9186. He shall pay silver according to the dowry of virgins. That this signifies other truth consenting in its place, is evident from the signification of “silver,” as being truth (see n. 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917); from the signification of “paying,” as being substitution in the place of the former, for he who pays a dowry and does not take the virgin gives something else in place of her; and from the signification of “the dowry of virgins,” as being a token of consent to conjunction (of wh ich just above, n. 9184), which token is truth consenting to interior good. For the dowry was fifty pieces of silver given to the father of the girl (Deuteronomy 22:29), and thus denotes truths initiating to full conjunction; for “silver” denotes truth, as shown just above; and “fifty” denotes to the full (n. 2252); here other truths in place of the former, and consenting to good.

[2] How the case is with these truths is clear from what was shown above; to which is to be added what follows, namely, in order that an unlawful conjunction may become lawful, the good which flows in from the Lord through the internal man, must conjoin with itself the truth which enters through the external man, that is, through its hearing. If this truth does not agree with that good, then in place of it there has to be substituted some other truth which does agree; that is, which consents to conjunction.

[3] This might be illustrated by examples; but as the conjunction of good and truth is enveloped in thick darkness on account of the good of love having been removed from the truths of faith, and rejected behind the truths, and almost behind the back, this subject will not become any clearer by examples. In general no one can apprehend the internal sense of the Word, and thus the things of angelic wisdom, unless he knows and understands that each and all things in heaven bear relation to good and truth; and that nothing exists there except from the one of these conjoined with the other. Hence it is that those are in darkness who separate the one from the other, namely, the truth which is of faith from the good which is of charity, as do those who say that a man is saved by faith alone, that is, by the mere confidence which is of faith. As these persons ascribe all things to faith, and nothing to charity, they cannot possibly apprehend anything about those heavenly things which are in the internal sense of the Word; for they are in darkness concerning good, thus also in darkness concerning the conjunction of good and truth; and consequently concerning truth itself, for this is then involved in the same darkness. Hence arise mental wanderings and heresies so many and so great. They who are enlightened in respect to truths, are the few who are in the doctrine, and at the same time in the life, of truth.

[4] Let those who are in faith alone know that all the ideas of thought of the angels who are in the second heaven, and are called spiritual, are from truths which have become goods by life; and that all the ideas of thought of the angels who are in the third heaven, and are called celestial, are from good; and that therefore these latter are in wisdom itself, concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy, wonderful things shall be told elsewhere.