7780. “直到磨坊后的婢女的长子” 表占据末位的信之被歪曲的真理. 这从 “长子” 和 “婢女” 的含义清楚可知: “长子” 是指信, 如刚才所述 (7779节), 它因表示信, 故也表示整体上的真理, 因为真理是一个人当信的东西, 是信的内容; “婢女” 是指对真理的一种相当外在的情感, 或对记忆知识的情感 (1895, 2567, 3835, 3849节). 但 “磨坊后的婢女” 表示对记忆知识的最外在的情感, 因为 “磨坊后” 表示占据末位的东西. 经上之所以说 “磨坊后”, 是因为 “磨坊” 论及那些属于信的事物. 事实上, 谷粒通过磨坊被磨成细粉, 从而预备制饼; 而 “粉” 表示产生良善的真理, “饼” 表示由真理所产生的实际良善. 因此, “坐在磨坊上” 是指学习并充满诸如服务于信, 并通过信服务于仁的那类事物. 这就是为何古人在描述信之教义的基本要素时, 将它们描述为 “坐在磨坊上”, 将学习更基本的要素描述为 “坐在磨坊后”. 正是由于这种含义, 主在教导教会末期地方说:

两个女人在磨坊里推磨, 取去一个, 撇下一个. (马太福音 24:41)

若非 “磨坊” 表示这些信之事物, 经上永远不会说这些话. 至于 “磨坊” 和 “推磨” 在内义上表示什么, 可参看前文 (4335节). 关于占据首位的信之真理和占据末位的信之真理, 要知道, 占据首位的, 是那些直接从仁之良善发出的信之真理, 因为它们是良善所取的外在形式, 而占据末位的真理, 是赤裸的真理. 事实上, 当真理接连从良善衍生出来时, 它们每一步都远离良善, 最终变成赤裸的真理. 这种真理由 “磨坊后的婢女” 来表示.

8. And signified, sending by His angel, to His servant John, signifies which are revealed out of heaven to those who are in the good of love. This is evident from the signification of "signified," as being the things in the sense of the letter that contain and thus signify those that are in the internal sense; for it is said, "the revelation which God gave to show, and signified;" and by the things that He signified are meant those that are in the sense of the letter, because all these signify, while the things that are signified are those that are contained in the internal sense. For all things in the Word are significative of spiritual things, which are in the internal sense. This is also evident from the signification of "sending by His angel," as meaning, which are revealed out of heaven; for "to send" is to reveal, and "by an angel" is out of heaven. "To send" is to reveal, because everything that is sent out of heaven is revelation; for that which is there is what is revealed; and this is the spiritual which relates to the church and its state; but with man this is changed into the natural, such as is expressed in the sense of the letter in Revelation and elsewhere in the Word. That which comes out of heaven can be presented to man in no other way; for the spiritual falls into its corresponding natural when it descends out of the spiritual world into the natural. This is why the prophetic Word in the sense of the letter is such as it is, and being such, is in its bosom spiritual and is Divine. By "angel" is meant "out of heaven," because that which an angel speaks is out of heaven; for when an angel communicates to man such things as pertain to heaven and the church, he does not speak as man speaks with man, who brings forth out of his memory what another has told him; but that which an angel speaks flows in continuously, not into his memory, but immediately into his understanding, and from that into words. From this it is that all things that the angels spoke to the prophets are Divine, and nothing at all from the angels. Whether it be said, that these revelations are out of heaven, or are from the Lord, it is the same; because the Divine of the Lord with the angels constitutes heaven, and nothing whatever from the angels' proprium [selfhood, or what is their own]. (But this may be better understood from what is said and shown in Heaven and Hell 2-12, 254).

[2] The things revealed out of heaven are said to be for those who are in the good of love, because it is said, "sending by His angel to His servant John," and by "John" those who are in the good of love are represented and meant. For by the twelve apostles are represented and signified all in the church who are in truths from good; consequently, all truths from good, from which is the church; and by each of the apostles in particular something special; thus by "Peter" faith; by "James" charity; and by "John" the good of charity or the good of love. Because John represented this good, the revelation was made to him; for revelation out of heaven, such as this, can be made only to those who are in the good of charity or of love. Others, indeed, can hear the things that are from heaven, but they cannot perceive them. Only those who are in the good of love have spiritual perception. This is because they receive heavenly things not only with the hearing, but also with the love; and to receive with the love is to receive fully, since the things so received are loved; moreover, those who thus receive, see these things in their understanding, where the sensation of their internal sight is. That this is so has been proven to me by much experience. It might also be elucidated by much rational argument; but the subject cannot just now be amplified so far.

It is here only necessary to say, that all names mentioned in the Word signify not persons but things; that "John," for instance, signifies such as are in the good of love, thus in the abstract the good of love itself. (That all names in the Word signify things may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 768, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329.

That the names of persons and places in the Word cannot enter heaven, but that they are changed into the things that they signify, n. 1876, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10432.

How exquisite the internal sense of the Word is, even where mere names are mentioned, illustrated by examples, n. 1224, 1264, 1888.

That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented, and thence signified, all things of faith and love in the complex, in like manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397.

That "Peter," "James," and "John" represented, and thence signified, faith, charity, and the good of charity, in their order, see preface to Genesis 18 [in n. 2135] Genesis 22, in n. 2760, and in 3934, 8581, 10087)