763. Verse 15. And the serpent cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river, signifies crafty reasonings in abundance respecting justification by faith alone by those who think sensually and not spiritually. This is evident from the signification of a "serpent," as being those who are sensual, and in an abstract sense the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural in man (See above, n. 70, 581, 739); that "dragons" also mean those who are sensual may be seen above n. 714; also from the signification of "the woman," as being the church which will be the New Jerusalem (which is treated of in this chapter several times); also from the signification of "mouth," as being thought, from which is speech (See above n. 580; also from the signification of "water," as being the truth of faith, and in the contrary sense falsity (See above, n. 483, 518, 537, 538); also from the signification of "river," as being intelligence from the understanding of the truth, and in the contrary sense reasoning from falsities (See also above, n. 518; consequently "casting out water as a river" signifies reasoning from falsities in abundance. Keen reasonings respecting justification by faith alone by those who think sensually and not spiritually are here meant, because "the dragon" means those who defend justification by faith alone, and who are sensual, and therefore think and reason sensually and not spiritually. (That "the dragon" signifies those who defend justification by faith alone may be seen above, n. 714.) This is meant for the reason also that "dragons" and "serpents" signify those who are sensual, and because sensual men are more crafty than the rest, and reason keenly from falsities and from fallacies. (That "the dragon" and "the serpent" in an abstract sense signify craftiness may be (Seen above, n. 715, 739, 581.) From this it is clear what is signified by the words "the dragon cast out after the woman out of his mouth water as a river."

[2] Because such is the signification, something shall also be said about their crafty reasonings respecting justification by faith alone. Their dogma is that man is justified and saved by faith alone without the works of the law, which are the goods of charity. But inasmuch as they find in the Word of both Testaments "works" and "deeds," as well as "doing" and "loving," so frequently mentioned, they can do no otherwise than affirm that one ought to live well; but since they have separated works or deeds from faith as not justifying and saving, they craftily join these and faith together, but still in such a manner that they rather separate than conjoin them. But as their reasonings are too abundant and too crafty to be set forth in a few words, therefore they shall be set forth in a small work on Spiritual Faith, and be so presented as to be comprehended even by the simple. It is commonly believed, and they themselves who defend justification by faith alone believe, that they think and reason spiritually because they think and reason keenly and craftily. But let it be known that only he who is in enlightenment from the Lord, and thence in the spiritual affection of truth, thinks and reasons spiritually, for these are in the light of truth, and the light of truth is the light of heaven from which the angels have intelligence and wisdom; that light is what is called spiritual light, and consequently those who are in that light are spiritual. But those who are in falsities, however keenly they may think and reason, are not spiritual, but natural, yea, sensual, for their thoughts and reasonings therefrom are for the most part from the fallacies of the senses, which some adorn with eloquence and embellish with the flowers of rhetoric, and confirm by appearances from nature alone, while others add knowledges and adapt them to their reasonings, and these they proclaim from the fire of self-love and the pride of self-intelligence therefrom that sounds like the affection of truth. In such things their craftiness consists, and to such as cannot or dare not enter with any understanding into the things that pertain to the church and the Word this seems to be wisdom. Sensual men have the ability to think, speak, and act craftily, because all evil has its seat in man's sensual, and in it cunning is as predominant as intelligence is in the spiritual man. This has been made evident to me by the cunning of the infernals, which is such and so great that it cannot be described; and in the hells all are sensual. This is the meaning of the Lord's words in Luke:

The sons of this age are for their own generation more prudent than the sons of the light (Luke 16:8);

also by these words respecting the serpent in Moses:

The serpent was more crafty than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made (Genesis 3:1);

"the serpent" signifies the sensual of man. (762)

580. Verse 19. For their power was in their mouth, signifies sensual thoughts and reasonings therefrom that have most power with them. This is evident from the signification of "their power," as being to have power, here to have most power; and from the signification of the "mouth," as being the sensual thought and reasonings therefrom. For the "mouth" and the things belonging to the mouth signify the things of the understanding and of thought and speech therefrom, for these correspond to the mouth. For all the organs that are included in the one term "mouth," as the larynx, the glottis, the throat, the tongue, the mouth, the lips, are organs that serve the understanding for utterance and for speech, and this is why the "mouth" signifies the thought and reasoning therefrom. But as man's thought is interior and exterior, that is spiritual, natural, and sensual, so the "mouth" signifies such thought as pertains to the man treated of, here sensual thought, because it is the man who is made sensual by falsities of evil who is treated of; sensual thought is the lowest thought of all, and is material and corporeal; in such thought are all who are in evils with respect to life, and in consequent falsities in respect to doctrine, however learned and accomplished they may be believed to be, and whatever ability they may have to fit together their falsities in a beautiful order, and to embellish them with elegant and eloquent discourse.

[2] That the "mouth" from correspondence, thus in the spiritual sense, signifies thought, but in the natural sense utterance, can be seen from the following passages. In David:

The mouth of the righteous meditateth wisdom (Psalms 37:30).

The "mouth" here signifies thought from affection, for man from that meditates wisdom, but not from the mouth and its speech. In Luke:

Jesus said, I will give you a mouth and wisdom which they will not be able to oppose (Luke 21:15).

Here the mouth evidently stands for speech from the understanding, thus for the thought from which man speaks. In Matthew:

Not that which entereth into the mouth maketh the man unclean, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this maketh the man unclean. Whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught. But the things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart. Out of the heart go forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies (Matthew 15:11, 17-19).

"That which entereth into the mouth" means in the literal sense food of every kind, which, after its use in the body, goes out through the belly into the draught; but in the spiritual sense, "that which entereth into the mouth" signifies all things that enter into the thought from the memory, and also from the world, and these also correspond to food; while the things that enter into the thought, and not also into the will, do not render a man unclean; for the memory, and thought therefrom, are to man only as a way of entrance to him, since the will is the man himself. The things that merely enter the thought and go no further are cast out as it were through the belly into the draught, "the belly" signifying from correspondence the world of spirits, from which thoughts flow in with man, and the "draught" signifying hell.

[3] It must be known that man cannot be purified from evils and the consequent falsities, unless the unclean things that are in him come forth as far as into the thought, and are there seen, recognized, discerned, and put away. This makes evident that "that which entereth into the mouth" signifies in the spiritual sense what enters into the thought from the memory and from the world; while "that which cometh out of the mouth" signifies in the spiritual sense thought from the will or from love; for the "heart," from which thought goes forth into the mouth and from the mouth, signifies man's will and love; and as the love and will constitute the whole man, for the man is such as his love is, so the things that go forth therefrom into the mouth and out of the mouth are what make the man unclean. That these are evils of every kind is evident from the things enumerated. Such is the meaning of these words of the Lord in the heavens. (That the "heart" signifies the will and love see above, n. 167.)

[4] In Isaiah:

Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, in whose hand was a burning coal from the altar; and he touched my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; therefore thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin is expiated (Isaiah 6:6-7).

"One of the seraphim touching the mouth and lips of the prophet with a burning coal from the altar" signifies his interior purification, which is that of the understanding and will, and thus inauguration into the gift of teaching; "the burning coal from the altar" signifies the Divine love, from which is all purification, and "the mouth and lips" signify thought and affection, or what is the same, the understanding and the will; when these are purified man is withdrawn from iniquity and sin; consequently it is said, "therefore thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin is expiated." Anyone can see that iniquity is not taken away by a burning coal applied to the mouth and lips. (That the things belonging to the mouth correspond to things intellectual, because from them the voice and speech proceed, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 8068, 9384. That "from the mouth and from the heart" means from the understanding and from the will, n. 3313, 8068.)