is described by John, coming down from heaven. The gates are mentioned–three gates on each side of the New Jerusalem. And the Lord likens the Church to the vineyard and says that the hedge is all. around the vineyard, protecting it, and that there are gates in it through which people come. And the Lord Himself said, I am the door. If by Me any man enter in, he shall find pasture,” and He added, “The thief climbeth up some other ways and whosoever climbeth up some other way into the sheepfold, the same is a thief and a robber.” (See John 10:1-18)<\/span><\/p>\n

              So the Writings say that baptism is the\u00a0gate\u00a0to the Church. It is the\u00a0gate ordained by the Lord for the Church. And the holy supper, they further mention, is the\u00a0gate\u00a0to heaven because it represents the appropriation of Divine wisdom through the wine which represents His blood or His wisdom, and represents the appropriation of Divine love through the bread which is His flesh or His love. Thus the holy supper is the gateway to heaven, and in a beautiful passage in True Christian Religion 669 these two sacraments are likened to a two-story temple, and man first enters through baptism into the lower story where he learns of the Lord, and learns of His truth, and learns the way to heaven. And. when he has learned that, he finds the staircase which is behind the altar, and this staircase leads to a large upper room inhere he celebrates the holy supper, which is the gateway to heaven.<\/span><\/p>\n

              In the chapter on baptism (TCR 677-685), three uses of baptism are definitely given. First of all, that the person may be known as a Christians It is a sign of Christianity, if you are baptized into the Christian Church, and in number 680 many illustrations are given of how various insignia are signs of the office or use which is to be performed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Bayley, John”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01869\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 p. 301<\/b><\/p>\n

              Doctrine is formed of many truths. It must be in harmony with the deep spirit of the Word, as well as be expressed in the letter. Doctrine must elevate the soul to expanded views of God and man. It must lead the soul of the believer to love the Lord above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves. Doctrine is a species of epitome of all divine things. Hence its representative was of fine twined linen woven, of blue, purple, and scarlet. Such doctrine is often represented by a\u00a0gate\u00a0in the Word. Thus in the Psalms, Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: this\u00a0GATE\u00a0of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.–Ps. cxviii. 19, 20. This\u00a0gate\u00a0of the Lord is the doctrine of the Lord. This doctrine filled with heavenly light shining into the soul, is the Lord Himself. Hence He says, I am the Door: by ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.–John x. 9.<\/span><\/p>\n

              The same\u00a0gate\u00a0of introductory doctrine was represented in vision to the prophet Ezekiel. Then brought he me out of the way of the\u00a0gate\u00a0northward, and led me about the way without unto the outer\u00a0gate\u00a0by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.–xlvii. 2. The outer gate, or farthest\u00a0gate, by the way that looketh eastward, is doctrine adapted to a soul in its earliest states of religious life. It has been in the spiritual north,–the region of mist and cold. It longs for a better life, but it fears. It wanders about and feels itself lost and self-condemned. To such a soul the doctrine of the Lord Jesus is as a rainbow that sheds the beauteous light of hope and comfort on the mind. It is the colored hanging of the Court, of blue, purple, and scarlet. God with us, is the hidden wisdom, which pervades heaven, the wonder of unutterable love, although it is the lesson the simplest mind learns readily. It is milk for babes, and yet a glorious subject which angels desire further to look into. It is the outer\u00a0gate, but it looketh eastward. It is the hanging of the, outer Court, but it is blue. God, becoming man! How simple did this appear when the babe of Bethlehem was seen. Yet in that divine seed of the woman lay all the possibilities of the progress of the world. In that one fresh center placed in the vast sphere of humanity, the new and living way, by which the Godhead would redeem and restore mans nature, lay the germs of all churches, schools, and every institution of real Christianity by which the world is humanized, elevated, strengthened, consoled, and blessed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              \u00a0GATE\u00a0OF THE ENEMY\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 GEORGE DE CHARMS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01945<\/b><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>NEW CHURCH LIFE\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>Vol. LXV\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>APRIL, 1945\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>No. 4\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Thy seed shall possess the\u00a0gate\u00a0of his enemies” (Genesis 22: 17.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Because Abraham had demonstrated his complete devotion to Jehovah, in that, responding to a Divine command, he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, the Lord blessed him, saving, “I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore: and thy seed shall possess the\u00a0gate\u00a0of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Historically, this was a promise that the descendants of Abraham would become a strong nation, driving out the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan, and establishing there a kingdom founded upon the Divine Law. But more deeply understood, it is a promise that all who are willing to follow the Lord in keeping the precepts of His Word will be empowered to overcome the evils of their hereditary nature, that the kingdom of God may be established within them. In this sense, the “gate\u00a0of the enemy” is that whereby evil loves gain entrance into man’s mind, that they may exercise a dominant influence over his life. To “possess” this “gate” is to bar the way and refuse admittance to these malevolent forces that the mind may become the peaceful habitation of heavenly love and charity.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is a common belief of our day that the only gates of entrance into the mind are the senses of the body. It is thought that every man is endowed by heredity with certain specific qualities of disposition and temperament that characterize him as an individual. Some of these qualities are said to be good-that is, desirable,-while others are considered to be “evil” or anti-social.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              146<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>But, taken all together, it is thought that they constitute the inescapable make-up of the man himself. Since it is supposed that nothing can change this inborn nature except what enters through the senses from the surrounding world, it is believed that the unfolding of a man s life is merely the result of an interplay between his innate impulses, on the one hand, and the influences of the environment, on the other. The combined pressures of training. education, public opinion, the civil law, and personal experience in adaptation to the immutable laws of nature, cannot change man’s nature: but they can greatly modify its outward manifestation. So far as they can be controlled intelligently, these forces may be used to cultivate the expression of man’s better impulses, and to inhibit those that are undesirable. Wherefore it is said that the aim of all education should be to bring about a satisfactory adjustment of the individual to the legitimate demands of the society in which he lives. Character then is measured by the degree to which this objective is attained.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0All this would indeed be true if the physical senses were the only gates of entrance into man’s mind, and if his inherited nature were the very man himself. Then the inherent character of the man would indeed be unalterable. Yet the combined forces of the environment are so powerful that if they were intelligently directed they could scarcely fail to mold the outward form of the mind in accord with almost any desired pattern. Ideas can be implanted; emotional reactions can be cultivated; modes of speech and conduct can be inculcated; and all these can become so habitual, so spontaneous, as to constitute what is called a “second nature.” There are few indeed who cannot, by a sound analysis of their native disposition, by a realistic approach to it, and by a skillful manipulation of educational facilities, be successfully adjusted to society. So effective is this that we are all prone to forget that this “second nature” has really been imposed upon us from without. We mistake it for our real self. So perfectly has the expression of our deeper impulses been inhibited that we become unaware of their existence.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But the truth is, that the “nature” with which we were born has not been fundamentally changed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              147<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>Its external surface-the surface that appears before the world, and indeed the surface that comes for the most part to our own consciousness-has merely been pressed into an approved pattern. So accustomed have we become to this pressure that we no longer feel it, supposing that we have adopted this pattern of our own free will. Only in brief flashes of insight, and by virtue of careful self-analysis, can we come to realize that, just so far as the pressure from without is removed, powerful impulses to evil are still present, actively striving for expression. So far as our inborn nature is concerned, our real “character” has not been changed in the least.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet it is a fact that, apart from religion,-that is, apart from the teachings of Divine Revelation,-this is all that it is possible for education to accomplish. The purpose of religion is not merely to impose a superficial form of behavior upon the mind in conformity with accepted moral standards, but to produce a radical change in man s inborn nature, removing impulses to evil from within, and replacing them with affections and desires that are good. This is possible because man is an inhabitant of two worlds,-the visible world of nature, and the invisible world of the spirit. It is possible because there are gates of entrance into the mind, not only from the outer world through the bodily senses, but also from the spiritual world.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In general, these latter gates are two in number. One gives entrance to evil affections,-the delights of self-love, greed, pride, and superiority over others, induced by evil spirits with whom every man is unconsciously associated. The other gives entrance to heavenly affections, inspiring love to the Lord, charity toward the neighbor, and the delight of use. These are induced by good spirits and angels with whom also man is unwittingly consociated. That which opens the mind to evil influences is man’s hereditary nature. And that which enables the angels to touch and move him from within is the innocence of infancy and childhood whereby the Lord insinuates heavenly delights.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Because man is unaware of his spiritual associates, because he appears to live wholly in the natural world, the origin of these impulses, both to good and to evil, remains unknown. They appear to man as if they were inherent in his inborn constitution; and he seems to possess a dual nature. But the truth is that neither of them is the man himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              148<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>Both inflow from his spiritual environment and each exerts upon him a pressure directly opposite to that of the other. Between these two forces, the Lord, in Providence, preserves a perfect equilibrium. Man himself is nothing but a mysterious power, constantly maintained by the Lord, but perceived as entirely man s own-a power to choose which of these forces he will cultivate, cherish, and appropriate to himself, and which he will resist. The parental heredity through which evil influences enter is what is called in the Word the “gate\u00a0of the enemy”; while the remains of innocent affections that give entrance to angelic influences are called the “gate\u00a0of heaven.”\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In every man there is an inner mind-a plane of thought and feeling that belongs to him alone. What transpires there cannot be known by those about him except so far as he, wittingly or unwittingly, reveals it in speech or action. Into this higher realm the pressures of the world cannot penetrate. Thither, from time to time, a man retires, reflecting upon the issues that confront his life, appraising the conflicting impulses that prompt him to think and act, formulating the internal motives-the secret objectives toward which he elects to strive. This he may do when he is actually alone, or when, by force of will, he withdraws his mind’s attention from his surroundings, focusing it upon the objects of his own inner thought.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So long as a man is in the presence of others, facing the problems and responsibilities of his relation to them, he is subject to the bonds of society, in thought and will, as well as in speech and action, he must take into account the restriction of civil and moral laws, customs, traditions, and the pressure of public opinion. Conformity with these is prompted by considerations of intelligent self-interest. Without it he cannot secure the cooperation of those about him in the achievement of his personal desires. But within himself he is free to will and think as he pleases. He can examine what he feels and what he thinks. He can recall states that are past, comparing and contrasting the various emotions that from time to time have arisen in his mind. He can look down upon these as if from a superior elevation, judging their quality, and] selecting which of them he will retain, and which he will reject. According to this choice he opens one\u00a0gate\u00a0of spiritual influx, and closes the other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              149<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This internal mind where self-appraisal takes place is called the “interior natural,” and here, in the inmost of the rational, we are told, the human begins. Here dwells the man himself. By the decisions made in this inner sanctuary a man’s real character is gradually formed and his internal quality determined. For that which is received from the spiritual world as a result of individual choice gives distinctive quality to whatever a man thinks and does. It determines the spirit that actuates his life. And it is according to this spirit that every man is judged by the Lord. For this reason it is not what comes to us from without that makes us either good or evil. It is the influx, either good or evil, that we invite, cherish, and appropriate by our own choice.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That this is true of the evil, the Lord clearly teaches when He says: “Whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught. But those things, which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart; and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false wit ness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man.” (Matthew 15: 17-20.) The reverse is equally true, namely, that nothing from without can purify a man, but only those heavenly affections that proceed from the heart-that is, from a love freely chosen in preference to its opposite, after the two have been examined and compared.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The point here to be specially noted is that, without some knowledge and understanding of the Word, without some genuine truth of religion, man cannot possibly choose to be motivated by heavenly influx, as over against his impulses to evil. The Divine Truth of the Word alone can open for man the\u00a0gate\u00a0of heaven in this interior degree of his mind. This, because from no other source can we learn about God, and about the spiritual world. So long as such knowledge is lacking, we cannot possibly realize that our native impulses are not our own. So long as we believe them to be our own, we cannot but remain under the dominance of evil. For, although we may feel heavenly affections, and may yield to them, we will claim merit for whatever good we do, and in consequence will merely strengthen the pride of our own superiority, which turns all our actions to the service of self-love. Nor can we avoid the conclusion that we are not responsible for our evil tendencies, since they are regarded as part of our very nature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              150<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>Wherefore we cannot but excuse them as inevitable, merely seeking to sublimate them, so far as is necessary to evade the penalties which every open transgression of accepted moral and civil laws must entail. Against this the Lord gives warning when He says: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 20.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is only when we are withdrawn from the surrounding pressures of the world, in that secret retreat of the mind where our choice is free, where we hearken to the teaching of the Word, acknowledging its truth in heart and faith, and yielding to its guidance, that the Lord can inspire us to do His will, and give us power to resist the evil influences of our heredity. If, at the Lord’s command, we relinquish our own will and our own intelligence, in internal freedom, from a love that we ourselves have chosen, then the Lord can open to us this\u00a0gate\u00a0of heaven, and write His law upon our hearts. This is the choice that is pictured by the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. This it is that brings with it the blessing of the Lord, the promise of victory in temptation, the internal conquest of evil whereby alone we can in very truth “possess the\u00a0gate\u00a0of the enemy.”\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No man can do this for another. It is the individual responsibility of each one. But nothing else can really change man’s inborn nature. By no other means can he acquire a heavenly character that is deep and genuine. And because this is so, the supreme purpose of education should be, not merely to adjust the individual by external pressure to society, but rather to lead him to the Lord, to imbue his mind with the teachings of the Word, to instill in him an affection of Divine Truth, to encourage and strengthen his purpose to obey the law of God, that the Lord may open for him the\u00a0gate\u00a0of heaven. Amen.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>LESSONS:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Genesis 22: 1-19. Matthew 15: 1-20. T. C. R. 592, 593.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              <\/span><\/p>\n

              COMFORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Rev. GILBERT H. SMITH\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01943<\/b><\/p>\n

              \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Broad and Narrow Ways.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0“Enter ye in at the strait\u00a0gate!” (Matt. 5: 13.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Besides worship of the Lord, and the training of one’s self in the habit of self-examination and humility of spirit, another good reason for going to church and listening to a sermon is the hope of hearing something that is comforting and encouraging. For in the ordinary round of daily experience there is a good deal of perplexity and distress, and many things are depressing to the spirit. Perhaps we may find something of comfort in the Doctrine. Certainly that comfort is always there, if we can find it. The prophet Isaiah was happy to proclaim it in one of his messages, saying, “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people!”\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yet, looking out upon the world in its present state, it is hard to find the comforting signs. In the midst of war we may have a certain hope and optimism; and in the multitude of evil tendencies we see breaking out in public life, and in the necessary effort to combat them, we may be upheld by a certain courage. Yet it is hard to find the assurances that the Lord’s Providence is still leading to a happy and fortunate end. How is it possible to find comfort and encouragement when the world is so evidently in a state of disorder?\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the first place, we must learn not to make judgments from our own thought and experience alone, but to make them from the Divine Truth that is revealed to us in the Writings of the New Church. We should try to comprehend these Writings truly, because they are the Lord’s own Judgments. In the Writings we find a great deal that is condemnatory of the state of the world in which we live, and of the ideas and ways of men. On the other hand, there is much in our Doctrine that looks in the other direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              487<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>Among the prophets, who speak to us in the spirit of the Lord, there are passages that condemn and admonish and call for repentance, but there are other passages of prophecy which are full of hope and encouragement. If our Writings condemn, they also exalt and offer a bright promise. All Divine Revelation faces two ways. It considers things that are dark and foreboding, but also things that are hopeful and promising. If, in the Book of Revelation, we are told that every man should “know the number of the beast,” we are also told that it is wisdom to “know the number of the man and of the angel.”\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are two ways of thought and of life that are fully described in the internal sense of the Word, and both of them are open to men at all times, whichever one may choose. There are two gates we may enter, each at the head of its own way. The one\u00a0gate\u00a0is strait, and the other is wide. The strait\u00a0gate\u00a0leads into the way of eternal life and the wide\u00a0gate\u00a0leads into the way of destruction. The way of life is said to be “narrow’; the way of destruction is said to be “broad,” and there are many who go along that way, because the other way is narrow. (Matthew 7: 13.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Of these two ways Swedenborg gives us the following account in the Writings: There were presented before certain spirits, and I myself saw it, a broad way and a narrow way such as are described in the Word. There was a broad way leading to hell, and a narrow way leading to heaven. The broad way was planted with trees and flowers, beautiful and delightful in outward appearance, but there were snakes and serpents hidden among them. The narrow way did not seem to be so much adorned with trees and flowers, but appeared sad and (lark. And yet along it there were angel infants most beautifully adorned, in delightful paradises and flower gardens, which, however, the spirits did not see.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When asked in which way they would like to go, the spirits said they wanted to follow the broad way, whereupon their eyes were opened, and they saw the serpents which were there, and they also saw the infant angels that were in the narrow way. They were then asked again which way they would choose, but they remained silent. And so far as their eyes were opened, they said they wished to pursue the narrow way, but so far as their eyes were closed, they wished to go in the broad way. (A. C. 3477; S. D. 4216.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              488<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In another account of the same incident, these spirits who had recently entered the spiritual world had all been traveling a common road until they came to the end of it, where there was a large stone and the parting of the ways. The narrow way was seen to the left and the broad way to the right. The good among them turned to the left, and entered the narrow way that led to heaven; but the evil did not see the stone at the parting of the ways, and therefore fell upon it and were hurt. But then they arose and ran along the broad way which led to hell.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was explained that this stone signified the Divine Truth which is denied by those who tend toward hell; and in the highest sense it signified the Divine Human of the Lord; and that those who acknowledge Divine Truth, and at the same time the Divine Human of the Lord, were conducted along the way that leads to heaven. From this experience it was made evident what was meant by the Lord’s words, “Enter ye in through the strait\u00a0gate; for wide is the\u00a0gate\u00a0and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction.” And also the meaning of the words, “The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken.” Here the builders are the members of the church. The “head of the corner” means that place in the spiritual world where the two ways part; and to “fall and be broken” means to deny the Divine Human of the Lord and perish spiritually. (H. H. 534.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Here again we have an example of how the Divine Truth of Revelation must caution and condemn, on the one hand, and on the other encourage and hold up to us the heavenly ideal and promise.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In regard to the significance of a\u00a0gate, we are told in our Doctrine that there are in general two gates with every man. The one opens toward hell, and thus admits the evils and falsities which come from there. In this\u00a0gate\u00a0are evil spirits. But the other\u00a0gate\u00a0opens toward heaven, and affords entrance for good and truth from heaven. In this\u00a0gate\u00a0there are angels. There is thus a\u00a0gate\u00a0which leads to heaven, and another that leads to hell. The reason there are these two gates is because there are two ways which give entrance to man’s rational mind. The one\u00a0gate\u00a0is above the rational mind, through which good and truth from the Lord may enter. And the lower\u00a0gate\u00a0is on the lower side of the rational mind, this mind being in the middle. Therefore the rational mind of man is compared to a city, and is called a city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              489<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>And the entrance to this city is through the two gates, the higher and the lower.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The city, which is the rational mind, is often described in the Word as being besieged and stormed by enemies at the lower\u00a0gate, and as being defended by angels, or by the Lord through them. And these two gates are like the other two gates which represented them in what Swedenborg says about the two ways that were seen in the spiritual world. For a man, from his rational mind, may choose to open the upper or the lower\u00a0gate, which means either to give himself over to the delights of the merely natural life, and think from them, or to open his mind to the truth and good of the Lord’s Divine Revelation, and think and act from them. (H. H. 430.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In this connection there is a most valuable truth to be seen in regard to the uses of Baptism and the Holy Supper. For we are taught that these two sacraments are the two universal gates to the Lord’s church and kingdom. And we want to know how and why this is so. Especially is it important to understand how it is that Baptism, which is but once performed-either in infancy or when one enters the church on earth-can have a power that is continuous throughout life after it has been once performed. We are acquainted with the truth that the repeated observance of the Holy Supper conditions the mind for conjunction with the angels of heaven. It is like the upper\u00a0gate\u00a0of which we have been speaking, through which good and truth from the Lord may enter into the rational mind, condemning and rejecting what is evil and false. And the spiritual use of Baptism may be seen to have much to do with the closing of the lower\u00a0gate\u00a0against the attacks of evil spirits.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And this we believe is a truth which we should add to what we already know of the effects of Baptism-that Baptism into the New Church has this unsuspected effect throughout life, that it brings the one baptized into the environment of good spirits in the world of spirits who are being prepared for heaven. And these good spirits are appointed as watchers at the lower\u00a0gate\u00a0of his mind, to turn away from him those evil spirits who hate him and would destroy his spiritual life. This is a great truth which we should fully believe. By the watchfulness and care of these good spirits, the influence of those evil spirits who are opposed to the teachings of the New Church is turned away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              490<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>The good spirits labor to defeat the enemies at the lower\u00a0gate. And it may be seen that, if these enemies are not driven away, it would he dangerous to open the upper\u00a0gate\u00a0through which the good and truth of heaven flows into the rational mind. For the evil spirits would defile it and snatch it away. And all this is part of what is meant when we read in our Doctrine that by Baptism one is kept in a state favorable to receiving the faith into which he has been baptized.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In all of this we see something of that kind of truth which comforts and encourages.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The evil spirits at the lower\u00a0gate\u00a0of the mind are not able to take away the power of understanding the Divine Truth of heaven, for they are never allowed actually to get into the city. The rational mind of a man is always clear, and cannot be destroyed. But evil spirits can take away from man the power of doing,-the power of applying to life the things which heavenly wisdom teaches. They can invade the natural mind below the rational, and prevent it from coming into agreement with the rational thought. Therefore the parable of the two houses, the one founded upon a rock, and the other founded upon the sand, is a continuation of the subject of the wide and narrow ways. (Matthew 7: 24.)\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Against both houses the rain descended and the floods came, and by the rain and the floods are meant temptations or spiritual trials. In the one case they signify the trials in which one comes out victorious, and in the other the trials in which he yields. For the waters descending as rain and rising as a flood signify false ideas injected into the mind. The house signifies the mind, and especially the rational mind, consisting of understanding and will. And they who receive Divine Truth only with one part of the mind, that is, with the understanding, and not with the other, which is the will, these fall in temptations, and the fall is said to be “great.” They fall a prey to great falsities. But they who receive the truth, not only with the understanding, but also with the will, are victorious, and are confirmed in the truth. The rock on which the house is founded is Divine Truth received in the heart and will. But the sand signifies Divine Truth received only into the memory, and perhaps to some extent in the thought, but it is scattered and disconnected because it is mixed with falsity, and cannot stand against the impact of counter-arguments and doubts, which are temptations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              491<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>Since all spiritual temptation is caused by false ideas breaking into the thoughts, and by reasonings from them, this is what is meant in the Word by the inundation of a flood.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One of the most severe of spiritual trials which the New Church has to endure is the charge and the accusation that its Doctrine is narrow, and that those who try to live according to it are narrow. We must be prepared at all times to withstand this false accusation. That seems to be one of the hardest things to bear-being called narrow. But it is no reason to be led away to other teachings of men, and into another way of life which seems broader and freer. It is better to endure the accusation, and turn it aside as of no consequence. For the Lord has told us plainly in all the forms of Divine Revelation that the\u00a0gate\u00a0and the way to eternal life is strait and narrow. “Enter ye in at the strait\u00a0gate\u00a0into the narrow way, because the broad way leads to destruction.” The way of life that seems at first to be broad and delightful has serpents concealed in it, when the eyes are opened to see them. And the way of life which at first seems narrow will always remain so; but it will be discovered that there are angels along it by whom those who enter it will be led. And by the angels are meant something from the Lord,-innocence and real charity, and the light of heaven to comfort and encourage, when the pressure of worldly thought and living makes the way seem harder.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Holy City New Jerusalem is a body of rational truth and doctrine revealed from the Lord which is consistent and can withstand any arguments that can be brought against it. The gates to this city are the various truths that belong to that doctrine. Yet it is common for people to say that this doctrine is narrow, for so it seems. Men have discovered so much from science, and formulated so many ideas of what is good from their natural reasonings, that life without the limitation of any Divine Revelation or authority seems far more attractive and free. Why should anyone be hampered by the limitations of thought and desire by any doctrine that is said to be the\u00a0gate\u00a0to eternal life? And so men cast doubt upon the Lord’s words, and especially upon the idea that He is God Himself, whose Human is Divine. And many do not believe in the reality or even the existence of the spiritual world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              492<\/span><\/p>\n


              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>This is what is meant by the rain and floods that beat upon the house, and by the general tendency of men to walk in the broad way. And it is this in our Writings that is so strongly condemned.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But to those who believe in the Lord and the spiritual world, and in Divine Truth, who see that the good way is narrow, and are yet willing to enter it, there are many compensations. There is comfort and encouragement. They see the serpents lurking in the one way, and the angels waiting to conduct them along the other. They are willing to walk within the narrow way of Divine Doctrine, and as they go they gain strength to meet the trials of life; for the actual presence of the Lord becomes real to them. They gain a firm trust in the Lord’s Divine Providence, and this is the greatest of all human blessings. They are delivered from many fears. Because of the evils of men they may suffer hardships and privations, but they are not afraid of them. They have an inner confidence, which is not self-confidence; and they are filled with a greater delight in truth and sincerity, and in the use which it is given them to perform. They do not think of the future with anxiety, for they know that the Lord will provide for them well. They do not stumble over the great truth of the Lord’s Divinity, but receive it into their will, and therefore have an actual perception of His presence and power. We can think of nothing more happy than this. And this happiness comes to all those who open the upper\u00a0gate\u00a0of their minds to the teachings of the Lord from heaven, and do not turn away from them because they seem narrow. Amen.\u00a0<\/span>
              \n<\/span>
              \n<\/span>LESSONS:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Isaiah 40: 1-17. Matthew 7: 13-29. H. H. 533.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

              <\/p>\n

              <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Gates in ancient times had a significance that does not hold in the modern world. Cities then were enclosed by walls for protection; gates in the walls let people in and out to do their business, but were also the weak points in the cities\u2019 defenses. Swedenborg says that in the Bible, cities on one […]<\/p>\n

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