il returned and closed
their understanding above and opened it beneath; and then there appeared
above it as it were a veil sending forth lightning from infernal fire;
and as soon as they touched the earth with their feet, the ground
cleaved asunder beneath them, and they returned to their associates.

416. After these things those two angels seeing me near, said to the
by-standers respecting me, "We know that this man has written about God
and nature; let us hear what he has written." They therefore came to me,
and intreated that what I had written about God and nature might be read
to them: I therefore read as follows. "Those who believe in a Divine
operation in everything of nature, may confirm themselves in favor of
the Divine, from many things which they see in nature, equally, yea more
than those who confirm themselves in favor of nature: for those who
confirm themselves in favor of the Divine, attend to the wonderful
things, which are conspicuous in the productions of both vegetables and
animals:--in the PRODUCTION OF VEGETABLES, that from a small seed sown
in the earth there is sent forth a root, by means of the root a stem,
and successively buds, leaves, flowers, fruits, even to new seeds;
altogether as if the seed was acquainted with the order of succession,
or the process by which it was to renew itself. What rational person can
conceive, that the sun which is pure fire, is acquainted with this, or
that it can endue its heat and light with a power to effect such things;
and further, that it can form wonderful things therein, and intend use?
When a man of elevated reason sees and considers such things, he cannot
think otherwise than that they are from him who has infinite wisdom,
consequently from God. Those who acknowledge the Divine, also see and
think so; but those who do not acknowledge it, do not see and think so,
because they are unwilling; and thereby they let down their rational
principle into the sensual, which derives all its ideas from the
luminous principle in which the bodily senses are, and confirms their
fallacies urging, 'Do not you see the sun effecting these things by its
heat and light? What is that which you do not see?' Is it anything?
Those who confirm themselves in favor of the Divine, attend to the
wonderful things which are conspicuous in the PRODUCTIONS OF ANIMALS; to
mention only what is conspicuous in eggs, that there lies concealed in
them a chick in its seed, or first principles of