Thursday, April 24, 2008

AC 6865 - memory-knowledges in the light of the world vs. the light of heaven

AC 6865 [2 & 3]
For memory-knowledges are the most general vessels,
which sometimes appear contrary to truths,
until truths being let into them make them transparent,
and thus not to be noticed.
Moreover, memory-knowledges are full of the fallacies of the senses,
which cannot be dispelled
by those who are in mere knowledges from doctrine,
and not in the perception of truth from good;
mainly because the light of the world predominates with them,
which light appears clear so long as the light of heaven does not flow into it,
but as soon as the light of heaven flows in,
instead of light it becomes obscurity.
Hence it is that these persons are enlightened and clever
in the things of the world,
but obscured and dull in the things of heaven.

These believe themselves enlightened
when they have confirmed in themselves the doctrinal things of the church,
but it is a sensuous light from the light of the world
which then deceives them;
for doctrinal things of every kind can be confirmed,
as Jewish doctrinal things by the Jews,
enthusiastic ones by enthusiasts,
Socinian ones by the Socinians,
and heresies by heretics of every sort;
and when they have been confirmed,
they appear to them in the sensuous light as very truths.
But they who are in the light of heaven are in enlightenment from the Lord;
and before confirmations,
by looking into the memory-knowledges which are beneath
and are there arranged in order,
they discern whether it is a truth that may be confirmed or not.
Hence it is evident that these latter have an interior view,
which is above the memory-knowledges, and thus is distinct;
whereas the former have a lower view,
which is within the memory-knowledges,
and thus is an entangled one.

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