Doctrine of Holy Scripture - Swedenborg Foundation

DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 182nature, and thus accommodated and adapted to the apprehensionof the simple and of little children. But being correspondences theyare receptacles and abodes of genuine truth; and are like enclosingand containing vessels, as a crystal cup encloses noble wine, and asa silver plate holds palatable food. They are also like garmentswhich clothe, as swathings do an infant, and a pretty dress amaiden. They are also like the memory-knowledges [scientifica] ofthe natural man which contain within them perceptions andaffections of truth of the spiritual man. The naked truthsthemselves which are enclosed, held, clothed, and contained, are inthe spiritual sense of the Word; and the naked goods are in itscelestial sense.[2] But let this be illustrated from the Word. Jesus said:Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, because ye cleanse the outside of thecup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thoublind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that theoutside thereof may be clean also (Matt. 23:25–26).The Lord here spoke by means of ultimate things which arecontainers, and said “cup and platter”; and “cup” means wine, and“wine” the truth of the Word; and “platter” means food, and“food” the good of the Word. To “cleanse the inside of the cup andplatter” means to purify by means of the Word the interior thingswhich belong to will and thought and thus to love and faith. “Thatthe outside may be clean also” means that in this way, exteriorthings, which are the actions and the conversation, will have beenmade pure, for these derive their essence from the interior things.[3] Again, Jesus said:There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in crimson and fine linen,and living in mirth and splendor every day; and there was a certain poor man,named Lazarus, who was laid at his porch, full of sores (Luke 16:19–20).Here also the Lord spoke by means of natural things that werecorrespondences, and contained spiritual things. The “rich man”means the Jewish nation, which is called “rich” because it possessed