799. "For your great men were the merchants of the earth." This symbolically means that those higher in the Roman Catholic hierarchy are of such a character because they use their various prerogatives, including ones left to their discretion in the regulations of their order, to buy and sell and make material gains.

The great men mean those higher in the Roman Catholic hierarchy, those called cardinals, bishops and primates. They are called merchants because they use the sanctities of the church as merchandise by which to make material gains (nos. 771, 783) - here those who use their various prerogatives, including ones left to their discretion in the regulations of their order, to buy and sell and make material gains.

The reason we say this is apparent from the foregoing declarations, for this follows as a consequence of them. In the foregoing declarations we are told that the sound of harpists and musicians, flutists and trumpeters, shall not be heard in Babylon anymore, that no craftsman of any craft shall be found there, that the sound of a mill shall not be heard there, that the light of a lamp shall not shine there, and that the sound of a bridegroom and bride shall not be heard there; and these symbolically mean, as may be seen above, that in Babylon there will be no affection for spiritual truth (no. 792), no understanding of spiritual truth and so no thought of spiritual truth (no. 793), neither any inquiry or investigation into it (no. 794), nor any enlightenment or perception of it, and so no conjunction of goodness and truth, which is what forms the church (no. 797). The Roman Catholics described lack these things because those higher in rank also buy and sell and make material gains, and thus furnish those lower in rank with their examples. This then is why we are told, "For your great men were the merchants of the earth."

[2] But perhaps someone will say, "What are those additional discretionary prerogatives which can be used as merchandise?"

They are not their annual incomes and stipends, but the dispensations they make by the power the keys give them, namely, their forgiving of sins, even heinous ones, and using this to liberate from temporal punishments; their interceding with the Pope to be able to marry people within degrees of relationship prohibited by law, and to put an end to marriages within degrees of relationship not prohibited, and allowing these themselves without interceding by acts of toleration; their granting special privileges that lie within their power to grant; their use of the power to ordain ministers and confirm them; their use of the gifts they receive in general and in particular from monasteries; their appropriation of revenues from other sources which belong by right to others; and many other things.

These, and not their annual incomes, if they are content with them, cause them not to have any affection for or thought of spiritual truth, any investigation into or perception of spiritual truth, or any conjunction of truth and goodness, because they are the quests of unrighteous mammon, and an unrighteous person continually lusts for natural riches and turns away from spiritual riches, which are Divine truths drawn from the Word.

[3] It can now be seen from this that the declaration, "For your great men were the merchants of the earth," symbolically means that those higher in the Roman Catholic hierarchy are of such a character because they use their various prerogatives, including ones left to their discretion in the regulations of their order, to buy and sell and make material gains.

To this we will add here something more about using the power of the keys to grant dispensations over the commission of crimes, even heinous ones, by which to liberate the guilty not only from eternal punishment, but also from temporal ones, and if they are not liberated, still to protect them by giving them asylum.

Who does not see that this does not fall within ecclesiastical authority, but rather civil authority? That it is to extend ecclesiastical government over everything secular? That it serves to destroy public trust? And that by this power still reserved for them they have the power to bring back their earlier despotic dominion over all the law courts established by kings, thus over the judges, even the highest of them - something they would also do, if they did not fear people's leaving the church.

This is what is meant in Daniel by the fourth beast that came up from the sea and its thinking to change the times and the law (Daniel 7:25).

792. 18:22 "The sound of harpists and musicians, flutists and trumpeters, shall not be heard in you anymore." This symbolically means that they will not have in them any affection for spiritual truth and goodness, nor any affection for celestial truth and goodness.

A sound means tone, and every tone corresponds to some affection relating to love, since it originates from love. For this reason, the sounds of harps, music, flutes and trumpets, because of their correspondence, symbolize affections.

Affections, however, are of two types: spiritual and celestial. Spiritual affections are affections connected with wisdom, while celestial affections are affections connected with love. They differ from each other in the same way as the heavens, which have been distinguished into two kingdoms, celestial and spiritual, as we have said several times before.

The sounds of some musical instruments, therefore, relate to spiritual affections, and the sounds of others to celestial affections - the sound or tone of harpists and musicians relating to spiritual affections, and the sound or tone of flutists and trumpeters relating to celestial affections. For instruments whose tones sound in distinct intervals, like stringed instruments, belong to the spiritual class of affections, while instruments whose tones are continuous, like wind instruments, belong to the celestial class of affections. Thus the sound or tone of harpists and musicians symbolizes an affection for spiritual truth and goodness, while the sound or tone of flutists and trumpeters symbolizes an affection for celestial truth and goodness.

That the sound of a harp, owing to its correspondence, symbolizes confession from an affection for spiritual truth, may be seen in nos. 276, 661.

[2] The meaning here is that no affections for spiritual truth and goodness and no affections for celestial truth and goodness are found in people who are caught up in the evils and falsities of the Roman Catholic religion, because we are told that "the sound of harpists and musicians, flutists and trumpeters, shall not be heard in you anymore." None are found because in their case none are possible; for they do not have any truth from the Word, and lacking truth, they do not have any goodness. Goodness is possible only in people who desire truths. But the only people who desire truths from a spiritual affection are those who turn to the Lord. After death they are instructed by angels and receive truths in accordance with their desire.

The external affections they have when they hear masses said and in other devotions, being without truths from the Lord through the Word, are nothing but merely natural, sensual and carnal affections. And because that is their character, and they have no internal affections from the Lord, it is no wonder that they are brought in that dark and blind state to a worship of men, living and dead, and to the sacrifices of demons, called plutos, to atone for their souls.