AC 9796. When it is known what the internal man is, and what the external man, the source of the Understanding of Truth, and of the Will of Good, can then he known.

AC 9797. In proportion as the internal man has been opened toward heaven, thus to the Lord, in the same proportion a man is in the light of heaven, thus in the same proportion he is in the understanding of truth. The light of heaven is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; to be enlightened by this light is to understand truth.

AC 9798. In proportion as the internal man has been opened to the Lord, and the external man subordinated to it, in the same proportion a man is in the fire of heaven; thus in the same proportion he is in the will of good. The fire of heaven is the Divine love that proceeds from the Lord; to be kindled by this fire is to will good.

AC 9799. Therefore the understanding of truth is to see truths from the Word by virtue of enlightenment from the Lord; and the will of good is to will these truths from affection.

AC 9800. They who are in love and faith in the Lord, and in charity toward the neighbor, are in the understanding of truth and in the will of good, for with them there is a reception of the good and truth which are from the Lord.

AC 9801. On the other hand, in proportion as the interval man has been closed toward heaven and to the Lord, in the same proportion a man is in cold and thick darkness in respect to the things of heaven. And then in proportion as the external man has been opened toward the world, in the same proportion the man thinks what is false, and wills what is evil, and thus is insane; for the light of the world extinguishes in him the light of heaven; and the fire of the life of the world extinguishes the fire of the life of heaven.

AC 9802. They who are in the love of self, and in the persuasion of self-derived intelligence and wisdom, are in such cold and thick darkness.

AC 9803. From this it is evident that to be intelligent and wise does not consist in understanding and being wise about many things of the world; but in understanding and willing the things of heaven. For there are those who understand and are wise about many things of the world, and yet do not believe or will the things of heaven; thus are insane. These are they of whom the Lord says:--

AC 9967. I was afterward led by the Lord to an earth in the universe which was at a greater distance from our earth than that first one which was treated of at the end of some of the former chapters. That it was further distant was given me to know from the fact that I was two days being led thither as to my spirit. This earth was to the left; but the former was to the right. Remoteness in the other life does not arise from distance of place; but from difference of state, which nevertheless appears there like distance of place (n. 9440). Wherefore from the time it took to get there, which as already said was two days, I was able to infer that the state of the interiors with those people--which is the state of the affections and the consequent thoughts--differed from the state of the interiors with the spirits from our earth in the same proportion. As I was conveyed thither in respect to the spirit by means of changes of state of the interiors, it was given me to note the successive changes themselves, before I arrived there. This took place while I was awake.

AC 9968. When I arrived there, the earth itself was not seen, but only the spirits from that earth; for as has already been observed several times, the spirits of every earth appear around their own earth, for the reason that they are of a diverse genius in consequence of a diverse state of life; and in the other life diversity of state disjoins, and likeness of state conjoins; and especially for the reason that they may be with the inhabitants of their own earth, who are of a similar genius. For a man cannot live apart from spirits, and spirits of a like nature are adjoined to everyone (n. 5846-5866, 5976-5993). These spirits appeared at a considerable height above the head, and from thence they looked at me as I was coming.

[2] Be it known that those who are on high can look at those who are below; and the greater their height, the farther their view extends; and that they can not only look at them, but can also speak with them. From their position they observed that I was not from their earth, but from a greater distance elsewhere; wherefore they addressed to me a variety of questions, to which it was also given me to reply. Among other things I told them from what earth I was, and what was its nature. Afterward I told them about the earths in our solar system, and at the same time also about the spirits of the earth or planet Mercury, to whom it is given to wander about to many earths for the sake of acquiring knowledges about various things, with which they are delighted (n. 6808-6817, 6921-6932, 7069-7079). When they heard this, they said that they also had seen these spirits among them.

AC 9969. I was told by angels from our earth that the inhabitants and spirits of this "second" earth bear relation in the Grand Man to the keenness of the external sight; and that on this account they appear on high, and are also remarkably keen of sight.

AC 9970. Because they bear this relation in the Grand Man, which is heaven, and as they clearly see the things which are below, in conversing with them I compared them to eagles, which fly to a great height, and look around with a sharp and far-reaching vision. But at this they were indignant, supposing that I believed them to be like eagles in respect to rapacity, and thus that they were evil. But I replied that I did not liken them to eagles in respect to rapacity, but in respect to their keenness of sight; adding that they who are like eagles in respect to rapacity are evil, but that they who are like them only in keenness of sight are good.

AC 9971. Being questioned about the God whom they worship, they answered that they worship God visible and invisible; a visible God under a human form, and an invisible God not under any form. And it was found from their speech, and also from the ideas of their thought when communicated to me, that their visible God is our Lord Himself, and they also called Him "the Lord." To all this it was given me to reply that on our earth also a visible and an invisible God is worshiped, and that the invisible God is called "the Father;" and the visible God, "the Lord;" but that the two are One, as He Himself taught us, saying, that "no one hath ever seen the shape of the Father," but that "the Father and He are One," that " whosoever seeth Him, seeth the Father," that "the Father is in Him, and He in the Father;" consequently that both are this Divine in one person. That these are the words of the Lord Himself, (John 5:37; 10:30; 14:7, 9-11).

AC 9972. Afterward I saw spirits from the same earth in a place beneath the former, and I spoke with these also. But these were idolaters, for they worshiped an idol of stone like a man, but not beautiful. Be it known that at first all who come into the other life have a worship like their worship in the world, but that they are gradually removed from it. The reason of this is that all worship remains implanted in the interior life of the man, from which it cannot be removed and rooted out except gradually. Upon seeing this, it was given me to tell them that they ought not to worship what is dead, but what is alive. To this they answered that they know that God is alive, and is not a stone; but they think of the living God when they look upon a stone that is like a man, and that otherwise the ideas of their thought could not be fixed and determined to the invisible God. It was then given me to tell them that the ideas of thought can be fixed and determined to the invisible God, by fixing and determining them to the Lord, who is the visible God; and that in this way a man can be conjoined with the invisible God in thought and affection, and consequently in faith and love, when he is conjoined with the Lord; but not otherwise.

AC 9973. A continuation concerning this Second Earth in the starry heaven will be found at the end of the following chapter.