September 16, 2019

The Priority Belongs to Good and Not to Truth

Excerpt from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
[W]hen man draws a conclusion from natural perception, he believes that faith, insofar as it is truth of doctrine, is prior to charity insofar as this is good of life, because he perceives how the truth of doctrine enters, but not how the good of life — for the former (truth of doctrine) enters by an external, that is, a sensuous way, while the latter (good of life) enters by an internal way . . .

• also because he cannot know otherwise than that as truth teaches what is good, it is prior to good
• also because the reformation of man is effected through truth and according to truth, insomuch that man is perfected as to good in proportion to the amount of truth that can be conjoined with it, consequently good is perfected through truth
• because man can be in truth, and think and speak from it, and this with apparent zeal, although he is not at the same time in good; yea, he may even from truth be confident of his salvation.

These and many other considerations lead man to suppose, when judging from the sensuous and natural man, that the truth which is of faith is prior to the good which is of charity; but all these are reasonings from fallacies, based on the appearance to the sensuous and natural man.

The good itself which is of life is prior — the good which is of life being the very ground in which truths are to be sown
such as is the ground, such is the reception of the seeds, that is, of the truths of faith
Truths may indeed be first stored up in the memory, like seeds in a granary, or with birds in their crops; but they do not belong to the man unless the ground is prepared; and such as is the ground, that is, such as is the good, such is their germination and fructification.
(Arcana Coelestia 3324)