9468. And scarlet double-dyed. That this signifies mutual love, is evident from the signification of “scarlet,” and of “double-dyed,” as being celestial truth, which is the same as the good of mutual love. There are two kingdoms into which the angelic heaven has been divided—the celestial kingdom, and the spiritual kingdom; and in each there is an internal and an external. The internal in the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord, and the external is the good of mutual love. It is this latter good which is signified by “scarlet double-dyed;” by “scarlet” the good itself, and by “double-dyed” its truth. But in the spiritual kingdom the internal is the good of charity toward the neighbor, and the external is the good of obedience from faith. That “scarlet double-dyed” signifies the good of mutual love and its truth, is from its appearance in the other life; for when the sphere of this good and truth is presented to view in the lowest heaven, it appears of a scarlet color; because that which flows down from the celestial heaven and appears beneath, takes its color from flame, and beneath becomes scarlet from the shining whiteness of the light of the middle heaven, through which it passes. Hence, it is that among other colors, scarlet double-dyed was employed upon the curtains of the Habitation (Exodus 26:1); upon the veil before the ark (Exodus 26:31); upon the covering for the door of the tent (Exodus 26:36); upon the covering at the gate of the court (Exodus 27:16); upon the ephod (Exodus 28:6); upon the belt (Exodus 28:8) upon the breastplate of judgment (Exodus 28:15); and upon the fringes of the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:33).

[2] That “scarlet double-dyed” signifies the good of mutual love, which is the external good of the celestial kingdom or church, is evident from the fact that a cloth of scarlet double-dyed was to be spread over the table on which were the breads of faces, and that it was to be covered next with a covering of badgers’ skins (Numbers 4:8). For the inmost things that belong to the celestial kingdom or church, were signified by the things upon the table, especially by the breads; but exterior things by the coverings. From this also it is that the things to be collected are enumerated in this order; namely, the inmost things first, which were blue and crimson; the more outward things in the second place, which were scarlet double-dyed, fine linen, and goats’ wool; and lastly the outermost things, which were skins of red rams and badgers’ skins; in like manner everywhere in what follows.

[3] As external celestial good and its truth are signified by “scarlet double-dyed,” therefore the Word as to the external sense, and its derivative doctrine, are expressed by this color, for the reason that the Word is the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good of the Lord, and this appears as a flaming light in the inmost heaven, and as a shining white light in the middle heaven.

[4] The Word and its derivative doctrine are thus expressed in the second book of Samuel:

David lamented a lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan; and he wrote down to teach the sons of Judah the bow. Ye daughters of Israel weep over Saul, who clothed you in double-dyed with delights, who put an ornament of gold upon your apparel (2 Samuel 1:17-18, 24).

“To clothe in double-dyed” denotes to instruct in the truths that belong to the good of mutual love, thus in truths from a celestial origin. The subject treated of in this prophetic utterance is the doctrine of faith separated from the doctrine of love and charity; namely, that through the doctrine of faith separated, truths are extinguished, but are restored through the doctrine of love and charity. For by “the Philistines,” by whom Saul and Jonathan were slain, are signified those who are in the doctrine of faith separated from the doctrine of love and charity (n. 3412, 3413, 8093, 8096, 8099, 8313); and by “teaching the sons of Judah the bow” is signified instructing in the truths of doctrine those who are in the good of love and charity. (That “the sons of Judah” denote those who are in the good of love, see n. 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 5794, 5833, 6363; and that a “bow” denotes the doctrine of truth, n. 2686, 2709)

[5] In Jeremiah:

Thou therefore, O wasted one, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with double-dyed, though thou deckest thee with an ornament of gold, in vain shalt thou make thyself beautiful (Jeremiah 4:30).

The church that has been laid waste is here treated of; “clothing herself with double-dyed,” and “decking herself with an ornament of gold,” denotes to teach the truths of doctrine that are from a celestial origin, and the goods of life, consequently truths and goods from the Word. In like manner in the same:

They that did eat delicacies have been laid waste in the streets; they that were brought up upon scarlet have embraced a dunghill (Lam. 4:5).

“To be brought up upon scarlet” denotes to be instructed from the Word from infancy in the good of mutual love.

[6] As the things that belong to the external sense of the Word appear in heaven of a scarlet color, for the reason spoken of above, therefore they who apply the external sense of the Word to the confirmation of falsities from the evils of the love of self and of the world, and thus to those which are contrary to the truths and goods of love to the Lord and of mutual love, are said to be “clothed in crimson and scarlet;” for so do their outward things appear, because they are from the Word; but their internal things are profane. Such things are signified by “scarlet” in John:

I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy; she was clothed in crimson and scarlet (Revelation 17:3-4);

speaking of Babylon, by which is meant a religion in which the holy things of the Word are profaned by being applied to falsities that favor diabolical loves, which are the loves of self and of the world, thus to gaining dominion in the heavens and on earth. Again in the same:

The great city that was clothed in fine linen, and crimson, and scarlet; and gilded with gold, and precious stone, and pearls (Revelation 18:16).

Therefore also among the merchandise of Babylon are enumerated “fine linen, crimson, and scarlet” (Revelation 18:12).

[7] As the external of the Word appears in heaven of a scarlet color, and as there is an influx out of heaven into man’s memory, in which what is drawn from the Word appears of such a color, therefore scarlet was employed in relation to the remembrance of things; as in Moses:

The sons of Israel shall make them a train upon the borders of their garments, and shall put upon the train of the border a scarlet ¹ thread, that by it they may remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them (Numbers 15:38-39).

[8] For the same reason also it was customary in ancient time, when significatives were in use, to bind a scarlet thread for the remembrance or recollection of a thing, as we read of Perez the son of Tamar, upon whose hand “the midwife bound a double-dyed thread” (Genesis 38:28, 30); and as we read of the harlot Rahab, who “bound a scarlet thread in the window, that the spies might remember their promise” (Josh. 2:18, 21).

[9] As a man cannot be withdrawn from evils and falsities except by means of the truths and goods that are with him from the Word, therefore in the cleansing of leprosy there were employed “cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop” (Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-52); for “leprosy” denotes truth profaned, thus falsified (see n. 6963); and “to be cleansed from” these things denotes to be withdrawn from them by means of the truths and goods which are from the Word. In like manner scarlet was employed “in the waters of separation and expiation made from a red heifer” (Numbers 19:6); “the waters of separation and expiation” also signified purification and withdrawal from evils and falsities by means of truths and goods from the Word.

[10] As most things have an opposite sense, so also have “double-dyed” and “scarlet,” and then they signify falsities and evils which are opposed to the before-mentioned truths and goods; as in Isaiah:

Though your sins be as double-dyed, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red as scarlet, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

The case herein is the same as with “red,” with “blood,” with “flame,” and with “fire,” which in the genuine sense signify the goods of love and of faith; but in the opposite sense the evils contrary to them.

Poznámky pod čarou:

8313. Pain hath laid hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. That this signifies despair of enlarging their dominion on the part of those who are in faith separate from good, is evident from the signification of “pain,” as being despair on account of their being no longer able to enlarge their dominion (of which below); and from the signification of “the inhabitants of Philistia,” as being those who are in faith alone separate from the good of charity (n. 1197, 1198, 3412, 3413, 8093, 8096, 8099). They are distinguished from the Egyptians in the fact that they shut out the goods of charity, believing that man is saved through faith without these goods. From this foremost of their doctrine many errors are born; as that salvation is of mercy howsoever the man has lived; that through faith all sins and evils are washed away; and that thus the man marches along justified; also that salvation can be effected in a moment, even in the last hour of death, through the trust of faith; consequently that it is not the affection of celestial love that makes heaven with a man. These are “Philistines,” and they were called “the uncircumcised” by reason of the evils of the love of self and of the world, in which is their life.

[2] That “pain” here denotes despair, is because utmost pain is meant, such as is that of women in travail. Moreover in the original tongue the word signifies such pain. Despair or utmost pain is also described in the Word by “the pain of a woman in travail,” as in David:

The kings gathered themselves together, terror seized them, pain as of a woman in travail (Psalms 48:4, 6).

O dweller in Lebanon, having a nest in the cedars, how much of grace shalt thou find when pains come to thee, the pain as of a woman in travail? (Jeremiah 22:23).

The king of Babylon hath heard the fame of them, and his hands became slack, distress took hold of him, pain as of a woman in travail (Jeremiah 50:43).

The day of Jehovah is near, as a devastation from Shaddai, therefore all hands are slackened, and every heart of man melteth, and they are terrified, the gripes and pains take hold of them, they are in travail as a woman bringing forth (Isaiah 13:6-8).

[3] Behold a people cometh forth from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth, they lay hold on bow and spear, he is cruel and shall not have compassion, their voice resoundeth like the sea, and they ride upon horses; he is prepared as a man for war, against thee O daughter of Zion, we have heard the fame thereof, our hands have slackened, distress hath taken hold of us, pain as of a woman in travail (Jeremiah 6:22-24).

The vastation of truth with those who are in evil is here treated of; “a people from the land of the north” denotes those who are in falsities from evil; “a great nation from the sides of the earth” denotes those who are in evils utterly opposed to good; “they lay hold on bow and spear” denotes that they fight from false doctrine; “their voice resoundeth like the sea” denotes the derivative reasoning; “they ride upon horses” denotes argumentation as if from what is of the understanding; “he is prepared as a man for war” denotes the cupidity of assaulting truth; “the daughter of Zion” denotes the church where good is; “distress hath taken hold” denotes pain because truths are being infested; “pain as of a woman in travail” denotes despair because good is being injured. From this it is evident that by “pain” is here signified despair on account of the injuring of good.

[4] That “pain hath laid hold of the inhabitants of Philistia” denotes despair, or no hope of enlarging their dominion, is because the Philistines, that is, those who establish salvation by faith alone without the goods of charity, in the other life continually aspire to dominion, by fighting against others; and this so long as they are not yet devastated as to the memory-knowledge of the knowledges of faith. For in the other life everyone retains the principles of his faith which he had in the life of the body, and no others change them into truths than those who have been in the good of life; for good longs for truth, and receives it willingly, because it is homogeneous. But they who have been in evil of life do not change them (they are as it were hard), and they even reject truths and are also in obscurity, so that they cannot even see them: they see only such things as confirm their own principles, and not the least of what is opposed to these. Such also believe that they are the most intelligent of all; but they know nothing except how to reason from an assumed principle; and therefore it is these who most assault charity, consequently who desire to have dominion. For they who are in charity are humble, and desire to serve all, as being the lowest; whereas they who are in faith without charity are lofty, and desire to be served by all, as being the highest ones; and therefore they make heaven consist in the glory of having dominion, and because they believe themselves to be more intelligent than all others, they suppose that they will be archangels, and thus that many others will serve them; and also, according to the words in Daniel, that “the intelligent shall shine as the brightness of the expanse, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and to eternity” (12:3). But instead of brightness these have darkness.