December22

Make Gradual Progress

Then Herod, privately calling the Magi, precisely··inquired of▵ them at what time◦ the star appeared. And sending them to◦ Bethlehem, he said◦, Go and search◦ earnestly for▵ the little··Child; and◦ when▵ you have found Him, report to me, so··that I··also may come and worship Him. And◦ when they had heard the king, they went out; and behold◦, the star which they saw◦ in the east went··before them, till it came and stood over where the little· ·Child was. And◦ having seen◦ the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly◦ great joy. (Matthew 2:7-10)

For every man is born into two diabolical loves, the love of self and the love of the world, from which loves all evils and all falsities therefrom pour forth as from their own fountains; and as man is born into these loves he is also born into evils of every ...Because man, in respect to his self is such, means have been given by the Divine mercy of the Lord, by which man can be withdrawn from his self; these means are given in the Word; and when man cooperates with these means, that is, when he thinks and speaks, wills and acts, from the Divine Word, he is kept by the Lord in things Divine, and is thus withheld from self; and when this continues there is formed with man by the Lord as it were a new self, both voluntary and intellectual, which is wholly separated from man’s self; thus man becomes as it were created anew, and this is what is called his reformation and regeneration by truths from the Word, and by a life according to them. (Apocalypse Explained 585.2-3)

the conjunction of the Lord and man is reciprocal; and because it is reciprocal it necessarily follows, that man ought to conjoin himself to the Lord, in order that the Lord may conjoin himself to man; and that otherwise conjunction is not effected, but withdrawal and a consequent separation, yet not on the Lord’s part, but on man’s part. In order that such reciprocal conjunction may exist, there is granted to man freedom of choice, giving him the ability to walk in the way to heaven or in the way to hell. From this freedom that is given to man flows his ability to reciprocate, which enables him to conjoin himself with the Lord. (True Christian Religion 371.2)

Neither with men nor with angels can any love ever become pure. ... But since it is the intention which is of the will that is primarily regarded by the Lord, therefore, so far as a man is in this intention and perseveres therein, so far he is initiated into the purity and holiness of this love and successively progresses in it. (Conjugial Love 71:2)

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