form of God, could be changed into a form
of the devil. I know that the angels of heaven are forms of God and that
the angels of hell are forms of the devil, and that the two forms are
opposite to each other, the latter being insanities, the former wisdoms.
Tell me, therefore, how a man, created a form of God, could pass from
day into such night, as to be capable of denying God and life eternal."
To this the several teachers replied in order; first the Pythagoreans,
next the Socratics, and afterwards the rest: but among them there was a
certain Platonist, who spoke last; and his opinion prevailed, which was
to this effect; That the men of the saturnine or golden age knew and
acknowledged that they were forms receptive of life from God; and that
on this account wisdom was inscribed on their souls and hearts, and
hence they saw truth from the light of truth, and by truths perceived
good from the delight of the love thereof: but as mankind in the
following ages receded from the acknowledgement that all the truth of
wisdom and the consequent good of love belonging to them, continually
flowed in from God, they ceased to be habitations of God; and then also
discourse with God, and consociation with angels ceased: for the
interiors of their minds were bent from their direction, which had been
elevated upwards to God from God, into a direction more and more
oblique, outwardly into the world, and thereby to God from God through
the world, and at length inverted into an opposite direction, which is
downwards to self; and as God cannot be looked at by a man interiorly
inverted, and thereby averted, men separated themselves from God, and
were made forms of hell or devils. From these considerations it follows,
that in the first ages they acknowledged in heart and soul, that all the
good of love and the consequent true wisdom, were derived to them from
God, and also that they were God's in them: and thus that they were mere
recipients of life from God, and hence were called images of God, sons
of God, and born of God: but that in succeeding ages they did not
acknowledge this in heart and soul, but by a certain persuasive faith,
next by an historical faith, and lastly only with the mouth; and this
last kind of acknowledgement is no acknowledgement at all; yea, it is in
fact a denial at heart. From these considerations it may be seen what is
the quality of the wisdom which prevails at this day on the earth among
Christians, while they d