Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3881food by which the outward man is nourished, with the spiritualfood by which the internal man is nourished. Here therefore it istruth adjoined to good, for this is what is preserved and stored upin the interiors.By the “seven years” are signified the first states when truths aremultiplied (n. 5339). From this it is plain that the preservation oftruth adjoined to good, multiplied during the first times, issignified by “he gathered together all the food of the seven years.” Itis said “the preservation of truth adjoined to good,” but as fewknow what truth adjoined to good is, and still less how and whentruth is adjoined to good, something must be said about it. Truth isconjoined with good when a man feels delight in doing well to theneighbor for the sake of what is true and good, and not for the sakeof self or the world. When a man is in this affection, the truths hehears or reads or thinks are conjoined with good, as is usuallynoticeable from the affection of truth for the sake of that end.5341. That were in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that wasin the natural is evident from the signification of the “land ofEgypt” as being the natural mind (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288,5301), thus the natural.5342. And put the food in the cities. That this signifies that hestored it up in the interiors, namely, truths adjoined to good isevident from the signification here of “putting” as being to storeup; from the signification of “food” as being truth adjoined to good(of which just above, n. 4340); and from the signification of“cities” as being the interiors of the natural mind (of which alsoabove, n. 5297). That truths adjoined to good are stored up in theinteriors of the natural mind, and there preserved for use in afterlife, especially for use in temptations during man’s regeneration is asecret known to few at this day; and therefore something must besaid about this. For by the “seven years of abundance of produce”are signified the truths first multiplied, and by the corn being “putin the cities” and “in the midst” is signified that these truthsadjoined to good are stored up in man’s interiors; and by the “sevenyears of famine,” and by the sustenance at that time from the