Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/211

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THE SACRED SCRIPTURES.
115

judgment; etc. These appear as synonymous words, and yet they are not so. For the words brother, poor, wilderness, vacuity, foe, sin, anger, nation, joy, mourning, and justice, are predicated of good, and in the opposite sense of evil; but companion, needy, desert, emptiness, enemy, iniquity, wrath, people, gladness, weeping, and judgment, are predicated of truth, and in the opposite sense of falsity. And yet it appears to the reader who is not acquainted with this arcanum, that poor and needy, desert and wilderness, vacuity and emptiness, foe and enemy, etc., are one thing, whereas they are not so, but form one thing by conjunction. Many things are also coupled together in the Word; as fire and flame; gold and silver; brass and iron; wood and stone; bread and wine; purple and fine linen; etc.; because fire, gold, brass, wood, bread, and purple, signify good; and flame, silver, iron, stone, water, wine, and fine linen, signify truth. In like manner it is said, that men are to love God with all the heart and with all the soul; and that God will create in man a new heart and a new spirit; for the heart is predicated of the good of love, and the soul of truth from that good. There are also words which because they partake of both, that is of good and of truth, are used alone, not being joined with others. But these, and many other things, appear to the angels only, and to those who while in the natural sense are also in the spiritual sense.

It would be tedious to show from the Word that there are such pairs of expressions therein, which appear like repetitions of the same thing; for it would fill sheets. But that all doubt may be removed I will adduce passages where judgment and justice [or righteousness] are mentioned together; also nation and people; and joy and gladness. The following are passages where judgment and justice are mentioned together: "The city was full of judgment, justice lodged in it" (Isa. i. 21). "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with justice" (Isa. i. 27). "Jehovah of hosts shall he exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall he sanctified in justice" (Isa. v. 16). "Let him that glorieth glory in this, that . . . Jehovah exerciseth judgment and justice in the earth" (Jer. ix. 24). "Execute ye judgment and justice. . . . Woe unto him that buildeth his house without justice, and his chambers without judgment. . . . Did not thy father . . . do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?" (Jer. xxii. 3, 13, 15). "I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign, . . . and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth" (Jer. xxiii. 5; xxxiii. 15). . . . The reason why judgment and justice are so often mentioned is that judgment is predicated of truths, and justice of good; and therefore also to execute judgment and justice means to act from truth and from good. The reason why