3562. 'And he felt him' means complete perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'feeling' as inmost and complete perception, dealt with above in 3528, 3559, here complete perception because the perception of all things comes from inmost perception. That is, people who possess inmost perception possess a perception of everything that is below, for the things that are below are nothing else than derivatives and combinations of what is above. Indeed everything inmost exists in all the things below it that are its own, for unless that which is lower is the product of the things that are interior, or what amounts to the same, of those that are above it, as an effect is the product of its efficient cause, it does not come into existence at all. From this it is evident why the end in view determines a person's happiness or unhappiness in the next life, for the end is the inmost aspect of every cause, so much so that if the end does not exist within the cause, indeed if it is not its all, no cause exists at all. The end is in a similar way the inmost aspect of every effect, for an effect springs from such a cause. This being so, whatever exists with a person owes its very being (esse) to the end which he has in view. In the next life therefore a person's state is determined by the essential nature of whatever end he has in view, see 1317, 1568, 1571, 1645, 1909, 3425. From this it may be seen that, since it means inmost perception, 'feeling' consequently means complete perception.

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.