Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 10334

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10334. 'And in the carving of wood to work in all [manner of] work' means in order to represent every type of good. This is clear from the meaning of 'the carving of wood' as that which is representative of good, for good is meant by 'wood', see 643, 2784, 2812, 3720, 8354, 9472; and from the meaning of 'all [manner of] work' as every type. The expression 'every type of good' is used because there are very many genera and species of good. There is celestial good and there is spiritual good. There is interior good and exterior; exterior good exists on the natural level and the level of the senses. There is the good of innocence, the good of love, and the good of faith. Good must be present within all truth, if it is to be truth. But also the good present in a person is given form by truths, which causes good to be various and take a multitude of different forms, to such an extent that no angel, spirit, or man is governed by the same good as that governing another. Heaven as a whole consists in various types of good. This variation makes one angel different from another; for if the same good existed with more there would be no difference between them. But those various types of good are arranged into order by the Lord, in such a way that all together form one overall body of good. It should be remembered that Divine Good, being infinite, is a single whole, 10261; but the character and amount of it as it exists with angels, spirits, and men is made various by its reception within truths. For the truths qualify the good, that is, they give it its specific quality; and truths are many and numerous.


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