AC 3451 - Doctrine and Life; AC 3454 - Doing Violence to the Internal Sense

AC 3451 [2, 4]

. . . a difference in the doctrinal things of faith
does not prevent the church from being one,
provided there is unanimity
as to willing well and doing well.

. . . those who are in good, that is,
with those who,
although they make faith essential as to doctrine,
still make charity essential as to life;
for when with such
there is confidence or trust in the Lord,
which they call faith itself,
then they are in the affection of love to the Lord,
consequently as to the life they are in good.

AC 3454

. . . to do violence to the internal sense
is to deny those things
which are the principal things of this sense,
and which are the essential holy things of the Word;
and these are,
the Divine Human of the Lord,
love to Him,
and love toward the neighbor.
These three are
the principal things of the internal sense,
and are the holy things of the Word;
they are also the internal and holy things
of all doctrinal things that are from the Word;
and are likewise
the internal and holy things of all worship;
for in them is the Lord's kingdom itself.
A fourth is, that the Word,
as to all things therein both in general and in particular,
indeed, as to the smallest point, is Divine;
thus that the Lord is in the Word.
This is also confessed and acknowledged
by all who have doctrinal things from the Word;
and yet at heart
those deny it
who acknowledge no other holiness in the Word
than that which appears in the letter;
for such can perceive nothing holy
in the historicals, nor in the propheticals,
except only a slight external something,
from its being called holy;
when yet it must be interiorly holy
if it be Divine as to the smallest point.