3654. About regeneration
Mankind does not know how he comes upon the faculty of thinking and speaking, which has such marvelous properties that it cannot be investigated even to a ten thousandth part. Nor do we know where it comes from or anything about it. In fact mankind is in such deep ignorance about it, that we hardly know we have it and that by it we are distinguished from the brute animals. We do not know how the lungs and their breathing are trained to work together with all and the very least components of actions, and together with all and the very least components of vocal speech - and we do not even know that they do.
Then we do not know how the breathing works together with the least components of mental thought images, nor how the tongue is trained to the very least little movements of the eating process, and of the speaking process of articulating sounds, among countless other details. And yet we want to investigate how the Lord regenerates a person, which is an inward matter, and even more inward, thus most remote from mankind's mental concepts. We may readily conclude from all this that regeneration comes forth from the Lord while a person is unaware, for its purpose is that one may become a new person. 1748, 22 Oct.
3654. CONCERNING REGENERATION.
Man knows not how he comes into the faculty of thinking and speaking, in which are things so wonderful, that they can never be explained to a ten thousandth part; nor does he know whence this faculty is, or what is its nature; yea, so great is man's ignorance of it, that he scarcely known that he has it, and that by it he is distinguished from the brutes. Man knows not how the lungs and their respiration are ordered, so that they concur to all and singular of their minutest functions, and to all and singular of the smallest particulars of the speech and voice, nor does he even know that the fact is so. Again, he does not know how respiration concurs to each of the ideas of thought; neither how the tongue is initiated into each of the minor motions necessary to the process of eating, of speaking, and of articulating sounds; besides innumerable other things - and yet he would inquire into the manner in which the Lord regenerates man, when this is interior, and still more interior, and thus most remote from his ideas of thought. It may thence be safely concluded that regeneration takes place from the Lord unconsciously to man, since the design of it is, that he may become a new man. - 1748, October 22.
3654. De regeneratione
Nescit homo quomodo venit in facultatem cogitandi et loquendi, in qua tam mirifica sunt, ut nusquam ad partem unam myriadis explorari queat; nec novit unde, nec quomodo se habet; imo tanta ignorantia ejus homini est, ut nesciat vix quod [eam] habeat, et quod per eam a brutis distinguatur: nescit homo quomodo pulmones et eorum respiratio initiati sint, ut concurrant ad omnia et singularissima actionum, tum ad omnia et singularissima loquelae et vocis, nec novit quod ita sit; tum nescit quomodo respiratio concurrat ad singulas cogitationis ideas; nec novit quomodo lingua initiata sit ad singulas motiunculas edendi, et loquendi, articulandique sonos: praeter innumera alia, et tamen inquirere vult quomodo Dominus regenerat hominem, cum hoc interius est, et adhuc interius, remotissimum ab ejus cogitationis ideis; quod regeneratio homine nesciente a Domino existat, inde satis concludi potest, nam est ut sit novus homo. 1748, 22 Oct.