because they, in like manner as man, are enlightened by the Lord; and as
they are enlightened in like manner, it follows that all enlightenment is
from the Lord alone. It is effected by angels or spirits as media, because
the man when he is enlightened is placed in the midst of such angels and
spirits as, more than others, receive enlightenment from the Lord alone.

151. THE LORD CREATED THE UNIVERSE AND ALL THINGS OF IT BY MEANS OF THE
SUN WHICH IS THE FIRST PROCEEDING OF DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM.

By "the Lord" is meant God from eternity, that is, Jehovah: who is called
Father and Creator, because He is one with Him, as has been shown in The
Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord; consequently in the
following pages, where also creation is treated of, He is called the
Lord.

152. That all things in the universe were created by Divine Love and
Divine Wisdom was fully shown in Part I., (particularly in n. 52, 53);
here now it is to be shown that this was done by means of the sun, which
is the first proceeding of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. No one who is
capable of seeing effects from causes, and afterwards by causes effects
in their order and sequence, can deny that the sun is the first of
creation, for all the things that are in its world have perpetual
existence from it; and because they have perpetual existence from it,
their existence was derived from it. The one involves and is proof of
the other; for all things are under the sun's view, since it is determined
that they should be, and to hold under its view is to determine
perpetually; therefore it is said that subsistence is perpetual existence.
If, moreover, any thing were to be withdrawn entirely from the sun's
influx through the atmospheres, it would instantly be dissipated; for
the atmospheres, which are purer and purer, and are rendered active in