512. And the third part of the sea became blood, signifies that in consequence everything therein became the falsity of evil. This is evident from the signification of the "third part," as being all (See above, n. 506); also from the signification of the "sea," as being the natural man (See just above, n. 511); therefore "the third part of the sea" signifies the whole natural man and everything therein; also from the signification of "blood," as being falsity of evil (See also above, n. 329). From this the spiritual sense of this verse can be seen, namely, that "the great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood," signifies that the love of self, when it enters into and occupies the natural man, turns every knowledge [scientificum] into the falsity of evil.

[2] The love of self is a love purely corporeal, springing from the rising up and fermenting of worn out parts and the titillation caused by these inwardly in the body; in consequence of which the perceptive faculty of the mind, which requires a pure atmosphere, not only becomes dull and gross, but even perishes. That this is the origin of the love of self can be seen from its correspondence with human dung; for those who have been corroded by this love, when they come into the other life love above all things stercoraceous filth, and its stench is grateful to them, which proves that the effluvium therefrom pleasantly affects the sensory of their smell, as it had before affected the general sensory, which is extended by interior cuticles in every direction. From this alone it can be seen that the love of self is more gross and foully corporeal than any other love, and consequently that it takes away all spiritual perception, which is a perception of the truth and good of heaven and the church. Moreover, it shuts up the spiritual mind and fixes its seat entirely in the natural and sensual man, which communicates most closely with the body and has no communication with heaven. From this again it comes to pass that all those in whom the love of self is dominant are sensual, and do not see the things that belong to heaven and the church except in the densest darkness; and furthermore they reject and deny these whenever they are alone and are thinking with themselves. From this the signification of "the third part of the sea became blood, in consequence of the great mountain burning with fire that was cast into it," can now be seen.

1832. 'But the birds he did not cut apart' means that no such parallelism and correspondence existed in the case of spiritual things. This is clear from the meaning of 'birds' as that which is spiritual, dealt with just above in verse 9, and from the fact that he did not part the birds down the middle, which consequently means that no such parallelism and correspondence existed in their case. By spiritual things, as has often been stated already, are meant all those things that constitute faith, consequently all those things which are matters of doctrine, as these are called matters of faith even though in fact they are not so until they have been joined to charity. Between these and the Lord no parallelism and correspondence exists, for they are not such as flow in through an internal dictate and through conscience - as matters of love and charity do - but such as flow in through the reception of teaching and so through hearing, thus not from what is more internal, but from that which is more external; and in this way they form in man their vessels or recipients.

[2] The majority of these have the appearance of being truths but in fact they are not so - like those things which belong to the literal sense of the Word, being also representatives of truth, and meaningful signs of truth, and so not in themselves truths. Some are even falsities, which nevertheless are able to serve as vessels and recipients. With the Lord however only those exist which are wholly and essentially truths, and therefore no parallelism or correspondence exists involving those apparent truths. Yet they may be rendered suitable to serve celestial things - which are matters of love and charity - as vessels. These apparent truths are what constitute the cloud in the understanding part of the mind, dealt with already, into which the Lord infuses charity and so forms conscience.

[3] Take, for example, people who keep to the sense of the letter of the Word and imagine that it is the Lord who brings on temptation, that it is He who at such times tortures a person's conscience, and who imagine that because He permits evil He is the author of evil, that He thrusts the wicked down into hell, and similar ideas. These are not truths, but apparent truths. And because they are not in themselves truths there is no parallelism and correspondence. Nevertheless the Lord leaves these things in man as they are and in a remarkable fashion adapts them by means of charity so that they may serve as vessels for celestial things. The same applies as well to the worship, the teachings, the practices, even the idols, of honest gentiles. In the same way the Lord leaves these things as they are, yet adapts them by means of charity so that they too may serve as vessels. The same was true of so many of the forms of ritual in the Ancient Church, and subsequently in the Jewish Church. In themselves they were nothing more than religious observances that contained no truth in them and which were tolerated and permitted, even prescribed, because they had been held sacred by parents, and so had been implanted in and impressed upon their minds as truths since they were children.

[4] These and other such things are what are meant by the statement that the birds were not divided. For the things that are once implanted in a person's beliefs and are held sacred, provided they are not contrary to Divine order, are left by the Lord as they are; and although no parallelism or correspondence exists He nevertheless adapts them. The same things were also meant in the sacrifices of the Jewish Church by the birds not being divided, for to divide is to set one part opposite the other so that they exactly correspond. But because those things to which reference has been made are not exactly correspondent, they are in the next life blotted out in the case of those who allow themselves to be taught, and truths themselves are implanted in their affections for good. For the sake of this representation and meaning, birds in the Jewish Church were not divided, as is clear in Moses,

If his gift to Jehovah is a burnt offering of a bird, he is to bring a gift of turtle doves or of young pigeons; he will tear it with its wings, he is not to divide it. Leviticus 1:14, 17.

Likewise in sacrifices for sin, Leviticus 5:7-8.