11. Hoofdstuk 1. Over het Goede en het Ware.

Alle dingen in het heelal, die volgens de Goddelijke Orde zijn, hebben betrekking op het Goede en het Ware. Er bestaat niets in de hemel en niets in de wereld, dat niet op die twee betrekking heeft. De oorzaak hiervan is dat beide, zowel het goede als het ware, voortgaan uit het Goddelijke, waaruit alle dingen zijn.

118. And poverty, but thou art rich, signifies the acknowledgment that they know nothing from themselves. This is evident from the signification of "poverty," as being the acknowledgment of heart that they know nothing from themselves (of which presently); and from the signification of "but thou art rich," as being the affection of spiritual truth (of which also presently). That by "poverty" spiritual poverty is here meant, and that by "thou art rich" is meant to be spiritually rich, is clear, since these things are said to the church. To be spiritually poor, and yet to be rich, is to acknowledge in heart that one has no knowledge nor understanding nor wisdom from himself, but that he knows, understands, and is wise wholly from the Lord. In such acknowledgment are all the angels of heaven, wherefore they are also intelligent and wise, and this in the same degree in which they are in the acknowledgment and perception that this is the case. For they know and perceive that nothing of the truth that is called the truth of faith, and nothing of the good that is called the good of love, is from themselves, but that these are from the Lord; they also know and perceive that all things that they understand and in which they are wise have reference to the truth of faith and to the good of love; and from this again they know that all their intelligence and wisdom is from the Lord; and because they know and acknowledge this, and also wish and love it to be so, Divine truth from which are all intelligence and wisdom continually flows in from the Lord, and this they receive in the measure in which they are affected by it, that is, love it. But, on the other hand, the spirits of hell believe that all things which they think and will, and thence speak and do, are from themselves, and nothing from God; for they do not believe in a Divine; consequently, instead of intelligence and wisdom they have insanity and folly, for they think contrary to truth, and will contrary to good, and this is to be insane and foolish. Every man who is in the love of self does the same; he cannot do otherwise than attribute all things to self, because he looks only to self; and because he does this he is not in any acknowledgment that all intelligence and wisdom are from the Lord; consequently, when such persons think with themselves, they think contrary to the truths and goods of the church and of heaven, although when speaking with men they talk otherwise, from a fear of losing their reputation.

[2] From this it can be known what "poverty" in the spiritual sense means. He who is spiritually poor is nevertheless rich, because he is in the spiritual affection of truth; for into this affection intelligence and wisdom from the Lord flow; for everyone's affection receives and imbibes things congenial to it, as a sponge does water; therefore the spiritual affection of truth receives and imbibes spiritual truths, which are the truths of the church, from the Word. The spiritual affection of truth has no other source than the Lord, because the Lord is Divine truth in heaven and in the church, for Divine truth proceeds from Him. And as the Lord loves to lead everyone to Himself, and to save him, and this He can do only by the knowledges of good and truth from the Word, so the Lord loves to impart these to man, and make them of his life, for in this way and no other can He lead man to Himself and save him. From this it is manifest that all spiritual affection of truth is from the Lord, and that no one can be in that affection unless he acknowledges the Divine of the Lord in His Human, for by such acknowledgment there is conjunction, and according to conjunction there is reception. (On this more may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, where it treats of The Wisdom of the Angels of Heaven, n. 265-275 ; and of The Wise and the Simple in Heaven, n. 346-356, and elsewhere in the same work, n. 13, 19, 25-26, 133, 139-140, 205, 297, 422, 523, 603; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 11-27; and above, in the explanation of Revelation, n. 6, 59, 112, 115, 117.

[3] In the Word, "the poor and needy" are mentioned here and there, also the "hungry and thirsty." By "the poor and needy" are signified those who believe that of themselves they know nothing; and also those who are destitute of knowledge because they have not the Word; and by the "hungry and thirsty" are signified those who continually long for truths, and long to be perfected by means of truths. These two classes are meant by the "poor," the "needy," the "hungry," and the "thirsty," in the following passages:

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:3, 6).

Blessed are the poor; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed are ye that hunger; for ye shall be filled (Luke 6:20, 21).

To the poor the Gospel shall be preached, and the poor hear the Gospel (Luke 7:22; Matthew 11:5).

The master of the house said to the servant that he should go out into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor (Luke 14:21).

Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down with confidence (Isaiah 14:30).

I was an hungered and ye gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink (Matthew 25:35).

The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue faileth for thirst, I, Jehovah, will answer them. I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys (Isaiah 41:17-18).

From this last passage it is clear that the "poor and needy" are those who long for the knowledges of good and truth, for the "water" that such seek is truth. (That "water" is the truth of faith, see above, n. 71.) Their longing is here described by "their tongue fainting for thirst," and the abundance they are to have by "rivers being opened on the heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys."

[4] Those who do not know that by the "rich" are signified those who have the Word and who thence can be in the knowledges of truth and good, and that by the "poor" are signified those who have not the Word, and yet long for truths, know no other than that by the "rich man" in Luke (Luke 16:19 seq.) "who was clothed in purple and fine linen," are meant the rich in the world, and that by the "poor man" who "was laid at his gate, and desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table," are meant the poor in this world. But by the "rich man" there the Jewish nation is meant, which had the Word, and might from it have been in the knowledges of truth and good; and by the "poor man" are there meant the Gentiles that had not the Word and yet longed for the knowledges of truth and good. The rich man is described as "clothed with purple and fine linen," because "purple" signifies genuine good (Arcana Coelestia 9467), and the "fine linen" genuine truth (Arcana Coelestia 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744), both from the Word. The poor man is described as "laid at the rich man's gate, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table," because by "to be laid at the gate" is meant to be rejected, and to be deprived of the opportunity to read and understand the Word; and "wishing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table" means to long for some truths from the Word, for "food" signifies the things of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom and in general, good and truth (Arcana Coelestia 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562, 9003); and "table" signifies a receptacle for these (Arcana Coelestia 9527). As the poor man was in that longing, which is the same as the spiritual affection of truth, it is said of him that "he was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom," by which is signified to be raised into an angelic state in respect to intelligence and wisdom; "Abraham's bosom" is the Divine truth that is in heaven, for those who are in that are with the Lord. (That "Abraham" in the Word signifies the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia n. 2010, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847)

[5] The like that is signified here by the "rich man" and the "poor man who hungered" is signified by the "rich" and the "hungry" in Luke:

The hungry He hath filled with good, and the rich He hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53).

(That by "riches" in the Word are meant spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 1694, 4508, 10227; and in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 365; and in a contrary sense, the knowledges of what is false and evil, which are confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, Arcana Coelestia 1694.) That "riches" in the Word signify the knowledges of truth and good, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, is from correspondence; for with the angels in heaven all things appear as if refulgent with gold, and silver, and precious stones; and this so far as they are in the intelligence of truth and in the wisdom of good. Also with the spirits who are below the heavens there are riches in appearance according to the reception of truth and good from the Lord with them.

112. Verse 8. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write, signifies for remembrance to those within the church who wish to understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and are therefore as yet but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire in heart. This is evident from the signification of "writing" as being for remembrance (See above, n. 95); and from the signification of the "angel of the church of the Smyrneans," as being those within the church who wish to understand the Word but do not yet understand, and are therefore but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire in heart. That these are meant by the "angel of the church of the Smyrneans" is clear from the things written to that angel which follow: for who are meant by the angel of each church can be known only from the internal sense of the things written to him.

[2] In the things written to the angel of the Ephesian church, explained just above, those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them. Here now those are described who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and at the same time in a life according to them; these, therefore, are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source; but the former are those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source. In general, there are affections of truth from two sources, namely, from a natural and from a spiritual source. Those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source look first to self and the world, and thence are natural; but those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source look first to the Lord and to heaven, and thence are spiritual. Man's affection or love looks either downwards or upwards; those who look to self and the world look downwards, but those who look to the Lord and to heaven look upwards. A man's interiors, which are of his mind, actually look in the same direction as his love or affection does, for love determines them; and such as is the determination of man's interiors, which are of his mind, such after death does the man remain to eternity. Looking downwards or upwards is looking from love through the understanding, thus through the things that form and make the understanding, which are the knowledges of truth and good.

[3] In what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church, those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them, thus those who are in the affection of truth from a natural source, are described; and now in what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and also in a life according to them, thus those who are in the affection of truth from a spiritual source are described; and this because the former is the first [state] of the church, and the latter is the second. For no one can be introduced into the church and formed for heaven, except by knowledges from the Word. Without these man does not know the way to heaven, and without these the Lord cannot dwell with him. It can be seen that without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word no one can know anything of the Lord, of the angelic heaven, or of charity and faith; and that which a man does not know he cannot think, thus cannot will, and accordingly cannot believe and love. It is evident, therefore, that by means of knowledges man learns the way to heaven. It can also be seen that without the knowledges of truth and good from the Word the Lord cannot be present with man and lead him, for when man knows nothing of the Lord, of heaven, of charity and faith, his spiritual mind, which is the higher mind, and is intended to see by the light of heaven, is empty, and has nothing from the Divine in it. But the Lord cannot be with man except in His own with man, that is, in the things that are from Him. For this reason it was said that unless a man is in the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and in the life thereof, the Lord cannot dwell with him. From this, taken together, it follows that the natural man can by no means become spiritual without the knowledges of good and truth from the Word.

[4] By "the angel of the church of the Smyrneans" are meant those within the church who wish to understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and therefore are as yet but little in the knowledges of truth and good, which nevertheless they desire because they are in the spiritual affection of truth; and those who are in the spiritual affection of truth are also in the life of charity, for from that they have spiritual affection. The spiritual comes to man from no other source than from charity. Those who are in spiritual affection are interested in the Word, and desire nothing more earnestly than to understand it. But as there are innumerable things therein that they do not understand, because the Word in its bosom is spiritual and the spiritual includes infinite arcana, therefore, so long as man lives in the world and then sees from the natural man, he can be but little in the knowledges of truth and good, and in generals only, in which, however, innumerable things may be implanted when he comes into the spiritual world or heaven.

[5] A man who is in the affection of truth from a spiritual origin knows many more things than he knew before; for the general knowledges that he has are like vessels that can be filled with many things, and they are also actually filled when he comes into heaven. That this is so can be seen merely from this, that all the angels in heaven are from the human race, and yet they possess wisdom such as could be described only by what is unutterable and incomprehensible, as is well known. (That the angels of heaven are from no other source than the human race, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 311-317:, and in the small work on The Last Judgment 14-22.) This fullness of intelligence and wisdom is what is meant by the words of the Lord in Luke:

Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom (Luke 6:38);

and in Matthew:

Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly (Matthew 13:12; 25:29);

and in Luke:

The lord said to the servant who from the pound given him gained ten pounds, Because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities (Luke 19:16, 17).

By "ten" is here signified much and full, and by "cities" intelligence and wisdom. (That "ten" signifies much and full, see Arcana Coelestia 1988, 3107, 4638; and the "cities" signify those things that are of intelligence and wisdom, n. 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 3584, 4492, 4493, 5297)