221. 'Breeze, or breath, ¹ of the daytime' means a time when the Church still had a residue of perception. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'day' and of 'night'. The most ancient people compared states of the Church to the times of the day and of the night. States when the Church still had light they compared to times of the day; therefore this verse speaks of 'the breath' or breeze of the daytime' as when they still had some residue of perception, from which they knew that they were fallen. The Lord too calls a state in which there is faith 'the daytime' and one in which there is none 'the night', as in John,

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when nobody will be able to work. John 9:4.

The consecutive states of man's regeneration for the same reason were called 'days' in Chapter Genesis 1.

Footnotes:

1140. Verse 12. Merchandise of gold and silver, and precious stones, and pearls, and fine linen, and crimson, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyme wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.

"Merchandise of gold and silver," signifies the goods and truths of the Word, of doctrine, and of the Church, in general all profaned by them, thus all evils and falsities in general, by which they make gain; "and of precious stone and pearl," signifies the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, profaned; "and fine linen and crimson," signifies truths and goods from a celestial origin, profaned; "and silk and scarlet," signifies truths and goods from a spiritual origin, profaned; "and all thyme wood," signifies all good therefrom in the natural man; "and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of precious wood," signifies rational truths and goods, profaned; "and of brass and iron," signifies all natural goods and truths, profaned; "and marble," signifies sensual truth.