773. "Fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet." This symbolically means that these Roman Catholics no longer have these because they do not have any of the celestial goods and truths to which such things correspond.

The valuables mentioned previously - gold, silver, precious stones and pearls - in general symbolize spiritual goods and truths, as said in no. 772 above. However, the valuables here - fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet - in general symbolize celestial goods and truths. For in people in heaven and in the church some goods and truths are spiritual, and some goods and truths are celestial. Spiritual goods and truths are ones of wisdom, and celestial goods and truths are ones of love. And because the Roman Catholics meant here have none of these goods and truths, but evils and falsities that are their opposites, therefore these valuables are now mentioned, since they come next in sequence.

Now because the case with these valuables is the same as with the previous ones, no further explication is needed than the one presented in the previous number.

What fine linen symbolizes specifically we will say in the next chapter, in dealing with the words there, "for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8, nos. 814, 815). That purple symbolizes celestial good, and scarlet celestial truth, may be seen in no. 725 above. Silk symbolizes an intermediate celestial goodness and truth - goodness because of its softness, and truth because of its shine. It is mentioned only in Ezekiel 16:10, 13.

1997. 'I will multiply you more and more' means endless fruitfulness of the affection for truth. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'multiplying' as having reference to truth, dealt with in 43, 55, 913, 983. And because it refers to the Lord it means the endless fruitfulness of truth that flows from good, dealt with already in 1940. There are two types of affection - the affection for good and the affection for truth. The affection for good consists in doing good from a love of good, the affection for truth is doing good from a love of truth. At first glance these two types of affection seem to be identical, but they are quite distinct and separate from each other in essence as well as in origin. The affection for good, or doing good from a love of good, belongs strictly to the will, whereas the affection for truth, or doing good from a love of truth, belongs strictly to the understanding; thus these two types of affection are as distinct from each other as will and understanding. The affection for good springs from celestial love, but the affection for truth from spiritual love. The description 'affection for good' cannot be used except in reference to the celestial man, while 'affection for truth' is used in reference to the spiritual man. What the Celestial is and what the celestial man, and what the Spiritual or the spiritual man is, has been adequately shown in Volume One. The Most Ancient Church, which existed before the Flood, was stirred by the affection for good, but the Ancient Church, which existed after the Flood, was stirred by the affection for truth, for the former was a celestial Church, but the latter a spiritual Church. All angels in heaven are either celestial or spiritual. The celestial are stirred by the affection for good, the spiritual by the affection for truth. To the former the Lord appears as the Sun, to the latter however as the Moon, 1529-1531, 1838. The latter affection, that is, the affection for truth, the Lord united to the affection for good, which consists in doing good from a love of good, when He united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence. Consequently 'multiplying more and more' means endless fruitfulness of truth deriving from good.