1121. And a widow I am not, signifies that such are not without defense. This is evident from the signification of "a widow," as being one who is in the affection of good, and from that affection desires truth. Here a "widow" signifies ¹ defense, thus "not a widow" means not without defense, because good with its affection does not defend itself, but is defended by truth and the understanding of it, "man" [vir], who defends it, signifying the understanding of truth, thus truth. For the marriage of man [vir] and woman is a complete likeness of the marriage of truth and good; since a man is born to be the understanding of truth, consequently that predominates in him, and woman is born to be the affection of good, consequently that predominates in her; and as good and truth mutually love each other and will to be conjoined, so do the understanding of truth and the affection or will of good. Moreover, the conjugial love of husband and wife derives its origin from the spiritual marriage of truth and good (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 366-386).

[2] "Widow" has the same signification here as in Isaiah:

Hear this, thou luxurious one, sitting securely, saying in thy heart, I and none like me besides. I shall not sit a widow, neither shall I know bereavement. But these two evils shall come to thee in a moment, bereavement and widowhood (Isaiah 47:8-9).

This, too, is said of Babylon, and it has the same signification as these words in Revelation, "A widow I am not, and mourning I shall not see, for this reason in one day shall her plagues come to thee, death, and mourning, and famine." Elsewhere in the Word "widows" signify those, both women and males, who are in good and not in truth and yet desire truth, thus those who are without defense against falsity and evil, but who are defended by the Lord. The term is used also in the contrary sense, as in Isaiah 9:17; 10:1, 2; Jeremiah 15:7-9; 22:3; 49:10-11; Lamentations 5:3; Ezekiel 22:6-7; David, Psalms 68:5; Psalms 146:9; Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 10:18; 27:19; Matthew 23:14; Luke 20:47.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] Life regarded in itself, which is God, cannot create another that shall be the only life; for the life that is God is uncreate, continuous, and inseparable; and from this it is that God is one. But the life that is God can create forms out of substances that are not life, in which it can be, and give to them the appearance of living. Such forms are men; and since they are receptacles of life they could not when first created be anything else than images and likenesses of God; images from the reception of truth and likenesses from the reception of good; for life and its recipient are fitted to each other as the active and passive, but do not mingle. For this reason human forms, which are recipients of life, live, not from themselves, but from God who alone is life; consequently, as is well known, every good of love and every truth of faith is from God, and nothing of these is from man; for if man had the least portion of life as his own he would be able to will and do good from himself, and to understand and believe truth from himself, and thus to claim merit; and yet if he so believes, the form recipient of life closes itself above and becomes perverted, and intelligence perishes. Good and its love and truth and its faith are the life that is God, for God is good itself and truth itself; and therefore in these God dwells in man. And from all this it follows, that man of himself is nothing, and is something only so far as he receives from the Lord, and at the same time acknowledges that it is not his own but is the Lord's; then the Lord gives him to be something; yet not from himself but from the Lord.

Poznámky pod čarou:

9216. 'In which he may sleep' means resting on them. This is clear from the meaning of 'sleeping' as resting, in this instance on the external and sensory level, meant by 'clothing', 9212; for it says that it is clothing 'in which he may sleep'. How the explanation that more internal things find rest on the sensory level should be understood must be stated. The sensory level is the last and lowest of a person's life, as has been shown above. What is lowest contains all the more internal levels and is general to them all; for they terminate in it and accordingly rest on it. It is like the skin, for example, which is the outermost covering of the body. The body and all things in it terminate in the skin, because it contains them and they accordingly rest on the skin. In a similar way it is like the peritoneum within the body. Because it contains the abdominal organs, these rest on it and are also linked to it all round. Or equally it is like the pleura's relationship to the organs in the chest.

[2] A similar situation exists with all the things that compose a person's actual life, with those for instance that are connected with his understanding and those that are connected with his will. These too follow one another in order from more internal things to relatively external ones. The relatively external ones are factual knowledge together with its delights, while the outermost things are those of the senses, which are in contact with the world through sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. The more internal things rest on them since they terminate in them. These are the matters that are meant in the spiritual sense by 'the covering' or 'the clothing in which he may sleep'. The reason why things on the level of the senses are meant by 'the clothing' or 'the covering' lies in correspondences; for as stated above in 9212, spirits and angels appear dressed in garments in keeping with their truths of faith. Those governed by truths springing from good appear in shining ones, as for instance those at the Lord's tomb did, Luke 24:4; Matthew 28:3, and also in ones of fine, white linen, as for instance those referred to in Revelation 19:14 did; and others appear in garments of various colours.

[3] Furthermore it should be realized that all things without exception proceed in successive stages from their first or inmost level to their terminations on the last and lowest and rest on them. Each thing at a prior or more internal stage in order has its own connection with terminations on the lowest level. Therefore if things on the lowest level are dispelled those on interior levels are also scattered. This also explains why there are three heavens. The inmost or third heaven flows into the middle or second heaven; the middle or second heaven flows into the first or lowest heaven, which in turn flows into and resides with mankind. Consequently the human race constitutes the lowest level of order; in it heaven terminates and on it heaven rests. This being so, the Lord in His Divine [Love and Care] always provides for the presence among the human race of a Church in which truth revealed by God exists; such truth on our planet is the Word. By means of this a continuous link exists between the human race and the heavens. This is why every detail of the Word has within it an internal sense which exists for heaven's benefit and whose nature is such that it joins angels' minds to those of people on earth in so firm a bond that they act as one. All this goes to show yet again the nature of a situation in which interior things rest on those at the lowest level.