8349. 'And they could not drink the waters for bitterness; for they were bitter' means that truths seemed to them to be unpleasant, as being devoid of an affection for good. This is clear from the meaning of 'drinking the waters' as the reception of truths, and using them as good directs, dealt with in 3069, 5709; from the meaning of 'the waters' as truths, dealt with just above in 8347; and from the meaning of 'bitter' as unpleasant, dealt with in 7854. From these meanings it is evident that 'they could not drink the waters for bitterness; for they were bitter' means that truths seemed to them to be unpleasant. The explanation for their seeming to be so, being devoid of an affection for good, is that any delight which truth holds is attributable to good. The reason why an affection for truth has its origin in good is that good loves truth, and truth loves good; the two go together as though joined in marriage. It is well known that everyone wishes to learn more about the things he loves and has as his end in view. One who loves good, that is, wishes in his heart to worship God and benefit his neighbour, loves to learn more about ways to do so, and therefore to learn truths. From all this it becomes clear that every affection for truth arises out of good
[2] There are, it is true, people who lead bad lives and yet wish to learn truths; but there is no affection for truth present with them, only a desire to subscribe to the teachings of the Church for the sake of their own aggrandizement, that is, their own reputation, position, and gain. A genuine affection for truth consists in wishing to know what the truth is for the sake of life in the world, and for the sake of eternal life. People with this desire enter temptation when the truths they possess begin to be lacking, and especially when the truths they know seem to be unpleasant. The origin of this temptation lies in the fact that the links with good have been broken. These links are broken the moment that a person moves in the direction of his proprium, for in so doing he slips into the evil of self-love or of love of the world. The moment he does so he begins to find truths unpleasant; but as soon as he emerges from that state the truths become pleasant. This is what is meant in the narrative that follows, describing how the bitter waters were cured by the wood that had been thrown into them; for good is meant by 'wood'.
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