Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10787

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10787. Afterwards we talked to them about the Lord, about love to Him, about love towards the neighbour, and about regeneration. We said that loving the Lord consists in loving the commandments received from Him, that is, in being moved by love to lead a life in keeping with them, and that love towards the neighbour consists in willing what is good and therefore in doing what is good to a fellow citizen, one's country, the Church, and the Lord's kingdom, not for the selfish purpose of being seen or earning a reward, but from an affection for what is good. With regard to regeneration we said that those who are being regenerated by the Lord and incorporating truths without any delay into their life come to have an intuitive perception of them; but that those who receive truths first in their memory, then in the understanding, and finally in the will are those who possess faith, for faith, which at this point is called conscience, guides them in their actions. Those spirits then said that they saw with perception that all this was so, and consequently also perceived what faith was.


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