769. Who keep the commandments of God, signifies with those who live the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "keeping the commandments of God," as being to live according to the commandments in the Word; and as that life is a life of faith, and a life of faith is charity, therefore "keeping the commandments of God" signifies to live the life of faith, which is charity. The life of faith is charity towards the neighbor, because faith means faith in the Word, thus faith in the truth that is in the Word and from the Word, and charity means the love of good and truth, spiritual, moral, and civil; and as that which man loves he also wills, and what he wills he does, therefore "keeping the commandments of God" signifies to live the life of faith, which is charity.

[2] From this it can be seen that all those who separate faith from charity know not what faith is or what charity is, for they have no other idea of faith than as being everything of the memory that is believed because they have heard it from learned men; and yet such faith is historical faith, for they do not see whether a thing is so, except because someone else has said it; and what is seen from another can be confirmed both by the sense of the letter of the Word misunderstood and by reasonings from appearances and knowledges [scientifica], although it may be a falsity directly opposed to the truth.

When this is confirmed it becomes a persuasive faith; but neither this faith nor historical faith is a spiritual faith, thus not a saving faith, for such faith has as yet no life from the Lord in it. That a man may receive that life he must live according to the Lord's commandments in the Word, for living according to these commandments is the same as living from the Lord, because the Lord is the Word and is in the Word. Such a life is the life of faith, which is charity; and then its affection becomes charity, and thought from that affection becomes faith; for all man's thought derives its life wholly from affection, since no one can think without affection; therefore when a man's affection becomes spiritual his thought also becomes spiritual; consequently such as a man's charity is such is his faith. From this it can be seen that charity and faith, like affection and thought, or what is the same, like will and understanding, act as one, for affection is of the will and thought is of the understanding, consequently they act as one as goods and truths do. Thence it is clear that to live according to the commandments of the Lord from the Word, or "to keep the commandments of God," means to live the life of faith, which is charity.

7297. 'And they also, the magicians of Egypt, did so with their enchantments' means that thus to outward appearances they did something similar, by perverting the ends that order has in view. This is clear from the meaning of 'they also did', when said in reference to the magicians of Egypt, as presenting something that to outward appearances is similar, for the effects that flow from order are not altered by its misuse but are similar in outward form though they are not similar in inward form since they are contrary to the ends that order has in view; and from the meaning of 'enchantments' as the actual tricks that are used to pervert order. Sorceries and enchantments where they are mentioned in the Word mean the art of presenting falsities to look like truths and of presenting truths to look like falsities, which is done especially by means of illusions.

[2] These things are meant by 'sorceries' and 'enchantments' in the following places: In Isaiah,

But these two things will come to you in a moment in one day - loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in their fullness on account of the multitude of your sorceries, because of the very great abundance of your enchantments. Persist in your enchantments, and in the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have laboured from your youth. Isaiah 47:9, 12.

This refers to Babel and the Chaldeans. In the same prophet,

Draw nearer, sons of the sorceress, seed of the adulterer, and [of her who] committed whoredom. Isaiah 57:3.

In Nahum,

Woe to the city of blood, ¹ because of the multitude of the acts of whoredom of a harlot of goodly grace, ² the mistress of sorceries, the seller of nations through her acts of whoredom, and of families through her sorceries. Nahum 3:1, 4.

'The city of blood' stands for the falsification of truth, 'the acts of whoredom' for falsified good of truth, and 'sorceries' for tricks used to present falsities as truths and truths as falsities.

[3] In Malachi,

I will draw near to you to judgement, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against adulterers, and against those who swear falsely. Malachi 3:5.

In John,

By your enchantment all nations were led astray. Revelation 18:13.

This refers to Babylon. In Micah,

I will cut off your horses from your midst and destroy your chariots, and I will cut off the cities of your land and pull down all your fortifications, and I will cut off sorceries from your hand. Micah 5:10-12.

From this quotation it is evident that 'sorceries' means tricks used to present truths as falsities and falsities as truths. For by 'the horses' which are to be cut off are meant things of the understanding, 2761, 2762, 7217, 5321, 6125, 6534; by 'the chariots' which are to be destroyed are meant matters of doctrine concerning truth, 2760, 5321; by 'the cities of the land' which are also going to be cut off are meant the Church's truths - 'cities' being truths, 2268, 2451, 2712, 2943, 4492, 4493, and 'the land' the Church, 662, 1067, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577; and by 'fortifications' are meant truths insofar as they protect forms of good. From all this one may now know what is meant by the 'sorceries which are to be cut off from their hand, namely tricks used to present truths as falsities and falsities as truths. These tricks also correspond to the delusions which the evil in the next life employ to make a visual presentation of beautiful things as loathsome ones and loathsome things as beautiful ones. These delusions as well are a type of sorceries, since they too are misuses and inversions of Divine order.

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