5355. “因为神使我多结果实” 表随之源于良善的真理的增多. 这从 “多结果实” 的含义清楚可知, “多结果实” 是指增多, 即源于良善的真理的增多; 因为 “结果实” 论及良善, “增多” 论及真理 (43, 55, 913, 983, 1940, 2846, 2847节). 在原文, “以法莲” 这个名字源于表示结果实的一个词, 其性质就包含在这句话里: “神使我在受苦之地多结果实”. 该性质就是, 在那里所遭受的试探结束后, 源于良善的真理在属世层里面增多. 不过, 必须简要描述一下何为源于良善的真理的增多. 当人处于良善, 也就是对邻之爱时, 他也处于对真理的爱. 故他越处于这良善, 就越拥有对真理的情感, 因为良善存在于真理里面, 犹如灵魂存在于它的身体里面.

因此, 良善使真理增多的程度, 就是它自我繁殖的程度; 它若是真仁爱的良善, 就会在真理里面并通过真理无穷无尽地自我繁殖. 因为良善或真理是没有限制的. 这种无限就存在于真理或良善的每一个形式里面, 因为每一个形式都来源于这无限. 然而, 这种无穷无尽的品质永远无法与无限本身相提并论, 因为有限与无限之间没有任何比率关系. 今日的教会几乎没有任何真理的增多, 原因在于: 如今纯正仁爱的良善是不存在的. 教会以为人只要简单地知道他出生所在的教会的信条, 并以各种方式坚定赞同它们就足够了. 但是, 凡处于真仁爱的良善, 并由此处于对真理的情感之人都不会同意这一点, 而是渴望从圣言得到启示, 澄清何为真理, 并在坚定赞同这真理之前先明白它. 此外, 他凭良善明白真理, 事实上, 对真理的觉知源于良善; 因为主就在那良善里面, 并赐予觉知. 当人以这种方式从主接受真理时, 他就会使这真理无限增多. 这好比一粒小种子长成一棵大树, 结出更多小种子; 这些小种子反过来又长成花园, 等等.

9086. 'And an ox or an ass falls into it' means, which perverts good or truth in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'falling' as perverting, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'an ox' as an affection for evil in the natural, thus evil there, dealt with above in 9065; and from the meaning of 'an ass' as truth in the natural, dealt with in 2781, 5492, 5741, 7024, 8078. The fact that 'falling into a pit' - when these words refer to good and truth in the natural, which are meant by 'an ox and an ass' - means perverting is evident from the contents of the next verse. These describe amendment made through truth, which can be accomplished with forms of good or truths that have been perverted, but not with those which have been wiped out. For when good or truth is perverted it still remains, but is misrepresented. 'Falling' also means slipping through error.

[2] Because this was meant by 'falling into a pit', the Lord therefore said,

Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull it out on the sabbath day? Luke 14:5.

The Lord said this when He healed someone with dropsy on the sabbath day. In that Church the sabbath day was the holiest because it was a sign of the heavenly marriage, which is the joining together of goodness and truth from the Lord, 8495, 8510. This explains why healings were performed by the Lord on the sabbath day; for healing implied the healing of spiritual life, and dropsy implied the perversion of truth and good, so that the healing of perverted truth implied amendment and restoration. All the Lord's miracles implied and were signs of states of the Church, 8364, as is true of all Divine miracles in general, 7337. So it is then that the Lord said, 'Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull it out on the sabbath day?' by which in the spiritual sense what has just been stated was meant. For whatever the Lord spoke He spoke from the Divine; and since it came from the Divine every detail has an internal sense within it, 9049, 9063 (end). 'A well' in what He said is similar in meaning to 'a pit', namely falsity, 1688. And since 'a pit' means falsity the Lord also said, when talking about the falsities of the Church,

When the blind leads the blind both fall into a pit. Matthew 15:14.

'The blind' is someone with wrong ideas, and 'falling into a pit' means perverting truth. These words were used to make a comparison; but all comparisons in the Word were drawn from among objects used as signs of spiritual things, 3579, 8989.

[3] There are people who believe that the Divine holiness which the Word contains lies hidden on a level no higher than the meaning apparent in the letter. Such people's vision of holiness in these words spoken by the Lord and in everything else in the Word arises solely from their belief that everything there is Divinely inspired, and that the things which no one can explain are arcana known only to God. But people who do not share that belief spurn the Word, solely because of its style, which is in appearance less polished than a style adopted to conform to the spirit of the age, such as that adopted by very many ancient and modern authors. But let these people know that Divine holiness lies in each and every detail of the Word. It consists however in this, that each and every detail has the Lord as its subject, also His kingdom and Church. All its details are extremely holy because they are Divine, received from the Lord, and so hold eternal life within them, as accords with the Lord's words in John,

The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. John 6:63.

But the things that are Divine and holy are clearly visible to angels in heaven because they do not understand the Word in a natural way according to the literal sense, only in a spiritual way according to the internal sense. The latter sense could also be understood by people in the world if they were to lead an angelic life, that is to say, a life of faith and love. The things contained in the internal sense of the Word are one and the same as those which the genuine teachings of the Church present. Those which the genuine teachings of the Church present are the Lord, faith in Him, love to Him, and a love of the good that comes from Him, which love is charity towards the neighbour, 6709, 6710, 8123. Those who lead this angelic life, and no others at all, are enlightened by the Lord and see the holy things of the Word; see Preface to Genesis 18.