Apocalypse Explained # 244
244. That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, signifies that filthy loves may not appear. This is evident from the signification of "nakedness," as being the deprivation of truth and good from the understanding, because of the deprivation of them from the will, or the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, because there is no good which is of love (See above, n. 240). And because this deprivation is signified by "nakedness," "the shame of nakedness" signifies filthy loves, for these appear when they are not removed by the love of good and by the faith of truth therefrom. For man is born into two loves, which are the love of self and the love of the world, therefore by heredity he derives the inclination to love self and the world above all things; these loves are filthy loves, because out of them all evils flow, namely, contempt of others in comparison with oneself, enmity against those who do not favor oneself, hatred, revenge, craftiness, and deceits of every kind. These loves with their evils cannot be removed except by the two loves, which are the love to the Lord and the love towards the neighbor; from these man inclines to love the Lord above all things, and the neighbor as himself. These two loves are pure loves, since they are out of heaven from the Lord. Moreover, from these all goods flow; so far, therefore, as man is in these, so far the filthy loves into which he is born are removed, even until they do not appear; and they are removed by the Lord by means of truths. From this it can be seen that "I counsel thee to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear," signifies that they should acquire for themselves genuine truths, and from these intelligence from the Lord, that filthy loves may not appear.
