Doctrine of Holy Scripture - Swedenborg Foundation

DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 199In this way it becomes to them their own doctrine, and throughdoctrine their faith. But this takes place only with those who notbeing taken up with worldly affairs are able to exercise discernment.If these persons love truths because they are truths, and make themof use for life, they are in enlightenment from the Lord. All otherswho are in some life according to truths can learn from them.60. The contrary takes place with those who read the Word fromthe doctrine of a false religion, and still more with those whoconfirm that doctrine from the Word, having in view their ownglory or this world’s riches. With them the truth of the Word is asit were in the shade of night, and what is false is as in the light ofday. They read what is true, but do not see it; and if they see theshadow of it they falsify it. These are they of whom the Lord saysthat:They have eyes, but see not; and ears, but do not understand (Matt. 13:13).For nothing else blinds a man except his own and the confirmationof what is false. Man’s own is the love of self and the derivativeconceit of self-intelligence; and the confirmation of what is false isthick darkness counterfeiting the light. The light of such men ismerely natural, and their sight is like that of one who seesphantoms in the gloom.61. I have been permitted to converse with many after death whohad believed that they would shine in heaven like the stars, because,as they said, they had regarded the Word as holy, had often read itthrough, had collected from it many things by which they hadconfirmed the tenets of their faith, and had thereby been celebratedin the world as learned men. On this account they believed theywould be Michaels and Raphaels.[2] Many of them however have been examined in respect towhat was the love from which they had studied the Word, andsome of them were found to have done so from the love of self, thatthey might appear great in the world, and be revered as dignitariesof the church; and others of them had done so from the love of theworld, that they might get rich. When examined as to what theyknew from the Word, it was found that they knew nothing ofgenuine truth from it, but only such as is called truth falsified,which in itself is falsity. And they were told that this was because