becomes. This process is the source of our salvation, which is called
eternal life.
This human state is comparable to the things that are most beautiful
and most pleasant in our world. In fact, it is compared with them in the
Word. It is compared to fruit-bearing trees, and the gardens in which
they stand; flowering fields; precious stones; and exquisite food. This
state is also compared to weddings and the festivities and celebrations
that follow them.
[ 3 ] When this state is upside-down, however—that is, when an
earthly self lies within our spirituality, and therefore we are inwardly dev-
ils although we are outwardly angels—then our state is comparable to a
dead person in a coffin made out of precious, gilded wood. This state is
also like a skeleton dressed up in someone’s clothes riding around in a
magnificent carriage. It is like a corpse in a tomb that is built like the
temple of Diana. Our inner self can be pictured as a mass of snakes in a
cave, while our outer self is like butterflies whose wings are tinged with
colors of every kind; yet these butterflies glue their polluted eggs to the
leaves of productive trees, with the result that the fruit is consumed. In
this state our inner self could be compared to a hawk, and our outer self
to a dove: our faith and goodwill are like a hawk flying over a fleeing
dove that eventually becomes worn out; then the hawk flies down and
devours it.
6
The Lord, Goodwill, and Faith Form a Unity
in the Same Way Our Life, Our Will, and Our Intellect
Form a Unity; If We Separate Them, Each One Crumbles
like a Pearl That Is Crushed to PowderFirst I must mention some things that till now have been unknown in 362
the scholarly world and therefore also unknown to the clergy. These
things have been as hidden, in fact, as things that are buried in the
ground. Yet they are treasure chests full of wisdom. Unless they are dug
up and presented to the public, people will struggle in vain to develop a
just concept of God, faith, and goodwill; we will not know how we
§362 faith 431