goodwill, just as goodness is the essence of truth and truth is the form of
goodness, as I said just above.
[ 4 ] These two things, goodness and truth, are in each and every thing
that really exists. Goodwill relates to goodness and faith relates to truth.
Therefore goodwill and faith can be illustrated by comparisons with
many things in the human body and many things on earth.
A comparison with the respiration of the lungs and the systolic
motion of the heart provides a perfect parallel. Goodwill cannot be taken
away from faith any more than the heart can be taken away from the
lungs. If the heartbeat stops, the lungs immediately stop breathing. On
the other hand, if the lungs stop breathing, all sensation shuts down, all
movement of muscles is lost, and soon the heart stops and the whole life
comes to an end. This comparison provides a perfect parallel because the
heart corresponds to the will and also to goodwill, while the breathing of
the lungs corresponds to the intellect and also to faith, in that goodwill
dwells in the will and faith dwells in the intellect, as I have said before. In
the Word, “heart” and “spirit” have exactly these meanings.
[ 5 ] Separating goodwill and faith is also perfectly parallel to separating
blood and flesh. When blood is separated from flesh it is gore at first and
later becomes pus. Flesh that has been separated from blood progressively
rots and breeds little worms. In the spiritual meaning, “blood” means truth
that is related to wisdom and faith, and “flesh” means goodness that is
related to love and goodwill. This meaning of “blood” was demonstrated in
Revelation Unveiled 379 ; this meaning of “flesh” was demonstrated in Reve-
lation Unveiled 832.
[ 6 ] For both goodwill and faith to be anything, they cannot be sepa-
rated any more than we can separate food and water or bread and wine.
If we consume food or bread without water or wine, all they do is bloat
our stomach. In the form of undigested lumps, they ruin our stomach
and become like rotten, foul-smelling muck inside it. If we consume
water or wine without food or bread, they too bloat our stomach and
swell our blood-vessels and internal passages, which become so bereft of
nutrition that they emaciate the body even to the point of death. This
comparison as well is a perfect parallel, since in the spiritual meaning
“food” and “bread” mean goodness that relates to love and goodwill, and
“water” and “wine” mean truth that relates to wisdom and faith (see Rev-
elation Unveiled 50 , 316 , 778 , 932 ).
[ 7 ] Goodwill that is connected to faith and faith that is reciprocally
connected to goodwill could be likened to a lovely young woman whose
facial color is beautiful because redness and whiteness are integrated in it.
singke
(singke)
#1