AC 3116, 3115 - The Lord's Exploration and Protection

AC 3116

Exploration takes place likewise with every person
who is being reformed,
and also with everyone who receives remains;
but of this exploration the person 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 a person'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 person would perish eternally . . ..

AC 3125

For inasmuch 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 people,
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 a person 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.