1114. Bender unto her even as she hath rendered unto you. That this signifies infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds, is evident from the signification of rendering to any one as he hath rendered or done, as denoting to make retribution according to the law of retribution, that is, to mete out punishment corresponding to evil deeds. But because these things are said to those who have gone out of Babylon according to exhortation, that is, who have renounced that religion, and are on their guard against it, and because these do not punish, for they are in charity, and consequently not revengeful, therefore those words signify infernal punishment corresponding to their evil deeds. That it is said of them they should render to her, and also afterwards, they should double to her double according to her works, arid mix to her double in the cup which she hath mingled, is in conformity with the style of the Word in the sense of its letter - which is written according to appearances- namely, that they should avenge the unjust things done to them. In the same sense also the Lord Himself is said to be angry, to punish, and to act from revenge, when notwithstanding anger and revenge have no existence in the Lord, nor consequently, in those who are led by the Lord and live from Him.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- Some, in the Christian world, have formed the idea that God is a universal [force]; some, that He is nature in what is most interior; some think of Him as a cloud in some realm of the ether; some, as of a bright ray of light; and some have no idea at all; while scarcely any have formed the idea that God is Man, when nevertheless God is Man.
There are several reasons why Christians have formed such ideas of God. The first is, that according to their doctrine they believe that there are three Divine persons distinct one from another-the Father an invisible God, also the Lord, but that as to His Human He is not God. The second is, that they believe God to be a spirit; and they think of a spirit as of wind, air, or ether, when the fact is every spirit is a man. The third is, that Christians, in consequence of their faith alone without life, have become worldly, and from the love of self they have become corporeal; and a worldly and corporeal man sees God only from space, thus as all that which is most interior in the universe or in nature, consequently as that which is extended, when nevertheless God is not to be seen from space, for there is no space in the spiritual world, space there being an appearance from similarity (ex simili). Every sensual man regards God in the same way, because he thinks little above speech, and the thought of his speech says to itself," What the eye sees and the hand touches, this I know exists," and everything else it sets aside as merely speculative questions: These are the reasons why in the Christian world there is no idea of God as a Man. That there is no such idea, in fact, that there is a repugnance to it, you will know if you examine yourself, and think of the Divine Human, when nevertheless the Human of the Lord is Divine. But it is not so much the simple minded who hold the above ideas as the intelligent; for many of the latter are blinded by the pride which they have in their own intelligence, and they are consequently infatuated by knowledge (scientia), according to the Lord's words (Matthew xi. 25; xiii. 13-15). But let such know, that all those who see God as a Man, see Him from the Lord, others see Him from themselves; and those who see from themselves, do not see.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church