965. Verse 3. And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea, signifies the state of the church manifested as to the knowledges of truth in the natural man. This is evident from the signification of "the angel pouring out the vial," as being the state of the church manifested (See above, n. 960, 961); also from the signification of the "sea," as being the generals of truth in the natural man (See n. 275, 342, 511, 876, 931, 934), here from the Word, the generals of truth from which are knowledges; therefore the "sea" signifies the natural man as to the knowledges of truth from the Word, also the knowledges of good therefrom, for the knowledges of good are also the knowledges of truth; for it is a truth to know that a thing is good, and that it is such a good; also to see by the understanding various goods and their differences, and their opposites which are called evils; these so far as they are knowledges are truths; nor are these essentially goods until they are felt as delightful or not delightful, that is, when they are perceived by some sense or from some love.

(Continuation: The Third Commandment)

[2] Now follows the third commandment, which is, to keep the sabbath holy.

The third and fourth commandments of the Decalogue contain things that must be done, namely, that the sabbath must be kept holy, and that parents must be honored. The other commandments contain things that are not to be done, namely, that other gods must not be worshiped; that the name of God must not be profaned; that one must not steal, must not commit adultery, must not bear false witness, must not covet the goods of others. These two commandments are commandments to be done, because the sanctification of the rest of the commandments depends upon these, for the "sabbath" signifies the union in the Lord of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human, also His conjunction with heaven and the church, and thus the marriage of good and truth with the man who is being regenerated. This being the signification of the sabbath, it was the chief representative of all things of worship in the Israelitish Church, as is evident in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 17:20-27), and elsewhere. It was the chief representative of all things of worship, because the first thing in all things of worship is the acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord's Human, for without that acknowledgment man can believe and do only from self, and to believe from self is to believe falsities, and to do from self is to do evils, as is also evident from the Lord's words in John:

To those asking, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus said, This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom God hath sent (John 6:28, 29).

And in the same:

He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

[3] That the sabbath represented that union and the holy acknowledgment of it, has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that the "sabbath" signified in the highest sense the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human in the Lord, in the internal sense the conjunction of the Lord's Human with heaven and with the church, in general the conjunction of good and truth, thus the heavenly marriage (n. 8495, 10356, 10730). Therefore the rest on the sabbath day signified the state of that union, because the Lord then has rest; also through that union there is peace and salvation in the heavens and on the earth. In a relative sense it signified the conjunction of man with the Lord, because man then has peace and salvation (n. 8494, 8510, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668, 10730). The six days preceding the sabbath signified the labors and combats that precede union and conjunction (n. 8510, 8888, 9431, 10360, 10667).

[4] The man who is being regenerated is in two states, the first when he is in truths and by means of truths is being led to good and into good, the other when he is in good. When man is in the first state he is in combats or temptations; but when he is in the second state he is in the tranquility of peace. The former state is signified by the six days of labor that precede the sabbath; and the latter state is signified by the rest on the sabbath day (n. 9274, 9431, 10360). The Lord also was in two states; the first when He was Divine truth and from it fought against the hells and subjugated them, the other when He was made Divine good by union with the very Divine in Himself. The former state was signified in the highest sense by the six days of labor, and the latter by the sabbath (n. 10360). Because such things were represented by the sabbath it was the chief representative of worship, and the holiest of all (n. 10357, 10372). "To do work on the sabbath day" signified to be led not by the Lord but by self, thus to be disjoined (n. 7893, 8495, 10360, 10362, 10365). The sabbath day is not now representative, but is a day of instruction (n. 10360 at the end).

934. Standing by the glassy sea, signifies because they have been in truths from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "the glassy sea," as being the generals of truth from the Word transparent from spiritual truths (See above, n. 931); so "standing by it" signifies to be in truths. They were seen "standing by the glassy sea" because those who live the life of charity and reject the doctrine of faith separated remain in the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, and do not pervert and falsify them. As for example, where "doing" and "working," also "deeds" and "works" are mentioned in the Word they do not include these in faith as though they were concealed in it, but they actually will and do them; for they know that without them faith is not faith, and that faith is only so far faith as works are rightly conjoined with it; consequently to include these in faith or to separate them from it they condemn as a heresy. This makes clear that such "stand by the glassy sea," that is, are in truths from the Word.

[2] It was said of works in the preceding article that those done by man are not good, but only those done by the Lord with man. But for works to be done by the Lord, and not by man, two things are necessary: first, the Lord's Divine must be acknowledged, also that He is the God of heaven and earth even as to the Human, and that every good that is good is from Him; and secondly, that man must live according to the commandments of the Decalogue by abstaining from those evils that are there forbidden, that is, from worshiping other gods, from profaning the name of God, from thefts, from adulteries, from murders, from false witness, from coveting the possessions and property of others. These two things are requisite that the works done by man may be good. The reason is that every good comes from the Lord alone, and the Lord cannot enter into man and lead him so long as these evils are not removed as sins; for they are infernal, and in fact are hell with man, and unless hell is removed the Lord cannot enter and open heaven. This is what is meant by the Lord's words to the rich man:

Who asked Him about eternal life, and said that he had kept the commandments of the Decalogue from his youth; whom the Lord is said to have loved, and to have taught that one thing was lacking to him, that he should sell all that he had and take up the cross (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23).

"To sell all that he had" signifies that he should relinquish the things of his religion, which were traditions, for he was a Jew, and also should relinquish the things that were his own [proprium], which were loving self and the world more than God, and thus leading himself; and "to follow the Lord" signifies to acknowledge Him only and to be led by Him; therefore the Lord also said, "Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but God only." "To take up his cross" signifies to fight against evils and falsities, which are from what is one's own [proprium].