about the holy state in which those are who listen to the preaching in the churches.  He said that everyone is pious, devout, and holy in harmony with his interiors, which pertain to love and faith, for holiness itself is in love and faith, because the Divine of the Lord is in them.  He also said that he did not know what outward holiness is apart from love and faith; and when he thought about it he said that perhaps it is something counterfeiting holiness in outward appearance, either conventional or hypocritical; and that such holiness is kindled and sustained by spurious fire from the love of self and the world.

225.  All the preachers are from the Lord’s spiritual kingdom; none are from the celestial kingdom.  They are from the spiritual kingdom because the angels there are in truths from good, and all preaching must be from truths.  There are no preachers from the celestial kingdom because those who are there are in the good of love, and they see and perceive truths from good, but do not talk about them.  But although the angels in the celestial kingdom perceive and see truths there are preachings there, since by means of preachings they are enlightened in the truths that they already know, and are perfected by many truths that they did not know before.  As soon as they hear truths they acknowledge them and thus perceive them; and the truths they perceive they love, and by living in accordance with them they make them to be of their life, declaring that living in accordance with truths is loving the Lord.{1}

  {Footnote 1} Loving the Lord and the neighbor is living in
  accordance with the Lord’s commandments (n. 10143, 10153,
  10310, 10578, 10645, 10683).

226.  All preachers are appointed by the Lord, and have therefrom a gift for preaching.  No others are permitted to preach in the churches.  They are not called priests, but preachers.  They are not called priests because the celestial kingdom is the priesthood of heaven; for priesthood signifies the good of love to the Lord, and those in the celestial kingdom are in that good; while the spiritual kingdom is the kingship of heaven, for kingship signifies truth from good, and those in the spiritual kingdom are in that truth (see above, n. 24).{1}

{Footnote 1} Priests represented the Lord in respect to the Divine good, kings in respect to Divine truth (n. 2015, 6148).  Therefore, in the Word a “priest” signifies those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and the priesthood signifies that good (n. 9806, 9809).  A “king” in the Word signifies those who are in Divine truth, and therefrom kingship signifies truth from good (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044).

227.  The doctrines with which their preachings are in accord all look to life as their end, and none look to faith separate from the life.  The doctrine of the inmost heaven is more full of wisdom than the doctrine of the middle heaven, and this more full of intelligence than the doctrine of the outmost heaven; for in each heaven the doctrines are adapted to the perceptions of the angels.  The essential of all doctrines is acknowledging the Divine Human of the Lord.