bring forth their young, love
them most tenderly, cherish them under their wings, bring them food and
feed them, until they can do for themselves, perform the same offices,
and bring forth a family to perpetuate their kind. Any one who is willing
to reflect on the Divine influx through the spiritual world into the
natural can see such influx in these things, and if he will, can say from
his heart, Such knowledges cannot flow into these creatures out of the sun
through its rays of light, for the sun, from which nature derives its
origin and essence, is mere fire, consequently its rays of light are
wholly dead; and thus he may conclude that such things are from the
influx of Divine Wisdom into the outmosts of nature.

354. Any one may confirm himself in favor of the Divine from things
visible in nature, when he sees larvae, from the delight of some impulse,
desiring and longing to change their terrestrial state to a certain
likeness of the heavenly state, and for this purpose creeping into
corners, and putting themselves as it were into a womb in order to be
born again, and there becoming chrysalises, aurelias, caterpillars,
nymphs, and at length butterflies; and having undergone this
metamorphosis, and each after its kind been decked with beautiful wings,
they ascend into the air as into their heaven, and there disport
themselves joyfully, form marriage unions, lay eggs, and provide for
themselves a posterity, nourished meanwhile with pleasant and sweet food
from flowers. Who that confirms himself in favor of the Divine from the
visible things in nature can help seeing a kind of image of man's earthly
state in these as larvae, and in them as butterflies an image of the
heavenly state? Those who confirm themselves in favor of nature see the
same things, but because in heart they have rejected the heavenly state
of man they call them merely natural instincts.

355. Any one may confirm himself in favor of the Divine from things seen
in nature by giving attention to what is known about bees: that they know
how to collect wax and suck honey from herbs and flowers, and to build
cells like little houses, and set them in the form of a city, with
streets through which to come in and go out; that they scent at long
distances the flowers and herbs from which they collect wax for their
houses and honey for food, and laden with these fly back in a direct line
to their hive; thus providing themselves with food and habitation for the