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Matthew 7

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1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone;

10 or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.

13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that Enter in thereby.

14 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.

16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do [men] gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock:

25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock.

26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:

27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching:

29 for he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as their scribes.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 7784

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7784. 'And against all the children of Israel not a dog will move its tongue' means that with those belonging to the spiritual Church there would not be the smallest trace of damnation or grief. This is clear from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as those who belong to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7227; and from the meaning of 'not a dog moving its tongue' as there being not the smallest trace of damnation or grief. For these words express the opposite of 'a great cry which there will be in the land of Egypt', that is, deep grief, 7782 - deep grief on account of damnation, meant by the death of the firstborn.

[2] When it is said that there will not be the smallest trace of damnation with those who belong to the spiritual Church, that is, with those governed by the good of that Church, this should not be taken to mean that they are without any evil, but that they are withheld from evil and maintained in good by the Lord. What is properly their own is altogether evil and damned, but what is properly the Lord's which they receive is good and so is free from all damnation. This is the meaning when it is said that there is no damnation at all with those who abide in the Lord.

[3] The expression 'not a dog will move its tongue' is used on account of the meaning that 'a dog' has. 'A dog' means the lowest of all within the Church, that is, the mean and lowly, as well as those outside the Church, and also those who blather a lot about things that have to do with the Church and have little understanding of them. And in the contrary sense it means those who are altogether outside the faith of the Church and who subject matters of faith to abuse. The fact that 'dogs' means those outside the Church is clear in Matthew,

"Jesus said to the woman who was Greek, a Syro-Phoenician, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "To be sure, Lord, but even the little dogs eat from the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answering said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire. And her daughter was healed." Matthew 15:26-28; Mark 7:27-28.

Here 'children' is used to mean those within the Church, and 'dogs' those outside it. Much the same is meant by the dogs that licked Lazarus sores, Luke 16:21; for 'the rich man' there is used to mean in the internal sense those who are within the Church and who consequently have an abundance of spiritual riches, which consist in knowledge of what is true and good.

[4] 'Dogs' stands for those occupying the lowest position within the Church who blather a lot about such things as have to do with the Church but have little understanding of them, and in the contrary sense those who hurl insults at the things which are matters of faith, in Isaiah,

His watchmen are all blind, they are without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark - watching, lying down, loving to sleep. Isaiah 56:10.

In David,

They make a noise like a dog, they go around in the city; for they belch with their mouth, swords are in their lips. Psalms 59:6-7, 14.

In the same author,

That your foot may press into blood the tongue of your dogs. Psalms 68:23.

In Matthew,

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; do not cast your pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample on them with their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Matthew 7:6.

This is why the most inferior of all things, which was to be cast away, is meant by 'a dead dog' in 1 Samuel 24:14; 2 Samuel 9:8; 16:9.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.