8496. What ye will bake, bake ye. That this signifies preparation for the conjunction of good; and “what ye will boil, boil ye” signifies preparation for the conjunction of truth, is evident from the signification of “baking,” as being preparation for the conjunction of good because it is done by means of fire; and from the signification of “boiling,” as being preparation for the conjunction of truth because it is done by means of water; for by “water” is signified the truth of faith (see n. 2702, 3058, 3424, 4976, 5668), and by “fire,” the good of love (n. 934, 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324, 7852). That it denotes preparation for conjunction, is plain; for what was baked and boiled was prepared for the following Sabbath day, by which conjunction is signified (as was shown just above), for they were forbidden to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day (Exodus 35:3), thus to bake or boil on that day. (That “baking” is said of bread and of the meat-offering, and was done by means of fire, see Isaiah 44:15, 19; 1 Samuel 28:24; Ezekiel 46:20; Leviticus 6:17; and that “boiling” is said of flesh, and was done by means of water, see Exod 29:31; Leviticus 6:28; 1 Samuel 2:13, 15.)

7056. And he went, and met him in the mountain of God. That this signifies conjunction in the good of love there, is evident from the signification of “meeting,” or “coming to meet,” as being conjunction (of which just above, n. 7054); and from the signification of “the mountain of God,” as being the good of Divine love (see n. 6829). The case herein is this. The conjunction of the truth proceeding immediately from the Divine with the truth which proceeds mediately, is not possible except in good, for good is the very soil. Truths are seeds, which do not grow elsewhere than in good as in their soil. Moreover, good is the very soul of truth; from this, truth comes forth, in order to be truth, and from this it lives.

[2] The truth which proceeds immediately from the Divine is called truth, but in itself it is good, because it proceeds from the Divine good; but it is the good to which all truth Divine has been united. It is called truth because in heaven it appears as light, but it is a light like that in spring, to which has been united the warmth that vivifies all things of the earth. From all this it can also be seen that the conjunction of the truth proceeding immediately from the Divine with the truth which proceeds mediately, is not possible except in good, consequently not unless the man is affected with truth for the sake of truth, especially for the sake of good, thus for the sake of life, for then the man is in good.

[3] From the following considerations it may be further known how the case is with the conjunction in question. The truth proceeding immediately from the Divine enters into the will of man, this is its way; but the truth which proceeds mediately from the Divine enters into the understanding of man; and therefore conjunction cannot be effected unless the will and the understanding act as a one, that is, unless the will wills good, and the understanding confirms it by truth. When therefore there is conjunction, then the Lord appears as present, and His presence is perceived; but when there is no conjunction, then the Lord is as it were absent; yet His absence is not perceived, unless it is known from some perception what His presence is.