AC 10225 - The States of Life of a Person

AC 10225 [3-7]

That the first state is a state of ignorance
and also of innocence in ignorance is plain.
During the continuance of this state,
the interiors are being formed for use,
consequently are not manifest,
but only those most external,
that belong to the sensuous man;
and when these alone are manifest,
there is ignorance;
for whatever man understands and perceives
is from the interiors;
from which it can also be seen
that the innocence which exists at that time
and is called the innocence of infancy,
is innocence most external.

That the second state is a state of instruction
and of memory-knowledge is also plain;
this state is not as yet a state of intelligence,
because at that time the child or youth
does not form any conclusions from himself,
neither does he from himself
discriminate between truths and truths,
nor even between truths and falsities,
but from others;
he merely thinks and speaks things of memory,
thus from mere memory-knowledge;
nor does he see and perceive whether a thing is so,
except on the authority of his teacher,
consequently because another has said so.

But the third is called a state of intelligence,
because the man then thinks from himself,
and discriminates and forms conclusions;
and that which he then concludes is his own,
and not another's.
At this time faith begins,
for faith is not the faith of the man himself
until he has confirmed what he believes
by the ideas of his own thought.
Previous to this, faith was not his,
but another's in him,
for his belief was in the person,
not in the thing.
From this it can be seen
that the state of intelligence commences with man
when he no longer thinks from a teacher,
but from himself;
which is not the case
until the interiors are opened toward heaven.
Be it known that the exteriors with man are in the world,
and the interiors in heaven;
and that in proportion as light flows in from heaven
into what is from the world,
the man is intelligent and wise;
and this according to the degree and quality
of the opening of his interiors,
which are so far opened
as the man lives for heaven and not for the world.

But the last state is a state of wisdom
and of innocence in wisdom;
which is when the man is no longer concerned
about understanding truths and goods,
but about willing and living them;
for this is to be wise.
And a man is able to will truths and goods,
and to live them,
just insofar as he is in innocence,
that is, insofar as he believes
that he has nothing of wisdom from himself,
but that whatever he has of wisdom is from the Lord;
also insofar as he loves to have it so;
hence it is that this state is also
a state of innocence in wisdom.

From the succession of these states
the man who is wise may also see
the wonderful things of the Divine Providence,
which are that a prior state
is constantly the plane of the states which follow,
and that the opening or unfolding of the interiors
proceeds successively from outermosts even to inmosts;
and at last so that what was first
(namely, ignorance and innocence),
but in outermosts, is also last, but in inmosts;
for he who knows
that of himself he is ignorant of all things,
and that whatever he knows is from the Lord,
is in the ignorance of wisdom,
and also in the innocence of wisdom.