Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3986It is for this reason also that miracles are not wrought at this day,for these, like all visible and comprehensible things, would compelmen to believe, and whatever compels takes away freedom; whenyet all the reformation and regeneration of man is effected in hisfreedom. That which is not implanted in freedom does not stay. Itis implanted in freedom when the man is in the affection of goodand truth (see n. 1937, 1947, 2744, 2870–2893, 3145, 3146,3158, 4031).[4] That miracles so great were wrought among the posterity ofJacob was for the sake of their being compelled to observe thestatutes in their outward form; for this was sufficient for those who,being only in the representatives of a church, were in externalthings separate from internal, and therefore could not be reformedas to the interiors; for they entirely rejected interior things, andtherefore they could not profane truths (n. 3147, 3398, 3399,3480, 4680). Men like these could be compelled without danger ofprofaning what is holy.[5] That man at this day ought to believe what he does not see, isevident from the Lord’s words to Thomas, in John:Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed arethey who do not see, and yet believe (John 20:29).That the things which happen (in other words which are ascribedto chance or fortune) are of the Divine providence, the churchindeed acknowledges, but still does not believe; for who does notsay, when apparently by chance he comes out of some great peril,that he has been preserved by God, and also gives God thanks? Andlikewise when he is exalted to honors, and also when he becomeswealthy, he calls it a blessing from God. Thus the man of thechurch acknowledges that what happens is of providence, but stilldoes not believe. But on this subject, of the Lord’s Divine mercymore will be said elsewhere.