914. 21:19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. This symbolically means that all of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem taken from the Word's literal sense will, among the people in that church, be seen in a state of light, in accordance with their reception of it.

The twelve foundations symbolize all of the church's doctrines (no. 902). The wall symbolizes the Word in its literal sense (no. 898). The holy city Jerusalem symbolizes the Lord's New Church (nos. 879, 880). Precious stones symbolize the Word in its literal sense with its spiritual sense shining through (nos. 231, 540, 726, 911). And because this depends on its reception, therefore the symbolic meaning is that all of the doctrines from the Word among the people in that church will be seen in a state of light in accordance with their reception of it.

People who fail to think rationally cannot believe that everything connected with the New Church can be seen in a state of light. But I assure them that it is possible, for everyone has an outer thought and an inner one. The inner thought thinks in the light of heaven and is called perception, while the outer thought thinks in the light of the world. Moreover the intellect in everyone is so formed that it can be raised even into the light of heaven, and also is raised if it is moved by some delight to wish to see a truth. The reality of this is something I have been given to know through long experience, and marvelous things as a result of it may be seen in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence, and still more in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom. For the delight of love and wisdom elevates the thought to see that something is so, as though in a state of light, even if it had not heard it before. This light that enlightens the mind flows in from no other source than the Lord and heaven. And because people who will be those of the New Jerusalem will turn directly to the Lord, this light will flow in in the orderly way, namely through the will's love into the intellect's perception.

[2] On the other hand, people who entrench in themselves this dogma, that the intellect in theological matters is not going to see anything, but that people must believe blindly whatever the church teaches - people like that cannot see any truth in a state of light, for they have blocked up the path of the light in themselves.

The Protestant Reformed church has retained this dogma from the Roman Catholic religion, which holds that no one but the church - by which they mean the Pope or Papal Consistory - is to interpret the Word, and that anyone who does not embrace with faith all of the doctrines handed down by the church is to be regarded as a heretic and as an anathema or one accursed. The fact of this is clear from the concluding session of the Council of Trent, which established all the dogmas of that religion, where it says toward the end:

Then... Morone, the... President, ...said, ."..go in peace."

There followed acclamations, and among them those of the Cardinal of Lorraine and the Fathers:

[The Cardinal:] We all thus believe; we all think the very same; we all, consenting and embracing [them], subscribe. This is the faith of blessed Peter, and of the Apostles: this is the faith of the Fathers: This is the faith of the Orthodox....

[The Fathers:] So be it... Amen, Amen.

[The Cardinal:] Anathema to all heretics.

[The Fathers:] Anathema, anathema.

The decrees of that Council are those we presented in summary previously at the outset of this work, and they contain, indeed, scarcely one truth.

[3] We have cited this to make known that the Protestant Reformed have retained this blind faith, that is, a faith without understanding, from the Roman Catholic religion, and those who continue to hold onto it cannot be enlightened by the Lord in Divine truths.

As long as the intellect is held captive in obedience to faith, or as long as the intellect is set aside so as not to see the church's truths, theology becomes nothing but a matter of the memory; and a matter of the memory alone fades away, like any matter disconnected from a judgment concerning it, and it perishes from its own lack of clarity. People like that are therefore "blind leaders of the blind," and when "the blind leads the blind, both fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14).

They are blind also because they do not enter by the door, but in some other way. ¹ For Jesus said:

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9)

To find pasture means to be instructed, enlightened, and nourished in Divine truths.

All those who do not enter by the door, that is, by the Lord, are in that same chapter called "thieves and robbers." But those who enter by the door, that is, by the Lord, are called "shepherds of the sheep" (John 10:1-2).

Therefore turn to the Lord, my friend, refrain from evils as being sins, and reject faith alone. And then your intellect will be opened, and you will see marvels and be affected by them.

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9825. 'And a robe' means Divine Truth there in its inward form. This is clear from the meaning of 'a robe' as the middle of the spiritual kingdom, thus the actual truth that is there. For Aaron's garments represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 9814, and so represented the forms of truth present in their proper order there, 9822; and since that kingdom was divided into three degrees - the inmost, the middle, and the outermost - 'the robe' was a sign of what belongs in the middle of that kingdom. That kingdom was divided into three degrees because the inmost part there is in touch with the celestial [heaven], and the outermost with the natural; and the middle part thereby draws equally on both. Indeed for anything to be perfect it must be divided into three degrees. This is so with heaven, and it is so with the forms of good and truth there. As is well known, there are three heavens; consequently there are three degrees of good and truth there. Each heaven too is divided into three degrees. The inmost part of it must be in direct touch with what lies above, and the outermost with what lies below, and so the middle through them with what lies both above and below, all of which brings perfection to that heaven. The situation is just the same with a person's interiors. These in general have been divided into three degrees - into celestial, spiritual, and natural. And each of these has in like manner been divided into its own three degrees. For a person who has the good of faith and love to the Lord within him is heaven in the smallest form it takes, corresponding to the largest, 9279. The situation is also the same in everything belonging to the natural order. The natural level of a person too has been divided into three degrees, see 4570, as generally have all things present in him on interior and exterior levels, 4154. The reason why this should be so is that end, cause, and effect must be present everywhere. The end must be that which is inmost, the cause that which comes in the middle, and the effect that which is last, if a thing is to be perfect. This is why 'three' in the Word means what is complete from beginning to end, 2788, 4495, 7715, 9198, 9488, 9489. From all this people may know why Aaron's holy garments consisted of an ephod, a robe, and a tunic, and that the ephod represented the outermost part there, the robe the middle, and the tunic the inmost.

[2] Since the robe represented the middle in the spiritual kingdom, and the middle draws on both the other parts, this robe stood in a representative sense for that very kingdom, as in the first Book of Samuel,

Samuel turned to go away, but Saul took hold of the skirt of his robe, and it was torn away. Consequently Samuel said to him, Jehovah will tear away the kingdom of Israel from upon you this day, and He has given it to your companion, who is better than you. 1 Samuel 15:27-28.

From these words it is evident that the tearing off of the skirt of Samuel's robe was a sign of the tearing away of the kingdom of Israel from Saul; for 'the kingdom of Israel' means the Lord's spiritual kingdom, see 4286, 4598, 6426, 6637, 6862, 6868, 7035, 7062, 7198, 7201, 7215, 7223, 8805. Something similar occurs again in the same book,

David secretly cut off the skirt of Saul's robe. And when he showed it to Saul, Saul said, Now I know that you will indeed reign, and the kingdom of Israel will be firmly established in your hand. 1 Samuel 24:4-5, 11, 20.

Also, when Jonathan made a covenant with David he took off the robe from upon himself and gave it to David, [with his armour,] even to his sword, bow, and belt, 1 Samuel 18:3-4. All this represented the renunciation of the kingdom of Israel by Jonathan, who was the heir, and his passing it over to David.

[3] Since the robe represented the spiritual kingdom, it also represented the truths of that kingdom generally, the truths of that kingdom being what are called the spiritual truths that are present in the understanding part of a person's mind. These truths are meant by 'robes' in Ezekiel, All the princes of the sea will step down from upon their thrones, and will cast away their robes and will strip off their embroidered garments. Ezekiel 26:16.

This refers to Tyre, by which cognitions or knowledge of good and truth are meant, 1201; the ruination of them in the Church is described here. 'The robes' which they will cast away are truths of faith present in the understanding part of the mind; but 'the embroidered garments' are truths on the level of factual knowledge that are present in the natural, 9688. The reason why those truths are meant is that in the Lord's spiritual kingdom truth, which belongs to the understanding, holds sway, whereas in His celestial kingdom good, which belongs to the will, holds sway. In Matthew,

The scribes and Pharisees do all their works to be seen by people, and they enlarge the hems of their robes. Matthew 23:5, 6.

'Enlarging the hems of robes' stands for speaking about truths in a majestic way solely in order that they may be heard and regarded by other people. The fact that such things are meant by 'a robe' will become clearer still from the description of it further on, in verses 31-35 of this chapter.