Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3864this source, is because the Lord is doctrine itself, for everything ofdoctrine proceeds from him, and everything of doctrine treats ofhim; for all doctrine treats of the good of love and of the truth offaith. These are from the Lord, and therefore the Lord is not onlyin them, but also is both. From this it is evident that the doctrinethat treats of good and truth, treats of the Lord only; and that itproceeds from his Divine human.[2] From the Divine itself nothing of doctrine can possiblyproceed except through the Divine human, that is, through theWord, which in the supreme sense is the Divine truth from theLord’s Divine human. Not even the angels in the inmost heavencan apprehend that which proceeds immediately from the Divineitself, because it is infinite, and therefore transcends allapprehension, even that of angels. But that which proceeds fromthe Lord’s Divine human they can apprehend, because it treats ofGod as a Divine man, concerning whom some idea can be formedfrom the human; and any idea whatever formed about the humanis accepted, provided it flows from the good of innocence, and is inthe good of charity. This is what is meant by the Lord’s words inJohn:No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten son, who isin the bosom of the father, he hath set him forth (John 1:18).Ye have neither heard the father’s voice at any time, nor seen hisshape (John 5:37).And in Matthew:No one knoweth the father, save the son, and he to whomsoeverthe son willeth to reveal him (Matt. 11:27).[3] “Chariots” are very frequently mentioned in the Word, buthardly anyone knows that they signify doctrinal things of good andtruth, and also the memory-knowledges belonging to doctrinalthings. The reason is that when a “chariot” is mentioned nothingspiritual enters the idea, but only the natural historical, and it is thesame with the horses in front of the chariot; and yet by “horses” in