701. As the ark is called the ark of the covenant, we have to show from the Word that it was called the ark of the covenant because it contained the law. And the law, which in a broad sense means the Word, signifies the Lord as to the Divine Truth, which is the Word, thus the Divine Truth or Word which is from the Lord, and in which the Lord is, because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him. When this is received by man, conjunction with the Lord takes place, and it is this conjunction that is signified by covenant. How conjunction of the Lord with man, and of man with the Lord, is effected, shall also be explained in a few words. The Lord flows in continually with all men with light that enlightens, and with the love of knowing and understanding truths, and of willing and doing them; and as that light and that affection flow in continually from the Lord, it follows that a man becomes rational so far as he receives that light, and he becomes wise, and is led by the Lord in the degree that he receives that affection. That affection with its light draws to itself and conjoins to itself the truths which a man from infancy has learnt from the Word, from doctrine from the Word, and from preaching; for all affection desires to be nourished by the knowledges (cognitiones) which harmonize with it. From this conjunction man's spiritual love or affection is formed, by means of which he is conjoined to the Lord, that is, by means of which the Lord conjoins man to Himself.

[2] But in order that man may receive that light and that affection, freedom of choice has been given to him, which, because it is from the Lord, is also His gift with man, and is never taken away from him; for that freedom belongs to man's affection or love, consequently also to his life. Man, from freedom, can think and will what is evil, and also think and will what is good. So far, therefore, as a man from that freedom, which belongs to his love, and thus to his life, thinks falsities and wills evils, which are contrary to the truths and goods of the Word, so far he is not conjoined to the Lord; but so far as he thinks truths and wills goods, which are from the Word, so far he is conjoined to the Lord, and the Lord causes those truths and goods to be of His love, and thus of His life. From these things it is evident that this conjunction is reciprocal, namely, of the Lord with man, and of man with the Lord; such is the conjunction meant in the Word by covenant.

[3] He who believes that man can do nothing towards his own salvation, because the light to see truths and the affection to do them, and also the freedom to think and will them, are from the Lord, and nothing of these from man, is mistaken. But since those things appear to man to be in himself, and, when they are thought and willed, to be from himself, therefore, because of that appearance, man ought to think and will them as from himself, but at the same time to acknowledge that they are from the Lord. In no other way can anything of truth and good, or of faith and love, be appropriated to him. He who hangs down his hands, and waits for influx, can receive nothing and can have no reciprocal conjunction with the Lord; thus he is not in the covenant. That this is the case is clearly evident from this, that the Lord in a thousand passages in the Word has said that men should do good, and not evil; and the Lord would by no means have said this, unless something had been given to man, which confers upon him ability to act; and that which has been given to man appears to him to be his own, although it is not his. Because this is the case, therefore the Lord thus speaks in John:

"I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Apoc. 3:20).

[4] That covenant signifies conjunction with the Lord through the reception of Divine Truth in the understanding and will, or in the heart and soul, that is, in love and faith, and that conjunction takes place reciprocally, is evident from the Word, where covenant is mentioned. For it is evident from the Word,- 1. That the Lord Himself is called a covenant, because conjunction with Him is effected by Him by means of the Divine which proceeds from Him. 2. That the proceeding Divine, which is the Divine Truth, thus the Word, is a covenant, because it conjoins. 3. That the commandments, judgments, and statutes, given to the sons of Israel, were to them a covenant, because through these there was at that time conjunction with the Lord. 4. That further, whatever conjoins is called a covenant.

[5] As to the first - That the Lord Himself is called a covenant, because conjunction with Him is effected by Him by means of the Divine which proceeds from Him, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"I, Jehovah, have called thee in justice, and I will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and I will give thee for a covenant of the people, and for a light of the nations" (42:6).

This is said of the Lord, who is called a covenant of the people, and a light of the nations, because a covenant signifies conjunction, and light Divine Truth, peoples mean those who are in truths, and nations those who are in goods, as may be seen above (n. 175, 331, 625). To call Him in justice signifies that He may accomplish justice by separating the evil from the good, saving the latter but condemning the former. To take hold of the hand and to keep signifies from Divine Omnipotence, which the hells are unable to resist; that Jehovah will do this signifies that it is done by the Divine in the Lord.

[6] In the same:

"I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth, and to inherit the devastated heritages" (49:8).

This also is said of the Lord; and to give for a covenant of the people signifies that there may be conjunction with Him and by Him; to restore the earth signifies the church; and to inherit the devastated heritages signifies to restore the goods and truths of the church which had been destroyed.

[7] In David:

"I have made a covenant with mine elect, and I have sworn to David my servant, Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, to eternity will I keep for him my mercy, and my covenant shall be steadfast for him" (Psalm 89:3, 4, 28).

David here means the Lord as to His royalty, as may be seen above (n. 205), who is called Elect from good, and Servant from truth. To make a covenant and swear to Him signifies the union of His Divine with His Human, to make a covenant denoting to be united, and to swear denoting to confirm it. Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, signifies the eternity of Divine Truth from Him; to eternity will I keep for Him my mercy, signifies the eternity of Divine Good from Him; My covenant shall be steadfast, signifies the union of the Divine and Human in Him. This becomes the meaning of these words, when instead of David the Lord as to the Divine Human, and Its royalty are meant; and it is spoken of in this way in the sense of the letter, because in that sense David is treated of, with whom there was no eternal covenant.

[8] In the Second Book of Samuel:

"The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake to me, and he shall be as the light of the morning, the sun ariseth, [of a morning] without clouds, from the brightness after rain, grass out of the earth. Is not my house firm with God? because he hath set for me a covenant of eternity, to order over all and to keep" (23:3-5).

This is said by David; and the God of Israel, and the Rock of Israel, mean the Lord as to Divine Truth. The signification of, He shall be as the light of the morning, the sun ariseth, of a morning without clouds, from the brightness after rain, grass out of the earth, may be seen above (n. 644:22). The Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, from which comes all germination of truth and fructification of good is here described. Is not my house firm with God? signifies the church conjoined with the Lord by means of Divine Truth, the house of David denoting the church. Because He hath set for me a covenant of eternity, signifies that from the union of His Human with the Divine He has conjunction with the men of the church; to order over all and to keep, signifies from which He rules all things and all persons, and saves such as receive.

[9] In Malachi:

"Ye shall know that I have sent unto you this commandment, that my covenant may be with Levi; my covenant with him was of life and of peace, which I gave to him with fear, that he might fear me. The law of truth was in his mouth, and perversity was not found in his lips. But ye have departed from the way, ye have caused many to stumble in the law, ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi" (2:4-6, 8).

The covenant of Jehovah with Levi, in the highest sense, signifies the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and, in the relative sense, the conjunction of the Lord with the church; for the Lord is meant by Levi as well as by David, but by Levi as to Divine Good, which is the priesthood of the Lord, and by David as to the Divine Truth, which is the royalty of the Lord. That the Lord is meant by Levi is plain from the fact that it is said, the law of truth was in His mouth, and perversity was not found in His lips, the law of truth signifying Divine Truth from Divine Good, and lips doctrine of truth and instruction; and afterwards it is said, "The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge (scientia), and they shall seek the law from his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah Zebaoth" (verse 7). The covenant of life and of peace signifies that union and that conjunction (of which just above) from which the Lord Himself became life and peace, from which man has eternal life and also peace from infestation by evils and falsities, thus from hell. The signification of His fear, may be seen above (n. 696). Those who live contrary to Divine Truth are understood by those that have departed from the way, caused many to stumble in the law, and corrupted the covenant of Levi; to depart from the way, and to stumble in the law, signify to live contrary to Divine Truth; and to corrupt the covenant of Levi, signifies [to corrupt] conjunction with the Lord.

[10] In the same:

"Behold, I send mine angel, who shall prepare the way before me; and suddenly the Lord shall come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire" (3:1).

That the Lord's coming is here proclaimed is plain. The Lord is here called Lord from Divine Good, and the angel of the covenant from Divine Truth, as may be seen above (n. 242:9, 433:12, 444:8), where the rest of the passage is also explained. From this it is evident that covenant, when used in reference to the Lord, means either Himself or the union of His Divine with the Human in Him and that, with reference to those who are in heaven and in the church, it means conjunction with Him, through the Divine which proceeds from Him.

[11] Secondly, That the proceeding Divine, which is the Divine Truth, thus the Word, is a covenant, because it conjoins, is evident from the following passages.

In Moses:

Moses coming down from Mount Sinai "told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do; and Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah," in a book; "and he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the ears of the people, and they said, Everything that Jehovah hath spoken we will do, and we will hearken. And Moses took half of the blood" of the burnt-offerings, "and sprinkled upon the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath made with you concerning all these words. And they saw the God of Israel, and under his feet as it were a work of sapphire stone" (Exodus 24:3, 4, 7, 8, 10).

That Divine Truth, which with us is the Word, is a covenant, is evident from all these particulars considered in the internal or spiritual sense. For Moses, who said those things to the people, represented the law, that is, the Word, as is evident from various places where it is said, "Moses and the prophets," and in others, "the law and the prophets." Thus Moses denotes the law; and the law, in a broad sense, signifies the Word, which is Divine Truth. The same is also evident from this, that Mount Sinai signifies heaven whence Divine Truth comes; that the book of the covenant, which was read before the people, signifies the Word, and that the blood, of which half was sprinkled upon the people, also signifies Divine Truth, which is the Word, and as this conjoins, it is called the blood of the covenant. And since all conjunction by means of Divine Truth is with the Lord, therefore the God of Israel, who is the Lord, was seen by Moses, Aaron and his sons, and the seventy elders. It is said, "was seen under His feet" there, because when by the Lord is meant the Word, by His feet is meant the Word in its ultimates, that is, in the sense of its letter, for the sons of Israel did not see it interiorly. As it were a work of sapphire stone, signifies to be transparent, from internal truths, which are the spiritual sense of the Word. But these things may be seen explained in detail in theArcana Coelestia 9371-9412).

[12] What kind of conjunction that is, which is signified by covenant, is also evident from what has been adduced, namely, that it is like the covenants that are accustomed to be made in the world, between one person and another; similarly, the covenants which the Lord makes with men must be in the Lord's part and on man's part; they must be on the part of both, for the sake of conjunction. Those things which were on the Lord's part are stated in the preceding chapter, namely, that He will bless their bread and their waters, that He will take away their diseases, and that they shall possess the land of Canaan from the Sea Suph (Red Sea) even to the river Euphrates (Exodus 23:25-31). Here to bless their bread and their waters, in the internal spiritual sense, signifies the fructification of good and multiplication of truth, bread signifying all the good of heaven and of the church, and waters, all the truths of that good. To take away diseases, signifies to remove evils and falsities which are from hell, for these in the spiritual sense are diseases; and to possess the land from the Sea Suph (Red Sea) to the river Euphrates, signifies the church with its entire extension, which those have from the Lord who are conjoined to Him through Divine Truth. But the things which must be on man's part are stated in the three preceding chapters, and in brief are meant in the passage cited above, by "the words of Jehovah and the judgments," which Moses descending from Mount Sinai related to the people, to which the people responded with one voice, "All the words that Jehovah hath spoken we will do, and we will hearken." For this reason Moses divided the blood of the burnt-offering, and half of it, which was for the Lord, he left in the bowls, but the other half he sprinkled upon the people.

[13] That conjunction of the Lord with man is effected by means of the Divine Truth is also meant by blood in the Evangelists.

Jesus "took the cup, saying, Drink of it all of you, this is my blood, that of the new covenant" (Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:20).

Here blood is called the blood of the new covenant, because blood signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and covenant signifies conjunction. That blood signifies the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and received by man, may be seen above (n. 329, 476); and that to drink signifies to receive, to appropriate to oneself, and thus to be conjoined, may also be seen above (n. 617).

[14] Similarly in Zechariah:

"By the blood of thy covenant, I will send forth thy bound out of the pit in which there is no water" (9:11).

This is said of the Lord, who is plainly treated of in that chapter; and by the blood of the covenant is meant, as above, the Divine Truth, by means of which conjunction takes place with the Lord. Who are meant by the bound in the pit, in which there is no water, may be seen above (n. 537:12).

[15] Since the Lord called His blood, which means the Divine Truth proceeding from Him, the blood of the new covenant, the meaning of the old covenant and the new covenant shall be briefly explained. The old covenant means conjunction by means of Divine Truth such as was given to the sons of Israel, which was external, and therefore representative of internal Divine Truth. They had no other Divine Truth, because they were not able to receive any other, for they were external and natural men, and not internal or spiritual, as is evident from this consideration, that those who did know anything of the Lord's coming had no other idea of Him than that He was to be a king, who would exalt them above all the peoples in the whole world, and thus establish a kingdom with them on the earth, and not in the heavens, and thence in the earth with all who should believe in Him. The old covenant therefore was a conjunction by means of the Divine Truth which is contained in the books of Moses, and was called the commandments, judgments, and statutes, in which, however, there lay inwardly concealed such Divine Truth as is in heaven, this being internal and spiritual. This Divine Truth was made manifest by the Lord when He was in the world; and as by means of this alone there is conjunction of the Lord with men, therefore this is meant by the new covenant, and also by His blood, which is consequently called the blood of the new covenant. Wine (vinum) also has a similar meaning.

[16] This new covenant, which was to be entered into with the Lord when He should come into the world, is frequently treated of in the Word of the Old Covenant.

As in Jeremiah:

"Behold, the days come, in which I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not as the covenant which I made with your fathers, because they made my covenant void. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days; I will put my law in the midst of them, and upon their heart will I write it, and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people; neither shall they teach any more a man his companion, or a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for they shall all know me, from the least of them even unto the greatest of them " (31:31-34).

That Jehovah, that is the Lord, was to make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, does not mean with the sons of Israel and with Judah, but with all who are in truths of doctrine and in the good of love to the Lord from the Lord. That such are meant by the sons of Israel and by Judah, in the Word, may be seen above (n. 433); it is evident that "the days come" means the Lord's coming. That conjunction with the Lord would then take place by means of Divine Truth, internal and spiritual, is meant by these words, "This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days; I will put my law in the midst of them, and upon their heart will I write it." This signifies that they shall then receive Divine Truth interiorly in themselves. For spiritual Divine Truth is received by man interiorly, which was not the case with the sons of Israel and the Jews, who received it exteriorly. For when man receives Divine Truth within himself, that is to say, causes it to be of his love and thus of his life, then truth is known from truth itself, since the Lord flows in into His own truth with man, and teaches him. This is meant by these words, "They shall no more teach a man his companion, or a man his brother, saying, Know ye Jehovah, for they shall all know me, from the least even unto the greatest." The conjunction itself thereby effected, which the new covenant signifies, is meant by "I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people."

[17] In the same:

"They shall be to me for a people, and I will be to them for a God, and I will give to them one heart and one way, to fear me all their days, and I will make with them an eternal covenant, that I will not turn myself away from after them, that I may do them good; and I will put my fear into their heart, that they may not depart from before me" (32:38-40).

This also treats of the Lord, and of a new covenant with Him; and conjunction by means of it is meant by "I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people," and is further described by the words, "I will give to them one heart and one way, to fear me all their days"; and by not turning Himself away from after them, and by putting His fear into their heart, that they may not depart from before Him. One heart and one way, to fear Me, signifies one will of good and one understanding of truth to worship the Lord. And as the conjunction is reciprocal, that is to say, of the Lord with them, and of them with the Lord, therefore it is said, that He will not turn away from after them, to do them good, and that they shall not depart from before Him. The signification of the eternal covenant, which He will enter into with them is therefore evident, namely, conjunction by means of spiritual Divine Truth, which when received, constitutes the life of man, and from which eternal conjunction results.

[18] In Ezekiel:

"I will set up over them one shepherd who shall feed them, my servant David. I, Jehovah, will be to them for a God, and my servant David a prince in the midst of them. Then will I make with them a covenant of peace, I will cause the evil beast to cease, that they may dwell confidently in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods" (34:23-25).

This is also said of the Lord. David, who shall feed them, and who shall be a prince in the midst of them, means the Lord as to Divine Truth, who is called a servant from serving. Conjunction with the Lord by means of Divine Truth is meant by the covenant which He will make with them; this is called a covenant of peace, because man through conjunction with the Lord is at peace, being freed from the infestation of evil and falsity from hell. Therefore it is also said, "I will cause the evil beast to cease, that they may dwell confidently in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests," the evil beast meaning falsity and evil from hell, and to dwell confidently in the wilderness and to sleep in the forests signifying that they shall be everywhere safe from all infestation by evil and falsity.

[19] In the same:

"My servant David shall be king over them, that they all may have one shepherd; and I will make with them a covenant of peace, it shall be a covenant of eternity with them; and I will place them, and multiply them; and I will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever, and my dwelling-place with them; and I will be to them for a God, and they shall be to me for a people" (37:24, 26, 27).

Here also David means the Lord, for it is evident that David, will not come again to be their king and shepherd; but the Lord is called king from Divine Truth, for this is the royalty of the Lord, while Divine Good is His priesthood. The Lord is also called Shepherd, because He will feed them with Divine Truth, and by means of it lead to the good of love, and thus to Himself; and because conjunction is the result of this, it is said, "I will make with them a covenant of peace, a covenant of eternity." It has been shown above what a covenant of peace signifies, and also that I will be to them for a God; and they shall be to Me for a people, means conjunction. The sanctuary which He shall set in the midst of them, and the dwelling-place which shall be with them, signify heaven and the church, which are called a sanctuary from the good of love and a dwelling-place from the truth of that good, for the Lord dwells in truths from good.

[20] In Hosea:

"In that day I will make for them a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the earth; the bow, and the sword, and the war, will I break from off the earth; and I will cause them to lie down securely; and I will betroth thee to me for ever" (2:18, 19).

This is said of the establishment of a new church by the Lord. That the Lord would not then make a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth, is plain; therefore these things signify such things as pertain to man, the wild beast of the field signifying the affection for truth and good, the bird of the heavens, spiritual thought, and the creeping thing of the earth, the scientific (scientificum) pertaining to the natural man. The signification of the rest of this passage may be seen above (n. 650:34). It is therefore evident that the covenant which the Lord will make is a spiritual covenant, or a covenant by means of spiritual truth, and not a covenant by means of natural truth; the latter is the old covenant made with the sons of Israel, and the former the new covenant.

[21] Since the law, which was proclaimed by the Lord from Mount Sinai, signifies, in a comprehensive sense, the Word, therefore also the tables, on which that law was written, are called the tables of the covenant.

In Moses:

"I went up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, the tables of the covenant which Jehovah made with you; at the end of forty days and forty nights Jehovah gave to me two tables of stone, the tables of the covenant" (Deuteronomy 9:9, 11).

Those tables, that is, the law written upon them, mean the Divine Truth, through which there is conjunction with the Lord, and because of that conjunction they are called the tables of the covenant. And as all conjunction, just as is the case with a covenant, is effected on the one part and on the other part, that is, reciprocally by both parties, therefore there were two tables, and they were of stone; they were of stone because stone also signifies Divine Truth in ultimates, as may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 643, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376). For this reason, the ark, in which those tables were deposited, was called the ark of the covenant, and it was the holiest thing in worship with the sons of Israel, as shown in the preceding article.

[22] Thirdly - That the commandments, judgments, and statutes, given to the sons of Israel, were to them a covenant, because through these conjunction with the Lord was then effected, is evident from the following passages.

In Moses:

"If ye walk in my statutes, and observe my commandments, and do them, I will have respect unto you, and will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will confirm my covenant with you. But if ye reject my statutes, so as not to do all my commandments, while ye make my covenant void," I will do contrary to you (Leviticus 26:3, 9, 15, and following verses).

The statutes and commandments that were to be observed and done are set forth in the preceding chapter, and the goods which they should enjoy if they kept those commandments and statutes; and afterwards the evils which would come upon them if they did not keep them are detailed in this chapter. But the goods which they were to enjoy were earthly and worldly goods, and so also were the evils, for the reason that they were earthly and natural men, and not celestial and spiritual. They therefore knew nothing of the goods which interiorly affect man, or of the evils which interiorly afflict him, nevertheless the external things which they were bound to observe were such as contained interiorly in themselves celestial and spiritual things, by means of which there is real conjunction with the Lord; and as these were perceived in heaven, therefore the externals which were to be observed by the sons of Israel are called a covenant. But what was the nature of the conjunction of the Lord with the sons of Israel by means of those things, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248).

[23] Similar things are meant by covenant in the following passages.

In Moses:

"Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words, because upon the mouth of these words have I made a covenant with thee and with Israel" (Exodus 34:27)

Again:

"Keep ye the words of this covenant, and do them, ye that stand here this day, your heads, your tribes, your moderators, and every man of Israel, to pass over into the covenant of Jehovah, and into his oath, which Jehovah God maketh with thee this day, that he may appoint thee this day for a people, and that he may be to thee for a God. Not with you only do I make this covenant, and oath, but also with every one who is not here with you this day" (Deuteronomy 29:9, 10, 12-15).

And in the Second Book of Kings:

King Josiah "sent, and gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem; and the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, likewise the priests and the prophets, and the whole people from small even to great, and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant found in the house of Jehovah; and the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to go after Jehovah, and to keep his precepts, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all the heart and with all the soul, to establish all the words of this covenant written in this book; and all the people stood in the covenant" (23:1-3).

And in other places, as Jeremiah 22:8, 9; 33:20-22; 50:5; Ezekiel 16:8; Malachi 2:14; Psalm 78:37; 50:5, 16; 103:17, 18; 105:8, 9; 106:45; 111:5, 9; Deuteronomy 17:2; 1 Kings 19:14. In all these passages the covenant is mentioned, and the external rites which the sons of Israel were to observe are signified by it.

[24] But as to the covenant which the Lord made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this was not the same as that made with the posterity of Jacob, but it was a covenant on the part of the Lord that their seed should be multiplied, and that the land of Canaan should be given to it; and on the part of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that every male should be circumcised. That a different covenant was made with the posterity of Jacob, is clear in Moses:

"Jehovah God made with us a covenant in Horeb, not with our fathers did Jehovah God make this covenant, but with us" (Deuteronomy 5:2, 3).

Concerning this covenant, it is written as follows in Moses:

"Jehovah brought" Abraham "forth abroad, and said, Look towards heaven, and number the stars; and he said to him, Thus shall thy seed be. And he said to him, Take to thee a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon; and he divided them in the midst, and he laid each part over against the other; and the birds he did not divide. And the sun went down, and there was a thick darkness; and lo! a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passed between the pieces. In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abraham, saying, To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:5-18).

And afterwards:

"I will give my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly; I, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be for a father of a multitude of nations, and I will make thee exceeding fruitful; and I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee, all the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and between thy seed after thee; every male shall be circumcised to you; he who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people, he hath made my covenant void; and my covenant will I set up with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to thee" (Gen, 17:1-21).

From these things the nature of the covenant entered into with Abraham is evident, namely, that his seed should be multiplied exceedingly, and, that the land of Canaan should be given to him for a possession. The commandments, judgments, and statutes which constituted the covenant are not mentioned; but still they are signified by the heifer, the she-goat, and the ram of three years old, and by the turtle dove and young pigeon, for these animals signify those things that pertain to the church, while the land of Canaan itself signifies the church. And because the Lord foresaw that the posterity of Abraham from Jacob would not keep the covenant, therefore a furnace of smoke and a torch of fire passing between the pieces appeared to Abraham; and the furnace of smoke signifies the dense falsity, and the torch of fire the direful evil, in which the posterity of Jacob would be. This is also confirmed in Jeremiah (33:18-20). That Abraham divided the heifer, the she-goat, and the ram, and laid each part over against the other, was according to the form of covenants made between two parties. But these things may be seen fully explained in theArcana Coelestia 1783-1862).

[25] The covenant was made by circumcision, because circumcision represented purification from the loves of self and of the world, which are corporeal and terrestrial loves, and the removal of them; therefore also circumcision was performed with a small stone knife, which signified truth of doctrine, by means of which all purification from evils and falsities, and their removal, is effected. But the details recorded in that chapter respecting this covenant are also explained in the Arcana Coelestia 1987-2095; and respecting circumcision n. 2039 at the end, n. 2046 at the end, 2632, 2799, 4462, 7044, 8093). But because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the internal sense, mean the Lord, therefore their seed signify all who are of the church of the Lord, and this church is also meant by the land of Canaan which their seed was to inherit.

[26] There was also the covenant entered into with Noah, that men should no more perish by the waters of a flood, and that the bow should be in the cloud for a sign of that covenant (Genesis 6:17, 18; 9:9-17). That that covenant also involves the conjunction of the Lord through Divine Truth is evident from the explanation of the above words in the Arcana Coelestia 659-675, and n. 1022-1059). That the bow in the cloud, or the rainbow there, signifies regeneration, which is effected by means of Divine Truth and by a life in agreement with it, and that therefore that bow was taken for a sign of the covenant, may also be seen in the same work (n. 1042).

[27] Fourthly - That, further, whatever conjoins is called a Covenant; as the sabbath, in Moses:

"The sons of Israel shall keep the sabbath in their generations, the covenant of an age" (Exodus 31:16).

The sabbath was called the covenant of an age, because the sabbath, in the highest sense, signified the union of the Divine with the Human in the Lord, and, in the relative sense (sensu respectivo), the conjunction of the Lord with heaven and the church, and, in the universal sense, the conjunction of good and truth, and this conjunction is called the heavenly marriage. Therefore the rest on the sabbath day signified the state of that union, and of that conjunction, since by that state the Lord has peace and rest, and by it also there are peace and salvation in the heavens and on earth.

[28] That this is the signification of the sabbath, and of rest thereon, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10374, 10668, 10730). The salt in the sacrifices is called the salt of the covenant, also in Moses:

"Thou shalt not cause the salt of the covenant of thy God to cease upon thine offering, upon all thine offering thou shalt offer salt" (Leviticus 2:13).

The salt upon the offering is called the salt of the covenant, because salt signifies the desire of truth for good, by which means the two are conjoined. On this signification of salt, see the Arcana Coelestia 9207).

[29] A wife is also called a wife of the covenant, in Malachi:

"Jehovah hath been a witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, though she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant" (Malachi 2:14).

A wife is here called the wife of a covenant, from conjunction with her husband, but wife here signifies the church, and a wife of youth the Ancient Church against which the Jewish Church is said to have dealt treacherously. And because these were both representative churches, and in this respect alike, and so were conjoined, therefore it is said, although she was thy companion and the wife of thy covenant.

[30] A covenant with the stones of the field is spoken of in Job, in these words:

"Thou shalt not be afraid of the wild beast of the field, for with the stones of the field is thy covenant, and the wild beast of the field shall be at peace with thee" (5:22, 23).

A covenant with the stones of the field signifies conjunction with the truths of the church, for stones signify truths, - field, the church, and covenant, conjunction. The wild beast of the field signifies the love of falsity, of which wild beast "thou shalt not be afraid," and which "shall be at peace," when there is conjunction with the church through truths.

[31] Mention is also made of a covenant with wild beasts and birds in Hosea:

"In that day I will make for them a covenant with the wild beast of the field, with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth" (Hosea 2:18).

And in Moses:

"God said to Noah, Behold, I set up my covenant with you, and with every living soul which is with you, to the bird, to the beast, and to every wild beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark as to every wild beast of the earth" (Genesis 9:9, 10).

A covenant with beast, wild beast, bird, and creeping thing of the earth, signifies conjunction with such things in man as are signified by these; for beast signifies the affection for good, wild beast the affection for truth, bird, the thinking faculty, and the creeping thing of the earth, the Scientific, which lives from those affections.

[32] Mention is also made of a covenant with death, in Isaiah:

"Ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made a vision; your covenant with death shall be abolished, and your vision with hell shall not stand" (28:15, 18).

To make a covenant with death signifies conjunction through falsity from hell, from which a man spiritually dies; to make a vision with hell signifies divination, as if prophetic, from hell. From these passages now quoted connectedly, it is evident that a covenant, where the Lord is treated of, signifies conjunction by means of Divine Truth. There is indeed a conjunction with Him by means of the good of love; but because the Lord flows in with man through good into truths, whereby man has affection for truth, and receives the good of the Lord in truths, from which he acknowledges, confesses, and adores the Lord, therefore the good of love conjoins by means of truth, comparatively as the heat of the sun, in the time of spring and summer, conjoins itself with the fructifications of the earth.

644. These have power to shut heaven, that the rain rain not in the days of their prophecy.- That this signifies that those who reject the goods and truths of heaven and of the church, which proceed from the Lord, do not receive any influx out of heaven, is evident from the signification of shutting heaven, as denoting lest any influx out of heaven should be received, of which we shall speak presently; from the signification of rain, as denoting truth fertilizing, which is truth from which good is derived, and which flows down out of heaven, concerning this also we shall speak presently; and from the signification of "their prophecy," as denoting prediction concerning the Lord, and His coming, and concerning the good of love to Him and the truths of faith in regard to Him. The days of the prophecy of the two witnesses means principally this revelation and preaching from this revelation (praedicatio) at the end of the church. The reason why the Lord is especially preached at the end of the church, by the two witnesses, is, because the two witnesses, which are the good of love and the truth of faith directed to Him, principally testify concerning Him, therefore it is said in what follows that "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Apoc. 19:10).

[2] The reason why to shut heaven denotes to prevent any influx out of heaven from being received, is, that the words follow, "that the rain rain not," which signify the influx of Divine Truth out of heaven. For it is known that all the good of love and all the truth of faith flow-in out of heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven, with man, and also that this influx takes place continually; it therefore follows that the good of love and the truth of faith are in no sense man's, but the Lord's with him. Each of these flows in, in the measure that they are not prevented by evil and falsity since these shut heaven and prevent influx. For evil and good, and falsity and truth, are opposites, therefore where the one is, the other cannot be; for evil in man prevents the good from entering and falsity prevents the truth, while good causes the removal of evil, and truth the removal of falsity; for they are as opposite as heaven and hell; the one therefore acts against the other with a perpetual effort to destroy it, and the one that is strong enough destroys the other.

[3] There are also in every man two minds, the one interior, called the spiritual mind, the other exterior, called the natural mind. The spiritual mind is created for the reception of light from heaven, but the natural mind for the reception of light from the world; therefore the spiritual mind, which is the interior mind of man, is heaven in him, and the natural mind, which is his exterior mind, is his world. The interior mind, which is heaven in man, is opened in proportion as man acknowledges the Divine of the Lord, and man so far acknowledges as he is in the good of love and of charity, and in the truths of doctrine and of faith. But this interior mind, which is heaven in man, so far as he does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and does not live a life of love and of faith, is not opened; and that mind is so far closed as a man is in evils and thence in falsities, and when it is closed, then the natural mind in man becomes infernal. For evil and its falsity are in the natural mind, and therefore when the spiritual mind, which is heaven in man, is closed, then the natural mind, which is hell, is dominant. From these things the meaning of the words, "heaven is closed that the rain rain not," is clear.

[4] It is said of the witnesses that they have power to shut heaven; yet they do not shut it, but evil and falsity, which have the rule in the men of the church at its end, close it. This is said of the two witnesses in a manner similar to what was said above, that fire shall go forth out of their mouth, and devour their enemies, although fire does not go forth from them and devour, as explained in the two articles above. The reason why that the rain rain not signifies that there is no influx of Divine Truth out of heaven, is, that water, from which rain comes signifies the truth of the Word, and thence the truth of doctrine and of faith, as may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538). And because rain water descends out of the clouds in heaven, therefore by raining rain is signified the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord in heaven; and because rain fertilizes the earth, therefore it signifies the Divine Truth fertilizing and fructifying the church, whence also by rain is signified spiritual blessing.

[5] That by rain, in the Word, is not meant rain, but the inflowing Divine, from which intelligence and wisdom, as well as the good of love and the truth of faith in man, grow and fructify; and that by raining is signified influx, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

"My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My word shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the grass, and as drops upon the herb" (Deuteronomy 32:2).

Doctrine is here compared to rain, because rain signifies the proceeding Divine Truth, from which is every thing of doctrine; for all comparisons in the Word are also from correspondences. Because rain signifies the Divine Truth flowing down, it is therefore said, "My doctrine shall flow down as the rain." By dew is signified "good," and this is also signified by "word," therefore it is said, "My word shall distil as the dew"; intelligence and wisdom therefrom are signified by the small rain upon the grass, and by drops upon the herb; for as the grass and the herb of the field grow by reason of the waters of rain and dew, so do intelligence and wisdom from the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord. This was said by Moses, because in that chapter the twelve tribes of Israel are treated of, who, in the spiritual sense, signify all the truths and goods of the church, consequently doctrine in its whole compass.

[6] So again:

"The land which ye shall go over to possess it, is a land of mountains and valleys; it drinketh the waters of the rain of heaven. And I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine (mustum), and thine oil." But if ye shall serve other gods, and shall not walk in my statutes, "the anger of Jehovah shall be kindled against you; he will shut heaven that there be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce." (Deuteronomy 11:11, 14, 16, 17).

These words describe the land of Canaan and its fruitfulness; but because that land in the spiritual sense signifies the church, it follows that all the things contained in that description signify such things as pertain to the church, as the mountains, valleys, corn, wine (mustum), oil, produce, and rain. A land of mountains and valleys signifies the higher and lower, or the internal and external things of the church; the internal things of the church are in the internal man, which is also called the spiritual man, and the external things of the church are in the external man, which is called the natural man. That each of these is of such a quality as to receive the influx of Divine truth, is signified by drinking the waters of the rain of heaven; that the Divine Truth flows-in in each state, that is, when the man of the church is in his spiritual state and when he is in his natural state, is signified by the rain being given in its season, the early and the latter rain. For the man of the church is alternately in a spiritual state and in a natural state, and the influx and reception of Divine Truth in the spiritual state is meant by the early or morning rain, and in the natural state by the latter or evening rain. Spiritual and celestial good and truth, which the man of the church thence possesses, are meant by the corn, wine (mustum), and oil, which they shall gather in. That falsities of doctrine and of worship would prevent the influx and reception of Divine Truth, whence there would be no growth of the spiritual life, is signified by the words, "if ye shall serve other gods, there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce," other gods denoting falsities of doctrine and of worship.

[7] Again:

"If ye walk in my statutes, and observe my precepts and do them; and the earth shall yield its produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit" (Leviticus 26:3, 4).

Here by the rain which shall be given in its season, and the produce of the land, are signified similar things to those above. And because the church at that time was an external church, representative of interior spiritual things, therefore also it came to pass when they walked in the statutes, and observed the precepts, and did them, that they had rain in its season, and the earth yielded its produce, and the tree of the field its fruit; but still rain and thence produce were representative and significative, rain representing and signifying the inflowing Divine, produce the truth of doctrine and the understanding of truth, and fruit of the tree the good of love and the will of good.

[8] This is evident from the fact rain was withheld, and thence a famine took place in the land of Israel, for three years and a half, under Ahab, because they served other gods, and slew the prophets (1 Kings 17 and 18; Luke 4:25). This represented, and thence signified, that no Divine truth flowing-in out of heaven could be received on account of the falsities of evil, signified by other gods and by Baal, whom they worshipped. By killing the prophets is also signified to destroy Divine [truth]; for by a prophet, in the Word, is signified the doctrine of truth from the Word.

[9] In Isaiah:

"I will make" my vineyard "a desolation; it shall not be pruned nor weeded, so that the briar and the thorn shall come up; and I will command the clouds, that they rain no rain upon it" (5:6).

Here also it is said of Jehovah that He makes the vineyard a desolation, and commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, although this is not done by Jehovah, that is, by the Lord, for He always flows-in with the evil as well as the good, which is meant by His sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust (Matthew 5:45); but the cause is in the man of the church, for the reason that he does not receive any influx of Divine Truth, and the man who does not receive this closes the interiors of his mind, which are the recipients, and when these are shut, then the Divine influx is rejected. The vineyard, which is made a desolation, signifies the church; by its being neither pruned nor weeded is signified that it cannot be cultivated and so prepared for reception; by the briar and thorn which shall come up, are signified the falsities of evil; by commanding the clouds that they rain no rain, is signified that no influx of Divine truth out of heaven is received.

[10] In Jeremiah:

"The showers have been withheld, and there hath been no latter rain, but notwithstanding the forehead of a harlot remained to thee, thou hast refused to be ashamed" (3:3).

Again:

"They said not in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth the rain and the early and the latter rain in its season; He reserveth unto us the weeks, the appointed times of harvest; your iniquities make these to decline" (5:24, 25).

In Amos:

"I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest, so that I caused it indeed to rain upon one city, and I caused it not to rain upon another city; one field received the rain, but the field upon which it rained not, withered; whence two three cities wandered to one city to drink waters, but they were not satisfied; nevertheless ye have not returned unto me" (4:7, 8).

In Ezekiel:

"Son of man, say, Thou art a land that is not cleansed, that hath no rain in the day of anger; a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her" (22:24, 25).

In Zechariah:

"Whosoever of the families of the land shall not go up to Jerusalem to adore Jehovah Zebaoth, there shall be no rain upon them" (14:17).

In these passages also rain signifies the reception of the influx of Divine Truth, from which comes spiritual intelligence; and that there is no such intelligence by any influx because of the evils and falsities which refuse to receive it and which reject it, is signified by there being no rain.

[11] In Jeremiah:

"The mighty sent their little ones to seek waters; they came unto the pits and found no waters, because the earth was chapt, for there had been no rain upon the earth; the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered their heads" (14:3, 4).

By the mighty are meant those who teach and lead, and by their little ones, those who are taught and led. Waters signify truths of doctrine; pits in which there is no water signify doctrinals in which there are no truths. By there being no rain upon the earth is signified that no influx of Divine Truth is received because of the falsities in the church; by the husbandmen who were ashamed and covered their heads, are signified those who teach, and their grief.

[12] In Isaiah:

"Then Jehovah shall give rain to thy seed, with which thou shalt sow the earth, and bread of the produce of the earth, and it shall be fat and rich; thy cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow" (30:23).

These words refer to the coming of the Lord. The influx of Divine Truth proceeding from Him, is signified by the rain which the Lord shall then give to the seed, rain signifying the Divine influx, seed the truth of the Word. To sow the land signifies to plant and form the church in man. The bread of the produce which Jehovah will give, signifies the good of love and of charity, which is produced by the truths of the Word, vivified by Divine influx. Fat and rich signifies filled with the good of love and truths therefrom, for fat is said of good, and rich of truths. By the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow, is signified the extension and multiplication of these from the Divine influx, and thence spiritual nourishment, cattle denoting the goods and truths with man, that day, the coming of the Lord, and a broad meadow, the Word, by means of which the Divine influx and spiritual nourishment come; breadth is said of the extension and multiplication of truth.

[13] In the same:

"As the rain cometh down and the snow out of heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me in vain, but it shall accomplish that which I desire, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (55:10, 11).

Here the Word which goeth forth out of the mouth of God is compared to the rain and snow from heaven, because by the Word, the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and which flows into us by means of the Word, is meant; the rain and snow descending from heaven have a similar meaning, by the rain is signified spiritual truth, which is appropriated to man, and by snow, natural truth, which, when only in the memory, is like snow, but becomes spiritual by love just as snow becomes rain water by heat. By watering the earth that it may bring forth and bud, is signified to vivify the church, that it may produce the truth of doctrine and of faith and the good of love and of charity; the truth of doctrine and of faith being signified by the seed which it giveth to the sower, and the good of love and of charity by the bread which it giveth to the eater. It shall not return to me in vain, but it shall accomplish that which I desire, signifies that it shall be received, and that man from it shall be led to look to the Lord.

[14] In Ezekiel:

"I will give them and the places round about my hill a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be rains of blessing; then the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its produce" (34:26, 27).

The places round about the hill of Jehovah mean all who are in truths of doctrine and thence in the good of charity. By sending down the rain in its season is signified the influx of Divine Truth, accommodated to the affection and desire of receiving; and because the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are thence, they are called rains of blessing. And it is said that the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its produce; the tree of the field and the earth signify the church and the man of the church, the fruit of the tree of the field signifies the fructification of good, the multiplication of whose truth is signified by the produce of the earth.

[15] And in Joel:

"Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah your God, for he shall give you the former rain in justice, yea, he shall cause to descend for you the rain, the former and the latter, in the first, that the floors may be full of pure corn, and the presses overflow with wine (mustum), and oil" (2:23, 24).

The sons of Zion signify those who are in genuine truths through which they have the good of love, for by Zion is signified the celestial church which is in the good of love to the Lord by means of genuine truths. He shall give them the former rain in justice, signifies that with them the Lord flows-in with the good of love and from that into truths; justice in the Word is said of the good of love, while the just denote those who are in that good, as may be seen above (n. 204). That the Lord continually flows-in with the good of love into truths, is signified by the words, "He shall cause the rain to descend, the former and the latter, as at first." That thence they will have the good of brotherly and social love, is signified by the floors being full of pure corn; and that from the same source they will have the truth and good of love to the Lord, is signified by the presses overflowing with wine (mustum) and oil. Those who belong to the celestial church of the Lord possess the good of brotherly and social love; this love with those who belong to the spiritual church of the Lord is called "charity towards the neighbour."

[16] In Zechariah:

"Ask of Jehovah rain in its season; Jehovah will make clouds and will give them the rain of the shower, to a man the herb in the field" (10:1).

Rain here also signifies the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, from which man possesses spiritual intelligence, rain of the shower signifies Divine Truth flowing-in abundantly, while by giving the herb in the field is signified knowledge of truth and good from the Word and intelligence therefrom.

[17] In David:

"Thou visitest the earth, and delightest in it, thou greatly enrichest it; the river of God is full of waters, thou preparest their corn, and so thou establishest it. Water the furrows thereof; settle the ridges thereof; make it soft with drops; bless the budding thereof" (Psalm 65:9, 10).

The earth here signifies the church; the river full of waters signifies doctrine full of truths; by watering the furrows, settling the ridges, and making it soft with drops, is signified to fill with the knowledges of good and truth. By preparing the corn is signified every thing that nourishes the soul, therefore it is said, "so thou establishest the earth," that is, the church; by blessing the budding thereof is signified to continually bring forth anew and to cause truths to spring up.

[18] Again:

"Thou, O God, causest the rain of benevolences to come down" (Psalm 68:9);

and again:

"He shall come down like the rain upon the grass of the meadow, as drops into the cleft of the earth, in his days the just shall flourish" (Psalm 72:6, 7).

In these passages also rain does not signify rain, but the influx of Divine Truth with man, from which he receives spiritual life.

In Job:

"My word they will not repeat, and my speech will drop upon them, and they will wait for me as for the rain, and they will open their mouth for the latter rain" (29:22, 23).

That rain here means truth which is spoken by any one and which flows-in to another, is clear, for word, speech, and to open the mouth, signify truth proceeding from any one by means of speech; therefore it is called rain, and the latter rain, and it is said also to drop, which means to speak.

[19] In Jeremiah:

"The maker of the earth by his power prepareth the world, by his wisdom and by his understanding he stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice which he uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he maketh the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (10:12, 13; 51:16; Psalm 135:7).

The world which the Maker of the earth prepares by His power signifies the church in all the earth; power signifies the power of Divine Truth. By the heavens which He stretcheth out by wisdom and understanding, is signified the church in the heavens corresponding to the church on earth; wisdom and understanding signify the proceeding Divine, from which angels and men receive the wisdom of good and the understanding of truth, to stretch out signifying the formation and extension of the heavens in general, and the extension of intelligence and wisdom with every one who receives. At the voice which He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, signifies that from the proceeding Divine are spiritual truths in immense abundance, voice denoting the proceeding Divine, waters truths, and multitude abundance. He maketh the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth, signifies truths in ultimates, such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of the letter, in which are spiritual truths, the end of the earth denoting the ultimates of the church, vapours denoting truths for those who are in ultimates, while to make them ascend denotes, from them, because contained in them, that is, in ultimates, to give spiritual truths, which especially fructify the church. He maketh lightnings with rain signifies illustration from the influx of Divine Truth with them; and bringeth the wind out of His treasuries signifies spiritual things in the Word from heaven.

[20] In Luke:

"When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway it is said, There cometh rain, and so it is; and when the south wind bloweth, it is said, There will be heat, and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and of heaven, how is it that ye do not interpret this time?" (12:54-56).

The Lord teaches by this comparison that they see earthly things but not heavenly things; and the comparison itself, as in the case of all comparisons in the Word, is made from correspondences. For by the cloud rising in the west is signified the coming of the Lord at the end of the church, predicted in the Word, the cloud denoting the Word in the letter, the rising of it the coming of the Lord, and the west the end of the church. Straightway it is said, There cometh rain, signifies that then there is the influx of Divine Truth; and when ye perceive the south wind blowing, signifies preaching concerning His coming; it is said, There will be heat, signifies that then there is the influx of Divine Good. The same words also signify contentions and combats of truth from good with falsities from evil, rain and heat also signifying these contentions and combats; for this comparison follows immediately after the Lord's word, that He came not to send peace on the earth, but division; and that the father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother (Luke 12:51-53). These words signify such contention and combat; that the same is also signified by rain will be seen below. Because this comparison considered in its spiritual sense involves the coming of the Lord, and because they would not acknowledge Him through blindness caused by falsities although He might have been known to them from the Word, therefore these words follow, "Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and of heaven, but ye do not interpret this time," namely, the time of His coming, and the conflict which then took place between the falsity of evil and the truth of good.

[21] In Hosea:

"Let us know, and let us follow on to know Jehovah; his going forth is prepared as the cloud, and he shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth" (6:3).

These words are said of the Lord and His coming. And because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him, and angels and men have life and salvation from this, therefore it is said that "He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth." To water the earth signifies to make the church fruitful, and it is said to be made fruitful when truths are multiplied and intelligence thence increases, and when goods are fructified, and celestial love thence increases.

[22] In the Second Book of Samuel:

"The Rock of Israel spake to me, as the light of the morning the sun riseth, of a morning without clouds; from clear shining after rain grass out of the earth" (23:3, 4).

These words also refer to the Lord, who is called the Rock of Israel from Divine Truth which proceeds from Him. That Divine Truth proceeds from His Divine Good is meant by the words "as the light of the morning the sun riseth." Comparison is made with light, because light signifies the proceeding Divine Truth, and with the morning, because the morning signifies the Divine Good, and with the rising sun, because the east, and the sun, signify the Divine Love; that these are without obscurity is signified by the light of a morning without clouds. The enlightenment of the man of the church by means of the reception and after the reception of Divine Truth from the Divine Good of the Lord, is signified by the words "from clear shining after rain," clear shining denoting illustration, and rain denoting influx and consequent reception. That thence those who are of the church have knowledge (scientia), intelligence, and wisdom, is signified by grass out of the earth, grass, like pasture, denoting spiritual nourishment, and thence knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, which are spiritual foods, while the earth denotes the church and the man of the church.

[23] In Matthew:

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that hurt and persecute you, that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, who maketh his sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust" (5:44, 45).

Charity towards the neighbour, which is to will good, and to do good, even to one's enemies, is first described, by the expressions loving them, blessing them, and praying for them, for genuine charity regards only the good of another. To love, in this place, signifies charity; to bless, instruction, and to pray, intercession; the reason is, that charity inwardly has for an end the doing of good. That this is the very Divine with man, as it is with regenerated men, is signified by the words "that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens." The Father in the heavens is the proceeding Divine; for all who receive this are called sons of the Father, that is, of the Lord. The sun which He maketh to rise upon the evil and the good signifies the inflowing Divine Good; and the rain which He sendeth upon the just and the unjust signifies the inflowing Divine Truth. For the proceeding Divine which is "the Father in the heavens," equally flows-in with the evil and the good, but the reception of it depends upon man, although it is not as one man from another, but as from himself; for the power to receive is continually given to him, and also flows-in as far as he removes opposing evils, and does this from the power that is continually given him, the power itself appearing to be the man's, although it is from the Lord.

[24] From these considerations it is now evident that rain in the Word signifies the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, whence man has spiritual life; and this because waters, of which rain consists, signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith. But because waters, in the opposite sense, signify falsities of doctrine and of faith, therefore also rain of the shower, or shower, equally as inundations of waters and a flood, signify not only falsities destroying truths, but also temptations, in which man either falls or conquers. These are signified by shower in Matthew:

"Every one who heareth my words, and doeth them, I will liken to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not. But he who heareth my words, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (7:24-27).

The rain and the floods here mean temptations, in which man conquers and in which he falls; waters the falsities which usually flow-in in temptations, while the floods, which are here inundations of waters from the rain, signify temptations. The winds which also blow and beat signify the thoughts going forth thence; for temptations arise through irruptions of falsities caused by evil spirits to rush into the thoughts. By the house against which they beat, is signified man, properly his mind, which consists of understanding or thought, and of will or affection. He who receives the words of the Lord, that is, Divine truths, in that part of his mind only which pertains to thought or understanding, and not at the same time in that other part which pertains to affection or will, succumbs in temptations, and falls into grievous falsities, which are the falsities of evil; therefore it is said, "great was the fall of it." But he who receives Divine truths in both parts, as well in the will as in the understanding, conquers in temptations. The rock upon which that house is founded, signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, or Divine Truth received in the soul and heart, that is, in faith and love, which is in the understanding and will. But by the sand is signified Divine Truth received merely in the memory, and thence in some slight degree in the thought, consequently scattered and unconnected, because intermixed with falsities, and falsified by ideas. From these things, therefore, it is evident what is meant by hearing [the Lord's] words and not doing them. That such is the meaning of the above words is more distinctly evident from those which immediately precede.

[25] By an inundating rain or shower is signified an inundation of falsities also in Ezekiel:

"Say unto them that plaster untempered mortar, that it shall fall because an inundating rain, because ye, O hail-stones, shall fall, and a wind of storms shall break through; thus saith the Lord Jehovih, I will cause a wind of storms to break through in my wrath, and an inundating rain in mine anger, and stones of hail in ardour for consummation, and I will destroy the wall which ye plaster with untempered mortar" (13:11, 13, 14).

By plastering with untempered mortar signifies confirmation of falsity by fallacies; through these falsity appears like truth. The stones of hail signify truths without good, thus without any spiritual life, all of which inwardly are falsities, for the ideas that are dead, cause them to be merely like shells and pictures in which there is nothing living; such are the scientific truths (scientifica vera) of the natural man into which there flows nothing from the spiritual. The inundating rain and wind of storms signify falsities in abundance rushing in and imaginary things, also contentions concerning truths, which render the seeing of anything of truth impossible, and so destroy man.

[26] In the same:

"I will contend with" Gog, "with pestilence and blood, and an inundating rain, and hail-stones, fire and sulphur, I will cause to rain upon him, and upon his wings, and upon the many people who are with him" (38:22).

By Gog are meant those who are in external worship without any internal; and because that worship similarly consists as it were of shells, in which the kernels are either putrified or corroded by worms, therefore they are called an inundating rain and hail-stones, which signify falsities in abundance rushing in and imaginary things which destroy man; evils of falsity and falsities of evil are signified by fire and sulphur.

[27] By the deluge of waters, concerning which it is said that it inundated the whole earth, and destroyed all except Noah and his sons (Genesis 7; 8), is also signified an inundation of falsities, by which the Most Ancient church was at length destroyed; by Noah and his sons is signified the new church - which must be called the Ancient Church - and its establishment after the devastation of the Most Ancient Church. But the details by which that deluge, and the salvation of the family of Noah, are described in those chapters, may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia. That waters signify truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities, may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538); and that inundations of waters signify inundations of falsities and temptations, may also be seen above (n. 518:38).