AC 9222
Truth Divine is the Word,
and is doctrine from the Word.
Those blaspheme who at heart deny these,
even though with the mouth
they may praise the Word, and preach it.
The blasphemy is hidden in the denial,
and it emerges when they are left by themselves,
especially in the other life;
for there hearts speak,
after outward things have been removed.
[2] Those who blaspheme, that is, deny the Word,
are unable to receive anything
of the truth and good of faith;
for the Word teaches the existence of the Lord,
of heaven and hell, of the life after death,
of faith and charity, and of many other things,
which without the Word, that is, without revelation,
would be quite unknown;
and therefore those who deny the Word
cannot receive anything of what the Word teaches;
for when they either read or hear it,
a negative attitude presents itself,
which either extinguishes the truth,
or turns it into falsity.
[3] So it is that the very first thing
with the person of the church is to believe the Word;
and this is the chief thing with him
who is in the truth of faith and the good of charity.
But with those who are in the evils
of the love of self and of the world,
the chief thing is not to believe the Word,
for they reject it the moment they think about it,
and likewise blaspheme it.
If a person were to see the magnitude and the nature
of the blasphemies against the Word
that exist with those who are in the evils of these loves,
he would be horrified.
While the person himself is in the world
he is not aware of this,
because these blasphemies are hidden
behind the ideas of that active thought
which with people passes into speech.
Nevertheless they are revealed in the other life,
and appear horrible.
[4] Blasphemies are of two kinds;
there are those which come forth from the understanding
and not at the same time from the will;
and those which come forth
from the will through the understanding.
It is these latter blasphemies which are so horrible;
but not the former.
Those which come forth
from the will through the understanding
are from evil of life;
but those which come forth from the understanding only,
and not at the same time from the will,
are from falsity of doctrine,
or from the fallacies of the external senses,
which deceive a person who is held fast in ignorance.
These things have been said
in order that it may be known how the case is
with the blaspheming of truth Divine,
that is, of the Word and its derivative doctrine,
which is signified by
"cursing God and execrating a prince of the people."
Saturday, January 11, 2014
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