7. The first state is the state which precedes, both the state existing from earliest childhood onwards and that existing immediately before regeneration; and it is called a void, emptiness, and thick darkness. And the first movement, which is the Lord's mercy, is 'the Spirit of God hovering over the face ¹ of the waters'.

Footnotes:

1187. 'He built Nineveh, and Rehoboth city, and Calah' means that in this way they formulated for themselves doctrinal teachings concerning faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'Nineveh and Rehoboth and Calah', to be dealt with in the paragraphs following immediately after this, and from the meaning of 'a city' in the Word, as doctrine, true or heretical, as shown already in 402.