In support of this position they point out that human elements have certainly crept into sacred scriptures and that sacred truths are often given superlative expression in secular literature. At this point Swedenborg provides an answer by saying that while it is true that the difference is only one of degree, it is a discrete degree. That is to say, there is a point on the rising scale of values at which a new factor enters and a new principle becomes operative which results in bringing something new into being. For example, all life is one, but not all that lives is human. There is life in plant and animal.
Discrete degrees mark the distinction between the kingdoms of life and nature.
Applying this to literature, Swedenborg observed that such a discrete degree divides sacred from secular literature. Sacred literature is first of all purely religious. But not all religious works are sacred scriptures. In order to qualify as such they must deal with spiritual matters and also possess a certain internal content. Consequently they deal exclusively with the deepest spiritual mysteries within the grasp of man.