Good and Truth as a Starting Point to the Spiritual Doctrine of the Lord's New Church.
- Part 1
- Part 1
The Beginning of Doctrine: Good and Truth
When one, who believes in the Divine and looks at the world, that is, at the Lord's creation of the universe, he comes to understand that all things in it that are in the Divine order have a relationship to good and truth. And, that those that do not have relation with evil and falsity. The reason is because he sees these two qualities - goods and truths - as the Divine's and as proceeding from Him, who is Himself Divine Love from which good comes and who is Divine Wisdom from which truth comes. Do not all Christians know that these - Love and Wisdom - are the very qualities of Jehovah God? It is because of this that the Lord's New Church doctrine begins to develop and take form in a person. For these qualities exist in and proceed from the Lord, and in fact, they are the very essence of the Lord. These are the things of the True Christian Church and, thus, what makes the true Church - the goods and truths that proceeds from Him.
Any Christian may see this just by the parables and the stories found in the Word that relate to the Church as a garden or to the ground or field from which come plants, and which produce fruits. For these are referred to both good and truth in the person in whom the Church is in. In the Word, are not precious things often referred as the things of the Lord's Kingdom, such as good and truth - good as the celestial things and truth as the spiritual things of His Kingdom? So, everything of use and of life here on earth relates to good and everything of the truth of doctrine and of science, especially when they are in relation to use and to life, relates to truth.
From this one sees that good is from love and charity from the Lord, while truth comes from such love from the Lord, for they are one in the Lord. It is these that form the celestial and the spiritual of a man, while the natural is only the vessel or the container in which are good and truth. Again, as the stories in the Word often tell of, the building of a house is the instruction of a man's intelligence and his wisdom. The reason is that intelligence is of truth and wisdom is of good. Thus, when these two - good and truth - go to build one's house, so to speak, one sees that the truth that enters his will and that is acted upon, builds the person's rational, intellect, and wisdom. Then the truth is called good or the 'truth of good'. Does not man's conscience, which is from such good in him, seen as the truth? As such, truth increases in a man in the proportion as he exercises charity from willing well, that is, from doing good. Then, does not the man's mind become the abode for the Lord to dwell within? In that dwelling one sees that truth and the good with him are the Lord's and are not his own.
From what is thus said, we see there are two faculties in a man that constitutes the man's life - good and truth - good is referenced to the will, while truth to the understanding. Thus, charity and faith of a man are from the Lord's good and His truth, for charity is of good, and faith is of truth, and these have reference to the will and the understanding of a man. As such, these make the man spiritual and blessed in the other life. We have already pointed out that these are from the Lord, and in such a man in whom the Divine order is. It is then seen that everything in the universe that is in Divine order has relation to good and to truth. Each and all things of nature have reference to these and come into existence and subsist from these, for the Lord has created them that man might be made in His image and after His likeness. Of course, everything that is not in that Divine order has no relation with good and truth, but with evil and falsity, for the Lord has no relation with evil and falsity.
For those who are not aware that all things in the universe have relation with good and with truth from the Lord whose Divine qualities are of Love and Wisdom let this illustration show how this is. First, it is a truth that all natural things receive heat and light from this world's sun. Next, from the Word, even from its literal sense, one comes to understand that the word 'light' refers to truth and that 'heat' refers to love from which good comes. Since good and truth are spiritual qualities of the Lord, one can begin to understand the term of 'spiritual heat' as being the good of love and 'spiritual light' as the truth of faith and as the two qualities in a person whose life is from the Lord. Thus, good is represented in 'heat' and faith in 'light' and so, the love of goodness within man is of faith and of charity. This will be explained when spiritual light and heat are treated of. The man who has the truth of faith and the good of love within are in such Divine order. Those who do not have such faith and charity have reference to evil and falsity, which is contrary to the Divine order and relate to things in hell, not to things in the Heavens.
So far we have come to learn that the things in man are either of good and truth or of evil and falsity depending upon whether he is in the Divine order. Thus, we come to understand the things of good and truth relate to the Lord, but those that are of evil and falsity relate to the man himself. Therefore, it is that a man needs to know what is good and what is the truth, and that they have respect one to the other, and that unless they are one in him, then what he thinks is the truth, but does not act accordingly, is not the truth within him. Let it be known that man does not know what truth is, because he does not what good is. Yet, truth comes from good, while good comes though truths.
That such is the case may be seen by the following, that though Divine truth, which is seen as 'light', there proceeds the Divine Good of the Lord. Now, of truth, is not such proceeding from the Lord called the truth, and yet, is also good? A spiritual angel sees truth as such 'light', that is, 'spiritual light', for the Lord is there in the spiritual world shinning as the Divine Truth as the sun of this world shines. Yet, within that 'spiritual light' from the Lord there is 'spiritual heat' and, so, Divine Truth has the character of good. Note, here, that in this world - the natural world - there is the light of the natural sun and in which is both light and heat. While in the spiritual world the Lord is that world's Sun, for the Sun there is the first proceeding from the Divine. Though it appears as does the sun of this world, except that it does not set, but is always in the horizon bringing 'spiritual light' and 'heat', that is, bringing truth and good to the angels in Heaven.
Today it is not easy for a man to know what is the truth, for, as said, he does not know what good is. The case is this: man knows the difference between thinking and willing only with difficulty. So often when a man says he thinks anything, he means to actually wills it and the converse, when he says he wills it, he actually only thinks it. Yet, willing and thinking are distinct like good and truth. The being or the 'esse' of one's thought is one's will and the form of the will is that thought, whereas the being or 'esse' of one's truth is the good and the form of that good is truth and thus, they are not the same. Carrying this further, a man does not know that the being (the esse) of his life is good from the Lord, and he is not in truth, except so far as the truth exists from good in him. It can be seen that the man's life is evil, and thus, instead of truth there is falsity within.
If a man loves something or desires something, he does it and so wills it. However, it is only when truth is loved that it exists from good that it becomes a part of his life. Otherwise the truth has no part of him. Thus, he carries it out or wills it from his own love. The case is this: through the understanding a man thinks about truth and so, truth has relation to his understanding. Now, one can think about truth as much as he wants, however, unless he wills it from the love of truth for truths sake, and is not appropriated to one's life, the man does not have the truth in his life. The problem with this - with believing that because he knows the truth - is that it causes the man to think that his faith alone attributes to his salvation. Yet, we have shown that faith without charity is not charity and has no life within no matter how much one think concerning the truths that teach charity. Such a man does not come into regeneration or salvation.
The question this poses is how could a person of the Church not know what good and truth are and still be of the Church? However, know this: that the Church with men and among men develops from good and truth, for good and truth have relation to the angels in Heaven from the Lord and thus, with man. So, also, does good and truth have relation to the Church since it constitutes the Church with man and angels. This knowledge is the starting point of Church doctrine within, that is, the 'New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine', for such doctrine is a spiritual doctrine in that it makes the true Church with and in the man. With man that doctrine is expressed through appearances in the natural world through correspondences.
One can understand that Divine order is that good and that truth conjoined in man, that is, in the Church in man, since it proceeds from the Lord as one conjoining the angels in Heaven. This conjunction in Heaven of good and truth is called The Heavenly Marriage, since all the angels there are in that marriage. Thus, Heaven in the Word is compared to a marriage. To confirm this, is not the Lord called the Bridegroom and Husband, while the Church is called the Bride and Wife? So, too, Heaven is the Wife, for Heaven is the Lord's True Church and is His Kingdom in Heaven, while the Church on earth is the Bride and Wife and is His Kingdom here. Christians know that the Lord came to claim His Kingdom and that He fought for and conquered the hells to do so and, so, He was victorious. Thus they are called His kingdom, because those in them receive Divine Good in truth and this only when truth is willed, that is, loved and acted upon, even as angels will and act in the Lord's will.
From this marriage of good and truth angels have intelligence and wisdom. This is also true of the Church on earth, when those in it not only think of charity, but will it, for then the truths that man has are from good from the Lord within him and so he has a new rational from the Lord. Thus, it is that in such a man good loves truth and truth loves good. However, what we are talking of here is the Church within man and not the man who is of the Church. For it may be that the man who is of the Church is not in that Heavenly marriage of good and truth, and in which case, what constitutes the Church is not conjoined in him, which, as was shown was to be the conjunction of good and truth in him.
Anyone knows that there are many, many goods, such as spiritual, celestial and natural goods. These are conjoined in a man in genuine moral good. It is said 'genuine' because a person can seem 'as if' he is a moral person when he or she is not, though he or she may appears to others as though he or she were moral. And, since there is a conjunction between good and truth there are also many, many truths; for truths belong to good and are the form of good as was pointed out. One can also understand that there are many evils and falsities and these are not from the Lord. Thus, from this can one see that in the universe all things according to Divine order have relation to good and truth and those contrary have relation to evil and falsity.
Therefore, in the world there are different kinds of men, for a man can be either in good or in evil, and in truth or in falsity according to his state. In the continuing part of this subject of good and truth the different kinds of persons will be considered. In that way the reader many come to the truth and to understand why doctrine starts with knowing what are goods and truths and how they are related to one another, and in what respect do they work towards the regeneration and salvation of man.
End.
When one, who believes in the Divine and looks at the world, that is, at the Lord's creation of the universe, he comes to understand that all things in it that are in the Divine order have a relationship to good and truth. And, that those that do not have relation with evil and falsity. The reason is because he sees these two qualities - goods and truths - as the Divine's and as proceeding from Him, who is Himself Divine Love from which good comes and who is Divine Wisdom from which truth comes. Do not all Christians know that these - Love and Wisdom - are the very qualities of Jehovah God? It is because of this that the Lord's New Church doctrine begins to develop and take form in a person. For these qualities exist in and proceed from the Lord, and in fact, they are the very essence of the Lord. These are the things of the True Christian Church and, thus, what makes the true Church - the goods and truths that proceeds from Him.
Any Christian may see this just by the parables and the stories found in the Word that relate to the Church as a garden or to the ground or field from which come plants, and which produce fruits. For these are referred to both good and truth in the person in whom the Church is in. In the Word, are not precious things often referred as the things of the Lord's Kingdom, such as good and truth - good as the celestial things and truth as the spiritual things of His Kingdom? So, everything of use and of life here on earth relates to good and everything of the truth of doctrine and of science, especially when they are in relation to use and to life, relates to truth.
From this one sees that good is from love and charity from the Lord, while truth comes from such love from the Lord, for they are one in the Lord. It is these that form the celestial and the spiritual of a man, while the natural is only the vessel or the container in which are good and truth. Again, as the stories in the Word often tell of, the building of a house is the instruction of a man's intelligence and his wisdom. The reason is that intelligence is of truth and wisdom is of good. Thus, when these two - good and truth - go to build one's house, so to speak, one sees that the truth that enters his will and that is acted upon, builds the person's rational, intellect, and wisdom. Then the truth is called good or the 'truth of good'. Does not man's conscience, which is from such good in him, seen as the truth? As such, truth increases in a man in the proportion as he exercises charity from willing well, that is, from doing good. Then, does not the man's mind become the abode for the Lord to dwell within? In that dwelling one sees that truth and the good with him are the Lord's and are not his own.
From what is thus said, we see there are two faculties in a man that constitutes the man's life - good and truth - good is referenced to the will, while truth to the understanding. Thus, charity and faith of a man are from the Lord's good and His truth, for charity is of good, and faith is of truth, and these have reference to the will and the understanding of a man. As such, these make the man spiritual and blessed in the other life. We have already pointed out that these are from the Lord, and in such a man in whom the Divine order is. It is then seen that everything in the universe that is in Divine order has relation to good and to truth. Each and all things of nature have reference to these and come into existence and subsist from these, for the Lord has created them that man might be made in His image and after His likeness. Of course, everything that is not in that Divine order has no relation with good and truth, but with evil and falsity, for the Lord has no relation with evil and falsity.
For those who are not aware that all things in the universe have relation with good and with truth from the Lord whose Divine qualities are of Love and Wisdom let this illustration show how this is. First, it is a truth that all natural things receive heat and light from this world's sun. Next, from the Word, even from its literal sense, one comes to understand that the word 'light' refers to truth and that 'heat' refers to love from which good comes. Since good and truth are spiritual qualities of the Lord, one can begin to understand the term of 'spiritual heat' as being the good of love and 'spiritual light' as the truth of faith and as the two qualities in a person whose life is from the Lord. Thus, good is represented in 'heat' and faith in 'light' and so, the love of goodness within man is of faith and of charity. This will be explained when spiritual light and heat are treated of. The man who has the truth of faith and the good of love within are in such Divine order. Those who do not have such faith and charity have reference to evil and falsity, which is contrary to the Divine order and relate to things in hell, not to things in the Heavens.
So far we have come to learn that the things in man are either of good and truth or of evil and falsity depending upon whether he is in the Divine order. Thus, we come to understand the things of good and truth relate to the Lord, but those that are of evil and falsity relate to the man himself. Therefore, it is that a man needs to know what is good and what is the truth, and that they have respect one to the other, and that unless they are one in him, then what he thinks is the truth, but does not act accordingly, is not the truth within him. Let it be known that man does not know what truth is, because he does not what good is. Yet, truth comes from good, while good comes though truths.
That such is the case may be seen by the following, that though Divine truth, which is seen as 'light', there proceeds the Divine Good of the Lord. Now, of truth, is not such proceeding from the Lord called the truth, and yet, is also good? A spiritual angel sees truth as such 'light', that is, 'spiritual light', for the Lord is there in the spiritual world shinning as the Divine Truth as the sun of this world shines. Yet, within that 'spiritual light' from the Lord there is 'spiritual heat' and, so, Divine Truth has the character of good. Note, here, that in this world - the natural world - there is the light of the natural sun and in which is both light and heat. While in the spiritual world the Lord is that world's Sun, for the Sun there is the first proceeding from the Divine. Though it appears as does the sun of this world, except that it does not set, but is always in the horizon bringing 'spiritual light' and 'heat', that is, bringing truth and good to the angels in Heaven.
Today it is not easy for a man to know what is the truth, for, as said, he does not know what good is. The case is this: man knows the difference between thinking and willing only with difficulty. So often when a man says he thinks anything, he means to actually wills it and the converse, when he says he wills it, he actually only thinks it. Yet, willing and thinking are distinct like good and truth. The being or the 'esse' of one's thought is one's will and the form of the will is that thought, whereas the being or 'esse' of one's truth is the good and the form of that good is truth and thus, they are not the same. Carrying this further, a man does not know that the being (the esse) of his life is good from the Lord, and he is not in truth, except so far as the truth exists from good in him. It can be seen that the man's life is evil, and thus, instead of truth there is falsity within.
If a man loves something or desires something, he does it and so wills it. However, it is only when truth is loved that it exists from good that it becomes a part of his life. Otherwise the truth has no part of him. Thus, he carries it out or wills it from his own love. The case is this: through the understanding a man thinks about truth and so, truth has relation to his understanding. Now, one can think about truth as much as he wants, however, unless he wills it from the love of truth for truths sake, and is not appropriated to one's life, the man does not have the truth in his life. The problem with this - with believing that because he knows the truth - is that it causes the man to think that his faith alone attributes to his salvation. Yet, we have shown that faith without charity is not charity and has no life within no matter how much one think concerning the truths that teach charity. Such a man does not come into regeneration or salvation.
The question this poses is how could a person of the Church not know what good and truth are and still be of the Church? However, know this: that the Church with men and among men develops from good and truth, for good and truth have relation to the angels in Heaven from the Lord and thus, with man. So, also, does good and truth have relation to the Church since it constitutes the Church with man and angels. This knowledge is the starting point of Church doctrine within, that is, the 'New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine', for such doctrine is a spiritual doctrine in that it makes the true Church with and in the man. With man that doctrine is expressed through appearances in the natural world through correspondences.
One can understand that Divine order is that good and that truth conjoined in man, that is, in the Church in man, since it proceeds from the Lord as one conjoining the angels in Heaven. This conjunction in Heaven of good and truth is called The Heavenly Marriage, since all the angels there are in that marriage. Thus, Heaven in the Word is compared to a marriage. To confirm this, is not the Lord called the Bridegroom and Husband, while the Church is called the Bride and Wife? So, too, Heaven is the Wife, for Heaven is the Lord's True Church and is His Kingdom in Heaven, while the Church on earth is the Bride and Wife and is His Kingdom here. Christians know that the Lord came to claim His Kingdom and that He fought for and conquered the hells to do so and, so, He was victorious. Thus they are called His kingdom, because those in them receive Divine Good in truth and this only when truth is willed, that is, loved and acted upon, even as angels will and act in the Lord's will.
From this marriage of good and truth angels have intelligence and wisdom. This is also true of the Church on earth, when those in it not only think of charity, but will it, for then the truths that man has are from good from the Lord within him and so he has a new rational from the Lord. Thus, it is that in such a man good loves truth and truth loves good. However, what we are talking of here is the Church within man and not the man who is of the Church. For it may be that the man who is of the Church is not in that Heavenly marriage of good and truth, and in which case, what constitutes the Church is not conjoined in him, which, as was shown was to be the conjunction of good and truth in him.
Anyone knows that there are many, many goods, such as spiritual, celestial and natural goods. These are conjoined in a man in genuine moral good. It is said 'genuine' because a person can seem 'as if' he is a moral person when he or she is not, though he or she may appears to others as though he or she were moral. And, since there is a conjunction between good and truth there are also many, many truths; for truths belong to good and are the form of good as was pointed out. One can also understand that there are many evils and falsities and these are not from the Lord. Thus, from this can one see that in the universe all things according to Divine order have relation to good and truth and those contrary have relation to evil and falsity.
Therefore, in the world there are different kinds of men, for a man can be either in good or in evil, and in truth or in falsity according to his state. In the continuing part of this subject of good and truth the different kinds of persons will be considered. In that way the reader many come to the truth and to understand why doctrine starts with knowing what are goods and truths and how they are related to one another, and in what respect do they work towards the regeneration and salvation of man.
End.
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