Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3957themselves—follows from the series; for to those who haveprocured for themselves the truths of the church for the purpose ofgain, truths are indeed not truths (as was shown above, n. 5433);yet they may be truths in themselves, for the very truths of thechurch in general are signified by the “sons of Jacob.” That by the“upright” are meant truths in the abstract is because in the internalsense everything is abstracted from person, and the idea of person isturned into the idea of thing (see n. 5225, 5287). The reason ofthis is that otherwise the thought and derivative speech must needsbe drawn away and lost from the thing itself and the view of it, tosuch things as are of person; and moreover the thought andderivative speech can in no other way become universal, andcomprehend many things at the same time, still less thingsunlimited and unutterable, as with the angels. Nevertheless thisabstracted idea involves persons, namely, those who are in thethings in question. Hence it is that by “the upright” are signifiedtruths.5435. But to buy food are thy servants come. That this signifies thatthey, namely these truths, are to be appropriated to the natural bymeans of good is evident from the signification of “servants” asbeing things lower and relatively natural (see n. 2541, 3019, 3020,5161, 5164, 5305); hence also truths (n. 3409), for truths aresubject to good, and things subject are in the Word called“servants”—here therefore truths in the natural in respect to thecelestial of the spiritual; from the signification of “buying” as beingto be appropriated (n. 4397, 5374, 5406, 5410); and from thesignification of “food” as being celestial and spiritual good (n.5147), and also truth adjoined to good (n. 5340, 5342); heretherefore truth to be adjoined to the natural by means of good, andthus to be appropriated. Truth is never appropriated to manotherwise than by means of good; but when it is so appropriated,then truth becomes good, because it then acts as one with it; fortogether they make as it were one body, the soul of which is good,the truths in this good being as it were the spiritual fibers whichform the body. Wherefore by fibers are signified the inmost formsproceeding from good, and by nerves are signified truths (see n.4303, 5189).