xternal things. But if man were born into the order of his life,
which is to love God above all things and his neighbor as himself, he
would be born into intelligence and wisdom, and as knowledges are
acquired would come into a belief in all truth. Good spirits saw this
at once and perceived it to be true, and this merely from the light
of truth; while the spirits who had confirmed themselves in faith
alone, and had thereby set aside love and charity, were unable to
understand it, because the light of falsity which they had confirmed
had made obscure to them the light of truth.

{Footnote 1} It is the part of the wise to see and perceive
whether a thing is true before it is confirmed and not merely
to confirm what is said by others (n. 1017, 4741, 7012, 7680,
7950). Only those can see and perceive whether a thing is true
before it is confirmed who are affected by truth for the sake
of truth and for the sake of life (n. 8521). The light of
confirmation is not spiritual light but natural light, and is
even sensual light which the wicked may have (n. 8780). All
things, even falsities, may be so confirmed as to appear like
truths (n. 2477, 2480, 5033, 6865, 8521).

353. False intelligence and wisdom is all intelligence and wisdom
that is separated from the acknowledgment of the Divine; for all such
as do not acknowledge the Divine, but acknowledge nature in the place
of the Divine, think from the bodily-sensual, and are merely sensual,
however highly they may be esteemed in the world for their
accomplishments and learning.{1} For their learning does not ascend
beyond such things as appear before their eyes in the world; these
they hold in the memory and look at them in an almost material way,
although the same knowledges serve the truly intelligent in forming
their understanding. By sciences the various kinds of experimental
knowledge are meant, such as physics, astronomy, chemistry,
mechanics, geometry, anatomy, psychology, philosophy, the history of
kingdoms and of the literary world, criticism, and languages. [2] The
clergy who deny the Divine do not raise their thoughts above the
sensual things of the external man; and regard the things of the Word
in the same way as others regard the sciences, not making them
matters of thought or of any intuition by an enlightened rational
mind; and for the reason that their interiors are closed up, together
with those exteriors that are nearest to their interi