10158. 'I am Jehovah their God' means the source of all the good of love and truth of faith. This is clear from the consideration that 'Jehovah' means the Divine Being (Esse), and the Divine Being is Divine Love, thus Divine Good, whereas 'God' means the Divine Manifestation (Existere), and the Divine Manifestation is the Divine that constitutes faith, thus is Divine Truth. For all truth is a manifestation of good since truth is the outward form that good takes. From all this it is evident that when the Lord is called 'Jehovah God' all the good of love and truth of faith is meant, and when the words 'Jehovah God in the midst of the children of Israel' are used perception that the Lord is the source of all the good which belongs to love and the truth which constitutes faith is meant, as above in 10155.

495. How the Most Ancient Church declined does not become clear unless it is known what perception is, for it was a Church gifted with perceptivity, such as does not exist nowadays. The perception of that Church consists in their perceiving from the Lord what good and truth are, as angels do It is not so much a perception of the good and truth of civil society, but the good and truth deriving from love to the Lord and faith in Him. It is a person's profession of faith, a profession confirmed by his life, that makes clear the nature of perception and whether it exists at all.