8857. It is similar with love to the Lord. When that love is dominant it is present in every aspect of his life, as when he loves his monarch or loves his parent. While he is in their presence love towards them shines from every part of his face, is heard in every syllable of his speech, and is apparent in every one of his gestures. This is how to understand the command ¹ to have the Lord unceasingly before one's eyes and to love Him above all, with all one's soul and all one's heart.

სქოლიოები:

9832. 'And they shall take the gold' means the good reigning universally. This is clear from the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, dealt with in 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9490, 9510. Its reigning universally is meant by the fact that the gold was interwoven everywhere in the ephod, as is clear from what is stated later on in this book,

They beat out ¹ the plates of gold and cut them up into threads, to work in among the violet, and in among the purple, and in among the twice-dyed scarlet, and in among the fine linen. Exodus 39:3.

'Reigning universally' describes that which is dominant and so is present in each individual part, see 5949, 6159, 7648, 8067, 8853-8858, 8865. The reason why the gold was interwoven everywhere was that Aaron's garments represented the spiritual heaven, 9814, and in that heaven good holds sway, as it also does in the remaining heavens. In the inmost heaven it is the good of love to the Lord, in the middle one the good of charity towards the neighbour, and in the lowest the good of faith. The truth however which belongs to faith leads the way to good, and afterwards is brought forth from it. From this it is evident that a person is not in heaven until good is present within him. If merely the knowledge of truths, called the truths of faith, is present in a person he does no more than stand in front of the door; or if, knowing those truths, he is looking towards good he goes through into the porch. But if, in knowing those truths, he is not looking towards good he cannot see heaven, not even from a long way off. The reason for saying that a person is not in heaven until good is present within him is that a person must have heaven within him while in the world if he is to enter it after death. For heaven exists within people; and it is granted in mercy to those who during their life in the world allow themselves to be led by means of the truths of faith into charity towards the neighbour and into love to the Lord, that is, into good. People are not in heaven until they have come into that state in which the Lord leads them by means of good, see 8516, 8539, 8722, 8772, 9139. By good is meant the good of life; and the good of life consists in the performance of what is good because there is a will for what is good, and a will for what is good springs from love; for what a person loves, he wills.

სქოლიოები:

3865. 'For now my husband will love me' means that from this state would come the good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'will love' as the good coming from this state, for all good is the product of love and is therefore the meaning of 'love' at this point; and from the meaning of 'husband' (vir) as truth, dealt with in 3134. What the good of truth is has been explained frequently already, namely an affection for truth for the sake of life, for life is the good seen within truth by those who are subsequently regenerated. Without life in accordance with truth no truth can ever become joined to good nor consequently can good be made one's own.

[2] This can be seen quite clearly by anyone if he turns his attention to those who lead evil lives and to those who lead good lives. Those who lead evil lives, though instructed in the teachings of the Church during childhood and youth like everybody else, will be found on examination to believe nothing at all about the Lord, about faith in Him, or about the truths of the Church, whereas those who lead good lives will be found in every case to have faith in those truths which they believe to be truths. Those however who teach truths, as Church leaders do, and yet lead evil lives will indeed say that they believe, yet they do not believe in their hearts.

[3] With some a persuasive faith exists which is an imitation of true faith, but that faith is no more than factual knowledge which has been corroborated by them not because it is the truth but because by declaring their allegiance to it they improve their chances of personal position, honour, and gain. That knowledge goes no further than through the ears into the memory, and from the memory passes out on to the lips. It does not enter the heart and from there into a confession of it. From these considerations it is evident that the life is the guide to what kind of acknowledgement of truth exists, that is, to what kind of faith. They also show that faith separated from the good of life declares that no matter how a person lives he can still be saved by grace, and that such faith argues against the teaching that everyone's life remains with him after death.