9401. 'Which Jehovah has made [with you] according to all these words' means that the Lord accomplishes the joining together by means of every single part of the Word. This is clear from the meaning of 'the covenant which Jehovah has made' as the joining together accomplished by the Lord, for 'making a covenant' means joining to oneself, 9396, and 'Jehovah' in the Word is the Lord, 9373; and from the meaning of 'all these words' as every single part of the Word, for in the overall sense the laws declared from Mount Sinai mean the whole of Divine Truth, thus the Word in every single part, 6752. Every jot of the Word is inspired, see 7933, 9094 (end), 9198 (end), 9349, and therefore by means of the Word - by means of every single part of it - people are joined to heaven, and through heaven to the Lord.

[2] The Lord is said to accomplish the joining together because the Lord joins a person to Himself, and not the other way round; for all the good of love and truth of faith flows in from the Lord and is received by a person in the measure that he departs from evil ways, 9399. For reciprocal influx, that is to say, from a person to the Lord, which the learned call physical influx, is not possible, 6322, 9110, 9111, 9216. Furthermore whatever goes out of a person, from his own self, cannot be other than evil and consequent falsity, 210, 215, 987, 5660, 5786. From this it is clear that the joining of a person to the Lord is accomplished by the Lord, not by the person. Any indication to the contrary is misleading.

987. 'Upon every beast of the earth' means the desires that belong to the lower mind. This is clear from the meaning of 'beast' in the Word, where beasts mean either affections or else evil desires. Affections for what is good are meant by gentle, useful, and clean beasts, while affections for what is evil, that is, evil desires, are meant by savage, useless, and unclean ones - see 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 776. Because here they mean evil desires they are called 'beasts of the earth', not beasts of the field. As for a regenerate person's rule over evil desires, it should be recognized that people err very greatly and are in no sense regenerate who believe they are able to rule over evils from themselves. For a human being is nothing but evil, he is one mass of evils, and his whole will consists solely in evil. This was stated in the previous chapter - 'the imagination of man's heart is evil from his childhood', 8:21. I have been shown by actual experience that a man or a spirit, and even an angel, regarded in himself, that is, as to his entire proprium, is vilest excrement, and left to himself breathes out nothing but hatred, revenge, cruelty, and most filthy adultery. These are the things that are his own, and are the things which constitute his will.

[2] This matter also becomes clear to anyone if he reflects, merely from the consideration that when a person is born he is the lowest thing alive among all wild animals and beasts. And when he grows up and becomes responsible for his own actions he would rush into every kind of ungodliness but for external legal restraints and the restraints he imposes on himself to the end that he may become pre-eminent and very wealthy. He would not rest content until he had made everyone throughout the world subject to himself and had raked in the wealth of everyone in it. He would spare no one except those who surrendered to him as his mere slaves. Such is the nature of everyone, though those people do not recognize it who do not have the opportunity and ability to behave in that way, or who are subject to the restraints mentioned above. But once the opportunity and ability have been provided and the restraints have been loosened, they would plunge themselves, as far as they were able, into such actions. Wild animals never demonstrate natures such as this, but are born into a certain natural order. Those that are savage beasts of prey do inflict harm on other animals, yet only in self-defence; and their devouring of other creatures is so that they may satisfy their hunger. And once that is satisfied they harm none. The human being however is altogether different. From this it is clear what man's proprium is and what his will is.

[3] Since a person is just so much evil and excrement, it is clear that he cannot possibly from himself rule over evil. To say that evil can rule over evil is an utter contradiction. And this applies not only to ruling over evil but also over hell, for everybody is in communication with hell by means of evil spirits, and it is from that source that the evil residing with him is activated. From these considerations anyone may know, and he who is mentally normal may conclude, that it is the Lord alone who rules over evil residing with man and over hell residing with him. So that the evil residing with a person, that is, hell which is trying moment by moment to force its way into him and destroy him eternally, may be overpowered, a person is regenerated by the Lord and has a new will conferred on him, which is conscience, and through which the Lord alone works everything good. These considerations are matters of faith, that is to say, the considerations that man is nothing but evil and that everything good comes from the Lord. A person ought therefore not merely to know them but also acknowledge and believe them. If he does not acknowledge and believe during his lifetime, it is demonstrated to him convincingly in the next life.