466. And thanksgiving and honour.- This signifies that this is from the Divine Good which proceeds from the Lord in the three heavens, as is plain from this, that as blessing, glory, and wisdom, are said of the reception of Divine Truth, so thanksgiving and honour are said of the reception of Divine Good. For there are two things that proceed from the Lord, from which are all things in the heavens and in the earths, namely, Divine Truth and Divine Good. Divine Truth is the source of all wisdom and intelligence with angels and men, and Divine Good is the source of all love and charity in them. These two proceed from the Lord in union, so that in their very origin they are one; but they are two with angels and men, who are the recipients of them, because there are two receptacles of life with angels and men, called the understanding and the will. The understanding is the receptacle of Divine Truth, and the will the receptacle of Divine Good, or what is the same, the understanding is the receptacle of wisdom from the Lord, and the will the receptacle of love from the Lord; but as far as these two, the Divine Truth and the Divine Good, and thence the understanding and the will, are one with angels and men, so far are they in conjunction with the Lord, but as far as these are not one, so far angels and men are not in conjunction.
[2] Since the Word was given to men in order that there may be conjunction of the Lord with angels and men by means of it, therefore, in every part of it, truth is united to good, and good to truth. For in the Word, especially in the prophets, two expressions are made use of, one of which has reference to Divine Truth, and the other, to Divine Good. But this conjunction in the Word appears only to the angels in heaven, and to those on earth to whom it is granted to see the spiritual sense; for there are words which have reference to truth, and others which have reference to good; where two expressions, therefore, occur, which are almost alike, one signifies those things that belong to truth, and the other, those things that belong to good. There is this union in the Word because the Word is Divine, and Divine Truth united to Divine Good proceeds from the Divine. Concerning this union or this marriage of good and truth in the Word, hitherto unknown on earth, see above (n. 238, 288); and in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4158, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314). These things are said in order that it may be known that "blessing," "glory," and "wisdom," are used in reference to truths from the Divine, as shown above (n. 465), and that "thanksgiving" and "honour" are used in reference to goods from the Divine. That "glory" in the Word is a term used in reference to truth, and "honour" to good, may be seen above (n. 288, 345), where proof is given from various passages in the Word. Thanksgiving is here also used of good, because blessing is mentioned above, and blessing is from the mouth by means of truths, and thanksgiving is of the heart from good.
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