48. From these considerations it is now clear that the fifth state is one in which a person speaks from faith which is part of the understanding and in so doing confirms himself in truth and good; and that what he produces at that point are the animate things called 'the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. ¹ It is also clear that the sixth state exists when he utters truths and performs good deeds from faith which is part of the understanding and so from love which is part of the will. What he produces at that point is called a living creature and a beast. And because at that point he begins to act both from faith and from love simultaneously, he becomes a spiritual man, who is called an image; and this is dealt with next.

Note a piè di pagina:

1872. There appeared before me a lovely girl whose face was radiant. She was moving swiftly in an upward direction towards the right and slightly increasing her speed. She looked to be in the flower of youth, being neither a small child nor yet a young woman; and she was wearing an attractive and shining black dress. In this manner and with gladness she hastened from light on into light. I was told that the interior things of the Word are such when they first start to rise up, the black dress being the Word in the letter. After this the young girl flew towards my right cheek, but I perceived her flight with my interior sight only. I was told that these are the things from the internal sense of the Word which do not come within human comprehension.