Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3978persons a zeal for good, these truths show themselves in their order;and when he instills a zeal for truth, this good is present andenkindles it. From all this it is evident how the case is withmemory-knowledges and with truths—that they are receptacles ofgood.5490. And to give them provision for the way. That this signifies,and that it would support the truths which they had, is evidentfrom the signification of “giving provision” as being support; andfrom the signification of a “way” as being truth (see n. 627, 2333);here, however, “for the way” denotes so long as they were in thatstate, because to be “on the way” signifies a state of truth conjoinedwith good (n. 3123). By “provision” is also signified support fromtruth and good in David:He made it rain manna upon them for food, and gave them thecorn of the heavens. Man did eat the bread of the mighty; he sent themprovision to satiety (Ps. 78:24–25).5491. And he did so. That this signifies the effect is evidentwithout explication.5492. And they lifted their produce upon their asses. That thissignifies that truths were gathered into memory-knowledges isevident from the signification of “produce” as being truth (see n.5276, 5280, 5292, 5402); and from the signification of an “ass” asbeing memory-knowledge (n. 2781). Hence it follows that by their“lifting their produce upon their asses” is signified that truths weregathered into memory-knowledges. That this is the signification ofthese words seems strange to him who keeps his mind in thehistoric sense of the letter, especially if he believes that there is noother internal sense than that which proximately shines forth fromthe letter; for he says to himself, How can lifting produce upontheir asses signify truths gathered into memory-knowledges? But lethim know that the literal sense of the Word passes into such aspiritual sense when it passes from man to the angels, or intoheaven, and even into a still more remote sense when it passes intothe inmost heaven, where all and each of the things of the Word