1033. That sitteth upon many waters. That this signifies ruling over all things of the Word, and thence over the holy things of the church, is evident from the signification of sitting, as denoting to subject to her judgment, and to bring under her jurisdiction, and thus to rule; whence it is that sitting in judgment is spoken of, and sitting upon a throne, as may be seen above (n. 687); and from the signification of waters, as denoting truths (concerning which see n. 71, 483, 518, 854); in this case all things of the Word, because it is said, many waters, and concerning the whore, which is Babylon, by which is meant the adulteration and profanation of the Word, from which is all the good and truth of the church. The reason why by many waters are also signified the holy things of the church is, that all holy things have reference to the goods and the truths of the Word.

[2] Similar things are signified by dwelling upon many waters, in Jeremiah:

"Jehovah shall do that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babel. O thou that dwellest upon many waters, upon many treasures, thine end is come, the measure of thy gain" (51:12, 13).

Because many waters signify the truths of the Word, and hence the holy things of the church, it is also here added, upon many treasures, for by treasures are signified divine truths in the Word. That many waters here also signify the holy things of the church will be clear from the explanation of verse 15, where it is said: "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes, nations and tongues." By peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues are there meant all things of the church; because by earth in the Word, is signified the church; and hence by those who are upon the earth, are signified all things thereof. But more will be said upon this subject in the explanation of that verse.

That the Babylonians have subjected the truths of the Word and the holy things of the church to their judgment, jurisdiction, and dominion, is evident from this, that they persuade the people that they alone understand the Word, and none that are not inaugurated into the ministry. And by this means they subject all things of the Word, and thence all things of the church, to their own dominion.

[3] The Word, in the sense of the letter, is also such, that it may be used to confirm any heresy whatever. For the literal sense, consisting of appearances of truth, holds enclosed in it the genuine truths of heaven, which are called spiritual truths; and unless these truths are revealed and laid bare, that is, unless they are taught in the doctrines of the church, the appearances in them may be used and perverted to favour any falsity whatever, and even to favour evil. For the genuine truths of the Word are like a man; and the appearances of truth, of which the sense of the letter consists, are like his garments; from these alone a judgment cannot be favoured as to who the man is and what he is. If a man were considered from his clothes alone, a king might be called a servant, and a servant a king; also a good man might be called an evil man, and an evil man a good man, and so on. Thus those who arrogate to themselves dominion over all things of the church and heaven, can apply the sense of the letter of the Word, in a thousand ways, to favour such dominion. And this they do quite easily, because all things of the church that are called holy, they regard as above the human understanding; and when this is believed, and no real truth is taught, infernal falsities may be called truths, and diabolical evils called goods. In fact, the simple may be persuaded that the edicts of the Pope are equally holy, indeed, more holy than the precepts of the Word, although the latter are from heaven, while the former, for the most part, are from hell. For every edict respecting the government, faith, and worship of the church that has dominion in the world for an end, however it may appear in the external form, and sound as if from the Word, is from hell. But every precept of the Word, because it looks to the salvation of souls by the Lord as the end, is from heaven.

From these things it is evident that by sitting upon many waters, when said of Babylon as a whore, is signified to rule over all things of the Word, and thence over the holy things of the church.