Verse 11. These are the states in which the soul approaches the state of love to the Lord and comes under its influence, and perceives the Divine Love, and the defilement of the love of self burning within the soul even to the centre, and all the darkness in spiritual things, and obscurity and dense evils thence resulting.

9888. 'Before the face of it' means to eternity. This is clear from the meaning of 'before the face' as to eternity; for 'the breastplate' means heaven and every good and truth that constitutes it, 9879. What is 'before the face' in heaven is in the Lord's everlasting sight, thus is preserved to eternity.