3200. In deze beide verzen wordt de staat van het redelijk goede beschreven, wanneer het in de verwachting van het ware is, dat daarmee verbonden moet worden als een bruid met een echtgenoot. In de twee onmiddellijk erna volgende verzen, wordt de staat van het ware beschreven, wanneer het nabij is en het goede waarneemt, waarmee het verbonden moet worden. Maar men moet weten, dat deze staten niet in één keer ontstonden, maar voortdurend, het gehele leven van de Heer in de wereld door, totdat Hij verheerlijkt was.

Bij de wederverwekten is het evenzo gesteld, want zij worden niet opeens, in één keer wederverwekt, maar voortdurend, het gehele leven door, ook in het andere leven; want de mens kan nooit volmaakt worden.

22. [2]. Of those who are in truths, and not in good; consequently of truths without good.

Truths without good are not in themselves truths because they have no life, for all the life of truths is from good (n. 3603). Thus they are as a body without a soul (n. 8530, 9154). The knowledges of truth and good which are only in the memory and not in the life, are believed by them to be truths (n. 5276). The truths are not appropriated to man, nor become his own, which he only knows and acknowledges from causes which proceed from the love of self and the world (n. 3402, 3834). But those are appropriated, which he acknowledges for the sake of truth itself and good (n. 3849). Truths without good are not accepted by the Lord (n. 4368); neither do they save (n. 2261). They who are in truths without good, are not of the church (n. 3963). Neither can they be regenerated (n. 10367). The Lord does not flow into truths except through good (n. 10367).

Of the separation of truth from good (n. 5008-5009, 5022, 5028). The quality of truth without good, and its quality from good (n. 1949-1950, 1964, 5951); from comparisons (n. 5830). Truth without good is morose (n. 1949-1951, 1964). In the spiritual world it appears hard (n. 6359, 7068); and pointed (n. 2799). Truth without good is as the light of winter, in which all things of the earth are torpid, and nothing is produced; but truth from good is as the light of spring and summer, in which all things flourish and are produced (n. 2231, 3146, 3412-3413). Such a wintry light is turned into dense darkness when light flows in from heaven; and that then they who are in those truths come into blindness and stupidity (n. 3412-3413).

They who separate truths from good are in darkness, and in ignorance of truth and in falsities (n. 9186). From falsities they cast themselves into evils (n. 3325, 8094). The errors and falsities into which they cast themselves (n. 4721, 4730, 4776, 4783, 4925, 7779, 8313, 8765, 9222). The Word is shut to them (n. 3773, 4783, 8780). They do not see and attend to all those things which the Lord spoke concerning love and charity, thus concerning good (n. 2051, 3416). They know not what good is, nor what heavenly love and charity are (n. 2471, 3603, 4136, 9995). They who know the truths of faith, and live in evil, in the other life abuse truths to domineer thereby; concerning their quality and lot there (n. 4802).

Divine truth condemns to hell, but Divine good elevates to heaven (n. 2258). Divine truth terrifies, not so Divine good (n. 4180). What it is to be judged from truth, and to be judged from good (n. 2335).

3365. 'And Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar' means matters of doctrine concerning faith. This is clear from the representation of 'Isaac' as the Lord as regards the Divine Rational, dealt with in 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630 - 'Isaac' being the Lord's Divine Rational as regards Divine Good, 3012, 3194, 3210, and also as regards Divine Truth, which is represented by Isaac's marriage to Rebekah, 3012, 3013, 3077, so that 'Isaac' here represents the Lord as regards the Divine Truth joined to the Divine Good of the Rational, since Isaac was accompanied by Rebekah, and she was called his sister; from the representation of 'Abimelech' as the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts, 2504, 2509, 2510, 2533; from the meaning of 'the king of the Philistines' as matters of doctrine - 'the king' in the internal sense being truth that is the truth of doctrine, see 1672, 2015, 2069, and 'the Philistines' the knowledge of cognitions, which are also matters of doctrine, 1197, 1198; and from the meaning of 'Gerar' as faith, 1209, 2504. From these meanings one may see what 'Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar' means, namely that the Lord is the source of the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts, or what amounts to the same, to matters of doctrine concerning faith.

[2] The expression 'matters of doctrine' is used to describe all those things that constitute doctrine, and insofar as that doctrine is able to be received and to be acknowledged in heaven by angels and on earth by men it is said to have regard to rational concepts. Actually it is the rational that receives and acknowledges them; but the rational is such that it cannot possibly comprehend Divine things, for it is finite, and what is finite cannot comprehend anything of what is Infinite. For this reason Divine truths from the Lord present themselves before the rational by means of appearances. This is why matters of doctrine are no more than the appearances of Divine truth, that is, no more than celestial and spiritual vessels that hold what is Divine within them. And because they hold the Divine, that is, the Lord, within them, they therefore stir a person's affection, and thereby the Lord is joined to angels and to men.