4).
For this reason the most ancient people, who were in celestial
good, had sacred buildings of wood (n. 3720).

224. I have also talked with one of the preachers 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