True Christian Religion (Chadwick) n. 248

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248. IX

The details of the Word all contain a marriage of the Lord and the church, and so a marriage of good and truth.

Up to now it has not been seen that the details of the Word contain a marriage of the Lord and the church, and so a marriage of good and truth. Nor could this be seen, because the spiritual sense of the Word has not before been revealed, and that marriage can only be seen by means of that sense. The Word has two senses hidden in its literal sense; these are called the spiritual and the celestial senses. In the spiritual sense the contents of the Word refer chiefly to the church, and in the celestial sense chiefly to the Lord. Again in the spiritual sense its contents refer to Divine truth, and in the celestial sense to Divine good. Hence there is this marriage in the Word. But this is not apparent except to those who have learned from the spiritual and celestial senses of the Word the meanings of the words and names. For certain words and names are used of good, and certain of truth, and some include both. So without this knowledge it was impossible to see this marriage in the details of the Word. This is the reason this secret was not previously revealed.

It is because this kind of marriage is contained in the details of the Word, that it so often uses two expressions which appear to repeat the same thing. Yet they are not really repetitions, but one refers to good, the other to truth; and the two taken together make this link and so form a single unit. This too is the source of the Divine holiness of the Word; for in every Divine act good is joined with truth and truth with good.

It is because this kind of marriage is contained in the details of the Word, that it so often uses two expressions which appear to repeat the same thing. Yet they are not really repetitions, but one refers to good, the other to truth; and the two taken together make this link and so form a single unit. This too is the source of the Divine holiness of the Word; for in every Divine act good is joined with truth and truth with good.


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