Of Goodness and Truth: From “Divine Providence” by Emanuel Swedenborg (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

In the 18th century, a great Swedish scientist and inventor, at the height of his career, began to see visions of Heaven, spirits, saints, and angels. He saw Lord Jesus come to open his inner eye, which allowed him to travel in the celestial sphere and talk with different spiritual beings. This mystical experience transformed the scientist into an enlightened spiritual leader with a new understanding of Christianity. His name is Emanuel Swedenborg. From 1744 onwards, Emanuel Swedenborg spent over a decade of his life writing down what he saw in his spiritual voyages in more than two dozen books. His visions of Heaven and the afterlife, his realization that God is Love, and his discovery of the Holy Bible’s deeper meanings are just some of the revolutionary topics he bravely documented. Today, it is a pleasure to present excerpts from “Divine Providence,” wherein Emanuel Swedenborg explains the importance of the union of goodness and truth.

“It is the intent of Divine Providence that everything created, collectively and in every detail, should be this kind of whole, and that if it is not, it should become one. This means that there should be something of Divine love and something of Divine wisdom together in everything that has been created, or (which amounts to the same thing) something good and something true in everything that has been created or a union of what is good and what is true.”

“The good that love does is actually good only to the extent that it is united to the truth that wisdom perceives, and the truth that wisdom perceives is actually true only to the extent that it is united to the good that love does. The reason for this lies in the origin of goodness and truth. Goodness has its origin in the Lord and so does truth, because the Lord is goodness itself and truth itself, and these two form a unity in Him.”

“It is generally recognized that everything in the universe involves what is good and what is true. That is, we understand ‘goodness’ to mean that which everywhere comprehends and comprises everything that has to do with love, and we understand ‘truth’ to mean that which everywhere comprehends and comprises everything that has to do with wisdom. It has not been generally recognized, though, that something good is nothing unless it is united to something true and that something true is nothing unless it is united to something good.”