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.