In the church it is indeed known, that man must be born again, that is, regenerated, that he may enter into the kingdom of God; this is known, because the Lord hath expressly said it in John, chap. iii. 3, 5; still however it is known to few what it is to be born again, the reason is, because few know what good is and what evil; the reason why it is not known what good is and what evil, is, because it is not known what charity towards the neighbour is, for if this was known, it would also be known what good is, and from good what evil is, since all that is good, which comes from genuine charity towards the neighbour: But no one can be in this good from himself, for it is the very celestial principle which flows-in from the Lord; this celestial principle is continually flowing-in, but its reception is opposed by evils and falses; to the intent there fore that it may be received, it is necessary that man remove evils, and as far as he is able falses also, and thereby dispose himself to receive influx; when man, on the removal of evils, receives influx, he then receives a new will, and a new intellectual principle, being made sensible from the new will of delight in doing good to his neighbour without any view to himself, and apperceiving from the new intellectual principle delight in learning what is true and good for their own sake and for the sake of life; inasmuch as this new intellectual principle and new will principle exist by influx from the Lord, therefore he who is regenerated, acknowledges and believes that the good and truth with which he is affected are not from himeelf, but from the Lord, also that whatever is from himself, or from the proprium, is nothing but evil : From these considerations, it is evident what it is to be born again, also what the new willprinciple is and the new intellectual principle; but regeneration, by which man receives a new intellectual principle and a new will-principle, is not effected in a moment, but is effected from earliest infancy even to the last period of life, and afterwards in the other life to eternity, and this by divine mediums innumerable and ineffable; for man of himself is nothing but evil, which is continually exhaling as from a furnace, and continually attempting to extinguish the nascent good; to remove such evil, and in its place to root-in good, cannot be effected but through the whole course of man's life, and by divine mediums which are innumerable and ineffable; of these mediums scarce any are known at this time, by reason that man doth not suffer himself to be regenerated, neither doth he believe that regeneration is any thing, because he doth not believe in a life after death; the process of regeneration, which contains things ineffable, for the most part constitutes angelic wisdom, and is such, that it cannot be fully exhausted by any angel to eter

nity; hence it is, that in the internal sense of the Word it is the subject principally treated of. A. C. n. 5354.

There are two states, into which man must enter, and through which he must pass, during the process of becoming spiritual; the first state is called REFORMATION, and the second REGENERATION; man in the first state from his natural principle looks to a spiritual one, and desires it; in the second state he becomes spiritual-natural; the first state is formed by truths, which must be truths of faith, by which he looks to charity; the second state is formed by the goods of charity, and from these he enters into the truths of faith; or what is the same thing, the first state is of thought from the understand ing, but the second is of love from the will; when this latter state commences and advances, there is effected a change in the mind, forasmuch as a turning is effected, because in such case the love of the will flows-in into the understanding, and acts upon and leads it to think in agreement and concord with its love: wherefore so far as the good of love in such case is the primary agent, and the truths of faith the secondary, in the same proportion man is spiritual, and is a new creature, and on this occasion acts from charity, and speaks from faith, and is sensible of the good of charity, and perceives the truth of faith, and is then in the Lord, and in peace, and thus regenerated. The man, who in the world hath entered upon the first state, may be introduced after death into the second; but he who hath not entered into the first state, during his abode in the world, cannot after death be introduced into the second, thus cannot be regenerated. These two states may pared with the progression of light and heat in the day during the time of spring, the first with twilight or the cock-crow, the second with morning and day-dawn, and the progression of this state with the progression of the day to mid-day, and thereby into light and heat. They may also be compared with a crop of corn, which at first is grass, next grows into ears and spikes, and afterwards produces grain in them. They may also be compared with a tree, which first grows out of the earth from a seed, afterwards becomes a stem, from which shoot forth branches, which branches are adorned with leaves, and next it bears blossoms, and from the inmost principle of these blossoms forms the rudiments of fruits, which, as they ripen, produce new seeds, as new offsprings. The first state, which is that of reformation, may also be compared with the state of a silkworm, when it extracts from itself and unfolds the stamina of silk, and after its industrious labour flies forth into the air, and nourishes itself not from leaves as before, but from juices contained in the flowers. T. C. R. n. 571. In the same work

be com

are also proved the following articles, 1. That unless a man be born again, and as it were created anew, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, n. 572 to 576. 2. That new generation or creation is effected of the Lord alone by charity and faith, as two mediums, whilst man co-operates, n. 576 to 579. 3. That inasmuch as all are redeemed, all may be regenerated, every one according to his state, n. 579 to 588. 4. That the work of regeneration resembles that of man's conception, of his being car ried in the womb, being born and educated, n. 583 to 587. 5. That the first act of new generation is called reformation, which act is of the understanding, and that the second act is called regeneration, which act is of the will, and thence of the understanding, n. 587 to 591. That the internal man is first to be reformed, and by this the external, and that man is thus regenerated, n. 591 to 596. That whilst this is effecting, com bat arises between the internal and external man, and in this case he who conquers rules over the other, n. 596 to 601. That the regenerate man hath a new will and a new understanding, n. 601 to 607. That the regenerate man is in communion with the angels of heaven, and the unregenerate man is in communion with the spirits of hell, n. 607 to 611. That so far as man is regenerated, so far sins are removed, and that this removal is what is meant by the remission of sins, n. 611 to 615. That there can be no regeneration without free-will in spiritual things, n. 615 to 618. That there can be no regeneration without truths, by which fuith is formed, and with which charity conjoins itself, n. 618 to 621. See also the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 173 to 187.

4

Verse 4. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? &c. That Nicodemus understood natural regeneration instead of the spiritual generation of which the Lord spake, is evident, wherefore the Lord teaches him concerning regeneration, that it is effected by truths from the Word and by a life according to them, which is signified by being generated of water and the spirit, for water in the spiritual sense denotes truth from the Word, and spirit denotes life according to truth; that man is born natural, and is made spiritual by a life according to truths from the Word, is signified by that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is generated of the spirit is spirit; that the natural man, unless he be made spiritual, cannot be saved, is understood by these words, unless a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of the heavens. Ap. Ex. n. 710.

In other passages of the Word, where mention is made of being with child, of bringing forth, of begetting and generating, the spiritual sense of the terms is not explained, and yet by

them is understood spiritual parturition, birth, nativity, and generation, inasmuch as the Word in the letter is natural, but in its bosom is spiritual; the reason why to bring forth, signifies to bring forth spiritually, is, because the man who is regenerating is in like manner as it were conceived, carried in the womb, born and educated, like a man conceived of his father, and carried in the womb and born of the mother, and afterwards educated. Ap. Ex. n. 721.

Verse 5. Except a man be generated of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. By water is here meant the spiritual principle of faith, and by spirit its celestial principle, thus baptism is a symbol of man's regeneration from the Lord by the truths and goods of faith; not that regene ration is effected by baptism, but by the life signified in baptism, into which life Christians must enter, who have the truths of faith, because they have the Word. A. C. n. 2702.

To be generated of water denotes by the truth of faith; and to be generated of spirit denotes by the good of love. A. C. n. 9454.

By water in this passage, as in other passages in the Word, is signified truth in the natural or external man, and by spirit truth derived from good in the spiritual or internal man. T. C, R. v. 144,

The reason why no one can enter into the kingdom of God, unless he be generated again is, because man hereditarily from his parents is born into evils of every kind, with the faculty that by the removal of those evils he is capable of becoming spiritual, and unless he become spiritual, he cannot come into heaven; from natural to become spiritual is to be re-born or regenerated. But that it may be known in what manner man is regenerated, these three things are to be considered, viz, what the quality of his first state is, which is a state of damnation; what the quality of his second state is, which is a state of reformation; and what the quality of his third state is, which is a state of regeneration. The first state, which is a state of damnation, appertains to every man hereditarily from his pa rents, for man is born from an hereditary principle into the love of self and into the love of the world, and from these loves, as fountains, into evils of every kind; the delights of these loves are the delights by which he is led, and they have this effect, to make him ignorant that he is in evils; for every delight of love is no otherwise felt than as a good; wherefore also man, unless he be regenerated, knows no otherwise than that to love himself above all things is essential good, and that to rule over all, and that to possess the wealth of all others, is the highest good: Hence also comes all evil, for a man in

such case regards no one else from love but himself only, and if he regards another from love, it is as a devil regards a devil, and as a thief a thief, when they act in unity. They who confirm those loves, and the evils thence flowing, from a principle of delight in themselves, remain natural, and become sensually corporeal. These after death, when they become spirits, cannot have any other delight than that which they had in their spirit in the world, and this delight is the delight of infernal love, which is turned into what is undelightful, dolorous and direful, which in the Word is meant by infernal torment and fire. From these considerations it is evident, that the first state of man is a state of damnation, and that they are in that state who do not suffer themselves to be regenerated. The second state of man, which is the state of reformation, is, when man begins to think of heaven from the joy which prevails there, and thus of God, from whom is the joy of heaven; but this he thinks at first from the delight of self-love, that delight being to him the joy of heaven; but so long as the delight of that love, together with the delights of the evils therein originating, predominates, he cannot understand any otherwise, than that admission into heaven consists in pouring out prayers, in hearing preachings, in celebrating the holy supper, in giving to the poor, in assisting the needy, in endowing churches, in contributing to hospitals, and in other similar things; neither doth man in this state know any otherwise, than that merely to think the things which religion teaches is saving, whether such thought be what is called faith, or what is called faith and charity: The reason why he thinks thus is, because he thinks nothing of evils in the delights of which he is, and so long as their delights remain, evils also remain, in which case there is neither faith, charity, piety, nor worship, except only in externals, which appear before the world to be real, but still they are not so. So long as man is in this state, to think of heaveu and of God from religion, and to think nothing about evils as sins, he is still in the first state; but he comes into the second state, or the state of reformation, when he begins to think that there is such a thing as sin, and especially when he thinks of some particular sin, and when he explores.it in some degree in himself, and doth not will it. The third state of man, which is the state of regeneration, succeeds to, and is a continuation of the former state, commencing when man desists from evils as sins, and advancing as he shuns them, and being perfected as he fights against them, in which case, as he conquers from the Lord, he is regenerated. With the man who is regenerating, the order of life is inverted, and from natural he becomes spiritual; for the natural principle separate from the spiritual is