9568. 'One solid [piece made] from pure gold' means unblemished and perfect because it all consists of the same good. This is clear from the meaning of 'one solid [piece]' as in every respect, that is, it consists wholly of good, meant by 'gold', 9550, and so is unblemished and perfect; for what consists altogether of good is unblemished and perfect. The words 'consists wholly of good' and so 'unblemished and perfect' are used when good is the all in all, not only in the truths meant by 'the branches' but also in the factual knowledge meant by 'the pomegranates and the flowers'. But what all this really means must be stated. Good is what the truths spring from, and the truths springing from good are what the factual knowledge springs from, so that one is derived and brought forth from another. Nevertheless good is the all in everything that is brought forth and derived because it springs from the good. The situation is similar to that with end, cause, and effect.

[2] The end is the all of the cause, and the cause is the all of the effect. From this it follows that the end is the all of the effect, so much so that if the end or final cause is taken away, its efficient cause cannot exist, nor can the effect. The celestial, spiritual, and natural follow one another in a like manner. From the celestial springs everything spiritual, and from the spiritual springs everything natural, that is, it springs from the celestial by way of the spiritual. All that with a person is called the celestial which belongs to the good of love; that which belongs to the truth of faith springing from that good is called the spiritual; and that which belongs to factual knowledge is called the natural. Factual knowledge is the natural because it is truth as seen in the light of the world, whereas the truth of faith, to the extent that it forms part of a person's own faith, is truth as seen in the light of heaven.

[3] From all this it may now be seen how one is brought forth and derived from another, and that the first is the all in everything that is brought forth and derived, so completely so that if the first is taken away those that follow on from it cease to exist. The Divine is the first of all things, as everyone with any insight may know; therefore the Divine is the All in all of the whole order of things, thus in all the forms of good and truth that constitute heaven and that constitute the life of heaven with a person. Consequently good from the Divine is present in all truths of faith, and if good is not the all in them, and the Lord's Divine is not the all within that good, a person does not have anything of heaven within himself, nor therefore anything of the Church.

[4] But the Lord's Divine is within all the forms of good and from these within all the forms of truth with a person when in love he wishes, and in faith from that love believes that all good and all truth, thus the all of love and the all of faith, originate in the Lord, and none whatever in self; and also that the amount of the truth of faith he possesses depends on the amount of good from the Lord he receives. For as has been stated, good is the all in all of truth, and truth devoid of good is truth devoid of life. All this goes to show how the description 'unblemished and perfect because it all consists of the same good', meant by 'one solid [piece made] from pure gold', should be understood.