In some ways, this verse expresses the pinnacle of human existence, the most beautiful, joyous state we have ever experienced: people at their purest and most loving living in a state of love and wisdom given them by the Lord.

This happened thousands of years ago, before the beginning of recorded history, in what the Writings call the Most Ancient Church, represented here by "man." A garden represents the intellect and Eden represents love, so the man in the Garden of Eden represents people pure of heart in a state of love to the Lord and the wisdom that comes from that love.

It's interesting that the man is to "dress" the garden ("serve" would be a more literal translation) and "keep" it. "Serving" in the Bible generally represents a more external spiritual state serving a more exalted one. "Keeping" means expressing higher spiritual things through lower ones, including external forms of worship. It seems, then, that the people of the Most Ancient Church were to serve the love in the garden and express the wisdom coming from that love.

The Writings also say directly that this means the love and the wisdom were not their own, but were from the Lord, and that they knew it to be true.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 122, 123, 124)

6189. INFLUX AND THE INTERACTION OF SOUL AND BODY - continued

The sections at the ends of Chapters 44, 45 showed that two angels from heaven and two spirits from hell are present with a person and that their presence gives him a communication with both places, as well as giving him the freedom to turn to one or else the other. But the fact that the inflow of every single thing into him - evil from hell and good from heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven - is dependent on his freedom is unknown to mankind, who therefore will hardly be ready to believe it.