Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3883[4] The man of the church at this day believes that no matterwhat anyone’s life is, he may of mercy be received into heaven, andthere enjoy eternal bliss; for he supposes admission to be all that isnecessary. But he is much mistaken, for no one can be admittedand received into heaven unless he has received spiritual life, and noone can receive spiritual life unless he is being regenerated, and noone can be regenerated except through the good of life conjoinedwith the truth of doctrine: from this he has spiritual life. That noone can come into heaven unless he has received spiritual lifethrough regeneration, the Lord plainly declares in John:Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, hecannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3);and then he says:Verily, verily I say to thee, Except a man be born of water and ofthe spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5);“water” is the truth of doctrine (n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976), and“spirit” is the good of life. No one enters by baptism; but baptismis significative of that regeneration which the man of the churchought to keep in mind.5343. The food of the field of the city. That this signifies thingsthat belong and are suitable to them, namely, truths adjoined togood in the interiors is evident from the signification of “food” asbeing truths adjoined to good (see n. 5340, 5342). The truths thatbelong and are suitable to the interiors are signified by the “food ofthe field of the city” because the field belonged to the city, andmade its surrounding compass. Things that do this signify in theinternal sense things suitable and belonging thereto; wherefore alsoit is immediately said, “that which was round about it, put he inthe midst thereof.” The reason why those things which make thesurrounding compass signify things that belong and are suitable tois that all truths joined to good are arranged in series; and the seriesare such that in the midst or inmost of each series there is truthjoined to good, and round about this midst or inmost are the truthsbelonging and suitable thereto, and so on in order to the very