THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE BY THE ONE AND INFINITE GOD.*

1. No one can conceive in idea, and perceive that God created the universe, unless he knows first something concerning the spiritual world and its sun, and also concerning the correspondence, and thence the conjunction, of spiritual things with natural. 2. There are two worlds; a spiritual world where spirits and angels are; and a natural world where men are. 3. There is a sun in the spiritual world, and another in the natural world; and the spiritual world has existed and subsists from its sun, and the natural world from its sun. 4. The sun of the spiritual world is pure love, from Jehovah God, who is in the midst of it, and the sun of the natural world is pure fire. 5. All that proceeds from the sun of the spiritual world is alive; and all that proceeds from the sun of the natural world is dead. 6. Hence everything which proceeds from the sun of the spiritual world is spiritual; and everything which proceeds from the sun of the natural world is natural. 7. Jehovah God, through the sun, in the midst of which He is, created the spiritual world; and mediately through this, He created the natural world. 8. Spiritual things are substantial, and natural things are material; and the latter have existed and subsist from the former, like posterior from prior, or exterior from interior. 9. Hence all things which are in the spiritual world are also in the natural world, and vice versa, with a difference of perfection. 10. The natural, since it originates from the spiritual, as the material from the substantial is everywhere together [with the spiritual]; and thus the spiritual exercises its activities and performs its functions through the natural. 11. In the spiritual world an idea of creation perpetually exists; since all things which there exist and are made are created in a moment by Jehovah God. 12. Around every angel in heaven there is an idea of creation.** 13. There is a correspondence between those things which are of the spiritual world and those which are of the natural world, and by correspondence conjunction of both. 14. From these things it is evident, that the creation of the universe by the one and infinite God can in no wise be conceived without a previous knowledge of the spiritual world and its sun, and of correspondence; and therefore hypotheses have been put forth concerning the creation of the universe, founded upon naturalism, which are foolish. * See above concerning Jehovah, or concerning the Esse of God; also n. 1; what is here lacking may be taken therefrom. ** [ANNOTATION FROM THE MARGIN.] In the spiritual world creation can be seen by the eye. In that world everything is created by the Lord instantaneously; houses and domestic utensils, foods and garments are created; fields, gardens, and plains are created, flocks and herds are created. These and innumerable other things are created according to the affections and perceptions of the angels thence arising, and appear around them and continue as long as they are in those affections, and are removed as soon as those affections cease. In the hells also noxious serpents, wild beasts, and birds are created; not that they are created by the Lord, but that goods are there turned into evils. Hence it is evident that all things in the world are created by the Lord and are fixed by means of natural things which encompass them.