TCR 229-230 - Doctrine Must Be Taken From the Word

TCR 229-230

Doctrine Must Be Taken From
the Sense of the Letter of the Word,
and Be Confirmed By It.

This is because the Lord is present in that sense,
teaching and enlightening the mind;
for the Lord never acts except in fullness,
and the Word in the sense of the Letter
is in its fullness . . .
therefore doctrine must be taken
from the sense of the Letter.
The doctrine of genuine truth may also be
fully drawn from the literal sense of the Word;
for the Word in that sense is like a person clothed,
but whose face and hands are uncovered.
Everything in the Word pertaining to
a person's faith and life, and thus to his salvation,
is there unveiled.
The rest is veiled;
and in many places where it is veiled
it is nevertheless visible,
as things appear to a woman when they are seen
through a thin veil of silk over her face.
Moreover, as the truths of the Word increase
from the love of them,
and are coordinated by love,
they become more and more translucent and obvious.

It may be supposed that the doctrine of genuine truth
can be acquired by means of
the spiritual sense of the Word,
which is obtained through
a knowledge of correspondences.
Doctrine, however, cannot be acquired by such means,
but only illustrated and corroborated.
For as was stated above in n. 208
it is possible for a person to falsify the Word,
by connecting and applying some correspondences
he may know to confirm what is firmly held in his mind
and based on some principle which he has assumed.
Moreover, the spiritual sense
is not communicated to any one
except by the Lord alone,
and He guards it as He guards the angelic heaven,
for heaven is within it.