AC 9572 - "And the tongs thereof, and the basins thereof." (Exodus 25:38)

AC 9572
And the tongs thereof, and the basins thereof.
(Exodus 25:38)
That this signifies the purifiers and evacuators in the natural,
is evident from the signification of "tongs and basins,"
as being things for cleansing, thus for purifying and emptying.
That these are in the natural,
is because the natural is the emunctory,*
thus the place of purifying and evacuating;
for all things that belong to the internal or spiritual man
descend into the natural,
and are purified; for there things filthy and superfluous are discharged,
and things suitable for uses are disposed into order.
That this is done in the natural,
can be seen from the fact that while the internal or spiritual man is in the body,
it thinks in the natural,
and sets forth or utters its thoughts in the corporeal;
and that it also wills in the natural, and does what it wills in the corporeal;
and therefore the evacuators and cleansers are there.

* emunctory - * place of waste removal

AC 9571 - "And it shall give light over against the faces of it." (Exodus 25:37)

AC 9571
And it shall give light over against the faces of it.
(Exodus 25:37)
. . ."giving light," as being the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good. . . .
The illumination from this is the illumination of the mind,
from which come intelligence and wisdom in the truths and goods of faith.
The mind is illuminated by means of the Word,
because the Word is Divine truth from the Lord.
And from the signification of "the faces,"
when said of the Lord,
as being all that which is from the Divine good of His Divine love.

AC 9553 - flowers and fruit

AC 9553
And its flowers.
That this signifies the memory- knowledges of truth,
is evident from the signification of "flowers,"
as being the memory-knowledges of truth.
"Flowers" have this signification,
because flowers are growths which precede,
and in their manner produce, the fruits and seeds;
for, as is known, trees and plants blossom before they bear fruit.
The case is the same with man in respect to intelligence and wisdom.
The memory-knowledges of truth precede,
and in their manner produce with man, the things of wisdom;
for they serve as objects to his rational,
and thus as means for growing wise.
It is for this reason that the memory-knowledges of truth are as flowers;
and the good of life, which is the good of wisdom, is as fruit.

AC 9548 - And you shall make a lampstand. (Exodus 25:31)

AC 9548
And you shall make a lampstand.
That this signifies the spiritual heaven,
is evident from the signification of the "lampstand,"
as being the Divine spiritual in heaven and in the church from the Lord.
That by the "lampstand" is signified the Divine spiritual
is because by "the table on which were the breads of faces"
is signified the Divine celestial, as was shown in what goes before.
The Divine celestial is the good of love,
and the Divine spiritual is the truth of faith thence derived;
both proceeding from the Lord.
That the "lampstand" denotes the Divine spiritual is from its illumination,
for the Divine truth which proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord
is what gives light in heaven,
nor have the angels light from any other source.
Hence it is that in the Word the Lord is called "the Light,"
and by "light" is signified faith,
also the intelligence of truth and the wisdom of good,
which are from the Lord alone.

AC 9535
And thou shalt make a border of gold to the closure thereof round about.
That this signifies the bounding of the sphere of Divine good,
is evident from the signification of "a border of gold,"
as being the fixing of the bounds by the Divine good;
and from the signification of "the closure thereof,"
as being conjunction with truth from the Divine.

AC 9536
And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold.
That this signifies the ultimate receptacle of the heavenly marriage,
which is that of Divine good with Divine truth,
is evident from the signification of the "four rings of gold,"
as being Divine truth conjoined with Divine good everywhere round about,
thus the ultimate receptacle of the heavenly marriage,
which is that of Divine good with Divine truth.

AC 9506 & 9507 - the mercy seat & the cherubs

AC 9506
And thou shalt make a propitiatory [mercy seat] of pure gold.
That this signifies the hearing and reception
of all things that belong to worship from the good of love
is evident from the signification of "a propitiatory [mercy seat]"
as being a cleansing from evils, or the forgiveness of sins,
consequently the hearing and reception of all things that belong to worship;
and from the signification of "gold" as being the good of love.

AC 9509
And thou shalt make two cherubs.
That this signifies no admission and approach to the Lord
except through the good of love,
is evident from the signification of "cherubs,"
as being guard and providence l
est the Lord should be approached except through the good of love.
As this was signified by the "cherubs,"
they were placed over the propitiatory [mercy seat] that was upon the ark,
and therefore they were made of solid gold;
for by the "ark" is signified heaven where the Lord is,
and by "gold," the good of love (n. 9490).

[4] It is believed that the Lord can be approached through the truths of faith;
but He cannot be approached through these truths
when they are separated from the good of love;
nor indeed can heaven . . ..
.
[5] As guard and providence lest the Lord be approached, and also heaven,
except through the good of love,
is signified by "the cherubs,"
therefore in the Word Jehovah is said "to sit on the cherubs,"
and also "to ride" and "to dwell upon the cherubs,"
as in the following passages:

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that sittest upon the cherubs, shine forth
(Psalms 80:1).
Jehovah shall reign; the peoples shall shake.
He sitteth on the cherubs
(Psalms 99:1).
Jehovah rode upon a cherub, and did fly
(Psalms 18:10).
Jehovah Zebaoth, that dwellest on the cherubs
(Isaiah 37:16).

And for this reason there were cherubs on the curtains of the Habitation,
and on the veil (Exod. 26:1, 31; 36:35);
and also upon the walls of the temple round about,
and upon the doors thereof (1 Kings 6:23-29, 31-35);
and in like manner in the new temple described in Ezekiel (41:18-20).
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. . ..

AC 9496 - the ark and the human body

AC 9496
It shall now be told why it was that heaven could be represented by the ark and the Habitation; the fixing of the bounds by the border; stability by the corners; the conjunction of good with truth by the rings; and power by the staves.

It has been shown that all nature, with each and all things therein that are in order, is representative of the Lord's kingdom, that is, of heaven and the heavenly things therein. It has also been shown that the universal heaven bears relation to a man, and that for this reason heaven is called the Grand Man. From this it now follows that all the forms by which heavenly things are represented, bear relation to the human form, and have their signification in accordance with their agreement with this form.



[2] From this it is now plain why it is that when "the ark"
signifies heaven where the Lord is,
"the border of the ark"
signifies the fixing of the bounds;
"the sides," the good with which truth is to be conjoined;
"the corners," stability;
"the rings," the conjunction itself;
and "the staves," power.
For the staves bear relation to the arms in man,
and therefore they signify the same as the arms;
the rings bear relation to the joints or sockets
by which the arms are joined to the breast;
the corners, to the projections themselves,
where this joining is effected; the sides, to the chest or thorax;
the border, to the circumference in which the bounds are fixed.

From this it can be seen that by "the staves,"
as by "the arms," is signified power;

and that by "the sides" is signified the same
as by "the chest" or "thorax" of the body,
namely, good;
for in this part are the heart and lungs,
and by "the heart" is signified celestial good,
and by "the lungs" spiritual good.

From this it is plain that by "the rings" is signified the same
as by the joints or joinings of the chest to the shoulders,
and of the shoulders to the arms;
namely, the conjunction of good with truth;

and that by "the corners" is signified stability,
for there the strength of the body puts itself forth,
and its strength and power come forth through the arms.

AC 9484 - an ark of shittim wood overlaid with gold

AC 9484
And let them make an ark of shittim wood;
two cubits and a half the length thereof and a cubit
and a half the breadth thereof,
and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold,
from within and from without shalt thou overlay it,
and shalt make upon it a border of gold round about.
And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it,
and put them upon the four corners thereof;
and two rings shall be on the one side of it,
and two rings on the other side of it.
And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood,
and overlay them with gold.
And thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark,
to carry the ark withal. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark;
they shall not be removed from it.
And thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee.
(Exodus 25:10-16)

"And let them make an ark,"
signifies the inmost heaven;
"of shittim wood,"
signifies righteousness;
"two cubits and a half the length thereof,"
signifies all in respect to good;
"and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof,"
signifies full in respect to truth;
"and a cubit and a half the height thereof,"
signifies full in respect to degrees;
"and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold,"
signifies that all these things must be founded on good;
"from within and from without shalt thou overlay it,"
signifies everywhere;
"and shalt make upon it a border of gold round about,"
signifies a fixing of the bounds by good,
lest they be approached and injured by evils;
"and thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it,"
signifies the Divine truth conjoined with Divine good
that is round about on all sides;
"and put them upon the four corners thereof,"
signifies stability;
"and two rings shall be on the one side of it,
and two rings on the other side of it,"
signifies the marriage of truth with good and of good with truth;
"and thou shalt make staves of shittim wood,"
signifies the power thence derived;
"and overlay them with gold,"
signifies good everywhere;
"and thou shalt put the staves into the rings,"
signifies the power of the Divine sphere;
"on the sides of the ark,"
signifies in ultimates;
"to carry the ark withal,"
signifies thus the coming-forth and subsistence of heaven;
"the staves shall be in the rings of the ark,"
signifies that the power shall endure from the Divine sphere of good and truth;
"they shall not be removed from it,"
signifies forever, without change;
"and thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony,"
signifies the Divine truth, which is the Lord in heaven;
"which I shall give thee,"
signifies its representative.

AC 9479 - "And let them make for Me a sanctuary." (Exodus 25:8)

AC 9479
"And let them make for Me a sanctuary." (Exodus 25:8)
. . . the tabernacle is called "a sanctuary,"
from the fact that by it was represented heaven and the church,
and that by the holy things therein
were represented Divine things
that are from the Lord in heaven and in the church.

AC 9472 - shittim wood

AC 9472
And Shittim wood.
Shittim wood was the wood of the most excellent cedar;
and by the "cedar" is signified the spiritual of the church.

As the good of merit that belongs to the Lord alone
is the only good that reigns in heaven, and that makes heaven,
therefore this wood was the only wood
employed in the construction of the tabernacle
(by which heaven was represented);
as for instance for the ark itself, in which was the testimony; for its staves;
for the table upon which were the breads of faces, and its staves;
for the planks of the Habitation;
for the bars and pillars of the covering; and also for the altar and its staves.

AC 9469 & 9470 - fine linen and wool

AC 9469
And fine linen.
that "fine linen" denotes truth from a celestial origin,
is because of its whiteness and softness.

AC 9470 [4]
As by the garment of Aaron were represented such things
as belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
thus the spiritual things of truth,
his garments of holiness were of linen;
and not of wool;
for "linen" denotes spiritual truth,
but "wool" celestial truth, which relatively is good.

AC 9466, 9467, 9468 - blue, crimson, and scarlet double-dyed

AC 9466
And blue.
. . ."blue" [hyacinthinum] as being the celestial love of truth.
That "blue" has this signification is because it belongs to the color of the sky,
and because by this color is signified truth from a celestial origin,
which is truth from the good of love to the Lord.
This good reigns in the inmost heaven,
and in the middle or second heaven
it is presented to view as crimson and blue;
the good itself as crimson, and the derivative truth as blue.
For in the other life, and in heaven itself, there appear most beautiful colors,
all deriving their origin from good and truth.

[2] This then is the reason why
among the things that were collected for the tabernacle,
and for the garments of Aaron,
were blue, crimson, scarlet double-dyed, and skins of red rams;
for by the tabernacle was represented the heaven of the Lord,
and by the things of which it was constructed and woven together
were represented the celestial and spiritual things
that belong to good and truth. . .

AC 9467
And crimson.
. . ."crimson," as being the celestial love of good.
The reason why this is signified by "crimson,"
is that by a red color is signified the good of celestial love.
For there are two fundamental colors from which come the rest:
the color red, and the color white.
The color "red" signifies the good which is of love;
and the color "white" signifies the truth which is of faith.

[2] From this it is evident what the remaining colors signify;
for insofar as they partake of red they signify the good of love;
and insofar as they partake of white they signify the truth of faith;
for all the colors that appear in heaven
are modifications of heavenly light and flame upon these two planes.
For heavenly light is real light,
and in itself is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord;
wherefore the modifications of this light and flame
are variegations of truth and good, thus of intelligence and wisdom.

AC 9468
And scarlet double-dyed.
. . . "scarlet," and of "double-dyed," as being celestial truth,
which is the same as the good of mutual love.
There are two kingdoms into which the angelic heaven has been divided -
the celestial kingdom, and the spiritual kingdom;
and in each there is an internal and an external.
The internal in the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord,
and the external is the good of mutual love.
It is this latter good which is signified by "scarlet double-dyed;"
by "scarlet" the good itself,
and by "double-dyed" its truth.
But in the spiritual kingdom
the internal is the good of charity toward the neighbor,
and the external is the good of obedience from faith.
That "scarlet double-dyed" signifies the good of mutual love and its truth,
is from its appearance in the other life;
for when the sphere of this good and truth
is presented to view in the lowest heaven, it appears of a scarlet color;
because that which flows down from the celestial heaven
and appears beneath, takes its color from flame,
and beneath becomes scarlet
from the shining whiteness of the light of the middle heaven,
through which it passes.

[3] As external celestial good and its truth
are signified by "scarlet double-dyed,"
therefore the Word as to the external sense,
and its derivative doctrine,
are expressed by this color,
for the reason that the Word is the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord,
and this appears as a flaming light in the inmost heaven,
and as a shining white light in the middle heaven.

AC 9462 - the collection for the tabernacle

AC 9462.
And this is the collection which you shall take from them;
gold, and silver, and brass;
and blue, and crimson, and scarlet double-dyed,
and fine linen, and goats' wool;
and skins of red rams, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood;
oil for the luminary, spices for the oil of anointing,
and for the incense of spices; onyx stones,
and stones for filling, for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
(Exodus 25:3-7)

"And this is the collection which you shall take from them,"
signifies that these things shall by all means be required;
"gold and silver,"
signifies good and truth in general;
"and brass," signifies external good;
"and blue," signifies the celestial love of truth;
"and crimson," signifies the celestial love of good;
"and scarlet double-dyed," signifies mutual love;
"and fine linen," signifies the truth thence derived;
"and goats' wool," signifies the good thence derived;
"and skins of red rams, and badgers' skins,"
signifies the external truths and goods by which they are held together;
"and shittim wood,"
signifies the goods of merit which are from the Lord, thus of the Lord alone;
"oil for the luminary,"
signifies the internal good which is in mutual love and charity;
"spices for the oil of anointing,"
signifies the internal truths that belong to the inaugurating good;
"and for the incense of spices,"
signifies for acceptable perception;
"onyx stones, and stones for filling,"
signifies spiritual truths and goods in general;
"for the ephod, and for the breastplate,"
signifies which should be for a covering for external and internal celestial things.

AC 9457 - the tabernacle (Exodus 25)

AC 9457 [4]
A church is therefore representative
when the internal holy things of love and faith from the Lord and to the Lord
are presented to view by means of forms visible in the world;
as in this chapter and the following by the ark, the propitiatory[mercy seat],
the cherubs, the tables there, the lampstand,
and all the other things of the tabernacle.

For this tabernacle was so constructed
as to represent the three heavens and all things therein;
and the ark, in which was the Testimony,
so as to represent the inmost heaven and the Lord Himself therein.
Wherefore its form was shown to Moses in the mountain,
Jehovah then saying that they should
"make for Him a sanctuary, and He would dwell in the midst of them" (verse 8).
Everyone who has some capacity of thinking interiorly
can perceive that Jehovah could not dwell in a tent,
but that He dwells in heaven;
and that this tent could not be called a sanctuary
unless it referred to heaven, and to the celestial and spiritual things therein.
Consider what it would be for Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth,
to dwell in a small habitation of wood,
overlaid with gold and surrounded with curtains,
unless heaven and the things of heaven had been there represented in a form.

AC 9448-9449 - the Forgiveness of Sins and the signs

AC 9448
To be able to be kept by the Lord in the good of love,
and the truths of faith,
and to be withheld from evils and falsities,
is the Forgiveness of Sins.
And to shun evil and falsity, and to feel aversion for them,
is then Repentance.

AC 9449
The signs that sins have been forgiven are the following.
Delight is felt in worshiping God for the sake of God;
in being of service to the neighbor for the sake of the neighbor;
thus in doing good for the sake of good,
and in believing truth for the sake of truth.
There is an unwillingness to merit by anything that belongs to charity and faith.
Evils, such as enmities, hatreds, revenges, unmercifulness, adulteries,
in a word, all things that are against God and against the neighbor,
are shunned and are held in aversion.

AC 9431, 9435 - six days, and then the seventh

AC 9431
. . . there are two states with the person
who is being regenerated by the Lord;
the first state is called a state of truth,
and the second state is called a state of good.
The reason why the first state is called a state of truth,
is that the person is then being brought into good by means of truth;
and the reason why the second state is called a state of good,
is that when the person is in good he has been brought in.
Moreover, when a person is in a state of truth he is outside of heaven;
but when he is in good, he is in heaven;
thus has been brought in to the Lord.
Besides, when a person is in the first state, or the state of truth,
he is then in labor and combat, for he is then undergoing temptations;
but when he is in the second state, or the state of good,
he is then at rest and in the tranquillity of peace.
The former state is what is represented in the Word by the six days
which precede the seventh;
but the latter state is what is represented by the seventh day or Sabbath.

AC 9435
The six days during which Moses remained in the extremity
of the mountain (Mount Sinai),
signified a state of truth,
and the seventh day, on which he went up into the mountain,
signified a state of good.
The reason is, that with those who are being regenerated by the Lord
there are similar degrees of ascent from the world to heaven;
for a person is elevated from external to internal things;
because from the natural person who is in external things
to the spiritual person who is in internal things.
Such an elevation or ascent was also represented by Moses
when he put on the representation of the holy external, which mediates;
for the holy external of the Word
is the entrance to a state of good, thus to heaven.

AC 9422 - the mountain of God, Mount Sinai

AC 9422
. . . by "Mount Sinai" is signified the Law,
or Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Word;
by its summit, where Jehovah or the Lord was
is signified the highest or inmost of the Law, that is, of the Word;
by all the rest of the mountain that was below the summit
is signified the internal of the Law or of the Word, such as it is in heaven;
and by what was beneath the mountain,
where were the elders and the people,
is signified the external of the Law or of the Word,
which is its external sense.

AC 9424 [2]
. . . all the doctrine of the church must be from the Word,
and that the doctrine from any other source than the Word
is not doctrine in which there is anything of the church,
still less anything of heaven.
But the doctrine must be collected from the Word,
and while it is being collected,
the person must be in enlightenment from the Lord;
and he is in enlightenment
when he is in the love of truth for the sake of truth,
and not for the sake of self and the world.
These are they who are enlightened in the Word when they read it,
and who see truth, and from it make doctrine for themselves.
The reason of this is that such communicate with heaven,
thus with the Lord; and being enlightened by the Lord in this way
they are led to see the truths of the Word such as they are in heaven;
for the Lord inflows through heaven into their understandings,
because it is the man's interior understanding that is enlightened.
And at the same time the Lord flows in with faith,
by means of the cooperation of the new will,
a feature of which is to be affected with truth for the sake of truth.
From all this it can now be seen how
the doctrine of truth and good is given a person by the Lord.
[3] That this doctrine supports the Word
in respect to its literal or external sense,
is plain to everyone who reflects;
for everyone in the church who thinks from doctrine
sees truths in the Word from his doctrine and according thereto,
and explains those which do not coincide with it;
and those which seem to be opposed to it
he passes by as though he did not see or understand them;
that all do so, even heretics, is known.
But they who are in the genuine doctrine of truth from the Word,
and in enlightenment when they read the Word,
see everywhere truths that agree, and nothing whatever that is opposed;
for they do not dwell upon what is said therein according to appearances,
and according to the common apprehension of men,
because they know that if the appearances are unfolded,
and as it were unswathed, the truth is laid bare.

AC 9410 - "the blood of the lamb"

AC 9410 [5]
They who are in the true doctrine of the church are able to know that they are not saved by blood, but by hearing truth Divine, and doing it; thus that those are saved who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord through the Divine truth. This all are able to know, to apprehend, to see, and to perceive, who are in enlightenment from the Lord; thus all who are in the good of charity and of faith, for these are they who are enlightened. This I can avouch - that when I am reading "the blood of the Lamb," and am thinking of the blood of the Lord, the angels who are with me know no otherwise than that I am reading "the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord," and that I am thinking about this. But let the simple remain in their doctrine, that they are saved through the Lord's blood, provided they live in accordance with His Divine truth; for they who so live are enlightened in the other life.

AC 9402, 9407, 9408 - blue and the shining of the Word with the presence of the Lord

AC 9402
And they saw the God of Israel;
and under His feet
there was as a work of a sapphire stone,
and as the substance of heaven in respect to cleanness.
(Exodus 24:10)

"And they saw the God of Israel,"
signifies the coming and presence of the Lord in the Word;
"and under His feet,"
signifies the ultimate sense which is the sense of the letter itself;
"there was as a work of a sapphire stone,"
signifies what is translucid there from internal truths,
and all things from the Lord;
"and as the substance of heaven in respect to cleanness,"
signifies the shining through of the angelic heaven.

AC 9407 [5]
That under the Lord's feet there appeared as it were a work of sapphire,
and that this signifies the shining through of the Word
in the sense of the letter,
is because a "stone" in general signifies truth,
and a "precious stone" truth shining through from the Divine of the Lord.

AC 9408
. . . the blueness of heaven is truth transparent from good.

AC 9392, 9398, 9399 - And Moses took half of the blood

I apologize for the length of this post. There is a lot of sprinkling of blood in the Old Testament. As someone who as done an awful lot of laundry, blood sprinkled all over - especially the beautiful garments of the priests - just makes me cringe. However, as with everything in the Word, the Lord has His reasons:

AC 9392:
And Moses took half of the blood, and put it into basins;
and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
And he took the book of the covenant,
and read it in the ears of the people;
they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and hear.
And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,
and said, Behold the blood of the covenant
that Jehovah has made with you upon all these words.
(Exodus 24:6-8)

"And Moses took half of the blood,"
signifies Divine truth that has been made of the life and of worship;
"and put it into basins,"
signifies with man in the things of his memory;
"and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar,"
signifies Divine truth from the Divine Human of the Lord;
"and he took the book of the covenant,"
signifies the Word in the letter
with which the Word in heaven has been conjoined;
"and read it in the ears of the people,"
signifies for hearkening and obedience;
"and they said,
All things that Jehovah hath spoken we will do and hear,"
signifies the reception of the truth
that proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord,
and obedience from the heart and soul;
"and Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,"
signifies adaptation to the reception of man;
"and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,"
signifies thereby the conjunction of the Lord
in respect to the Divine Human with heaven and with earth;
"that Jehovah hath made with you upon all these words,"
signifies that there is conjunction with the Lord
through each and all things of the Word.

AC 9398
Obedience from the heart
is obedience from the will,
thus from the affection of love;
and obedience from the soul
is obedience from the understanding, thus from faith . . ..
Therefore it is said, "we will do and hear."

The reason why "all things that Jehovah hath spoken,"
denotes the truth that proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord,
is that all truth proceeds therefrom.

AC 9399
For the Divine truth which is from the Lord
is continually flowing in with man, and forms his understanding;
and if you will believe it,
without this continual influx of the truth Divine that proceeds from the Lord
a man can perceive and understand nothing whatever.
For the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord
is the light which lights up the mind of man,
and makes the internal sight,
which is the understanding;
and as this light continually flows in,
it adapts everyone to receive.
But they who receive are they who are in the good of life;
and they who do not receive are they who are in evil of life.
Nevertheless the latter, like the former,
have the capacity of perceiving and understanding,
and also the capacity of receiving,
insofar as they desist from evils.
These things were signified by the half of the blood
which Moses sprinkled on the people.

[3] That every person in the world who is of sound reason
has the capacity of understanding truth Divine,
and consequently the capacity of receiving it,
insofar as he desists from evils . . .

AC 9391- arrogance and darkness

AC 9391
[16] The subject here treated of is the arrogance of those
who wish to enter from memory-knowledges into the mysteries of faith,
and who are not willing to acknowledge anything
but that which they themselves hatch therefrom.
As they do not see anything from the light of heaven
which is from the Lord,
but only from the light of nature which is from man's own,
they seize on shadows instead of light,
on fallacies instead of realities,
and in general on falsity instead of truth.
As they think insanely, because from the lowest things,
they are called "the wild beast of the reed;"


[19] . . . they were in the greatest darkness
in respect to the truths and goods of the church from the Word,
because they were in external things without anything internal,
and consequently were in idolatrous worship.
For one who is in external things without anything internal
is in idolatrous worship,
because when he is in worship,
his heart and soul are not in heaven, but in the world;
and he does not worship the holy things of the Word from heavenly love,
but from earthly love.

AC 9372 - soft and shining

AC 9372 [4]
. . . the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter,
is crude and obscure in the sight of men,
but in the internal sense it is soft and shining . . .
. . .for this reason the angels appear clothed
in garments soft and shining
according to the truth from good with them.

AC 9378 [2]
. . . when a person desists from evils,
for to desist from evils has been left to a person's will;
that is, to his freedom,
there then flows in good from the Lord,
which is never wanting,
for it is in the very life which a person has from The Lord;
but good together with life is received
only in so far as evils have been removed.

AC 9348 - two sources of error

AC 9348.
That evils allure and deceive,
is because all evils spring from the loves of self and of the world,
and the loves of self and of the world are born with a person,
and from this he feels the delight of his life from the moment of his birth;
nay, from this he has life.
Wherefore these loves, like the unseen currents of a river,
continually draw the thought and the will of a person
away from the Lord to self,
and away from heaven to the world,
thus away from the truths and goods of faith to falsities and evils.
Reasonings from the fallacies of the senses are then of especial force,
and also the literal sense of the Word wrongly explained and applied.
[2] These two sources of error, and also those previously mentioned,
are what are meant in the spiritual sense of the Word by
"snares," "nooses," "pits," "nets," "ropes," "gins,"
and also by "frauds" and "deceits;"

AC 9346 - evils reject goods

AC 9346
. . . those who are in evils
not only do not receive the goods
which continually flow into every one from the Lord;
but also absolutely turn them away.
And therefore
a person cannot possibly receive the good of heaven
until he abstains from evils.

AC 9336 - the Lord slowly regenerates us and in His order

AC 9336 [2]
. . . from his own a person loves himself more than the Lord,
and the world more than heaven;
when yet the life of heaven consists in loving the Lord above all things
and the neighbor as oneself.
From this it is evident that the former life, which is of hell,
must be utterly destroyed
(that is to say, the evils and falsities must be removed),
in order that the new life, which is the life of heaven, may be implanted.
This cannot possibly be done hastily;
for every evil that is rooted in with its falsities
has a connection with all evils and their falsities;
and such evils and falsities are innumerable,
and their connection is so complex that it cannot be comprehended,
not even by the angels, but only by the Lord.
From this it is evident that the life of hell with a person
cannot be destroyed suddenly; for if it were, he would straightway expire;
and neither can the life of heaven be implanted suddenly,
for if it were, he would also expire.

[4] What is properly meant by removal from evils and falsities
by degrees according to order, shall also be briefly stated.
The Divine truth which proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord
disposes all things into order in heaven;
and therefore this Divine truth,
in which there is good from the Lord,
is order itself.

AC 9335 - truth removes falsity; good removes evil

AC 9335 [2]
. . . falsities can only be removed by truths;
and evils can only be removed by goods.
If this is not done successively and according to order,
the falsities which favor these loves will flow in;
for before he has been regenerated these loves reign in every person,
and when falsities flow in, truths are no longer acknowledged.

AC 9333 - our sins are not wiped away but are withheld

AC 9333
. . . falsities and evils are not driven out from a person, but are removed.
He who does not know how the case is
with a person's liberation from evils and falsities,
or with the forgiveness of his sins,
may believe that sins are wiped away when they are said to be forgiven.
This belief comes from the literal sense of the Word,
where such an expression is sometimes used,
giving rise in the minds of many to the error
that after they have received absolution they are righteous and pure.
But these people know nothing whatever
about the way in which sins are forgiven;
namely, that a man is not purified from them;
but is withheld from them by the Lord
when he is of such a character that he can be kept in good and truth;
and that he can be kept in good and truth when he has been regenerated;
for he has then acquired a life of the good of charity and the truth of faith.

AC 9327 - the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord

AC 9327 [2]
All power in the spiritual world is from the truths which are from good,
thus from the truths which proceed from the Lord.
This can be plainly seen from the fact
that the Lord disposes all things in heaven,
and all things in hell,
and also all things in the world,
by means of the truths which are from Himself;
for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord
is that very thing through which all things have come into existence,
and through which all things subsist.

AC 9311 - to hear

AC 9311.
For in hearing thou shalt hear his voice.
(Exodus 23:22)

"To hear," in the Word,
signifies not merely to hear in simplicity,
but also to receive in the memory and to be instructed,
likewise to receive in the understanding and to believe,
and also to receive with obedience and to do.

AC 9300 - correspondences are as mirrors

AC 9300 [3]
. . . an idea can be formed
about truths which are of the understanding
and the good which is of the will,
is because all things that belong to faith and love
carry with them an idea from such things as the person knows,
for without an idea from what he knows and feels in himself
a person cannot think;
and a person thinks rightly
even about the things of faith and love,
when he thinks of them from correspondences,
for correspondences are natural truths,
in which as in mirrors,
spiritual truths are represented.
Wherefore, so far as the ideas of thought
concerning things spiritual are formed independently of correspondences,
so far they are formed either from the fallacies of the senses,
or from what is inconsistent with such things.
The kind of ideas a person has about what belongs to faith and love,
is very manifest in the other life, for there ideas are clearly perceived.

AC 9296 - "a feast" and the good with a person

AC 9296 [2]
. . . the signification of "a feast,"
as being the worship of the Lord and thanksgiving,
thus worship from a grateful mind. . ..

[3] . . . the good with a person is wholly in accordance with the use of life.
If the use of life is for the neighbor (that is, for the good of our fellow citizen,
of our country, of the church, of heaven), and for the Lord,
then this good is the good of charity.


More of 9296 has been posted as a comment - it talks much more about how the Lord implants good.

AC 9294 - the three feasts & the harvest (Exodus23:14-16)

AC 9294 [2]
. . by regeneration a person is
liberated from hell and introduced into heaven.
And therefore the first feast,
which was called "the feast of unleavened things,"
signifies purification from falsities;
consequently this second feast
("the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits of thy works")
signifies the implantation of truth in good;
and the third feast,
("the feast of ingathering")
the implantation of good.

For during man's regeneration he is first purified from the falsities
which spring from the evil of the loves of self and of the world,
which is effected by his receiving instruction
concerning evil, hell, and damnation,
and also concerning good, heaven, and eternal happiness;
and by his thus suffering himself to be withheld
from doing, willing, and thinking evils.
When the soil has been thus prepared, then the truths of faith are sown,
for before this they are not received.
But the truths which are sown must be implanted in good,
because they have no soil anywhere else,
nor can they strike root anywhere else.
They are implanted in good
when the man wills the truth, loves it, and does it.
This state of regeneration, or of liberation from damnation,
is signified by this feast, which is called
"the feast of the harvest of the first fruits of thy works;"
for "harvest" signifies truths producing good.
[3] When truths have been implanted in good,
the man is no longer led of the Lord by means of truths,
but by means of good,
which is effected when he wills good and does good
from the affection of love, that is, from charity.
This state of regeneration, or of liberation from damnation,
is signified by the third feast, which is called "the feast of ingathering."

AC 9286 - what endures

AC 9286
The things which continually endure
are those which are not only inscribed on the memory,
but also on the life itself,
and they are then said to reign universally with the person.

AC 9279 - we all have external things and internal things

AC 9279 [2] The external things which are of the world are opened in person successively from infancy even to adulthood; in like manner the internal things. But the external things are opened by means of those which are of the world, whereas the internal things are opened by means of those which are of heaven. The things thus opened are twofold, namely, those of the understanding, and those of the will. The things of the understanding are opened by means of those which bear relation to truth, and the things of the will by means of those which bear relation to good; for all things in the universe, both those in the world and those in heaven, bear relation to truth and to good. Those which bear relation to truth are called knowledges; and those which bear relation to good are called loves and affections. From this it is clear what, and of what nature, are the things which open the life of man.

[3] As regards the internal man, which as above said has been formed according to the image of heaven, it is the knowledges of the truth and good of faith from the Lord, and consequently of faith in the Lord, that open the things of its understanding; and it is the affections of truth and good, which are of love from the Lord, and consequently of love to the Lord, that open the things of its will, and consequently form within him heaven, thus the Lord in an image, for heaven is an image of the Lord. From this it is that heaven is called the Grand Man.

AC 9262 - "righteous" and "innocent"

AC 9262
the signification of "the righteous,"
as being one in exterior good,
and in the abstract sense, exterior good,
for "righteous" is predicated of the good of love toward the neighbor,

and "innocent" of the good of love to the Lord.
The good of love toward the neighbor is exterior good,
and the good of love to the Lord is interior good.

AC 9258 - there are falsities, and then there are falsities; and then there is the good from the Lord

AC 9258
There are falsities which agree with the good of the church,
and there are falsities which do not agree with it.
The falsities which agree are those in which good lies hidden,
and which, therefore, by means of good, can be bent toward truths.
But the falsities which do not agree with the good of the church
are those in which evil lies hidden,
and which therefore cannot be bent toward truths.

[4] . . . all good which shall bear any fruit is from the Lord,
and that unless it is from Him, it is not good.

AC 9253 - those who are in good and those who are in evil

AC 9253
But those among them who are in good, wish to be instructed in truths;
whereas those who are in evil, do not wish to be instructed.
For with those who are in good,
falsities can be bent to truths, and finally can be dissipated;
whereas with those who are in evil,
falsities cannot be bent to truths, thus cannot be dissipated.

AC 9242-9244 - Peace has in it confidence in the Lord

AC 9242
. . . the Faith which is called "confidence,"
is possible only with those
who are in charity toward the neighbor,
and in love to the Lord.

AC 9243
. . . he who does not believe the truths which are from God,
cannot believe in God;
because to believe in God
is to believe from the truths which are from God.

AC 9244
All who are in heavenly love,
have confidence that they will be saved by the Lord;
for they believe that the Lord came into the world
in order to give eternal life to those who believe and live
according to the commandments which He taught;
and that He regenerates these,
and so makes them fit for heaven;
and that He does this Himself alone, from pure mercy,
without the aid of man.
This is meant by "believing in the Lord."

AC 9230 - good of faith, truths of faith, good of charity

AC 9230 [2]
. . . "good of faith," that has to do with life
and use from what the doctrine of faith of the church teaches;
in a word everything that has to do with willing it
and doing it from obedience;
for the truths of faith of the church
become goods by willing and doing them.

But everything is called the "truth of faith,"
which as yet has not any use as its end,
or which as yet is not for the sake of life,
consequently which is merely known and kept in the memory,
and from this is laid hold of by the understanding, and is taught from it.
For so long as the truths of the church go no further,
they are merely knowledges,
and relatively to goods are outside the man himself;
for man's memory and understanding are like entries,
and his will is like an inner chamber,
because the will is the man himself.

This shows what the truth of faith is, and what the good of faith.
But the good which a man does in his first state during his regeneration
is called the "good of faith,"
whereas the good which he does in the second state,
namely, after he has been regenerated, is called the "good of charity."
And therefore when a man does good from the good of faith,
he does good from obedience;
but when he does good from the good of charity,
he does good from affection.

AC 9227 - doing and willing truths raises us from the world into heaven

AC 9227 [3]
From this it can be seen how during his regeneration
a person is raised from the world into heaven.
For all things that enter through the hearing, enter from the world;
and those which are stored up in the memory,
and appear there before the understanding,
appear in the light of the world, which is called natural light.
But those things which enter the will, or which become of the will,
are in the light of heaven, which light is the truth of good from the Lord.
When these things come forth from the will into act,
they return into the light of the world;
but they then appear in this light under a totally different form;
for previously the world was within everything;
whereas afterward heaven is so.
What has here been said shows also why a person is not in heaven
until he does truths from willing them, thus from the affection of charity.

AC 9212 - "walking wither one would" (John 21:18)

AC 9212 [8]
. . . "walking" denotes living;
thus "walking whither one would" denotes living in freedom,
for those live in freedom, or act from freedom,
who are in faith from love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor,
because they are led by the Lord.

AC9212 [6]
. . . "a way" is signified the truth whereby the person of the church is led.

AC 9204 - "to these the gospel shall be preached" (Luke 7:22)

AC 9209 [4]
Take for example what the Lord said to the disciples sent by John the Baptist to inquire whether He was the Lord who should come; to whom He replied:

Go ye and tell John what things ye have seen and heard:
the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, to the poor the gospel is preached
(Luke 7:20-22);

these words were spoken for the external man,
and at the same time for the internal man;
for the external man that such miracles were wrought;
for the internal, that the church is being set up among such as
in the spiritual sense are blind, lame, leprous, deaf, and poor,
thus among the Gentiles who are in ignorance of good and truth,
and yet long for them.
For those are called "blind" who are in ignorance of truth (n. 6990);
"lame," those who are in good, but on account of their ignorance of truth,
not in genuine good (n. 4302);
"leprous," those who are unclean and yet long to be made clean;
"deaf," those who are not in the faith of truth,
because not in the perception of it;
and "poor," those who have not the Word,
and thus know nothing of the Lord, and yet long to be instructed.
Consequently it is said that "to these the gospel shall be preached."

AC 9206 & 9207 - the revolving relationship of good with truth and truth with good

AC 9206 [2]
Those who are in good,
and do not long for truth, are not in good.
The reason is that good becomes good by means of truths,
for good receives its quality from truths.

AC 9207
. . . truths which are conjoined with good
always have within them a longing to do what is good,
and at the same time, to thereby
conjoin themselves more closely with good;
or, what is the same,
those who are in truths always long to do what is good,
and thus to conjoin good with their truths . . .

(Certainly ties with AC 9193, from yesterday.)

AC 9193 - internal worship is acknowledging and doing

AC 9193 [3]
The main thing of internal worship
is to acknowledge the Lord as the one and only God,
and that everything good and true is from Him....

Those acknowledge Him who are in faith
and at the same time in the good of life....

That to acknowledge and worship the Lord
is to live according to His commandments,
that is, to live a life of faith and charity.
A life of faith
consists in doing the commandments from obedience;
and a life of charity
in doing the commandments from love.

AC 9182 - conjugial love descending from marriage

AC 9182 [3]
Lawful conjunction, which is that of minds,
is effected when both are in the like good and truth;
for good and truth make a person's life;
moral and civil good and truth, the life of the external man;
and spiritual good and truth, the life of the internal man. . ..
. . . a lawful conjunction is effected when the husband is in truth,
and the wife is in the corresponding good,
for in this way the heavenly marriage,
which is that of good and truth,
is represented in the pair.
From this it is that conjugial love descends from this marriage.

AC 9180 - upside down or upside up

AC 9180
Those who learn and draw forth truths from the Word,
or from the doctrine of the church,
or from anyone soever,
or even by means of inferences, from themselves,
for the sake of self-advantage,
that is, in order that they may acquire honors or wealth,
or that they may merit heaven;
are those who are meant in the internal sense by
"hirelings who shall come in their hire,"
that is, who will submit themselves and serve.
For self-advantage ought to be in the last place with the person of the church,
and not in the first.
When it is in the last place, it is a servant;
but if it is in the first place, it is a lord.
He who regards self-advantage in the first place is an inverted man,
and in the other life is also represented as being so, with his head in hell;
but he who regards charity and faith in the first place,
and thus the Lord and the neighbor, is an upright man,
and in the other life is represented as standing so, with his head in heaven.

AC 9167 - in the Word

AC 9167
. . . where truth is spoken of in the Word, good is also spoken of.

AC 9164 - the circle of truth . . . or falsity

AC 9164
When a person is in truth from good,
then that truth in which he has the greatest faith is in the middle;
next follow the truths in which he has less faith;
and finally those which are of doubtful faith.
In the borders round about are falsities,
which, however, are not in a series with the truths,
and do not stand upright toward heaven as do the truths of good;
but are bent downward,
and look toward hell insofar as they come forth from evil.
But when falsity usurps the place of truth, the order is inverted,
and the truths pass off to the sides, and form the circumference,
while the falsities of evil occupy the middle.

AC 9156 - transgressions, iniquities, and sins

AC 9156
Upon every word of transgression. (Exodus 22:8)
That this signifies whatsoever injury and whatsoever loss,
is evident from the signification of "transgression,"
as being everything that is contrary to the truth of faith,
thus that injures or extinguishes it,
consequently all injury and loss thereof whatsoever.

In the Word, evils are sometimes called "sins,"
sometimes "iniquities,"
and sometimes "transgressions;"
but what is meant specifically by these several terms is not clear
except from the internal sense.
Those evils are called "transgressions"
which are done contrary to the truths of faith;
those are called "iniquities,"
which are done contrary to the goods of faith;
and those are called "sins,"
which are done contrary to the goods of charity and of love.
The first two proceed from a perverted understanding,
but the last from a depraved will. As in David:

Wash me from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin;
for I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me (Ps. 51:2, 3);

"iniquity" denotes evil contrary to the goods of faith;
"sin," evil contrary to the goods of charity and love;
and "transgressions," evil contrary to the truths of faith.
As the latter is evil proceeding from a perverted understanding,
and thus is known from the truths of faith,
it is said, "I acknowledge my transgressions."

AC 9144 - thorns and the Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20)

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:

"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

[9] The falsities of cravings, meant by 'thorns',
are falsities that support worldly concerns and worldly desires;
for these falsities more than others
catch fire and flare up because they are the product
of bodily cravings that a person feels.
For this reason they also close the internal man,
leaving the person wholly devoid of wisdom
so far as salvation of the soul and eternal life are concerned.

AC 9128 - "If the sun have risen upon him." (Exodus 22:2)

AC 9128 [2]
A person sees in himself whether what he thinks and wills,
and consequently what he says and does,
is good or evil, and consequently whether it is true or false.
This is quite impossible unless he sees from within.
Seeing from within
is seeing from the sight of the internal person in the external.
The case is the same as with the sight of the eye:
the eye cannot see the things which are within it,
but only those which are outside of it.
From this then it is
that a person sees the good and the evil that are in himself.
Nevertheless one person sees this better than another,
and some do not see it at all.
They who see it,
are they who have received from the Lord the life of faith and charity,
for this life is the internal life, or the life of the internal man.
Such persons, being from faith in truth, and from charity in good,
can see the evils and falsities in themselves;
for evil can be seen from good, and falsity from truth; but not contrariwise.
The reason is that good and truth are in heaven, and in its light;
whereas evil and falsity are in hell, and in its darkness.
From this it is evident that those who are in evil and thence in falsity
cannot see the good and truth, nor even the evil and falsity,
which are in themselves,
consequently neither can they see from within.

AC 9127 - in the natural, spiritual and supreme senses of the Lord's Word

AC 9127 [2]
He who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word,
knows no otherwise than that by "bloods" in the Word are signified bloods;
and that by "shedding blood" is merely signified killing a man.
But the internal sense does not treat of the life of man's body,
but of the life of his soul, that is, of his spiritual life, which he is to live forever.
This life is described in the Word in the sense of the letter
by such things as belong to the life of the body;
namely, by the flesh and blood.
And because the spiritual life of a person exists and subsists
through the good which is of charity and the truth which is of faith,
therefore in the internal sense of the Word
the good which is of charity is meant by "flesh,"
and the truth which is of faith is meant by "blood."
And in a still more interior sense,
the good which is of love to the Lord is meant by "flesh,"
and the good of love toward the neighbor is meant by "blood."
But in the supreme sense, which treats of the Lord alone,
"flesh" denotes the Divine good of the Lord,
thus the Lord Himself as to Divine good;
and "blood" denotes the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord,
thus the Lord as to Divine truth.
These things are understood in heaven by "flesh and blood"
when a person is reading the Word;
in like manner when he attends the Holy Supper;
but in this the bread is the flesh,
and the wine is the blood,
because by "bread" the same is signified as by "flesh,"
and by "wine" the same as by "blood."

AC 9120 - an example of Conscience (this election year)

What Conscience is may also be illustrated by examples. If, unknown to the other, a man has the property of that other in his possession, and thus can keep it for himself without any fear of the law, or of the loss of honor and reputation, and nevertheless restores it to the other because it is not his own, he has Conscience, for he does what is good for the sake of what is good, and what is just for the sake of what is just. Again, if a man who has it in his power to attain a high position, sees that another, who also is a candidate, would be more useful to his country, and yields the position to this other man for the sake of his country's good, he has Conscience. So in all other cases.

AC 9103 - the natural or external man is regenerated, and also amended and restored, through the internal man

AC 9103 [3]
A few words more however shall be said
about the restoration of exterior good,
which makes the natural life of man,
from interior good which makes his spiritual life.
The natural of man sees things in the light of the world,
which light is called natural light.
Man procures for himself this light
by means of the objects which enter through the sight and hearing,
thus by means of objects which are of the world.
Thus man sees those things within himself,
almost as the eye sees them.
The objects which enter by these senses
appear to him at first as pleasure and delight.
Afterward the infant man distinguishes between the different delights,
from which he learns to discriminate,
and by degrees to do so more perfectly.
When light from heaven flows into these things,
the man begins to see them spiritually,
and first to discriminate between the useful and the non-useful.
From this he begins to have an insight as to what is true;
for that which is useful to him is to him true,
and that which is useless is not true.
This insight increases according to the influx of the light of heaven,
until at last he discriminates not only between truths,
but also between truths within these truths;
and he does this with greater clearness
in proportion as the communication is better opened
between the internal and external man;
for the light of heaven inflows from the Lord
through the internal man into the external man.

AC 9096 - "keeping in bonds"

AC 9096
For the Lord flows into those things in a person which are known to him,
but not into those things which are unknown to him.
By "keeping in bonds" is meant to prevent, and to restrain.
In the spiritual sense bonds are nothing else than the affections of love,
for these are what lead a person, and what restrain him.
If the affections of evil lead him,
there must be affections of truth from good to restrain him.
Internal bonds in a person are affections of truth and of good.
These are also called the "bonds of conscience."
But external bonds are the affections of the love of self
and of the love of the world, for these lead man in external things.

AC 9094 - being raised into spiritual light

AC 9094 [2]

That the things which the angels see and think in the light of heaven
are unutterable, has been given me to know by much experience;
for when I have been raised into that light,
I have seemed to myself to understand all those things
which the angels there spoke;
but when I have been let down from there
into the light of the external or natural man,
and in this light have desired to recollect the things
which I had there heard,
I could not express them by words,
and not even comprehend them by ideas of thought,
except a few, and these few obscurely;
from which it is made clear
that the things which are seen and heard in heaven
are such as the eye hath not seen nor the ear heard.

AC 9086 - what genuine doctrine teaches

AC 9086 [3]
The genuine doctrine of the church teaches
the Lord,
faith in Him,
love to Him,
and the love of the good which is from Him.
This love is charity toward the neighbor.
They who live this life are enlightened by the Lord,
and see the holy things of the Word....

AC 9056 & 9057 - "wound for wound, blow for blow" (Exodus 21:25) and the good Samaritan (Luke10:30-35)

AC 9056
In the Word a distinction is made between "wound" and "blow,"
"wound" being predicated of the injuring of good,
and "blow" the injuring of truth....

AC 9057 [2]
He who understands the internal sense of the Word
is able to know why it was said by the Lord that the Samaritan
"bound up the blows, poured in oil and wine,
and set him on his own beast."
For by "the Samaritan" in the internal sense is meant
one who is in the affection of truth,
by "binding up the blows"
is signified the healing of this affection when injured,
by "pouring in oil and wine"
is signified the good of love and the good of faith,
and by "setting him on his own beast"
is signified uplifting him by virtue of his own intellectual.
Thus by these words is described charity toward the neighbor;
naturally for the person in the world,
and spiritually for the angels in heaven;
naturally in the sense of the letter,
and spiritually in the internal sense.
The reason why a "Samaritan" denotes
one who is in the affection of truth,
is that "Samaritan" in the Word signifies this affection....
In this manner spoke the Lord;
but few apprehend this,
for they believe that such things were said merely for the sake of
giving the parable the connection of a narrative;
but in this case they would not be words from the Divine.
All words from the Divine have within them
such things as belong to the Lord, heaven, and the church,
and this is the case in every jot.

AC 9049 - an eye for an eye from the Gospel of Matthew

AC 9049 [5]
You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say unto you,
Resist not evil; but whosoever shall strike you on your right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
And if any man would drag thee to law,
and take away your coat,
let him have your cloak also.
And whosoever shall compel you to go one mile,
go with him twain.
Give to everyone that asks you,
and from him that would borrow of you turn not away.
(Matt. 5:38-42)

Who cannot see that these words are not to be understood
according to the sense of the letter?
For who will turn the left cheek to him who deals a blow on the right cheek?
And who will give his cloak to him who would take away his coat?
And who will give his property to all who ask?
And who will not resist evil?
But no one can understand these words who does not know
what is signified by "the right cheek" and "the left cheek,"
what by "a coat" and "a cloak," also what by "a mile,"
and likewise by "borrowing," and so on.
The subject there treated of is spiritual life, or the life of faith;
not natural life, which is the life of the world.
The Lord there opens, and also in this chapter, and the following,
the interior things that belong to heaven,
but by means of such things as are in the world.
The reason why He did so by such things, was that not worldly men,
but only heavenly men, should understand.
The reason why worldly men were not to understand,
was lest they should profane the interior things of the Word,
for by so doing they would cast themselves into the most frightful hell of all,
which is the hell of the profaners of the Word.

[7] From all this it is evident in what manner the Lord spoke
when He was in the world, namely, that He spoke,
as everywhere in the Word of the Old Testament,
at the same time for the angels in heaven,
and for men in the world;
for His speech was in itself Divine and heavenly,
because it was from the Divine, and through heaven.
But the things which He spoke
were presented by means of such things as corresponded in the world.
What they correspond to, the internal sense teaches.

AC 9040 - an eye for an eye?

AC 9070
And when men shall quarrel, and shall strike a pregnant woman,
and her births go forth, and harm is not done,
with fining he shall be fined,
as the woman's master shall lay upon him;
and he shall give according to the judges.
And if harm is done,
then thou shalt give soul for soul, eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning,
wound for wound, blow for blow.
And when a man shall smite the eye of his manservant,
or the eye of his maidservant, and shall destroy it;
he shall let him go free for his eye.
And if he shall knock out his manservant's tooth,
or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth.
(Exodus 21:22-27)

"And when men shall quarrel,"
signifies grievous contention among truths;
"and shall strike a pregnant woman,"
signifies the injuring of the good which is from truth;
"and her births go forth,"
signifies if nevertheless it is confirmed in the natural;
"and harm is not done,"
signifies thus no injury there;
"with fining he shall be fined,"
signifies amendment;
"as the woman's master shall lay upon him,"
signifies until it agrees with the truth of good;
"and he shall give according to the judges,"
signifies according to what is equitable;
"and if harm is done," signifies injury;
"then thou shalt give soul for soul,"
signifies the law of order that you shall do to your neighbor
as you would that he should do to you,
consequently that what you do to another shall be done to yourself,
"the soul," denotes the spiritual life;
"eye for eye," signifies if anything in the interior intellectual;
"tooth for tooth," signifies if anything in the exterior intellectual;
"hand for hand," signifies if anything of the power of spiritual truth;
"foot for foot," signifies if anything of the power of natural truth;
"burning for burning," signifies if anything of the affection of love
which is interiorly in the will;
"wound for wound," signifies if anything of the affection of love
which is exteriorly in the will;
"blow for blow," signifies if anything of affection in the intellectual
-that is to say, if anything of all these be extinguished or injured;
"and when a man shall smite the eye of his manservant,"
signifies if the internal man shall injure the truth of faith
in the external or natural man;
"or the eye of his maidservant," signifies or the affection of truth therein;
"and shall destroy it," signifies if he shall extinguish it;
"he shall let him go free for his eye,"
signifies that it can longer serve the internal man;
"and if he shall knock out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth,"
signifies if he shall destroy truth or the affection of it in the sensuous part;
"he shall let him go free for his tooth,"
signifies that it can no longer serve the internal man.

AC 9039 - true humility and arrogance

AC 9039
For the Lord flows with power into those who are humble;
but not into those who are puffed up,
because the former receive influx,
but the latter reject it.

For the whole of AC 9039 [3]:
[3] Those in heaven who are preeminently in intelligence and wisdom from the truths of faith, are in such humiliation that they attribute everything of power to the Lord, and nothing to themselves; and therefore they do not make anything of glory and joy to consist in ruling, but in serving; and when they are in this state, they are in rule, and also in glory and joy, above others; yet not as before said from the love of rule, but from the affection of love and charity, which is that of serving others. For the Lord flows with power into those who are humble; but not into those who are puffed up, because the former receive influx, but the latter reject it (n. 7489-7492).

AC 9030 - "spiritual truth" and "memory-truth"

AC 9030
That is called "spiritual truth"
which together with good makes the life of the internal man,
but that is called "memory-truth"
which makes the life of the external man.
This truth is from the literal sense of the Word,
but spiritual truth is from the internal sense of the Word,
thus also from the genuine doctrine of faith of the church,
for this doctrine is the doctrine of the internal sense.

AC 9013 - deceit and hypocrisy are very bad things

AC 9013
. . . from the signification of "deceit,"
as being malice from the will with forethought or premeditation,
thus from set purpose.
Evils are done either from enmity, or from hatred, or from revenge,
and either with deceit or without it.
But evils done with deceit are the worst,
because deceit is like a poison
which infects and destroys with infernal venom,
for it goes through the whole mind even to its interiors.
The reason is that he who is in deceit meditates evil,
and feeds his understanding with it,
and takes delight in it,
and thus destroys everything therein that belongs to a person,
that is, which belongs to life from the good of faith and of charity.

[4] Deceit is called "hypocrisy"
when there is piety in the mouth, and impiety in the heart;
or when there is charity in the mouth, but hatred in the heart;
or when there is innocence in the face and gesture,
but cruelty in the soul and breast;
consequently when they deceive by a show of innocence, charity, and piety.

AC 9011 - a "forest", a "garden", and a "paradise"

AC 9011 [5]
. . . for the church is called a "forest," a "garden," and a "paradise" --
a "forest" for knowledge,
a "garden" from intelligence,
and a "paradise" from wisdom,
because "trees" denote the perceptions of good and of truth,
and also the knowledges thereof . . ..

AC 8993 - the affection of truth

AC 8993 [3]
Bear in mind that the genuine affection of truth
is willing and longs to know
the veriest truths of faith for the sake of the good use as the end,
and for the sake of life;
but the affection of truth that is not genuine
desires and longs for truths for the sake of self,
thus for seeking honors, and for hunting gains.

AC 8989 - door signifies communication

AC 8989 [10]
Verily, verily, I say into you,
he that enters not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbs up some other way,
the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
I am the door; by Me if anyone shall enter in, he shall be saved.
(John 10:1, 2, 9)

"To enter in by the door"
denotes by the truth which is of faith to the good of charity and of love,
thus to the Lord, for the Lord is good itself;
He is also the truth which introduces,
thus likewise the "door," for faith is from Him.

AC 8981 - the first time

AC 8981[3]
. . . The conjunction of good and truth with a person
is effected when truth enters the will;
consequently when the person wills truth,
and from willing does it.
Then for the first time truth becomes good,
or what is the same, faith becomes charity.

AC 8974 - doing - needs the truth of faith and the good of charity

AC 8974 [3]
. . . he who makes everything of the church,
thus everything of salvation,
to consist in the truth of faith and not in the good of charity,
and who also does good from obedience only
and not from the affection which is of the love,
cannot be regenerated,
as can those who are in the good of charity,
that is, who do what is good from the affection of love.
They can indeed be reformed, but not regenerated.

AC 8972 [2] - abrogated commandments, judgments, and statutes

abrogated - put an end to; do away with.

AC 8972 [2]
The laws which were enacted and commanded the sons of Israel by the Lord
were distinguished into "commandments," "judgments," and "statutes."
Those were called "commandments" which belonged to life;
those "judgments" which belonged to the civil state;
and those "statutes" which belonged to worship.
As regards "judgments" specifically . . .
they served for laws in a church wherein the internal things
which are of heaven and the church
were represented by external things.
But they do not serve for laws in a church
wherein internal things are no longer represented by external,
as in the Christian Church. The reason is
that to the man of this Church internal things have been revealed,
and therefore communication with heaven
is effected by means of internal things,
and not by means of external things, as before.
This is the reason why the man of the Christian Church
is not bound to observe in their external form
those things which are called "judgments" and "statutes,"
but in their internal form.
Nevertheless holiness abides in them,
because they contain holy things within them, as do also
all and each of the things commanded in the Word about sacrifices.
Although these things have been abrogated,
they nevertheless are holy things of the Word
by reason of the Divine things which are in them,
and which they represented.
For when they are read by a Christian man,
the Divine things that are within them,
and that were represented,
are perceived in the heavens, and fill the angels with that which is holy,
and at the same time by influx from the angels they fill the man who reads,
especially if he himself then thinks of the Divine things that are within them.
From this it is plain that the Word even of the Old Testament is most holy.

AC 8940-8943 - Exodus 20:22

And if you make Me an altar of stones,
you shall not build it of hewn stones;
for if you move your tool upon it,
you will profane it.
(Exodus 20:22)

AC 8940 - And if you make Me an altar of stones.
There is worship of the Lord from good,
and there is worship of Him from truth.
The worship of the Lord from good was represented by an altar of ground,
and the worship from truth by an altar of stone.

AC 8941 - You shalt not build it of hewn stones.
That this signifies that it must not be from self-intelligence,
is evident from the signification of "hewn stones,"
as being such things as are from self-intelligence....
The worship of the Lord from truth is here treated of,
for this worship is signified by "an altar of stones".

[2] The truths from which the Lord is to be worshiped
are to be taken solely from the Word,
for in every detail of the Word there is life from the Divine.
When truths are taken from one's own,
they regard and have as their end dignity and eminence over all in the world,
and likewise earthly possessions and wealth above all men,
and therefore they have in them the love of self and of the world,
thus all evils in the complex.
But truths which are from the Word
regard and have as their end eternal life,
and have in them love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor,
thus all goods in the complex.
When truths are hatched from one's own,
or from self-intelligence,
they rule over the truths which are from the Divine,
because these are applied to confirm them;
when yet the contrary should be the case, namely,
that truths from the Divine should rule,
and those which are from self-intelligence should serve.

AC 8942 - For if you move your tool upon it.
That this signifies if it is from one's own,
is evident from the signification of a "tool," as being truth devised,
thus from one's own;
for the tool is of iron, by which stones are cut and fashioned into form.
Here therefore it is man's own,
for this fashions the things which are to be of religion,
in order that they may appear in the form of truth.

AC 8943 - You will profane it.
That this signifies that then there will be no worship,
is evident from the signification of "profaning,"
as being to cause that there is not any worship.
For that which is from self-intelligence is in itself void of life,
nay, is spiritually dead,
for a person's own is nothing but evil;
and therefore if Divine worship is performed from it,
this worship is nothing else than the worship of an idol,
graven or molten, wherein there is no spirit, that is, no life.
But that which is from the Word is alone serviceable for Divine worship,
because it is in itself alive.
For within everything of the Word there is a spiritual sense,
which treats of the Lord's kingdom;
and within this sense is the Divine,
because the Word in its inmost sense treats of the Lord alone;
from this is the sanctity and the life of the Word,
and not from any other source.
The Word is like a Divine man;
the literal sense is as it were his body,
but the internal sense is as it were his soul;
which shows that the literal sense has life through the internal sense.

AC 8935 - altars

AC 8935
Worship from good was represented by an altar of ground,
but worship from truth was represented by an altar of stones;
both kinds of altars are here treated of.
These two things from which worship is effected are called faith and charity;
worship from truth bears relation to faith,
and worship from good to charity.
As regards worship from faith and worship from charity,
or from truth and from good, the case is this.
Before a man is regenerated he is in worship from truth,
but when he has been regenerated, he is in worship from good.
For before a man has been regenerated
he is led by means of truth to good, that is, by means of faith to charity;
but when he has been regenerated
he is in good and thence in truth; that is, he is in charity and thence in faith.

AC 8931 - Where is heaven?

AC 8931 [2]
Be it known that heaven is not in any certain and determinate place,
thus not, according to the common opinion, on high;
but heaven is where the Divine is,
thus with every one
and in every one
who is in charity and faith . . ..

AC 8925 - sin

AC 8925
. . . spiritual life is preserved by not sinning.
To sin is to do and think what is evil and false
intentionally and from the will . . ..