AC 6303 - "And God shall be with you."

AC 6303

And God shall be with you.
(Genesis 48:21)

That this means the Divine providence of the Lord,
is evident from the meaning of "God shall be with you,"
as being the Divine providence of the Lord;
for when the Lord is with anyone,
He leads him,
and provides that all things which happen,
whether sad or joyful,
befall him for good:
this is the Divine providence.
The reason why it is called the providence "of the Lord"
is that it is said, "God shall be with you,"
and by "God" and by "Jehovah" in the Word
is meant the Lord,
for there is no other God besides Him;
for He is the very Father and He is the very Son,
for they are one;
the Father is in Him, and He in the Father,
as He Himself teaches in John 14:8-11:

Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father
and that will be enough for us."

Jesus answered:
"Don't you know Me, Philip,
even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Don't you believe that I am in the Father,
and that the Father is in Me?
The words I say to you are not just My own.
Rather, it is the Father, living in Me,
who is doing His work.
Believe Me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me . . .."

AC 9299 - In Order for an Internal to Be an Internal of the Church

AC 6299 [2-3]

In order for an internal to be an internal of the church,
it must needs be in the external of the church,
for the external holds the place of the foundation
on which the internal stands,
and is the receptacle into which the internal flows.
Consequently it is that the natural, which is external,
must needs be regenerated;
for unless it is regenerated,
the internal has neither foundation nor receptacle;
and if it has no foundation nor receptacle,
it utterly perishes.
This then is what is meant by
his own spiritual being
in the truth of the intellectual and the good of the will.

As an illustration of this matter take this example.
The very affection of charity
which a person feels within himself
as a quietude and bliss
in benefiting the neighbor
without regard to any recompense,
is the internal of the church;
but to will this good and to do it from truth,
that is, because it has been so commanded in the Word,
is the external of the church.
If the natural, which is the external,
is not in agreement,
that is, does not will nor do this good,
because it sees in it no recompense,
thus nothing of self. . .
then the internal  
has no foundation, nor corresponding receptacle,
except such as either
rejects, or perverts, or extinguishes the influx;
and therefore the internal perishes,
that is, is closed and stopped up,
so that nothing from heaven
can pass into the natural through the internal,
except some light of a general nature
that passes through the chinks everywhere round about,
in order that there may be a faculty
of thinking, of willing, and of speaking,
but according to that which is in the natural,
thus in favor of evil and falsity against good and truth,
to which purpose it makes subservient
that amount of spiritual light
which in a general manner flows in
through the chinks everywhere round about.

AC 6292 - The Ritual of Blessing; AC 9298 - Blessing

AC 6292 - The Ritual of Blessing

. . . when he was blessing,
Israel placed his hand on the head,
was from a ritual received from the ancients;
for in the head are the very intellectual and will of a person,
but in the body are acts according these,
and compliance;
thus putting the hand on the head
was a representative that a blessing
was being communicated to the intellectual and the will,
thus to the person himself.
From that ancient time
the same ritual remains even to this day,
and is in use in inaugurations,
and also in the act of blessing.

AC 6298 - Blessing

And he blessed them in this day
(Genesis 48:20)

That this means foresight and providence eternally,
is evident from the meaning of "blessing,"
as being prediction,
but in the supreme sense the Lord's foresight;
and because it is foresight, it is also Providence,
for the one is impossible without the other;
for evil is foreseen and good is provided,
and the evil which is foreseen
is by providence bent into good.
That here "to bless" denotes foresight and providence,
is because Israel, who here blesses,
in the supreme sense is the Lord.
That eternally is meant,
is evident from the meaning of "this day," or "today,"
as being what is eternal.

AC 6280 - "Angel"; AC 6284 - Internal Good and Truth

AC 6280 [7] - "Angel"

. . . by an "angel" in the Word,
in the internal sense,
is not meant an angel,
but something Divine in the Lord.

AC 6284 - Internal Good and Truth

Internal good and truth must be in external good and truth,
in order for these to be good and truth.
For . . . the external is merely a formed something,
of such a nature that the internal can be in it,
and lead a life there
according to the influx into itself from the Lord.
And the internal too is merely something providing
an outward form
when considered in relation to what is supreme,
namely the Lord.
He is the Source of all life,
and things below Him are forms
that are merely receivers of life,
ranged by degrees in order
down to the last and lowest, which is the body.

AC6266 - Bowing

AC 6266

And he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
(Genesis 48:12)

That this means their humiliation,
is evident from the meaning of
"bowing himself with his face to the earth,"
as being interior humiliation;
for such bowing is a bodily act
that corresponds to humiliation of mind;
consequently they who adore God from the heart,
thus bow themselves.

AC 6240 - The Real Rational Person

AC 6240 [2]

Many in the world suppose
that a rational person is one
who can reason acutely about many things,
and so join his reasonings together
that his conclusions may appear like truth;
but this is found in the very worst of people,
who are able to reason skillfully
and persuade that evils are goods,
and that falsities are truths;
and the reverse.
But he who reflects can see that this is vicious fantasy,
and not what is rational.

The rational consists in
inwardly seeing and perceiving that good is good,
and from this that truth is truth;
for the sight and perception of such people
are from heaven.
That they who are of the Lord's spiritual church
are interiorly natural,
is because they only acknowledge as truth
that which they have received from
their parents and masters,
and afterward have confirmed in themselves;
and do not see inwardly, and perceive,
whether it is true from any other source
than that they have confirmed it in themselves.

It is otherwise with the celestial;
and it is from this that the latter are rational,
but the former interiorly natural.
The internal celestial
which is represented by Joseph,
is in the rational;
whereas the spiritual good
which is represented by Israel,
is in the interior natural;
for it is the spiritual who are represented by Israel,
and the celestial who are represented by Joseph.

AC 6232 - Indefinite and Infinite

AC 6232 [1-2]

That called indefinite is which cannot be
defined and limited by number;
nevertheless what is indefinite
is finite relatively to what is infinite,
and so finite that there is no ratio between the two.

That truths and goods can increase indefinitely
comes from the fact
that they proceed from the Lord, who is infinite.
That truths and goods are of this nature,
may be seen from the fact
that the universal heaven is in truth and good,
and yet no one is in exactly
the same truth and good as another.
This would still be the case if heaven were
a thousand and a thousand times greater.
The same may be seen from the fact
that the angels are being perfected to eternity,
that is, they continually grow in good and truth,
and yet cannot arrive at the grade of any perfection,
because there always remains an indefinite scope;
for truths are indefinite in number,
and each truth has an indefinite scope within it . . ..

AC 6222 - Manasseh and Ephraim - The Intellectual & Will of the Church

AC 6222

And he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.
(Genesis 48:1)

That this signifies the will and the intellectual of the church born from the internal, is evident from the representation of Manasseh, as being the new will in the natural, and its quality (concerning which see n. 5354e); and from the representation of Ephraim, as being the new intellectual in the natural, and its quality (n. 5354); that they were born from the internal is signified by their being the sons of Joseph, by whom is represented the internal celestial (n. 5869, 5877).

[2] It is necessary to explain what is meant by the intellectual and the will of the church. The intellectual of the church is to perceive from the Word what the truth of faith is, and what the good of charity. It is known that the literal sense of the Word is of such a nature that whatever tenet a man embraces, he confirms from that sense; and this because the things of the literal sense of the Word are general vessels which receive truths, and because the quality of these vessels does not appear as through a transparency until they have received truths; thus because they are only generals, which must first be learned by man, in order that he may receive the particulars and singulars in a fit and proper manner. That the literal sense of the Word is of such a nature that whatever tenet a man embraces he confirms from that sense, is very manifest from so many heresies which have existed in the church, and still do so, each of which is confirmed by its partisans from the literal sense of the Word, and so confirmed that they thoroughly believe it to be true; and thereafter if they were to hear from heaven the very truth, they would not receive a bit of it.

[3] The reason is that they have not the intellectual of the church; for the intellectual of the church consists in a man's perceiving, when he reads the Word and carefully compares one passage with another, what is to be believed, and what is to be done. This intellectual is to be found in such men only as are enlightened by the Lord, and who in the Christian world are also called the enlightened; and this enlightenment is to be found in such men only as desire to know truths, not for the sake of reputation and glory, but for the sake of life and use. This very enlightenment is received by the intellectual in a man, for it is the intellectual which is enlightened. This is very evident from the fact that they who have little of the intellectual cannot possibly see such things from the Word; but have faith in those whom they believe to be enlightened. Be it known further that they who have been regenerated, receive from the Lord an intellectual capable of being enlightened. It is the light of heaven from the Lord which flows into the intellectual and enlightens it; for the intellectual has its light, its sight, and consequently its perception, from no other source.

[4] But this intellectual, which is called the intellectual of the church, is more interior than the intellectual which comes from mere memory-knowledges, for it is a perception that the thing is so, not from the dictate of memory-knowledges and philosophy, but from the dictate of the Word in its spiritual sense. For example, they who are in the intellectual of the church are able clearly to perceive that the Word everywhere teaches that love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor are essentials of the church; and that the life of man remains after death; and that his life is from his loves; also that faith separate from charity is not faith; and that faith avails nothing for eternal life except insofar as it is joined to the good of love to the Lord and to the good of charity toward the neighbor; consequently that these and faith must be conjoined together for there to be spiritual life. That these are truths can be clearly perceived by those who have the intellectual enlightened, but not at all by those who have not this.

[5] It is believed that those have an intellectual in the things of the church who are skillful in confirming the tenets or doctrinals of their own church by many things, and this even to persuasion that it is so, and who also are skillful in dexterously confuting many heresies. But this is not the intellectual of the church; for to confirm a tenet is not of the intellectual, but of ingenuity in the sensuous, and it is sometimes found in the worst of men, and can also be done by those who believe nothing whatever, and also by those who are in very falsities. Nothing is more easy than for all such persons to confirm whatever they please, even to the point of persuading the simple. But the intellectual of the church is to perceive and see, before any tenet is confirmed, whether it is true or not, and then to confirm it.

[6] This is the intellectual which is represented by Ephraim; but the good of the church, which is represented by Manasseh, is the good of charity which is insinuated by the Lord into the man of the church by means of the truths of faith; for these, together with the good of charity, are what flow into the intellectual and enlighten it, and also make the intellectual and the will constitute one mind. That both the intellectual and the will are born from the internal, may be seen from what has frequently been said and shown above; for all the affection of good and truth, by which comes enlightenment, flows from no other source, and thus is born from no other source, than the internal; that is, through the internal from the Lord.

AC 6216-6217 - The Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48)

AC  6216 - 6217 (Genesis 48)

In this chapter the subject treated of in the internal sense
is the intellectual of the church, which is from truth,
and its will, which is from good.
The intellectual of the church is "Ephraim,"
and the will of the church is "Manasseh."

That in the church
the truth of faith which is of the intellectual
is apparently in the first place,
and the good of charity which is of the will
is apparently in the second,
is meant by Israel's putting his right hand
upon the head of Ephraim,
and his left upon the head of Manasseh.

 

AC 6197 - The Deceitful Spirits

AC 6197

Those deceitful ones chiefly insinuated such things
as were contrary to the Lord;
and then it was given me to reflect upon the fact
that no one in hell acknowledges the Lord;
but that insofar as they may,
they are full of abuse of Him;
yet they are not unwilling to hear mention made of
the Father, the Creator of the universe.
From this very plain indication it is evident
that it is the Lord who rules the universal heaven,
as He Himself teaches in Matthew:
"All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth"
(Matthew 28:18);
and that they are opposed to the Lord
because they are opposed to heaven,
where the Lord is all in all.

AC 6180 - "And Do Mercy and Truth With Me."

AC 6180

And do mercy and truth with me.
(Genesis 47:29)

That this means humiliation,
is evident from the meaning of "doing mercy,"
as being the good of love;
and from the meaning of "doing truth,"
as being the truth of faith . . ..
These words are uttered as words of supplication,
thus of humiliation.
That "doing mercy" denotes the good of love
is because all mercy is of love;
for he who is in love or charity is also in mercy,
and the love and charity in him become mercy
when the neighbor is In need or misery,
and he affords him help in that state.
So it is that by "mercy" is meant the good of love.
That "doing truth" denotes the truth of faith
is because all truth is of faith,
and for this reason in the original tongue
faith is meant by the same expression.

AC 6148 - Salvation and Damnation

AC 6148 [6]

. . . the Divine truth separated from the Divine good
condemns everyone;
whereas the Divine truth united to the Divine good saves.
For from the Divine truth
a person is condemned to hell,
but by the Divine good he is taken out from there,
and is elevated into heaven.
Salvation is of mercy,
thus from the Divine good;
but damnation is when a person refuses mercy,
and thus rejects from himself the Divine good;
wherefore he is left to judgment from truth.

 

AC 6144 - Despair

AC 6144

Despair causes those who feel it
to acknowledge in an effectual and feeling manner
that there is nothing of truth and good from themselves,
and that from themselves they are condemned;
but that they are delivered from condemnation by the Lord;
and that salvation flows in by means of truth and good.
Despair also causes them to feel
the happiness of life which is from the Lord;
for when they come out of that state,
 they are like those who have been condemned to death,
and are set free from prison.
Moreover by means of desolations and temptations,
states contrary to heavenly life are felt,
the result of which is
the implantation of a sense and perception
 of the satisfaction and happiness of heavenly life;
for a sense and perception of what is satisfying and happy
is impossible without comparison with the opposites.
To the end therefore that full comparisons may be made,
desolations and temptations are brought to their utmost,
that is, to despair.

** For He Comes **

Let the heavens rejoice,
let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound,
and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant,
and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
they will sing before the Lord,
for He comes,
He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in His truth.

(Psalm 97:11-13)

AC 6135 - "Body"

AC 6135 [3] - "Body"

That in the genuine sense "body" is the good of love,
is very evident from the angels,
for when they become present,
love so pours out of them
that you would believe them to be nothing but love,
and this from their whole body,
which also appears bright and shining
from the light which is from the love;
for the good of love is like a flame
which emits from itself light,
which is the truth of faith derived from there.
This being the character of the angels in heaven,
what must not the Lord Himself be,
from whom the angels have everything of love,
and whose Divine Love appears as a Sun
from which the universal heaven has its light,
and all who are therein have their heavenly heat,
that is, their love, thus their life.
It is the Lord's Divine Human which so appears,
and from which all these things are.
From this it is evident what is meant by
the Lord's "body," namely, the Divine love,
in like manner as by His "flesh".
Moreover the Lord's very body when glorified,
that is, made Divine, is nothing else.
What else must we think about the Divine,
which is infinite?

AC 6115 - The Lord Hold All Things Together

AC 6115 [3-4]

The most general universal,
by virtue of which all things are held together,
is the Lord Himself,
and that which holds together
is the Divine truth proceeding from Him.
. . . In mankind, the most general universal,
which holds the single things together,
is the soul;
thus also it is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord,
for this is continually flowing in
and causing the soul to be such as it is.

The Divine truth proceeding from the Lord
is what is called
the "Word through which all things were created" (John 1:1-3),
or through which all things have come into existence,
consequently through which all things subsist.

AC 6104 - Rameses

AC 6104

In the land of Rameses.
(Genesis 47:11)

That this means the inmost of the mind and its quality,
is evident from the fact that all the names in the Word,
both of persons and of places, mean things;
and as the "land of Goshen" denotes
the inmost of the natural mind,
therefore "Rameses,"
which was the best tract of land in the land of Goshen,
denotes the inmost of what is spiritual in the natural mind.
But the nature of this inmost
can scarcely be comprehended by a person,
for it contains innumerable and also ineffable things,
which can only be seen in the light of heaven,
thus by angels;
as is the case with the rest of the names,
of both places and persons, which occur in the Word.

AC 6078 - "Pasture"; AC 6097 - Temptations

AC 6078 - "Pasture"

"Pasture" in the internal sense
is that which sustains the spiritual life,
and especially is it the truth of memory-knowledge,
for the soul of a person desires this
as the body desires food.
This truth nourishes,
and therefore "to feed" denotes to be instructed.
That memory-knowledges and truths
sustain the soul of a person is very evident
from a person's longing to know things,
and also from
the correspondence of food with memory-knowledges,
which correspondence also shows itself in a person
when he is partaking of food,
for if this is done while he is speaking and listening,
the vessels which receive the chyle are opened,
and he is more fully nourished than if he is alone.
Spiritual truths and instructions in them
would have the same effect with people
if they were in the affection of good.
That truths nourish the spiritual life
is especially clear with good spirits
and with the angels in heaven,
for both good spirits and angels
have a constant longing
to know things and to be wise;
and when they lack this spiritual food
they feel desolate,
their life is languid, and they are hungry;
and they are not restored
and raised into the bliss of their life
until their longing is satisfied.
But in order that memory-knowledges
may yield healthful nourishment to the soul,
there must be in them life from the goods of truth.
If there is no life from this source,
the memory-knowledges do indeed
sustain the man's interior life,
but only his natural life, and not his spiritual life.


AC 6097 - Temptations

All temptations appear evil,
for the reason that they are interior anxieties and griefs,
and as it were damnations;
for the person is then let into the state of his evils,
consequently among evil spirits,
who accuse him,
and thus torment the conscience;
nevertheless the angels defend him,
that is, the Lord through angels,
for the Lord keeps him in hope and trust,
which are fighting strengths from within
that enable him to offer resistance.
Especially is the natural let into temptations
when it is receiving the spiritual,
because in the natural reside
evils of life and falsities of doctrine.

AC 6071 - The Good From God; AC 6073 - The Goods of Charity Are Uses

AC 6071 [3] - The Good From God

. . . nothing but good comes from God,
for in so far as a person suffers it,
God bends evil into good.


AC 6073 - The Goods of Charity Are Uses

All the goods which are called goods of charity
are nothing but uses,
and uses are nothing but works
for the neighbor,
for our country,
for the church,
for the Lord's kingdom.
Moreover regarded in itself
charity itself does not become charity
until it comes into act and becomes work.
For to love anyone,
and not do him good when we have the power,
is not to love him;
but to do him good when we have the power,
and to do it from our hearts,
this is to love him;
and then all things of charity toward him
are contained within the very deed or work;
for a person's works
are the complex of all things of his charity and faith,
and are what are called spiritual goods,
and indeed become goods by exercise,
that is, by means of uses.

AC 6065 - The Double Origin of Good

AC 6065

The goods which are in heaven
and with a person
are from a double origin, namely,
from an origin in the will
and from an origin in the understanding.
In the good that originates in the will
were the most ancient people
who were of the celestial church,
but in the good that originates in the understanding
were the ancient people
who were of the spiritual church.
In the former good are those
who are in the inmost or third heaven,
but in the latter good are those
who are in the middle or second heaven.
. . . The good which originates in the will
is the good from which is truth;
but the good which originates in the understanding
is the good which is from truth, or the good of truth.
In itself this good is nothing else than truth in act.

AC 6057 - The Formation of the External & Internal Person

AC 6057 [2-3]

And just as the external person has been formed
according to the image of all things of the world,
so has the internal person been formed
according to the image of all things of heaven,
that is, according to
the image of the celestial and spiritual things
which proceed from the Lord
and from which and in which is heaven.
The celestial things there
are all those which are of love to the Lord
and of charity toward the neighbor;
and the spiritual things there
are all those of faith,
which in themselves are so many
and of such a nature
that the tongue cannot possibly
utter one millionth part of them.
That the internal person has been formed
according to the image of all these things,
is strikingly shown in the angels,
who when they appear before the internal sight . . .
affect the inmosts by their mere presence;
for love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor
pour out of them and penetrate,
and the derivative things of faith
shine forth from them and affect.
By this and other proofs it has been made plain to me
that as the internal person
has been created to be an angel,
he is a heaven in the least form.

. . . in a person
the spiritual world is conjoined with the natural world,
consequently that with him
the spiritual world flows into the natural world
in so vivid a manner that he can notice it,
provided he pays attention.

AC 6044 - Shepherds of the Flock

AC 6044

And the men are shepherds of the flock.
(Genesis 46:32)

That this means that they lead to good,
is evident from the meaning of "shepherds of the flock,"
as being those who lead to good.
For he is a "shepherd" who teaches and leads,
and that is the "flock" which is taught and led.
But in the internal sense are meant
truths which lead to good,
for by the sons of Israel,
who here are the "men, shepherds of the flock,"
are represented spiritual truths.
Moreover with those who teach it is truths that lead.
That truths which are of faith
lead to good which is of charity, was shown above;
and the same is evident from the fact
that all things both in general and in particular
have relation to an end, and look to it,
and those which do not look to an end cannot subsist.
For the Lord has created nothing whatever
except for the sake of an end;
in so much that it may be said that the end
is the all in all things that have been created;
and all things that have been created
are in such an order
that as the end from the First through the intermediates
looks to the last or ultimate,
so the end within the last or ultimate
has regard to the end in the First.
So comes the connection of things.
In its first origin
the end itself is nothing
but the Divine good of the Divine love;
thus it is the Lord Himself.
Wherefore also in the Word
He is called the "First and the Last,"
the "Alpha and Omega".
This being the case,
it is necessary that each and all things
which pertain to the life with a person
should have relation to an end
and should look to it.
He who has any rational ability can see
that the memory-knowledges with a person
look to truths as their end,
and that the truths look to goods,
and that the goods look to the Lord
as the last and the first end;
as the last end when they look at Him from truths,
and as the first end when they look at Him from good.
Such is the case with the truths of the church
that they lead to good,
which is meant by
the "men being shepherds of the flock,"
and by their being "men of cattle," as now follows.

AC 6027 - The Communication of Good with Good

AC 6027

The reason why Judah was sent, and not another,
was that there might be signified
the communication of good with good,
which is immediate;
namely, the communication of external good,
which Judah represents,
with internal good,
which Joseph represents.
For the good which is of love to the Lord
and of charity toward the neighbor
flows in from the Lord
through the internal into the external;
and is so much received in the external
as there is of good there.
But if in the person's external
there is only the truth of faith, and not good,
then the influx of good from the Lord
through the internal
is not received in the external;
for immediate communication with truth is not possible,
but only mediate communication through good.
This is the reason why
no other than Judah was sent by Jacob to Joseph.

AC 6025 - Where the Descendants of Jacob Were Born Matters

AC 6025

This is worthy of note:
that no son was born to the sons of Jacob in Egypt,
to which place they came, although they were still young;
but their sons were all born in the land of Canaan,
while they themselves were born in Paddan-aram,
except Benjamin.
This was of the Lord's special Divine providence,
in order that the things of the church
might be represented by them from their very birth.
The sons of Jacob being born in Paddan-aram
represented that the person of the church
must be born anew or regenerated
by means of the knowledges of good and truth;
for "Paddan-aram" means
the knowledges of good and truth,
and their birth represented the new birth
through faith and charity,
thus at first through the knowledges of these.
But that their sons were all born in the land of Canaan
represented that from there are such things
as are of the church,
for the "land of Canaan" denotes the church.
But that to Joseph were born sons in Egypt,
was in order that there might be represented
the dominion of the internal person in the external,
especially the dominion
of the celestial spiritual in the natural,
"Manasseh" being the will,
and "Ephraim" the intellectual,
of the church, in the natural.

AC 6023 - Memory-Knowledges Can Be Filled With Truth or Falsity

AC 6023

Truths are initiated and brought in
when memory-knowledges are ruled by truths;
and they are ruled by truths
when truth is acknowledged
because the Lord has so said in the Word,
and the memory-knowledges which affirm it are accepted,
but those which oppose it are removed.
Thus truth becomes lord
over those memory-knowledges which are affirmative of it,
while those not affirmative are rejected.
When this is the case,
then the person in thinking from memory-knowledges
is not led into falsities,
as is the case where truths are not within.
For memory-knowledges are not true from themselves,
but from the truths within them,
and such as are the truths in them,
such a general truth is the memory-knowledge.
For a memory-knowledge is merely a vessel,
which is capable of receiving both truths and falsities,
and this with endless variety.

As for example the memory-knowledge of the church
that every person is the neighbor.
Into this memory-knowledge may be initiated
and brought truths in endless abundance;
as that every person is indeed the neighbor,
but each one with a difference;
that he is most the neighbor who is in good,
and this also with a difference
according to the quality of the good;
that the origin of the neighbor is from the Lord Himself,
so that the nearer any are to Him,
that is, the more they are in good,
the more they are the neighbor;
and the more remote they are from Him, the less;
and also that a society is more the neighbor
than an individual person,
and a kingdom in general more than a society,
but our own country more than other kingdoms;
that the church is still more
the neighbor than our country,
and the Lord's kingdom still more;
and also that the neighbor is loved
when anyone discharges his office aright
for the good of others,
or of his country,
or of the church; and so on.
This shows how many truths can be brought into
this one memory-knowledge of the church,
for they are so many
that it is difficult to distribute them into genera,
and to assign to each genus some specific truths,
in order that it may be distinguished and recognized.
This was a study in the ancient churches.

That the same memory-knowledge
can be filled with falsities in endless abundance,
may also be seen by inverting the above truths,
and saying that everyone is neighbor to himself,
and that in every instance
the origin of the neighbor is from self;
and that therefore a person's nearest neighbor
is he who most favors him,
and makes one with him,
and thereby presents himself in him
as an image of himself;
indeed, that neither is his country the neighbor,
except insofar as concerns his own advantage;
and so on without end.
Yet the memory-knowledge remains the same:
that every person is the neighbor.
But by one this is filled with truths,
by another with falsities.
The case is similar with all other memory-knowledges.

AC 6013 - Innocence

AC  6013

And their babes.
(Genesis 46:5)

. . . those things which are of innocence,
is evident from the meaning of "babes," as being innocence.
It is said "with those things which are of innocence,"
also "which are of charity,"
for the reason that without innocence and charity,
natural truth cannot be caused to advance by spiritual truths;
for in order that truth may be genuine,
it must derive its essence and life from charity,
and charity from innocence.
For the interior things which vivify truth
succeed one another in the following order:
inmost is innocence;
next lower is charity;
and lowest is work of charity from truth or according to truth.
The reason why they succeed one another in this order
is that they so succeed one another in the heavens.
For the inmost or third heaven is the heaven of innocence;
the middle or second heaven is the heaven of charity,
within which is innocence from the inmost heaven;
and the ultimate or first heaven is the heaven of truth,
within which is charity from the second heaven,
and within this is innocence from the third.
All these must be in the same order with a person,
for in respect to his interiors
person is formed after the image of the three heavens;
and therefore a regenerated person
is a heaven in particular or in the least form.
But in respect to his exteriors, especially the body,
he is formed after the image of the world . . .
to the end that every person may be in particular
a recipient of Divine good from the Lord,
as heaven is in general.

AC 6003 - "God"; AC 6007 - To Be Elevated; AC 6008 - Earthly & Spiritual Bodies

AC 6003 - "God"

In the original tongue,
"God" is named in the first place in the singular,
but in the second place in the plural;
that is, in the first the name is "El,"
and in the second it is "Elohim."
The reason is that by "God" in the first place
is meant that there is one God and only one,
and by "God" in the second place
that He has many attributes.
Thus arises the name "Elohim" or "God" in the plural,
as in the Word almost everywhere.
As there are many attributes,
and the Ancient Church assigned a name to each,
therefore its descendants,
with whom the knowledge of such things was lost,
believed there were many gods,
and each family chose one of them for its God --
as Abraham, Shaddai,
and Isaac, the God who was called "Pachad" or "Dread."
And as the God of each was one of the Divine attributes,
therefore the Lord said unto Abram,
"I am God Shaddai" (Gen. 17:1),
and here unto Jacob, "I am the God of thy father."

AC 6007 - To Be Elevated

To be elevated toward more interior things
is to think more interiorly,
and at last as a spirit and as an angel;
for the more interiorly thought proceeds,
the more perfect it is,
because it is nearer
the influx of truth and good from the Lord.

AC 6008 - Earthly & Spiritual Bodies

. . . when a person dies,
he does not die,
but only lays aside the body
which had served him for use in the world,
and he passes into the other life
in a body which serves him for use there.

AC 5997 - "Beersheba"

AC 5997

And came to Beersheba.
(Genesis 46:1)

That this means charity and faith,
is evident from the meaning of "Beersheba,"
as being the doctrine of charity and of faith,
but here, charity and faith, and not their doctrine,
for it is predicated of spiritual good, which is "Israel."
Spiritual good is more than doctrine,
doctrine being from this good;
and therefore he who has arrived at spiritual good
has no more need of doctrinal things,
which are from others;
for he has attained the end he sought to reach,
and is no longer concerned with the means;
and doctrinal things are nothing
but the means of arriving at good as the end.
This is the reason why
by "Beersheba" is meant charity and faith.

AC 5992 - The Care of the Lord and His Angels

AC  5992 [1,3]

The angels, through whom the Lord leads
and also protects a person, are near his head.
It is their office to inspire charity and faith,
and to observe in what direction the person's delights turn,
and insofar as they can,
without interfering with the person's freedom,
moderate them and bend them to good.
They are forbidden to act with violence
and thus break the person's greediness and principles;
but are enjoined to act gently.
It is also their office
to rule the evil spirits who are from hell,
which is done in innumerable ways,
of which the following only may be mentioned.
When the evil spirits pour in evils and falsities,
the angels insinuate truths and goods,
which, if not received,
are nevertheless the means of tempering.
Infernal spirits continually attack,
and the angels protect;
such is the order.

Especially do the angels call forth
the goods and truths that are with a person,
and set them in opposition
to the evils and falsities which the evil spirits excite.
Thus the person is in the midst,
and does not perceive either the evil or the good;
and being in the midst,
he is in freedom to turn himself
either to the one or to the other.
By such means do angels from the Lord
lead and protect a person,
and this every moment, and every moment of a moment;
for if the angels were to suspend their care
for a single moment,
the person would be suddenly cast into evil
from which he could never afterward be brought out.
These things the angels do
from the love they have from the Lord,
for they perceive nothing more delightful and happy
than to remove evils from a person,
and lead him to heaven.
That this is a joy to them, see Luke 15:7:

I tell you that in the same way
there will be more rejoicing in heaven
over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous person
who do not need to repent.

Scarcely any person believes
that the Lord takes such care of a person,
and this continually
from the first thread of his life to the last of it,
and afterward to eternity.

AC 5963 - The Varying States in the Other Life

AC 5963

The varying states in the other life . . .
are according to the perception of good and truth
with those who are there,
thus according to their perception of the Lord's presence.
According to this perception
they have tranquillity;
for those who are in the perception of the Lord's presence
are in the perception
that each and all things which befall them
tend to their good,
and that evils do not reach them;
hence they are in tranquillity.
Without such faith or confidence in the Lord
no one can possibly come to the tranquillity of peace,
thus neither to the bliss in joy,
because this bliss dwells in the tranquillity of peace.

AC 5957 - For Our Sake

AC 5957

For everything that flows in from the Lord
through the internal into the external,
or into the natural . . . is given gratuitously.
The Lord does indeed demand
humiliation, adoration, thanksgivings,
and many other things from a person,
which appear like repayments,
and thus not gratuitous;
but the Lord does not
demand these things for His own sake,
for the Divine has no glory
from a person's humiliation, adoration, and thanksgiving.
In the Divine,
anything of the love of self is utterly inconceivable --
that such things should be done for His own sake;
but they are for the sake of the person himself;
for when a person is in humiliation
he can receive good from the Lord,
because he has then been separated from
the love of self and its evils,
which are the obstacle;
and therefore the Lord wills
a state of humiliation in a person for his own sake;
because when he is in this state
the Lord can flow in with heavenly good.
The case is similar with adoration,
and with thanksgiving.

AC 5949 - Keeping God Before Our Eyes

AC 5949 [2-4]

A person must by all means care for his body,
as that it may be nourished, and clothed,
and may enjoy the delights of the world;
but all these not for the sake of the body,
but for the sake of the soul,
namely, that the soul may act in a sound body
correspondently and rightly,
and may have the body as an organ
entirely compliant to it.
Thus the soul must be the end.
Yet neither must the soul be the end,
but only a mediate end,
for which the person must care,
not for its own sake,
but for the sake of the uses
which it must perform in both worlds;
and when a person has uses as the end,
he has the Lord as the end,
for the Lord makes disposition for uses,
and disposes the uses themselves.

As few know what it is to have as the end,
this also shall be told.
To have as the end is to love above all other things,
for what a person loves,
this he has as the end.
That which a person has as the end
is plainly discerned,
for it reigns universally in him;
and thus is continually present
even at those times when he seems to himself
not to be thinking at all about it,
for it is seated within and makes his interior life,
and thus secretly rules each and all things.
As for example,
with him who from the heart honors his parents,
this honor is present
in each and all things that he does in their presence
and that he thinks in their absence,
and it is also perceived from his gestures and speech.
So with him who from the heart
fears and honors God,
this fear and honor are present
in everything that he thinks, and speaks, and does,
because it is in him
even when it does not seem to be present,
as when he is engaged in business
that seems to be far from it;
for it reigns universally; thus in every detail.
That which reigns in a person
is plainly perceived in the other life,
for the sphere of his whole life
which exhales from him is derived from this.

From all this it is evident how it is to be understood
that God must be always kept before the eyes;
not that He must be constantly thought about,
but that the fear or the love of Him
must reign universally,
in which case God is kept before the eyes
in every detail.
When this is the case
the person does not think, speak, or do
what is against Him and displeasing to Him;
or if he does,
that which universally reigns,
and lies hidden within,
manifests itself and admonishes him.