1043. And inwrought with gold and precious stone, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals as if it were from spiritual good and truth, and yet in internals it is from infernal evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of "gold," as being spiritual good and the evil opposite thereto, which is called infernal evil. That "gold" signifies good may be seen above n. 242. Also from the signification of "precious stone," as being both truth from a spiritual origin and the falsity opposite thereto, which is called infernal falsity. That "precious stone" means truth from a spiritual origin may be seen above (n. 717).

(Continuation. )

[2] Something has been said about good and truth from a celestial origin, and good and truth from a spiritual origin; and something shall now be said about the evil and falsity that are opposite to these. As the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, namely, into a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom, so are the hells divided into two dominions opposite to those kingdoms. The dominion opposite to the celestial kingdom is called devilish, and the dominion opposite to the spiritual kingdom is called infernal. These dominions are distinguished in the Word by the names Devil and Satan. There are two dominions in the hells, because the heavens and the hells are opposite to each other; and opposite must fully correspond to opposite that there may be equilibrium. For the existence and subsistence of all things, both in the natural world and in the spiritual world, depend upon an exact equilibrium between two activities that are opposite; and when these act against each other manifestly, they act by forces, but when not manifestly they act by endeavors [conatus]. By means of equilibriums all things in both worlds are preserved; without this all things would perish. In the spiritual world the equilibrium is between good from heaven and evil from hell; and thus between truth from heaven and falsity from hell. For the Lord continually arranges that all kinds and species of good and truth in the heavens shall have opposite to them in the hells evils and falsities of kinds that correspond by opposition; thus goods and truths from a celestial origin have for their opposites evils and falsities that are called devilish; and in like manner goods and truths from a spiritual origin have for their opposites evils and falsities that are called infernal.

[3] The cause of these equilibriums is to be found in the fact that the Divine goods and the Divine truths that the angels in the heavens receive from the Lord, the spirits in the hells turn into evils and falsities. All angels, spirits, and men are kept by the Lord in equilibrium between good and evil, and thus between truth and falsity, in order that they may be in freedom; and thus may be led from evil to good and from falsity to truth easily and as if by themselves, although in fact they are led by the Lord. For the same reason they are led in freedom from good to evil, and from truth to falsity, and this, too, as if by themselves, although the leading is from hell.

435. All this has been said to convince the rational man that viewed in himself man is a spirit, and that the corporeal part that is added to the spirit to enable it to perform its functions in the natural and material world is not the man, but only an instrument of his spirit. But confirmations from experience are preferable, because rational things are not grasped by many, and by those who have confirmed themselves in what is contrary they are turned into matters of doubt by means of reasonings from the fallacies of the senses. Those who have confirmed themselves in what is contrary are accustomed to think that beasts likewise have life and sensations, and thus have a spiritual part, the same as man has, and yet that part dies with the body. But the spiritual of beasts is not the same quality as is the spiritual of man; for man has what beasts have not, an inmost, into which the Divine inflows, raising man up to Itself, and thereby conjoining man to Itself. Because of this, man, in contrast with beasts, can think about God and about the Divine things of heaven and the Church, and love God from these and in these, and thus be conjoined to Him; and whatever can be conjoined to the Divine cannot be dissipated, but whatever cannot be conjoined to the Divine is dissipated. The inmost that man has, in contrast with beasts, has been treated of above (39), and what was there said is to be here repeated, since it is important to have dispelled the fallacies that have been engendered in the minds of many who, from lack of knowledge and an understanding not opened, are unable to form rational conclusions on the subject. The words are these:

I would mention a certain arcanum respecting the angels of the three heavens, which has not hitherto come into anyone's mind, because degrees have not been understood (concerning which 38). "With every single angel and with every single man there is an inmost or highest degree, or an inmost or highest something, into which the Divine of the Lord first or most closely inflows, and from which it disposes the other interior things that succeed in accordance with the degrees of order with them. This inmost or highest degree may be called the entrance of the Lord to the angel and to the man, and His very Own dwelling-place with them. It is by virtue of this inmost or highest that a man is a man, and is distinguished from the brute animals, which do not have it. It is from this that a man, unlike the animals, is capable, in respect of all his interior things which pertain to his mind (mens) and "animus", of being raised up by the Lord to Himself, of believing in the Lord, of being moved by love to the Lord, and thereby beholding Him, and of receiving intelligence and wisdom, and speaking from reason. Also it is by virtue of this that he lives to eternity. But what is arranged and provided by the Lord in this inmost does not openly fall into the perception of any angel, because it is above his thought and transcends his wisdom."