AC 3905 - Faith; AC 3910 - Performs

AC 3905

. . . nothing is acknowledged in faith
until a person lives according to it . . ..

AC 3910

. . . good has power through truth,
inasmuch as it it through truth
that good performs everything
that comes to pass.

AC 3900 - Creating a Desert

AC 3900 [8]

. . . people whose worship is outwardly holy
but inwardly profane
owing to the introduction of novelties
which have as their end in view
pre-eminence over all others
and becoming wealthier than all others
set aside the Word.
Indeed they go so far as not to allow others to read it.
And even in the case of those
whose worship is not profane as just described
and who do regard the Word to be holy
and do allow it a place among ordinary people,
they nevertheless bend and explain everything
in accordance with their own teachings.
And this turns the rest of the Word
which does not accord with their own teachings
into a "desert" . . ..

** The Light **

Light has come into the world,
but men loved darkness instead of light
because their deeds were evil.
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 3:19-21)

 

AC 3887 - Those In the Celestial and Spiritual Kingdoms of Heaven

AC 3887

In heaven or the Grand Man there are two kingdoms,
one of which is called Celestial, and the other Spiritual.
The celestial kingdom consists of angels
who are called celestial,
and these are they who have been in love to the Lord,
and consequently in all wisdom;
for they are in the Lord,
and thereby they are pre-eminently
in a state of peace and innocence.
They appear to others like little children;
for a state of peace and innocence
presents this appearance.
Everything there is as it were alive before them,
for whatever comes immediately from the Lord is alive.
Such is the Celestial Kingdom.
The other kingdom is called Spiritual.
It consists of angels who are called spiritual,
and these are they who have been
in the good of charity toward the neighbor.
They make the delight of their life
to consist in the fact
that they can do good to others without recompense;
to them it is sufficient recompense
to be allowed to do good to others.
The more they will and desire this,
the greater intelligence and happiness are they in;
for in the other life
everyone is gifted
with intelligence and happiness by the Lord,
in accordance with the use he performs
from the affection of the will.
Such is the Spiritual Kingdom.
 

** He Knew All Men **

Now while He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast,
many people saw the miraculous signs He was doing
and believed in His name.
But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them,
for He knew all men.
He did not need man's testimony about man,
for He new what was in a man.

(John 2:23-25)

AC 3882 -The First Four Sons of Jacob and Looking Down from a Mountain Top

AC 3882 [1, 2]

"Reuben" means the truth
which is the first of regeneration,
or of the new birth;
this is truth merely as to memory-knowledge,
thus it is to know truth.

"Simeon" means the truth
which is the second of regeneration,
or of the new birth;
this is truth as to the will, thus it is to will truth.

"Levi" means the truth
which is the third of regeneration,
or of the new birth;
this is truth as to affection,
thus it is to be affected with truth,
which is the same thing as charity.

But "Judah" means good,
which is the fourth of regeneration,
or of the new birth,
and this is the celestial of love.
When the regenerate person,
or he who is born anew,
arrives at this stage,
the Lord appears to him,
for he has then ascended from the lowest step,
as by a ladder,
up to the step where the Lord is.

Descent is nothing else
than looking at truth from good,
as from a mountain upon which he has climbed,
a person views the things which lie beneath.
That he then can comprehend
in one view
innumerable things more
than those who stand beneath or in the valley,
is clear;
and the case is precisely the same
with those who are in good
(that is, in love to the Lord
and in charity toward the neighbor),
as compared with those who are only in truth,
that is, in faith alone.

AC 3875, 3877 - Levi

AC 3875 [4-5]

. . . in the supreme sense
"Levi" means the Lord's Divine love or mercy,
and in the internal sense spiritual love,
therefore the tribe of Levi was made the priesthood;
for in the internal sense of the Word
the "priesthood" is nothing else than the holy of love;
and the "royalty" the holy of faith.

As by the expression "to cleave,"
from which Levi was named,
there is meant spiritual love,
which is the same as mutual love,
by the same expression in the original tongue
there is also meant a mutual giving and receiving;
and in the Jewish Church
by mutual giving and receiving
there was represented mutual love . . ..
Mutual love differs from friendship in this respect --
that mutual love regards the good which is in a person,
and because it is directed to good,
it is directed to him who is in good;
but friendship regards the person;
and this also is mutual love
when it regards the person from good,
or for the sake of good;
but when it does not regard him
from good or for the sake of good,
but for the sake of self which it calls good,
then friendship is not mutual love,
but approaches the love of self,
and insofar as it approaches this,
so far it is opposite to mutual love.
In itself mutual love is nothing else
than charity toward the neighbor;
for by the neighbor in the internal sense
nothing else is meant than good,
and in the supreme sense the Lord,
because all good is from Him,
and He is good itself.
This mutual love or charity toward the neighbor
is what is meant by spiritual love,
and is meant by "Levi."

AC 3877

The case with respect to charity
is that it contains within itself the willing of truth;
and through this it contains within itself
the understanding of truth;
for whoever is in charity has these.
But before a person comes to charity,
he must first be in the external, namely,
in the understanding of truth;
next in the willing of truth;
and lastly in being affected with truth,
which is charity.
And when person is in charity,
he then looks to the Lord,
who in the supreme sense is meant by "Judah,"
the fourth son of Jacob.

AC 3868 - True Faith; AC 3869 - Simeon, Faith in the Will, Hearing

AC  3868

Few know that faith is trust and confidence,
and among these few, still fewer know
that trust or confidence is from charity,
and is not possible with anyone
who has not lived the life of charity.

AC 3869 [2-3, 5, 13]

. . . such is the circle of things in a person,
that whatever enters by the ear and eye,
or by the hearing and sight,
passes into his understanding,
and through the understanding into the will,
and from the will into act.
And in like manner the truth of faith
first becomes the truth of faith in memory-knowledge;
afterwards the truth of faith in the will;
and lastly the truth of faith in act, thus charity.
Faith in memory-knowledge, or in the understanding,
is "Reuben," as already shown;
faith in the will is "Simeon;"
and when faith in the will becomes charity it is "Levi."

That in the supreme sense
"to hear" means providence,
may be seen from what has been said above (n. 3863)
concerning "seeing,"
as being in the supreme sense foresight;
for the Lord's foreseeing
is the seeing from eternity to eternity that the case is so;
but the Lord's providing
is the directing that it be so;
and is the bending of a person's freedom to good,
insofar as He foresees
that the person will suffer himself
to be bent in freedom (see n. 3854).

. . . both "seeing" and "hearing"
are mentioned together in the Word throughout;
and by "seeing" is meant the same as by "Reuben;"
and by "hearing" the same as by "Simeon;"
for they are joined together as brother to brother.

. . . "to hear" means providence;
and "to see" foresight . . ..

Infinite will is providence,
and infinite understanding is foresight;
these are what are understood by "ear" and "eye"
in the supreme sense,
when they are attributed to Jehovah.
From all this it is now clear
what in every sense is meant by
"Jehovah has heard,"
from which Simeon was named.

Short Gem: AC 3863 [11]

AC 3863 [11]

. . . no one can have celestial good
unless He acknowledges the Lord.

AC 3861, 3862 - The Sons of Jacob; AC 3866 - Reuben

AC 3861

. . . the names of all the sons of Jacob
mean the universal attributes of the Church.
Also one specific universal attribute
has been combined within each name,
but what that attribute is no one can possibly know
unless he knows the internal sense
embodied in the words
from which each son's name is derived.
That is, he needs to know the internal sense
embodied in 'has seen' from which Reuben is derived,
and in 'has heard' from which Simeon is derived,
and in 'will adhere' from which Levi is derived,
and in 'will confess' from which Judah is derived,
and so on with all the other sons.

AC 3862 [3]

But what of truth and good
is meant by each son of Jacob,
will be seen from the explanation; namely,
by "Reuben" is meant faith from the Lord;
by "Simeon" faith of the will which is from the Lord;
by "Levi" spiritual love or charity;
by "Judah" the Divine of love
and the Lord's celestial kingdom.
What is meant by the eight remaining sons,
will be stated in the following chapter.
Their order according to birth
is what is here described,
which is as follows:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher,
Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin).
This order is according to
the state of the subject here treated of,
which is the regeneration of a person;
for this starts with the truth of faith,
meant by 'Reuben',
progresses from this towards the willing of truth,
meant by 'Simeon',
and from this to charity,
meant by 'Levi',
and so on to the Lord,
who is meant in the highest sense by 'Judah'.


AC 3866

From the internal sense of the words
which Leah uttered concerning Reuben at his birth:
"Jehovah has seen mine affliction,
for now my man will love me,"
it may be seen what of the church "Reuben" means,
or the tribe which took its name from Reuben,
namely, that which is the first of regeneration,
or which is the first
when a person is becoming a church;
and that this is the truth of doctrine
whereby he may attain to the good of life.

AC 3857 - Leah and Rachel

AC 3857 [4]

'Leah' represents the affection for exterior truth,
'Rachel' the affection for interior truth.
But because exterior truths
are the first truths which a person learns,
the Lord has provided
that by means of them
a person can be introduced into interior truths.
This provision is meant
by the statement in Gen. 30:22
that God at last remembered Rachel,
hearkened to her,
and opened her womb.

AC 3854 - Foresight and Providence

AC 3854 [1, 2-3]

Jehovah saw'
means the Lord's foresight and providence.
(Genesis 29:31)

As regards foresight and providence in general,
foresight has reference more to man*,
providence more to the Lord.
The Lord foresaw from eternity
what the human race was going to be like in the future
and what every member of it was going to be like,
and that evil was going to increase all the time,
so that at length
man, of himself,
would rush headlong into hell.
That being so,
the Lord has provided not only the means
by which He makes it possible
for him to be bent from hell
and led towards heaven,
but also does in His providence
bents and leads him all the time.
The Lord also foresaw
that it would be impossible for any good
to take root in man except in his freedom,
for that which does not take root in freedom
is dispelled at the first sign of evil and of temptation.
This the Lord foresaw,
as well as the fact that of himself,
that is, from his own freedom,
man would be inclined towards the deepest hell.
That being so,
the Lord provided
that if he would not allow himself
to be led in freedom towards heaven
he could still be diverted towards a milder hell;
but if he would allow himself
to be led in freedom towards good
then he could be bent towards heaven.
From these considerations
one may see what foresight is
and what providence is,
and that appropriate provisions are made
for things that are foreseen.

From this it may be seen how far someone errs
who believes that the Lord has not foreseen
and does not see
the smallest individual thing with man,
or that within the smallest individual thing
He does not foresee and lead,
when in fact the Lord's foresight and providence
are present within the tiniest details
of all the smallest individual things with him,
and in details so tiny
that it is impossible to comprehend
in any manner of thought
one in many millions of them.
For every smallest fraction of a moment
of a person's life
entails a chain of consequences
extending into eternity.
Indeed every one
is like a new beginning to those that follow,
and so every single moment of the life
both of his understanding and of his will
is a new beginning.
And since the Lord foresaw from eternity
what man was going to be like in the future
and even into eternity
it is clear that providence is present
in the smallest individual things,
and, as has been stated,
is governing him and bending him
so that he may be such,
this being achieved
by constant re-shaping of his freedom.
___________

* Man here does not mean male,
but is whole the human race.

AC 3839 - Two Kinds of Affections Shining From the Word

AC 3839 [2, 4]

There are principally two kinds of affections
which shine forth from the Word before the angels,
namely, affections of truth and affections of good --
affections of truth before the spiritual angels,
and affections of good before the celestial angels.
Affections of good, which are of love to the Lord,
are altogether unutterable to a person,
and are therefore incomprehensible;
but affections of truth, which are of mutual love,
may in some measure be comprehended
as to what is most general,
yet only by those who are in genuine mutual love,
and this not from any internal perception,
but from such as is obscure.

The case is similar in regard to the other affections
which are from good and truth,
and which are of good and truth,
as is also evident from the fact
that the angels are solely in ends,
and in the uses of ends.
Ends are nothing else than loves or affections;
for what a person loves, that he regards as an end.
And this being the case,
the angels are in the affections
of the things that are in the Word;
and this with all variety,
according to the kinds of affections
in which the angels are.
From this it is sufficiently evident
how holy the Word is;
for in the Divine love,
that is, in the love which is from the Divine,
there is holiness,
and therefore in the things contained in the Word.

 

AC 3832 - Feasts

AC 3832

The feasts made in old times among those
who were in significatives and representatives,
meant nothing else than initiation into
the mutual love which is of charity.
The nuptial feasts also meant
initiation into conjugial love;
and the holy feasts,
initiation into spiritual and celestial love . . ..

 

AC 3824 - Internal Truths

 AC 3824

Internal truths are said to be
conjoined with the natural
when they are learned, acknowledged, and believed.
In the natural of a person, that is, in the memory,
there are truths both external and internal,
and they are there
in the form of memorized doctrinal things;
but they have not been conjoined
until the person is affected with them
for the sake of the use of life,
that is, until they are loved for the sake of life;
for then good is coupled with them,
whereby they are conjoined with the rational,
consequently with the internal person.
In this way
there is an influx of life into them from the Lord.

AC 3817 - Loving One's Country

AC 3817 [3]

. . . he who loves his country,
and has such an affection toward it
as to find a pleasure in promoting
its good from good will,
would lament if this should be denied him,
and would entreat that there might be granted
the opportunity to do good to it;
for this is the object of his affection,
consequently the source of his pleasure and bliss.
Such a one is also honored,
and is exalted to posts of dignity;
for to him these are means of serving his country,
although they are called rewards.
But those who have no affection for their country,
but only an affection of self and the world,
are moved to take action
for the sake of honors and wealth,
which also they regard as the ends.
Such persons set themselves before their country
(that is, their own good before the common good),
and are relatively sordid;
and yet they more than all others
are desirous to make it appear
that they do what they do from a sincere love.
But when they think privately about it,
they deny that anyone does this,
and marvel that anyone can.
Those who are such in the life of the body
with regard to their country, or the public good,
are such also in the other life
with regard to the Lord's kingdom,
for everyone's affection or love follows him,
because affection or love is the life of everyone.

AC 3796, 3798 - Acknowledging Affection for the End Use

AC 3796 [2-3]

The genuine affections of truth and of good
which are perceived by people
are all from a Divine origin, because from the Lord;
but on the way, as they descend,
they diverge into various and diverse streams,
and there form for themselves new origins;
for as they flow into affections
not genuine but spurious,
and into the affections of evil and falsity in the person,
so are they varied.
In the external form
these affections often present themselves
like the genuine ones;
but in the internal form
they are of this spurious character.
The sole characteristic from which they are known
is their end;
if as regards their end
they are for the sake of self or the world,
then these affections are not genuine;
but if as regards their end
they are for the sake of the good of the neighbor,
the good of societies, the good of our country,
and especially if for the good of the church
and the good of the Lord's kingdom,
then they are genuine,
because in this case
they are for the sake of the Lord,
inasmuch as the Lord is in these goods.

It is therefore the part of a wise person
to know the ends that are in him.
Sometimes it appears
as if his ends were for self
when yet they are not so;
for it is the nature of a person
to reflect upon himself in everything,
and this from custom and habit.
But if anyone desires to know
the ends that are within him,
let him merely pay attention to
the delight he perceives in himself
from the praise and glory of self,
and to the delight he perceives
from use separate from self;
if he perceives this latter delight,
he is in genuine affection.
He must also pay attention to
the various states in which he is,
for the states themselves
very much vary the perception.
A person can explore these things in himself,
but not in others;
for the ends of each person's affection
are known to the Lord alone.

AC 3798

. . . no one can see and acknowledge
the interiors of the Word
unless he is in good as to life.

AC 3776 - The Origins of Real Charity

AC 3776 [2]

. . . charity which looks like charity
 in outward appearance
is not always charity inwardly.
It is from the end in view
that one recognizes which kind of charity it is
and where it originates.
Charity which springs from
a selfish or a worldly end in view
is not charity inwardly.
Nor indeed ought it to be called charity.
But charity which springs from the neighbor,
the common good, heaven, and so the Lord,
as the end in view is charity itself
and contains the affection for doing good
from the heart,
and therefore contains the delight of life,
which in the next life becomes a blessed delight.
It is highly important for a person to know this
if he is to know
what the Lord's kingdom is within himself.

AC 3768 - What Is Natural; How Is Spiritual; AC 3773 - Churches and the Two Great Commandments

AC 3768 [2]

The natural person can indeed know,
and also perceive,
what good and truth are,
but only natural and civic good and truth;
but spiritual good and truth he cannot know,
because this must come from revelation,
thus from the Word.
For example: a person may know
from the rational that is possessed by everyone
that his neighbor ought to be loved,
and that God ought to be worshiped;
but how the neighbor is to be loved,
and how God is to be worshiped,
thus what spiritual good and truth are,
can be known only from the Word --
as that good itself is the neighbor,
consequently those who are in good,
and this according to the good in which they are;
and that good is the neighbor
because the Lord is in good,
and therefore
in the love of good the Lord is loved.

AC 3773

As regards the Word being opened to the churches,
and being afterwards closed,
the case is this:
in the beginning of the setting up of any church,
the Word is at first closed to the men of it,
and is afterwards opened,
the Lord so providing;
and thus they learn that all doctrine
is founded on the two commandments --
that the Lord is to be loved above all things,
and the neighbor as themselves.
When these two commandments
are regarded as the end,
the Word is opened;
for all the Law and the Prophets,
that is, the whole Word,
so depend on these commandments
that all things are derived from them
and therefore all have reference to them.
And whereas the people of the church
are then in the principles of truth and good,
they are enlightened
in everything they see in the Word;
for the Lord is then present with them
by means of angels,
and teaches them (although they are unaware of this),
and also leads them into the life of truth and good.

This may be seen also from the case of all churches,
in that they were such in their infancy,
and worshiped the Lord from love,
and loved the neighbor from the heart.
But in process of time
churches withdraw from these two commandments,
and turn aside from the good of love and charity
to the so-called things of faith,
thus from life to doctrine;
and insofar as they do this,
so far the Word is closed.

 

AC 3761, 3762 - From External Truth to Internal Good

AC 3761

In the supreme sense it is shown
how the Lord elevated His natural
even to the Divine,
according to order,
by ascending from external truth
through the degrees to internal good;
and in the representative sense,
how the Lord makes new the natural of person
when He regenerates him,
according to a similar order.

AC 3762 [1-2]

Those truths are called the truths of love
which have been elsewhere termed celestial truths,
for they are knowledges that relate to
charity toward the neighbor and love to the Lord;
in the supreme sense, in which the Lord is treated of,
they are the truths of Divine love.

These truths, that relate to
charity toward the neighbor and to love to the Lord,
must be learned
before it is possible for a person to be regenerated;
and must also be acknowledged and believed;
and insofar as they are
acknowledged, believed, and ingrafted in the life,
so far the person is regenerated,
and insofar they are at the same time
implanted in the person's natural,
in which they are as in their own ground.
They are first implanted therein
through instruction by parents and teachers;
next from the Word of the Lord;
and afterwards
through the person's own reflection about them;
but by these means
they are merely stored up
in the memory of the natural person,
being classed among the knowledges therein,
but still not acknowledged, believed,
and ingrafted,
unless the life is in accordance with them;
for in this case the person comes into affection,
and insofar as he comes into affection from life,
so far these truths
are implanted in his natural as in their ground.
The truths which are not thus implanted
are indeed with the person,
but are merely in his memory
as a matter of mere knowledge or history,
which serves no other purpose
than to be talked about
and made the means of getting a reputation
which is to serve for
the acquisition of riches and honors.
But in this case these truths are not implanted.