4000. Concerning Providence
Because spirits had objected, holding me in obscurity, [saying] that mental images arise from the objects of sight, but not that the objects of sight from mental images, thus that the Lord's life does not flow in, but is aroused by the objects seen, occurring in such a variety of ways, discussed earlier [2329, 3666]. But they were replied to by means of thought, and I realized that this would be just like saying that the lungs' innumerable applications to the individual muscles, and their tissues, as well as the motor muscles and tissues, flowed according to every thoughtful intention and effort, into the mental imagery of the thought and will, but not that the mental imagery of the thought and will flowed into the tissues of the muscles or application of the lungs. Yet for one composite action, innumerable applications of the lungs according to the mental imagery, and innumerable muscular tissues, are governed by the will alone - and in fact, so diversely, or with such variation, that one tissue may seem to function entirely differently from another. And since these things are so, and such incomprehensible phenomena occur in lowest nature, how then can they argue about the inflow of the Lord's life into mental imagery and thence into objects, something that occurs in diverse ways, or about many more inferences that can be drawn from it? 1748, 19 Nov.
4000. CONCERNING PROVIDENCE.
Certain spirits, holding me in a kind of obscurity, objected that ideas arise from the objects of sight and not the objects of sight from ideas, -thus that the life of the Lord does not flow in directly, but is excited by visible objects occurring in a vast variety of ways. Of this I have spoken before, but it was [now] answered them by thought, and perceived, that this was very much like saying that the innumerable applications of the lungs to the several muscles and their fibers, according to all the intention and will of the thought, together with the muscles and motive fibers, flowed into the ideas of the thought and will, instead of the reverse, when, in fact, not a single compound action can take place but by means of innumerable applications of the lungs prompted by ideas, and bringing into play an equally countless number of muscular fibers, all of which are disposed according to the influx of the will alone, and that too in such boundless diversity of manner that one fiber seems to act altogether differently from another. Since these things are so, and such incomprehensible facts occur even in the lowest plane of nature, how can skeptical reasonings avail concerning the influx of the life of the Lord into ideas, and thence into objects, as though a different law prevails here; besides various other inferences that are liable to be drawn? - 1748, November 19.
4000. De Providentia
Quia objecerunt spiritus, tenentes me in obscuro, quod ideae oriantur ex objectis visus, non autem objecta visus ab ideis, quod sic non influat vita Domini, sed excitetur ab objectis visis, tam diversimode occurrentibus; de hoc prius [2329, 3666], sed iis per cogitationem responsum, et perceptum, quod similiter foret ac diceretur, quod pulmonum innumerabiles applicationes ad musculos singulos, et eorum fibras, secundum omnem cogitationis intentionem et voluntatem, ut et musculi et fibrae motrices influerent in ideas cogitationis et voluntatis, non autem ideae cogitationis et voluntatis in musculorum fibras, seu pulmonum applicationes: cum ad unam actionem, compositam innumerabiles applicationes pulmonum secundum ideas et innumerabiles fibras musculorum sola voluntate, disponuntur, et quidem tam diversimode, aut varie, ut una fibra aliter prorsus agere videtur ac altera, ita cum haec talia sunt, et in infima natura, et incomprehensibilia, quomodo tunc ratiocinari possunt, de influxu vitae Domini, in ideas, et inde in objecta, quod diversimode existat, praeter plura quae inde deduci possunt. 1748, 19 Nov.