e of the mouth and body only, therefore,
and not of the heart.

[2] They may be likened to gold or silver which is spread on dross,
rotten wood or mire. When uttered the truths may be likened to a breath
exhaled and gone, or to a delusive light which dies away, though they
appear outwardly like genuine truths. They are seeming truths in those
who utter them; to those hearing and assenting, and unaware of this, they
may be altogether different. For everyone is affected by what is external
according to his internal. A truth, by whomsoever uttered, enters
another's hearing and is taken up by his mind in keeping with the state
or character of his mind.

Of those in natural good by inheritance, but in no spiritual good, nearly
the same is true as of those described above. The internal of every good
or truth is spiritual. The spiritual dispels falsities and evils, but the
natural left to itself favors them. To favor evil and falsity does not
accord with doing good.

15. Good can be separated from truth, and truth from good, and then still
appear as good or truth, for the reason that the human being has a
capacity to act which is called liberty, and a capacity of understanding
called rationality. By abuse of these powers a man can appear in
externals other than he is in internals; an evil man can do good and
speak truth, and a devil feign himself an angel of light. But on this see
the following propositions in the treatise _Divine Love and Wisdom:_ "The
origin of evil is in the abuse of faculties proper to man, called liberty
and rationality" (nn. 246-270); "These two faculties are to be found with
the evil as well as with the good" (n. 425); "Love not married to wisdom,
and good not married to truth, can effect nothing" (n. 401); "Love does
nothing except in conjunction with wisdom or understanding, and it brings
wisdom or the understanding reciprocally into conjunction with itself"
(nn. 410-412); "From power given it by love, wisdom or understanding can
be elevated and can perceive and receive the things of light from heaven"
(n. 413); "Love can be raised similarly to receive the things of heat
from heaven if it loves its mate, wisdom, in that degree" (nn. 414, 415);
"Else love pulls wisdom or the understanding down from its elevation to
act at one with itself" (nn. 416-418); "If the two are elevated, love is
purified in the understanding" (nn. 419-421); "Purified by wisdom in the
understanding, love becomes spiritual and