Advent Reading - December 9

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf, and the young lion,
and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed;
and their young ones shall lie down together.
(Isaiah 11:6-7)

AC 430

A "little one" or "little child" in the Word,
means innocence, and also charity,
for true innocence cannot exist without charity,
nor true charity without innocence.
There are three degrees of innocence,
distinguished in the Word by the terms
"sucklings" "infants" and "little children;"
and as there is no true innocence
without true love and charity,
therefore also by
"sucklings" "infants" and "little children"
are meant the three degrees of love:
namely, tender love,
like that of a suckling toward its mother or nurse;
love like that of an infant toward its parents;
and charity, similar to that
of a little child toward its instructor.
Thus it is said in Isaiah:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf, and the young lion,
and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
(Isaiah 11:6)

AC 3696 [2-3, 4]

. . . with the new life
in the person who is being regenerated:
at first he is in a state of tranquillity;
but as he passes into a new life,
he also passes at the same time
into an untranquil state;
for the evils and falsities
with which be had before become imbued
emerge and come forth,
and disturb him,
and this at last to such a degree
that he is in temptations and vexations
inflicted by the diabolical crew,
who are continually striving to destroy
the state of his new life.
Yet inmostly the person is in a state of peace,
for unless this were with him inmostly,
he would not combat,
for in his battlings he is continually looking
to this state as the end,
and unless he had such an end,
he would in no wise
have power and strength to combat.
This moreover is the reason why he overcomes;
and because this is the end in view,
he also comes into this state
after the combats or temptations.
This is like the state of spring,
which succeeds the state of autumn and winter;
or it is like the state of dawn,
which succeeds evening and night.

That in the Word "to lie down"
means a state of tranquillity . . .

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf and the young lion together;
and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed;
their young ones shall lie down together.
(Isaiag 11:6-7);

where the Lord is treated of,
and the state of peace in His kingdom;
that they shall "lie down together"
means that they cannot be infested
by any evil and falsity.