Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 495good which is good in itself; for from what is man’s own (exproprio) nothing proceeds except evil; for when a man thinks ofgood, and wills and does good and what is his own (ex proprio), itis only for his own sake and for the sake of the world, which are theends of what he does, and the ends are the loves that lead him; andman cannot be withdrawn from his selfhood (a suo proprio) orelevated unless he looks to the Lord in regard to the things that areof life; by this looking he is conjoined with heaven, and fromheaven a spiritual affection is given him by the Lord. When thishad been said, it was granted to those with whom I was talking onthis subject to be in spiritual light, which light is such that in ittruths can be seen as clearly as objects in the world are seen in itslight; and then those who were in the doctrine of faith alone andjustification by faith could not but affirm that this was true; but assoon as that light was taken away from them, and they were letback into their own light, which was natural, they were unable tosee otherwise than that the sight of knowledges is saving faith, andtherefore that the falsities that they had made part of their faithwere truths. Falsities come to be of the faith when evils are of thelife.242d. [9] But to return to the explanation of the words of thispassage, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thoumayest be enriched,” which signifies that they should acquire forthemselves from the Lord genuine good, that they may be able toreceive truths. It now remains to be shown that “gold” in the Wordsignifies the good of love. This can be seen from the followingpassages. In Malachi:Behold, I send My angel [messenger] who shall prepare the waybefore Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to Histemple, even the angel of the covenant whom ye desire; He shall sitrefining and purifying silver, and shall purify the sons of Levi, and shallpurge them as gold and silver, that they may bring to Jehovah anoffering in righteousness (3:1–3).These things are said of the Lord’s coming. It is said that Jehovah isto send a messenger who will prepare the way before Him; and themessenger meant is John the Baptist, as is known. “Before Me,” or