AC 10177 - frankincense

AC 10177 [11]
The offerings of incense in the Ancient Church,
and from this in the Israelitish,
were prepared from fragrant substances,
such as stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense;
for the reason that odor signified perception,
and a fragrant odor a grateful perception.
But frankincense in particular signifies the truth of faith,
and therefore when "frankincense" is mentioned in the Word,
there is joined with it "oil," "bread," a "meat-offering," or "gold,"
by all of which is signified the good of love; as in Isaiah:

All they from Sheba shall come,
they shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah.
(Isaiah 60:6)

In like manner those who came from the east, of whom it is written in Matthew,

There came wise men from the east,
seeking the Lord just then born,
and opening their treasures they offered
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(Matthew 2:1, 2, 11)

(That those who were from the east and were called "sons of the east,"
in the Word signify those who were in the knowledges of good and truth;
in like manner "Sheba";
that "gold" signifies the good of love.)

AC 10171 & 10173 - love truly conjugial

AC 10171
No one can know what love truly conjugial is,
and what is the nature of its delight,
except one who is in the good of love
and in the truths of faith from the Lord;
because, as has been said,
love truly conjugial is from heaven,
and is from the marriage of good and truth there.

AC 10173
That which is done from love truly conjugial
is done from freedom on both sides,
because all freedom is from love,
and both have freedom
when one loves that which the other thinks and that which the other wills.
From this it is that the wish to command in marriages destroys genuine love,
for it takes away its freedom, thus also its delight.
The delight of commanding, which follows in its place,
brings forth disagreements, and sets the minds at enmity,
and causes evils to take root
according to the nature of the domination on the one side,
and the nature of the servitude on the other.

AC 10151 - Who makes heaven? the church?

AC 10151 [2 & 3]
. . . the Divine that proceeds from the Lord,
when received by the angels, makes heaven.
Thus in respect to what is their own
the angels themselves do not make heaven;
but in respect to the Divine which they receive from the Lord. . . .

So it is with the church.
In respect to what is their own
the people of the church do not make the church,
but in respect to what is Divine which they receive from the Lord;
for everyone in the church
who does not acknowledge and believe
that all the good of love and the truth of faith are from God,
is not of the church;
for he wishes to love God from himself,
and to believe in God from himself,
which, however, no one can do.

The Spirit of truth shall abide with you,
and shall be in you,
and you shall know that I am in My Father,
and you in Me,
and I in you.
(John 14:17, 20)

The "Spirit of truth" denotes the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord,
of which it is said that it "shall abide in you;"
and afterward that "He is in the Father, and they in Him, and He in them,"
whereby is signified that they would be in what is Divine of the Lord,
and that what is Divine of the Lord should be in them.
That the Divine Human is that which is there meant is plain.

Abide in Me, and I in you;
as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine;
so neither can you, except you abide in Me;
He that abides in Me, and I in him,
the same bears much fruit;
for without Me ye can do nothing.
(John 15:4, 5).

AC 10143 - genuine Divine worship

AC 10143 [portions of 3-6]
[3] . . . purification from evils and falsities consists in desisting from them,
and in shunning and turning away from them;
and the implantation of good and of truth
consists in thinking and willing what is good and what is true,
and in speaking and doing them;
and the conjunction of both consists in living from them;
for when good and truth have been conjoined with a person,
he then has a new will and a new understanding, consequently a new life.
When a person is of this character,
there is Divine worship in every work he does,
for he then looks to the Divine in everything;
he venerates it, and he loves it; consequently he worships it.

[4] That this is genuine Divine worship
is unknown to those who make worship consist in adoration and prayers,
thus in such things as are of the mouth and thought,
and not in such as are of work from the good of love and the good of faith;
when yet the Lord regards nothing else in the person
who is in adoration and in prayers than his heart . . ..

[5] In a word,
to do according to the precepts of the Lord is truly to worship Him,
nay, it is truly love and truly faith,
as also can be seen by everyone who considers the matter;
for nothing is more pleasing to one who loves anyone,
and who believes anyone, than to will and do what the other wills and thinks,
for it is his sole desire to know his will and thought, thus his good pleasure.
It is otherwise with one who does not love and believe.
Such also is the case with love to God,
as also the Lord teaches in John:

He that has My commandments,
and does them,
he it is who loves Me;
but he that loves Me not,
keeps not My words.
(John 14:21, 24)

Shall I come before Jehovah with burnt-offerings?
Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams?
He has showed you what is good,
and what does Jehovah require of you,
but to do judgment,
and to love mercy,
and to humble yourself in walking with your God?
(Micah 6:6-8)

AC 10137 - secrets of heaven hidden in the Word and the angels with us

AC 10137 [2]
He who believes that the Word is Divine and spiritual throughout,
must necessarily believe
that some secret of heaven lies hidden in every detail of it.
But the reason why it has not hitherto been known wherein this secret lies,
is that it has not been known that there is an internal sense
which is spiritual and Divine in every detail of the Word;
and that there are angels with every person,
who perceive his thoughts,
and who apprehend the Word spiritually while he is reading it,
and that through them what is holy then flows in from the Lord,
and thus that through them there is conjunction of heaven with a person,
consequently conjunction of the Lord through the heavens with him.
This is the reason why a Word of this nature was given to mankind,
by means of which, and not in any other way,
his salvation can be provided for by the Lord.

AC 10134 - the plane of innocence

AC 10134 [2]
For innocence is not only the plane in which truths are sown,
but is also the very essence of good;
so far therefore as a person is in innocence,
so far good becomes good, and truth lives from good;
consequently so far the person becomes alive,
and so far the evils with him are removed;
and insofar as they are removed,
goods and truths are implanted and conjoined by the Lord.

AC 10129 - We don't know it, but the Lord is in all genuine good of charity & faith.

AC 10129 [10]
The good of love to the Lord from the Lord
is in all the good of charity which is genuine,
and likewise in all the good of faith which is genuine,
because it flows in from the Lord;
for no one can love the neighbor,
and from love do good to him, from himself,
but only from the Lord;
and no one can believe in God from himself,
but only from the Lord.
Therefore when the Lord is acknowledged,
and the neighbor is loved,
then the Lord is in the love toward the neighbor,
however little the person may know it.

AC 10126 - the Word in ultimates

AC 10126
. . . the Word in ultimates, that is, in the sense of the letter,
is representative, and consequently significative,
of celestial and spiritual things which are in the higher heavens,
and is hereby presented
in a form accommodated to the apprehension of men.
In this way it is also of service to the heavens as a basis and foundation.

AC 10110 - when we speak of good

AC 10110 [4]
When we speak of good,
charity toward the neighbor is meant,
and love to the Lord,
for all that which is of love and charity is good.

AC 10099 - being raised into interior light and life

AC 10099 [5]
. . . with a person who is being regenerated
the interiors are successively opened,
and that as they are opened
they are also raised into interior light and life,
and nearer to the Divine;
and that this opening and consequent elevation
is effected by means of truths Divine,
which are vessels recipient of the good of love from the Divine.
The good of love is that which immediately conjoins a person with the Divine,
for love is spiritual conjunction.
Hence it follows
that a person can thus be more and more interiorly opened and raised
in proportion as he is in the good of love from the Divine. . ..

AC 10083 - "waving upon the palms of Aaron" - the first of all

AC 10083 [5]
As by the "waving upon the palms of Aaron"
is signified vivification (giving life to)
through the acknowledgment of the Lord,
and that all things are from Him,
therefore a few words shall be said about this acknowledgment
and the faith thence derived.
It was often said by the Lord, when the sick were healed,
that they should "have faith,"
and that it would be done to them "according to their faith"
(as Matt. 8:10-13; 9:2, 22, 27-29; 13:57, 58; 15:28; 21:21, 22, 31, 32;
Mark 5:34, 36; 10:49, 52; Luke 7:9, 48-50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42, 43).
The reason was that the first of all
is to acknowledge that the Lord is the Savior of the world,
for without this acknowledgment
no one can receive anything of truth and good from heaven, thus no faith;
and because this is the first and most essential of all,
therefore in order that the Lord might be acknowledged
when He came into the world,
in healing the sick He questioned them concerning their faith,
and those who had faith were healed.
The faith was that He was the Son of God who was to come into the world,
and that He had power to heal and to save.
Moreover, all the healings of diseases by the Lord,
when He was in the world,
signified healings of the spiritual life,
thus the things that belong to salvation.

AC 10076 - a person's regeneration - the glorification of the Lord

AC 10076
. . . with the person who is being regenerated there are two states,
the first when the truths which are of faith
are being implanted in the good which is of love and are being conjoined,
and the second when the person acts from the good of love.
The like was eminently the case in the Lord;
the first state of the glorification of His Human was to make it Divine truth,
and to conjoin it with the Divine good
which was in Him and is called the "Father,"
and thereby to become the Divine good of the Divine love, which is Jehovah.
The second state of His glorification
was to act from the Divine good of the Divine love,
which is effected by means of the Divine truth that proceeds from this good.

AC 10067 - the things of the spiritual state

AC 10067
. . . the things of the spiritual state,
which are truths of faith and goods of love to the Lord,
and which look to eternal life,
communicate with the heavens,
and open the internal man,
and they open it insofar and in such a way
as the truths of faith are received
in the good of love to the Lord and toward the neighbor,
from the Lord.

AC 10057 - the circle of life

AC 10057 [3-5]
. . . the circle of the regeneration of a person
is like the circle of his life in general;
and that it is in like manner instituted in the will
by means of an influx out of heaven from the Lord.

[4] Hence also it is plain that there are two states
in the person who is being regenerated,
the first when the truths of faith are being implanted
and conjoined with the good of charity,
the second when he speaks from the good of charity
by means of the truths of faith,
and acts according to these;
thus that the first state
is from the world through the natural man into the spiritual,
thus into heaven;
and the second
is from heaven through the spiritual man into the natural,
thus into the world.
As said above, the spiritual or internal man is in heaven,
and the natural or external man is in the world.
This circle is the circle of the regeneration of a person,
and consequently is the circle of his spiritual life.

[5] From what has been said,
some idea may be formed of the glorification of the Lord's Human;
for as the Lord glorified His Human, so He regenerates a person,
and therefore, as already often said,
the regeneration of a person is an image of the glorification of the Lord.
From this it is evident that the first state of His glorification
was to make His Human Divine truth,
and to unite it with the Divine good that was in Him;
and that the second state
was to act from Divine good through Divine truth.
For heaven and the church are founded through the Divine truth
that proceeds from the Lord's Divine good;
and through this are regenerated all who are in the church.

AC 10052 & 10053 - "the King of Glory"

AC 10052 [2]
The Divine Itself is the Divine good of the Divine love;
and as the Lord united His Human with this,
and thus made His Human also Divine,
therefore it cannot be said that His Human was regenerated,
but glorified,
for "to glorify" is to make Divine.

AC 10053
. . . when the Lord was in the world
He made His Human Divine truth,
and successively also by unition with the Divine good
which was in Him and was the being of His life,
He made His Human Divine good,
thus one with Jehovah.

[2] That where the Lord is treated of "glorification"
denotes the unition of His Human with the Divine Itself
which was in Him, thus with Jehovah His Father,
by which unition He made His Human also the Divine good,
is manifest from the passages in the Word
where mention is made of "glory," and "glorification,"
when spoken of Jehovah or the Lord, as in these passages:

The glory of Jehovah shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40:5).

I Jehovah have called thee in righteousness,
to open the blind eyes,
to bring forth from the prison him that is bound;
I am Jehovah;
this is My name,
and My glory will I not give to another.
(Isaiah 42:6-8).

These passages treat of the Lord,
and by "the glory of Jehovah" is meant the Lord as to Divine truth,
for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is the "glory of Jehovah".

[3] Hence also it is that the Lord is called the "King of glory," as in David:

Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
and be ye lifted up, ye doors of the world,
and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
Jehovah strong and a Hero, Jehovah a Hero of war.
(Psalms 24:7-10).

The Lord is here called the "King of glory"
from the Divine truth from which He fought, conquered, and subdued the hells;
that this was done from His Human when He was in the world;
hence it is that He is called
"Jehovah strong and a Hero of war,"
and a "Hero" also in Isaiah:

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and His name is God, Hero, the Father of Eternity.
(Isaiah 9:6).

AC 10044 - "I am the First and I am the Last"

AC 10044 [8]
There is a continual connection,
and an influx according to the connection,
of all things from the Lord through the heavens to the church on earth.
By the heavens are meant the angels who are there;
by the church are meant the people who are true people of the church;
and by Man in the first is meant the Lord as to His Divine Human.
That from the First through the last
or ultimate all things are held together in connection,
and stand together, is meant by the words of the Lord:

I am the First and I am the Last,
My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heaven;
when I call them together,
they stand together.
(Isaiah 48:12-13)

AC 10040 - Holy Supper

AC 10040 [2]
For this reason also it has of the Lord's Divine Providence
come to pass that in the Holy Supper the bread is given,
which is "the flesh;" and not the wine,
which is "the blood;"
and yet the blood is what gives life to the flesh,
as the wine does to the bread.
For as bread without wine does not give nourishment to the body,
so neither does the good of love,
which is signified by "bread" and by "flesh,"
without the truth of faith, which is signified by "wine" and by "blood,"
give nourishment to the soul.

In comments under this number on the blog, is the whole of AC 10040.

AC 10038 - "hell fire"

AC 10038
That "to be burned with fire"
denotes to be consumed by the evils of the love of self,
is because this love consumes all the goods and truths of faith.
That the love of self does this is known to scarcely anyone at this day,
and consequently neither is it known that this love is hell with a person,
and that it is meant by "hell fire."

[2] For there are two fires of life with a person;
one is the love of self,
the other is love to God.
They who are in the love of self cannot be in love to God,
because these loves are opposite.
They are opposite because the love of self produces all evils,
which are contempt for others in comparison with self,
enmity against those who do not favor,
and finally hatreds, revenges, ferocities, cruelties;
which evils wholly resist the Divine influx,
and consequently extinguish the truths and goods of faith and of charity,
for these are what flow in from the Lord.
Anyone who reflects
is able to know that everyone's love is the fire of his life;
for without love there is no life, and such as the love is such is the life;
and from this it can be known
that the love of self produces evils of every kind,
and that it so far produces them as it is regarded as the end,
that is, so far as it reigns.
The worst kind of the love of self is the love of ruling for the sake of self,
that is, solely for the sake of honor and self-advantage.
They who are in this love
are indeed able to make a profession of faith and charity;
but they do this with the mouth, and not with the heart;
nay, the worst of them regard the things of faith and charity,
thus the holy things of the church, as means to attain their ends.

AC 10030 - good which is not good, does not cohere with the truths of faith

AC 10030 [4]
This good is external good without internal,
such as is the good of merit,
good for the sake of self and for the sake of the world;
thus for the sake of profit, honor, and reputation;
for the sake of friendship on account of these,
or for the sake of favor;
and also merely on account of the fear of the law;
and not for the sake of the good of charity,
which is the good of one's fellow-citizen the good of human society,
the good of our country,
and the good of the church.

AC 10022 - as evils & falsities are removed, the Lord can flow in

AC 10022 [2]
. . . when a person has been purified from evils and falsities,
which is effected by their removal,
then good and truth from the Lord flow in,
and insofar as good and truth flow in,
in this state, so far they are implanted, and so far they are conjoined;
for the Lord is continually present with good and truth with every person,
but He is not received except insofar as evils and falsities are removed,
thus insofar as the person is purified from them.
The conjunction of truth and good is regeneration.