AC 1949
The person whose rational is of such a character that he is solely in truth -
even though it is the truth of faith -
and who is not at the same time in the good of charity,
is altogether of such a character.
He is a morose person, will bear nothing, is against all,
regards everybody as being in falsity,
is ready to rebuke, to chastise, and to punish; has no pity,
and does not apply or adapt himself to others and study to bend their minds;
So it is that Ishmael was driven out, and afterwards dwelt in the wilderness,
and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt (Gen. 21:9-21) . . .
AC 1950 [2-3]
All the genuine rational consists of good and truth,
that is, of the celestial and the spiritual.
Good, or the celestial, is its very soul or life;
truth, or the spiritual, is what receives its life from this.
Without life from celestial good,
the rational is such as is here described,
that is, it fights against all, and all fight against it.
Rational good never fights, however it is assailed;
because it is mild and gentle, patient and yielding;
for its character is that of love and mercy.
Yet although it does not fight, it conquers all,
nor does it ever think about combat,
or glory on account of victory;
and this because it is Divine, and is safe of itself.
For no evil can attack good;
it cannot even continue to exist in the sphere where good is,
for when this merely approaches,
evil withdraws and falls back of itself;
for evil is infernal,
and good is heavenly.
Very similar is the case with the celestial spiritual,
that is, with truth from a celestial origin,
or with truth which is from good,
for this truth is truth that is formed by good,
so that it may be called the form of good.
But truth separated from good,
which is here represented by Ishmael and is described in this verse,
is altogether different, being like a wild-ass,
and fighting against all, and all against it;
in fact it thinks of and breathes scarcely anything but combats;
its general delectation, or reigning affection, is to conquer,
and when it conquers it glories in the victory . . ..
Such a life is a life of truth without good,
yea, a life of faith without charity,
and therefore when a person is being regenerated,
this is indeed effected by means of the truth of faith,
but still at the same time by means of a life of charity,
which the Lord insinuates
in accordance with the increments of the truth of faith.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
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