Matthew 11:1-3

After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples,
He went on from there to teach and preach
in the towns of Galilee.
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing,
he sent his disciples to Him,
"Are You the One who was to come
or should we expect someone else?"
(Matthew 11:1-3)

AC 9925 - evangelization

AC 9925 [2]
. . . by evangelization are meant all things in the Word
which treat of the Lord,
and all things in worship which represented Him.
For evangelization is annunciation about the Lord,
His coming, and the things that are from Him
which belong to salvation and eternal life.

Mark 6:6-7,12-13

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
Calling the Twelve to Him,
He sent them out two by two
and gave them authority over evil spirits.
They went out and preached that people should repent.
They drove out many demons
and anointed many sick people with oil
and healed them.
(Mark 6:6-7,12-13)

AC 9922 - What are memory-knowledges, and what do they do?

AC 9922 [3]
-- there are memory-knowledges of good,
and memory-knowledges of truth;
and that the truths in them
are again vessels recipient of good,
for the truths of faith are vessels of the good of love. . .
-- memory-knowledges are things of the memory
in the natural person;
-- the internal person
is opened by means of memory-knowledges;
-- memory-knowledges are means for growing wise,
and also means for becoming insane;
-- memory-knowledges are vessels of truth,
and truths are vessels of good;
-- memory-knowledges are of service to the internal person;
-- when memory-knowledges,
which are things of the external memory,
become of the life,
they vanish out of the external memory;
but remain inscribed on the internal memory;
-- the person who is in the truths of faith 
from the good of charity,
can be raised above memory-knowledges;
-- this is called being raised above the things of the senses;
-- when a person dies
he carries with him into the other life
the memory-knowledges, that is,
the things of the external memory;
but that they are then quiescent . . ..

Luke 8:42-48

As Jesus was on His way,
the crowds almost crushed Him.
And a woman was there
who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,
but no one could heal her.
She came up behind Him
and touched the edge of His cloak,
and immediately her bleeding stopped.
"Who touched Me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it,
Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding
and pressing against you."
But Jesus said,
"Some one touched Me;
I know that power has gone out from Me."
Then the woman,
seeing that she could not go unnoticed,
came trembling and fell at His feet.
In the presence of all the people,
she told why she had touched Him
and how she had been instantly healed.
The He said to her,
"Daughter, your faith has healed you.
Go in peace."
(Luke 8:42-48)

AC 9913 - Aaron's robe, especially the neck

AC 9913
. . . by "the robe" is signified the spiritual kingdom,
and specifically its internal;
and by "the neck,"
where was the mouth of the head of the robe,
is signified the influx, communication, and conjunction
of celestial with spiritual things;
for the head with a person
corresponds to the Lord's celestial kingdom,
and the body to His spiritual kingdom;
consequently the intervening neck,
which is encompassed and clothed
by the mouth of the head of the robe,
corresponds to the mediation or influx
of the celestial kingdom into the spiritual kingdom.

[2] That such things are signified by
"the mouth of the head of the robe in the midst thereof,"
may seem like an absurdity,
especially to those who know nothing of heaven,
and of the spirits and angels there,
consequently nothing of correspondence.
There is a correspondence of all things in a person
with all things in the heavens . . .
in general the head corresponds to celestial things,
the body to spiritual things,
and the feet to natural things.
From this it is plain that by virtue of its correspondence,
the neck signifies the influx, communication, and conjunction
of celestial with spiritual things.
Consequently "the mouth of the head of the robe,"
which was made to encompass the neck,
signifies the method of this influx;
for by Aaron's garments were represented in general
the things that belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom.
From this it is evident
that by the description of its mouth or circuit
is described the influx itself.
Be it known moreover,
that angels and spirits appear clothed in garments;
and that each of their garments is representative;
as is well known to all who are in the heavens.
It is from this that each of Aaron's garments
also was representative of such things as are in the heavens;
for the Word that is from the Lord
has been so written that there is conjunction by its means.
That the person of the church does not know this,
in spite of his having such a Word,
is because he turns his interiors toward the world,
insomuch that he cannot be raised toward heaven,
and be instructed.
 

Matthew 8:23-27

The He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him.
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake,
so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping.
The disciples went and woke Him, saying,
"Lord, save us!  We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
The He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves,
and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked,
"What kind of man is this?
Even the winds and the waves obey Him!"
(Matthew 8:23-27)

AC 9905 - Light shining forth

AC 9905
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 variations 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.

Luke 8:4-15

While a large crowd was gathering
and people were coming to Jesus from town after town,
He told this parable:
"A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed,
some fell along the path;
it was trampled on,
and the birds of the air ate it up.
Some fell on rock,
and when it came up,
the plants withered because they had no moisture.
Other seed fell among thorns,
which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil.
It came up and yielded a crop,
a hundred times more than was sown."
When He said this, He called out,
"He who as ears to hear, let him hear."
His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.
He said,
"The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God
has been given to you,
to to others I speak in parables, so that,
"'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'
"This is the meaning of the parable:
The seed is the word of God.
Those along the path are the ones who hear,
and then the devil comes
and takes away the Word from their hearts,
so that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on the rock are the ones
who receive the Word with joy when they hear it,
but they have no root.
They believe for a while,
but in the time of testing they fall away.
The seed that fell among thorns
stands for those who hear,
but as they go on their way
they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures,
and they do not mature.
But the seed on good soil
stands for those with a noble and good heart,
who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering
produce a crop.
(Luke 8:4-15)

(Rerun) AC 9865, 9868, 9870, 9872 - the breastplate, four rows of stones

AC 9865
A ruby, a topaz, and a carbuncle.
That hereby is signified the celestial love of good,
is evident from the signification of these stones,
as being the good of celestial love.
Celestial love is love to the Lord from the Lord.
That these stones signify this love
is on account of their red and flaming color, 
and "red" signifies love.

AC 9868
A chrysoprase, a sapphire, and a diamond.
That hereby is signified the celestial love of truth,
from which are the things which follow,
is evident from the signification of these stones,
as being the celestial love of truth.
It is said that from this are the things which follow,
because all the goods and truths that follow
proceed in order from those which go before,
for there cannot possibly be anything that is unconnected
with the things that are prior to itself.
The first in order is the celestial love of good;
the second is the celestial love of truth;
the third is the spiritual love of good;
and the fourth is the spiritual love of truth.

AC 9870
A cyanus, an agate, and an amethyst.
That this signifies the spiritual love of good,
is evident in like manner from their color;
for a blue color that is derived from white signifies spiritual good,
or what is the same, the spiritual love of good.
The spiritual love of good is charity toward the neighbor,
and the spiritual love of truth is faith from charity;
of that good and this truth the second heaven consists;
its internal being the good of charity,
and its external the good of faith.

AC 9872
A tarshish [ beryl], and an onyx, and a jasper.
That this signifies the spiritual love of truth,
in which the higher things cease,
is evident from the signification of these stones,
which they derive from their colors;
for the color of all the stones of this row
verges toward a shining white that is from blue.

(from a post on November 30, 2008)

AC 9874 - good

AC 9874
. . . the good of love to the Lord must be from the Lord,
and that good from any other source is not good.

Luke 7:48-50

Then Jesus said to her,
"Your sins are forgiven."
The other guests began to say among themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Jesus said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you;
go in peace."
(Luke 7:48-50)

AC 9863 - there is one good from which are all truths

AC 9863
. . . there is one good from which are all truths.
This good is the good of love within the Lord,
thus the Lord Himself;
. . . 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.

Luke 6:46-49

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,'
and not do what I say?
I will show you what he is like
who comes to Me and hears My words
and puts them into practice.
He is like a man building a house,
who dug down deep
and laid the foundation on rock.
When a flood came,
the torrent struck that house
but could not shake it,
because it was well built.
But the one who hears My words
and does not put them into practice
is like a man who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
the moment the torrent struck that house,
it collapsed
and its destruction was complete."
(Luke 6:46-49)

AC 9849 - direction of action

AC 9849
. . .  a person turns away from the Lord,
. . . when he does evil . . ..
. . . when a person turns toward the Lord,
when he acts well.

Matthew 6:1

"Be careful not to do 
your 'acts of righteousness' before men,
to be seen by them.
If you do,
you will have no reward 
from your Father in heaven."
(Matthew 6:1)

AC 9841 - truths of faith from love

AC 9841 [4]
Truths of faith from love
are truths which love dictates,
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 . . ..
It is from this that the Word is living.

Matthew 5:29-30

"If your right eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut if off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to go into hell."
(Matthew 5:29-30)

AC 9836 - the lost sheep

AC 9836 [6]
. . . the Lord, who spoke by correspondences,
said of the lost sheep when it was found,
that "he laid it on his shoulder rejoicing" (Luke 15:5);
"the sheep that was lost and was found"
denotes the good with the person who repents.

Mark 3:11-12

Whenever the evil spirits saw Him,
they fell down before Him and cried out,
"You are the Son of God."
But He game them strict orders
not to tell who He was.
(Mark 3:11-12)

AC 9820 - "Holy"

AC 9820
. . . the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord
is what is called "holy" in the Word,
for the reason that the Lord alone is holy,
thus whatever proceeds from Him.
. . . the holiness which proceeds from Him
is called "the Holy Spirit" . . ..

Luke 5:16

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places
and prayed.
(Luke 5:16)

AC 9817 - "the wise in heart"; AC 9818 - "the spirit of wisdom"

AC 9817 [2]
The reason why "the wise in heart"
denote those who are in the good of love,
is that wisdom is based on the life of heaven in person,
and also that by "the heart" is signified 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 signified those who are in the good of love from the Lord.

AC 9818
. . . "the spirit of wisdom" . . .
signifies in whom Divine truth has be inscribed . . ..

Luke 4:24-30

"I tell you the truth," He continued,
"no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
I assure you
that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time,
when the sky was shut for three and a half years
and there was a severe famine throughout the land.
Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them,
but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.
And there were many in Israel with leprosy
in the time of Elisha the prophet,
yet not one of them was cleansed -
only Naaman the Syrian."
All the people in the synagogue were furious
when they heard this.
They got up, drove Him out of the town,
and took Him to the brow of the hill
on which the town was built,
in order to throw Him down the cliff.
But He walked right through the crowd
and went on His way.
(Luke 24-30)

AC 9808 - heaven is

AC 9808
. . . heaven is within every member of the church
when he is in truth
and at the same time
in good 
from the Lord.

John 3:20-21

"Everyone who does evil
hates the light,
and will not come into the light
for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth
comes into the light
so that it may be seen plainly
that what he has done
has been done through God."
(John 3:20-21)

AC 9806 - Moses & Aaron; "the Son of Man"

AC 9806
. . . by "Moses causing Aaron his brother to draw near unto him"
is signified 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.

[2] 
All things in the universe, both in heaven and in the world,
bear relation to good and to truth in order to be anything;
for good is the being of truth,
and truth is the coming-forth of good;
and therefore good without truth does not come-forth,
and truth without good has no being;
from which it is evident that they must be conjoined.

[7]
. . . "the Son of Man," as before said,
denotes the Divine truth;
the Father from whom it proceeds,
denotes the Divine good.

Luke 4:1-2, John 1:43-46

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
where for forty days He was tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and at the end of them
He was hungry.
(Luke 4:1-2)

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.
Finding Philip, He said to him, "Follow Me."
Philip, like Andrew and Peter,
was from the town of Bethsaida.
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
"We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law,
and about whom the prophets also wrote -
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"
Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Peter.
(John 1:43-46)

AC 9798-9799, 9803 - to be intelligent and wise

AC 9798-9799, 9803
In proportion as the internal person has been opened to the Lord,
and the external person subordinated to it,
in the same proportion a person is in the fire of heaven;
thus in the same proportion he is in the will of good.
The fire of heaven is the Divine love that proceeds from the Lord;
to be kindled by this fire is to will good.

Therefore the understanding of truth
is to see truths from the Word
by virtue of enlightenment from the Lord;
and the will of good
is to will these truths from affection.

From this it is evident
that to be intelligent and wise does not consist
in understanding and being wise about many things of the world;
but in understanding and willing the things of heaven.
For there are those
who understand and are wise about many things of the world,
and yet do not believe or will the things of heaven;
thus are insane.
These are they of whom the Lord says:

I speak by parables;
because seeing they see not,
and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand.
(Matthew 13:13)

The world cannot receive the Spirit of truth,
because it sees Him not,
neither knows Him.
(John 14:17)

Mark 1:2-4

It is written in Isaiah the prophet:

"I will send My messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way"  (Malachi 3:1)
"a voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for Him.'"
(Isaiah 40:3)

And so John came,
baptizing in the desert region
and preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
(Mark 1:2-4)

AC 9780 - the Word is the doctrine of good

AC 9780 [2]
As the Word is the doctrine of good,
therefore in order that the Word may be understood,
it must be known what good is;
and no one knows what good is
unless he lives in good according to the Word;
for when anyone lives in good according to the Word,
then the Lord instills good into his life . . ..

AC 9776 - service

AC 9776
That a person's external or natural is denoted by "service,"
is because it ought to serve the internal or spiritual of a person.
For the human being has been created
according to the image of heaven and the image of the world,
the internal or spiritual person
according to the image of heaven,
and the external or natural person
according to the image of the world.
Just as the world ought to serve heaven,
so a person's external or natural
ought to serve his internal or spiritual.
Moreover, the natural was created for service;
for it does not live from itself,
thus can do nothing from itself;
but from the internal or spiritual,
that is, through this from the Lord.
From this it is also evident
that a person's external or natural is nothing
unless it is of service to the internal or spiritual,
and that it becomes something
in proportion as it is of service.
To be of service is to obey,
and the natural obeys
when it does not take for itself from the understanding
reasons which favor the evils
of the loves of self and of the world;
but when it complies with the dictates of reason
and the doctrine of the church,
which declare that good and truth ought to be done,
not for the sake of self and the world as ends,
but for the sake of good and truth itself.
In this manner
the Lord does these through a person's heaven,
that is, through his internal;
for all good and truth are from the Lord, insomuch
that good and truth with a person are the Lord Himself.
From all this it can be seen why it is
that the external person must be a thing of service
to the internal person.

AC 9755 - truths in knowledge, truths in faith

AC 9755 [2]
. . . 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 . . ..

AC 9744 - "fine twined linen"

AC 9744
Shall be of fine twined linen.
(Exodus 27:9)
. . . there are two things
to which all things in the universe bear relation,
namely, truth and good;
and therefore a person has two faculties,
one appointed for the reception of truth,
and the other for the reception of good;
the faculty appointed for the reception of truth
is called the understanding,
and the faculty appointed for the reception of good
is called the will.
Insofar therefore as the understanding
has been formed from genuine truths,
so far it excels, and so far it is "fine twined linen,"
for "fine linen" denotes truth from the Divine.

AC 9723 - nothing

AC 9723 [3]
Nothing in the Word is worthless,
not even any word,
thus not any circumstance . . ..

AC 9709 - the light of heaven or the light of the world?

AC 9709
Those who are illumined from self,
and not from the Lord,
see falsity as truth
and evil as good.

AC 9682 - influx: the presence of the Lord; AC 9683 - What is order?

AC 9682 [2]
The presence of the Lord is effected by means of influx,
and the influx is according to the life of good and of truth.
Those who are in the good of love to the Lord
are those who receive the influx most immediately;
those who are in the good of charity toward the neighbor
also receive it, but more remotely,
because the good of charity toward the neighbor
is more remote than the good itself of love to the Lord;
while those who are in the good of faith
also do indeed receive the influx,
but only in proportion to the good which the faith has in it;
and therefore those who receive it
are in the good of life from the truths of faith;
for the Lord is in good,
because all good is from Him,
and absolutely none from a person,
nor from the angels in heaven.

AC 9683 [2]
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.

AC 9670 - His Glorification

AC 9670 [4]
That the veil of the temple was rent in two
when the Lord suffered the cross
(Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)
signified His glorification;
for when the Lord was in the world,
He made His Human Divine truth;
but when He departed out of the world,
He made His Human Divine good,
from which the Divine truth now proceeds.
Divine good is the holy of holies.

AC 9648 - suffering to be raised

AC 9648
. . . 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;
and into a perception all the greater,
in proportion
as through a life of good from the doctrine of truth
he has suffered himself to be raised
toward the interior things of heaven.

AC 9643 - bases, foundations

AC 9643
That good has power through truth,
is because truth is the form of good,
and good has quality thereby;
for where there is quality, there is form.
In this way good has that from which
it can work on other things
in this or in that manner.
From this it is that good has ability,
but not determined to anything
except by means of truth.
Ability determined is actual power,
consequently is supporting power.

[2] Bases also correspond
to a person's feet and soles of the feet;
in general they correspond to the bones,
which lend support to all the fleshy parts in the body.
By the feet and likewise the bones
truth that provides support is meant,
and by the fleshy parts in the body
good which supports itself by means of truth. 

[3] So it is also that by 'foundations',
which are a general base,
the truth of faith and faith itself are meant,
as becomes clear from places in the Word
where 'foundations' are mentioned . . .
 
Do you not know,
do you not hear,
do you not understand the foundations of the earth?
(Isaiah 40:21) 

. . . by 'the foundations of the earth' are meant
such things as have to do with the Church.
. . . 'the earth' in the Word means the Church . . .
its foundations are the truths of faith,
for these truths serve the Church as foundations . . ..

The floodgates from on high have been opened,
and the foundations of the earth have been shaken.
(Isaiah 24:18) 

. . . 'the foundations' means the truth of faith,
and 'city' doctrine based on it . . ..

AC 9537 - flame & light

AC 9537
. . . every good has its truth,
and every truth its good.
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 here is like that of flame and light;
flame without light does not appear,
. . . and light without flame does not exist.
. . . Moreover, love is the flame or fire of life,
and faith is the light of life.

AC 9632 - there IS a spiritual sense

AC 9632
. . . scarcely anyone knows
that heavenly things are signified
by all those things which are in the Word,
thus that there is an internal sense
which is spiritual in each thing written there;
and that this sense does not appear in the letter,
but only from the letter
to those who have been instructed about correspondences,
and who while they read the Word
are in enlightenment from the Lord. 

AC 9606 - spheres

AC 9606
. . . in heaven spheres come together;
for there are spheres
that go out from each angelic community in heaven,
and from each angel in a community.
These spheres from each one 
emanate from the life of their affections for truth and good;
and they spread a long way out.
This explains why the character of spirits and angels
is recognizable when they are a long way off.
Those spheres are what bind
angels and angelic communities together
and they are also what split them apart;
for similar spheres, that is,
similar affections for truth and good, come together,
and dissimilar ones move apart.
. . . It should be recognized
that to the extent that these spheres originate in the Lord
they come together,
but to the extent that they originate in the self of an angel
they move apart.
From this it is evident
that the Lord alone brings them together.

AC 9594 - three degrees of life

AC 9594
The inmost degree of a person's life
exists for the inmost heaven,
the middle degree of life for the middle heaven,
and the lowest for the lowest heaven.
And because the human being is like this,
or has been so formed,
and heaven springs from the human race,
there are three heavens. 

[2] These degrees of life with a person
are opened up in successive stages.
The first degree is opened up
by a life led in accord with what is right and fair,
the second degree by a life in accord
with the truths of faith drawn from the Word
and with forms of the good of charity towards the neighbor 
that follow on from those truths,
and the third degree by a life in accord
with the good of mutual love
and the good of love to the Lord.
These virtues are the means by which
those three degrees of life with a person,
and so the three heavens with him,
are opened up in successive stages.
But it should be recognized
that to the extent that a person departs
from good in life and moves towards evil in life
those degrees are closed, that is,
the heavens with him are closed;
for just as good in life opens them,
so evil in life closes them.

AC 9589-9590 - two Freedoms

AC 9589 - AC 9590
There is heavenly Freedom,
and there is infernal Freedom.
Heavenly Freedom is to be led by the Lord,
and this Freedom
is the love of what is good and true.
But infernal Freedom is to be led by the devil,
and this Freedom
is the love of what is evil and false . . ..

Those who are in infernal Freedom
believe it to be slavery and compulsion
not to be allowed to do what is evil
and to think what is false at pleasure.
But they who are in heavenly Freedom
feel horror in doing what is evil
and in thinking what is false,
and if they are compelled to do so,
they are in torment.

AC 9553 - flowers & fruit

AC 9553
'And its flowers' means factual knowledge of truth.
. . . Such knowledge is meant by 'flowers'
because flowers are stages of growth
which come before
and in their own way
lead on to fruit and seeds;
for trees and young plants come into flower
before they bear fruit, as is well known.
The situation is similar
with the intelligence and wisdom present in a person.
Factual knowledge of truth comes first
and in its own way
leads on to the insights
that constitute wisdom with the person;
for that knowledge
provides his rational mind with objects of thought
and so the means to attain wisdom.
This is why factual knowledge of truth
is like the flowers,
and goodness of life, which is the good of wisdom,
is like the fruit.

AC 9528, 9534 - the Lord's mercy

AC 9528
. . . from pure love, and thus from pure mercy,
the Lord assumed the Human,
and endured the most grievous temptations,
and finally the passion of the cross,
that He might save the human race;
whereby merit and righteousness became His.

AC 9534
. . . the sphere of Divine good
encompasses heaven and all the societies in heaven,
and thus protects them
from the breaking in of evils from hell.
. . .  the Lord reigns also in the hells, but with this difference,
that the Divine sphere
which encompasses and protects heaven
is a sphere of Divine truth conjoined with Divine good;
whereas the sphere which guards hell
is a sphere of Divine truth separate from Divine good.
That this is the sphere in hell,
is because all who are there reject Divine good;
thus the Lord's mercy.

AC 9509 - two states

AC 9509 [2]
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.

AC 9495 - the two together

AC 9495
This marriage is reciprocal, that is,
of truth with good
and of good with truth.
An idea of this marriage may be had
from the conjunction of the heart and the lungs.
The heart conjoins itself with the lungs,
and the lungs in turn conjoin themselves with the heart;
for the heart from its right side 
sends forth blood into the lungs,
and the lungs in turn send it back into the heart;
but into its left side, 
and so on continually.
Such also is the marriage in heaven
of good with truth
and of truth with good,
where also the heart corresponds to the good which is of love,
and the lungs to the truth which is of faith.

AC 9493 - the soil & the seed

AC 9493
. . . good is like soil,
and truth is like the seed.

AC 9481 - with us

AC 9481 [2]
Be it known
that there are always spirits and angels with a person,
and that he cannot live without them;
in like manner through them
a person has connection with the Lord,
and that in this way
the human race and also heaven subsist.

AC 9473 - internal good (read slow); AC 9474 - the will & understanding

AC 9473 [2 - 3] 
Each and all things that come forth are like cause and effect.
No effect can come forth without an efficient cause.
The efficient cause is the internal of the effect,
and the effect is its external.
They are also like endeavor and motion.
No motion can come forth without endeavor,
insomuch that when the endeavor ceases the motion ceases.
Wherefore the internal of motion is endeavor, or moving force.
The case is similar with living endeavor, which is will;
and with living motion, which is action.
No action can come forth without will,
insomuch that when will ceases action ceases;
and therefore the internal of action is will.
From all this it is evident
that in each and all things there must be an internal,
in order that they may come forth,
and that they may afterward subsist;
and that without an internal they are not anything. 

So also it is with the good which is of love;
unless there is an internal good in it, it is not good.
The internal good in the good of faith
is the good of charity,
which is spiritual good;
but the internal good in the good of charity
is the good of mutual love,
which is external celestial good;
and the internal good in the good of mutual love
is the good of love to the Lord,
which is the good of innocence;
and this good is internal celestial good.
But the internal good in the good of love to the Lord,
that is, in the good of innocence,
is the good Divine itself
that proceeds from the Divine Human of the Lord,
and consequently it is the Lord Himself.
This last good must be in all good,
in order that it may be good;
and therefore there is not any good
unless its internal is from this source;
for unless its internal is from this source,
it is not good but evil,
because it is from the person himself,
and that which proceeds from a person is evil;
for a person regards himself in all the good that he does,
and also regards the world,
and thus not the Lord nor heaven.

AC 9474
The will can make itself clear only through the understanding,
for the understanding receives the good of the will,
and good to the will.

AC 9466 - blue

AC 9466
And blue.
(Exodus 25:4) 
That this signifies the celestial love of truth,
 is evident from the signification of "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.

[3] By "blue"
is signified the celestial love of truth,
and by "garments of blue,"
the knowledges of truth from this love, in Ezekiel:

Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was thy spread,
that it might be to thee for a sign;
blue and crimson from the isles of Elishah
were thy covering.
These were thy traders with perfect things,
with bales of blue and embroidered work,
and with treasures of precious garments.
(Ezekiel 27:7, 24)

AC 9448-9449, 9452 - the Forgiveness of Sins & Divine Mercy

AC 9448-9449, 9452
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.
But these are possible only with those who,
through regeneration,
have received new life from the Lord;
because these things belong to the new life.

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.

But the signs that sins have not been forgiven are the following.
God is not worshiped for the sake of God;
and the neighbor is not served for the sake of the neighbor;
thus good is not done and truth is not spoken
for the sake of good and truth,
but for the sake of self and the world.
There is a desire to merit by our deeds;
others are despised in comparison with ourselves;
delight is felt in evils, such as enmities, hatred,
revenge, cruelty, adulteries;
and the holy things of the church are held in contempt,
and are at heart denied.

The Lord regenerates a person from Divine Mercy.
This is done from his infancy
down to the last of his life in the world,
and afterward to eternity.
Thus it is from Divine Mercy
that the Lord withdraws a person from evils and falsities,
and leads him to the truths of faith and goods of love,
and afterward keeps him in these.
And after this, in Divine Mercy
He raises him to Himself in heaven, and makes him happy.
All this is what is meant by the Forgiveness of Sins from Mercy.
They who believe that sins are forgiven in any other way,
are quite mistaken;
for it would be the absence of mercy
to see a multitude of men in the hells, 
and not save them,
if it could be done in any other way.
And yet the Lord is mercy itself,
and wills not the death of anyone,
but that he may live.

Loved the key ideas in this article!

http://www.newchurchperspective.com/essays/2014/2/7/keep-the-puzzle-out.html

AC 9430, 9435 - the holy Word

AC 9430
But be it known that while a person is in the world,
he is in the internal sense of the Word
when he is in the genuine doctrine of the church
as to faith and as to life;
for through this doctrine the internal sense of the Word
is then inscribed on both his understanding and his will;
on his understanding through faith;
and on his will through life.
When such a person comes into heaven
he understands the Word no otherwise
than according to its internal sense;
and knows nothing of its external sense,
this then appearing to him like a cloud
that absorbs the rays of its light.

Let all therefore beware
of injuring the Word in any way;
for they who injure it,
injure the Divine Itself.

AC 9435
. . . the holy external of the Word
is the entrance to a state of good,
thus to heaven.

AC 9424 - the Word & doctrine (or teachings) from the Word

AC 9424 [2]
Since another opportunity to do so is provided here,
something more will be stated
about the way in which support is given to the Word
by teachings (doctrine) derived from the Word.
 A person unacquainted with the arcana (secrets) of heaven
cannot help thinking that the Word can be supported
without the doctrine derived from it;
for that person supposes that such doctrines lie
in the letter or literal sense of the Word.
But it should be recognized
that all things taught by the Church
must be derived from the Word,
and that doctrine from any source other than the Word
is not doctrine that possesses anything of the Church within it,
let alone anything of heaven.
The doctrine must be gathered together from the Word,
and while it is being gathered
a person must receive enlightenment from the Lord;
and a person receives such enlightenment
when governed by the love of truth for its own sake
and not for any selfish or worldly reason.
These are the people
who are enlightened in their reading of the Word;
they see truth,
and formulate religious doctrine for themselves from It.
The reason why this should be so
is that such people are in touch with heaven
and so with the Lord,
and because of this they receive enlightenment from the Lord
and are led by Him
to see the truths of the Word as they exist in heaven.
For the Lord flows by way of heaven
into those people's understanding,
a person's inward understanding
being that which receives the enlightenment;
and at the same time the Lord flows in with faith,
which is imparted through the co-operation of the new will,
which desires truth for truth's sake.
All this now shows how the doctrine of good and truth
is given people by the Lord.

AC 9409 - the external sense alone is only part of the story

AC 9409
And unto the sons of Israel who were set apart.
(Exodus 24:11)
That this signifies those who are in the external sense alone
separate from the internal . . .
are also in external worship apart from internal,
worshiping external things as holy and Divine,
and also believing that these things
are in themselves holy and Divine,
when yet they are holy and Divine only from internal things.

[3] Very differently would they have believed and done
if they had been willing to receive
the doctrine of love and faith in the Lord
and of charity toward the neighbor.
They would then have known and believed
that the burnt-offerings, sacrifices, meat-offerings,
drink-offerings, and eating of the sacrifices,
did not purify them from any guilt and sin;
but that they were purified by the worship of God,
and by repentance from the heart;
in like manner that the washings of garments and of the body
do not make anyone clean,
but purifications of the heart;
in like manner also that the fire of the altar,
and the fires of the lamp, and also the showbreads,
and likewise the oil of anointing,
were not holy of themselves,
but by virtue of the internal things which they signified;
and that when they were in holy internal things,
they were then holy,
not from themselves,
but from the Lord,
from whom is everything holy.
The sons of Israel would have known these internal things
if they had received the doctrine of love and charity,
because this teaches what the external things infold.
From this doctrine also the internal sense of the Word is known,
because the internal sense of the Word
is the very doctrine itself
of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor,
which also the Lord teaches, saying that
"on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets"
(Matt. 22:37-40).

[4] The case is nearly the same at this day in the Christian world,
in which, as there is no doctrine of love to the Lord
and of charity toward the neighbor,
it is scarcely known what celestial love is,
and what spiritual love, which is charity.
Therefore they are in external things
apart from anything internal . . ..
So it is that at the present day also
the external sense of the Word,
without doctrine as a rule and guide,
may be bent wherever one pleases. 

AC 9407 - sapphire; AC 9408 - blue

AC 9407
There was as a work of sapphire.
(Exodus 24:10)
. . . the signification of "a work of sapphire,"
as being the quality of the literal sense of the Word
when the internal sense is perceived within it,
thus when the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord,
such as it is in heaven, shines through.
For the Word is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord,
which in its origin is Divine,
and in its progress through the heavens
is celestial in the inmost heaven;
in the second or middle heaven is spiritual;
in the first or ultimate heaven is spiritual natural;
and in the world is natural and worldly,
such as it is in the sense of the letter, which is for mankind.
From this it is evident that this latter sense,
which is the last in order,
contains within it the spiritual and the celestial senses,
and inmostly the Divine Itself;
and as these senses are contained
in the ultimate or literal sense,
and become apparent to those
who apprehend the Word spiritually,
it is therefore represented by a work of sapphire,
in that it transmits the rays of heavenly light,
or is translucent. 

AC 9408 [2]
For the ancients had no other idea of the visible heaven
than that the heavenly inhabitants dwell there,
and that the stars are their habitations.
Similar also at this day is the idea of the simple,
and especially of little children.
From this also people look upward to heaven
when praying earnestly to God.
This also is from correspondence;
for in the other life a heaven with stars appears,
yet not the heaven that appears to men in the world;
but a heaven that appears in accordance with
the state of intelligence and wisdom of the spirits and angels.
The stars there are knowledges of good and truth;
and the clouds
which are sometimes seen beneath the heaven
are of various signification according to their colors,
their translucence, and their movements;
the blueness of heaven is truth transparent from good.

AC 9402 - Exodus 24:9-11

AC 9402
And there went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders of Israel;
and they saw the God of Israel;
and there was under His feet as a work of a sapphire stone,
and as the substance of heaven in respect to cleanness.
And unto the sons of Israel who were set apart,
He sent not His hand:
and they saw God, 
and did eat and drink.
(Exodus 24:9-11)

"And there went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,"
signifies the Word in the internal and external senses,
and doctrine from both;
"and seventy of the elders of Israel,"
signifies all who are in good from truths;
"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;
"and unto the sons of Israel who were set apart,"
signifies those who are in the external sense alone
separate from the internal;
"He sent not His hand,"
signifies that truth is not there in its power;
"and they saw God,"
signifies faith;
"and did eat and drink,"
signifies instruction about the good and truth of worship.

AC 9395, 9401 - conjunction of and with the Lord

AC 9395
. . . the conjunction of the Lord
with the person of the church
takes place when the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord
is received by the person.

AC 9401 [2]
. . . the Lord conjoins a person with Himself,
but not the converse;
for all the good of love and truth of faith
flow in from the Lord,
and are received by a person
in proportion as he desists from evils.

AC 9391 - external things

AC 9391 [12]
For those who are in external things
without anything internal
explain the Word in favor of their own loves,
and see therein earthly things,
and nothing of heavenly things . . ..

AC 9392 - enlightenment & instruction from the Word

AC 9382 [2, 3]
Everyone is enlightened and instructed from the Word
according to his affection of truth, 
and longing for it,
and according to his capacity of receiving it.
Those who are in enlightenment .
are in the light of heaven as to their internal person;
for it is the light of heaven
which enlightens a person in the truths and goods of faith.
. . . But they who are not in the affection of truth from good,
and from this in the desire to be wise,
are blinded rather than enlightened when they read the Word,
for they are not in the light of heaven;
and from the light of the world,
which is called the light of nature,
they see only what agrees with worldly things;
and thus from the fallacies in which the external senses are,
they embrace falsities which appear to them as truths.

AC 9365 - the persuasion of self; AC 9872, 9376, 9380 - the soul which lives truths

AC 9365
Those who aspire after great things in the world,
and covet many things,
are in a stronger persuasion
that what the doctrine of the church teaches is true,
than those who do not aspire after great things
and covet many things.
The reason is that to the former
the doctrine of the church is merely a means to their ends;
and the means are loved and also believed
in proportion as the ends are desired.

AC 9872 [4]
. . . the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining
according to the truths from good with them.

AC 9376
That those truths which are from the Word
agree with good,
is because they are from the Lord,
and consequently have heaven within them;
and if you will believe it,
in every detail of the Word
there is heaven in which is the Lord.

AC 9380 [2]
. . . those who are perfectly acquainted
with all the particulars of the doctrine of their church,
and yet do not apply them to life . . .
are in external things devoid of what is internal,
for with them the truths of doctrine are outside
so long as they have not been inscribed on their life.
There is no conjunction of the Lord with their truths,
because the Lord enters into
a person's truths of faith
through his life;
thus through the soul which is in the truths.

AC 9350-9356
There are many reasons why it pleased the Lord
to be born and to assume the Human on our earth,
and not on any other . . ..

The principal reason was for the sake of the Word,
in that it could be written on our earth, 
and when written
could then be published throughout the whole earth;
and once published could be preserved for all posterity;
and that thus it might be made clearly apparent
even to all in the other life 
that God had become a Man.

That the principal reason was for the sake of the Word,
is because the Word is truth Divine itself,
which teaches man that there is a God,
that there is a heaven and a hell,
and that there is a life after death;
and which teaches besides
how a person must live and believe
in order that he may come into heaven,
and thus be eternally happy.
Without revelation, thus on this earth without the Word,
all these things would have been utterly unknown;
and yet man has been so created
that in respect to his internal man he cannot die.

That the Word could be written on our earth,
is because the art of writing has existed here
from the most ancient time, first on wooden tablets,
later on parchment, afterward on paper,
and finally it could be published in print.
This has been provided by the Lord for the sake of the Word.

That the Word could afterward be published
throughout this whole earth, is because there is here
an interaction of all nations,
both by overland travel and by navigation,
to all places on the globe.
Therefore the Word once written
could be carried from one nation to another,
and could be everywhere taught.
That there should be such an interaction
has also been provided by the Lord for the sake of the Word.

That the Word once written could be preserved for all posterity,
consequently for thousands and thousands of years,
and that it has been so preserved, is known.

That thus it could be made clearly apparent
that God has become a Man,
is because this is the first and most essential thing
for the sake of which the Word was given;
for no one can believe in and love a God
whom he cannot comprehend under some form;
and therefore those
who acknowledge the incomprehensible in their thought
fall into nature, and thus believe in no God.
Wherefore it pleased the Lord to be born here,
and to make this manifest by the Word,
not only in order that it might become known on this globe,
but that by this means
it might also be made clear to all in the universe
who come into heaven from any earth whatever;
for in heaven there is a communication of all.

AC 9348 - the snare in being part of the diabolical crew

AC 9348 [1,6,7]
. . . evils allure and deceive 
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;
indeed, 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 . . .
and also the literal sense of the Word
wrongly explained and applied.

That in the spiritual sense "a snare"
denotes allurement and deception
through the delights of the loves of self and of the world,
thus the allurement and deception of evils,
and this through reasonings from the fallacies of the senses
which favor these delights, is plain to everyone . . ..
Neither do the diabolical crew assail anything in a person
except these his loves which they delight
in every possible way
until he is caught,
and when he has been caught
the person reasons from falsities against truths,
and from evils against goods.
Nor is he then content with this,
but also takes delight
in ensnaring and alluring others to falsities and evils.
The reason why he also takes delight in this,
is that he is then one of the diabolical crew.

. . . from the love of self
springs contempt for others in comparison with self,
next derision and abuse,
afterward enmity if they do not favor,
and finally the delight of hatred,
the delight of revenge,
thus the delight of violence, indeed, of cruelty.
This love in the next life rises to such a height
that unless the Lord shows such people favor
and grants them dominion over others,
they are not only disdainful of Him
but also mock the Word which speaks of Him.
At length they are stirred
by hatred and vengeance to act against Him;
and insofar as they are unable to do so
they carry out their hatred and vengeance
with inhumanity and barbarity
against everyone who confesses Him.
From this it is plain how it comes
that there is such a diabolical crew,
namely, from the love of self.

AC 9341 - the sensuous; AC 9346 - evil turns away good absolutely

AC 9341 [3]
. . . the sensuous of a person
stands nearest to the world and the earth,
and receives its impressions from them,
it therefore acknowledges nothing else as good
than that which delights the body;
and nothing else as truth
than that which favors this delight.

AC 9346
. . . evils turn away the goods that are from the Lord;
namely, that those who are in evils
not only do not receive the goods
which continually flow into everyone 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 - little by little

AC 9336
By little and little I will drive him out from before thee.
(Exodus 23:30)
That this signifies a removal by degrees according to order,
is evident from the signification of "by little and little," . . .

. . . 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. 

. . . many have fallen into errors about the liberation
of a person from evils and falsities
(that is, the forgiveness of sins),
believing that through mercy
the life of hell in a person can be instantly
turned into the life of heaven in him;
when yet the whole act of regeneration is mercy,
and none are regenerated except those
who receive the mercy of the Lord in faith and life

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.
According to this order all things in heaven come forth,
and according to the same order they subsist;
for to subsist is perpetually to come forth.
In order therefore that heaven may come forth in a person
it is necessary that he receive Divine truth
in the good proceeding from the Lord.
This can only be done by degrees
according to an order similar to that
by which the Lord sets heaven in order;
for the case with a thing of the same nature
is the same in what is small as in what is great.
This successive setting in order
is what is here meant by "order according to degrees."

AC 9330 - there is a fight

AC 9330 [2]
In the other life
those who are in falsities from evil
fight first against those who are in truths from good.
The reason why they are permitted to fight
is in order that good may come out of it.
The good that comes out of it
is that those who are in truths from good
are thereby confirmed in truths against falsities,
and that those who are in falsities from evil
are confirmed in falsities, and devastate themselves;
for in the other life
falsities are removed from those
who are in truths from good,
and truths are removed from those
who are in falsities from evil.
In this way those who are in truths from good
are raised into heaven,
and those who are in falsities from evil
sink down into hell;
and when they are in hell,
they are in terror and dismay
because of truths from good,
in which are the angels from the Lord.

AC 9317 - falsities of evil - we have to be careful

AC 9317
The falsities of evil are worshiped
when worship is done according to a doctrine
made up of falsified truths and adulterated goods. 
This is done when rule and profit are regarded as ends,
and truths from the Word as means.

AC 9303 - how to think about the Lord; AC 9304 - His care of us; AC 9310 - "to hear His voice"

AC 9303 [4-5]
But the ideas of the angels about the Divine,
the Trinity, and Proceeding . . . are founded upon one . . ..
The angels think
(and what they think they believe)
that there is one God,
and that He is the Lord;
that His Human is the Divine Itself in a form;
and that the holy proceeding from Him is the Holy Spirit;
thus that there is a Trinity,
but still it is One. 

An idea of this is obtained from the idea
that exists about the angels in heaven.
An angel appears there in the human form,
but still there are three things in him that make a one.
There is his internal, which does not appear before the eyes;
there is the external, which does appear;
and there is the sphere of life of his affections and thoughts,
which pours out from him to a distance.
These three make one angel.
But the angels are finite and created,
whereas the Lord is infinite and uncreated.
And as no person, or even angel,
can have any idea about the Infinite except from things finite,
therefore such an example may be given
in order to illustrate what the Trinity in One is;
and that there is one God;
and that He is the Lord,
and no other.

AC 9304
. . . the signification of "guarding,"
when said of the Lord, as being providence;
for providence consists in providing and foreseeing,
thus in leading to good and guarding from evil;
because good is provided by the Lord,
and evil is foreseen by Him);
and because evil is foreseen,
a person is guarded from it,
otherwise good cannot be provided.
And from the signification of "the way,"
as being truth . . ..

AC 9310 [3]
. . . "to hear His voice"
denotes to obey His commandments . . .

AC 9296 - the Lord foresees & provides; AC 9299 - "the morning"; AC 9301 - shaking off

AC 9296
. . . in every present moment
the Lord foresees evil, and provides good;
and this He does from the first thread of life
even to eternity.

AC 9299
. . . by "the morning" is signified
such good from the Lord always new.   

AC 9301
. . . the fallacies of the external senses . . 
must be shaken off
as a person advances toward wisdom.

AC 9290 - "As I commanded you"

AC 9290
As I commanded you,
(Exodus 23:15)
means in keeping with the laws of order.
This is clear from the meaning of 'commanding',
when done by the Lord,
as Divine Truth emanating from Him,
for that Truth contains and teaches the commandments
that have to do with life and with worship.
This Divine Truth constitutes order itself in the heavens,
and truths compose the laws of that order.

AC 9281 - breathing

AC 9281
. . . from the signification of "breathing,"
as being the state of life
in respect to the truths and goods of faith.
The reason why "breathing" signifies this state of life,
is that the lungs, whose office it is to breathe,
correspond to the life of faith from charity,
which is spiritual life.

[2] A person has an outward and an inward breathing;
the outward breathing is from the world,
but the inward is from heaven.
When a person dies, the outward breathing ceases;
but the inward breathing,
which during his life in the world is tacit
and imperceptible to him, continues.
This breathing is altogether according to the affection of truth,
thus according to the life of his faith.
But those who are in no faith,
as is the case with those who are in hell,
do not draw their breathing from within,
but from without, thus in a contrary manner;
and therefore when they approach an angelic society,
where there is breathing from within,
they begin to be suffocated, and become like images of death.
Therefore they cast themselves down headlong into their hell,
where they resume their former breathing,
which is contrary to that of heaven.

AC 9280 - Where is the Divine in the Word?

AC 9280 [3]
. . . when a natural person reads the Word,
and searches where the Divine lies hidden in it;
and when on account of its ordinary style
he does not find it in the letter,
he first begins to hold it in low esteem,
and then to deny that it has been dictated by the Divine Itself,
and sent down through heaven to mankind;
for he does not know
that the Word is Divine by virtue of its spiritual sense,
which is not apparent in the letter,
but nevertheless is in the letter;
and that this sense is presented in heaven
when a person reads the Word with reverence;
and that this sense treats of the Lord and His kingdom.
It is these Divine things from which the Word is Divine,
and by means of which holiness flows
through heaven from the Lord
down into the literal sense, and into the very letter itself.
. . . so long as a person loves the world more than heaven,
and himself more than the Lord,
he does not wish to know or understand these things;
although all the intelligence of ancient times was from this source,
as is also the wisdom of the angels.
The mystical secrets which many diviners
have in vain busied themselves to trace in the Word,
lie hidden solely in its spiritual sense.

AC 9276 - how the Lord flows into us

AC 9276 [4, 5, 6, 7]
By "a person of the church" is meant
one who from the Lord is in the good of charity,
and from this in the truths of faith;
for charity from which is faith
is the very church itself with a person,
because charity and faith are from the Lord;
for the Lord flows into this good,
which is the person's internal;
and through it into the affection of truth,
which is his external;
and through this affection into the delights of external truth,
which are in his uttermost external.

. . . a person of the church in particular is a heaven, a church,
and a kingdom of the Lord in the least form.

. . . the heart first flows into the lungs
and through these into the viscera and members of the body,
so likewise the Lord flows
through the good of love into internal truths,
and through these into external truths and goods.

For people suppose that life is in themselves,
and that this can subsist without any connection with heaven,
that is, through heaven from the Lord,
although this opinion is utterly false.

AC 9273
And shalt gather the produce thereof.
(Exodus 23:10)
. . .  "sowing" denotes instruction
and being instructed in the truths of faith . . .
"gathering" denotes the appropriation of them.
Appropriation is effected
when the truths that have been of doctrine
become of the life.
When they become truths of life,
they are called the "goods of truth."
It is these which are here signified by "produce."


AC 9274 [2]
. . . the first state of the person who is being regenerated
is to be led through truths to good,
and the second state is to be led by means of good;
and when he is in this latter state,
the order has been inverted,
 and he is then led by the Lord;
consequently he is then in heaven,
and consequently in the tranquility of peace.

AC 9262 - the innocent; AC 9264 - the malignant

AC 9262
The good of love toward the neighbor is exterior good,
and the good of love to the Lord is interior good.

But that "innocent" denotes the good of love to the Lord,
is because those are in innocence who love the Lord.
For innocence is to acknowledge in the heart
that of ourselves we desire nothing but evil,
and perceive nothing but falsity,
and also that all the good which is of love,
and all the truth which is of faith,
are from the Lord alone.
None can at heart acknowledge these things
except those who are conjoined with the Lord by love.

AC 9264
Malignity*, of which it is here said
that it is contrary to the Divine righteousness,
consists in destroying the interior and exterior good
which is signified by
"slaying the innocent and the righteous"
(of which just above, n. 9262, 9263);
and this good is destroyed
when the Divine truth and good
which are from the Lord
are denied,
in which case this is extinguished in the person,
and consequently so is the Lord Himself,
from whom proceed all good which is good
and all truth which is truth.
When this takes place,
the person no longer has any spiritual life,
thus no salvation.
This same truth and good are extinguished
when the Lord's Divinity is denied,
and also when the Word is denied,
for this is Divine truth from the Lord and about the Lord.
To deny this,
when it has previously been acknowledged
and received with faith,
and thus to extinguish it,
is the sin against the Holy Spirit,
which is not forgiven

And so I tell you,
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men,
but the blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven.
(Matthew 12:31)

For the Holy Spirit is the Divine truth and good,
because it is the holy proceeding from the Lord.

*malignity - intense ill-will or hatred; great malice
(Free Dictionary)

AC 9258, 9259 - falsities and the good of the church

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. 

AC 9259
The falsities which do not agree with the good of the church
are all those which are opposed to the Lord,
to the good of love to Him,
and to the good of charity toward the neighbor.

AC 9246 - Exodus 23

AC 9246
In this chapter
the subject treated of in the internal sense
is the shunning of the falsities of doctrine
and of the evils of life;
and that when this is done,
truths of doctrine and goods of life are implanted,
and through these the person of the church
is regenerated by the Lord.

AC 9243-9244 - confidence

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 9227 - the Lord and the two states of the regeneration process

AC 9227
. . . by "Jehovah" in the Word is meant the Lord.


AC 9227 [2-3]
. . . the truths called the truths of faith
enter into a person by an external way,
and that the good which is of charity and love
enters by an internal way.
The external way is through the hearing into the memory,
and from the memory into the understanding;
for the understanding is a person's internal sight.
The truths which must be of faith enter by this way,
to the end that they may be brought into the will,
and thus be appropriated to (become a part of) the person.
The good which flows in from the Lord by the internal way,
flows into the will, for the will is the internal of a person.
The good which is from the Lord meets there
at the common boundary (of) the truths
which have entered by the external way,
and through conjunction with them
causes the truths to become good.
Insofar as this is effected,
so far the order is inverted, that is,
so far the person is not led by truths, but by good;
and consequently insofar he is led by the Lord.

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 9224 - truth and good

AC 9224 [3]
. . . all things in the universe
bear relation to truth and to good,
and that they must bear relation to both
in order to be anything.
(Potts translation)

AC 9224 [3]
. . . all things in the universe
have connection with truth and good,
and to be anything
must have connection with both.
(Elliott translation)

AC 9222 - we need to be careful

AC 9222
Truth Divine is the Word,
and is doctrine from the Word.
Those blaspheme who at heart deny these,
even though with the mouth
they may praise the Word, and preach it.
The blasphemy is hidden in the denial,
and it emerges when they are left by themselves,
especially in the other life;
for there hearts speak,
after outward things have been removed.

[2] Those who blaspheme, that is, deny the Word,
are unable to receive anything
of the truth and good of faith;
for the Word teaches the existence of the Lord,
of heaven and hell, of the life after death,
of faith and charity, and of many other things,
which without the Word, that is, without revelation,
would be quite unknown;
and therefore those who deny the Word
cannot receive anything of what the Word teaches;
for when they either read or hear it,
a negative attitude presents itself,
which either extinguishes the truth,
or turns it into falsity.

[3] So it is that the very first thing
with the person of the church is to believe the Word;
and this is the chief thing with him
who is in the truth of faith and the good of charity.
But with those who are in the evils
of the love of self and of the world,
the chief thing is not to believe the Word,
for they reject it the moment they think about it,
and likewise blaspheme it.
If a person were to see the magnitude and the nature
of the blasphemies against the Word
that exist with those who are in the evils of these loves,
he would be horrified.
While the person himself is in the world
he is not aware of this,
because these blasphemies are hidden
behind the ideas of that active thought
which with people passes into speech.
Nevertheless they are revealed in the other life,
and appear horrible. 

[4] Blasphemies are of two kinds;
there are those which come forth from the understanding
and not at the same time from the will;
and those which come forth
from the will through the understanding.
It is these latter blasphemies which are so horrible;
but not the former.
Those which come forth
from the will through the understanding
are from evil of life;
but those which come forth from the understanding only,
and not at the same time from the will,
are from falsity of doctrine,
or from the fallacies of the external senses,
which deceive a person who is held fast in ignorance.
These things have been said
in order that it may be known how the case is
with the blaspheming of truth Divine,
that is, of the Word and its derivative doctrine,
which is signified by
"cursing God and execrating a prince of the people."

AC 9212 - "When you are old . . ."

AC 9212 [8]
Jesus said to Peter,
Truly, truly I say to you,
When you were a boy
you girded your loins
and walked where you wished.
But when you are old
you will stretch out your hands,
[and] another will gird your loins
and lead you where you do not wish.
(John 21:18)

'When you are old you will stretch out your hands,
and another will gird your loins
and lead you where you do not wish'
signifies that at the end of the church
there will be no faith,
and then falsities of evil
from the loves of self and the world 
will take its place,
and will reduce it to bondage.
This is the secret
which lies hidden in these words of the Lord,
and which can be seen only from their internal sense.
From this it is again evident in what manner the Lord spoke,
namely, that in every detail there was an internal sense,
to the intent that by means of the Word
heaven might be conjoined with the world;
for without the Word there is no conjunction,
that is, without revealed Divine truth;
and if there is no conjunction,
the human race perishes.

AC 9210 - Christian charity

AC 9210
He who does not know what Christian charity is,
may believe that it consists
not only in giving to the needy and the poor,
but also in doing good to a fellow citizen,
to our country, and to the church,
for any cause whatever, or for any end whatever.
But be it known that it is the end
that determines the quality of all a person's deeds.
If his end or intention is to do good for the sake of reputation,
or to acquire honors or profit,
then the good which he does is not good,
because it is done for the sake of himself,
and thus also from himself.
But if his end is to do good for the sake of a fellow citizen,
his country, or the church, thus for the sake of the neighbor,
then the good which the man does is good,
for it is done for the sake of good itself,
which, in general, is the neighbor itself;
thus also it is done for the sake of the Lord,
for such good is not from a person,
but from the Lord,
and that which is from the Lord is the Lord's.

[2] As it is with good, so also it is with truth.
Those who do truth for the sake of truth,
do it also for the sake of the Lord,
because they do it from the Lord.
To do truth for the sake of truth, is to do good;
for truth becomes good
when it passes from the understanding into the will,
and from the will goes forth into act.
To do good in this manner is Christian charity.

AC 9202 - supplication

AC 9202
Intense supplication is expressed in the Word by "a cry,"
because the supplication of those
who supplicate from the heart, even if silent,
is heard in heaven as a cry.
Such is the case when people merely think,
and still more when they groan,
from a sincere heart.
. . . In heaven, not only the thoughts,
but especially the affections
which are of good and truth, speak.
. . . But affections of evil and falsity
are not at all heard in heaven,
even though the person
who supplicates from them
should cry out,
and at the same time press his palms tightly together,
and raise them together with his eyes to heaven.
These latter affections are heard in hell,
and if they are ardent, 
they are heard there also as cries.

AC 9193 - the main thing of internal worship

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 in the church who do not acknowledge Him
cannot be in good,
thus neither can they be in truth.
. . . 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.f

Christmas Reading - Day 24

http://12daysbeforeandafterchristmas.blogspot.com/2008/01/flight-into-egypt.html

AC 9484 - blessings

AC 9184 [2]
That all things are blessings
when a person is in the order of heaven,
the Lord teaches in Matthew: --

Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens
and His righteousness,
and all things shall be added unto you.
(Matthew 6:33)

Christmas Reading - Day 23

http://12daysbeforeandafterchristmas.blogspot.com/2008/01/adoration-of-wise-men.html

AC 9167, 9174 - arrangement of truths

AC 9167 [2]
. . . all the truths with a person
are arranged in accordance
with the quality of the good,
just as a house is arranged by its lord.

AC 9174
Good is like the soul in a person,
and truths are like those things
with which the soul clothes itself,
and by means of which it acts.
It is well known
that each and all things in a person live from his soul;
and so also do the truths of faith live
from the good of love to the Lord
and of love toward the neighbor.
If this good is not the soul of a person,
but the good of the love of self or the love of the world,
then the person is not a person, but a wild beast,
and in the other life in the light of heaven
he also appears as a wild beast . . ..
It is, however, to be understood
that the Lord disposes truths into order
in accordance with
the good of the person's life.

Christmas Reading - Day 22

http://12daysbeforeandafterchristmas.blogspot.com/2008/01/where-is-he-that-is-born-king-of-jews.html

AC 9154 - goods & truths; AC 9156 - transgressions, iniquities, sins

AC 9154 [2,3]
The good with a person
is that which receives in itself all truths, .
for good has its quality from truths;
and so far as truths have good in them
and also around them,
so far they are living.
. . . truth without good has no life;
and that good without truth has no quality,
consequently that faith without charity is not living faith.
By faith is here meant the faith of truth,
and by charity the life of good. 

. . . when a person is in good,
that is, in the affection of doing good,
he then comes into the memory
of all the truths which have entered into the good;
but that when he turns away from good,
the truths disappear,
for it is the falsity of evil
which takes them away as if by theft.
But the truths which have disappeared
come again into memory
when the person by his life
returns into the affection of good or of truth.

AC 9156
Wash me from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin;
for I acknowledge my transgressions,
 and my sin is ever before me.
(Psalm 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."

Christmas Reading - Day 21

http://12daysbeforeandafterchristmas.blogspot.com/2010/01/the-circumcision-and-presentation-in.html

AC 9139 - "vineyard" and "field"

AC 9139 [3]
Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard,
they have trodden under foot My field,
they have made My field of desire into a desert of solitude;
he has made it [the vineyard] into a solitude.
(Jeremiah 12:10-11);

where "vineyard" and "field" clearly denote the church;
and as the church is the church
from the truth and good of faith and of charity,
it is clear that the "vineyard" here
denotes the church as to truth,
and the "field,"
the church as to good.

Christmas Reading - Day 20

http://12daysbeforeandafterchristmas.blogspot.com/2008/01/was-brought-down-to-egypt.html

AC 9127 - be careful

AC 9127
For he who does violence to truth
does violence likewise to good,
because truth has been so conjoined with good
that the one belongs to the other;
and therefore if violence is done to the one,
it is done to the other also.

Christmas Reading - Day 19

http://12daysbeforeandafterchristmas.blogspot.com/2008/01/symbolism-in-christmas-story.html

AC 9118 - Conscience

AC 9118
Now since to act contrary to Conscience
is to act contrary to the new will,
contrary to charity,
and contrary to the truths of faith,
consequently contrary to the life
which a person has from the Lord,
it is evident from this
that a person is in the tranquility of peace,
and in internal blessedness,
when he acts according to Conscience;
and that he is uneasy,
and also in pain,
when he acts contrary to Conscience.
This pain is what is called "the stings of Conscience."