Divine Love and Wisdom (Harleys) n. 403

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403. (v) Love or the will also prepares all the things in its own human form so that it may act together with wisdom or the understanding. Will and understanding are mentioned, but it is right that it should be known that the will is the whole man; for the will is, with the understanding, in first principles in the brains and in derivatives in the body, and thence in the whole and in its every part as has been shown above (n. 365-367). From which it can be established that the will is the whole man as to form itself, both the general and the particular form of all things thereof; and that the understanding is its partner, just as the lungs are the partner of the heart. Let everyone beware of entertaining the idea that the will is something separate from the human form, for it is the same. From this it can be seen not only how the will prepares a bed-chamber for the understanding, but also how it prepares all things in its home, the whole body, so that it may act in union with the understanding. This it makes ready in this way; each and all things of the body are united to the understanding as they are to the will, or the understanding has each and all things of the body in subjection as the will has. How this preparation is effected can be seen in the body, as in a mirror or likeness, by means of the science of anatomy. Thus it is known how all things in the body are connected so that when the lungs breathe, each and all things of the whole body are moved thereby, while at the same time also they are moved by the beating of the heart. It is known from anatomy that the heart is united to the lungs by auricles, which are continued into the interiors of the lungs; again that all the viscera of the whole body are joined to the cavity of the chest by means of ligaments; and so joined that when the lungs breathe, each and all things in general and in detail receive something from the respiratory motion. For when the lungs swell out, the ribs expand the thorax, the pleura IS dilated, and the diaphragm is stretched wide, and together with these all the lower parts of the body connected with them by ligaments receive some movement through the action of the lungs. I do not mention many facts lest those who have no anatomical knowledge become lost through ignorance of the scientific terms employed on this subject. Only consult the expert and discerning anatomists as to whether all things in the whole body from the breast downwards are not so bound together that, when the lungs are inflated, each and all things are roused to action, synchronizing with the action of the lungs. From these things the nature of the union of the understanding with each and all things of the human form, prepared by the will, is now plain; but examine the connections well, and survey them with anatomical eye, and afterwards, according to the connections, observe their co-operation with the breathing lungs and with the heart, and then think of understanding in place of lungs, and of will instead of heart, and you will see.


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