600. And he set his right foot upon the sea, and the left upon the earth.- That this signifies the sense of the letter, which is natural, in which are all things of heaven and the church, is evident from the signification of feet, when used in reference to the angel, who means the Lord as to the Word, as denoting the Divine Truth in ultimates, or the Word in the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter (see above, n. 65, 69); feet, in a general sense (communi sensu), signify natural things, because man, from the head to the soles of the feet, corresponds to heaven, which in its whole compass has reference to one Man (unum Hominem); the head corresponds to the inmost or third heaven, the angels of which are celestial; the breast even to the loins corresponds to the middle or second heaven, the angels of which are called spiritual, while the feet correspond to the ultimate or first heaven, the angels of which are celestial-natural and spiritual-natural; but the soles of the feet correspond to the world, in which everything is natural; the reason why the feet signify natural things, is evident from these facts. More may be seen concerning this correspondence, in Heaven and Hell 59-86, and 87-102).

[2] It is therefore evident, why the feet of the angel, by whom the Lord as to the Word is represented, signify the natural sense of the Word which is the sense of its letter; and from the signification of his right foot upon the sea, and the left foot upon the earth, as denoting all things of heaven and the church; for by the right are signified all things of good from which is truth, and by the left, all things of truth from good, and by the sea and the earth are signified all things exterior and interior, pertaining to heaven and the church, by the sea, exterior things, and by the earth, interior things. And because all things of heaven and the church have reference to good and to truth, and also to things exterior and interior, therefore these words signify generally all things pertaining to heaven and the church. The reason why the angel was seen to stand upon the sea, and upon the earth, is, that the outward appearance of things, in the spiritual world, is similar to that of things in the natural world; for example, in the former as in the latter there are seas, and also lands, circumflowing seas, and lands between them (see above, n. 275, 342, 538). From this fact it is clear, that by sea and earth are signified all things of heaven, and also of the church.

[3] Since right and left are mentioned in the Word throughout, and in some places, the right alone, or the left alone is named, I desire to explain, in a few words, the signification of each used separately, and of both together. This may be known by the position of the quarters in the spiritual world, where to the right is the south, to the left the north, in front the east, and behind the west. For an angel is continually turned to the Lord as the Sun, therefore before him is the Lord as the east, and behind him is the Lord as the west, and at his right hand is the south, and at his left hand the north. It is in consequence of this turning, that the right signifies truth in light, and the left, truth in shade; or, what is the same thing, that the right signifies spiritual good, which is truth in light, and the left spiritual truth, which is truth in shade; thus also the right signifies good from which is truth, and the left, truth from good. Such things are signified by all the right and left parts of the body, and also by the right and left parts of the head; as by the right and left eye, the right and left hand, the right and left foot, and so on, the signification peculiar to each member or part being still retained. The general and particular signification of right and left, in the Word of both the New and the Old Testaments, is clear from these few observations, as in the following places.

[4] Thus in Matthew:

"When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may be in secret" (6:3, 4).

These words signify that good must be done from good, and for the sake of good, and not for the sake of self and the world in order to be seen; by alms is meant every good work; and let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, signifies that good must be done from good itself, and not without good, for otherwise it is not good. The right hand signifies good from which [is truth], and the left hand, truth from good, as stated above; these act as one with those who are in the good of love and charity, but not so with those who in their good actions consider themselves and the world, therefore the left hand here means to know, and to act without good. That thine alms may be in secret, signifies that it may not be for the sake of appearance.

[5] Again:

"And" the king "shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. And he shall say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And he shall say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (25:33, 34, 41).

He who does not know the signification of sheep and goats in the proper sense, may suppose, that sheep mean all the good, and goats all the evil; but in the proper sense, the sheep mean those who are in the good of charity towards their neighbour, and consequently in faith, and the goats those who are in faith separated from charity, thus all those upon whom judgment is to take place in the last time of the church.

For all those who were in the good of love to the Lord, and therefore in the good of charity and faith, were taken up into heaven before the Last Judgment, and all those who were not in the good of charity, and therefore not in faith, consequently all those who were interiorly and at the same time exteriorly evil, were cast down into hell before the Last Judgment; but those who were interiorly good and not equally so exteriorly, also those who were interiorly evil but exteriorly in good, were all left till the Last Judgment, then those who were interiorly good were taken up into heaven, and those who were interiorly evil were cast down into hell. See what is said upon this fact, from things heard and seen, in the small work on the Last Judgment. From these things it is evident, that goats mean those who were in faith separated from charity, and this is also meant by the he-goat in Daniel (8:5-25); and in Ezekiel (34:17). It is therefore evident, that by the right hand, where the sheep are, is meant the good of charity and of faith therefrom, and the left hand, where the goats are, means faith separated from charity. The reason why it is said to the sheep, that they should inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world, is, that, in the heavens, at the right hand is the south, where are all those who are in truths from good, for in the southern part the proceeding Divine itself is of such a quality, as is meant by the kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world, therefore they are also called "the blessed of my Father." By the Father is meant the Divine Good, from which are all things of heaven. It is not said of the goats at the left hand, "prepared from the foundation of the world," but "eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," because the evil make hell for themselves. They are called cursed, because the cursed in the Word mean all those who turn themselves away from the Lord, for such reject the charity and faith of the church. The signification of eternal fire may be seen in Heaven and Hell 566, 575).

[6] The two robbers who were crucified, one on the right, and the other on the left of the Lord, have a similar signification to the sheep and the goats; therefore it was said to the one who acknowledged the Lord, that he should be with Him in paradise (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:39-43). And in John,

Jesus said to His disciples who were fishing, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and were no longer able to draw it for the multitude of fishes" (21:6).

[7] Since fishing, in the Word, signifies the instruction and conversion of men who are in external or natural good, in which good most of the Gentiles were at that time, for fish signify the things pertaining to the natural man, and a ship signifies doctrine from the Word, therefore the right side of the ship signifies the good of life. It is therefore evident that the signification of the Lord's commanding them to cast the net on the right side of the ship, is, that they should teach the good of life. That thus they would convert the Gentiles to the church, is signified by their finding in such abundance that they could not draw the net for the multitude of fishes. It must be clear to every one, that the Lord would not have commanded them to cast the net on the right side of the ship, if the right side had not been significative.

[8] Again, in Matthew:

"And if thy right eye hath caused thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. And if thy right [hand] hath caused thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee" (Matthew 5:29, 30).

That by the right eye and the right hand the Lord did not mean the right eye and the right hand, every one can see from this fact, that the eye was to be plucked out, and the hand to be cut off, if they caused to stumble. But because the eye, in the spiritual sense, signifies everything pertaining to the understanding and thought therefrom, and the right hand everything pertaining to the will and affection thence, it is obvious that by plucking out the right eye, if it caused to stumble, is signified, that if evil be thought, it must be rejected from the thought; and that by cutting off the right hand, if it caused to stumble, is signified, that if evil be willed, it must be shaken off from the will. For neither the eye nor the right hand can cause to stumble, but the thought of the understanding and the affection of the will to which they correspond, can cause to stumble. The reason why the right eye and the right hand are mentioned, and not the left eye and the left hand, is, that by the right is signified good, and in the opposite sense evil, but by the left is signified truth, and, in the opposite sense falsity, and every cause of stumbling is from evil, but not from falsity, unless the falsity be the falsity of evil.

That these things are said concerning the internal man, whose function is to think and will, and not concerning the external, whose function is to see and act, is evident also from the words which immediately precede concerning the woman of another, that merely to look upon her to lust after her is to commit adultery.

[9] In the Gospels, the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked Jesus that one of her sons should sit on His right hand and the other on the left in His kingdom; "Jesus said, Ye know not what ye ask, to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, except to those whom it is granted by the Father" (Matthew 20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40).

The reason why the mother of Zebedee's children, James and John, made this request was, that by mother is meant the church, by James, charity, and by John, the good of charity in act. These two, or those who are in them, in heaven are at the right and left hand of the Lord. There to the right hand is the south, to the left the north, and in the south are those who are in the clear light of truth from good, while in the north are those who are in the obscure light of truth from good. The Divine itself, proceeding from the Lord as the Sun, produces a Divine sphere of such a nature in those quarters, on which account none can possibly dwell there but those who are in such truths from good. This is signified by its being said, that to sit on the right hand, and on the left hand of the Lord, is only for those to whom it is given or prepared by the Father. By the Father is meant the Divine Good of the Divine Love, from which is heaven, and everything pertaining to heaven. These words of the Lord therefore mean, that the Lord gives to sit on His right hand and on His left in the heavens to those for whom an inheritance in the south and north has been prepared from the foundation of the world.

[10] That the right hand means the south in the heavens, is evident in David:

"The heavens are thine, and the earth is thine; thou hast founded the world, and the fulness thereof. The north and the right hand thou hast created them" (Psalm 89:11, 12).

The heaven and the earth mean the higher and lower heavens, and also the internal and external church. The world and the fulness thereof, mean the heavens, and the church in general as to good and truth, the world means heaven and the church as to good, and the fulness thereof, heaven and the church as to truth. And because these, or those who are in them, are in the north and in the south, and the south is at the right hand of the Lord, therefore it is said, the north and the right hand; and since such is the quality of Divine Truth united to Divine Good in those quarters from the foundation of the world, as said above, it is therefore said, "thou hast founded" and "thou hast created."

[11] And in Isaiah:

"The Lord gave you the bread of adversity, and the waters of affliction, but shall not thy teachers be forced to fly away any more, and thine eyes shall again look to thy teachers; and thine ears shall hear the word saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye go to the right hand, and when ye go to the left" (30:20, 21).

These words treat of the state of those who are in temptations, and who, by means of temptations, and after they are past, admit and receive instruction in the truths of doctrine. The temptations themselves are signified by the bread of adversity, and the waters of affliction; by the bread of adversity are signified temptations as to the good of love, and by waters of affliction are signified temptations as to the truths of faith.

For temptations are of two kinds, as to good which is of love, and as to truth which is of faith; bread signifies the good of love, and waters signify the truths of faith, while adversity and affliction signify states of temptation. Instruction in the truths of doctrine is signified by, thine eyes shall again look to thy teachers, eyes denoting understanding and faith, and teachers doctrine. The good of life according to truths of doctrine is signified by, thine ears shall hear the word, ears denoting obedience, and since obedience is of the life, therefore by hearing the word is signified a life according to the truths of doctrine. Instruction and obedience are further described by the words, "saying, This is the way, walk, ye in it, when ye go to the right hand, and when ye go to the left;" by way is signified truth leading; truth leading to the south in heaven is meant by going to the right, and truth leading to the north there is signified by going to the left.

[12] Again, in the same prophet:

"Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; hinder not, lengthen thy cords, and make firm thy nails; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the nations, and they shall cause the desolate cities to be inhabited" (54:2, 3).

The subject here treated of is the establishment of the church among the Gentiles. To enlarge the place of the tent, signifies the increase of the church in regard to worship from good. To stretch forth the curtains of the habitations, signifies the increase of the church as to truths of doctrine. To lengthen the cords, signifies the extension of those doctrines; to make firm the nails, signifies confirmation from the Word. By breaking forth on the right and on the left, is signified amplification as to the good of charity, and the truth of faith, on the right denoting as to the good of charity, and on the left, as to the truth of faith from that good. By the seed which shall inherit the nations, is signified truth by means of which there are goods, seed denoting truth, and nations goods; and by the desolate cities, which the nations shall cause to be inhabited, are signified truths from the goods of life, desolate cities denoting truths of doctrine, where truths did not exist before, nations denoting the goods of life from which are truths, and to dwell denoting to live.

[13] So again:

"In the wrath of Jehovah of hosts is the land darkened, and the people are become as fuel for the fire; they shall not spare a man (vir) his brother. And if he cut off on the right hand, he shall yet be hungry; and if he eat on the left hand, they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat a man (vir) the flesh of his own arm" (9:19-21).

These words describe the extinction of good by falsity, and of truth by evil; the extinction of all good and truth, however they may be enquired for, is signified by, if he cut off on the right hand, he shall yet be hungry, and if he eat on the left hand, they shall not be satisfied. The right hand denotes good from which truth comes; the left hand denotes truth from good; to cut and to eat towards those, signify inquiry; to be hungry and not to be satisfied, denotes not to be found, and if found, still not to be received. The rest of the passage is explained above (n. 386:2).

[14] And in Ezekiel:

"The likeness of the faces" of the cherubim, "they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side; and the face of an ox on the left side, and they four had the face of an eagle" (1:10).

The signification of the cherubim, and of their faces, which were as the face of a man, of a lion, of all ox, and of an eagle, may be seen above (n. 277-291). The reason why the face of a man and the face of a lion were seen on the right side, is, that by man is signified Divine Truth in light and intelligence, and by the lion, Divine Truth thence in power, such as it is in heaven in the south; and the face of the ox seen on the left side, signifies the good of truth in obscurity, for an ox signifies the good of the natural man, which is in obscurity with those who dwell in heaven to the north.

[15] So in Zechariah:

"In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a furnace of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they may devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left; that Jerusalem may yet dwell under herself in Jerusalem" (12:6).

The subject here treated of is the establishment of the celestial church, or the church which will be in the good of love to the Lord, and which is meant by the house of Judah. Her governors mean the goods together with the truths of that church; the dispersion of evils and falsities by these is signified by their being made like a furnace of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in the sheaf, and by their devouring all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left. The evils that shall be dispersed by that church are signified by the words, "like a furnace among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf;" and the falsities that shall also be dispersed, are signified by the people round about, whom they shall devour or consume. That that church shall be safe from the infestation of evils and falsities, and shall live in the good of life according to truths of doctrine, is signified by the words, "that Jerusalem shall yet dwell under herself in Jerusalem." To dwell is used in reference to the good of life, and Jerusalem signifies the church as to the truths of doctrine.

[16] Again, in Ezekiel:

"I will set the point of the sword against all their gates; it is made into lightning, it is sharpened for the slaughter. Gather thyself, turn to the right hand, arrange thyself, turn to the left hand, whither thy faces nod" (21:15, 16).

These words describe the destruction of truth by deadly falsities. The sword signifies such falsity destroying truth, while the deadly character and enormity of such falsity is denoted by the sword made into lightning, sharpened for the slaughter. That those who are in such falsity are destitute of any good and truth, although they may make diligent enquiry, is signified by, Gather thyself, turn to the right hand, arrange thyself, turn to the left hand, whither thy faces nod.

[17] And in Zechariah:

"Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and the eye of his right side shall be utterly darkened" (11:17).

By the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock, are meant those who do not teach truth and by it lead to the good of life, and who do not care, whether that which they teach be true or false. By the sword being upon his arm is signified falsity destroying all the good of the will, and by its being upon the eye of his right side falsity destroying all the truth of the understanding. That they shall be deprived of all good and truth is signified by, his arm shall be clean dried up, and the eye of his right side shall be utterly darkened. These words are further explained (n. 131[b], 152).

[18] Since the right side of the body, and the members of the right side, signify good by means of which there is truth, therefore when Aaron and his sons were inaugurated into the priesthood, it was commanded, that the blood of the ram should be taken, and put upon the tip (auricula) of their right ear, upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot (Exodus 29:20).

This was commanded, because blood signified Divine Truth, by means of which is the good of love, for the latter was represented by Aaron, and the former by his sons; and because for the purpose of representing the Divine Good of love, all inauguration is effected by Divine truth, therefore blood was put upon the tip of the right ear, upon the thumb of the right hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot. The tip of the right ear signifies obedience from perception; the thumb of the right hand signifies good in the will, and the great toe of the right foot, good in act.

[19] Since leprosy signifies good consumed by falsities, the way in which this evil can be remedied by Divine means is described by the process of the cleansing of the leper, understood according to the spiritual sense. We shall give only a brief summary of this. The priest was to take of the blood of the offering for sin and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that was to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, and the priest was to take of the oil from the log and pour it upon the palm of his left hand, and the priest was to dip his right finger in the oil which was in his left palm and sprinkle of the oil with his right finger seven times before Jehovah (Leviticus 14:14-17, 24-28). Similar things to those above are here signified by the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot. The same is also signified by the blood, that is, the Divine Truth, for this purifies man from the falsities which have destroyed the goods pertaining to him; and when he is purified from these, good may be brought forth by means of truths and the man be thus cured of his leprosy.

From what has been stated then it is clear that the right and left signify good from which is truth, and truth from good, as shown above. What other reason could there be for sprinkling the blood upon the right part of those members, and for pouring the oil into the left palm, and sprinkling with the right finger?

[20] Similarly the prophet Ezekiel was commanded to lie upon his left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it (Ezekiel 4:4). A prophet signifies one who teaches, and, in the abstract sense, the doctrine of the church. The left side signifies the doctrine of truth from good, and by means of truths from good, man is purified from his iniquities.

[21] Solomon placed the lavers,

"five near the shoulder of the house on the right hand, and five near the shoulder of the house on the left hand; and he set the" brazen "sea at the right shoulder of the house eastward over against the south" (1 Kings 7:39).

The reason of this was, that the house or temple represented heaven and the church, and the lavers represented purifications from falsities and evils, and thus preparations for entrance into heaven and the church. The right shoulder of the house signified the south in the heavens, where Divine Truth is in its light, and the left shoulder signified the north, where Divine Truth is in its shade. Thus the ten lavers signified all things pertaining to purification, and all who are purified, and by five on the one side, and five on the other, were signified those, or that kind of men, with whom Divine Truth is in light, and with whom it is in shade. For ten signifies all things and all persons, and five, one part or one kind; the brazen sea represented the common purifier (purificatorium), and the reason why this was placed at the right shoulder of the house eastward over against the south, was, that the Divine Truth, which purifies, proceeds from the Divine Love of the Lord, for the east is where the Lord appears as the Sun; and the Divine Truth, which is the light of heaven from that Sun, is in its clearness and brightness in the south. This was the reason why the common purifier was placed eastward over against the south. These interior things (arcana) of the Word cannot be understood in the world, except from a knowledge of the quarters in heaven, which are different from those in the world. Concerning the quarters in heaven, see what has been said from things seen and heard, in Heaven and Hell 141-153).

[22] In the spiritual world, every one enters and walks in ways which lead to those who are in a similar ruling love, and every one is free to go which way he desires, thus in that way into which, and by which, his love leads him, and the ways to the right and the left tend to the one or to the other love, that is, to that which is implanted; for this reason therefore the right and left also signify what is pleasant, free, and desired. Thus in the book of Genesis:

Abraham said unto Lot, "Separate thyself; if to the left hand, I will go to the right; if to the right hand, I will go to the left" (Genesis 13:9).

And again, when Abraham's servant asked Rebecca as a wife for Isaac, he said to Laban:

"Tell me, that I may look to the right hand, or to the left" (Genesis 24:49).

By not departing and going to the right or to the left, is also signified not to go any other way than that in which the Lord Himself leads, and in which the good and truth of heaven and the church lead, thus not to walk erroneously, as that they should not depart from the word of the priest the Levite, and the judge, nor from the precepts in the Word, to the right hand or to the left (Deuteronomy 17:11, 20; 28:14; Joshua 1:7; 2 Sam. 14:19), and that the sons of Israel should not turn to the right hand or to the left, but should go by the way of the king when they passed through the land of Edom, (Num. 20:17); and also when they passed through the land of the king of Sihon (Deuteronomy 2:27). That the right hand signifies complete power, and, when used in reference to the Lord, the Divine Omnipotence, may be seen above (n. 298).

242. To buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be enriched. That this signifies to procure to themselves genuine good from the Lord that they may receive the truths of faith, is evident from the signification of buying, as denoting to procure and appropriate to themselves (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 4397, 5374, 5397, 5406, 5410, 5426); and from the signification of gold tried in the fire, as denoting genuine good, thus good from the Lord, which will be explained in what follows; also from the signification of that thou mayest be enriched as denoting to be enabled to receive the truths of faith. The reason why this is signified by being rich is, that riches and wealth signify the knowledges of truth and good, and the rich those who are in intelligence therefrom; in the present case, those who are in faith, because the subject here treated of is those who hold the doctrine of faith alone. Hence it is clear that by to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich, is signified to procure to themselves genuine good from the Lord that they may receive the truths of faith.

[2] We shall first explain how this is to be understood. That truth which in itself is truth is not possible, except from good, thus that faith which is faith in itself is not possible, except from charity, has been frequently stated above; for truth, which is truth in itself, is not possible, except spiritual life be in it, and spiritual life is in it only when it is formed from the good of charity; for truth is the form of good, and good is the being (esse) of truth; thus also good is the life of truth, and good is from no other source than the Lord. And when good is from the Lord, then truth, which is from good, looks primarily to the Lord, and also to the neighbour and his good; for the Lord flows in with good, and from good forms truth, which is the truth of faith, and causes the spiritual sight of man to look to Him and to the neighbour. (That this is the case, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 145, 251; namely, that the Lord beholds angels and men in the forehead, and they behold the Lord through the eyes; the reason is, that the forehead corresponds to the good of love, and the eye to the understanding thence enlightened, consequently to the truths of faith. And also in the same work, n. 17, 123, 124, 142-144, 510, it is shown, that in the spiritual world all are turned to their own loves; and those who have acknowledged the Lord and believed in Him, are turned to Him, and hence they receive good from Him, and by good, enlightenment as to truths.) From these considerations it is plain that the genuine good signified by gold tried in the fire is from the Lord alone.

[3] Because in what is written to the angel of this church, the subject treated of is those who live according to the doctrine of faith alone; and because those who have confirmed themselves in that doctrine, and were, in the world, thence called learned, could connect falsities with truths, and induce an appearance that the doctrine was true, it was therefore granted me to converse with some of them in the other life; and because that conversation may serve for illustration, I wish to adduce it. Those learned ones, from the opinion which they held in the world, supposed that faith without charity was possible, and that man is justified by that faith alone. Their discourse was very ingenious; they said that faith was possible without charity, because it is prior to charity, and that by means of it man is in good. "Who," said they, "cannot believe that God is, that the Word is divine, and things of a similar kind, which, unless they were believed, could not be accepted and thought of by man?" They therefore concluded that faith is possible without charity, because it precedes, or is prior to it; and, such being the case, that it is saving, because a man cannot do good of himself; therefore, unless that faith saved, all men would perish. Nor was the presence of God with man possible without faith, and if it were not possible, evil would reign, and no one would possess any good; these things, they said, were meant by justification by faith alone.

But it was shown them that there could be no faith unless it existed with charity; and that what they called faith was only the knowledges first acquired by every man, as that God is, and that the Word is divine, and so on; and that those knowledges are not in man, but in the medium of access to him, which is his memory, until they are in his will; but that, in proportion as they are in his will, in the same proportion they are in the man himself; for the will is the man himself; and in proportion as they are in the will, in the same proportion they are in his sight, which is faith. The knowledges themselves, which precede, and, to the natural sight, appear to be believed, do not previously become knowledges of faith. This is why the seeing of knowledges, which is supposed to be faith, recedes from man successively as he begins to think evil from willing evil, and also recedes from him after death, when he becomes a spirit, if the knowledges have not been implanted in his life, that is, in his will or love.

[4] This may be illustrated by a comparison with those stomachs of birds and terrestrial animals, which are called ruminant stomachs; into these they first collect their food, and afterwards by degrees take it out thence and eat it, and so nourish the blood, whence it becomes incorporated into their life. To those stomachs man's memory corresponds, which he enjoys in the place of them, because he is spiritual. Into this he first collects spiritual foods, which consist of knowledges, and afterwards takes them out, as it were, by ruminating, that is, by thinking and willing, and appropriates them to himself, and thus makes them part of his life. From this comparison, trifling as it may appear, it is obvious that, unless knowledges are implanted in the life, by thinking and willing them, and thence by doing them, they are like foods which remain unmasticated in the ruminant stomachs, where they either become putrid, or are vomited out. Moreover, the circle of man's life is to know, to understand, to will, and to do; for the spiritual life of man commences from knowing, thence it is continued into understanding, afterwards into willing, and lastly into doing. From this it is also evident, that knowledges in the memory are only in the entrance to the life, and that they are not fully in the man until they are in his deeds; also, that they are more fully in his deeds the more fully they are in his understanding and will.

[5] It was further shown that the faith of knowledges before it becomes the faith of life, is merely historical faith, the quality of which is well known to be this, that a thing is believed because another has said it; this, before it becomes the man's, is an alien faith, or the faith of another with him. Another quality of such faith is that it is a belief in things unknown; for it is said that such things are to be believed, although they are not understood, indeed that they are not to be looked into by the understanding, although such is the nature of spiritual faith that truths themselves are seen in it, and so are believed. In heaven, no one believes any truth unless he sees or has seen it; for there they say, "Who can believe that a thing is so unless he sees it? Perhaps it may be false"; and none but the evil can believe what is false, for the evil, from evil, see falsities, whereas the good, from good, see truths; and because good is from the Lord, the seeing of truth from good is also from the Lord. The reason why the angels see truths is because the light of heaven, in which they are, is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; hence all in the world also, who have that light, enjoy the sight of truth (concerning the light of heaven, and that such is its nature and quality, see in the work, Heaven and Hell 126-140).

[6] It was afterwards shown that charity and faith act as one, and enter together into man, so that in proportion as man is in charity in the same proportion he is in faith, because faith as to its essence is charity, just as truth as to its essence is good; for good, when it exists in visible manifestation, or in form, is truth; thus charity is faith, for good belongs to charity, and truth to faith. The one also loves the other, and conjoins itself to it, therefore one is not possible unless together with the other. This was illustrated by the thought of man, which belongs to his understanding, and by the affection, which belongs to his will. To think without affection is impossible, for the very essence of thought is affection or love. A man may indeed think all those things that he knows from the doctrine of the church, but from a natural affection, which is the affection or love of glory, fame, honour or gain; but this affection does not cause the thought to be spiritual, this being effected only by charity, which is spiritual affection itself. This affection, when it conjoins itself with knowledges, becomes faith, and afterwards, in proportion as man is in that affection, in the same proportion he sees in thought the things which belong to his faith, which are called truths, and acknowledges them because they are from his spirit itself, thus from his spiritual life itself: this also is what is called enlightenment. This is why no one can be enlightened from the Word unless he has the spiritual affection of truth. There is indeed something like enlightenment given to those who have confirmed themselves in such things as pertain to the doctrine of faith alone, and justification thereby; but it is a fatuous enlightenment, because they can confirm falsities equally with truths, as is the case with all heresies, both with those which prevail amongst the Jews and with those with the Papists. A similar light is also given, after such confirmations, to those who are called naturalists, who deny God, the divinity of the Word, and everything belonging to the church. The case is the same with those who have confirmed themselves in faith alone, and justification thereby. (That the light of confirmation is natural and not spiritual light, which is possible also with the evil, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 8780.)

[7] But let us return to the faith which, as to essence, is charity. That faith is continually perfected by those things that confirm; for from spiritual light more truths are always seen, and these all conjoin themselves with the good of charity, and perfect it; hence a man has intelligence and wisdom, which at length becomes angelic. Moreover, those who are only in the knowledges of faith, and not in a life according to them, believe that a man can easily receive faith, if not in this world, yet in the other, saying to themselves, "When I hear and see that a thing is so, cannot I then believe it?" But they are greatly deceived; for those who have not received spiritual faith in the world, if they should afterwards hear of it, and see it a thousand times, can never receive it. The reason is, that this faith is not in the man, but out of him. That this is the case, is clearly evident from this, that all those who come from the world are first received by angels and good spirits, and are instructed by every means; indeed, many things are shown them even to the life and to the sight, but still they do not receive them; therefore they withdraw themselves from the angels and good spirits, and go to those who are destitute of faith. It was, moreover, told them that, if faith could be received by knowing and thinking only, it would be received by all, by the evil and the good alike, and thus no one would be condemned. (That charity, which is spiritual affection, can never be imparted to any one unless he knows truths, explores himself according to them, receives them, and lives a new life agreeably to them, may be seen above, n.239.)

[8] It therefore follows that the life of faith is charity, and that there is nothing of life in faith, except in proportion as charity is therein; and also that in proportion as charity is in faith, in the same proportion man is led by the Lord; but that in proportion as charity is not in faith, in the same proportion man is led of himself; and he who is led of himself, and not by the Lord, cannot think what is good, still less can he will and do good which is good in itself. For from man's proprium nothing but evil proceeds; for when he thinks what is good, and wills and does good from proprium, it is only for the sake of himself and for the sake of the world, which are the ends for which he acts, and the ends are the loves which lead him; and man cannot be withdrawn or raised up from his proprium, unless he looks to the Lord as to the things of his life; by this he is conjoined with heaven, and spiritual affection is thence imparted to him by the Lord.

When these observations had been made, it was given to those with whom I discoursed on this subject to be in spiritual light, this light being such that truths can be seen in it as clearly as objects in the world are seen in its light; and then those who were in the doctrine of faith alone and justification thereby, could not but declare that the case was so. But as soon as that light was taken away from them and they were brought back into their own natural light, they could see only that the sight of knowledges is saving faith, and hence that the falsities which they had made of their faith were truths. Falsities become matters of the faith when evils are of the life.

[9] But to return to the explanation of the words of this passage, which are, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be enriched." By these words is signified that they should procure to themselves from the Lord genuine good, in order that they may receive truths; it now remains to be shown that gold in the Word signifies the good of love. This is evident from the following passages. In Malachi:

"Behold, I send my angel, who shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, and the angel of the covenant whom ye desire; he shall sit refining and purifying silver, and shall purify the sons of Levi; he shall refine them as gold and silver, that they may bring to Jehovah a meat-offering in justice" (3:1-3).

These things are spoken of the Lord's advent. It is here said that Jehovah would send His angel who should prepare the way before Him; and by the angel is meant John the Baptist, as is well known. By before me, or before Jehovah is meant the Lord's Divine Itself; by the temple to which He should come is meant His Divine Human. This is also called the angel of the covenant, because the conjunction of men and angels with the Divine Itself is by means of it; for covenant denotes conjunction. By the silver which he shall sit refining and purifying is meant truth from good. By the sons of Levi are meant all who are in the good of charity and thence in the truth of faith; it is therefore said that He should refine them as gold and silver; this is because gold signifies good, and silver truth therefrom. By offering unto Jehovah an offering in justice is meant the worship of the Lord from the good of charity. (That temple signifies the Divine Human of the Lord, may be seen above, n. 220: that covenant signifies conjunction, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632; that silver signifies truth from good, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658; that a meat-offering signifies the good of love and charity, n. 4581, 9992, 9993, 9994, 10079, 10137; that justice is said of good, n. 2235, 9857.) Hence to bring an offering in justice signifies worship from the good of love.

[10] In Zechariah:

"Two parts in all the land shall be cut off, they shall expire, but the third shall be left in it; nevertheless I will bring the third through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and I will try them as gold is tried" (13:8, 9).

Here, by all the land is not meant all the land, but the whole church; nor by the third part is a third part meant, but some who are therein. By its being brought through the fire, and refined as silver is refined, and tried as gold is tried, is signified their being purified from evils and falsities in order that good and truth may be implanted. (That land in the Word signifies the church, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 6516, 9325, 9643; that a third part signifies some, n. 2788.) There are in the above passages comparisons of silver and gold with truth and good; but in the Word all things serving for comparisons also correspond, and thence signify, as may be seen, n. 3579, 8989. Because gold tried in the fire signifies the good of love purified from evils, it was therefore commanded

that the gold and silver taken from the Midianites should pass through the fire, and thus be purified (Numbers 31:22, 23).

[11] That gold signifies the good of love and charity is more fully evident from the following passages. In Hosea:

"Israel hath forsaken good: the enemy pursueth him: of their silver and their gold they have made to themselves idols" (8:3, 4).

By making to themselves idols of their silver and their gold is signified that they turned truth and good into falsities and evils, as is evident from its being said, "Israel hath forsaken good: the enemy pursueth him." The enemy denotes falsity from evil and evil from falsity.

[12] In Joel:

"What have ye to do with me, O Tyre and Zidon? My silver and my gold have ye taken, and the desirable things of my goods have ye brought into your temples, and the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem ye have sold to the sons of the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their borders" (3:4-6).

Here by Tyre and Zidon are meant those within the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and, in this case, those who have perverted them and applied them to falsities and to the evils thereof. This is signified by, ye have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples the desirable things of My goods. Silver signifies truth, gold good, and the desirable things of my goods signify derived truths and goods, which are knowledges from the Word in the sense of the letter. To carry these into their temples signifies to turn them into profane worship. By their selling the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the Grecians is meant that they changed all the truths of good into falsities of evil. By removing them far from their borders is meant far from truths themselves. (That by Tyre and Zidon are meant those within the church who have the knowledges of truth and good, may be seen in Arcana, Coelestia, n. 1201; that by the sons of Judah and sons of Jerusalem are meant all the truths of good, because by sons are signified truths, n. 1729, 1733, 2159, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 7499, 8897, 9807; by Judah, the celestial church, n. 3654, 6364; by Jerusalem, the church where there is genuine doctrine, n. 3654, 9166. That by the Grecians are meant falsities, because the Grecians signify the nations that are in falsities, may be seen above, n. 50.)

[13] In Ezekiel:

"The traders of Sheba and Raamah, by the chief of all spices, and by every precious stone and gold they have carried on their tradings" (27:22).

And again:

"In thy wisdom and thy intelligence thou hast made to thyself wealth, and hast made gold and silver in thy treasuries. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, and gold" (28:4, 13).

The subject treated in these two passages is also Tyre, by which, as was said above, are meant those within the church who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good. By her tradings are meant those knowledges themselves. By Sheba and Raamah also are meant those who possess those knowledges, see Arcana Coelestia 1171, 3240. By spices are signified truths that are grateful because derived from good, see n. 4748, 5621, 9474, 9475, 10199, 10254. By precious stones are signified truths that are beautiful because from good, see n. 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873, 9905. And by the garden of Eden is signified intelligence and wisdom therefrom, see n. 100, 108, 1588, 2702, 3220. Because, now, by those things are signified the knowledges of truth and of good, and because by gold and silver are signified the goods and truths themselves, and because all intelligence and wisdom are procured by means of these, therefore it is said, "In thy wisdom and thy intelligence thou hast made to thyself wealth, gold and silver in thy treasuries."

[14] In Lamentations:

"How is the gold become dim! how is the best fine gold changed! the stones of holiness are poured out at the head of every street. The sons of Zion are estimated equal to pure gold; how are they reputed as bottles of earthenware, the work of the hands of the potter!" (4:1, 2).

The vastation of the church is here treated of. The gold which is become dim, and the best fine gold which is changed, signify the goods of the church; the stones of holiness which are poured out at the top of every street, signify that the truths thence derived are falsified; the sons of Zion who were estimated equal to fine gold, signify the truths of the former church; bottles of earthenware, the work of the hands of the potter, signify evils of life derived from falsities of doctrine, which are from man's own intelligence.

[15] In Ezekiel:

"I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a necklace on thy neck. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work. Thou hast also taken the vessels of thine adorning from my gold and from my silver which I gave to thee, and hast made thee images with which thou hast committed whoredom" (16:11, 13, 17).

The subject here treated of is Jerusalem, which signifies the church as to doctrine, as said above. The ornaments with which she was decked signify, in general, all truths from good and intelligence therefrom (see Arcana Coelestia 10536, 10540). Bracelets upon the hands signify specifically truths from good (see n. 3103, 3105); a necklace upon the neck signifies the conjunction of interior goods and truths with exterior goods and truths, or of those which are spiritual with those which are natural (see n. 5320); fine linen signifies genuine truth, and silk the same resplendent from interior goods (see n. 5319, 9469); broidered work signifies the Scientific (Scientificum) of the natural man (see n. 9688); the images with which she committed whoredom are the fallacies of the senses, which to those who are in falsities appear like truths; to commit whoredom with them is to draw false conclusions by means of them. (That to commit whoredom signifies to imbue with falsities, may be seen above, n. 141.) From these considerations it is clear that the subject treated of in this chapter is the church, as to its quality when it was first established by the Lord, and what its quality became afterwards.

[16] In Isaiah:

"Behold, I stir up against them the Medes, who shall not regard silver, and shall not delight in gold, whose bows shall strike the young men, their eye shall not spare the sons" (13:17, 18).

By the Medes are meant those who are against the goods and truths of the church; therefore it is said of them, they shall not regard silver, nor delight in gold. Silver denotes the truth of the church, and gold its good. Their bows signify the doctrinals of falsity fighting against truths and goods (see Arcana Coelestia 2686, 2709): the young men whom they shall strike signify those who are intelligent from truths (see n. 7668); the sons whom they shall not spare signify truths themselves.

[17] In the same:

"The troop of camels shall cover thee; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of Jehovah. The isles shall trust in me, and the ships of Tarshish, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them" (60:6, 9).

The subject here treated of is the Lord's Advent, and by a troop of camels are meant all those who are in the knowledges of truth and good (see Arcana Coelestia, 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145). By Sheba, whence they shall come, is meant where those very knowledges are (see n. 1171, 3240); by the gold and incense which they shall bring are meant goods and truths derived from good, which are thence grateful; by gold the goods, and by incense those truths (see n. 9993, 10177, 10296); by the isles which shall trust in Him are meant the nations which are in Divine worship, but more remote from the truths of the church (see n. 1158); by ships of Tarshish are meant general knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good in which are contained many particular ones (n. 1977, 6385); by the sons whom they shall bring from far are meant truths more remote; sons denote truths, as above, and from far denotes which are more remote (see in. 1613, 9487); by their silver and gold with them are signified the knowledges of truth and good with them.

The like is signified by

the wise men who came from the east to the place where Christ was born, who offered "gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

They offered those things because they signified goods and truths interior and exterior, which are gifts pleasing to God.

[18] In David:

"All kings shall bow down before him; all nations shall serve him. He shall preserve the souls of the poor, and they shall live; and he shall give them of the gold of Sheba" (72:11, 13, 15).

Here also the Lord's Advent is treated of. By the kings who shall bow down before Him, and by the nations who shall serve Him, are meant all who are in truths from good; (that kings signify those who are in truths, may be seen above, n.31; and that nations signify those who are in good, may be seen also above, n. 175); by the poor whom he shall preserve are meant those who are not in the knowledges of good and truth, but yet desire them (as may be seen also above, n. 238). By the gold of Sheba, of which He shall give them, is signified the good of love into which the Lord shall lead them by means of knowledges; (what is signified by Sheba may be seen just above).

[19] In Haggai:

"And I will rouse up all nations, that they may come, the choice of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former" (2:7-9).

These things also are said concerning the Lord's advent. By nations are meant those who are in good and thence in truths; by house is meant the church (see Arcana Coelestia 3720); by the glory with which it shall be filled is meant Divine truth (see n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429); by the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, is meant truth and good, which are from the Lord alone.

[20] In Zechariah:

"The wealth of all nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver and apparel in great abundance" (14:14).

By the wealth of all nations are meant knowledges, wherever they are, even with the evil; by gold, silver and apparel in great abundance are meant goods and truths, both spiritual and natural. The same was signified by the

gold, silver and raiment which the Israelites borrowed of the Egyptians, when they departed from them (Exodus 3:22; 11:2, 3; 12:35, 36).

The reason why such a thing took place, and what it involves, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 6914, 6917), where it is shown that it was in order that it might be represented that from the evil are taken away the things which they have, and that they are given to the good, according to the Lord's words in Matthew 25:28, 29; and in Luke 19:24, 26; and that they should make to themselves friends of the unrighteous mammon, according to the Lord's words in Luke 16:9. By the unrighteous mammon are meant the knowledges of truth and good with those who do not rightly possess them, these being those who do not apply them to the uses of life.

[21] In David:

"Kings' daughters are among thy precious ones; on thy right hand doth stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir: the king's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is embroidered with gold" (45:9, 13).

This passage treats of the Lord. By the king's daughter is meant the church which is in the affection of truth, and which is described by kings' daughters being among her precious ones: by whom are meant the affections of truths themselves. By the queen standing at his right hand in the best gold of Ophir is meant the Lord's celestial kingdom, which is in the good of love; by her clothing being embroidered with gold is meant that truths are from good.

[22] In Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples whom He sent forth to preach the gospel, that they should not provide gold, or silver, or brass in their purses (10:9);

by which was represented that they should have nothing of good and truth from themselves, but from the Lord alone, and that all things would be given them freely. Because gold signified the good of love,

Therefore the table upon which was placed the showbread was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:23, 24).

Also the altar of incense, which was thence called the golden altar (Exodus 30:3).

And on the same account the candlestick was made of pure gold (Exodus 25:31-38).

As were also the cherubim (Exodus 25:18);

And for the same reason the ark was covered within and without with gold (Exodus 25:11).

The same was the case with many other things in the temple of Jerusalem; for the tent in which were the ark, the cherubim, the table upon which was the showbread, the altar of incense, and the candlestick represented heaven, and so did the temple; and hence the gold therein signified the good of love, and the silver truth from good.

[23] Because the most holy thing of heaven was represented by the gold in the temple,

Therefore, when Belshazzar drank wine out of the vessels of gold brought out of that temple, and at the same time praised the gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and stone, there appeared written on the wall, Numbered, weighed, divided; and in that night he was slain (Dan. 5:2, and following, verses);

for by this the profanation of good was signified.

[24] Moreover by gold, in an opposite sense, in the Word is signified the evil of the love of self, and by silver the falsity therefrom, as in Moses:

The silver and gold of the nations they shall not covet, because they are abominations, nor shall they bring them into their houses, but they shall be accursed, because they were to be abominated and detested (Deuteronomy 7:25, 26).

But concerning this signification of gold and silver we shall speak hereafter.