Faith (pt 1)

Selection from True Christian Religion ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
(pt. 1)

From the wisdom of the ancients came forth this tenet, that -

the universe and each and all things therein relate to good and truth

thus that all things pertaining to the church relate to love or charity and faith 

since everything that flows forth from love or charity is called good, and everything that flows forth from faith is called true.

Since then charity and faith are distinguishably two, and yet make one in man, that he may be a man of the church, that is, that the church may be in him, it was a matter of controversy and dispute among the ancients, which one of the two should be first, and which therefore is by right to be called the firstborn.

Some of them said that truth is first and consequently faith; and some good, and consequently charity.

For they saw that immediately after birth man learns to talk and think, and is thereby perfected in understanding, which is done by means of knowledges, and by this means he learns and understands what is true; and afterwards by means of this he learns and understands what is good; consequently, that he first learns what faith is, and afterward what charity is.

Those who so comprehended this subject, supposed that the truth of faith was the firstborn, and that good of charity was born afterwards; for which reason they gave to faith the eminence and prerogative of primogeniture. But those who so reasoned overwhelmed their own understandings with such a multitude of arguments in favor of faith, as not to see that faith is not faith unless it is conjoined with charity, and that charity is not charity unless conjoined with faith, and thus that they make one, and if not so conjoined, neither of them is anything in the church. That they do completely make one, will be shown in what follows.

(True Christian Religion 336:1)

To be continued...