AE 826 - To Love the Lord Is to Do

 AE 826 [2]

As the preceding articles treat of good works,
I will here go on with the plan
and show what is meant by love to the Lord.
All who are in love to the Lord from the Lord
are in the third or inmost heaven;
and they are such as have truths written in the life,
and not, like the angels of the lower heavens,
in the memory;
and this is why those who are in the third heaven
never talk about truths,
but only listen to others speaking about them,
and reply either that it is so,
or that it is somewhat so,
or that it is not so.
For they see in themselves
whether what they hear is true or not;
and this they see not from any sight in the thought,
as others do,
but from the affection of truth in the understanding.
For with them all truths are written on their affections,
and these derive their essence from celestial love,
which is love to the Lord.
Thus with them truths make one with their affections.
And as these angels are
in love to the Lord from the Lord,
their interior life consists of
mere affections of good and truth from that love.
For this reason they do not speak about truths,
but do truths, that is, good works.
For the affections of good and truth
that are from that love
must needs come forth in act,
and when they come forth they are called uses,
and are what are meant by good works.
Moreover, they perceive in themselves
the quality of the uses or works
from the affection from which they are;
and also the differences between them
from the conjunction of many affections;
thus they do all things with interior wisdom.
And because they do not think about truths
and thence speak about them,
but only do them,
and because this comes from their love to the Lord,
and thence from the affections alone,
of which their life consists,
it is evident that love to the Lord consists
in doing truths from the affection of them,
and that their deeds are good works;
consequently that to love the Lord is to do;
and this is what is meant by the Lord's words in John:

He that has My commandments and does them,
he it is that loves Me.
But he that loves Me not
keeps not My words.
(John 14:21, 24)

And they are meant by these words in Jeremiah:

I will give My law in the midst of them,
and will write it upon their heart.
Neither shall they teach a man his companion
or a man his brother,
Know ye Jehovah, for all shall know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest of them.
(Jeremiah 31:33, 34)

"The law" means all things of the Word,
thus all the truths and goods of heaven;
"in the midst of them" means in their life;
and the "heart" upon which the law shall be written
means the love.
From this it is clear how ample is
the doctrine of love to the Lord,
for it is the doctrine of
all affections which belong to love;
and every affection has truths written upon it
according to the quality of its perfection,
and brings them forth in act with infinite variety;
and these affections do not come into the understanding
in the form of ideas,
but come to the inner sensitive perception
in the form of delights of the will,
wherefore they cannot be described by words.
Those who imbibe the laws of life from the Word
and live according to them,
and who worship the Lord,
become angels of the third heaven.