545. And it was said to them, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree.- That this signifies that they should not injure any true and living scientific from the sense of the letter of the Word, nor any cognitions of truth and good therein, is evident from the signification of not hurting, which denotes not to injure; and from the signification of grass, which denotes the true scientific; and from the signification of green thing as denoting the living scientific; concerning which see above (n.507). And as every scientific is true and living from the Word, therefore by not hurting the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, is signified the true and living scientific from the Word; and from the signification of trees, as denoting the cognitions of truth and good, also from the Word; concerning which see above (n. 109, 420).

[2] By scientifics from the Word are meant all things of the sense of the letter, in which what is doctrinal does not appear; but by the cognitions of truth and good are meant all things of the sense of the letter of the Word, in which and from which doctrinal things are. That they should not injure any true and living scientific, nor the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, means that the sensual man, by his persuasive [power], shall not pervert any sense of the letter of the Word, by denying it to be true, for if he does this, all is lost with him, since there is then no hope of his reformation, nor has he any power to understand the truth of the church. For he who denies the Word to be Divine in the entire sense of the letter, breaks off his connection with heaven, since the conjunction of man with heaven is by means of the Word; as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 303-310). The quality of the state of the man of the church when near its end is here described, namely, that from internal or spiritual he becomes external and sensual. But still, lest he should altogether perish, it is provided, and care is taken, by the Lord, that he may not injure any thing in the sense of the letter of the Word by denying it to be true and living, that is, Divine, although by the sense of the letter he confirms his own falsities and evils. For so long as he does not deny the Divine in the Word, he still hears or reads it, and by that means is in some kind of conjunction with heaven. It is therefore evident, that these words signify, that this [principle] of the church would still remain; but by the following words he should hurt those men only who had not the seal of God in their foreheads, is signified that that ultimate Sensual should only do injury to the understanding of truth with those who are not in truths from good from the Lord.