Page:The Swedenborg Library Vol 3.djvu/144

Not so the Gentiles. When they hear that God became Man, and thus manifested Himself in the world, they immediately acknowledge it, and adore the Lord, saying that God has, indeed, manifested Himself, because He is the God of heaven and earth, and because the human race is his.

There are among Gentiles as among Christians both wise and simple. That I might be instructed respecting their character, I have been allowed to converse with both, sometimes for hours and days. But there are no such wise men now as in ancient times, especially in the ancient church, which extended over a great part of Asia, from which religion spread to many nations.

That I might know their character, I have been allowed to converse familiarly with some of them. One with whom I spoke was formerly classed among those of superior wisdom, and hence was known also in the learned world. I conversed with him on various subjects, and had reason to believe that it was Cicero. And because I knew that he was a wise man, I discoursed with him concerning wisdom, intelligence, order, the Word, and lastly concerning the Lord. Concerning wisdom he said, that there is no other wisdom than that which pertains to life, and that wisdom cannot be predicated of anything else. Concerning intelligence, that it is derived from wisdom. Concerning order, that it is from the Supreme God; and that to live according to that order is to be wise and intelligent. As to the Word, when I read to him a passage from the prophets