9039. 'Since he is his silver' means that which has been acquired from the self. This is clear from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, at this point truth that has been acquired by the self since it refers to a slave who has been bought. The words 'truth that has been acquired by the self' describe that which a person believes to be the truth - even though it is not the truth - because he has drawn it from preconceptions adopted by the self. This is what truth is like with those who explain the Word without having been enlightened by the light of heaven, that is, who read it without an affection for truth for the sake of goodness of life, since they are unenlightened. If this truth is disposed of after full contemplation of it, there is no punishment of death, that is, no damnation, because it is not a spiritual Divine truth. But if it is disposed of before full contemplation, there is damnation, for it is a casting aside of the truth of faith itself. What has become part of anyone's faith, even though not the truth, must not be cast aside without full contemplation of it. If it is cast aside before this the tender beginnings of spiritual life in the person are rooted out. For this reason also the Lord never breaks this kind of truth with a person, but so far as is possible He bends it.

[2] Let an example serve to shed light on this. Take someone who believes that the glory and consequently the joy of heaven consist in domination over many, and who uses this accepted idea to explain the Lord's words which declare that the slaves who had earned ten minas and five minas were to have power over ten cities and over five cities, Luke 19:11-26, using also the Lord's words to the disciples, that they would sit on thrones and would judge the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22:30. If that person disposes of his faith, which is a belief in truth he has acquired from the literal sense of the Word, before full contemplation of it, he causes the loss of his spiritual life. But if after full contemplation he uses other words to explain what the Lord said - the Lord's words that whoever has the wish to be the greatest must be the least, and whoever has the wish to be the first must be the slave of all, Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 10:42-44; Luke 22:24-27 - then if he disposes of his belief that heavenly glory and joy come out of having dominion over many, he does not cause any loss of his spiritual life. For by 'the cities' over which those who had earned the mines were to have power are meant the truths of faith, 2268, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, and therefore intelligence and wisdom; and the same things are meant by 'the thrones' on which the disciples were going to sit, 2129, 6397.

[3] Those in heaven who by virtue of the truths of faith excel others in intelligence and wisdom are also so humble that they ascribe the whole of their power to the Lord and none whatever to themselves. Therefore they find no glory or joy at all in dominating, only in serving. And when this is their state they excel others in dominion, and also in glory and joy; but they do so not because of any wish to dominate, as has been stated, only because of a desire springing from love and charity, which is a desire to serve others. For the Lord flows in with power with those who are humble, but not with those who are haughty, because the humble accept His influx whereas the haughty reject it, 7489, 7491, 7492.

5658. 'Our silver in its full weight' means truths commensurate with each one's state. This is clear from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, dealt with in 1551, 2954; and from the meaning of 'weight' as the state of something as regards good, dealt with in 3104, so that truths commensurate with each one's state means commensurate with the good they are able to receive. Many places in the Word make reference to weights or to measures, but no weight nor any measure is meant in the internal sense. Rather states so far as the good involved in some reality is concerned are meant by 'weights', while states so far as the truth involved in it is concerned are meant by 'measures'. The same applies to the properties of gravity and spatial magnitude; gravity in the natural world corresponds to good in the spiritual world, and spatial magnitude to truth. The reason for this is that in heaven, where correspondences originate, neither the property of gravity nor that of spatial magnitude exists because space has no existence there. Objects possessing these properties do, it is true, seem to exist among spirits, but those objects are appearances that have their origins in the states of goodness and truth in the heaven above those spirits.

[2] It was very well known in ancient times that 'silver' meant truth; therefore the ancients divided up periods of time ranging from the earliest to the latest world epochs into the golden ages, the silver ones, the copper ones, and the iron ones, to which they also added the clay ones. They applied the expression 'golden ages' to those periods when innocence and perfection existed, when everyone was moved by good to do what was good and by righteousness to do what was right. They used 'silver ages' however to describe those times when innocence did not exist any longer, though there was still some sort of perfection, which did not consist in being moved by good to do what was good but in being moved by truth to do what was true. 'Copper ages' and 'iron ages' were the names they gave to the times that were even more inferior than the silver ones.

[3] What led those people to give periods of time these names was not comparison but correspondence. For the ancients knew that 'silver' corresponded to truth and 'gold' to good; they knew this from being in communication with spirits and angels. For when a discussion takes place in a higher heaven about what is good, this reveals itself among those underneath them in the first or lowest heaven as what is golden; and when a discussion takes place about what is true this reveals itself there as what is silvery. Sometimes not only the walls of the rooms where they live are gleaming with gold and silver but also the very air within them. Also, in the homes of those angels belonging to the first or lowest heaven who are moved by good to live among what is good, tables made of gold, lampstands made of gold, and many other objects are seen; but in the homes of those who are moved by truth to live among what is true, similar objects made of silver are seen. But who at the present day knows that correspondence was what led the ancients to call ages golden ones and silver ones? Indeed who at the present day knows anything at all about correspondence? Anyone who does not know this about the ancients, and more so anyone who thinks pleasure and wisdom lie in contesting whether such an idea is true or untrue, cannot begin to know the countless facets there are to correspondence.