AC 3336 [2-3]
It is easy to see that nothing can possibly enter
into man's memory
and remain there,
unless there is a certain affection or love
which
introduces it.
If there is no affection, or what is the same, no
love,
there will be no observation.
It is this affection, or love,
with which the thing that enters connects itself,
and being
connected remains . . ..
From this comes
man's thought;
and from this thought his speech.
In like manner also
when the thing itself returns,
if this is effected by objects of the
senses,
or by objects of the thought,
or by the discourse of
another,
the affection also with which the thing had entered
is
reproduced.
This is the teaching of experience,
and on reflection
everyone may be confirmed in it.
The doctrinal things of truth
enter in like manner into the
memory;
and the things that at first introduce them
are affections
of various loves . . ..
Genuine affection, which
is of the good of charity,
is not then observed;
but still it is
present;
and so far as it can be present,
it is adjoined by the Lord
to the doctrinal things of truth;
and so far also they remain
adjoined.
When therefore the time comes
that the man can be
regenerated,
the Lord inspires the affection of good,
and through
this excites the things
which have been adjoined by Him to this
affection,
which things are called in the Word "remains;"
and then
by means of this affection
(that is, of the affection of good),
by
successive steps the Lord removes
the affections of other loves,
consequently also
the things that have been connected with them.
And
thus the affection of good,
or what is the same, the good of life,
begins to have the dominion.
It indeed had the dominion before,
but
this could not appear to the man;
for insofar as a man
is in the
love of self and of the world,
the good which is of genuine love
does not appear.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Great Is the Lord
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend Your works to another;
they will tell of Your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of Your awesome works,
and I will proclaim Your great deeds.
They will celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made.
All you have made will praise You, O Lord;
Your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
so that all men may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.
(Psalm 145:3-13)
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend Your works to another;
they will tell of Your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of Your awesome works,
and I will proclaim Your great deeds.
They will celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made.
All you have made will praise You, O Lord;
Your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
so that all men may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.
(Psalm 145:3-13)
Friday, September 29, 2017
AC 3330 - In the Spiritual Man
AC 3330
. . . in the spiritual man in the beginning
truth has the dominion,
is chiefly because in his first state
there are delights of the love of self and of the world
which he believes to be good,
and which apply themselves to his truths,
and for the most part
produce the affection of truth in him;
for he then thinks
that truths may be serviceable to him
either for honor, or for gain,
or for reputation in the world,
or even for merit in the other life.
All these things excite this affection of truth in him,
and also enkindle it;
and yet they are not good, but evil.
Nevertheless the Lord permits that such things
should influence him in that first time,
because otherwise he could not be regenerated.
Intelligence and wisdom come in time;
in the meanwhile
through these truths
the man is introduced into good,
that is, into charity;
and when he is in this,
then for the first time he perceives what is good,
and acts from good,
and then judges and draws conclusions
from this good concerning truths;
and those which do not accord with this good
he calls false, and rejects.
Thus he rules over truths
as a master over his servants.
. . . in the spiritual man in the beginning
truth has the dominion,
is chiefly because in his first state
there are delights of the love of self and of the world
which he believes to be good,
and which apply themselves to his truths,
and for the most part
produce the affection of truth in him;
for he then thinks
that truths may be serviceable to him
either for honor, or for gain,
or for reputation in the world,
or even for merit in the other life.
All these things excite this affection of truth in him,
and also enkindle it;
and yet they are not good, but evil.
Nevertheless the Lord permits that such things
should influence him in that first time,
because otherwise he could not be regenerated.
Intelligence and wisdom come in time;
in the meanwhile
through these truths
the man is introduced into good,
that is, into charity;
and when he is in this,
then for the first time he perceives what is good,
and acts from good,
and then judges and draws conclusions
from this good concerning truths;
and those which do not accord with this good
he calls false, and rejects.
Thus he rules over truths
as a master over his servants.
"Let Us Go to the House of the Lord."
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go in the house of the Lord."
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
There the thrones for judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."
For the sake of my brother and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
(Psalm 122)
"Let us go in the house of the Lord."
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
There the thrones for judgment stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels."
For the sake of my brother and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.
(Psalm 122)
Thursday, September 28, 2017
AC 3318 - Temptation Softens
AC 3318 [2-3]
Man is nothing other than an organ or vessel
which receives life from the Lord,
for man does not live of himself.
The life flowing in with man from the Lord
comes from His Divine Love.
This Love, that is, the life from it,
flows in and applies itself to the vessels
that are in man's rational and that are in his natural.
On account of the hereditary evil into which man is born,
and on account of the evil of his own doing
which man acquires to himself,
these vessels with him are set the wrong way round
for receiving that life.
But insofar as it is possible for this inflowing life to do so,
it resets those vessels to receive it.
These vessels within the rational man
and within his natural
are such as are called truths.
In themselves they are nothing else than perceptions
of the variations in form possessed by those vessels
and of the changes of state
which in different ways give rise to those variations,
which are produced
in the most delicate of organic substances,
and in ways that defy description.
Good itself, which possesses life from the Lord,
that is, which is life,
is that which flows in and resets them.
When therefore those vessels,
varying in the forms they take,
are set and turned,
as has been stated,
the wrong way round for inflowing life,
they clearly have to be re-positioned to receive that life,
that is, to be controlled by it.
This cannot possibly be effected
as long as the person remains
in that condition into which he was born
or which he has brought upon himself.
Indeed at that time they are unsubmissive
because they resolutely withstand
and harden themselves against
the heavenly order governing the way that life acts.
Indeed the good which moves them,
and to which they are subservient,
is that which stems
from self-love and love of the world.
From the dull warmth it contains
that good makes these vessels what they are.
Consequently before they can be made submissive
and capable of receiving any of the life
that belongs to the Lord's love,
they have to be softened.
The only ways that such softening can be achieved
is by temptations,
for temptations take away the things
that constitute self-love
and contempt for others in comparison with oneself,
consequently that constitute self-glory,
and also hatred and revenge on account of that.
When therefore they have to some extent
been subdued and mellowed
by means of temptations
those vessels start to become yielding and compliant
to the life which belongs to the Lord's love
and which is constantly flowing in with man.
Man is nothing other than an organ or vessel
which receives life from the Lord,
for man does not live of himself.
The life flowing in with man from the Lord
comes from His Divine Love.
This Love, that is, the life from it,
flows in and applies itself to the vessels
that are in man's rational and that are in his natural.
On account of the hereditary evil into which man is born,
and on account of the evil of his own doing
which man acquires to himself,
these vessels with him are set the wrong way round
for receiving that life.
But insofar as it is possible for this inflowing life to do so,
it resets those vessels to receive it.
These vessels within the rational man
and within his natural
are such as are called truths.
In themselves they are nothing else than perceptions
of the variations in form possessed by those vessels
and of the changes of state
which in different ways give rise to those variations,
which are produced
in the most delicate of organic substances,
and in ways that defy description.
Good itself, which possesses life from the Lord,
that is, which is life,
is that which flows in and resets them.
When therefore those vessels,
varying in the forms they take,
are set and turned,
as has been stated,
the wrong way round for inflowing life,
they clearly have to be re-positioned to receive that life,
that is, to be controlled by it.
This cannot possibly be effected
as long as the person remains
in that condition into which he was born
or which he has brought upon himself.
Indeed at that time they are unsubmissive
because they resolutely withstand
and harden themselves against
the heavenly order governing the way that life acts.
Indeed the good which moves them,
and to which they are subservient,
is that which stems
from self-love and love of the world.
From the dull warmth it contains
that good makes these vessels what they are.
Consequently before they can be made submissive
and capable of receiving any of the life
that belongs to the Lord's love,
they have to be softened.
The only ways that such softening can be achieved
is by temptations,
for temptations take away the things
that constitute self-love
and contempt for others in comparison with oneself,
consequently that constitute self-glory,
and also hatred and revenge on account of that.
When therefore they have to some extent
been subdued and mellowed
by means of temptations
those vessels start to become yielding and compliant
to the life which belongs to the Lord's love
and which is constantly flowing in with man.
I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills
I lift up my eyes to the hills --
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip --
He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you --
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm --
He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 121)
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip --
He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you --
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm --
He will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 121)
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
AC 3310 - "A Man of the Field"
AC 3310 [3]
As regards the good of life from doctrinal things,
which is signified by "a man of the field,"
the case is this:
Those who are being regenerated,
at first do what is good from doctrinal things,
for of themselves they do not know what is good,
but learn it
from the doctrinal things of love and charity;
from these they know who the Lord is;
who is the neighbor;
what love is, and what charity; thus what good is.
When they are in this state
they are in the affection of truth,
and are called "men [viri] of the field;"
but afterwards when they have been regenerated,
they do not do what is good from doctrinal things,
but from love and charity,
for they are then in the good itself
which they have learned through doctrinal things,
and then are called "men [homines] of the field."
The case herein is as with one who by nature
inclines to adulteries, thefts, and murders,
but who learns
from the commandments of the Decalogue
that such things are of hell,
and so abstains from them.
In this state he is affected by the commandments
because he is afraid of hell,
and from these
and likewise from many things in the Word
he learns how he ought to direct his life;
and in this case when he does what is good,
he does it from the commandments.
But when he is in good,
he begins to be averse to
the adulteries, thefts, and murders
to which before he had been inclined;
and when he is in this state,
he no longer does what is good
from the commandments,
but from good,
which then is in him.
In the former state he learns good from truth;
in the latter state he teaches truth from good.
-- viri is the plural of a Latin word for man, as in male
-- homines is the plural of a Latin word for man,
as in humanity, or mankind
As regards the good of life from doctrinal things,
which is signified by "a man of the field,"
the case is this:
Those who are being regenerated,
at first do what is good from doctrinal things,
for of themselves they do not know what is good,
but learn it
from the doctrinal things of love and charity;
from these they know who the Lord is;
who is the neighbor;
what love is, and what charity; thus what good is.
When they are in this state
they are in the affection of truth,
and are called "men [viri] of the field;"
but afterwards when they have been regenerated,
they do not do what is good from doctrinal things,
but from love and charity,
for they are then in the good itself
which they have learned through doctrinal things,
and then are called "men [homines] of the field."
The case herein is as with one who by nature
inclines to adulteries, thefts, and murders,
but who learns
from the commandments of the Decalogue
that such things are of hell,
and so abstains from them.
In this state he is affected by the commandments
because he is afraid of hell,
and from these
and likewise from many things in the Word
he learns how he ought to direct his life;
and in this case when he does what is good,
he does it from the commandments.
But when he is in good,
he begins to be averse to
the adulteries, thefts, and murders
to which before he had been inclined;
and when he is in this state,
he no longer does what is good
from the commandments,
but from good,
which then is in him.
In the former state he learns good from truth;
in the latter state he teaches truth from good.
-- viri is the plural of a Latin word for man, as in male
-- homines is the plural of a Latin word for man,
as in humanity, or mankind
Blessed Are They
Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they who keep His statutes
and seek Him with all their heart.
They do nothing wrong;
they walk in His ways.
You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying Your decrees!
Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all Your commands.
I will praise You with an upright heart
as I learn Your righteous laws.
I will obey Your decrees;
do not utterly forsake Me.
(Psalm 119:1-8 - Aleph)
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they who keep His statutes
and seek Him with all their heart.
They do nothing wrong;
they walk in His ways.
You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying Your decrees!
Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all Your commands.
I will praise You with an upright heart
as I learn Your righteous laws.
I will obey Your decrees;
do not utterly forsake Me.
(Psalm 119:1-8 - Aleph)
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
AC 3298 - "Twins Being in Her Womb"; AC 3305 - "Jacob" and "Israel"
AC 3298
As to both the good and the truth of the natural
being conceived together, the case is this:
Whatever is born derives its being from a father
and its manifestation from a mother;
it must have both in order to become something.
The natural as to good is conceived
from the good of the rational as a father,
and as to truth is conceived
from the truth of the rational as a mother.
It is good which gives life,
but through truth.
Both these are called soul,
but still good is principally the soul,
while truth clothes it
as with a kind of tender vessel or body,
so that the good is in the truth.
This is what is signified by "twins being in her womb."
AC 3305 [7]
In the supreme sense of all these passages
by "Jacob" and "Israel" is meant the Lord;
and in the representative sense
the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the church
which is a church from the doctrine of truth
and the life of good.
By "Jacob" are meant those
who are in the externals of this church;
and by "Israel" those who are in its internals.
As to both the good and the truth of the natural
being conceived together, the case is this:
Whatever is born derives its being from a father
and its manifestation from a mother;
it must have both in order to become something.
The natural as to good is conceived
from the good of the rational as a father,
and as to truth is conceived
from the truth of the rational as a mother.
It is good which gives life,
but through truth.
Both these are called soul,
but still good is principally the soul,
while truth clothes it
as with a kind of tender vessel or body,
so that the good is in the truth.
This is what is signified by "twins being in her womb."
AC 3305 [7]
In the supreme sense of all these passages
by "Jacob" and "Israel" is meant the Lord;
and in the representative sense
the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the church
which is a church from the doctrine of truth
and the life of good.
By "Jacob" are meant those
who are in the externals of this church;
and by "Israel" those who are in its internals.
Whoever Is Wise
Whoever is wise,
let him heed these things
and consider the great love of the Lord.
(Psalm 107:43)
let him heed these things
and consider the great love of the Lord.
(Psalm 107:43)
Monday, September 25, 2017
AC 3295 - Part of the Regeneration Process
AC 3295
. . . before a man has been regenerated
he does good from truth;
but after he has been regenerated
he does good from good;
or more clearly, before a man has been regenerated
he does good from the understanding;
but after he has been regenerated, from the will.
The good therefore that is from the understanding
is not in itself good, but truth,
whereas the good which is from the will is good.
For example: one who does not honor his parents,
but from the commandment of the Decalogue
learns to honor them,
when first he honors them,
does it from the commandment;
and as this honor is from the commandment
it is not in itself good,
because it is not from love,
but is either from obedience to the law,
or from fear of the law.
Nevertheless it is called the good of truth,
but in its first coming forth it is truth;
for at that time the man does not do good, but truth;
whereas when the man honors his parents from love,
then it is good.
The same is true in all other cases.
. . . before a man has been regenerated
he does good from truth;
but after he has been regenerated
he does good from good;
or more clearly, before a man has been regenerated
he does good from the understanding;
but after he has been regenerated, from the will.
The good therefore that is from the understanding
is not in itself good, but truth,
whereas the good which is from the will is good.
For example: one who does not honor his parents,
but from the commandment of the Decalogue
learns to honor them,
when first he honors them,
does it from the commandment;
and as this honor is from the commandment
it is not in itself good,
because it is not from love,
but is either from obedience to the law,
or from fear of the law.
Nevertheless it is called the good of truth,
but in its first coming forth it is truth;
for at that time the man does not do good, but truth;
whereas when the man honors his parents from love,
then it is good.
The same is true in all other cases.
Give Thanks to the Lord
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on His name;
make known among the nations
what He has done.
Sing to Him,
sing praise to Him;
tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord
rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength;
see His face always.
(Psalm 105:1-4)
call on His name;
make known among the nations
what He has done.
Sing to Him,
sing praise to Him;
tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord
rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength;
see His face always.
(Psalm 105:1-4)
Sunday, September 24, 2017
AC 3279 - Births; AC 3283 - The Rational
AC 3279
And these are the births of Isaac, the son of Abraham.
(Genesis 25:19)
That this signifies the Lord's Divine rational,
from which is the Divine natural,
is evident from the signification of "births"
as being derivations, namely,
derivations of faith when faith is treated of,
and derivations of the church
when the church is treated of . . ..
But here, since the "births" are predicated of the Lord,
it is Divine births that are meant,
namely, that from the Divine Itself
is born the Divine rational,
which is signified by Isaac being begotten by Abraham;
and that from the Divine rational is the Divine natural,
which is signified by Esau and Jacob being from Isaac;
for by Esau and Jacob
the Lord's Divine natural is represented --
by Esau as to good,
and by Jacob as to truth --
as will be shown in what now follows.
This is what is here signified by the "births."
AC 3283
. . . the rational is that
which ordinates all things in the natural,
and according to
the orderly arrangement of things therein
has them conveniently in view;
the rational being like a higher sight,
which when it looks into
the memory-knowledges of the natural man,
looks upon a field as it were beneath itself.
The light of this sight is the light of truth,
but the origin of the light is from good in the rational.
But more on this subject hereafter.
And these are the births of Isaac, the son of Abraham.
(Genesis 25:19)
That this signifies the Lord's Divine rational,
from which is the Divine natural,
is evident from the signification of "births"
as being derivations, namely,
derivations of faith when faith is treated of,
and derivations of the church
when the church is treated of . . ..
But here, since the "births" are predicated of the Lord,
it is Divine births that are meant,
namely, that from the Divine Itself
is born the Divine rational,
which is signified by Isaac being begotten by Abraham;
and that from the Divine rational is the Divine natural,
which is signified by Esau and Jacob being from Isaac;
for by Esau and Jacob
the Lord's Divine natural is represented --
by Esau as to good,
and by Jacob as to truth --
as will be shown in what now follows.
This is what is here signified by the "births."
AC 3283
. . . the rational is that
which ordinates all things in the natural,
and according to
the orderly arrangement of things therein
has them conveniently in view;
the rational being like a higher sight,
which when it looks into
the memory-knowledges of the natural man,
looks upon a field as it were beneath itself.
The light of this sight is the light of truth,
but the origin of the light is from good in the rational.
But more on this subject hereafter.
If You Make the Most High Your Dwelling
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
"He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust."
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling --
even the Lord, who is my refuge --
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves Me," says the Lord,
"I will rescue him;
I will protect him,
for he acknowledges My name.
He will call upon Me,
and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him My salvation."
(Psalm 91)
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
"He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust."
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling --
even the Lord, who is my refuge --
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves Me," says the Lord,
"I will rescue him;
I will protect him,
for he acknowledges My name.
He will call upon Me,
and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him My salvation."
(Psalm 91)
Saturday, September 23, 2017
AC 3267 - Living in Good
AC 3267 [3]
He who is in charity loves his neighbor,
and when the neighbor differs from him
in matters of belief,
he excuses it
provided that his neighbor lives in good and truth.
He also does not condemn
the well-disposed Gentiles,
although they are ignorant of the Lord,
and do not know anything of the faith.
For he who is in charity,
that is, who lives in good,
receives from the Lord truths of such a quality
as agree with his good,
and Gentiles receive such truths
as in the other life may be bent into truths of faith.
But he who is not in charity,
that is, who does not live in good,
can never receive any truth;
he may indeed know truth,
but it is not implanted in his life;
thus he may indeed have it in his mouth,
but not in his heart.
For truth cannot be conjoined with evil,
and therefore those who know the truths
which are called the articles of belief,
and do not live in charity or in good,
although they are in the church because born in it,
are yet not of the church,
for there is nothing of the church in them,
that is nothing of good
with which truth may be conjoined.
He who is in charity loves his neighbor,
and when the neighbor differs from him
in matters of belief,
he excuses it
provided that his neighbor lives in good and truth.
He also does not condemn
the well-disposed Gentiles,
although they are ignorant of the Lord,
and do not know anything of the faith.
For he who is in charity,
that is, who lives in good,
receives from the Lord truths of such a quality
as agree with his good,
and Gentiles receive such truths
as in the other life may be bent into truths of faith.
But he who is not in charity,
that is, who does not live in good,
can never receive any truth;
he may indeed know truth,
but it is not implanted in his life;
thus he may indeed have it in his mouth,
but not in his heart.
For truth cannot be conjoined with evil,
and therefore those who know the truths
which are called the articles of belief,
and do not live in charity or in good,
although they are in the church because born in it,
are yet not of the church,
for there is nothing of the church in them,
that is nothing of good
with which truth may be conjoined.
I Will Sing of the Lord's Great Love Forever
I will sing of the Lord's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness
known through all generations.
I will declare that Your love stands firm forever,
that you established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.
Righteousness and justice
are the foundation of Your throne;
love and faithfulness go before You.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in Your name all day long;
they exult in Your righteousness.
For You are their glory and strength,
and by Your favor You exalt our horn.
Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
(Psalm 89:1-2, 14-18)
with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness
known through all generations.
I will declare that Your love stands firm forever,
that you established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.
Righteousness and justice
are the foundation of Your throne;
love and faithfulness go before You.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in Your name all day long;
they exult in Your righteousness.
For You are their glory and strength,
and by Your favor You exalt our horn.
Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
(Psalm 89:1-2, 14-18)
Friday, September 22, 2017
AC 3263 - The Lord's Spiritual Church
AC 3263 [2]
As regards the Lord's spiritual church,
be it known that it exists throughout the universal world;
for it is not confined to those
who have the Word and from there
know the Lord and some truths of faith;
but it exists also with those who do have not the Word
and therefore are altogether ignorant of the Lord
and consequently know no truths of faith
(for all the truths of faith regard the Lord);
that is to say, this church exists among the Gentiles
who are remote from the church;
for there are many among them
who from rational light know
that there is one God;
that He has created all things and preserves all things;
and also that from Him is all good,
consequently all truth;
and that likeness to Him makes man blessed;
and moreover they live according to their religion,
in love to that God and in love toward the neighbor;
and from the affection of good
they do works of charity,
and from the affection of truth
they worship the Supreme Being.
The Gentiles who are of this character
are they who belong to the Lord's spiritual church;
and although while in this world
they do not know the Lord,
yet within themselves they have
the worship and tacit acknowledgment of Him
when they are in good,
for in all good the Lord is present;
and therefore in the other life
they easily acknowledge Him,
and receive the truths of faith in Him
more readily than Christians do
who are not in good in this way . . ..
As regards the Lord's spiritual church,
be it known that it exists throughout the universal world;
for it is not confined to those
who have the Word and from there
know the Lord and some truths of faith;
but it exists also with those who do have not the Word
and therefore are altogether ignorant of the Lord
and consequently know no truths of faith
(for all the truths of faith regard the Lord);
that is to say, this church exists among the Gentiles
who are remote from the church;
for there are many among them
who from rational light know
that there is one God;
that He has created all things and preserves all things;
and also that from Him is all good,
consequently all truth;
and that likeness to Him makes man blessed;
and moreover they live according to their religion,
in love to that God and in love toward the neighbor;
and from the affection of good
they do works of charity,
and from the affection of truth
they worship the Supreme Being.
The Gentiles who are of this character
are they who belong to the Lord's spiritual church;
and although while in this world
they do not know the Lord,
yet within themselves they have
the worship and tacit acknowledgment of Him
when they are in good,
for in all good the Lord is present;
and therefore in the other life
they easily acknowledge Him,
and receive the truths of faith in Him
more readily than Christians do
who are not in good in this way . . ..
Hear, O My People
"Hear, O My people, and I will warn you --
if you would but listen to Me, O Israel!
You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
"But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
"If My people would but listen to Me,
if Israel would follow My ways,
how quickly would I subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before Him,
and their punishment would last forever.
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock
I would satisfy you."
(Psalm 81:8-16)
if you would but listen to Me, O Israel!
You shall have no foreign god among you;
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
"But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.
"If My people would but listen to Me,
if Israel would follow My ways,
how quickly would I subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before Him,
and their punishment would last forever.
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
with honey from the rock
I would satisfy you."
(Psalm 81:8-16)
Thursday, September 21, 2017
AC 3246 - Wife and Women or Concubine
AC 3246 [3-4]
In former times,
in order that both the celestial and the spiritual
might be represented in marriages,
it was permissible for a man
to have a concubine in addition to a wife;
such concubine being given to the husband by the wife,
and she was then called his "woman,"
or was said to be "given to him for a woman,"
as when Hagar the Egyptian
was given to Abraham by Sarah (Gen. 16:3);
when Bilhah the handmaid
was given by Rachel to Jacob (Gen. 30:4),
and the handmaid Zilpah to Jacob
by Leah (Gen. 30:9).
They are there called "women,"
but elsewhere they are called "concubines,"
as Hagar the Egyptian in this verse,
and Bilhah in Genesis 35:22,
also Keturah herself in 1 Chronicles 1:32.
That those ancients had concubines besides a wife,
as was the case not only with Abraham and Jacob,
but also with their descendants,
as Gideon (Judges 8:31), Saul (2 Sam. 3:7),
David (2 Sam. 5:13; 15:16), and Solomon (1 Kings 11:3),
was of permission,
for the sake of the representation,
namely, of the celestial church by a wife,
and of the spiritual church by a concubine:
this was of permission
because they were such
that they had no conjugial love,
neither was marriage to them marriage,
but only a carnal coupling
for the sake of procreating offspring.
To such there might be permissions
without injury to conjugial love,
and consequently to its covenant;
but never to those who are in good and truth,
and who are or can become internal men;
for as soon as man is in good and truth,
and in things internal,
such things cease.
For this reason it is not allowable for Christians,
as it was for the Jews,
to take to themselves
a concubine together with a wife,
for this is adultery.
In former times,
in order that both the celestial and the spiritual
might be represented in marriages,
it was permissible for a man
to have a concubine in addition to a wife;
such concubine being given to the husband by the wife,
and she was then called his "woman,"
or was said to be "given to him for a woman,"
as when Hagar the Egyptian
was given to Abraham by Sarah (Gen. 16:3);
when Bilhah the handmaid
was given by Rachel to Jacob (Gen. 30:4),
and the handmaid Zilpah to Jacob
by Leah (Gen. 30:9).
They are there called "women,"
but elsewhere they are called "concubines,"
as Hagar the Egyptian in this verse,
and Bilhah in Genesis 35:22,
also Keturah herself in 1 Chronicles 1:32.
That those ancients had concubines besides a wife,
as was the case not only with Abraham and Jacob,
but also with their descendants,
as Gideon (Judges 8:31), Saul (2 Sam. 3:7),
David (2 Sam. 5:13; 15:16), and Solomon (1 Kings 11:3),
was of permission,
for the sake of the representation,
namely, of the celestial church by a wife,
and of the spiritual church by a concubine:
this was of permission
because they were such
that they had no conjugial love,
neither was marriage to them marriage,
but only a carnal coupling
for the sake of procreating offspring.
To such there might be permissions
without injury to conjugial love,
and consequently to its covenant;
but never to those who are in good and truth,
and who are or can become internal men;
for as soon as man is in good and truth,
and in things internal,
such things cease.
For this reason it is not allowable for Christians,
as it was for the Jews,
to take to themselves
a concubine together with a wife,
for this is adultery.
O God, You Are My King
But You, O God, are my king from of old;
You bring salvation upon the earth.
The day is Yours,
and Yours also the night;
You established the sun and moon.
It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made both summer and winter.
(Psalm 74:12, 16-17)
You bring salvation upon the earth.
The day is Yours,
and Yours also the night;
You established the sun and moon.
It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth;
You made both summer and winter.
(Psalm 74:12, 16-17)
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
AC 3240 - The Celestial Church, the Spiritual Church
AC 3240
Those who are of the celestial church,
and are called celestial,
are in love,
that is to say they are in the good and truth of love;
while those who are of the spiritual church,
and are called spiritual,
are in faith,
that is, they are in the good and truth of faith.
The good which the celestial have
is that of love to the Lord,
and their truth is that of love to the neighbor;
whereas the good which the spiritual have
is that of charity toward the neighbor,
and their truth is that of faith,
insofar as this truth is doctrine concerning charity.
This shows that the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
as well as His celestial kingdom,
has good and truth,
but with much difference.
Those who are of the celestial church,
and are called celestial,
are in love,
that is to say they are in the good and truth of love;
while those who are of the spiritual church,
and are called spiritual,
are in faith,
that is, they are in the good and truth of faith.
The good which the celestial have
is that of love to the Lord,
and their truth is that of love to the neighbor;
whereas the good which the spiritual have
is that of charity toward the neighbor,
and their truth is that of faith,
insofar as this truth is doctrine concerning charity.
This shows that the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
as well as His celestial kingdom,
has good and truth,
but with much difference.
Praise Be to the Lord
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign Lord
comes escape from death.
(Psalm 68:19-20)
who daily bears our burdens.
Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign Lord
comes escape from death.
(Psalm 68:19-20)
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
AC 3234 - Abraham and Keturah
AC 3234
And Abraham added, and took a woman,
and her name was Keturah.
(Genesis 25:1)
"And Abraham added, and took a woman,"
signifies another state of the Lord,
whom Abraham represents;
Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord
as to the Divine celestial;
Abraham and Keturah represented the Lord
as to the Divine spiritual;
thus Abraham here represents the Lord
as to Divine good spiritual,
and his woman as to Divine truth
adjoined to this good;
"and her name was Keturah,"
signifies the essence of this Divine truth.
And Abraham added, and took a woman,
and her name was Keturah.
(Genesis 25:1)
"And Abraham added, and took a woman,"
signifies another state of the Lord,
whom Abraham represents;
Abraham and Sarah represented the Lord
as to the Divine celestial;
Abraham and Keturah represented the Lord
as to the Divine spiritual;
thus Abraham here represents the Lord
as to Divine good spiritual,
and his woman as to Divine truth
adjoined to this good;
"and her name was Keturah,"
signifies the essence of this Divine truth.
One Thing, Two Things
One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that You, O God, are strong,
and that You, O Lord, are loving.
Surely You will reward each person
according to what he has done.
(Psalm 62:11-12)
two things have I heard:
that You, O God, are strong,
and that You, O Lord, are loving.
Surely You will reward each person
according to what he has done.
(Psalm 62:11-12)
Monday, September 18, 2017
Those Who Love the Lord
AC 3224
. . . those who are in love to the Lord
and in love toward the neighbor,
thus in spiritual heat,
which is of the light of heaven,
are affected with goods and truths,
which extinguish falsities . . ..
. . . those who are in love to the Lord
and in love toward the neighbor,
thus in spiritual heat,
which is of the light of heaven,
are affected with goods and truths,
which extinguish falsities . . ..
Create in Me
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
_________________
Cast your cares on the Lord
and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall.
(Psalm 51:10-12; 55:22)
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence
or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
_________________
Cast your cares on the Lord
and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall.
(Psalm 51:10-12; 55:22)
Sunday, September 17, 2017
AC 3212 - Being Regenerated, or Being Made New
AC 3212 [3]
When man is being regenerated,
he is then becoming altogether another,
and is being made new;
therefore also when he has been regenerated,
he is called "born again," and "created anew."
Then, although he has
a similar face and a similar speech,
yet his mind is not similar;
his mind, when he is regenerate,
is open toward heaven,
and there dwells therein love to the Lord
and charity toward his neighbor,
together with faith.
It is the mind that makes a man another,
and a new man.
This change of state
cannot be perceived in the body of man,
but in his spirit,
the body being merely the covering of his spirit;
and when it is put off, then his spirit appears,
and this (provided he has been regenerated)
in altogether another form,
for it then has the form
of love and charity in beauty inexpressible . . ..
When man is being regenerated,
he is then becoming altogether another,
and is being made new;
therefore also when he has been regenerated,
he is called "born again," and "created anew."
Then, although he has
a similar face and a similar speech,
yet his mind is not similar;
his mind, when he is regenerate,
is open toward heaven,
and there dwells therein love to the Lord
and charity toward his neighbor,
together with faith.
It is the mind that makes a man another,
and a new man.
This change of state
cannot be perceived in the body of man,
but in his spirit,
the body being merely the covering of his spirit;
and when it is put off, then his spirit appears,
and this (provided he has been regenerated)
in altogether another form,
for it then has the form
of love and charity in beauty inexpressible . . ..
Saturday, September 16, 2017
AC 3207 - Appearances of Truth
AC 3207 [2, 3, 5]
Appearances of truth are not truths in themselves,
but they appear as truths . . ..
Be it known however that neither with man,
nor indeed with an angel,
are any truths ever pure,
that is devoid of appearances;
for all both in general and in particular
are appearances of truth;
nevertheless they are accepted by the Lord as truths,
provided good is in them.
To the Lord alone belong pure truths,
because Divine;
for as the Lord is Good itself,
so He is Truth itself.
In order that some idea may be formed
of what appearances of truth are,
let the following examples serve for illustration.
I. Man believes that he is reformed and regenerated
through the truth of faith;
but this is an appearance;
he is reformed and regenerated
through the good of faith, that is,
through charity toward the neighbor
and love to the Lord.
II. Man believes that truth enables us
to perceive what good is, because it teaches;
but this is an appearance;
it is good that enables truth to perceive,
for good is the soul or life of truth.
III. Man believes that truth introduces to good
when he lives
according to the truth which he has learned;
but it is good which flows into truth,
and introduces it to itself.
IV. It appears to man that truth perfects good,
when yet good perfects truth.
V. Goods of life appear to man
to be the fruits of faith;
but they are the fruits of charity.
From these few examples
it may in some measure be known
what appearances of truth are.
Such appearances are innumerable.
Appearances of truth are not truths in themselves,
but they appear as truths . . ..
Be it known however that neither with man,
nor indeed with an angel,
are any truths ever pure,
that is devoid of appearances;
for all both in general and in particular
are appearances of truth;
nevertheless they are accepted by the Lord as truths,
provided good is in them.
To the Lord alone belong pure truths,
because Divine;
for as the Lord is Good itself,
so He is Truth itself.
In order that some idea may be formed
of what appearances of truth are,
let the following examples serve for illustration.
I. Man believes that he is reformed and regenerated
through the truth of faith;
but this is an appearance;
he is reformed and regenerated
through the good of faith, that is,
through charity toward the neighbor
and love to the Lord.
II. Man believes that truth enables us
to perceive what good is, because it teaches;
but this is an appearance;
it is good that enables truth to perceive,
for good is the soul or life of truth.
III. Man believes that truth introduces to good
when he lives
according to the truth which he has learned;
but it is good which flows into truth,
and introduces it to itself.
IV. It appears to man that truth perfects good,
when yet good perfects truth.
V. Goods of life appear to man
to be the fruits of faith;
but they are the fruits of charity.
From these few examples
it may in some measure be known
what appearances of truth are.
Such appearances are innumerable.
The Righteous Man
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him.
(Psalm 37:30-31, 39-40)
and his tongue speaks what is just.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him.
(Psalm 37:30-31, 39-40)
Friday, September 15, 2017
AC 3203 - The Case with All Truth
AC 3203 [2-4]
. . . in the first age it is a matter of memory-knowledge,
but as the man advances in age it becomes of the life.
The case herein is like that of children
when they are learning to walk, to speak, to think,
also to see from the understanding,
and to conclude from the judgment;
which things,
when by habit they have become voluntary,
and thus spontaneous,
vanish from among matters of memory-knowledge,
and flow forth of their own accord.
So also is it with those things which are
of the knowledges of spiritual good and truth with men
who from the Lord are being regenerated or born again;
in the beginning such men are not unlike children,
and at first spiritual truths are to them
mere memory-knowledges;
for doctrinal things,
when being learned and inserted in the memory,
are nothing else;
but these are successively called forth
from there by the Lord,
and are implanted in the life,
that is, in good; for good is life.
When this has been effected
there takes place as it were a turning round,
namely, that the man begins to act from good,
that is, from life,
and no longer as before from memory-knowledge.
Thus he who is being born anew
is in this respect like a child
(although the things absorbed are of the spiritual life);
until he no longer acts from what is doctrinal, or truth;
but from charity, or good;
and when this is the case,
he then for the first time is in a blessed state,
and is in wisdom.
All this shows what it is to be separated
from the memory-knowledges in the natural man,
which is signified
by Rebekah's alighting from off the camel;
and this before she knew
that it was Isaac (the Divine rational);
in which circumstances,
as everyone can see, some arcana are involved.
. . . in the first age it is a matter of memory-knowledge,
but as the man advances in age it becomes of the life.
The case herein is like that of children
when they are learning to walk, to speak, to think,
also to see from the understanding,
and to conclude from the judgment;
which things,
when by habit they have become voluntary,
and thus spontaneous,
vanish from among matters of memory-knowledge,
and flow forth of their own accord.
So also is it with those things which are
of the knowledges of spiritual good and truth with men
who from the Lord are being regenerated or born again;
in the beginning such men are not unlike children,
and at first spiritual truths are to them
mere memory-knowledges;
for doctrinal things,
when being learned and inserted in the memory,
are nothing else;
but these are successively called forth
from there by the Lord,
and are implanted in the life,
that is, in good; for good is life.
When this has been effected
there takes place as it were a turning round,
namely, that the man begins to act from good,
that is, from life,
and no longer as before from memory-knowledge.
Thus he who is being born anew
is in this respect like a child
(although the things absorbed are of the spiritual life);
until he no longer acts from what is doctrinal, or truth;
but from charity, or good;
and when this is the case,
he then for the first time is in a blessed state,
and is in wisdom.
All this shows what it is to be separated
from the memory-knowledges in the natural man,
which is signified
by Rebekah's alighting from off the camel;
and this before she knew
that it was Isaac (the Divine rational);
in which circumstances,
as everyone can see, some arcana are involved.
Ascribe to the Lord
Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.
The Lord gives strength to His people.
The Lord blesses His people with peace.
(Psalm 29:1-2, 11)
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.
The Lord gives strength to His people.
The Lord blesses His people with peace.
(Psalm 29:1-2, 11)
Thursday, September 14, 2017
AC 3194, 3195 - The Lord and His Light
AC 3194
The veriest (essential) Divine has Good and Truth;
the Lord as to the Divine Human
came forth from the Divine good,
and was born of the Divine truth;
or what is the same,
the very esse [or being] of the Lord was Divine good,
and the very existere [or manifestation] was Divine truth;
and this was the source of the Lord's Divine good rational,
with which He conjoined
the Divine truth from the Human.
AC 3195 [2, 3, 5, 7]
In the Word frequent mention is made of "light,"
and by this in the internal sense
is signified the truth which is from good
but in the supreme internal sense
there is signified the Lord Himself,
because He is good and truth itself.
Moreover there actually is light in heaven,
but infinitely brighter than the light on earth;
and in this light
spirits and angels see one another,
and by means of it is displayed
all the glory which is in heaven.
In regard to its lucidity,
this light does indeed appear like the light in the world;
but still it is not like it,
for it is not natural, but spiritual, having in it wisdom;
so that it is nothing else than wisdom
which so shines before the eyes of the angels;
and therefore the wiser the angels are,
the brighter is the light in which they are.
Moreover this light illumines the understanding of man,
especially that of a regenerate man;
but it is not perceived by man
so long as he is in the life of the body,
because of the light of the world,
which then is regnant (dominate, ruling).
As regards the very origin of light,
this has been from eternity from the Lord alone;
for Divine good itself and Divine truth,
from which light comes,
is the Lord.
The Divine Human, which was from eternity,
was this light itself.
And whereas this light
could no longer affect the human race,
which had removed itself so far from good and truth,
thus from light,
and had cast itself into darkness,
therefore the Lord willed to put on by birth
the human itself;
for thus He could illumine
not only the rational
but also the natural things of man;
for He made both
the rational and the natural in Himself Divine,
in order that He might also be a light
to those who were in such gross darkness.
He that sees Me sees Him that sent Me;
I am come a light into the world,
that whosoever believes in Me
may not abide in the darkness.
(John 12:45-46)
The holy city New Jerusalem,
descending from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,
has no need of the sun,
neither of the moon,
to shine in it;
the glory of God will enlighten it,
and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.
(Rev. 21:2, 23)
The veriest (essential) Divine has Good and Truth;
the Lord as to the Divine Human
came forth from the Divine good,
and was born of the Divine truth;
or what is the same,
the very esse [or being] of the Lord was Divine good,
and the very existere [or manifestation] was Divine truth;
and this was the source of the Lord's Divine good rational,
with which He conjoined
the Divine truth from the Human.
AC 3195 [2, 3, 5, 7]
In the Word frequent mention is made of "light,"
and by this in the internal sense
is signified the truth which is from good
but in the supreme internal sense
there is signified the Lord Himself,
because He is good and truth itself.
Moreover there actually is light in heaven,
but infinitely brighter than the light on earth;
and in this light
spirits and angels see one another,
and by means of it is displayed
all the glory which is in heaven.
In regard to its lucidity,
this light does indeed appear like the light in the world;
but still it is not like it,
for it is not natural, but spiritual, having in it wisdom;
so that it is nothing else than wisdom
which so shines before the eyes of the angels;
and therefore the wiser the angels are,
the brighter is the light in which they are.
Moreover this light illumines the understanding of man,
especially that of a regenerate man;
but it is not perceived by man
so long as he is in the life of the body,
because of the light of the world,
which then is regnant (dominate, ruling).
As regards the very origin of light,
this has been from eternity from the Lord alone;
for Divine good itself and Divine truth,
from which light comes,
is the Lord.
The Divine Human, which was from eternity,
was this light itself.
And whereas this light
could no longer affect the human race,
which had removed itself so far from good and truth,
thus from light,
and had cast itself into darkness,
therefore the Lord willed to put on by birth
the human itself;
for thus He could illumine
not only the rational
but also the natural things of man;
for He made both
the rational and the natural in Himself Divine,
in order that He might also be a light
to those who were in such gross darkness.
He that sees Me sees Him that sent Me;
I am come a light into the world,
that whosoever believes in Me
may not abide in the darkness.
(John 12:45-46)
The holy city New Jerusalem,
descending from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,
has no need of the sun,
neither of the moon,
to shine in it;
the glory of God will enlighten it,
and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.
(Rev. 21:2, 23)
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom
coming forth from His pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord,
my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19)
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom
coming forth from His pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord,
my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalm 19)
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
AC 3190 - When Truth Is Elevated
AC 3190
. . . when truth is elevated
out of the natural into the rational,
it is taken out of the sphere of worldly light
into the sphere of heavenly light,
thus as it were
from the obscurity of night
into the clearness of day;
for the things which are of the light of the world,
in which are all natural things,
are relatively as in night,
but the things which are of the light of heaven,
in which are spiritual things,
are relatively as in day;
and therefore when truth is elevated
out of the natural toward the rational,
the man is at the same time
elevated into intelligence and into wisdom;
moreover all intelligence and wisdom with man
are from this source.
This is what is signified by the intellectual part
being elevated above natural memory-knowledges.
. . . when truth is elevated
out of the natural into the rational,
it is taken out of the sphere of worldly light
into the sphere of heavenly light,
thus as it were
from the obscurity of night
into the clearness of day;
for the things which are of the light of the world,
in which are all natural things,
are relatively as in night,
but the things which are of the light of heaven,
in which are spiritual things,
are relatively as in day;
and therefore when truth is elevated
out of the natural toward the rational,
the man is at the same time
elevated into intelligence and into wisdom;
moreover all intelligence and wisdom with man
are from this source.
This is what is signified by the intellectual part
being elevated above natural memory-knowledges.
How long, O Lord?
How long, O Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide Your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes,
or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say,
"I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in Your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for He has been good to me.
(Psalm 13)
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide Your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes,
or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say,
"I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in Your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for He has been good to me.
(Psalm 13)
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
AC 3175, 3179 - Good, Truth, Regeneration
AC 3175 [2]
. . . unless man is rational, he is not man;
and therefore according to
the quality and the measure of a man's rational,
such is the quality and the measure of the man.
Man cannot possibly be rational
unless he possesses good.
The good whereby man surpasses the animals,
is to love God,
and to love the neighbor;
all human good is from this.
Into this good
truth must be initiated and conjoined,
and this in the rational.
Truth is initiated into good and conjoined with it
when man loves God and loves his neighbor,
for then truth enters into good,
inasmuch as good and truth mutually
acknowledge each other,
all truth being from good,
and having respect to good
as its end and as its soul,
and thus as the source of its life.
AC 3179
. . . the things that take place during man's regeneration
are altogether unknown to him;
and if he were to know
only one out of ten thousand of them
he would be astounded.
There are innumerable, indeed, unlimited secret things
by which man is, at that time, led of the Lord,
some only of which shine forth
from the internal sense of the Word.
. . . unless man is rational, he is not man;
and therefore according to
the quality and the measure of a man's rational,
such is the quality and the measure of the man.
Man cannot possibly be rational
unless he possesses good.
The good whereby man surpasses the animals,
is to love God,
and to love the neighbor;
all human good is from this.
Into this good
truth must be initiated and conjoined,
and this in the rational.
Truth is initiated into good and conjoined with it
when man loves God and loves his neighbor,
for then truth enters into good,
inasmuch as good and truth mutually
acknowledge each other,
all truth being from good,
and having respect to good
as its end and as its soul,
and thus as the source of its life.
AC 3179
. . . the things that take place during man's regeneration
are altogether unknown to him;
and if he were to know
only one out of ten thousand of them
he would be astounded.
There are innumerable, indeed, unlimited secret things
by which man is, at that time, led of the Lord,
some only of which shine forth
from the internal sense of the Word.
How Majestic Is Your Name, O Lord!
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
You have ordained praise
because of Your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place,
what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that You care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
(Psalm 8)
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants
You have ordained praise
because of Your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place,
what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that You care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
(Psalm 8)
Monday, September 11, 2017
AC 3167 - Process; AC 3170 - Unrest and Peace
AC 3167 [end 1-2]
Man has been so created
that in him spiritual things and natural things,
that is, his spiritual and natural man,
should agree or make a one;
but in this case
the spiritual man ought to dispose
all things in the natural,
and the natural ought to obey,
as a servant his lord.
But by the fall
the natural man began to exalt itself
above the spiritual man,
and thus inverted Divine order itself;
consequently the natural man separated itself
from the spiritual,
and no longer possessed any spiritual things,
except such as could enter as through chinks,
and confer the capacity of thinking and speaking.
But in order that spiritual things
might again flow into the natural man,
this had to be regenerated by the Lord;
that is, truth out of the natural man
must be initiated and conjoined
with good in the rational;
and when this is effected,
spiritual things come to the natural man,
for then the light of heaven flows in
and enlightens the things in the natural man,
and causes them to receive light;
the goods therein
the heat of light, that is, love and charity;
and the truth the rays of light, that is, faith;
and in this way natural good and natural truth
receive spiritual things.
In this case
natural good is all the delight and pleasure
that come from having as an end
the being of service to what is spiritual,
thus to the neighbor,
still more to the public well-being,
and still more to the Lord's kingdom,
and above all to the Lord;
and natural truth
is all the doctrine and memory-knowledge
that has as an end to be wise,
that is, the doing of these things.
AC 3170
. . . all unrest is from evil and falsity,
and all peace is from good and truth.
Man has been so created
that in him spiritual things and natural things,
that is, his spiritual and natural man,
should agree or make a one;
but in this case
the spiritual man ought to dispose
all things in the natural,
and the natural ought to obey,
as a servant his lord.
But by the fall
the natural man began to exalt itself
above the spiritual man,
and thus inverted Divine order itself;
consequently the natural man separated itself
from the spiritual,
and no longer possessed any spiritual things,
except such as could enter as through chinks,
and confer the capacity of thinking and speaking.
But in order that spiritual things
might again flow into the natural man,
this had to be regenerated by the Lord;
that is, truth out of the natural man
must be initiated and conjoined
with good in the rational;
and when this is effected,
spiritual things come to the natural man,
for then the light of heaven flows in
and enlightens the things in the natural man,
and causes them to receive light;
the goods therein
the heat of light, that is, love and charity;
and the truth the rays of light, that is, faith;
and in this way natural good and natural truth
receive spiritual things.
In this case
natural good is all the delight and pleasure
that come from having as an end
the being of service to what is spiritual,
thus to the neighbor,
still more to the public well-being,
and still more to the Lord's kingdom,
and above all to the Lord;
and natural truth
is all the doctrine and memory-knowledge
that has as an end to be wise,
that is, the doing of these things.
AC 3170
. . . all unrest is from evil and falsity,
and all peace is from good and truth.
Invasion
During Jehoiakim's reign,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land,
Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years.
But then he changed his mind
and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite
and Ammonite raiders against him.
He sent them to destroy Judah,
in accordance with the word of the Lord
proclaimed by His servants the prophets.
Surely these things happened to Judah
according to the Lord's command,
in order to remove them from His presence
because of the sins of Manasseh
and all he had done . . ..
The king of Egypt
did not march out from his own country again,
because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
(II Kings 24:1-3, 7)
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land,
Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years.
But then he changed his mind
and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite
and Ammonite raiders against him.
He sent them to destroy Judah,
in accordance with the word of the Lord
proclaimed by His servants the prophets.
Surely these things happened to Judah
according to the Lord's command,
in order to remove them from His presence
because of the sins of Manasseh
and all he had done . . ..
The king of Egypt
did not march out from his own country again,
because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
(II Kings 24:1-3, 7)
Sunday, September 10, 2017
AC 3161 - From Memory to Life
AC 3161 [2]
For it is well known that man is not born rational,
but only into the capacity of becoming rational;
and that he becomes so through memory-knowledges,
namely through knowledges
of many genera and species,
the first of which are means
leading to those which follow next,
and this in order even to the last,
which are knowledges of the spiritual things
of the Lord's kingdom,
and are called doctrinal things.
That these are learned in part from the doctrine of faith,
in part immediately from the Word,
and so in part by the man's own study,
is also well known.
So long as these doctrinal things
are only in the memory,
they are only truths in the form of memory-knowledge;
nor are they yet appropriated to the man as his;
but they are for the first time
appropriated to him when he begins
to love them for the sake of life,
and still more when he applies them to life.
When this is done,
then the truths are raised
out of the natural memory into the rational,
and are there conjoined with good;
and when they have been conjoined,
they are no longer of memory-knowledge merely,
but of the life;
for then the man no longer learns from truths
how he should live,
but lives from them,
and thereby the truths are appropriated to him,
and become of the will.
Thus man enters into the heavenly marriage;
for the heavenly marriage
is the conjunction of good and truth in the rational.
These things the Lord does with men.
For it is well known that man is not born rational,
but only into the capacity of becoming rational;
and that he becomes so through memory-knowledges,
namely through knowledges
of many genera and species,
the first of which are means
leading to those which follow next,
and this in order even to the last,
which are knowledges of the spiritual things
of the Lord's kingdom,
and are called doctrinal things.
That these are learned in part from the doctrine of faith,
in part immediately from the Word,
and so in part by the man's own study,
is also well known.
So long as these doctrinal things
are only in the memory,
they are only truths in the form of memory-knowledge;
nor are they yet appropriated to the man as his;
but they are for the first time
appropriated to him when he begins
to love them for the sake of life,
and still more when he applies them to life.
When this is done,
then the truths are raised
out of the natural memory into the rational,
and are there conjoined with good;
and when they have been conjoined,
they are no longer of memory-knowledge merely,
but of the life;
for then the man no longer learns from truths
how he should live,
but lives from them,
and thereby the truths are appropriated to him,
and become of the will.
Thus man enters into the heavenly marriage;
for the heavenly marriage
is the conjunction of good and truth in the rational.
These things the Lord does with men.
Amon, then Josiah, Kings of Judah
Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.
. . . He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
as his father Manasseh had done.
He walked in all the ways of his father;
he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped,
and bowed down to them.
He forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers,
and did not walk in the way of the Lord.
. . . He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza.
And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.
Josiah was eight years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah;
she was from Bozkath.
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
and walked in all the ways of his father David,
not turning aside to the right or the left.
(II Kings 21:19-22, 26; 22:1-2)
and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.
. . . He did evil in the eyes of the Lord,
as his father Manasseh had done.
He walked in all the ways of his father;
he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped,
and bowed down to them.
He forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers,
and did not walk in the way of the Lord.
. . . He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza.
And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.
Josiah was eight years old when he became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah;
she was from Bozkath.
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
and walked in all the ways of his father David,
not turning aside to the right or the left.
(II Kings 21:19-22, 26; 22:1-2)
Saturday, September 09, 2017
AC 3142 - Sweeping the House, Sweeping the Way; AC 3143 - Use
AC 3142
The reason "to sweep" signifies
to prepare and to be filled,
is that nothing else is required of man
than to sweep the house;
that is, to reject the desires of evil
and the derivative persuasions of falsity;
for he is then filled with goods,
because good is continually flowing in from the Lord -
but into "the house," that is,
into the man who is purified from such things
as impede the influx,
that is, which reflect, or pervert, or suffocate
the inflowing good.
So it was common with the ancients
to speak of sweeping or cleaning the house,
and of sweeping and preparing the way;
and by sweeping the house was meant
to purify one's self from evils,
and thereby to prepare one's self for goods to enter;
but by sweeping the way was meant
to prepare one's self so that truths might be received
(for by a "house" was signified good;
and by a "way," truth.)
AC 3143
. . . all things that belong to the natural man
are for no other use
than to serve the spiritual . . ..
The reason "to sweep" signifies
to prepare and to be filled,
is that nothing else is required of man
than to sweep the house;
that is, to reject the desires of evil
and the derivative persuasions of falsity;
for he is then filled with goods,
because good is continually flowing in from the Lord -
but into "the house," that is,
into the man who is purified from such things
as impede the influx,
that is, which reflect, or pervert, or suffocate
the inflowing good.
So it was common with the ancients
to speak of sweeping or cleaning the house,
and of sweeping and preparing the way;
and by sweeping the house was meant
to purify one's self from evils,
and thereby to prepare one's self for goods to enter;
but by sweeping the way was meant
to prepare one's self so that truths might be received
(for by a "house" was signified good;
and by a "way," truth.)
AC 3143
. . . all things that belong to the natural man
are for no other use
than to serve the spiritual . . ..
They Did Not Listen
So one of the priests
who had been exiled from Samaria
came to live in Bethel
and taught them how to worship the Lord.
Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods
in the several towns where they settled,
and set them up in the shrines
the people of Samaria had made at the high places.
To this day they persist in their former practices.
They neither worship the Lord
nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances,
the laws and commands
that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob,
whom He named Israel.
When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites,
He commanded them:
"Do not bow down to them,
serve them or sacrifice to them.
But the Lord,
who brought you up out of Egypt
with mighty power and outstretched arm,
is the One you must worship.
To Him you shall bow down
and to Him offer sacrifices.
You must always be careful
to keep the decrees and ordinances,
the laws and commands He wrote for you.
Do not worship other gods.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you,
and do not worship other gods.
Rather, worship the Lord your God;
it is He who will deliver you
from the hand of all your enemies."
They would not listen, however,
but persisted in their former practices.
Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,
they were serving their idols.
To this day
their children and grandchildren
continue to do as their fathers did.
(II Kings 17:28-29, 33-41)
who had been exiled from Samaria
came to live in Bethel
and taught them how to worship the Lord.
Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods
in the several towns where they settled,
and set them up in the shrines
the people of Samaria had made at the high places.
To this day they persist in their former practices.
They neither worship the Lord
nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances,
the laws and commands
that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob,
whom He named Israel.
When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites,
He commanded them:
"Do not bow down to them,
serve them or sacrifice to them.
But the Lord,
who brought you up out of Egypt
with mighty power and outstretched arm,
is the One you must worship.
To Him you shall bow down
and to Him offer sacrifices.
You must always be careful
to keep the decrees and ordinances,
the laws and commands He wrote for you.
Do not worship other gods.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you,
and do not worship other gods.
Rather, worship the Lord your God;
it is He who will deliver you
from the hand of all your enemies."
They would not listen, however,
but persisted in their former practices.
Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,
they were serving their idols.
To this day
their children and grandchildren
continue to do as their fathers did.
(II Kings 17:28-29, 33-41)
Friday, September 08, 2017
AC 3128, 3137 - Enlightenment
AC 3128 [3]
Concerning the enlightenment from good
by way of truth in the natural man, . . . the case is this:
Divine Good with man flows into his rational,
and through the rational into his natural,
and even into his factual knowledge, that is,
into the knowledges and matters of doctrine there,
as has been stated.
Then by fitting the truths there to itself,
the inflowing Divine Good shapes them for itself,
and by means of them
enlightens everything in the natural man.
But if the life of the natural man is such
that it does not receive Divine Good,
but either rejects, or perverts, or stifles it,
Divine Good cannot fit truths to itself
and so shape them for itself.
As a consequence the natural
cannot be enlightened any longer,
for enlightenment in the natural man
is effected by good through truths;
and when there is no longer any enlightenment
no reformation can take place.
AC 3137
. . . where there is Divine truth,
there is also enlightenment.
Concerning the enlightenment from good
by way of truth in the natural man, . . . the case is this:
Divine Good with man flows into his rational,
and through the rational into his natural,
and even into his factual knowledge, that is,
into the knowledges and matters of doctrine there,
as has been stated.
Then by fitting the truths there to itself,
the inflowing Divine Good shapes them for itself,
and by means of them
enlightens everything in the natural man.
But if the life of the natural man is such
that it does not receive Divine Good,
but either rejects, or perverts, or stifles it,
Divine Good cannot fit truths to itself
and so shape them for itself.
As a consequence the natural
cannot be enlightened any longer,
for enlightenment in the natural man
is effected by good through truths;
and when there is no longer any enlightenment
no reformation can take place.
AC 3137
. . . where there is Divine truth,
there is also enlightenment.
Jehoiada and Joash
Johoiada then made a covenant
between the Lord and the king and people
that they would be the Lord's people.
He also made a covenant
between the king and the people.
All the people of the land
went to the temple of Baal and tore it down.
They smashed the altars and idols to pieces
and killed Mattan the priest of Baal
in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards
at the temple of the Lord.
In the seventh year of Jehu,
Joash became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years.
His mother's name of Zibiah;
she was from Beersheba.
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
The high places, however, were not removed;
the people continued to offer sacrifices
and and burn incense there.
(II Kings 11:17-18; 12:1-3)
between the Lord and the king and people
that they would be the Lord's people.
He also made a covenant
between the king and the people.
All the people of the land
went to the temple of Baal and tore it down.
They smashed the altars and idols to pieces
and killed Mattan the priest of Baal
in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards
at the temple of the Lord.
In the seventh year of Jehu,
Joash became king,
and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years.
His mother's name of Zibiah;
she was from Beersheba.
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
The high places, however, were not removed;
the people continued to offer sacrifices
and and burn incense there.
(II Kings 11:17-18; 12:1-3)
Thursday, September 07, 2017
AC 3116, 3125 - Exploration
AC 3125
AC 3116, 3125
Exploration takes place . . .
with every man who is being reformed,
and also with everyone who receives remains;
but of this exploration the man knows nothing at all;
it is so entirely in obscurity with him
that he does not even believe that there is any;
when yet it is taking place every moment,
but from the Lord,
who alone sees man's state --
not only his present state,
but also his future state to eternity.
The exploration is a most exquisite balancing,
to prevent even the least of falsity
from being conjoined with good,
and the least of truth from being conjoined with evil;
for if there should be such conjunction,
the man would perish eternally;
because then in the other life
he would hang between hell and heaven;
and by reason of the good
he would be spewed out from hell,
and by reason of the evil
from heaven.
. . . as the Lord, by His own proper power,
made His rational Divine in respect to truth
as well as in respect to good,
He therefore explored the truth
which He conjoined with good.
But with men,
truth is never conjoined with good by their own power,
but by the power of the Lord;
which may be seen from the fact
that all good and truth flow in from the Lord,
and that all reformation and regeneration
are from the Lord,
and that man does not know
one whit of how he is regenerated.
At the present day he does not even know
that he is regenerated by truth and good,
still less that truth is initiated and conjoined with good,
and that this is effected as by exploration,
that is, most exactly.
AC 3116, 3125
Exploration takes place . . .
with every man who is being reformed,
and also with everyone who receives remains;
but of this exploration the man knows nothing at all;
it is so entirely in obscurity with him
that he does not even believe that there is any;
when yet it is taking place every moment,
but from the Lord,
who alone sees man's state --
not only his present state,
but also his future state to eternity.
The exploration is a most exquisite balancing,
to prevent even the least of falsity
from being conjoined with good,
and the least of truth from being conjoined with evil;
for if there should be such conjunction,
the man would perish eternally;
because then in the other life
he would hang between hell and heaven;
and by reason of the good
he would be spewed out from hell,
and by reason of the evil
from heaven.
. . . as the Lord, by His own proper power,
made His rational Divine in respect to truth
as well as in respect to good,
He therefore explored the truth
which He conjoined with good.
But with men,
truth is never conjoined with good by their own power,
but by the power of the Lord;
which may be seen from the fact
that all good and truth flow in from the Lord,
and that all reformation and regeneration
are from the Lord,
and that man does not know
one whit of how he is regenerated.
At the present day he does not even know
that he is regenerated by truth and good,
still less that truth is initiated and conjoined with good,
and that this is effected as by exploration,
that is, most exactly.
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
The prophet Elisha summoned a man
from the company of the prophets and said to him,
"Tuck your cloak into your belt,
take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
When you get there,
look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi.
Go to him,
get him away from his companions
and take him into an inner room.
Then take the flask
and pour the oil on his head and declare,
'This is what the Lord says:
I anoint you king over Israel.'
Then open the door and run;
don't delay!"
(II King 9:1-3)
from the company of the prophets and said to him,
"Tuck your cloak into your belt,
take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
When you get there,
look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi.
Go to him,
get him away from his companions
and take him into an inner room.
Then take the flask
and pour the oil on his head and declare,
'This is what the Lord says:
I anoint you king over Israel.'
Then open the door and run;
don't delay!"
(II King 9:1-3)
Wednesday, September 06, 2017
AC 3105 - "And Two Bracelets"
AC 3105
And two bracelets.
(Genesis 24:22)
That this signifies Divine truth,
is evident from the signification of "bracelets,"
as being truth, here Divine truth,
because the Lord is treated of in the internal sense;
they are said to have been "two," to denote fullness.
Bracelets were placed on the hands of a bride,
because by a bride was signified the church,
and by her hands were signified powers from truth
(that "hands" are predicated of truth . . .).
Bracelets were not only for a bride,
but also for a king
(but for a king they were on the arm,
as appears in 2 Sam. 1:10),
for the reason that royalty was
representative and significative of Divine truth
pertaining to the Lord;
and the "arm" is significative of power.
And two bracelets.
(Genesis 24:22)
That this signifies Divine truth,
is evident from the signification of "bracelets,"
as being truth, here Divine truth,
because the Lord is treated of in the internal sense;
they are said to have been "two," to denote fullness.
Bracelets were placed on the hands of a bride,
because by a bride was signified the church,
and by her hands were signified powers from truth
(that "hands" are predicated of truth . . .).
Bracelets were not only for a bride,
but also for a king
(but for a king they were on the arm,
as appears in 2 Sam. 1:10),
for the reason that royalty was
representative and significative of Divine truth
pertaining to the Lord;
and the "arm" is significative of power.
Death in a Pot
Elisha returned to Gilgal
and there was a famine in that region.
While the company of the prophets
was meeting with him,
he said to his servant,
"Put on the large pot
and cook some stew for these men."
One of them went out into the fields
to gather herbs and found a wild vine.
He gathered some of its gourds
and filled the fold of his cloak.
When he returned,
he cut them up into the pot of stew,
though no one knew what they were.
The stew was poured out for the men,
but as they began to eat it they cried out,
"O man of God, there is death in the pot!"
And they could not eat it.
Elisha said, "Get some flour."
He put it into the pot and said,
"Serve it to the people to eat."
And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
(II Kings 4:38-41)
and there was a famine in that region.
While the company of the prophets
was meeting with him,
he said to his servant,
"Put on the large pot
and cook some stew for these men."
One of them went out into the fields
to gather herbs and found a wild vine.
He gathered some of its gourds
and filled the fold of his cloak.
When he returned,
he cut them up into the pot of stew,
though no one knew what they were.
The stew was poured out for the men,
but as they began to eat it they cried out,
"O man of God, there is death in the pot!"
And they could not eat it.
Elisha said, "Get some flour."
He put it into the pot and said,
"Serve it to the people to eat."
And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
(II Kings 4:38-41)
Tuesday, September 05, 2017
AC 3088 - "The Servant Ran to Meet Her"
AC 3088
The servant ran to meet her, and said.
(Genesis 24:17)
That this signifies exploration from Divine good,
is evident from the signification of "running to meet her,"
as being an exploration as to whether the case
was as he had spoken in his heart
(the internal sense so dictates);
also from the signification of "saying,"
as being to perceive (often shown before)
and thus to explore.
That this was from Divine good,
is because the servant here acts
in the stead of his lord,
that is, of Abraham and also of Isaac;
for he that is sent
puts on the personality of him who sends.
This is often the case in the Word,
as when angels are spoken of
who are first mentioned as angels,
and are afterwards called "Jehovah"
(as the angel who appeared to Moses in the bush,
Exod. 3:2, 4;
and the angel that appeared to Gideon,
Judges 6:11-12, 14).
The servant ran to meet her, and said.
(Genesis 24:17)
That this signifies exploration from Divine good,
is evident from the signification of "running to meet her,"
as being an exploration as to whether the case
was as he had spoken in his heart
(the internal sense so dictates);
also from the signification of "saying,"
as being to perceive (often shown before)
and thus to explore.
That this was from Divine good,
is because the servant here acts
in the stead of his lord,
that is, of Abraham and also of Isaac;
for he that is sent
puts on the personality of him who sends.
This is often the case in the Word,
as when angels are spoken of
who are first mentioned as angels,
and are afterwards called "Jehovah"
(as the angel who appeared to Moses in the bush,
Exod. 3:2, 4;
and the angel that appeared to Gideon,
Judges 6:11-12, 14).
Healing of the Water
The men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, our
lord,
this town is well situated, as you can see,
but the water is bad and the land is unproductive."
"Bring me a new bowl," he said,
"and put salt in it."
So they brought it to him.
Then he went out to the spring
and threw the salt into it, saying,
"This is what the Lord says:
'I have healed this water.
Never again will it cause death
or make the land unproductive.'"
And the water has remained wholesome to this day,
according to the word Elisha had spoken.
(II Kings 2:19-22)
this town is well situated, as you can see,
but the water is bad and the land is unproductive."
"Bring me a new bowl," he said,
"and put salt in it."
So they brought it to him.
Then he went out to the spring
and threw the salt into it, saying,
"This is what the Lord says:
'I have healed this water.
Never again will it cause death
or make the land unproductive.'"
And the water has remained wholesome to this day,
according to the word Elisha had spoken.
(II Kings 2:19-22)
Monday, September 04, 2017
AC 3079 - "With a Pitcher Upon Her Shoulder"; AC 3080 - Beauty; AC 3085 - Heavenly Food
AC 3079 [2]
With a pitcher upon her shoulder.
(Genesis 24:15)
That this signifies receptions of truth,
and endeavor,
is evident from the signification of "Pitcher,"
as being memory-knowledge,
and thus a receptacle of truth;
and from the signification of the "shoulder,"
as being all power,
and thus endeavor.
That "pitchers" or "water-jars," also vessels in general,
signify in the internal sense
things which are in the position of being a receptacle
(as are memory-knowledges
and knowledges in relation to truths,
and as are truths themselves in relation to good) . . ..
AC 3080
. . . all beauty is from good in which there is innocence.
Good itself
when it flows in from the internal man into the external,
makes beauty;
and from this is all human beauty.
This may likewise be seen from the fact
that no one is affected by the face of another,
but by the affection which beams forth from the face;
and that they who are in good
are affected by the affection of good there,
and in the measure in which
there is innocence in the good.
Thus it is the spiritual in the natural which affects,
but not the natural without the spiritual.
In like manner those who are in good
are affected by little children,
who appear to them beautiful
in proportion to the innocence of charity
in their faces, gestures, and speech.
AC 3085
. . . heavenly food is nothing else
than all that which is of intelligence and wisdom;
and to them
the blessedness of wisdom and intelligence
is whatever treats of the Lord.
With a pitcher upon her shoulder.
(Genesis 24:15)
That this signifies receptions of truth,
and endeavor,
is evident from the signification of "Pitcher,"
as being memory-knowledge,
and thus a receptacle of truth;
and from the signification of the "shoulder,"
as being all power,
and thus endeavor.
That "pitchers" or "water-jars," also vessels in general,
signify in the internal sense
things which are in the position of being a receptacle
(as are memory-knowledges
and knowledges in relation to truths,
and as are truths themselves in relation to good) . . ..
AC 3080
. . . all beauty is from good in which there is innocence.
Good itself
when it flows in from the internal man into the external,
makes beauty;
and from this is all human beauty.
This may likewise be seen from the fact
that no one is affected by the face of another,
but by the affection which beams forth from the face;
and that they who are in good
are affected by the affection of good there,
and in the measure in which
there is innocence in the good.
Thus it is the spiritual in the natural which affects,
but not the natural without the spiritual.
In like manner those who are in good
are affected by little children,
who appear to them beautiful
in proportion to the innocence of charity
in their faces, gestures, and speech.
AC 3085
. . . heavenly food is nothing else
than all that which is of intelligence and wisdom;
and to them
the blessedness of wisdom and intelligence
is whatever treats of the Lord.
The Lord and Israel Overcomes the Arameans
The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans
and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
When the Israelites
were also mustered and given provisions,
they marched out to meet them.
The Israelites camped opposite them
like two small flocks of goats,
while the Arameans covered the countryside.
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel,
"This is what the Lord says:
'Because the Arameans think the Lord
is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys,
I will deliver this vast army into your hands,
and you will know that I am the Lord.'"
For seven days they camped opposite each other,
and on the seventh day the battle was joined.
The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualites
on the Amamean foot soldiers in one day.
The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek,
where the wall collapsed
on twenty-seven thousand of them.
And Ben-Hadad fled to the city
and hid in an inner room.
(II Kings 20:26-28)
and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
When the Israelites
were also mustered and given provisions,
they marched out to meet them.
The Israelites camped opposite them
like two small flocks of goats,
while the Arameans covered the countryside.
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel,
"This is what the Lord says:
'Because the Arameans think the Lord
is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys,
I will deliver this vast army into your hands,
and you will know that I am the Lord.'"
For seven days they camped opposite each other,
and on the seventh day the battle was joined.
The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualites
on the Amamean foot soldiers in one day.
The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek,
where the wall collapsed
on twenty-seven thousand of them.
And Ben-Hadad fled to the city
and hid in an inner room.
(II Kings 20:26-28)
Sunday, September 03, 2017
AC 3063 - Mercy
AC 3063
And do mercy.
(Genesis 24:12)
That this signifies an influx of love
is evident from the essence of mercy,
as being love.
Love is itself turned to mercy
and becomes mercy
when anyone who is in need of help
is regarded from love or charity;
consequently mercy is the effect of love
toward the needy and miserable.
But here by "mercy" in the internal sense is meant love;
and by "doing mercy" is meant an influx of love,
because it is from the Lord's Divine Itself
into His Divine Human;
for it was the Lord's Divine love
through which He made His Human Divine;
for love is the very being of life,
and no one has Divine love but the Lord.
And do mercy.
(Genesis 24:12)
That this signifies an influx of love
is evident from the essence of mercy,
as being love.
Love is itself turned to mercy
and becomes mercy
when anyone who is in need of help
is regarded from love or charity;
consequently mercy is the effect of love
toward the needy and miserable.
But here by "mercy" in the internal sense is meant love;
and by "doing mercy" is meant an influx of love,
because it is from the Lord's Divine Itself
into His Divine Human;
for it was the Lord's Divine love
through which He made His Human Divine;
for love is the very being of life,
and no one has Divine love but the Lord.
Ahab Becomes King of Israel
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah,
Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel,
and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.
Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord
than any of those before him.
He not only considered it trivial
to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat,
but he also married Jezebel
daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians,
and began to serve Baal and worship him.
He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal
that he built in Samaria.
Ahab also made an Asherah pole
and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel,
to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.
In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho.
He laid its foundations
at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram,
and he set up its gates
at the cost of his youngest son Segub,
in accordance with the word of the Lord
spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
(I Kings 16:29-34)
Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel,
and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.
Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord
than any of those before him.
He not only considered it trivial
to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat,
but he also married Jezebel
daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians,
and began to serve Baal and worship him.
He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal
that he built in Samaria.
Ahab also made an Asherah pole
and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel,
to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.
In Ahab's time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho.
He laid its foundations
at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram,
and he set up its gates
at the cost of his youngest son Segub,
in accordance with the word of the Lord
spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
(I Kings 16:29-34)
Saturday, September 02, 2017
AC 3048 - Camels; AC 3052 - Memory-knowledges and Doctrinal Things
AC 3048 [2]
The subject here is the process
of the conjunction of truth with good
in the Lord's Divine rational;
first, the process of initiation,
the nature of which is described in a series;
here, that the Lord separated in the natural man
the things which were from Himself,
that is, which were Divine,
from those which were of the maternal.
The things which were from Himself,
or which were Divine,
are the things by which the initiation was effected;
and they are here the
"ten camels, of the camels of his lord."
And consequently it is that in the following verses
much mention is made of "camels":
-- as that he made the camels fall on their knees
without the city (verse 11);
-- that Rebekah also gave drink to the camels
(verses 14, 19-20);
-- that they were brought into the house,
and that straw and provender
were given them (verses 31-32);
-- and further, that Rebekah and her girls
rode upon the camels (verse 61);
-- and that Isaac saw the camels coming;
-- and when Rebekah saw Isaac,
that she alighted off her camel (verses 63-64).
Camels are mentioned so often
because of the internal sense,
in which they signify the general memory-knowledges
in the natural man,
from which comes the affection of truth
which is to be initiated into
the affection of good in the rational,
and this in the usual way, as shown above;
for the rational as to truth cannot possibly
be born and perfected
without memory-knowledges and knowledges.
AC 3052
Memory-knowledges and doctrinal things
are distinct from each other in this way:
-- doctrinal things come from memory-knowledges,
for they look to use,
and are procured from memory-knowledges
by means of reflection.
The subject here is the process
of the conjunction of truth with good
in the Lord's Divine rational;
first, the process of initiation,
the nature of which is described in a series;
here, that the Lord separated in the natural man
the things which were from Himself,
that is, which were Divine,
from those which were of the maternal.
The things which were from Himself,
or which were Divine,
are the things by which the initiation was effected;
and they are here the
"ten camels, of the camels of his lord."
And consequently it is that in the following verses
much mention is made of "camels":
-- as that he made the camels fall on their knees
without the city (verse 11);
-- that Rebekah also gave drink to the camels
(verses 14, 19-20);
-- that they were brought into the house,
and that straw and provender
were given them (verses 31-32);
-- and further, that Rebekah and her girls
rode upon the camels (verse 61);
-- and that Isaac saw the camels coming;
-- and when Rebekah saw Isaac,
that she alighted off her camel (verses 63-64).
Camels are mentioned so often
because of the internal sense,
in which they signify the general memory-knowledges
in the natural man,
from which comes the affection of truth
which is to be initiated into
the affection of good in the rational,
and this in the usual way, as shown above;
for the rational as to truth cannot possibly
be born and perfected
without memory-knowledges and knowledges.
AC 3052
Memory-knowledges and doctrinal things
are distinct from each other in this way:
-- doctrinal things come from memory-knowledges,
for they look to use,
and are procured from memory-knowledges
by means of reflection.
The Prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam's Wife
"The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel
who will cut off the family of Jeroboam.
This is that Day!
What?
Yes, even now.
And the Lord will strike Israel,
so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water.
He will uproot Israel from this good land
that He gave to their forefathers
and scatter them beyond the river,
because they provoked the Lord to anger
by making Asherah poles.
And He will give Israel up
because of the sins Jeroboam has committed
and has caused Israel to commit."
(I Kings 14:14-16)
who will cut off the family of Jeroboam.
This is that Day!
What?
Yes, even now.
And the Lord will strike Israel,
so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water.
He will uproot Israel from this good land
that He gave to their forefathers
and scatter them beyond the river,
because they provoked the Lord to anger
by making Asherah poles.
And He will give Israel up
because of the sins Jeroboam has committed
and has caused Israel to commit."
(I Kings 14:14-16)
Friday, September 01, 2017
AC 3043 - Freedom
AC 3043 [2]
For freedom is of love or affection;
and unless the natural man receives the affection of truth
from the inflowing affection of good,
it cannot possibly be conjoined with the rational.
Such is the case with man;
and that he is reformed of the Lord through freedom . . ..
For freedom is of love or affection;
and unless the natural man receives the affection of truth
from the inflowing affection of good,
it cannot possibly be conjoined with the rational.
Such is the case with man;
and that he is reformed of the Lord through freedom . . ..
King Solomon
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom
than all the other kings of the earth.
The whole world sought audience with Solomon
to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
King Solomon, however, loved many
foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter --
Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
They were from nations about which
the Lord had told the Israelites,
"You must not intermarry with them,
because they will surely
turn your hearts after their gods."
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love . . .
and his wives led him astray.
(I Kings 10:23-24, 11:1-3)
than all the other kings of the earth.
The whole world sought audience with Solomon
to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
King Solomon, however, loved many
foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter --
Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
They were from nations about which
the Lord had told the Israelites,
"You must not intermarry with them,
because they will surely
turn your hearts after their gods."
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love . . .
and his wives led him astray.
(I Kings 10:23-24, 11:1-3)
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