279. And the second animal like a calf. That this signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine good as to defence is evident from the signification of a calf, or young bullock, as being the good of the natural man, and specifically his good of innocence and charity; and because it denotes this good, it also denotes the good of the ultimate heaven, for this heaven is spiritual-natural (as may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell. n. 29-31). And because this good is in the ultimate heaven, therefore it is a guard, or defence, to prevent the higher heavens from being approached except by the good of love and of charity; this is why one cherub was like a calf. That this appearance was in ultimates, may be seen just above (n. 278). The reason why a calf or young bullock signifies the good of the natural man, is that those animals which belonged to the herd signified the affections of good and truth in the external or natural man, and those which belonged to the flock signified the affections of good and truth in the internal or spiritual man. Those animals which belong to the flock are lambs, she-goats, sheep, rams, and he-goats; and those which belong to the herd are oxen, calves, young bullocks.

[2] That young bullocks and calves signify the good of the natural man is evident from the passages of the Word where they are mentioned. And first from the description of the feet of the cherubim, in Ezekiel:

"Their right foot and the soles of their feet, as it were the soles of a calf's foot, and they were shining, as the colour of polished brass" (1:7).

The reason their right foot was thus seen was that the cherubim represented the Divine guardianship of the Lord, and the feet and soles of the feet represented the same in ultimates, or in the spiritual-natural heaven and in the natural world. For by the feet is signified in general the Natural; by the right foot is signified the Natural as to good; by the sole of the foot the ultimates therein, and similarly polished brass signifies good in the Natural. It is therefore evident that good in the Natural is signified by a calf, and that here is the ultimate good which guards and defends lest the heavens should be approached except by the good of love and of charity. (That the feet signify the Natural may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328; that that which is on the right signifies good from which is truth, n. 9604, 9736, 10061: hence the right foot signifies the Natural as to good. That the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and hoofs, signify the ultimates in the Natural, may be seen, n. 4938, 7729; and that polished brass signifies natural good, may be seen above, n. 70).

[3] In Hosea:

"Return ye to Jehovah; say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept good, and we will render the bullocks of our lips" (14:2).

What is meant by rendering the bullocks of the lips, no one can know unless he understands what bullocks, and what the lips signify. That confession and thanksgiving from a good heart is here denoted, is evident; but it is thus expressed because bullocks signify external good, and the lips signify doctrine; hence by rendering the bullocks of the lips, is signified to confess and give thanks from the goods of doctrine. (That the lips signify doctrine, may be seen,Arcana Coelestia 1286, 1288.)

[4] In Amos:

"Ye draw the habitation of violence; they lie upon beds of ivory, and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall" (6:3, 4).

The subject here treated of is those who possess in abundance the knowledges of good and truth, and yet lead an evil life. To eat the lambs out of the flock signifies to drink in the knowledges of internal good or of the spiritual man; and to eat the calves out of the midst of the stall signifies to drink in the knowledges of external goods or of the natural man; and to draw the habitation of violence is to live a life contrary to charity.

[5] In Malachi:

"But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise and healing in his wings; that ye may go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall" (4:2).

The sun of righteousness which shall arise to them that fear the name of Jehovah, signifies the good of love; and healing in his wings, signifies the truth of faith; hence, to go forth, and to grow up as calves of the stall, signifies an increase of all good; fatted, and also fat, signifying good.

[6] In Luke:

The father said to his servants concerning the prodigal son who returned penitent in heart, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry" (15:22, 23).

He who understands only the sense of the letter might suppose that this passage contains nothing deeper than appears in that sense, when nevertheless every particular involves something heavenly; as that they should put on the returning prodigal the best robe, that they should put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, that they should bring forth the fatted calf, that they should kill it, and eat and be merry. By the prodigal son are meant those who are prodigal of spiritual riches, which are knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good; by his return to his father, and his confession that he was not worthy to be called his son, are signified penitence of heart and humiliation. By the best, or chief (primarium) robe being put on him, are signified general and primary truths; by a ring upon the hand is signified the conjunction of truth and good in the internal or spiritual man; by shoes upon the feet is signified the same in the external or natural man; and by both these, regeneration. By the fatted calf is signified the good of love and of charity; and by their eating and being merry are signified association and heavenly joy.

[7] In Jeremiah:

"I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not established the words of my covenant which they made before me, the covenant of the calf which they cut into two pieces that they might pass between the parts thereof, the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the royal ministers and priests, and all the people of the land, passing between the parts of the calf, I will even give them into the hands of their enemies, that their carcass may be for food to the bird of the heavens" (34:18-20).

What is meant by the covenant of the calf, and by passing between the parts thereof, no one can know unless he knows what is signified by covenant, what by calf, what by its being cut into two parts; also, what is meant by the princes of Judah and of Jerusalem, by the royal ministers, the priests, and the people of the land. That there is some heavenly arcanum herein is evident. Nevertheless it can be understood, when it is known that a covenant denotes conjunction; a calf, good; a calf cut into two parts, the good proceeding from the Lord on one part, and the good received by man on the other, whence there is conjunction; and that the princes of Judah and of Jerusalem, the royal ministers, the priests, and the people of the land, denote the goods and truths which pertain to the church; and that to pass between the parts denotes to conjoin. When these things are known the internal sense of the passage may be known, which is, that there was no conjunction by the goods and truths of the church with that nation, but disjunction.

[8] Similar things are involved in the covenant of the calf with Abram, concerning which it is thus written in Genesis:

Jehovah said to Abram, "Take to thee a calf 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 took unto himself all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each part one against another; and the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And in that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram" (15:9-12, 18).

The horror of great darkness which fell upon Abram signified the state of the Jewish nation, which was in the greatest darkness as to the truths and goods of the church; this state of that nation is what is described in the Prophet by the covenant ratified by dividing the calf into two parts, between which they passed. Because by a calf is signified the good of the natural man and its truth, which is scientific truth (scientificum); and since the natural man and the scientific thereof is signified by Egypt, therefore Egypt in the Word is called a she-calf, and also a he-calf; therefore, also, after they applied the scientifics (scientifica) of the church to magical and idolatrous purposes they turned the calf into an idol. This is why the sons of Israel made to themselves a calf in the wilderness, and worshipped it, and also why they had a calf in Samaria.

[9] That Egypt is thus designated is evident in Jeremiah:

"A very fair she-calf is Egypt; destruction cometh out of the north, and her mercenaries in the midst of her as calves of the stall" (46:20, 21).

(Concerning the calf which the sons of Israel made to themselves in the wilderness, see Exodus 32; and concerning the calf of Samaria, 1 Kings 12:25-32).

Again, in Hosea:

"They have made a king, but not by me; they have made princes, and I knew it not; of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that it may be cut off. Thy calf, O Samaria, hath forsaken thee. For from Israel was it also; the workman made it, not God; the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces" (8:4-6).

The subject here treated of is the corrupt explanation of the Word, the sense of the letter of which is turned to favour their own loves and the principles of religion thence conceived. To make a king but not by Jehovah, and to make princes and I have not known, signifies doctrinals from man's own intelligence, which are essentially falsities, but which they make to appear as truths. For a king signifies truth, and, in an opposite sense, falsity; princes signify primary truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities which are called principles of religion. To make idols of their silver and gold signifies their perversion of the truths and goods of the church, and worshipping them as holy, although, being derived from their own intelligence, they are destitute of life. Silver denotes the truth, and gold the good, which are from the Lord. Idols signify worship from doctrine which is from man's own intelligence; "the workman made it, and not God," signifies, that it is from man's proprium and not from the Divine; to be broken in pieces, signifies to be dissipated; hence it is evident what is signified by the calf of Samaria. Because calves signified the good of the natural man, therefore also calves were sacrificed, concerning which see Exodus 29:11, 12 and following verses; Leviticus 4:3, 13 and following verses; 8:15 and following verses; 9:2; 16:3; 23:18; Numbers 8:8 and following verses; 15:24; 28:19, 20; Judg. 6:25-29; 1 Sam. 1:25; 16:2; 1 Kings 18:23-26, 33. For all the animals which were sacrificed signified various classes of the goods of the church.

1043. 'The cloud' means the obscure light in which the spiritual man dwells in comparison with the celestial man. This becomes clear from what has just been stated concerning the bow; for the bow, or the colour of the bow, is never manifested except within the cloud. As has been stated, it is the obscurity itself through which the sun's rays shine that is converted into different colours, and so the actual colour that is produced is determined by the nature of the obscurity which the brightness of those rays encounters. Similarly with the spiritual man. The obscurity with him, which is called 'the cloud' here, is falsity, and is the same as the intellectual side of his proprium. When innocence, charity, and mercy from the Lord are instilled into this part of his proprium, the cloud is no longer seen as falsity but as an appearance of truth together with [real] truth from the Lord. Consequently there is the likeness of a coloured bow. The conversion of something spiritual that defies description is involved here, but how else the matter can be explained intelligibly except through the way a person perceives colours and how they are produced I do not know.

[2] The nature of this cloud with someone who is regenerate is clear from what his state was prior to regeneration. A person is regenerated by means of the things he supposes to be the truths of faith. Everyone supposes that his own accepted belief is the truth, and on this basis acquires a conscience. Consequently once he has acquired a conscience, acting contrary to the things that have been impressed on him as being the truths of faith is to him acting contrary to conscience. This applies to everyone who is regenerate. For many from whatever accepted belief are regenerated by the Lord; and once regenerated, they do not receive any direct revelation, but only those things which are implanted through the Word and preaching of it. But because they receive charity, the Lord operates by way of charity into the cloud that is theirs. From this, light is provided, as when the sun pierces a cloud which thereby becomes more illumined and made varicoloured. So also within the cloud [of falsity] the likeness of a bow is manifested. The thinner the cloud therefore, that is, the more it consists of many truths of faith blending together, the more beautiful is the bow; but the thicker this cloud, that is, the less it consists of truths of faith, the less beautiful the bow. Innocence adds considerably to its beauty, bringing so to speak a living brightness to the colours.

[3] All appearances of truth are 'clouds' which envelop a person when he is confined to the sense of the letter of the Word, for the Word speaks according to appearances. Yet, even though he remains in appearances, since he believes the Word in simplicity and has charity, that cloud is relatively thin - it being within this cloud that the Lord forms conscience in the case of one who is inside the Church. In addition, all forms of ignorance of truth are 'clouds', such as envelop a person who does not know what the truth of faith is, in general when he does not know what the Word is, and still more when he has not heard about the Lord. It is within this cloud that the Lord forms conscience in the case of one who is outside the Church; for in ignorance itself there can be innocence, and so charity. All falsities too are 'clouds', but these clouds are the darkness that exists either with people who have a false conscience, as described already, or with people who have none at all. These are in general the various types of clouds. As regards the number of them, the clouds with an individual are so numerous and so thick that if he knew he would be amazed that rays of light from the Lord could ever pierce them at all and that anyone could be regenerated. The person who imagines he has a very small amount of cloud sometimes has a vast quantity of it, while the one who believes he has a vast quantity of cloud has less.

[4] Such clouds reside with the spiritual man, but with the celestial man not so many do so since with him love to the Lord is present, which has been implanted in the will part of his mind. He does not therefore receive conscience from the Lord as the spiritual man does, but perception of good and from this of truth. When the will part of someone's mind is such that he is able to receive rays from a celestial flame, the understanding part is lit up by it, and he knows and perceives from love all things that are truths of faith. The will part is then like a little sun from which rays pass into the understanding part. Such was the nature of the member of the Most Ancient Church. But when the will part of his mind has become utterly corrupted and hellish, and a new will, which is conscience, is therefore formed in the understanding part, as happened to the member of the Ancient Church and happens now to every regenerate member of the spiritual Church, there is thick cloud; for, having no ability to perceive what good and truth are, he must gain a knowledge of this through learning about them. At the same time falsity, which is the obscurity of the cloud, is constantly flowing in from the black will part of his mind, that is, from hell by way of that will part. For this reason the understanding part with the spiritual man can never be enlightened in the way that it is with the celestial man. This is why 'cloud' here means the obscure light in which the spiritual man dwells in comparison with the celestial man.