356. And he that sat on him had a bow. That this signifies the doctrine of charity and faith thence, from which evils and falsities are fought against and dispersed, is clear from the signification of one sitting on a white horse, as denoting the Word (of which we have treated just above); and from the signification of a bow as denoting the doctrine of charity and faith, from which evils and falsities are combated and dispersed. That by a bow is signified that doctrine, will be seen in what follows. Here something shall first be said concerning doctrine:

1. That no one can understand the Word without doctrine;

2. That no one can fight against evils and falsities, and dissipate them, without doctrine from the Word;

3. That no one within the church where the Word is can become spiritual without doctrine from the Word;

4. That doctrine cannot be procured from any other source than from the Word, and by no others but those who are in enlightenment from the Lord;

5. That all things of doctrine are to be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word.

1. That no one can understand the Word without doctrine, is evident from this fact, that the sense of its letter consists of pure correspondences, which contain in themselves spiritual things, thus it consists of such things as are in the world and partake of its nature. Hence it is that the sense of the letter is natural and not spiritual, accommodated, nevertheless, to the apprehension of the simple who do not elevate their ideas above such things as they see before their eyes. For this reason it also contains things that do not appear to be spiritual, although the whole Word inwardly is purely spiritual, because it is Divine. On this account there are many things in the sense of the letter which can serve for no doctrine of the church at this day, and many things which can be applied to various and diverse principles, whence, heresies; but still there are many things intermingled, from which doctrine may be gathered and formulated, especially the doctrine of life, which is the doctrine of charity, and of faith thence. But he who reads the Word from doctrine, sees there all things that are confirmatory, and also many things which lie hidden from the eyes of others; nor does he suffer himself to be drawn away into strange doctrines by those things therein that do not appear to agree, and which he does not understand; for everything of doctrine that he sees therein [appears] to him in clearness, and the rest are obscure to him. Therefore doctrine, which consists of genuine truths, is like a lamp to those who read the Word; and, on the other hand, the Word, to those who read it without doctrine, is like a candlestick without a light, put in an obscure place, by which nothing conducing to salvation can be there seen, known, sought for, and found. Such persons, besides, may be led away into error of every kind, to which the mind inclines from some love, or is drawn from some principle. Hence it is evident that no one can understand the Word without doctrine.

[2] 2. No one can fight against evils and falsities, and disperse them, without doctrine from the Word.

This is evident from this fact, that from doctrine truths can be seen in their own light, and in their proper order, but not from the Word without doctrine, which is manifest from what has just been said; and if truths cannot be seen, neither can falsities and evils be seen, for the latter are opposed to the former; and yet all combat against evils and falsities is from truths, that is, by means of truths from the Lord. Therefore he who reads the Word without doctrine, may easily fight for falsity against truth, and for evil against good, by confirming those things by a wrong interpretation and application of the sense of the letter of the Word; hence it follows that the man is not reformed; for he is reformed by the dispersion of evils and of the falsities thence, by truths applied to the life. This now is what is meant by the white horse which was seen, and by him that sat on him, who had a bow; for by a white horse is signified the understanding of truth from the Word, and by the bow is signified the doctrine of charity and of the faith thence, from which evils and falsities are fought against and dispersed.

[3] 3. No one within the church where the Word is, can become spiritual without doctrine from the Word.

This is evident from what has now been said, namely, that the Word without doctrine is not understood, and that without doctrine from the Word no one can fight against evils and falsities; for man becomes spiritual by a life according to Divine truths (these he does not know without doctrine) and by the removal of evils and falsities, which is not effected without doctrine, as said above; without these two man is not reformed, thus does not become spiritual, but remains natural, and confirms his natural life by the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, by wrongly interpreting and applying it. It is said, "within the church where the Word is," because those who are out of the church have not the Word, and hence know nothing concerning the Lord; and no one becomes spiritual except from the Lord. But still all those who acknowledge a God, and worship Him under the human form, and live in charity according to a religious persuasion agreeing with the Word, are prepared by the Lord to receive spiritual life, which also they do receive in the other life (concerning which circumstance see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 318-328; and above, n. 107, 195). Man becomes spiritual by regeneration, and regeneration is effected by water and the spirit, that is, by truths and by a life according to them (as may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 173-186; that baptism in the Christian world is for a sign and memorial thereof, n. 202-209, in the same work).

[4] 4. Doctrine can be procured from no other source but the Word, and by none but those who are enlightened by the Lord.

This is evident from this consideration, that the Word is Divine truth itself, and of such a quality that the Lord is in it, for the Lord is in His own Divine truth which proceeds from Him; therefore those who form doctrine from any other source than the Word, do not form it from the Divine truth nor from the Lord. Moreover, in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, in which sense the angels of heaven are, whence there is conjunction of heaven with the church by means of the Word; therefore those who form doctrine from any other source than from the Word, do not form it in conjunction with heaven, whence nevertheless, all enlightenment comes. (That the conjunction of heaven with man is by the Word, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 303-310.) Hence it is evident that doctrine is to be procured from no other source but the Word, and by none but those who are enlightened by the Lord. Those are enlightened by the Lord who love truths because they are truths; these, because they do them, are in the Lord and the Lord in them.

[5] 5. All things of doctrine are to be confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word.

This is evident from this consideration, that the Divine truth is in the sense of the letter in its fulness, for that is the final sense, and in it is the spiritual sense; therefore, when doctrine is confirmed thence, the doctrine of the church is also the doctrine of heaven, and there is conjunction by the correspondences. This may be illustrated by this consideration alone: When man thinks any truth, and confirms it by the sense of the letter, it is perceived in heaven, but not if he does not confirm it; for the sense of the letter is the basis into which the spiritual ideas that the angels possess terminate, nearly in the same manner as expressions are the basis into which the sense of the thought falls and is communicated to another. That this is the case might be confirmed by much experience from the spiritual world; but this is not the place to adduce it.

790. 'Waters' here and in what follows means falsities. This becomes clear from the places in the Word quoted in the preliminary section of this chapter ¹ and from those at verse 6 of this chapter, where the flood or inundation of waters is the subject. In those places it was shown that 'inundations of waters' meant desolations and temptations, which entail the same thing as falsities, for desolations and temptations are nothing else than inundations of falsities that have been activated by evil spirits. The reason why such waters mean falsities is that generally 'waters' in the Word means that which is spiritual, that is, that which is intellectual, rational, and factual. And since waters mean these they also mean their opposites, for every falsity is a factual matter, and seemingly rational and intellectual since it is a matter belonging to thought.

[2] That 'waters' means spiritual things is clear from very many places in the Word. But that 'waters' also means falsities, let the passages that follow, in addition to those quoted already, serve to confirm the point. In Isaiah,

This people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go out gently. Therefore, behold the Lord is causing to rise up over them the waters of the river, mighty and many. And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks. Isaiah 8:6-7.

Here 'waters that go out gently' stands for spiritual things, 'waters mighty and many' for falsities. In the same prophet,

Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush, sending ambassadors to the sea, and in vessels of papyrus over the face' of the waters! Go, you swift ambassadors, to a nation marked out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled. Isaiah 18:1-2.

This stands for falsities, which belong to 'the land shadowing with wings'.

[3] In the same prophet,

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. Isaiah 43:2.

'Waters' and 'rivers' stand for difficulties, and also for falsities. In Jeremiah,

What have you to do with the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? And what have you to do with the way to Asshur, to drink the waters of the River? Jeremiah 2:18.

'Waters' stands for falsities arising out of reasonings. In the same prophet,

Who is this coming up like a river, like the rivers his waters are tossed about? Egypt comes up like the river, and like the rivers his waters are tossed about. And he said, I will go up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those who dwell in it. Jeremiah 46:7-8.

'Waters' stands for falsities arising out of reasonings.

[4] In Ezekiel,

Thus said the Lord Jehovah, When I make you a city laid waste, like the cities that are not inhabited, when I shall cause the deep to come up over you, and many waters have covered you, I will cause you to go down with those who go down into the Pit. Ezekiel 16:19, 20.

'Waters' stands for evils and derivative falsities. In Habakkuk,

You did trample the sea with Your horses, the mud of many waters. Habakkuk 3:15.

'Waters' stands for falsities. In John,

The dragon poured water like a stream out of his mouth after the woman, to swallow her up in the river. Revelation 11:15, 16.

Here 'waters' stands for falsities and lies. In David,

Send forth Your hands from on high, rescue me, and deliver me from the many waters, from the hands of sons of the foreigner, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are right hands of falsity. Psalms 144:7-8.

Here 'many waters' clearly stands for falsities, and 'sons of the foreigner also means falsities.