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And Jehovah said unto Moses, Yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterward he will let you go from hence; when he lets everything go, driving he shall drive you out from hence. Say now in the ears of the people, and let them ask a man from his companion, and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold. And Jehovah gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the eyes of the people.
Exodus 11:1-3
Natural vs Spiritual Good
Arcana Coelestia 7761. A clear distinction must be made between spiritual good and natural good. As before said, spiritual good has its quality from the truths of faith, their abundance, and their connection; but natural good is born with the man, and also arises by accident, as by misfortunes, diseases, and the like. Natural good saves no one, but spiritual good saves all. The reason is that the good which is formed through the truths of faith is a plane into which heaven can flow, that is, the Lord through heaven, and lead man, and withhold him from evil, and afterward uplift him into heaven; but not so natural good; and therefore they who are in natural good can be as easily carried away by falsity as by truth, provided the falsity appears in the form of truth; and they can be as easily led by evil as by good, provided the evil is presented as good. They are like feathers in the wind.
The transfer of the vessels
AC 7770 And let them ask a man from his companion, and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold. That this signifies that the memory-knowledges of truth and good, taken away from the evil who have been of the church, will be bestowed upon the good who are of it, is evident from the signification of “vessels of silver and vessels of gold,” as being memory-knowledges of truth and good. That “silver” denotes truth, and “gold” good, see n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112; and that “vessels” denote memory-knowledges, n. 3068, 3079.) Memory-knowledges are called vessels of truth and good, because they contain them. It is believed that the memory-knowledges of truth and good are the very truths and goods of faith; but they are not. It is the affections of truth and good that make faith, and these flow into memory-knowledges, as into their vessels. …. (2)….the very memory-knowledges of truth and good which have been possessed by those of the church who have known the arcana of faith and yet have lived a life of evil, are transferred to those who are of the spiritual church…. [3] The reason is that with the evil the knowledges of good and truth are applied to evil uses, and with the good the knowledges of good and truth are applied to good uses; the knowledges are the same, but the application to uses effects their quality with each person. The case herein is like that of worldly riches, which with one person are disposed for good uses, with another for evil uses; consequently riches are such with each person as are the uses unto which they are disposed. From this also it is evident that the same knowledges, like the same riches, which the evil had possessed, can be with the good and serve for good uses.
Substitution example of swapping ‘practise’ for ‘good’ and ‘understanding of the Word’ for ‘truth’
THE DOCTRINE OF SPIRITUAL PRACTISE(aka charity)
(3 essentials of the church – love the Lord, love the Word, practise charity)
All things in the universe bear relation to Practise and Understanding of the Word. That which does not bear relation to practise and understanding of the Word is not in Divine order; and that which does not bear relation to both together, produces nothing. Practise is that which produces, and understanding of the Word is that by which it produces.
7753 These facts may illustrate how the case is with spiritual practise and understanding of the Word, which are called charity and faith; namely, that all things which belong to the church bear relation to these, and those which do not bear relation to them have nothing of the church in them; and also that which does not contain both within it produces no fruit, that is, no practise of charity or of faith.
7754 For in order that anything may be produced, there must be two forces, one which is called active, the other which is called passive; the one without the other brings forth nothing. Such forces, or lives, are charity and faith in the man of the church.7755 The first of the church is practise, the second is understanding of the Word; or the first of the church is charity, and the second is faith. For the understanding of the Word of the doctrine of faith is for the sake of the practise of life. That which is the end for the sake of which something else exists, this is the first.
7756 With the conjunction of the practise which is of charity, and the understanding of the Word which is of faith, in man, the case is this. The practise which is of charity enters through the soul into man(will), but the understanding of the Word which is of faith enters through the hearing(intellect); the former flows in immediately from the Lord, but the latter mediately through the Word. Hence the way by which the practise of charity enters is called the internal way; and the way by which the understanding of the Word of faith enters is called the external way. That which enters by the internal way is not perceived, because it is not plainly subject to sensation; whereas that which enters by the external way is perceived, because it is plainly subject to sensation. For this reason everything of the church is attributed to faith. It is otherwise with those who have been regenerated; with such the practise that is of charity is plainly perceived.
7757 The conjunction of the practise of charity with the understanding of the Word of faith is effected in the interiors of man. The practise itself (the will to) which flows in from the Lord adopts understanding of the Word there, and appropriates it to itself, and thereby causes the practise with the man to be charity, and the understanding of the Word to be faith; or the charity to be charity, and the faith to be faith. Without this conjunction charity is not charity, but only natural practise ( ie. If not joined with the understanding of the Word, doctrine, then it must be joined with understanding drawn from the senses, man’s own intellect); neither is faith faith, but only the memory-knowledge of such things as are of faith, and in some cases a persuasion that a thing is so for the sake of earning gain or honor.
7758 When understanding of the Word has been conjoined with practise it is no longer called understanding of the Word, but practise; and so when faith has been conjoined with charity it is no longer called faith, but charity; the reason is that the man then wills and does the understanding of the Word, and that which he wills and does is called practise.
7759 With the conjunction of the practise of charity with the understanding of the Word of faith, the case, further, is this. This practise obtains its quality from understanding of the Word, and understanding of the Word its essence from practise. From this it follows that the quality of practise is according to the understanding of the Word with which it is conjoined; and therefore practise becomes genuine if the understanding of the Word with which it is conjoined is genuine. Genuine understanding of the Word of faith is possible within the church, but not out of it, for within the church is the Word.
7760 Moreover, the practise of charity receives its quality also from the abundance of the understanding of the Word of faith; likewise from the connections of one understanding of the Word with another; thus is formed spiritual practise with man.
7761 A clear distinction must be made between spiritual practise and natural practise( ie. External worship/practise). As before said, spiritual practises have their quality from the understanding of the Word of faith, their abundance, and their connection; but natural practises are born with the man, and also arise by accidents, as by misfortunes, diseases, and the like. Natural practise saves no one(state), but spiritual practise saves all. The reason is that the practise which is formed through the understanding of the Word of faith is a plane into which heaven can flow, that is, the Lord through heaven, and lead man, and withhold him from evil, and afterward uplift him into heaven; but not so natural practise; and therefore they who are in natural practise can be as easily carried away by falsity as by understanding of the Word, provided the falsity appears in the form of understanding of the Word; and they can be as easily led by evil as by practise, provided the evil is presented as practise. They are like feathers in the wind.
7762 The confidence of trust which is said to be of faith and is called faith, is not spiritual confidence or trust, but natural. Spiritual confidence or trust has its essence and life from the practise of love (love to the Lord, to love = lived acknowledgement of the Lord as the one true source and authority); but not from the understanding of the Word of faith separate. The confidence of faith separate is dead; and therefore there cannot be true confidence with those who have led an evil life. Moreover, that confidence which depends on salvation through the Lord’s merit, irrespective of what the life has been, is likewise not from understanding of the Word.
Original text
7752 THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY
All things in the universe bear relation to Good and Truth. That which does not bear relation to good and truth is not in Divine order; and that which does not bear relation to both together, produces nothing. Good is that which produces, and truth is that by which it produces.
7753 These facts may illustrate how the case is with spiritual good and truth, which are called charity and faith; namely, that all things which belong to the church bear relation to these, and those which do not bear relation to them have nothing of the church in them; and also that which does not contain both within it produces no fruit, that is, no good of charity or of faith.
7754 For in order that anything may be produced, there must be two forces, one which is called active, the other which is called passive; the one without the other brings forth nothing. Such forces, or lives, are charity and faith in the man of the church.
7755 The first of the church is good, the second is truth; or the first of the church is charity, and the second is faith. For the truth of the doctrine of faith is for the sake of the good of life. That which is the end for the sake of which something else exists, this is the first.
7756 With the conjunction of the good which is of charity, and the truth which is of faith, in man, the case is this. The good which is of charity enters through the soul into man, but the truth which is of faith enters through the hearing; the former flows in immediately from the Lord, but the latter mediately through the Word. Hence the way by which the good of charity enters is called the internal way; and the way by which the truth of faith enters is called the external way. That which enters by the internal way is not perceived, because it is not plainly subject to sensation; whereas that which enters by the external way is perceived, because it is plainly subject to sensation. For this reason everything of the church is attributed to faith. It is otherwise with those who have been regenerated; with such the good that is of charity is plainly perceived.
7757 The conjunction of the good of charity with the truth of faith is effected in the interiors of man. The good itself which flows in from the Lord adopts truth there, and appropriates it to itself, and thereby causes the good with the man to be good, and the truth to be truth; or the charity to be charity, and the faith to be faith. Without this conjunction charity is not charity, but only natural goodness; neither is faith faith, but only the memory-knowledge of such things as are of faith, and in some cases a persuasion that a thing is so for the sake of earning gain or honor.
7758 When truth has been conjoined with good it is no longer called truth, but good; and so when faith has been conjoined with charity it is no longer called faith, but charity; the reason is that the man then wills and does the truth, and that which he wills and does is called good.
7759 With the conjunction of the good of charity with the truth of faith, the case, further, is this. This good obtains its quality from truth, and truth its essence from good. From this it follows that the quality of good is according to the truths with which it is conjoined; and therefore good becomes genuine if the truths with which it is conjoined are genuine. Genuine truths of faith are possible within the church, but not out of it, for within the church is the Word.
7760 Moreover, the good of charity receives its quality also from the abundance of the truths of faith; likewise from the connection of one truth with another; thus is formed spiritual good with man.
7761 A clear distinction must be made between spiritual good and natural good. As before said, spiritual good has its quality from the truths of faith, their abundance, and their connection; but natural good is born with the man, and also arises by accident, as by misfortunes, diseases, and the like. Natural good saves no one, but spiritual good saves all. The reason is that the good which is formed through the truths of faith is a plane into which heaven can flow, that is, the Lord through heaven, and lead man, and withhold him from evil, and afterward uplift him into heaven; but not so natural good; and therefore they who are in natural good can be as easily carried away by falsity as by truth, provided the falsity appears in the form of truth; and they can be as easily led by evil as by good, provided the evil is presented as good. They are like feathers in the wind.
7762 The confidence of trust which is said to be of faith and is called faith, is not spiritual confidence or trust, but natural. Spiritual confidence or trust has its essence and life from the good of love; but not from the truth of faith separate. The confidence of faith separate is dead; and therefore there cannot be true confidence with those who have led an evil life. Moreover, that confidence which depends on salvation through the Lord’s merit, irrespective of what the life has been, is likewise not from truth.
Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to maintain focus on understanding the Text’s application to the inner life while reinforcing key LP principles highlighted in the exchanges.