SD 1683 - About marriage love (conjugial love) and that of parents toward their children

SD 1683
The source of true marital love (conjugial love)
and the love of parents toward their children,
and even greater love toward grandchildren, no one knows.
Yet because something heavenly is [felt] in those loves,
there must be something universal coming out of heaven
and flowing into the minds of all people.
Such a phenomenon cannot be without a cause in the innermost regions,
and in the most high.
Without a cause in the innermost regions, and in the most high,
it would never exist;
for what is there that is without a cause and origin of itself?

Its origin is obvious, namely,
that the Lord loves as a whole all angels, spirits and men as His own,
and because of this that Love itself is compared to marriage love
and is ascribed to the Lord as bridegroom and husband,
and to the Church as bride and wife.
Without the love of the Lord toward all and each
and its obvious inflow into the innermost,
and then the very inward human minds,
no marriage love would ever exist,
consequently no love of goodness,
which branches out in various ways from the principle of marriage.
Moreover, if the Lord did not love all and each
as a Father loves his children,
and the innermost heaven from the Lord
as a mother loves her children,
a love of children would never exist. It cannot produce itself.
It is also because of this descent of love
that parental love is even greater toward grandchildren.
(March 25, 1748)

AC 1223 , 1226 - the sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram

AC 1223
The sons of Shem:
Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram.
(Genesis 10:22)

By "Shem" is signified here as before, an internal church;
by "the sons of Shem," the things that are of wisdom;
"Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram"
were so many nations,
by which are signified things that are of wisdom -
by "Elam" faith from charity,
by "Asshur" the derivative reason,
by "Arpachshad" the derivative memory-knowledge,
by "Lud" the knowledges of truth,
by "Aram" the knowledges of good.

AC 1226
Everything is called wisdom that springs from charity,
because it comes by means of charity from the Lord,
from whom is all wisdom, for He is wisdom itself.
. . . And because they are sons of the Lord through charity,
wisdom is predicated of each of them,
for wisdom is in each of them,
and they draw their life from it,
and this in such a manner that neither intelligence,
nor memory-knowledge, nor knowledge,
has life except from the wisdom which is of charity,
which is of the Lord.

SD 1628 - to live from the Lord

SD 1628
. . . to live from the Lord,
is something which neither a person nor spirit [duly] perceives,
and for this reason he is prone to imagine
that such a life is no life at all,
whereas it is the veriest (truest) life itself,
although one ought neither to make efforts from himself,
nor yet relapse into apathy without attempting anything.
These things are of a more interior nature,
and therefore difficult to believe,
because they are neither understood nor perceived.

AC 1194, AC 1203 - the connections in the Lord's Word

AC 1194
For the Word of the Lord . . . in its internal sense,
never treats of other things
than those which belong to His Kingdom,
and thus to the church . . .

AC 1203
It is customary in the Prophets
for spiritual and celestial things to be joined together,
that is, where spiritual things are treated of,
celestial things are also treated of;
for the reason that the one is from the other,
and there is a certain want of perfection if they are not conjoined;
so that there is an image of the heavenly marriage
in each and all things of the Word.
. . . Knowledges of spiritual things
are those which have regard to faith, consequently to doctrine;
and knowledges of celestial things
are those which have regard to love, and thus to life.

AC 1182 - the quality of worship

AC 1182
For the quality of external worship
is precisely in accordance with the interiors;
the more innocent the interiors are,
the more innocent is the external worship;
but the more foul the interiors are,
the more foul is the external worship;
and the more profane the interiors are,
the more profane is the external worship.
In a word,
the more of the love of the world and of self
there is in a person
who is in this external worship,
the less there is that is living and holy in his worship . . ..

SD 1622 - Evil spirits tell very tall tales, and they lie.

SD 1622
When spirits begin to speak with a person,
one must take care not to believe them at all,
for almost everything they say, they have made up, and they are lying.
If for example they are allowed to tell what heaven is like,
and how matters stand in the heavens,
they would tell so many lies, with great assurance,
that the person would be astounded.
Therefore, I was not allowed to give credence to the spirits
who were speaking in regard to anything they told.
(March 20, 1748)
For they are very fond of fabricating,
and whenever any topic of conversation is raised,
they think they know all about it,
and express their opinions about it one after the other,
as if they knew exactly;
and if anyone then listens to them and believes them,
then they press on, and in various ways trick and mislead the person.
. . . So such persons must take care not to believe them,
this being the reason why the condition
of speaking with spirits on this planet is most dangerous,
unless one has true belief.
They bring on such a strong persuasion
that it is the Lord Himself speaking and commanding,
that the person cannot help but believe, and obey.

AC 1176 - faith and love

AC 1176
. . . love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor are faith itself;
and that the knowledges which they call faith
exist for no other end than that by means of them
people may receive from the Lord
love to Him and love toward the neighbor;
and that this is the faith which saves.

SD 1568 - craving, etc.

SD 1568
For the sake of distinctions,
to crave, or have an appetite for, applies to the body;
to want, or have a passion for, pertains to the lower mind;
to desire, or have a longing for, pertains to the inward, reasoning mind;
but to will pertains to the very inward mind,
while to be moved [or have an affection for],
although this is used in several connections,
can nevertheless strictly be applied to the innermost qualities.
(March 20, 1748)

AC 1159 - families

AC 1159 [2]
That "families" in the internal sense signify uprightness,
and also charity and love,
comes from the fact that in the heavens
all things which are of mutual love
are circumstanced as are relationships by blood and by marriage,
thus as families.
In the Word therefore the things which pertain to love or charity
are expressed by "houses," and also by "families" . . ..

SD 1561 - the good given by the Lord

SD 1561
So whenever upon self-reflection
we consider we are thinking good, or doing good,
this comes from our ego, from some love, desire, craving.
And whenever one attributes this to oneself,
it is sin in every particular.
So the good that is given by the Lord
is done when we are not reflecting from our own effort,
that is, when we are unaware of it,
according to the Lord's Word,
that a person is reborn while he is unaware of it [see John 3:8].
(March 20, 1748)

The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound,
but you cannot tell
where it comes from
or where it is going.
So it is with everyone
born of the Spirit.
(John 3:8)

AC 1153 - true worship is adoration of the Lord in humbleness

AC 1153
In general, all the diversities of external,
as also of internal worship,
are according to the adoration of the Lord in the worship;
and the adoration is according to the love to the Lord
and the love toward the neighbor.
For the Lord is present in love,
and thereby in worship . . ..

[2] . . . all true worship consists in adoration of the Lord,
adoration of the Lord in being humble,
and humbleness in one's acknowledgment
that in himself there is nothing living, and nothing good,
but that all within him is dead, yea, cadaverous;
and in the acknowledgment
that everything living and everything good is from the Lord.
The more a person acknowledges these things,
not with the mouth, but with the heart,
the more he is humble;
and consequently the more he is in adoration, that is, in true worship,
and the more he is in love and charity, and the more in happiness.
The one is in the other, so conjoined as to be inseparable.

AC 1151 - the Word of the Lord

AC 1151 [2]
. . . the Word of the Lord
does not treat of worldly things,
but enfolds with in it
Divine things.

AC 1119 - respiration and love

AC 1119
Angels have a respiration to which internal respiration corresponds;
and it likewise varies with them.
For when anything befalls them
which is contrary to love and faith in the Lord,
their respiration is restrained;
but when they are in the happiness of love and faith,
their respiration is free and full.
There is something like this also with every person,
but in accordance with his corporeal and worldly loves
and also with his principles.
When anything opposes these,
there is a restriction of the respiration;
and when they are favored,
the respiration is free and full.

SD 1509 - the Lord is Order; SD 1531 - the use of our world in order

SD 1509
. . . the Lord wills that each and all things should happen according to order,
so that they should proceed, as it were, spontaneously.
For the Lord is Order
and thus establishes it,
such as order in the body,
wherein each and all things flow as of themselves.

SD 1531
. . . the inhabitants and spirits of our earth are the external sense,
and that they are corporeal
and thus approach the nature of brutes rather than the human nature.
. . . But although those on this earth are such,
yet they possess the knowledges of the truths of faith
which are serviceable for a ground, as it were,
in which spiritual and celestial truths of faith can be sown.
Without such a ground
the truths of faith are not easily implanted so that they may grow.
For this reason also the spirits of our earth
more easily enter the interior and more interior heaven
after the exteriors have been devastated;
and because they take with them something from the life of the body,
they also may serve as ministering means for instructing others
who do not possess such knowledges from Revelation.
For this reason the Lord loved our earth above others,
since for perfect order to exist,
celestial and spiritual truths must be take root in natural truths.
It is also to be observed
that while the knowledges and ideas of the angels
are indefinitely more profound than the ideas of people,
still they are rooted in natural truths.
So do truths mutually succeed and correspond to each other.
(March 18,1748)

SD 1464, 1469 - interpretation and confirmation

SD 1464
For it is also well known
that anyone is able to take something from the Word
and interpret it according to his own opinions,
as long as he adheres to the letter only;
and he explains it as he chooses in the interior sense,
as can be evident from many things.

SD 1469
For those who take up truths from the Word of the Lord as premises,
and then confirm them by philosophical material
or arguments derived from nature,
do not suffer any hardship provided they do not do so out of self-love.
On the other hand, those who do so from their own ingenuity,
assuming certain premises
and from them trying to hatch out or support spiritual and heavenly truths,
do suffer hardship.
(March 17, 1748)

AC 1102 - when one dwells in the tents of Shem

AC 1102
When a person feels or perceives in himself
that he has good thoughts concerning the Lord,
and that he has good thoughts concerning the neighbor,
and desires to perform kind offices for him,
not for the sake of any gain or honor for himself;
and when he feels that he has pity for anyone who is in trouble,
and still more for one who is in error in respect to the doctrine of faith,
then he may know that he dwells in the tents of Shem, that is,
that he has internal things in him through which the Lord is working.

SD 1436-1437,1439-1440 - seeds of faith taking root

SD 1436
Seeds of faith that have taken root
in a person on earth, a soul, a spirit, and also in an angel,
by means of enlightened knowledge [implanted]
and then branching and sprouting in different directions,
are of this nature:
when a religious truth has been implanted,
then gradually it grows out into many truths,
as if taking over the whole space,
and falsities are gradually consumed.

First, evils are wiped away in the person,
otherwise [religious truth] cannot be implanted.
Evils are the "tares" that put forth roots widely,
obstructing the roots of the good seed.
After that comes conviction of the truth of religion,
which gives birth to derivative convictions
joined with other enlightened knowledge.
Next comes the love of truth.
Thus that seed reproduces and bears fruit beyond measure.

But it should be pointed out
that the Lord Alone implants truths and goodness,
and causes them to sprout.
Therefore, unless they are truths of faith,
they cannot take root, much less come forth,
but there are the roots of weeds choking them,
although not uprooting them.
They are preserved,
so that when the tares have been weeded out,
they may come forth, and sprout.

Nor should one attempt to acquire
a love of the truths of faith on one's own power;
nor by the promptings of a different love,
namely, the love of self or of the world.
For then [truth] does not take root;
but the Lord Alone inspires love.

The seeds are numberless,
because they are the seeds of religious faith,
consequently of all spiritual and heavenly realities.
But the universal and only seed
in which all the rest are disposed by rows and ranks,
is that the Lord Alone rules the universe,
and that He is the all in everything true and good,
and that person, spirit, and angel
regarded in themselves are nothing.
(March 16, 1748)

AC 1098 - the person of the internal church and the person of the external

AC 1098
The person of the internal church
attributes to the Lord all the good that he does,
and all the truth that he thinks;
but the person of the external church
does not know how to do this,
and yet does what is good.
The person of the internal church
makes the worship of the Lord from charity,
thus internal worship, essential,
and external worship not so essential;
but the person of the external church makes external worship essential,
and does not know what internal worship is, although he has it.
And therefore the person of the internal church
believes that he is acting against his conscience
if he does not worship the Lord from what is internal;
while the person of the external church
believes that he is acting against his conscience
if he does not sacredly observe external rites.
There are many things
in the conscience of the person of the internal church,
because he knows many things from the internal sense of the Word;
but there are fewer things
in the conscience of the person of the external church,
because he knows few things from the internal sense of the Word.

AC 1073, 1076, 1077 - the truths of faith, charity, & conscience

AC 1073, 1076, 1077
The truths of faith themselves are compared to garments
which cover the goods of charity, or charity itself;
for charity is the body itself,
and therefore truths are its garments;
or what amounts to the same thing,
charity is the soul itself
and the truths of faith are as the body,
which is the clothing of the soul.
The truths of faith are also called in the Word "garments" and a "covering"
and therefore it is said in the twenty-third verse
that Shem and Japheth took a garment
and covered the nakedness of their father.
Spiritual things relatively to celestial
are as a body that clothes the soul,
or as garments that clothe the body;
and in heaven they are represented by garments.

. . . conscience that is really conscience
cannot possibly exist except from charity.
Charity is what makes conscience,
that is, the Lord through charity.
What else is conscience than not to do evil to anyone in anyway;
that is, to do well to all in every way?
Thus conscience belongs to charity,
and never to faith separated from charity.

Conscience is formed by means of the truths of faith,
for that which a person has heard, acknowledged, and believed
makes the conscience in him;
and afterwards to act contrary to this
is to him to act contrary to conscience,
as may be sufficiently evident to everyone;
so that unless it is the truths of faith
that a person hears, acknowledges, and believes,
he cannot possibly have a true conscience.
For it is through the truths of faith
(the Lord working in charity)
that a person is regenerated,
and therefore it is through the truths of faith
that he receives conscience,
conscience being the new person himself.
From this it is evident
that the truths of faith are the means by which this may take place,
that is, that the person may live according to what faith teaches,
the principal of which is to love the Lord above all things,
and the neighbor as himself.

SD 1358-1359 - the tongue

SD 1358 - 1359
The tongue affords entrance both to the lungs and to the stomach,
and so provides for both.
Thus it signifies a court-yard, as it were,
to spiritual and celestial things.
For the lungs signify spiritual things,
and the stomach,
because it pertains to the heart to which it ministers
[by providing] the blood with its nourishment, and for other reasons,
serves as a court-yard to celestial things.
It is by aid of the lungs that a person is able to speak.

The tongue, therefore, signifies the affection of truth,
for affection is celestial,
and truth spiritual.
Thus those who enjoy the affection of truth
constitute the province of the tongue.

AC 1069 - a garden and a vineyard

AC 1069
. . . the celestial church was described by the Paradisal Garden,
in which were trees of every kind;
and by the "trees" of that garden
were signified the perceptions of that church,
and by the "fruits" the goods of love of every kind.
But the Ancient Church, being spiritual,
is described by a "vineyard" from its fruits, which are grapes,
and which represent and signify the works of charity.

SD 1339 - body and soul

SD 1339
. . . the body
regarded in itself
relatively to the soul
is nothing
except something obedient and subservient . . .

AC 1055 - the eternal or everlasting covenant

AC 1055
That I may remember the eternal covenant.
(Genesis 9:16)
. . . there is no other "eternal covenant"
than love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor.
This is eternal, because from eternity to eternity.
The universal heaven is founded in love, and so is universal nature;
for in nature nothing whatever is possible -
in which there is any union and conjunction,
whether it be animate or inanimate -
that does not derive its origin from love.
. . . Consequently love, or a semblance of love,
has been implanted in all things in general and in particular;
with a person alone there is not love, but the contrary,
because a person has destroyed in himself the order of nature.
When however he can be regenerated,
or restored again to order, and can receive mutual love,
then there is "the covenant" or conjunction by charity . . ..

SD 1313 - The Lord God Alone Lives

SD 1313
Spirits were very indignant
when I said that the Lord God alone lives,
and that no person, spirit, or angel lives from himself
or has life from himself, but is only an organ of life.
Because the spirits cannot comprehend this
I have demonstrated it in various ways:

(1) That the senses of the body or the body
does not live from itself but from the spirit,
neither does the spirit live from itself but from its soul,
so neither does the soul live from itself but from the Lord.

(2) Further, that a person supposes no otherwise than that his body lives,
and yet the souls after death, or spirits . . . are still living
even though their body is lacking,
a fact they had not believed in their lifetime.
Also, that a soul supposes
that he lives from the corporeal things in which alone he places life,
when yet souls know that the corporeal life of the soul can be removed
and they can still live in an interior life in a similar manner.
This was shown before their very eyes so that it is not denied.

(3) In what way did they want to conceive of the life of a person or spirit?
In any other manner than as a form or organ?
As a vital flame dwelling within and kindling life?
Since no one can conceive of these things in spiritual sight
they could not but agree.
Whatever people may say to the contrary
as that life is from life,
thus something separate is nothing but words.

(4) Thus, also, the better spirits
live a more interior life than recently arrived souls;
the angels of the interior heaven a life still more interior,
having laid to the side their former life;
the angels of the more interior heaven,
having laid to the side the interior life,
lead a more interior life
of which the lower angels can have no conception,
but which all the higher angels well understand.

None of them can now say a word; they are silent.

The angels of the interior heaven,
following those of the more interior heaven
and also those of the inmost heaven,
now affirm that this is the very truth.
A voice from the heavens by means of spirits
came to me in successive order affirming this.
(March 12, 1748)

AC 1038 - "And God said, This is the sign of the covenant" (Genesis 9:12)

AC 1038
That a "covenant" is the presence of the Lord in love and charity,
is evident from the nature of a covenant.
Every covenant is for the sake of conjunction,
that is, for the sake of living in mutual friendship, or love.
Marriage also is for this reason called a covenant.
There is no conjunction of the Lord with person
except in love and charity;
for the Lord is love and mercy itself.
He wills to save everyone
and to draw him with mighty power to heaven, that is, to Himself.
From this everyone may know and conclude
that no one can ever be conjoined with the Lord
except through that which He Himself is,
that is, except by becoming like or making one with Him -
in other words, by loving the Lord in return
and loving the neighbor as himself.
By this alone is the conjunction effected.
This is the very essence of a covenant.

[2] Because the "covenant"
is the conjunction of the Lord with a person by love,
or what is the same,
the presence of the Lord with a person in love and charity,
it is called in the Word the "covenant of peace;"
for "peace" signifies the kingdom of the Lord,
and the kingdom of the Lord consists in mutual love,
in which alone is peace.

[5] Since a "covenant" is the conjunction of the Lord with a person by love,
it follows that it is also by all things that pertain to love,
which are the truths of faith, and are called precepts;
for all precepts, indeed the Law and the Prophets,
are founded on the one Law,
to love the Lord above all things and the neighbor as oneself . . ..
And therefore the tables on which were written the ten commandments,
are called the "Tables of the Covenant."
Since a covenant, or conjunction,
is effected through the laws or precepts of love,
it was effected also through the laws of society
given by the Lord in the Jewish Church, which are called "testimonies;"
and also through the rites of the church
ordered by the Lord, called "statutes."
All these things are said to be of the "covenant" . . ..

[6] From these things it is now evident what a "covenant" is,
and that the covenant is internal;
for the conjunction of the Lord with a person takes place by what is internal,
and never by what is external separate from what is internal.
External things are only types and representatives of internal,
as the action of a person
is a type representative of his thought and will;
and as the work of charity
is a type representative of the charity which is within, in the heart and mind.
So all the rites of the Jewish Church were types representative of the Lord,
consequently of love and charity, and of all things therefrom.
Wherefore it is through the internals of a person
that a covenant and conjunction is made,
and externals are only signs of the covenant,
as indeed they are called.

AC 1032 - The Lord has mercy towards the whole human

AC 1032
The Lord has mercy toward the whole human race,
and wills to save and draw to Himself all who are in the universe.

[2] The mercy of the Lord is infinite,
and does not suffer itself to be limited
to those few who are within the church,
but extends itself to all in the whole world.
Their being born out of the church
and being thus in ignorance of faith, is not their fault;
and no one is ever condemned
for not having faith in the Lord
when he is ignorant of Him.
Who that thinks aright will ever say
that the greatest part of the human race must perish in eternal death
because they were not born in Europe, where there are comparatively few?
And who that thinks aright will say
that the Lord suffered so great a multitude to be born
to perish in eternal death?
This would be contrary to the Divine,
and contrary to mercy.
And besides, those who are out of the church, and are called Gentiles,
live a much more moral life than those who are within the church,
and embrace much more easily the doctrine of true faith,
as is still more evident from souls in the other life.
The worst of all come from the so-called Christian world,
holding the neighbor in deadly hatred, and even the Lord.
Above all others in the whole world they are adulterers.

[3] It is not so with those from other parts of the world.
Very many of those who have worshiped idols
are of such a disposition as to abhor hatred and adultery,
and to fear Christians because of their being of this character
and desirous of tormenting everyone.
Indeed Gentiles are so disposed as to listen readily,
when taught by angels about the truths of faith,
and that the Lord rules the universe,
and to be easily imbued with faith and thus to reject their idols.
For this reason Gentiles
who have lived a moral life and in mutual charity and innocence,
are regenerated in the other life.
While they live in the world
the Lord is present with them in charity and innocence,
for there is nothing of charity and innocence except from the Lord.
The Lord also gives them a conscience
of what is right and good according to their religion,
and insinuates innocence and charity into that conscience;
and when there is innocence and charity in the conscience,
they easily suffer themselves to be imbued with the truth of faith from good.

SD 1235 - whatever a person loves

SD 1235
Whatever a person loves,
that he fears to lose . . .

AC 1013 - an image vs. a likeness of the Lord

AC 1013
What the image of God is, hardly anyone knows at the present day.
People say that the image of God was lost in the first man
whom they call Adam;
and that in him it was an image of God
which, they assert, possessed a certain perfection
with which they are not acquainted.
And indeed there was perfection,
for by "Adam" or "Man" is meant the "Most Ancient Church"
which was a celestial person,
and had perception, such as had no church after it;
by reason of which it was also a likeness of the Lord.
A likeness of the Lord signifies love to Him.

[2] After this church perished in the course of time,
the Lord created a new church,
which was not a celestial but a spiritual church.
This was not a likeness, but an image of the Lord.
An "image" signifies spiritual love,
that is, love to the neighbor, or charity . . ..
That charity is the "image of God"
is most clearly evident from the very essence of love, or charity.
Nothing else than love and charity
can make an image and likeness of anyone.
It is the essence of love and charity to make of two as it were one.
When one person loves another as himself, and more than himself,
he then sees the other in himself, and himself in the other.
This may be known to everyone if he only directs his attention to love,
or to those who love each other -
the will of the one is the will of the other,
they are interiorly as it were joined together,
and only in body distinct the one from the other.

[4] This union, which makes a likeness and image,
cannot be so well seen among people,
but is seen in heaven,
where from mutual love all the angels are as a one.
Each society, which consists of many,
constitutes as it were one person.
And all the societies together - or the universal heaven -
constitute one person,
which is also called the Grand Man.
The universal heaven is a likeness of the Lord,
for the Lord is the all in all who are therein.
So also is each society a likeness, and so is each angel.
The celestial angels are likenesses,
the spiritual angels are images.
Thus heaven consists of
as many likenesses of the Lord as there are angels,
and this solely through mutual love -
one loving another more than himself.

SD 1214-1215 - the natural and the spiritual

SD 1214-1215
. . . when the natural things prevail,
they are as it were withdrawn from faith in more interior things;
but when their natural is as a servant,
then it is the spiritual that shines forth
and confirms that a thing is true.
Therefore, when, and so long as, the natural predominates,
a person can never believe the more interior things of faith.

AC 1006 - a person or a beast?

AC 1006
A person is a person
from love and charity,
but he is a wild beast
from hatred, revenge, and cruelty.