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.

Footnotes:

904. Verse 14. And I saw, signifies prediction respecting the separation of the good from the evil. This is evident from the fact that "seeing" involves the things that are seen, and these are what now follow; and as these involve in the spiritual sense the first or general separation of the good from the evil, so here, "I saw" signifies prediction respecting this separation. It is to be known that in what follows in this chapter separation in general is predicted, and in the following chapters separation in particular, or specifically, which is described by "the seven angels having the seven vials of the wrath of God." It is according to Divine order that the separation of the good from the evil should be thus described, which order is that what is general should come before the setting forth of the particular and the most particular or the specific things. It is according to Divine order for what is general to precede, in order that particulars may be introduced into them and rightly arranged, and made homogeneous and joined together in close connection.

(On this subject see what is set forth in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that general things precede, into which particulars are introduced, and most particular things into these, n. 920, 4325, 4329, 4345, 5208, 6089).

That with the man who is being regenerated general things precede, and particular and most particular things follow in order, n. 3057, 4345, 4383, 6089.

That afterwards there is a subordination of all things under the generals in man, and thus connection, n. Arcana Coelestia 5339. That generals may be filled with innumerable things, n. 7131.

That such as a man is in general, such he is in every particular thing, n. 917, 1040, 1316.

That what reigns generally is in all things and in each thing, n. 6159, 7648, 8067, 8853-8857, 8865. All this has been presented to make known why general and generic things are here first stated, and afterwards the particular and most particular things.)

1316. 'See, they are one people, and they all have one lip' means that all had the truth of faith and held to the same doctrine. This is clear from the meaning of 'people' as the truth of faith, and from the meaning of 'lip' as doctrine. That 'people' means the truth of faith, that is, those who possess the truth of faith, has been shown already in 1259, and that 'lip' means the doctrine of faith has been shown above at verse 1. The people are called 'one' and their 'lip' one when all have as their end in view the common good of society, the common good of the Church, and the Lord's kingdom. For in that case the end includes within itself the Lord, from whom all people are one. The Lord cannot possibly be present with someone whose end in view is his own good. That which is man's own excludes the Lord; for in so doing it diverts and directs towards itself the common good of society, that of the Church, and indeed the Lord's kingdom, even to making these exist so to speak for its own sake. Thus it takes away from the Lord that which is His and substitutes itself. And when this is the prevailing attitude with a person the same is the case in each one of his thoughts, and indeed in the smallest details of his thoughts. This is the nature of a person's prevailing attitude.

[2] This is not so apparent during a person's lifetime as it is in the next life. His prevailing attitude reveals itself as a certain sphere which is felt by everyone around him, and it is the fact that it emanates from every single thing within him that makes that sphere such as it is. The sphere of someone who in every respect regards himself takes to itself - or as is said in the next life, absorbs - everything which gratifies it, thus takes to itself all the delight of the spirits surrounding him. It also destroys all the freedom they have It is inevitable therefore that such a person should be banished from their company. When however 'the people are one and the lip one', that is, when they have in view the common good of all, one person never takes to himself the joy of another or destroys the freedom of another, but as far as he can he furthers and increases it. This is why heavenly communities are as one, a oneness that is achieved solely by means of mutual love from the Lord. And the same applies to the Church.