9207. And your sons shall be orphans. That this signifies that then at the same time truths will perish, is evident from the signification of “orphans,” as being those who are in truth and not yet in good, and nevertheless long for good (see n. 9199), here those who are in truth but do not long for good, thus those with whom truths are perishing; for it is said of the evil, whose sons shall become orphans. That truths perish with those who do not long for good, is plain from what was said just above (n. 9206) about the conjunction of good and truth. With regard to this conjunction it is to be said further, that truths which are conjoined with good always have within them a longing to do what is good, and at the same time, to thereby conjoin themselves more closely with good; or, what is the same, those who are in truths always long to do what is good, and thus to conjoin good with their truths; and therefore those who believe themselves to be in truths and do not long to do what is good, are not in truths; that is, they are not in the faith of these truths, howsoever they may suppose themselves to be so.

[2] This is described by the Lord by “salt,” where He says in Matthew:

Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men (Matthew 5:13).

These words the Lord says to the disciples and to the people. By “the salt of the earth” is meant the truth of the church which longs for good; by “the salt that has lost its savor” is meant truth without any longing for good; that such truth is profitable for nothing is described by “the salt that has lost its savor being thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot.” To long for good is to long to do what is good, and in this way to be conjoined with good.

[3] So in Mark:

Everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good; but if the salt have lost its saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and cherish peace one with another (Mark 9:49-50);

“to be salted with fire” denotes the longing of good for truth; and “to be salted with salt” denotes the longing of truth for good; “salt that has lost its saltiness” denotes truth without any longing for good; “to have salt in oneself” denotes to have this longing.

[4] So in Luke:

Every one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is fit neither for the land, nor for the dunghill: they cast it out (Luke 14:33-35);

here in like manner “salt” denotes truth longing for good; and “salt that has lost its savor,” truth which is without any longing for good; “it is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill” denotes that it does not conduce to any use, either good or evil. Those who are in such truth are those who are called “lukewarm,” as is plain from the words which precede, that “no one can be a disciple of the Lord who does not renounce all that he has,” that is, who does not love the Lord above all things; for those who love the Lord, and likewise themselves, in an equal degree, are those who are called “lukewarm,” and who are not fit for either a good use or an evil use.

[5] In Moses:

Every offering of thy meat-offering shall be salted with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to cease upon thy meat-offering; upon every offering thou shalt offer salt (Leviticus 2:13).

That “in every offering there should be salt” signified that the longing of truth for good, and of good for truth, should be in all worship. Consequently this “salt” is called “the salt of the covenant of God,” for “a covenant” denotes conjunction (n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037, 6804, 8767, 8778), and “salt” the longing for conjunction.

[6] When the one longs to be reciprocally conjoined with the other, that is, good with truth and truth with good, they then mutually regard each other; but when truth sunders itself from good, then each turns away from the other, and looks backward, or behind itself. This is signified by Lot’s wife becoming a pillar of salt, as in Luke:

Whosoever shall be upon the house, and his vessels in the house, let him not go down to take them away; and whosoever is in the field, let him likewise not turn back to the things behind him. Remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:31-32).

(That this is “to look behind” one’s self, or “backward,” see n. 3652, 5895, 5897, 7857, 7923, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8516).

[7] That “salt” signifies the longing of truth, is because salt renders the earth fertile, and makes food palatable, and because there is in salt something both fiery and at the same time conjunctive; as there is in truth an ardent longing for good and at the same time for conjunction. A “pillar of salt” denotes disjunction from truth; for in the opposite sense “salt” signifies the destruction and vastation of truth (Zeph. 2:9; Ezekiel 47:11; Jeremiah 17:6; Psalms 107:33-34; Deuteronomy 29:23; Judges 9:45; an. 2 Kings 2:19-22). These things have been adduced in order that it may be known what is meant by the longing of truth for good, and the longing of good for truth, which are signified by “an orphan,” and “a widow.”

5895. Wherein is no plowing and harvest. That this signifies that meanwhile good and the derivative truth will not appear, is evident from the signification of “plowing,” as being preparation by good for receiving truths (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “harvest,” as being truths from good-for harvest is the already ripe crop when it is being gathered, hence “harvest” is the truth which is from good. Before this truth comes into existence, truths indeed appear, but they are truths through which is good, and not truths from good. A man who acts from truth is in truths through which is good, but he who acts from good is in truths which are from good. That “plowing” is said to denote good, is because a “field” which is plowed signifies the church as to good (n. 2971), thus good which is of the church (n. 3310, 3317, 4982). Thus “plowing” is preparation by good for receiving truths; moreover the oxen which were used in plowing signify goods in the natural (n. 2180, 2566, 2781).

[2] As this was the signification of “plowing,” it was forbidden in the representative church “to plow with an ox and an ass together” (Deuteronomy 22:10), which never would have been forbidden except for some reason from within, thus from the spiritual world. For otherwise what harm could there be in their plowing together? and what the worthiness of such a law in the Word? The reason from within, or from the spiritual world, is that “plowing with an ox” signifies good in the natural, and “plowing with an ass” signifies truth therein. (That an “ass” denotes the truth of memory-knowledge, thus truth in the natural, may be seen n. 5492, 5741.) The interior or spiritual reason of this command was that the angels could not have a separate idea of good and truth, but they must be conjoined and make a one; and therefore they were not willing to view such plowing by an ox and an ass. The celestial angels are not even willing to think of truth separate from good, for all the truth with them is in good; thus also to them truth is good. For the same reason it was forbidden “to wear a mixed garment, of wool and linen together” (Deut 22:11), for “wool” signifies good, and “linen” truth.

[3] That “to plow” and also “to harrow,” “to sow” and “to reap,” signify such things as belong to good and its truth, is manifest in Hosea:

I will make Ephraim ride; Judah shall plow, Jacob shall harrow for him; sow for yourselves according to righteousness, reap according to piety; break up for you the fallow ground: and it is time to seek Jehovah, till He come and teach righteousness (Hos. 5:11-12);

“to ride” is predicated of Ephraim because “to ride” is to enjoy understanding; and “Ephraim” is the intellectual of the church; but “to plow” is predicated of Judah because “Judah” is the good of the church.

[4] In Amos:

Shall horses run on the rock? will one plow with oxen? that ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (Amos 6:12);

“shall horses run on the rock?” denotes shall the truth of faith be understood? for “rock” in the spiritual sense is faith (see preface to Genesis 22); and “horses” are those things which are of the understanding (n. 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321); “will one plow with oxen?” denotes shall he do good? “oxen” being good in the natural (n. 2180, 2566, 2781). That this could not be done is signified by the words which follow: “because ye have turned judgment into gall and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.”

[5] In Luke:

Jesus said, No man putting his hand to the plow, but looking backward, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).

These words signify the same as those which the Lord speaks in Matthew:

He that is upon the house, let him not go down to take anything out of his house; and he that is in the field, let him not return back to take his garments (Matthew 24:17-18).

The sense of these words is: he who is in good shall not betake himself therefrom to the things that belong to the doctrinals of faith (see above, w here these words were unfolded n. 3652). Thus “he who puts his hand to the plow” is he who is in good; “but looking backward” is he who then looks to the doctrinal things of faith, and thus forsakes good. It was on this account that Elijah was displeased that Elisha, who was plowing in the field, when called, asked that he might first kiss his father and mother; for Elijah said, “Go, return; for what have I done to thee?” (1 Kings 19:19-21). In the opposite sense “plowing” signifies the evil which blots out good, thus vastation; as in Jeremiah:

Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be heaps, and the mountain of the house as the lofty places of the forest (Jeremiah 26:18; Mic. 3:12).