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kingdom of God in the human heart; but the very same operation is, by St. Paul, compared to the progress of the kingdom of Satan in the heart of man; that is to say, "the leaven of

"malice and wickedness."-1 Cor. v.

Again, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles under the emblem of "cloven tongues, "like as of fire." But a cloven or double tongue is the mark of the dragon, and of the beast of the earth, in the Book of Revelations, and it is an emblem of equivocation*. Also, St. Paul exhorts Timothy "to show himself

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approved to God, a workman that needeth not "to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF "TRUTH."-Chap. ii. Lastly, the brazen serpent is considered as an emblem of our Lord Jesus Christ; hence, those who contend that the parables of Holy Scripture are not to be taken strictly, and that they seldom hold if we descend to minute particulars, have no right to make this objection, until they have entirely examined both sides of the question; that is to say, both the positive and the negative characteristics. If they do this completely, they will find a degree of accuracy in the most minute particulars, that will astonish them!

**And he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as "a dragon."-Chap. xiii.

Without this clue and master key, I could never have got on.

The application of all these shadows, to their proper respective substances of good and evil, in the human soul, was generally very obvious to me; and even when it was not so, at the time when I most studied the subject, yet it very frequently occurred to me clearly, when I least expected it, and even when I thought upon matters wholly unconnected therewith in appearance. This was a natural consequence of the truths and principles above stated. All parts of nature seem to be intimately connected, as it were, by a common sensorium, and communication of nervous fluid of truth, if I may so speak, which pervades the whole; but our sight is too feeble and short to discover these connexions, except by experience, in the course of those events which we term accident; but which are parts of the secret, regular, and lively mathematical plan of the great Governor of the universe.

I perceived, by help of the above experience, that to enable the rays of spiritual light, or divine truth, to enter my mind and pass freely, to illuminate my internal darkness effectually, and become visible to others, it was necessary that my soul should become spiritually transparent, like glass, or crystal; and I saw that this could only be done by the purification of

my heart, whose corruptions and doubtings rendered the eye of my understanding dark, and impervious to the truth. Thus St. James

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says, PURIFY your HEARTS, ye DOUBLE MINDED, or, purge and fast, ye dim sighted, or double sighted.

Here the mysteries of light and shade were (as I thought) in some degree opened to my view. I saw that the rays of light from the sun resembled perfectly the rays of truth from the word of God; and that though they were on all sides equally dispensed by His infinite goodness, yet that an impure, sensual, and unbelieving heart, was equally unable to display or distinguish, or reflect them, as a lump of dirt, or a common stone. But I understood that this dirt, or stone, might be so refined and purified in the furnace of trial and affliction, through the operation of the vital air, of the spirit of life and truth, as to become transparent or enlightened throughout like glass, and therefore freely to admit, reflect, transmit, and be illuminated by the colours of heaven *. These I understood to be the Christian virtues, or graces of faith, hope, and love, with all their modifications, proceeding from our Lord and Saviour; and from His holy word of truth.

My reader will perceive that I allude here to the manufacture of glass, which is made by burning sand and alkali.

This conception was confirmed by the following passage in the Revelations: "And he "carried me away in the spirit to a great and

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high mountain" (or a spiritual elevation)," and "showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, "descending out of heaven from God, having "the glory of God: and her light was like unto stone most precious, even like a jasper "stone, clear as crystal. And the building of the wall of it was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And "the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones." Chap. xxi.

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But the new and heavenly Jerusalem is a figurative and spiritual city, or in plain terms the church triumphant, the bride of Christ; therefore in Scripture language all churches are described as women, or cities having husbands; and even the oriental heathens use these figures. They call kings by the title of Sheheriar, or the lover of the city. Now the foundations of this city are, faith, hope, charity, and all the Christian graces; which proceed from Christ, the corner stone, elect and precious of this city; in whom they concentre, and are self-existent. The gold of this city is faith; and though,

* Therefore yellow typifies faith, blue hope, and red love. This will be proved hereafter, if it pleases God. Blood is red, and it is life, and life is love, or love is life.

in this present state, our faith is obscure or opaque, or without clear light of knowledge, yet in the church triumphant, and in our heavenly state, it will be full of the light of perfect knowledge, or transparent. For now we see through "a glass darkly, (a smoked cr glass) but then face to face; now I know in part: but then shall I know, even as also 'I "am known."-1 Cor. xiii. Also St. Paul says to the Romans, "For hope that is seen, is not hope; for that which a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for ?-Chap. viii.

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The above description of the Holy Jerusalem, given by St. John, demonstrated also the spiritual and typical nature of geometry (which is the law of God in visible nature) as fully to my understanding, as it did that of light. He says, "And the city lieth FOURSQUARE, and the LENGTH is as large as the BREADTH; and he measured the city with THE ́ ́ REED * twelve thousand furlongs. The LENGTH, " and the BREADTH, and the HEIGHT of it are "EQUAL." That is to say, the holy city, the church triumphant, the bride of Christ, is truly *represented by the form of the cube. Therefore, that form must have a spiritual resemblance to the perfect holiness and righteousness of the elect in Christ.

* The golden reed of the analogy of faith, as I suppose.

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