ey know this, for if they did not they would
not feign goods and truths; hence in their simulation of them they
possess a vital humanness.

[5] Who does not know that a man is what he is inwardly? Consequently
that he is a man who is inwardly what he wishes to appear to be
outwardly, while he is a copy who is a man outwardly only and not
inwardly. Think, as you speak, in favor of God and religion, of
righteousness and sincerity, and you will be a man, and divine providence
will be your prudence; you will perceive in others that one's own
prudence is insanity.

312. (ii) _By his own prudence man persuades himself and confirms in
himself that all good and truth are from him and in him; similarly all
evil and falsity._ Rest the argument on the parallel between natural good
and truth and spiritual good and truth. Ask what truth and good are to
the sight of the eye. Is not what is called beautiful truth to it, and
what is called enjoyable good to it? For enjoyment is felt in beholding
what is beautiful. What are truth and good to the hearing? Is not what is
called harmonious truth to it, and what is called pleasing good to it?
For pleasure is felt in hearing harmonies. It is the same with the other
senses. What natural good and truth are is plain, then. Consider now what
spiritual good and truth are. Is spiritual truth anything other than
beauty and harmony in spiritual matters and objects? And is spiritual
good anything other than the enjoyment and pleasure of perceiving the
beauty and harmony?

[2] Let us see now whether anything different is to be said of the one
from what is said of the other, that is, of the spiritual from what is
said of the natural. Of the natural we say that what is beautiful and
enjoyable to the eye flows in from objects, and what is harmonious and
pleasing to the ear flows in from musical instruments. Is something
different to be said in relation to the organic substances of the mind?
Of these it is said that the enjoyable and pleasing are in them, while it
is said of eye and ear that they flow in. If you inquire why it is said
that they flow in, the one answer possible is that distance appears
between the objects and the organs. But when one asks why it is said that
in the other case they are indwelling, the one possible answer is that no
distance appears between the two. Consequently, it is the appearance of
distance that results in believing one thing about what one thinks and
perceives, and