204. These things saith he that is holy, he that is true. That this signifies from whom is that faith is evident from the signification of holy and true, when said of the Lord, as denoting that charity and faith are from Him, the term holy being used in reference to charity, and the term true, to faith. That the Lord is called holy because charity is from Him, and hence, that holiness in the Word is said of charity and of faith therefrom, will be seen presently. But that the Lord is called true because faith is from Him, and that hence truth in the Word is spoken of faith, is because all truth has reference to faith: for that is said to be true which is believed; other things have not reference to faith, because they are not believed. But as the subject now treated of is the faith of charity, something shall first be said concerning faith and its quality.

[2] There is spiritual faith, and there is merely natural faith. Spiritual faith is wholly from charity, and in its essence is charity. Charity, or love towards the neighbour, is to love what is true, sincere and just, and, from the will, to act accordingly. For the neighbour, in the spiritual sense, is not any particular man, but is that which is in man; if this is what is true, sincere and just, and a man be loved from these, then the neighbour is loved. That this is meant by charity in the spiritual sense, any one may know if he will but reflect; for every one loves another, not for the sake of his person, but for the sake of that which is in him; this is the source of all friendship, favour and honour.

From this it follows, that to love men for the sake of what is true, sincere and just in them, is spiritual love; for truth, sincerity and justice are spiritual things, because they are out of heaven from the Lord. No one thinks, wills and does anything good, which is good in itself, but everything is from the Lord; and truth, sincerity and justice are the goods which are essentially good when from the Lord. These things, now, are the neighbour in the spiritual sense; it is therefore clear what is meant in that sense by love towards the neighbour, or charity. This is the source of spiritual faith; for whatever is loved is said to be true when it is thought of. That this is the case every one may know if he but reflects; for every one confirms what he loves by many things in his thought, and all these he calls truths; no one has any truth but from this source: it therefore follows that, according to the quality of a man's love, such are his truths; consequently, if that love is spiritual, so also will be the truths, because they act in unity with the love. All truths in the aggregate, because they are believed, are called faith; hence it is clear, that spiritual faith in its essence is charity.

[3] So far concerning spiritual faith; but faith merely natural is not the faith of the church, although it is called faith; but is mere knowledge (scientia). The reason of this is, that it proceeds not from love towards the neighbour, or charity, which is the very spiritual itself whence faith is derived, but from some natural love which has reference either to the love of self or of the world; and whatever proceeds from these loves is natural. Love forms man's spirit, for a man as to his spirit is entirely his love, as it were: hence he thinks, wills and acts; therefore no other truth constitutes his faith but that which comes from his love; and truth which belongs to the love of self or of the world is merely natural, because it comes from man and from the world, and not from the Lord and out of heaven; for he loves truth, not for its own sake, but for the sake of honour, gain and reputation, to which it is subservient; and because his truth is of such a quality, such also is his faith. This is why such faith is not the faith of the truth of the church, or faith in a spiritual sense, but in a natural sense, which is knowledge (scientia): therefore also, because nothing thereof is in man's spirit, but only in his memory, together with other worldly things, it is dissipated after death. For that alone remains with a man after death that belongs to his love; for, as has been said, love forms man's spirit, and man as to his spirit is entirely such as his love is. Other things concerning charity and faith therefrom, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, where charity and faith are treated of (n. 84-106, and n. 108-122); also in the small work, The Last Judgment 33-39), where it is shown that there is no faith where there is no charity.

[4] That the term holy in the Word is used in reference to Divine truth, and hence to charity and its faith, is evident from the passages where it is used. There are two things that proceed from the Lord and are received by the angels - Divine good and Divine truth; these proceed unitedly from the Lord, but are received by the angels variously; some receive Divine good more than Divine truth, and some receive Divine truth more than Divine good. The former constitute the celestial kingdom of the Lord, and are called celestial angels, and, in the Word, they are called the just; but the latter constitute the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and are called spiritual angels, and in the Word holy (concerning those two kingdoms and the angels thereof, see the work, Heaven and Hell 20-28). This is why by just and justice in the Word is meant Divine good and what thence proceeds, and by holy and holiness is meant Divine truth and what thence proceeds.

From these considerations it will be seen what is meant in the Word by being justified, and what by being sanctified, as in the Apocalypse:

"He that is just let him be just still, and he that is holy let him be holy still" (22:11).

And in Luke:

"To serve him in holiness and justice" (1:74).

[5] Because Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is meant by holy, therefore in the Word the Lord is called the Holy One, the Holy One of God, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy One of Jacob; and therefore, also, angels are called holy, and also prophets and apostles; hence also Jerusalem is called holy. That the Lord is called the Holy One, the Holy One of God, the Holy One of Israel and the Holy One of Jacob, may be seen in Isaiah 29:23; 31:1; 40:25; 41:14, 16; 43:3; 49:7; Dan. 4:13; 9:24; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34. He is also called King of saints in the Apocalypse:

"Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints" (15:3).

The reason why the Lord is called the Holy One, the Holy One of God, the Holy One of Israel and the Holy One of Jacob, is, because He alone and none else is holy, which is also declared in the Apocalypse:

"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy" (15:4).

[6] The reason why angels, prophets and apostles are called holy is, that by them, in the spiritual sense, is meant Divine truth; and the reason why Jerusalem is called the holy city is, that by that city, in the spiritual sense, is meant the church as to the doctrine of truth. That angels are in the Word called holy, may be seen in Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26. That prophets are called holy, may be seen, Mark 6:20; Luke 1:70; Apoc. 18:20. That the apostles are called holy, may be seen, Apoc. 18:20. And that Jerusalem is called the holy city, may be seen, Isaiah 48:2; 66:20, 22; Dan. 9:24; Matthew 27:53; Apoc. 21:2, 10. (That by angels in the Word is meant Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, may be seen above, 130, 200; that the same is signified by prophets, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2534, 7269; as also by the apostles, see above, n. 100; that by Jerusalem in the Word is meant the church as to the doctrine of truth, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 6.)

From these considerations it is evident why the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is called the Spirit of truth, and the Holy Spirit, as may be seen above (n. 183), also why heaven is called the habitation of holiness (Isaiah 63:15; Deuteronomy 26:15), and why the church is called the sanctuary (Jeremiah 17:12; Lamentations 2:7; Psalms 68:35).

[7] That holiness is said of Divine truth, is clear in the following passages. In John:

Jesus, when praying, said, "Father, sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified in the truth (17:17, 19).

Here to be sanctified is clearly said of Divine truth, and sanctified of those who receive Divine truth from the Lord. In Moses:

"Jehovah came from Sinai, out of the myriads of holiness; from his right hand they had the fire of the law; even he who loveth the people, in thy hand are all his saints, and they are prostrated at thy foot; he shall receive of thy words" (Deuteronomy 33:2, 3).

Sinai signifies heaven, where the Lord is, from whom proceeds Divine truth, or from whom comes the law, both in a limited and a general sense; myriads of holiness signify Divine truths; the law signifies, in a limited sense, the ten precepts of the Decalogue, and in a general sense, the whole Word, which is Divine truth. Those are called peoples in the Word who are in truths, and those of the people who are in truths are called holy. By they are prostrated at thy foot, he shall receive of thy words, is meant holy reception of Divine truth in ultimates, which is the Word in the sense of the letter, and instruction therefrom.

From these considerations it can be known what the particulars in that prophecy signify in the spiritual sense. (That Sinai in the Word signifies heaven, where the Lord is, from whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the law, both in a limited and a general sense, Arcana Coelestia 8399, 8753, 8793, 8805, 9420. That the law signifies, in a limited sense, the ten precepts of the Decalogue, and, in a general sense, the whole Word, n. 2606, 3382, 6752, 7463. That those who are in truths are called peoples, and nations those who are in goods, n. 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 6451, 6465, 7207, 10288. That foot, a place for the feet, and footstool, when said of the Lord, signify Divine truth in ultimates, thus the Word in the letter, n. 9406.) Hence it is clear that by myriads of holiness are meant Divine truths, and that those who are in Divine truths are called holy.

[8] Again, in Moses:

"Speak unto the whole assembly of the sons of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy, for I Jehovah of Israel am holy" (Leviticus 19:2).

The subject treated of in that chapter is the statutes, judgments and precepts that were to be observed; and because Divine truths are thereby signified, it is therefore commanded that they should be holy. By Israel is also signified the spiritual church, or the church which is in Divine truths, and therefore it is said, I Jehovah of Israel am holy.

In Moses:

"Ye shall sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy. And ye shall keep my statutes that ye may do them" (Leviticus 20:7, 8).

The subject here treated of is also the statutes, judgments and precepts which were to be observed. Again:

"If they keep my statutes and judgments, they shall be a people holy to Jehovah" (Deuteronomy 26:17, 19).

In David:

"We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, with the holiness of thy temple" (Psalms 65:4).

Here they are said to be satisfied with the goodness of the house of Jehovah, and with the holiness of His temple, because the house of God, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord as to Divine good, and temple as to Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia 3720). In Zechariah:

"In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses holiness unto Jehovah" (14:20).

The establishment of a new church is there treated of, and by the bells of the horses are signified scientific truths (scientifica vera) from the Intellectual. (That bells signify scientific truths may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 9921, 9926; and that a horse signifies the Intellectual, may be seen in the small work. The White Horse 1-4.)

[9] From these considerations it is evident what was represented and signified by it being commanded,

That upon the mitre, which was upon the head of Aaron, should be placed a plate of pure gold, upon which was engraved "holiness to Jehovah" (Exodus 28:36-38; 39:30, 31);

for the mitre signified wisdom, which pertains to Divine truth (see Arcana Coelestia 9827, 9949). It may also be known what is signified and represented

By Aaron and his sons, their garments, the altar, the tabernacle, with everything pertaining thereto, being anointed with oil, and that thus "they should be sanctified" (Exodus 29:1-36; 30:22, 24-30; Leviticus 8:1 to the end).

For oil signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and sanctification the proceeding Divine; for it is the Divine good which sanctifies, and the Divine truth is that which is thence holy.

[10] That the word holy is used of charity, is evident from what was said above concerning the angels of heaven, namely, that there are some of them who receive more Divine good than Divine truth, and that there are others who receive more Divine truth than Divine good: the former constitute the celestial kingdom of the Lord, and are those who are in love to the Lord, and because they are in love to the Lord, they are called just; but the latter constitute the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and are those who are in charity towards the neighbour, and on that account are called holy. (That there are two loves which constitute heaven - love to the Lord, and love towards the neighbour, or charity, and that the heavens are thence distinguished into two kingdoms, a celestial kingdom and a spiritual kingdom, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 13-19 and n. 20-28.)

3147. 'And water to wash his feet' means purification there. This is clear from the meaning of 'water to wash' or 'washing with water' as purifying, dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'feet' as natural things, or what amounts to the same, those things that are in the natural man, dealt with in 2162. In the representative Church washing feet with water was a ceremonial act which meant washing away the filth of the natural man. The filth of the natural man is composed of all the things that belong to self-love and love of the world, and when such filth has been washed away goods and truths flow in, for that filth alone is what hinders the influx of good and truth from the Lord.

[2] For good is flowing in constantly from the Lord, but when by way of the internal or spiritual man it reaches the external or natural man it is either perverted there, or turned away, or stifled. But when indeed the things that belong to self-love and love of the world are removed, good is received there, and bears fruit there, since the person now performs the works of charity. This may become clear from many considerations, such as this: When the things that belong to the external or natural man are quiescent - as they are in times of ill-fortune, wretchedness, and sickness - a person instantly starts to become spiritually-minded and to will what is good, and also to perform acts of devotion insofar as he is able. But when that state alters, these things are altered too.

[3] In the Ancient Church 'washings' were signs meaning these things, and in the Jewish Church the same were representations. The reason why in the Ancient Church they were meaningful signs but in the Jewish Church representations was that members of the Ancient Church regarded that custom as some external act of worship. Nor did they believe that they were purified by that kind of washing but by a washing away of the filth of the natural man, which, as has been stated, is composed of the things that belong to self-love and love of the world. But the member of the Jewish Church did believe that he was purified by such washing, for he did not know, and did not wish to know, that the purifying of a person's interior self was meant.

[4] That 'washing' means the washing away of that filth is clear in Isaiah,

Wash yourselves; purify yourselves; remove the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil. Isaiah 1:16.

Here it is evident that 'washing themselves' means purifying themselves and removing evils. In the same prophet,

When the Lord will have washed the excrement of the daughters of Zion and washed away the blood of Jerusalem from its midst in a spirit of judgement and in a spirit of purging. Isaiah 4:4.

Here 'washing the excrement of the daughters of Zion and washing away the blood of Jerusalem' stands for purifying from evils and falsities. In Jeremiah,

Wash your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your iniquitous thoughts lodge within you? Jeremiah 4:14.

[5] In Ezekiel,

I washed you with water, and washed away the blood from upon you, and anointed you with oil. Ezekiel 16:9.

This refers to Jerusalem, which is used here to mean the Ancient Church. 'Washing with water' stands for purifying from falsities, 'washing away the blood' for purging from evils, 'anointing with oil' for filling with good at that time. In David,

Wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. You will purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; You will wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:2, 7.

'Being washed' plainly stands for being purified from evils and derivative falsities.

[6] These were the things that were meant by 'washing' in the Representative Church. For the sake of the representation, when they had been made unclean and needed to be cleansed, people were commanded in that Church to wash the skin, hands, feet, and also their garments. All these meant things that belong to the natural man. Also for the sake of the representation, lavers made of bronze were placed outside the Temple - that is to say, 'the bronze sea and the ten bronze lavers' mentioned in 1 Kings 7:23-29; there was also the bronze laver from which Aaron and his sons were to wash themselves, placed between the Tent of Meeting and the Altar, and so outside the Tent of Meeting, Exodus 30:18-19, 21 - the meaning of which was that only external or natural things needed to be purified. And unless they have been purified, that is, unless things belonging to self-love and love of the world have been removed from them, internal things which belong to love to the Lord and towards the neighbour cannot possibly flow in, as stated above.

[7] To enable these matters to be understood more easily, that is to say, regarding the need for external things to be purified, let good works - or what amounts to the same, the goods of charity, which are at the present day called the fruits of faith, and which, since they are actions, are external - serve to exemplify and illustrate the point: Good works are bad works unless the things belonging to self-love and love of the world are removed. For until these have been removed works, when performed, are good to outward appearance but are inwardly bad. They are inwardly bad because they are done either for the sake of reputation, or for financial gain, or for improvement of one's position, or for reward. They are accordingly either merit-seeking or hypocritical, for the things that belong to self-love and love of the world cause those works to be such. But when indeed these evils are removed, works become good, and are the goods of charity. That is to say, they are done regardless of self, the world, reputation, or reward, and so are not merit-seeking or hypocritical, because in that case celestial love and spiritual love flow from the Lord into those works and cause them to be love and charity in action. And at the same time the Lord also purifies the natural or external man by means of those things and orders it so that that man receives correspondingly the celestial and spiritual things that flow in.

[8] This becomes quite clear from what the Lord taught when He washed the disciples' feet: In John,

He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing you do not know now, but you will know afterwards. Peter said to Him, You will never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and head! Jesus said to him, He who is washed has no need except that his feet be washed, but is clean all over. Now you are clean, but not all of you. John 13:4-17.

'He who is washed has no need except that his feet be washed' means that anyone who has been reformed needs to be cleansed only in regard to natural things, that is, to have evils and falsities removed from them. For when that happens all is ordered by the influx of spiritual things from the Lord. Furthermore 'feet-washing' was an act of charity, meaning that one ought not to dwell on the evils of another person. It was also an act of humility, meaning the cleansing of another from evils, like filth from the body, as also becomes clear from the Lord's words in verses 12-17 of that chapter in John, and also in Luke 7:37-38, 44, 46; John 11:2; 1 Samuel 25:41.

[9] Anyone may see that washing himself does not purify a person from evils and falsities, only from the filth that clings to him. Yet because it belonged among the religious observances commanded in the Church it follows that it embodies some special idea, namely spiritual washing, which is purification from the filth that clings to man inwardly. Members of that Church therefore who knew these things and thought of purification of the heart, that is, the removal of the evils of self-love and love of the world from the natural man, and tried to achieve it with utmost zeal, practiced ritual washing as an external act of worship, as commanded. But among those who did not know and did not wish to know those things but who supposed that the mere ritual act of washing garments, skin, hands, and feet would purify them, and who supposed that provided they performed such rituals they would be allowed to continue leading lives of avarice, hatred, revenge, mercilessness, and cruelty - all of which constitute spiritual filth - the performance of the ritual was idolatrous. Nevertheless by means of that ritual they were still able to represent, and by means of the representation to display, some vestige of a Church, by means of which heaven was in a way joined to mankind prior to the Lord's Coming. But that conjunction was such that heaven had little or no influence at all on the member of that Church.

[10] The Jews and Israelites were such that they did not think at all of the internal man, nor did they wish to know anything about the same. Thus they knew absolutely nothing about the celestial and spiritual things which belong to the life after death. Nevertheless to prevent the end of all communication with heaven and so with the Lord, they were bound to the performance of external observances by which internal things were meant. All their captivities and plagues were in general to the end that external observances might be duly carried out for the sake of the representation. It was for this reason that the following laws were given:

Moses was to wash Aaron and his sons with water at the tent door, to sanctify them. Exodus 29:4; 40:12; Leviticus 8:6.

Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tent of Meeting and approaching the Altar to minister, lest they died. This was to them a statute for ever. Exodus 30:18-21; 40:30-31.

Before putting on his vestments Aaron was to wash his flesh. Leviticus 16:4, 24.

Levites were to be purified by sprinkling the water of expiation over them, passing a razor over their flesh, and washing their clothes - then they were pure. Numbers 8:6-7.

Anyone who ate the carcass of a clean animal, ¹ or that which had been torn to pieces, was to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and if he did not wash himself and bathe his flesh he would bear his iniquity. Leviticus 17:15-16.

Anyone who touched the bed of a person who had a discharge, or sat on a vessel on which that person had sat, and anyone who touched that person's flesh was to wash his clothes and to bathe himself with water, and be unclean until the evening. Leviticus 15:5-7, 10-12 and following verses.

The person who sent the goat away to Azazel was to wash his flesh. Leviticus 16:26.

When a leper was to be cleansed he was to wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, wash himself in water, and then he would be clean. Leviticus 14:8-9.

Even vessels themselves which had become unclean through contact with unclean persons were made to go through water and be unclean until the evening. Leviticus 11:32.

From all these laws it may be seen that nobody was made clean or pure internally through ritual washing, but that such a person merely represented him who was pure or spiritually clean, for the reason stated above. The Lord teaches the same quite explicitly in Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23.

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