DEUTERONOMY 20
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Deuteronomy Chapter 20

Verses 1-4. The soul must not be afraid of evils and falsities when opposed by them in temptations, but must rely upon heaven.
Verses 5-9. Directions for combating with evil and falsity.
Verses 10-15. On contending with doctrines in the external mind that oppose regeneration.
Verses 16-18. But those derived from interior evil to be utterly destroyed.
Verses 19, 20. But care to be taken not to destroy any genuine knowledges and perceptions in contending with false doctrines.

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them: for the LORD your God is with you, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

When the spiritual man passes out from interior reflection to combat with evils and falsities, and perceives the numerous arguments and doctrinals ranged in favour of evil, and that falsities seem to be more abundant and powerful than truths, he should not be afraid of them; for the Divine Love and Wisdom are with Him, which brought the soul out of its unregenerate condition.

And it shall be, when you are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,

And it shall be, when the soul feels itself falling into temptations and surrounded by evils and falsities, it will receive aid by means of the soul's aspirations after real good, which shall be more closely united with it;

And shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, you approach this day to battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be you terrified because of them;

And from these the soul shall perceive that a state has arrived in which the spiritual man must contend as if from himself with evils and falsities; and that the will must not be allowed to succumb, nor should the soul fear, or be in trepidation, or be dismayed because of them:

For the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

For the Love and Wisdom proceeding from the Lord's Humanity are with the regenerate in all their struggles, and contend for them against all evil and falsity to save them (AE 734).

And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

And the new regenerate will and the principles under it appointed over the faculties of the mind shall thus order them in time of temptation by careful self-examination; If the new will for good has been received in the external mind, but is not fully established; then let the endeavour be made to firmly establish the will for good, lest the soul perish in temptations, and the will for evil be implanted instead of for good.

And what man is he that has planted a vineyard, and has not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.

And if the truths of faith have been received in the external mind, but have not been appropriated to the soul by carrying them out; let these first be fully implanted in the will, lest the soul perish in temptations, and evil be conjoined to the truths in the mind.

And what man is there that has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

And if the love of good and truth are both received in the external mind, but are not yet conjoined by the practice of charity; then let them both be firmly implanted in the will, lest the soul perish in temptations, and the marriage of evil and falsity instead of good and truth have place in the soul.

And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.

And this shall also be impressed upon the faculties of the mind by the powers appointed by the new regenerate will, that if any affection or principle in the soul wavers and is not firmly opposed to the evil or falsity which tempts; then let this principle be brought to accord with the regenerate will, lest the other thoughts and affections waver like it.

And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.

And it shall be that when the thoughts and affections received in the soul by the new regenerate will have thus ordered all its faculties, that they will be led by wisdom from heaven, and be prepared to fight against evil and falsity.
[Note (verses 1-9).—From these verses may be learned the necessity of fighting in temptations as if from oneself, and leaving no stone unturned to conquer.
Verses 1-4. It will not do to say the soul cannot contend with evil; it can, for the Lord rights for it.
Verse 5. The will must be kept resolutely on the right side.
Verse 6. All the truths known which will assist against the evil must be made use of.
Verse 7. The will and the intellect must act together as one, and Verse 8. the soul must hold on with fortitude.]

When you comest near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.

When the soul in the progress of regeneration finds its progress impeded by doctrines existing in the mind, then it should be seen if these doctrines can be brought into conformity with the perception of good given to the soul.

And it shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries to you, and they shall serve you.

And it shall be, that if these doctrines are in conformity with the soul's perception of good, and receive the living influx from heaven, then all the truths belonging to those doctrines shall be conducive to regeneration, and shall serve the new regenerate will.

And if it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:

And if these doctrines are in opposition to the perception of good given to the regenerate, and endeavour to destroy the work of regeneration, then the regenerate will must fight against them as false doctrines:

And when the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

And when the Divine Love and Wisdom have subjected them under the power of the new regenerate will, you shall destroy all the falses thereof with the power of Divine truth from the Word:

But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall you take to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.

But the good affections thereof and all that are innocent, and the natural affections thereof and all that can. be made subservient to use in those doctrines, all the good that remains after temptation, shall be appropriated to the soul; thus the regenerate life will be recruited by good and truth acquired in temptation-combats with evil and falsity, which will be appropriated to the soul by the Divine Love and Wisdom.

Thus shall you do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

Thus shall you do to all doctrines relating to the external man (to outward actions and words) which are not doctrines derived from interior evils.

But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God does give you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes:

But of the doctrines derived from these falses (namely, those derived from the interior evil of the unregenerate heart) which the Divine Love and Wisdom replace by the good affections of the new proprium given from heaven, you shall not permit desire, thought, or action from such a source to remain in the soul:

But you shall utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you:

But you shall utterly destroy them, namely—(Hittites) The falsities of doctrine which permit or encourage evil, and (Amorites) the evils thus engendered, (Canaanites) The evils proceeding from the lusts of the love of self and of the world in the internal mind, and (Perizzites) The falses which these evils give birth to in the mind to excuse them. (See AC 6858-59.) (The Hittites and Jebusites) The worship of anything except the Lord as the supreme good, even though there may be something of good and truth in the thing worshiped (AC 6860). These shall be utterly destroyed according to the perception given you of their evil character from the Divine Love and Wisdom:

That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so should you sin against the LORD your God.

That they seduce not the soul to pervert all the good and truth it has received by prostituting them to the service of selfish and worldly loves, which is the tendency of all these interior evils and falsities; for thus the soul would be averted from all Divine Goodness and Wisdom.

When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:

When the regenerate will has great difficulty in overcoming the arguments of falses that oppose truth (either in the man's own mind or in the minds of others), and endures severe temptations because of them, great care must be taken not to destroy the knowledges or perceptions of truth which support the false doctrine (as far as they are genuine) by the dogmatic assertion of truth; for these perceptions or knowledges may be conducive to the regenerate life; you shall not obliterate these perceptions, for these very perceptions, which form the soul's rational perception of truth, are the very means by which the false doctrines may be eventually overcome in the soul (for, O man, the tree of the field is to be employed in the siege, marginal reading).

Only the trees which you know that they be not trees for meat, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it be subdued.

Only those perceptions or knowledges which you know are not perceptions or knowledges that can nourish the regenerate life, you shall destroy and pluck them out of the mind; and thus you shall raise a defence against the false doctrines that oppose the regenerate life until they be subdued. [Note.—From this passage we learn that even real truths inseminated into the soul in a state of compulsion or without being rationally understood do not assist regeneration.]

DEUTERONOMY 20 Other translations - previous - next - notes - discussion - Deuteronomy - BM Home - Full Page

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them: for the LORD your God is with you, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.	When the spiritual man passes out from interior reflection to combat with evils and falsities, and perceives the numerous arguments and doctrinals ranged in favour of evil, and that falsities seem to be more abundant and powerful than truths, he should not be afraid of them; for the Divine Love and Wisdom are with Him, which brought the soul out of its unregenerate condition.
And it shall be, when you are come near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,	And it shall be, when the soul feels itself falling into temptations and surrounded by evils and falsities, it will receive aid by means of the soul's aspirations after real good, which shall be more closely united with it;
And shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, you approach this day to battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be you terrified because of them;	And from these the soul shall perceive that a state has arrived in which the spiritual man must contend as if from himself with evils and falsities; and that the will must not be allowed to succumb, nor should the soul fear, or be in trepidation, or be dismayed because of them:
For the LORD your God is he that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.	For the Love and Wisdom proceeding from the Lord's Humanity are with the regenerate in all their struggles, and contend for them against all evil and falsity to save them (AE 734).
And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there that has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.	And the new regenerate will and the principles under it appointed over the faculties of the mind shall thus order them in time of temptation by careful self-examination; If the new will for good has been received in the external mind, but is not fully established; then let the endeavour be made to firmly establish the will for good, lest the soul perish in temptations, and the will for evil be implanted instead of for good.
And what man is he that has planted a vineyard, and has not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.	And if the truths of faith have been received in the external mind, but have not been appropriated to the soul by carrying them out; let these first be fully implanted in the will, lest the soul perish in temptations, and evil be conjoined to the truths in the mind.
And what man is there that has betrothed a wife, and has not taken her? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.	And if the love of good and truth are both received in the external mind, but are not yet conjoined by the practice of charity; then let them both be firmly implanted in the will, lest the soul perish in temptations, and the marriage of evil and falsity instead of good and truth have place in the soul.
And the officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.	And this shall also be impressed upon the faculties of the mind by the powers appointed by the new regenerate will, that if any affection or principle in the soul wavers and is not firmly opposed to the evil or falsity which tempts; then let this principle be brought to accord with the regenerate will, lest the other thoughts and affections waver like it.
And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.	And it shall be that when the thoughts and affections received in the soul by the new regenerate will have thus ordered all its faculties, that they will be led by wisdom from heaven, and be prepared to fight against evil and falsity. [Note (verses 1-9).—From these verses may be learned the necessity of fighting in temptations as if from oneself, and leaving no stone unturned to conquer. Verses 1-4. It will not do to say the soul cannot contend with evil; it can, for the Lord rights for it. Verse 5. The will must be kept resolutely on the right side. Verse 6. All the truths known which will assist against the evil must be made use of. Verse 7. The will and the intellect must act together as one, and Verse 8. the soul must hold on with fortitude.]
When you comest near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.	When the soul in the progress of regeneration finds its progress impeded by doctrines existing in the mind, then it should be seen if these doctrines can be brought into conformity with the perception of good given to the soul.
And it shall be, if it make you answer of peace, and open to you, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries to you, and they shall serve you.	And it shall be, that if these doctrines are in conformity with the soul's perception of good, and receive the living influx from heaven, then all the truths belonging to those doctrines shall be conducive to regeneration, and shall serve the new regenerate will.
And if it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it:	And if these doctrines are in opposition to the perception of good given to the regenerate, and endeavour to destroy the work of regeneration, then the regenerate will must fight against them as false doctrines:
And when the LORD your God has delivered it into your hands, you shall smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:	And when the Divine Love and Wisdom have subjected them under the power of the new regenerate will, you shall destroy all the falses thereof with the power of Divine truth from the Word:
But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shall you take to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.	But the good affections thereof and all that are innocent, and the natural affections thereof and all that can. be made subservient to use in those doctrines, all the good that remains after temptation, shall be appropriated to the soul; thus the regenerate life will be recruited by good and truth acquired in temptation-combats with evil and falsity, which will be appropriated to the soul by the Divine Love and Wisdom.
Thus shall you do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.	Thus shall you do to all doctrines relating to the external man (to outward actions and words) which are not doctrines derived from interior evils.
But of the cities of these people, which the LORD your God does give you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes:	But of the doctrines derived from these falses (namely, those derived from the interior evil of the unregenerate heart) which the Divine Love and Wisdom replace by the good affections of the new proprium given from heaven, you shall not permit desire, thought, or action from such a source to remain in the soul:
But you shall utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you:	But you shall utterly destroy them, namely—(Hittites) The falsities of doctrine which permit or encourage evil, and (Amorites) the evils thus engendered, (Canaanites) The evils proceeding from the lusts of the love of self and of the world in the internal mind, and (Perizzites) The falses which these evils give birth to in the mind to excuse them. (See AC 6858-59.) (The Hittites and Jebusites) The worship of anything except the Lord as the supreme good, even though there may be something of good and truth in the thing worshiped (AC 6860). These shall be utterly destroyed according to the perception given you of their evil character from the Divine Love and Wisdom:
That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done to their gods; so should you sin against the LORD your God.	That they seduce not the soul to pervert all the good and truth it has received by prostituting them to the service of selfish and worldly loves, which is the tendency of all these interior evils and falsities; for thus the soul would be averted from all Divine Goodness and Wisdom.
When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for you may eat of them, and you shall not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:	When the regenerate will has great difficulty in overcoming the arguments of falses that oppose truth (either in the man's own mind or in the minds of others), and endures severe temptations because of them, great care must be taken not to destroy the knowledges or perceptions of truth which support the false doctrine (as far as they are genuine) by the dogmatic assertion of truth; for these perceptions or knowledges may be conducive to the regenerate life; you shall not obliterate these perceptions, for these very perceptions, which form the soul's rational perception of truth, are the very means by which the false doctrines may be eventually overcome in the soul (for, O man, the tree of the field is to be employed in the siege, marginal reading).
Only the trees which you know that they be not trees for meat, you shall destroy and cut them down; and you shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it be subdued.	Only those perceptions or knowledges which you know are not perceptions or knowledges that can nourish the regenerate life, you shall destroy and pluck them out of the mind; and thus you shall raise a defence against the false doctrines that oppose the regenerate life until they be subdued. [Note.—From this passage we learn that even real truths inseminated into the soul in a state of compulsion or without being rationally understood do not assist regeneration.]