1143. And of fine linen and of purple, signifies truths and goods from a celestial origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of "fine linen," as being truths from a celestial origin (of which presently); also from the signification of "purple," as being goods from a celestial origin (of which above, n.1042. But here such truths and goods profaned are meant, because the fine linen and purple are called "merchandise of Babylon," and "Babylon," as "a harlot and the mother of whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth," signifies profanations of truth and good. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are truths and goods with those who are in love to the Lord; these are called celestial, and are distinguished from the truths and goods from a spiritual origin, which are signified by "silk and scarlet," which will be spoken of presently. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are profaned by their transferring to themselves the Lord's Divine power of saving the human race, thus transferring their love to the Lord to the Pope as a vicar and to his ministers. And yet the Lord cannot be loved when He has no power to save; but the man is loved who is put in the Lord's place. They say that the Lord is loved because He has given that power to a man, and that He is loved and is held in holy respect by those who have received that power, and is worshipped by the rest. But love to the Lord cannot exist with them, because the love of having dominion over heaven and over the church is wholly contrary to it; for such love is love of self, which is a diabolical love, from which the Lord cannot be loved. Such love regarded in itself is rather hatred against the Lord, and it is turned into hatred when they become spirits and dominion is taken away from them. Then they persecute all who are in love to the Lord. All this makes clear how they profane truths and goods which are from a celestial origin.

[2] That "fine linen" signifies truths from a celestial origin can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

I clothed thee with embroidered work, I shod thee with the skin of the badger, and I girded thee with fine linen, and covered thee with silk. Thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work (Ezekiel 16:10, 13).

This is said of Jerusalem, which means the church, here in its first establishment. "Embroidered work and the skin of the badger" here signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word; "fine linen and silk" signify truths from a celestial origin and truths from a spiritual origin. These are said to be "garments," because "garments" signify the truths with which good is clothed. In the same:

Fine linen in embroidered work was thy spreading forth, and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezekiel 27:7).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of good and truth. These knowledges are signified by "embroidered work from Egypt," truths by "fine linen," and good by "purple," both from a celestial origin. In Luke:

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and indulged in luxuries every day splendidly (Luke 16:19).

The "rich man" means the Jewish nation, which is said to be "clothed in purple and fine linen," because they have the Word from which they might have goods and truths; goods are here meant by "purple," and truths by "fine linen," both from a celestial origin. "Lazarus lying at the rich man's porch" means the Gentiles that did not have the Word.

[3] Since "fine linen" [byssus] which is also called cotton [xylinum] signified truths from a celestial origin, and the garments of Aaron represented Divine truths, because he represented the Lord, therefore:

His miter and belt were woven of fine linen and cotton (Exodus 28:39; 39:27).

And because the curtains and hangings of the tabernacle represented those things of the church that cover, and these are truths, therefore:

These were woven of cotton or fine linen (Exodus 26:1; 27:9, 18; 36:8; 38:9, 16).

"Fine linen" has the same signification in the following passages of Revelation:

The time of the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready; and it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright (Revelation 19:7-8).

The armies of Him that sat upon the white horse followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Revelation 19:14).

"Fine linen" signifies truth from a celestial origin because fine linen was a kind of very shining flax of which garments were made; "flax," and also "whiteness," signify truth, and "a garment" made of it signifies truth that is clean and pure according to the shining.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[4] The hell where those are who are called devils is the love of self; and the hell where those are who are called satans is the love of the world. The diabolical hell is the love of self because that love is the opposite of celestial love which is love to the Lord; and the satanic hell is the love of the world because that love is the opposite of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor. Now as the two loves of hell are opposites of the two loves of heaven, hell and the heavens are in opposition to each other; for all who are in the heavens look to the Lord and to the neighbor, but all who are in the hells look to self and the world. All who are in the heavens love the Lord and the neighbor, and all who are in the hells love self and the world, and consequently hate the Lord and the neighbor. All who are in the heavens think what is true and will what is good, because they think and will from the Lord; but all who are in the hells think what is false and will what is evil, because they think and will from self. From this it is that all who are in the hells appear turned backward, with the face turned away from the Lord; they also appear turned upside down, with the feet upwards and the head downwards. They so appear in accordance with their loves, which are opposite to the loves of heaven.

[5] As hell is the love of self it is also fire, for all love corresponds to fire, and in the spiritual world is so presented as to appear like a fire at a distance, although it is not fire but love; and thus the hells appear within to be on fire, and without like outbursts of fire in smoke from furnaces or from conflagrations; and sometimes the devils themselves appear like fires of coals. Their heat from that fire is like a boiling up from impurities, which is lust, and their light from that fire is only an appearance of light from fantasies and from confirmations of evil by falsities, but still it is not light, for when the light of heaven flows in it becomes to them thick darkness, and when the heat of heaven flows in it becomes to them cold; nevertheless, they see from their light, and live from their heat; but they see like owls, birds of night, and bats, whose eyes are blinded in the light of heaven, and they live half dead. The living principle in them is from the ability to think, to will, to speak, to do, and in consequence to see, to hear, to taste, to smell, and to feel; and this living principle is merely the ability arising from action upon them from without of the life which is God, according to order, and continually impelling them towards order. It is from that power that they live to eternity. Their dead principle is from the evils and falsities that spring from their loves. Consequently their life viewed from their loves is not life but death; and this is why in the Word hell is called "death," and those who are there are called "the dead."

1043. And inwrought with gold and precious stone, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals as if it were from spiritual good and truth, and yet in internals it is from infernal evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of "gold," as being spiritual good and the evil opposite thereto, which is called infernal evil. That "gold" signifies good may be seen above n. 242. Also from the signification of "precious stone," as being both truth from a spiritual origin and the falsity opposite thereto, which is called infernal falsity. That "precious stone" means truth from a spiritual origin may be seen above (n. 717).

(Continuation. )

[2] Something has been said about good and truth from a celestial origin, and good and truth from a spiritual origin; and something shall now be said about the evil and falsity that are opposite to these. As the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, namely, into a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom, so are the hells divided into two dominions opposite to those kingdoms. The dominion opposite to the celestial kingdom is called devilish, and the dominion opposite to the spiritual kingdom is called infernal. These dominions are distinguished in the Word by the names Devil and Satan. There are two dominions in the hells, because the heavens and the hells are opposite to each other; and opposite must fully correspond to opposite that there may be equilibrium. For the existence and subsistence of all things, both in the natural world and in the spiritual world, depend upon an exact equilibrium between two activities that are opposite; and when these act against each other manifestly, they act by forces, but when not manifestly they act by endeavors [conatus]. By means of equilibriums all things in both worlds are preserved; without this all things would perish. In the spiritual world the equilibrium is between good from heaven and evil from hell; and thus between truth from heaven and falsity from hell. For the Lord continually arranges that all kinds and species of good and truth in the heavens shall have opposite to them in the hells evils and falsities of kinds that correspond by opposition; thus goods and truths from a celestial origin have for their opposites evils and falsities that are called devilish; and in like manner goods and truths from a spiritual origin have for their opposites evils and falsities that are called infernal.

[3] The cause of these equilibriums is to be found in the fact that the Divine goods and the Divine truths that the angels in the heavens receive from the Lord, the spirits in the hells turn into evils and falsities. All angels, spirits, and men are kept by the Lord in equilibrium between good and evil, and thus between truth and falsity, in order that they may be in freedom; and thus may be led from evil to good and from falsity to truth easily and as if by themselves, although in fact they are led by the Lord. For the same reason they are led in freedom from good to evil, and from truth to falsity, and this, too, as if by themselves, although the leading is from hell.