787. 18:18 "Stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What other city may be compared to this great city?'" This symbolizes their mourning in a state apart over the damnation of the Roman Catholic religion, which they believed to be preeminent over every other religion in the world.

The merchants' standing at a distance symbolizes a time when they were as yet in a state apart from a state of damnation, and yet were afraid of being punished (nos. 769, 783). Their crying out symbolizes their mourning. The smoke of the city's burning symbolizes a state of damnation because of its adulteration and profanation of the Word (nos. 766, 767). Their saying, "What other city may be compared to this great city," means symbolically that they believed that religion to be preeminent over every other religion in the world. That great city symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion, here as a number of times above.

Everyone knows that Roman Catholics believe their religion to be preeminent over every other religion, and that their church is the mother, queen and mistress of them all. Everyone knows, too, that their believing so is continually instilled in them by canons and monks, and people attentive to it know also that the canons and monks are moved to do this by a fire to achieve dominion and material gain. And yet because of the power of their domination Roman Catholics cannot separate themselves from all the external practices of that religion; but they can nevertheless separate themselves from its internal constituents, since everyone's will and intellect, and so affection and thought, have been left, and continue to be left, in complete freedom.

783. 18:15 "The merchants of these things, whom she made rich, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning." This symbolizes the state before damnation of those Roman Catholics who profited by various dispensations and promises of heavenly joys, and their fear and lamentation then.

The merchants of these things, namely of fruits that the soul longs for and things rich and splendid, which we considered in the verse immediately preceding this, symbolize people who by various dispensations and promises of heavenly joys have become rich, that is, who profited by them.

The merchants meant here are all those in the Roman Catholic hierarchy, both those higher in rank and those lower in rank, who have profited by these things. That they include those higher in rank is apparent from verse 23 in this chapter, where it says, "For your merchants were the great men of the earth;" and that they include those lower in rank is apparent from verse 11, as may be seen in no. 771 above.

To stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, means, symbolically, when they are as yet in a state distant from one of damnation, and still at that time in a state of fear of punishments and in a state of lamentation, as in no. 769 above, where a similar statement is made.