5355. For God hath made me fruitful. That this signifies the consequent multiplication of truth from good, is evident from the signification of "making fruitful," as being multiplication, namely, of truth from good; for "fruitfulness" is predicated of good, and "multiplication" of truth (n. 43, 55, 913, 983, 1940, 2846, 2847). Hence in the original language "Ephraim" was named from fruitfulness, and his quality is contained in the words, "for God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." This quality is that truth from good was multiplied in the natural after the temptations suffered there. What the multiplication of truth from good is shall be briefly stated. When man is in good, that is, in love toward the neighbor, he is also in the love of truth; consequently insofar as he is in this good, so far he is affected by truth, for good is in truth as the soul in its body. As therefore good multiplies truth, so it propagates itself; and if it is the good of genuine charity, it propagates itself in truth and by truth indefinitely; for there is no limit to good or to truth. The Infinite is in all things in general and in particular, because they are all from the Infinite; but still the indefinite can never in any way reach the Infinite, because there is no ratio between the finite and the Infinite. In the church today there is rarely any multiplication of truth, for the reason that at this day there is no good of genuine charity. It is believed to be sufficient to know the dogmas of faith of the church in which the man is born, and to confirm them by various means. But one who is in the good of genuine charity, and thence in the affection of truth, is not content with this, but desires to be enlightened from the Word as to what truth is, and to see the truth before he confirms it. Moreover, he sees it from good, because the perception of truth is from good; for the Lord is in good, and gives the perception. When a man receives truth in this way, it increases indefinitely. In this respect it is like a little seed, which grows into a tree, and produces other little seeds, which in turn produce a garden, and so on.