190. Verse 3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed, signifies recalling to mind what the Lord teaches in the Word and attention. This is evident from this, that what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who are in a moral, and not in a spiritual life; and these are here told to acquire for themselves spiritual life, that their moral life may be made alive, which is signified by the words just preceding, "Be wakeful, and confirm the things remaining that are about to die;" from which it can be seen that "Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed," signifies recalling to mind what the Lord teaches in the Word, and attention. "To take heed" signifies attention, as it is with those who are in the spiritual affection of truth; for when these read the Word they do not look at it from the doctrine of the church in which they are born, but they look at it as if they were separated from that doctrine; for their wish is to be illustrated, and to see truths inwardly in themselves, and not from others. Those who are in such a state are illustrated by the Lord, and it is granted to them to make doctrine for themselves out of the truths that they see; and this doctrine is implanted in them, and abides in their spirit to eternity. [2] But those who read the Word from the doctrine received from others are not able to see truths in the light of their own spirit, thus not inwardly in themselves, but only outside of themselves; for they think that a thing is true because others have seen it, and therefore they attend only to what corroborates it; other things they pass by as if not seen, or they bring them over to the support of what their doctrine declares. Such as these cannot be illustrated, as anyone can see; for they only store up confirmations in the memory, which belongs to their natural man, and from this memory they henceforth speak; consequently they stay natural as before, and do not become spiritual; for to become spiritual is to imbue one's spirit with truths from the Word; and the spirit is not imbued with truths except as it desires to know truth wherever it is in the Word, and delights in it when it sees and perceives it; this affection is the spiritual affection of truth, that has been so often spoken of before. This, then, is what is meant in the spiritual sense by "Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed." (That it is the part of a wise man to see and perceive truth from the light of heaven, but not to confirm what others may say, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1017, 4741, 7012, 7680, 7950; that to see and perceive truth from the light of heaven is granted only to those that love truth because it is truth, and are therefore in the spiritual affection of truth, n. 8521; that the light of confirmation is not spiritual but natural light, which also the evil may have, n. 8780.)