1009. And they see his shame, signifies and thus be in filthy loves. This is evident from the signification of "shame" as being filthy loves. For shame (pudor) means the part of the body covered by the breeches, the region of the genitals, which are called pudenda, from scandals and adulteries. "Walking naked" means the nakedness of these; and as the genitals of both sexes correspond to the loves of heaven in general, and this is their correspondence when they are clothed, so when they are not clothed, that is, when they are naked, they correspond to the loves of hell. For "garments" signify truths clothing, and "the flesh" of that region of the body signifies the good of love, and good without truth is not good, as truth without good is not truth (See just above, n. 1008; and where there is no good of love there is evil, that is, filthy love. As the nakedness of that part of the body signifies filthy love, or the lasciviousness of adultery, therefore Aaron had breeches of linen that were upon his flesh when he ministered (Exodus 28:42, 43; 39:28), "breeches of linen" signifying truths covering.

(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)

[2] He that abstains from adulteries from any other motive than because they are sins and are against God is still an adulterer; as for instance when anyone abstains from them from fear of the civil law and its penalties, from fear of the loss of reputation and thus of honor, from fear of resulting diseases, from fear of upbraidings at home from his wife and consequent intranquility of life, from fear of chastisement by the servants of the injured husband, from poverty, or from avarice; from infirmity arising from abuse or from age or impotence or disease; in fact, when one abstains because of any natural or moral law, and does not at the same time abstain because of the Divine law, he is still interiorly unchaste and an adulterer, since he nonetheless believes that adulteries are not sins, and therefore in his spirit, declares them allowable, and thus he commits them in spirit, although not in the body; consequently after death when he becomes a spirit he speaks openly in favor of them, and commits them without shame. It has been granted me in the spiritual world to see maidens who regarded whoredoms as heinous because they are contrary to the Divine law, and also maidens who did not regard them as heinous and yet abstained from them because the resulting bad name would turn away suitors. These latter I saw encompassed with a dusky cloud in their descent to those below, while the former I saw encompassed with a shining light in their ascent to those above.

905. 21:16 The city is laid out as a square. This symbolizes justice in the New Church.

The city was seen as square because a square or quadrilateral form symbolizes justice, inasmuch as a triangle symbolizes rectitude, all of these being symbols on the lowest level, which is the natural one.

A square or quadrilateral layout symbolizes justice because it has four sides, and the four sides face the four cardinal points of the compass; and to face the four cardinal points equally is to regard everything equitably. That is why there were three gates on each side giving entrance into the city, and why it is said in Isaiah,

Open the gates, that a righteous nation which keeps its fealties may enter in. (Isaiah 26:2)

The city was laid out as a square in order that its length and breadth might be equal, the length symbolizing the goodness of the New Church, and the breadth its truth, and when goodness and truth are in balance, then there is justice.

It is because a square has this symbolic meaning that we say in everyday speech that this or that man deals squarely, meaning a man who does not incline unjustly to either one party or the other.

Because a square symbolizes justice, therefore the altar of burnt offering was square (Exodus 27:1), which symbolized a worship springing from a celestial goodness and consequent truth. The altar of incense, too, was square as well (Exodus 30:1-2). And other objects also were square.