208 THE MOUNTAIN. 



cupiscences and consequent thoughts of those who are there." 

 (A.K.,400.)* 



" The tree is man ; the effort to produce means is with 

 man, from his will in his understanding ; the stem or stalk, 

 with its branches and leaves, are in man its means, and are 

 called the truths of faith ; the fruits, which are the ultimate 

 effects of the effort in a tree to fructify, are in a man uses ; 

 in these his will exists. (F. 16.) Man, who is re-born, in 

 like manner as a tree, begins from seed ; wherefore, by seed 

 in the Word, is signified the truth which is from good ; also, 

 in like manner as a tree, he produces leaves, next blossoms, 

 and finally fruit, for he produces such things as are of in- 

 telligence, which also in the Word are signified by leaves ; 

 next such things as are of wisdom, which are signified by 

 blossoms; and finally, such things as are of life, namely, 

 the goods of love and charity in act, which, in the Word, 

 are signified by fruits. Such is the representative similitude 

 between the fruit-bearing tree and the man who is regene- 

 rated, insomuch that from a tree may be learned how 

 the case is with regeneration, if so be, anything be pre- 

 viously known concerning spiritual good and truth." (A. C., 

 5115.) 



" The tree of life signifies perception from the Lord, and 

 the tree of knowledge of good and evil, perception from 

 the world. (Ap. Ex., 739.) Trees of Eden (Ezek. xxxi.) 

 signify scientifics, and knowledges collected from the Word 

 profaned by reasonings." (A. C., 130.) "And the Tree of 

 Knowledge signifies the pride of one's own intelligence." 

 (D. P., 328.) 



The culmination of a vast vital series, the imperial or- 

 ganism of that wondrous chain between death and life, 

 between the organic and inorganic worlds, "man and no- 

 thingness," profoundly significant as an emblem of expres- 

 sion or symbol of utterance between the Finite and Infinite, 

 for the tree also is a type of man, and there is a "corre- 



* Swedenborg. 



