AC 9956 - Sanctifying - Representing Holiness Itself

AC 9956

And shalt sanctify them.
(Exodus 28:41)

That this means thus
a representative of the Lord as to the Divine Human,
is evident from the meaning of "sanctifying,"
as being to represent holiness itself,
which is the Lord as to the Divine Human,
for it is this alone which is holy,
and from which is all holiness
in the heavens and on earth.
Everyone is able to know
that the oil did not sanctify;
but that it induced a representative of holiness.
The case herein is this.
The Lord Himself is above the heavens,
for He is the Sun of the angelic heaven.
The Divine which consequently proceeds from Him
in the heavens is what is called "holy."
The Divine of the Lord above the heavens
could not be represented,
because it is infinite;
but only the Divine of the Lord in the heavens,
for this is accommodated to
the reception of the angels there, who are finite.
In their perception
this Divine is the Lord's Divine Human,
which alone is holy,
and which was represented.

AC 9943 - All Wisdom and Intelligence

AC 9943

. . . all wisdom and intelligence are from
the Divine truth that proceeds
from the Lord's Divine good.
There are no other wisdom and intelligence
that really are such,
because there are none from any other source.
Intelligence is to know and understand truths Divine,
and afterward to have faith in them;
and wisdom is to will and love these truths,
and from this to live according to them.

AC 9936 - "The Face of Jehovah"

AC 9936

. . . by "the face of the Jehovah,"
are meant all things of the Divine love:
such as mercy, peace, good, wisdom.

AC 9917, 9918, 9921 - The Skirts of Aaron's Robe

AC 9917 [6] - Skirts

. . . by "the skirts of the robe" are meant
goods and truths in the ultimates or extremes,
which are in the natural world.

AC 9918 - Pomegranates

The memory-knowledges of good and truth
which are signified by "the pomegranates,"
are doctrinal things from the Word,
which are memory-knowledges
insofar as they are in the memory
which is in the external or natural person.
But when they enter into the memory
which is in the internal or spiritual person,
as is the case when the person lives
according to them,
then doctrinal things as to truth become of faith,
and doctrinal things as to good
become of charity, and are called spiritual.
When this is done,
they almost vanish out of
the external or natural memory,
and appear as it were innate,
because they are then implanted in the person's life,
like all those things which through daily use
have become as it were of his nature.
From this it is evident what memory-knowledges are,
and what purpose they serve;
consequently what purpose
the doctrinal things of the church serve
so long as they are kept solely in the memory;
for so long as they are kept in the memory only,
they have a place beneath intelligence and wisdom;
and they do not ascend, or enter into the life,
until they become of faith and charity
 in the internal person.

AC 9921 - Bells of Gold

And bells of gold.
(Exodus 28:33)

That "the bells" denote all things
of doctrine and of worship passing over
to those who are of the church,
is because by means of the bells
the people heard and perceived
the presence of Aaron in his ministration,
for by "the people" are meant those
who are of the church,
and by "Aaron's ministry" are meant
all things of doctrine and of worship;
and therefore it is said in what follows:

And they shall be upon Aaron to minister;
and the voice thereof shall be heard
when he goes in unto the holiness before Jehovah,
and when be comes out.
(Exod. 28:35);

from which it is plain what is signified by "the bells."
The reason why these bells were put in the skirts,
was that the holy things of doctrine
are in the extremes,
and the hearing and perception are there,
and are from there.

AC 9905 - The Breastplate of Judgment

AC 9905 [1]

And you shall put unto the breastplate of judgment
the Urim and Thummim.
(Exodus 28:30)

That this means the shining forth
of Divine truth from the Lord in ultimates,
is evident from the meaning of
"the breastplate of judgment,"
as being Divine truth shining forth
from the Divine good of the Lord;
and from the meaning of "the Urim and Thummim,"
as being light and the shining forth therefrom.
That "the Urim and Thummim"
denote light shining forth,
is because through the stones in the breastplate
the light of heaven shone forth with variety
according to the answers
that were being given through them.
For this reason they were of different colors.
For the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good
appears before the angels as light,
and from it is all the light of heaven.
The colors derived from it,
which are modifications of this light with the angels,
are variegations of intelligence and wisdom with them;
for all wisdom and intelligence
are from this Divine truth or light.
From this it can be seen
that by the shining forth of various colors from this light,
Divine truths, which are answers,
are presented to view in the heavens.
In like manner there was a shining forth
through the Urim and Thummim,
when inquiry was made of the Divine.
But be it known that when the shining forth appeared,
then at the same time
an answer to the subject of inquiry
was given in an audible voice.
This was done through angels,
to whom this answer was revealed by the Lord
by means of such a shining forth;
for, as before said,
Divine truths which are answers
appear in this manner in the heavens.

AC 9863 - One Good From Which Are All Truths

AC 9863 [1, 3]

. . . there is one good from which are all truths.
This good is the good of love within the Lord,
thus the Lord Himself;
and consequently it is the good of love from the Lord,
which is the good of love within the Lord;
for the good which flows in from the Lord
into a person, spirit, or angel,
appears as if it were theirs;
consequently love within the Lord
is love from the Lord.
This good is the one only good
from which are all truths,
and from which is the order among truths,
for truths are forms of good.

. . . all the wisdom in the heavens is from good,
and all the beauty there
is from the truths derived from there.
  

 

AC 9845 - One State Produces Another; AC9846 - "A Worker In Stone"; AC 9848 - When the Lord Remembers

AC 9845 - One State Produces Another

The person who is being
generated anew by the Lord has two states;
the first is a state of truth,
and the second is a state of good.
So long as the person is in the first state,
he is led by means of truths to good;
but when he is in the second state,
he is led by means of good.
This latter state is the state of heaven with the person,
for he is not in heaven until he is in good.
From all this it is evident what is meant by
"according to the generations of the sons of Israel."
It is said "in that order in which
the one is generated and proceeds from the other,"
because just as good is generated by means of truths,
so afterward it proceeds;
and in like manner
just as truths are generated from good,
so afterward they proceed.

AC 9846 [2] - "A Worker In Stone"

That by "a worker in stone" is meant the good of love,
or the will of one who is regenerate,
is because the good of love works in a person
while he is being regenerated,
and disposes the truths with him into order;
and afterward, when he has been regenerated,
it keeps them in their order.
For truths are created according to
the whole likeness of good,
and according to its every command,
thus according to everything of love;
for good is of love.
That this is so, is evident from the fact
that a person acknowledges as truths
the things that he loves,
and that in this way
he apprehends and acknowledges truths
according to his love.
It is from this that truths constitute the form of good.
From this it can be known
how the Lord leads a person
by means of the truths of faith,
that is, by means of faith;
namely, that He leads him by means of
the good of love that is in him;
and further, how the Lord also directs a person
mediately through heaven;
for a regenerated person
is a heaven in a little image;
wherefore, as the Lord directs heaven,
He also, together with it, directs such a person.

AC 9848 [2]  - When the Lord Remembers

That "remembering,"
when said of the Lord,
denotes to have compassion,
and thus from mercy
to preserve or deliver . . .

AC 9841 - Truths of Life; Truths of Faith From Love

AC 9841 [3-4]

That stones on which there is engraving
denote the memory on which truths are inscribed,
has its origin from the representatives in heaven.
When people go forth
who after their decease come into the other life,
and bring with them the truths of faith
in the natural or exterior memory only,
and not in the spiritual or interior memory,
they seem to themselves to wander about
among rocks and in forests.
But when people go forth
who bring with them the truths of faith
in the spiritual memory also,
they seem to themselves to walk among
cultivated hills, and also in gardens.
The reason is that the truths of faith
of the exterior or natural memory
(which are memory-knowledges)
have no life unless they are at the same time
in the interior or spiritual memory;
for the things which are in this latter memory
have been made of life,
because the interior or spiritual memory
is a person's book of life;
and the things which are of life
are represented in heaven
by gardens, olive yards, vineyards,
and by flower-beds and shrubberies;
and the things of charity,
by hills where such things are;
but those things which are not of life
are represented by rocky places and thickets
which are bare and rough.

It shall be briefly told
what are truths of faith from love.
Truths of faith from love
are truths which love dictates,
thus which derive their being from love.
These truths are living,
because the things which are from love are living.
Consequently the truths of faith from love
are those which treat of love to the Lord
and charity toward the neighbor,
for these are the truths which love dictates.
The whole Word is the doctrine of such truths;
for in its spiritual sense
the Word treats solely of things
which belong to the Lord and the neighbor,
thus which belong to
love to the Lord and toward the neighbor.
It is from this that the Word is living.
This is meant by the statement that
"on these two commandments
hang the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:34-40);
"the Law and the Prophets"
denote the Word in its whole complex.
But truths of faith from love
are not bare knowledges of such things
with a person in the memory,
and from this in the understanding;
but they are affections of life with him;
for the things which
a person loves and therefore does, are of his life.
There are also truths of faith which do not,
like the former, treat of love;
but which merely confirm these truths more nearly,
or more remotely.
These truths of faith are called secondary truths.
For the truths of faith are like
families and their generations
in succession from one father.
The father of these truths
is the good of love from the Lord
and consequently to Him,
thus it is the Lord;
for whether we say the Lord,
or love from Him and consequently to Him,
it is the same thing;
because love is spiritual conjunction,
and causes Him to be where the love is;
for love causes him who is loved
to be present in itself.

AC 9832 - Gold, that is Good, Reigns Universally

AC 9832

And they shall take the gold.
(Exodus 28:5)

That this means good reigning universally,
is evident from the meaning of "gold,"
as being the good of love;
that this reigns universally,
is meant by the gold
being interwoven everywhere in the ephod . . ..
That which reigns universally is that which rules,
thus is in each and all things.
The reason why gold was interwoven everywhere,
was that by the garments of Aaron
was represented the spiritual heaven,
and good reigns in this heaven,
as it does in the other heavens also.
In the inmost heaven reigns
the good of love to the Lord;
in the middle heaven,
the good of charity toward the neighbor;
and in the ultimate heaven,
the good of faith.
But the truth which is of faith
leads people into good,
and afterward is produced from good.
From this it is evident
that a person is not in heaven until he is in good.
If he is only in the truths
which are called matters of faith,
he merely stands before the door;
and if from these truths he looks to good,
he enters into the vestibule;
but if from these truths he does not look to good,
he does not see heaven,
not even from afar.
It is said that a person is not in heaven
until he is in good,
because while a person is in the world
he ought to have heaven in himself,
in order that he may enter into it after death.
For heaven is in a person,
and is in mercy given to those who,
while they live in the world,
suffer themselves to be
brought through the truths of faith
into charity toward the neighbor
and into love to the Lord;
that is, into good.

AC 9824 - Will, Thought, and Action; AC 9828 - Belts and Spiritual Sight

AC 9824 [3 , 4] - Will, Thought, and Action

To will comes first,
to think second,
and to do is the ultimate,
and this is also the effect in which
the prior or interior things
come forth in simultaneous order.
For insofar as the act contains within itself
that which the person is thinking,
and that which he is willing,
so far the interior things are held together
in their form and in their connection.
It is from this that it is said in the Word,
that person will be judged according to his deeds,
or according to his works,
which means that he will be judged
according to his thought and will,
for these are in his deeds
as the soul is in his body.

From this it is also evident why
the external or ultimate which is in perfect order,
is more holy than the internal things regarded singly;
for when the Lord is in the ultimate,
He is simultaneously in all things,
and when He is in this,
the interior things are held together in their order,
connection, and form;
and under supervision and guidance
at His good pleasure.

AC 9828 [1, 9] - Belts and Spiritual Sight

And a belt.
(Exodus28:4)

That this means a general bond
in order that all things may look to one end,
is evident from the meaning of a "belt," or "girdle,"
as being a general bond;
for it gathers up, encloses, holds in connection,
and secures all the interior things,
which without it would be set loose,
and would be scattered.
That "the belt" denotes a general bond
to the intent that all things may look to one end,
is because in the spiritual world the end reigns,
insomuch that all things there may be called "ends;"
for the Lord's kingdom, which is a spiritual world,
is a kingdom of uses,
and uses there are ends;
thus it is a kingdom of ends.
But the ends there follow one another
and are also associated together in a varied order;
the ends which follow one another
being called "intermediate ends,"
but the ends which are associated together
being called "consociate ends."
All these ends have been
so mutually conjoined and subordinated
that they look to one end,
which is the universal end of them all.
This end is the Lord;
and in heaven with those who are receptive,
it is love and faith in Him.
Love is there the end of all their wills,
and faith is the end of all their thoughts,
these being of the understanding.

. . . that such things were meant
can with difficulty
be brought to the belief of the natural person,
for the reason that he can with difficulty
 cast away the natural idea about girdles,
and about garments in general;
and in its place take to himself the spiritual idea,
which is that of good
holding truths together in connection;
for the natural thing,
which appears before the sight,
keeps the mind fixed on itself,
and is not removed
unless the intellectual sight can be raised
even into the light of heaven,
and the person thus be able to think
almost abstractedly from natural things.
When this is done,
there enter the spiritual things
of the truth of faith and the good of love,
which are imperceptible to the merely natural person.

AC 9817 - The Wise in Heart; AC 9818 - Spirit

AC 9817 - The Wise in Heart

. . . the world is conjoined with heaven
through the Word;
but only with those who are in
the good of faith and of love.
From all this it can be seen
that the influx of the Lord
with the people of the church
is through the Word;
for in the heavens the Lord is everything,
because the Divine which proceeds from Him
and is received by the angels
makes heaven.

The reason why "the wise in heart"
denote those who are in the good of love,
is that wisdom is predicated of
the life of heaven in a person,
and also that by "the heart" is meant the good of love.
The life of heaven in a person
is expressed in the Word by "spirit" and by "heart;"
by "spirit" is meant
the life of a person's intellectual part,
and by "heart" the life of his will part.
To the intellectual part belongs truth,
and to the will part belongs good.
Truth belongs to faith, and good to love;
for the understanding receives
the truths which are of faith,
and the will the goods which are of love.
From this it is plain that by "the wise in heart"
are meant those who are in
the good of love from the Lord.
The good of love is celestial good,
through which is spiritual good;
and spiritual good is that which covers celestial good,
as garments cover the body.

AC 9818 [2, 3] - Spirit

The word "spirit" is used
in many passages in the Word,
and when said of a person,
by his "spirit" is meant the good and truth
that have been inscribed on his intellectual part,
consequently there is meant the life of this part.

From this it can be known what is meant by "Spirit"
when said of the Lord, namely,
the Divine truth that proceeds from His Divine good,
and that when this Divine truth flows in with a person,
and is received by him,
it is "the Spirit of Truth," "the Spirit of God,"
and "the Holy Spirit;"
for it flows in immediately from the Lord,
and also mediately through angels and spirits;
. . . in the Word, "spirit," when said of a person,
denotes the good and truth
that has been inscribed on his intellectual part,
consequently that it denotes the life of this.
For there is the life of the intellectual part,
and the life of the will part;
the life of the intellectual part
is to know, to see, and to understand,
that truth is true, and that good is good;
whereas the life of the will part
is to will and to love truth for the sake of truth,
and good for the sake of good.
This latter life is called in the Word "heart;"
but the former is called "spirit."

AC 9814 - Garments of Holiness

AC 9814 [1-2]

And you shalt make garments of holiness
for Aaron your brother.
(Exodus 28:2)

That this means a representative of
the spiritual kingdom joined to the celestial kingdom,
is evident from the meaning of "garments,"
as being truths in general,
and indeed truths which clothe good.
That "garments" denote truths,
originates in heaven,
where angels appear clothed in garments
in accordance with their truths from good;
from which it can be seen
that by the garments of Aaron
was represented the spiritual kingdom of the Lord
joined to His celestial kingdom.
For Aaron represented the Lord
as to the Divine celestial;
from which the garments joined to him
represented the Divine spiritual
joined to the celestial kingdom,
as a garment is to the body.

The Divine spiritual is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;
this appears in heaven as light,
and moreover, is the light
which illumines the external
as well as the internal sight of the angels.
The modification of this light
according to the recipient subjects, which are angels,
presents to the sight various phenomena,
such as clouds, rainbows, colors, and splendors,
of various kinds;
and it also presents shining garments about the angels.
From this it can be seen
that the spiritual kingdom of the Lord
was represented by Aaron's garments of holiness.
For there are two kingdoms
into which the heavens have been divided,
the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom;
those who are in the celestial kingdom appear naked,
but those who are in the spiritual kingdom
appear clothed.
From this it is again evident that it is Divine truth,
or the Divine spiritual, and which appears as light,
that invests or clothes.

But who could possibly believe that within the church,
where there is the Word,
and the consequent enlightenment
about Divine and heavenly things,
ignorance so great should reign
that it is not known that angels and spirits
are in the human form,
and appear to themselves as people;
and also that they see and hear each other,
and converse together;
and that it is known still less
that they appear clothed in garments.
That this is the case falls not only into doubt,
but also into total denial,
with those who are so much immersed
in outward things
as to believe that the body alone lives,
and that all is nothing which they do not see
with the bodily eyes,
and touch with the bodily hands;
when yet the heavens are full of people,
who are angels,
and who are clothed
in garments of varied resplendence.
But nothing of these things can be seen
by a person on earth through the eyes of his body;
but through the eyes of his spirit,
when these are opened by the Lord.
The angels who were seen by the ancients,
as by Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon,
and also the prophets,
were not seen with the eyes of the body,
but with the eyes of the spirit,
which were then opened.
hat these angels appeared clothed in garments,
is evident from the angels
who sat at the Lord's sepulcher,
and were seen in shining white garments
by Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James;
and especially is the same thing evident
from the Lord Himself when seen in His glory
by Peter, James, and John,
in that His raiment was then white and glistening,
and was like the light;
by which raiment there was also represented
the Divine spiritual, that is,
the Divine truth which is from Him.

AC 9806 - Moses and Aaron

AC 9806

. . . by "Moses causing Aaron his brother
to draw near unto him"
is meant the conjunction
of Divine truth with Divine good in the Lord.
That it signifies in His Divine Human,
is because this was the very thing
in which this conjunction was effected;
for the Lord first made His Human Divine truth,
and afterward Divine good.
That Aaron was chosen to minister in the priesthood,
was because he was the brother of Moses;
for in this way there was at the same time
represented the brotherhood
of Divine truth and Divine good in heaven,
because as before said,
Moses represented Divine truth,
and Aaron Divine good.
 

AC 9751 - Good; AC 9783 - Truth; AC 9787 - With the Lord

AC 9751 - Good

. . . the more celestial good is
- thus the more genuine -
so much the purer it is . . ..

Good is said to be clear when it becomes truth;
for good appears by means of truth,
because truth is the form of good;
and good does not appear in light except in a form.
The better therefore
that good is presented in a form,
the more clearly it appears,
for the result is that good itself shines forth,
even so as to affect both the understanding
and at the same time the will of others.
For as is the case with good and truth,
so it is with the will and the understanding in a person,
because the will has been appointed
for the reception of good,
and the understanding for the reception of truth;
and the will does not appear in light
except through the understanding,
for it is understanding
which gives form to what is of the will,
and presents it in clearness.
That which is formed
is as it were divided into parts,
and among these parts,
which are analytically associated together,
there are established various regards or relations.
In this manner good is
presented to view in the understanding
and is rendered clear.
When good has been rendered
clear in the understanding,
it is the truth of this good.

AC 9783 - Truth

That a "lamp" denotes faith,
is because the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord
is light in the heavens; this light,
when received by the angels who are there,
 or by a person,
is like a lamp,
for it illuminates all things of the mind,
and imparts intelligence and wisdom.
This light when received is faith.
But be it known that faith is not a lamp,
that is, does not illuminate the mind,
unless it is from charity;
thus unless it is charity.
The case with faith and charity
is the same as with truth and good;
truth is the form of good,
that is, it is good so formed as to appear in light.
So faith is the form of charity, or charity formed.
Moreover, truth pertains to faith, and good to charity;
for that which is true is believed,
and becomes of faith;
and that which is good is loved,
and becomes of charity.
The truth and good itself which are loved
are the neighbor,
and the love of these is charity.

AC 9787 - With the Lord

. . . with the Lord
things following and future
are together in the present,
because everything which the Lord ordains,
that is provides with a person and an angel,
is eternal.

AC 9763 - Preparation for Heaven

AC 9763

And for the gate of the court a covering.
(Exodus 27:16)

That this signifies introduction into this heaven,
and a guard lest it should be entered
by any except those who are prepared,
is evident from the signification of a "gate,"
as being communication and introduction;
from the signification of "the court,"
as being the ultimate heaven;
and from the signification of "the covering,"
as being a guard lest it be entered;
for the gate was guarded by the covering.
That it denotes a guard lest it should be entered
by any except those who are prepared,
is because no one is introduced into heaven
unless he is prepared.
The case herein is this.
Those who come from the world into the other life,
which takes place immediately after their decease,
bring with them worldly and earthly things
which do not agree with
the spiritual and celestial things
in which the angels are;
and therefore those who are to be raised into heaven
are first prepared,
which is effected by the separation of
the worldly and earthly things
which they have brought with them;
for if they were taken up into heaven sooner,
they could not possibly remain in the societies there,
because they have a taste and love
for grosser things
than are suited to the purity in which the angels are.
But after they have been prepared,
they are taken up and introduced
by the Lord into heaven,
and are admitted into those angelic societies
with which they are in agreement
in respect to the truths and goods of faith and of love.
From all this it can be seen
what is meant by a guard
lest heaven should be entered by any
except those who are prepared.

AC 9744 - The Formation of the Understanding, AC 9755 - Truths in Knowledge, Truths in Faith

AC 9744 - The Formation of the Understanding

In so far as the understanding
has been formed from genuine truths,
so far it excels,
and so far it is "fine twilled linen,"

AC 9755 [2] - Truths in Knowledge, Truths in Faith

. . . the truth in the natural or external person
is truth in knowledge;
whereas the truth in the spiritual or internal person
is the truth of faith.
Truth in knowledge also becomes truth in faith
when it is raised out of the natural or external person
into the spiritual or internal person.
So it is that the truths with a person in his youth
are truths in knowledge;
but in adult age,
if he suffers himself to be regenerated,
they become truths in faith;
for the internal person is successively opened
even to this age.

AC 9726 - What Is the Sensuous?

AC 9726

And you shall make for it a grating, a network.
(Exodus 27:4)

That this means the sensuous, which is the ultimate,
is evident from the meaning of "a grating, a network,"
as being the external sensuous,
thus that which is the ultimate of life with a person;
and because it signifies the ultimate,
it was put round about the altar.
This sensuous was represented by "the grating"
because in the first place it
as it were sifts and separates
the things which enter to person
and are presented to the understanding and the will,
thus truths and goods.
If the sensuous is from good,
it admits nothing but goods and truths
which are from good,
and rejects evils and the falsities
which are from evil;
for the sensuous is the perceptive and sensitive itself
of the things of the understanding and of the will
in the extremes,
being formed precisely according to their affections.
The nature of it may be illustrated
by very many things in the body;
for everywhere in the extremes of the body
there are net-like forms,
and as it were sieves or gratings,
which sift the things that flow in from the world,
admitting, from desire, those which are suitable,
and rejecting, from aversion,
those which are not suitable.
There are such most exquisite forms in the stomach,
which in accordance with the desires,
and for the sake of use,
admit into the blood what is suitable of the chyle,
and reject what is unsuitable,
in accordance with the aversion
that is felt for things injurious.
The case is similar with the sensuous,
which is the ultimate of a person's life.
But with a person
this has been completely destroyed,
for the reason that it stands out nearest to the world,
and therefore is the last to be regenerated,
and at this day scarcely anyone
can be regenerated as far as this . . ..
Therefore a person is raised by the Lord
from this sensuous toward more inward things,
in order that he may see and take hold of
the truths which are of faith,
and the goods which are of love.
But the sensuous which is meant by
"the grating, a network round about the altar,"
is the sensuous of the Lord's Divine Human;
for the altar is the representative of the Lord,
and of the worship of Him from the good of love.

AC 9730

By the external sensuous
is not meant the sense of the body itself,
as its sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch,
but that which is most nearly from these;
for he is called a sensuous person
who thinks and desires according to
these senses of the body and their appetites,
and considers no further.
He who considers further,
and examines what the sensuous desires,
and what he himself thinks from the sensuous,
is said to be raised above the sensuous,
or to be withdrawn from it,
and to think interiorly.
This is the case with those at the present day
who are in the good of charity and of faith.
When this is done, the sensuous is quiescent,
and is deprived of its active life
which it has from the world and its objects.
There are with a person two determinations
of the things of the understanding and of the will;
one determination is outward toward the world,
and the other is inward toward heaven.
With natural and sensuous people,
the determination of the things
of the understanding and of the will,
thus of the thoughts and affections,
is toward the world;
but with spiritual and celestial person
the determination of these things is toward heaven,
and also alternately toward the world.
The hinge of the determinations turns inward
when the person is being regenerated,
and so far as it can then be turned inward,
so far the person can be raised by the Lord
toward heaven to Himself,
and consequently be in the same proportion
imbued with wisdom, faith, and love.
For the person then lives in the internal person,
consequently in his spirit,
and the external person is subordinate to this.
But if aperson does not suffer himself to be regenerated,
then all his interiors remain determined toward the world,
and then his life is in the external person,
and the internal person is subordinate to this.
This is the case when the external person
supplies reasonings which favor evil lusts.
These people are called natural,
and those who abide in things most external
are called sensuous . . ..

AC 9715 - Merit and Righteousness Belong to the Lord Alone

AC 9715 [1-2 7]

Of shittim wood.
(Exodus 27:1)

That this means righteousness,
is evident from the meaning of "shittim wood,"
as being the good of merit and of righteousness
that belongs to the Lord alone;
it shall be stated here
what are the righteousness and the merit
that belong to the Lord alone.
It is believed
that the Lord had merit and righteousness
because He fulfilled all things of the law,
and because by the passion of the cross
He saved the human race;
yet these things are not meant in the Word
by the righteousness and merit of the Lord;
but by His merit and righteousness
is meant that He fought alone with all the hells,
and subjugated them,
and thus reduced into order all things in the hells,
and at the same time all things in the heavens.
For with every person there are spirits from hell,
and also angels from heaven;
without these a person cannot possibly live;
and unless the hells
had been subjugated by the Lord,
and the heavens brought back into order,
no person could have been saved.

This could not have been effected
except by means of His Human;
that is, through combats with the hells from His Human.
And as the Lord did this
from His own power, thus alone,
therefore to the Lord alone
belong merit and righteousness;
and therefore it is He alone
who still conquers the hells with a person;
for He who once conquers them,
conquers them forever.
Wherefore absolutely nothing
of merit and righteousness belongs to a person;
but the merit and righteousness of the Lord
are imputed to him
when he acknowledges that nothing is from himself,
but everything from the Lord.
From this it is that the Lord alone
regenerates a person;
for to regenerate a person
is to drive away the hells from him,
consequently the evils and falsities
which are from the hells,
and to implant heaven in their stead;
that is, the goods of love and the truths of faith,
for these make heaven.
Moreover, by means of continual combats
with the hells
the Lord glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine;
for as a person is regenerated
by means of combats which are temptations,
so the Lord was glorified
by means of combats which were temptations.
Consequently
the glorification of the Human of the Lord
by His own power
is merit and righteousness;
for thereby a person has been saved,
for thereby all the hells
are kept by the Lord in subjection forever.

. . . the good of the Lord's merit
is the only good that reigns in the heavens;
for this good of merit
is even now the continual subjugation of the hells,
and thus the protection of the faithful.
This good is the good of the Lord's love;
for from the Divine love
He fought and conquered in the world.
From the Divine power in the Human
acquired from this,
He alone forever fights and conquers
for heaven and the church;
and thus for the whole human race,
and thereby saves them.
This then is the good of merit,
which is called "righteousness,"
because it belongs to righteousness
to restrain the hells which are endeavoring
to destroy the human race;
and to protect and save the good and faithful.

AC 9710 - 9712 - About Exodus 27

AC 9710 - 9712

In this chapter, in the internal sense,
the subject treated of
is the worship of the Lord from the good of love.
This worship is meant by "the altar,"
and is described in general
by all things relating to the altar.

Afterward the subject treated of
is the ultimate heaven,
which is represented and described by "the court."

Lastly the subject treated of is the good of charity,
through which the spiritual heaven
is illumined by the Lord in the truths of faith;
these things are meant by
"the oil of olive," and by "the luminary."

 

AC 9686 - The Lord's Continual Influx

AC 9683 [2]

The influx of the Lord is also immediate with everyone . . ..
Immediate influx is received
according to the order in which the person or angel is,
thus according to the Divine truth which is from the Divine,
because this is order;
and so it is order itself with a person
that he should live in the good which is from the Lord,
that is, that he should live from the Lord.
This influx is continual,
and is adjoined to each and all things of the will of a person,
directing them as much as possible into order,
for a person's own will
is continually leading him away from order.
It is the same with
the voluntary and involuntary things in a person.
His voluntary things continually lead away from order,
but the involuntary ones continually bring back to order.
It is for this reason that the motion of the heart,
which is involuntary,
is completely removed from a person's will,
and in like manner the action of the cerebellum;
and that the motions of the heart,
and the powers of the cerebellum,
direct the voluntary things,
to prevent them from rushing beyond bounds
and extinguishing the life of the body before its time;
and therefore the primal activities of both
the involuntary and the voluntary things
in the whole body go on conjointly.
These things have been said
in order in some measure to illustrate the idea
about the immediate and the mediate influx
of the celestial things of love
and the spiritual things of faith from the Lord.

AC 9680 - "Holy" and "Holy of Holies"

AC 9680 [2]

All good is holy,
and all truth is holy insofar as it has good in it.
Good is called "holy" from the Lord,
because the Lord alone is holy,
and because from Him is all good and all truth.
From this it is evident why
the Habitation is called "the holy;
and why the ark in which was the Testimony
is called "the holy of holies;"
for the Testimony denotes the Lord Himself
as to Divine truth;
and "the ark" denotes the inmost heaven
where the Lord is.
The Lord is also in the middle heaven;
but He is more fully present in the inmost heaven;
for those who are conjoined with the Lord
by the good of love are with Him;
but those who are conjoined with the Lord
by the good of faith are indeed with Him,
but more remotely.
In the middle heaven there is conjunction
with the Lord through faith implanted
in the good of charity toward the neighbor.
From all this it is evident why the Habitation
that was outside the veil is called "the holy;"
and why the Habitation that was within the veil
is called "the holy of holies."

AC 9667 - Good

AC 9667

Good has its origin from the Divine Itself.
The Lord's Divine love is the Divine good,
for all good belongs to love.
The Divine love itself, thus the Divine good,
is the very being that is called "Jehovah,"
and also "the Lord;"
the coming-forth therefrom is truth.

AC 9648 - Four States: East, West, South, North

AC 9648

There are four states which correspond to
the four quarters in the world,
the east, the west, the south, and the north.
The east corresponds to a state of good in its rising,
the west to a state of good in its going down;
the south corresponds to a state of truth in its light;
and the north to a state of truth in shade).
The state of good to which the east corresponds,
and the state of truth to which the south corresponds,
are interior states;
and the state of good to which the west corresponds,
and the state of truth to which the north corresponds,
are exterior;
for the more interior any state is,
the more perfect it is;
and the more exterior it is,
the more imperfect,
thus the more obscure.
It is for this reason
that the higher a person can be raised
toward interior things,
the more he comes into the perception of good,
and into the light of truth;
and therefore when a person puts off bodily things,
which are the veriest external things,
as is the case when he departs out of the world;
if he has lived a life of truth and good
he comes into intelligence and wisdom,
and thus into the perception of every happiness.
He does so provided that
he has been leading a life of truth and goodness.
And the more he has allowed himself to be raised
towards the more internal parts of heaven
by leading a good life
based on teachings about the truth,
the greater is that perception.

 

AC 9637 - Every Good Has Its Truth, and Every Truth Its Good

AC 9637

Good without truth does not appear,
and truth without good does not exist,
for truth is the form of good,
and good is the being of truth.
It is from form that good appears,
and it is from being that truth exists.
The case herein is like that of flame and light;
flame without light does not appear,
and therefore it emits from itself light
that it may appear;
and light without flame does not exist.
It is the same
with a person's will and his understanding;
the will does not appear without the understanding,
and the understanding does not exist without the will.
As it is with good and truth,
or with flame and light,
or again with the will and understanding,
even so it is with love and faith,
for all good is of love,
and all truth is of faith from love;
and a person's will has been allotted to
the reception of the good which is of love,
and his understanding to
the reception of the truth which is of faith.
Moreover, love is the flame or fire of life,
and faith is the light of life.

AC 9629 - Covering

AC  9629

And the cubit on the one side,
and the cubit on the other side,
in that which is over and above
in the length of the curtains of the Tent,
shall superabound over the sides of the Habitation
on this side and on that,
to cover it.
(Exodus 26:13)

That this means the method
by which this ultimate proceeds from good,
in order that heaven may be rendered safe,
is evident from the meaning of
"that which superabounds over
the sides of the Habitation,
a cubit on the one side and a cubit on the other side,"
as being the ultimate which proceeds;
from the meaning of
"the length of the curtains of the Tent,"
as being truths from good;
and from the meaning of "to cover,"
as being to protect,
for that which covers
protects from the assailing evil
that would inflict injury.
From these meanings gathered into one,
there results this meaning,
that this ultimate which proceeds from good
is for the purpose
that heaven may be rendered safe.

AC 9606 & 9614 - In Heaven, Spheres Conjoin

AC 9606

For there are spheres
which proceed from each angelic society in heaven,
and from each angel in a society.
These spheres, with everyone,
exhale from the life of the affections of truth and of good,
and are from there diffused to a distance.
From this it is that the quality of spirits and of angels
is known at a distance.
Angels and angelic societies are conjoined,
and are also disjoined,
in accordance with these spheres;
for similar spheres, that is,
similar affections of truth and good, conjoin;
and dissimilar spheres disjoin.
Whether you say angels and angelic societies,
from which the spheres proceed, or truth and good,
it is the same;
for the spheres are from
the affections of truth and good,
by virtue of which angels are angels from the Lord.
Be it known that insofar
as these spheres derive anything from the Lord,
so far they conjoin;
but insofar as they derive it from the angel's own,
so far they disjoin.
From this it is evident that the Lord alone conjoins.

AC 9614 [3]

The conjunction of the angelic societies into one heaven
has reference to these laws:

1. Everyone in the form of the heavens comes forth
in accordance with the heavenly harmony
of many associated together.

2. Love is spiritual conjunction,
from which comes heavenly harmony.

3. There must be a universal bond,
in order that all the individuals
may be held together in conjunction.

4. The universal bond must flow
into the individual bonds,
and must make them.

5. The universal bond is the Lord,
thus love from Him,
and consequently love to Him.

6. The individual bonds are derived from this,
and are those of mutual love,
or of charity toward the neighbor.

These are the laws by virtue of which heaven,
consisting of innumerable angelic societies,
is nevertheless as one person.

AC 9594 - The Three Degrees

AC 9594 [1-2]

It is known that there are three heavens:
the inmost, the middle, and the ultimate;
or the third, the second, and the first.
All these heavens were represented by the tabernacle:
by the ark,
where the Testimony was,
the inmost or third heaven;
by the Habitation,
where were the table for the breads of faces
and the lampstand,
the middle or second heaven;
and by the court,
the ultimate or first heaven.
That there are three heavens
is because there are three degrees of life in a person
(for the person who becomes an angel after death
constitutes heaven;
from no other source are the angels,
from no other is heaven).
The inmost degree of the person's life
is for the inmost heaven;
the middle degree of his life
is for the middle heaven;
and the ultimate degree is for the ultimate heaven.
A person being such, or so formed,
and heaven being from the human race,
there are therefore three heavens.

These three degrees of life in a person
are opened successively;
the first degree by a life
in accordance with what is equitable and just;
the second degree by a life
in accordance with the truths of faith from the Word,
and in accordance with the consequent
goods of charity toward the neighbor;
and the third degree by a life
in accordance with the good of mutual love
and the good of love to the Lord.
These are the means whereby
these three degrees of life in a person
are successively opened
thus the three heavens in him.
But be it known
that in proportion as a person recedes
from the good of life, and accedes to the evil of life,
these degrees are closed,
that is, the heavens are closed in him;
for just as the good of life opens them,
so the evil of life closes them.

AC 9587 & 9588 - Freedom and Compulsion

AC 9587

The Lord keeps a person in the Freedom of thinking;
and insofar as outward bonds,
which are the fear of the law and for life,
and the fear of the loss
of reputation, of honor, and of gain,
do not hinder,
He keeps him in the Freedom of doing;
but, through Freedom,
He bends him away from evil;
and, through Freedom,
He bends him to good;
leading him so gently and silently
that the person knows no otherwise
than that everything proceeds from himself.
Thus the Lord, in Freedom,
inseminates and inroots good
in the very life of the person,
which good remains to eternity.
This the Lord teaches in Mark:

So is the Kingdom of God,
as a man who casts seed into the earth;
the seed germinates and grows,
while he knows not.
The earth bears fruit of its own accord.
(Mark 4:26-28).

"The kingdom of God"
denotes heaven with a person,
thus the good of love and the truth of faith.

AC 9588

That which is inseminated in Freedom remains,
because it is inrooted in the very will of a person,
which is the being of his life.
But that which is inseminated under compulsion
does not remain,
because what is of compulsion
is not from the will of the person,
but is from the will of him who compels.
For this reason worship from Freedom
is pleasing to the Lord,
but not worship from compulsion;
for worship from Freedom is worship from love,
because all Freedom is of love.

AC 9568 - The Good from the Lord in Everything

AC 9568

Good is the source of truths,
and truths from good
are the source of memory-knowledges.
So is the one derived and produced from the other.
Nevertheless good is everything
in its products and derivatives,
because these are from good.
The case herein
is like that with end, cause, and effect.

The end is everything of the cause,
and the cause is everything of the effect;
from which it follows
that the end is everything of the effect,
insomuch that
if the end or final cause is withdrawn,
there is no efficient cause and no effect of it.
In like manner do the celestial, the spiritual,
and the natural succeed each other;
from the celestial is all the spiritual,
and from the spiritual is all the natural,
that is, from the celestial through the spiritual.
With a person all is called "celestial"
that is of the good of love,
all "spiritual" that is of the truth of faith from there,
and all "natural" that is of memory-knowledge.
That memory-knowledge is natural,
is because this knowledge is truth
appearing in the light of the world;
whereas the truth of faith,
insofar as it is of faith with a person,
is in the light of heaven.

From all this it can now be seen
how one thing is produced and derived
from another,
and that the first is everything
in the products and derivatives,
insomuch that if the first is withdrawn,
the things which follow from it perish.
Everyone capable of perception can know
that the Divine is the first of all things,
and therefore is the all in all
of the order of things,
thus in all things of good and truth
which make heaven,
and which make the life of heaven, with a person.
Consequently good from the Divine
is in all the truths of faith,
and if good is not everything in them,
and if the Divine of the Lord
is not everything in good,
the person has in him nothing of heaven,
thus nothing of the church.

But the Divine of the Lord
is in all things of good with a person,
and from this in all things of truth with him,
when he wills from love,
and believes from the consequent faith,
that all good and all truth,
thus everything of love and everything of faith,
are from the Lord,
and absolutely nothing from himself;
and also that he possesses the truth of faith
in the exact proportion of
his reception of good from the Lord;
for, as before said,
good is the all in all things of truth,
and truth without good is truth without life.

AC 9546 - The Celestial Kingdom; AC 9546 - The Faces of the Lord

AC 9543

. . . very many things in the celestial kingdom of the Lord
do not fall into any idea of human thought,
and scarcely into the idea of the thought
of the angelic spirits who are in the ultimate heaven.
For all things in the Lord's celestial kingdom
are founded upon the good which is of love,
and not on the truth which is of faith.
Moreover, they speak together
by means of the goods which are of love,
and not by means of the truths which are of faith,
as do those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom.

AC 9546

Unto My faces continually.
(Exodus 25:30)

That this means thus the presence of the Lord
with peace and with heavenly joy from mercy,
is evident from the meaning of
the "faces of Jehovah," or of the Lord,
as being all things of the Divine love or mercy,
such as innocence, peace, joy,
and thus heaven itself with those who receive it.
For by "faces," when said of man and angel,
are meant the interiors which are of the will
and consequently of the understanding,
thus which are of love and consequently of faith.
From this it can be seen that by "faces,"
when said of Jehovah or the Lord,
are meant the things of the Divine love or mercy,
thus all celestial good.

AC 9509 - Cherubs

AC 9509 [2, 5]

During regeneration a person has two states,
one after the other.
The first one is when the person is led
by means of the truths of faith to the good of love.
The second is when he is in the good of love;
and when he is in this,
he is in heaven with the Lord.
From this it is evident
that this good is heaven itself with a person,
because this good is the Lord with him,
for it is from the Lord.

That there were cherubs
upon the curtains of the Habitation, upon the veil,
upon the walls of the temple,
and upon the doors of it,
signified the guard of the Lord
lest the holy Divine should be approached
except through the good of love;
and that there were cherubs upon the ark
signified that the Lord Himself
was not to be approached except through this good.
Therefore also the cherubs were made of solid gold,
and in the temple at Jerusalem
were made of wood of oil,
for by "gold" and by "oil" is signified the good of love.