949. Verse 6. And there came out of the temple seven angels that had the seven plagues, signifies consequent manifestations of all the evils and falsities therefrom, and of all the falsities and evils therefrom that have devastated the church. This is evident from the signification of "angels," as being manifestations (See above, n. 869, 878, 883); also from the signification of "seven," as being all and wholly (See n. 257, 300); also from the signification of "plagues," as being such things as destroy spiritual life, and thus the church, and these are lusts from an evil love and from falsities (See above, n. 584), consequently as being evils and the falsities therefrom, and falsities and the evils therefrom; also from the signification of "the temple," as being the interior Word revealed (See the preceding article). All this makes clear that the words "there came out of the temple seven angels that had the seven plagues" signify that from the Word and from its spiritual sense are made manifest all the evils and falsities therefrom, and all the falsities and evils therefrom that have devastated the church.
[2] The expression "evils and the falsities therefrom and falsities and the evils therefrom" is used, because both the church with the Papists and the church with the Reformed are meant. With the Papists evils and the falsities therefrom have devastated the church; but with the Reformed, falsities and the evils therefrom. The evils with the Papists are evils from the love of ruling by means of the holy things of the church over all things of heaven and over all things of earth. That love is the fountain of all evils; and from those evils come falsities of every kind. But with the Reformed there are falsities and the evils therefrom; and these falsities spring from the principle of the justification and salvation of man by faith alone, or by faith without good works; and when good works are separated from faith, evil works take their place; consequently falsities and evils therefrom have devastated the church with the Reformed, as evils and falsities therefrom have with the Papists.
(Continuation)
[3] So far as evils are removed as sins, so far goods flow in, and so far does man afterwards do goods, not from self, but from the Lord. As, first, so far as one does not worship other gods, and thus does not love self and the world above all things, so far the acknowledgement of God flows in from the Lord, and then he worships God, not from self but from the Lord. Second, so far as one does not profane the name of God, that is, so far as he shuns the lusts arising from the loves of self and of the world, so far he loves the holy things of the Word and of the church; for these are the name of God, and are profaned by the lusts arising from the loves of self and of the world. Third, so far as one shuns thefts, and thus shuns frauds and unlawful gains, so far sincerity and justice enter, and he loves what is sincere and just from sincerity and justice, and thus does what is sincere and just not from self but from the Lord. Fourth, so far as one shuns adulteries, and thus shuns unchaste and filthy thoughts, so far conjugial love enters, which is the inmost love of heaven, and in which chastity itself resides. Fifth, so far as one shuns murders, and thus shuns deadly hatreds and revenges that breathe slaughter, so far the Lord enters with mercy and love. Sixth, so far as one shuns false testimonies, and thus shuns lies and blasphemies, so far truth from the Lord enters. Seventh, so far as one shuns the covetousness for the houses of others, and thus shuns the love and consequent lusts for possessing the goods of others, so far charity towards the neighbor enters from the Lord. Eighth, so far as one shuns the covetousness for the wives of others, their servants, etc., and thus shuns the love and consequent lusts of ruling over others (for the things enumerated in this commandment are what belong to man), so far love to the Lord enters. These eight commandments include the evils that must be shunned, but the two others, namely, the third and fourth, include certain things that must be done, namely, that the sabbath must be kept holy, and that parents must be honored. But how these two commandments should be understood, not by the men of the Jewish Church but by the men of the Christian Church, will be told elsewhere.
