AC 2935 - "Cave"; AC 2946 - The First State of Reformation

AC 2935

A "cave" means obscurity
because it is a dark place;
when a "cave of a mountain" is spoken of,
it then means obscurity of good;
but when it is said
the "cave of the field of Machpelah,"
it then means obscurity of truth.

AC 2946
. . . the first state of all
who are being reformed and made spiritual (is)
that they do not believe
that they are reformed by the Lord
but by themselves,
that is, they believe
all of the will of good and of the thought of truth
to be from themselves;
they are also left in this state by the Lord,
since in no other way can they be reformed.
For if before they have been regenerated
it should be said to them
that they cannot do anything of good
from themselves,
or think anything of truth
from themselves,
they would then either fall into the error of thinking
that they must wait for influx into the will
and influx into the thought,
and if this does not take place
must attempt nothing;
or into the error of thinking that if good and truth
were from any other source than themselves,
nothing would be imputed to them for righteousness;
or into the idea
that so they would be as it were machines,
and not their own masters,
or in control of themselves;
or into some other error.
It is therefore permitted them at that time
to think that good and truth are from themselves.

But after they are regenerate,
then by degrees
the knowledge is insinuated into them
that the case is otherwise,
and that all good and truth are solely from the Lord;
and still further,
when they are becoming more perfected,
that whatever does not come from the Lord
is evil and false.
To the regenerate,
if not in the life of the body
still in the other life,
it is given not only to know this,
but also to perceive it;
for all the angels are in the perception that it is so.