From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1408

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1408. The events described here and in what follows took place in history as they are recorded, yet the historical events as described are representative, and every word carries a spiritual meaning. This is so in all of the historical parts of the Word, not only in the Books of Moses but also in those of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, all of which books contain nothing else than historical narratives. But although they are historical narratives in the sense of the letter, in the internal sense there are arcana of heaven lying hidden there. These arcana cannot possibly be seen as long as the mind keeps its eye fixed on the historical details, nor are they disclosed until the mind removes itself from the sense of the letter. The Word of the Lord is like a body that has a living soul within it. The things that belong to the soul are not apparent as long as the mind is fixed on those of the body, so much so that it scarcely believes it possesses a soul, even less that it will be alive after death. But as soon as the mind departs from bodily things, those belonging to the soul and to life show themselves; and in this lies the reason not only why bodily things must die before a person can be born anew or be regenerated, but also why the body must die so that he can enter heaven and behold heavenly things.

[2] The same applies to the Word of the Lord Its bodily parts are the things that constitute the sense of the letter, and when the mind is fixed on these the internal things are not seen at all. But once the bodily parts so to speak have died, the internal for the first time are brought to view. All the same, the things constituting the sense of the letter are like the things present with man in his body, namely the facts belonging to the memory which come in through the senses and which are general vessels containing interior or internal things. From this one may recognize that the vessels are one thing and the essential elements within the vessels another. The vessels are natural, and the essential elements within the vessels are spiritual and celestial. In the same way the historical narratives of the Word, as with each individual expression in the Word, are general, natural, indeed material vessels that have spiritual and celestial things within them. These things never come into sight except through the internal sense.

[3] This may become clear to anyone simply from the fact that many matters in the Word have been stated according to appearances, indeed according to the illusions of the senses, such as that the Lord is angry, punishes, curses, slays, and many other such statements, when in fact the internal sense contains the reverse, namely that the Lord is never angry or punishes, still less curses or slays. All the same, no harm at all is done to people who in simplicity of heart believe the Word as they find it in the letter so long as they are leading charitable lives, the reason being that the Word teaches nothing other than this - that everyone ought to live in charity with his neighbour and to love the Lord above all things. People doing this are in possession of the internal things, and thus with them the illusions acquired from the sense of the letter are easily dispersed.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #5623

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5623. 'And take a double amount of silver in your hands' means truth received by the powers. This is clear from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2954; from the meaning of 'a double amount' as in succession, a second time, dealt with in 1335, that is to say, it was truth which had been given to them freely, and was to be given once again; and from the meaning of 'hands' as powers, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328. Truth present in the powers is truth within, thus subject to, people's abilities to accept it. But people's abilities or powers to accept truth are utterly dependent on good. They are linked by the Lord to good. For when the Lord enters with good He also enters with that kind of ability. Consequently the reception of truth by a person's powers is dependent on what forms of good are present. The fact that people's abilities to accept truth are determined by the good that is present becomes clear from much experience in the next life.

[2] Those there who are moved by good have not only the ability to perceive truth but also the ability to accept it; yet this is conditioned by the amount and the kind of good that moves them. Those on the other hand who are moved by evil do not have any ability to accept truth. That ability of the former and this inability of the latter to accept truth are the outcome of each one's pleasure and consequent desire. The pleasure of those moved by good consists in the accomplishing of what is good by means of truth; for the specific nature of their good is derived from truths, and therefore they also have a desire for those truths. But the pleasure of those moved by evil consists in evil and the justification of it by the use of falsities, which they also consequently have a desire for; and in their desire for falsities they turn away from truths. Consequently, having no ability to accept truths, those moved by evil therefore cast these aside, or smother them, or pervert them as soon as they reach their ears or enter their heads. Furthermore every individual person of sound mind has the ability to accept truths; but those who turn to evil annihilate that ability, whereas those who turn to good enhance it.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.