373. And he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand. That this signifies the estimation of truth from the Word in that state of the church, is clear from the signification of him that sat on the horse, as denoting the Word (see above, n. 355, 356, 365); and from the signification of the balance in his hand, as denoting the estimation of truth thence. For all measures and weights mentioned in the Word, signify the estimation of the thing treated of as to good and as to truth, the numbers adjoined determining the estimation as to the quality and quantity thereof; as in the present case, a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, which we shall explain presently. There were several measures in the representative church, as the omer, the homer, the ephah, the bath, the hin (concerning which see the Arcana Coelestia 10262); and besides there were balances and scales, by which weighings and balancings were effected, and by these specifically are signified estimations of anything as to truth. On this account the weights of the scales were stones, or made of stone, for by stones in the Word are signified truths. That the weights were stones, or of stone, appears from Leviticus 19:36; Deuteronomy 25:13; 2 Sam. 14:26; Isaiah 34:11; Zech. 4:10. That stones in the Word signify truths, may be seen, n. 643, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376. Here, therefore, by the balance in the hand of him that sat on the black horse, is signified the estimation of truth from the Word.

[2] That he who sat upon the horses, not only upon the white horse, but upon the red, the black, and the pale horses, signifies, the Word, and by the horses, according to their colours, is signified the understanding thereof - by the red horse the understanding of the Word destroyed as to good, and by the black horse the understanding of the Word destroyed as to truth has been shown above. But because it cannot easily be comprehended that he who sat on the horses signifies the Word, in consequence of the red and the black horses signifying the understanding of the Word destroyed as to good and as to truth, therefore it shall be explained how the case is. The Word in itself is the Divine truth itself, but the understanding thereof is according to the state of the man who reads it; the man who is not in good perceives nothing of the good therein, and the man who is not in truths sees nothing of the truth therein; the reason of this, therefore, is not in the Word, but in him who reads it. Hence it is evident that he who sat on the horses still signifies the Word, although the horses themselves signify the understanding of the Word destroyed as to good and as to truth. That he who sat upon the white horse signifies the Word, plainly appears in the Apocalypse (19:13), where it is said:

"The name of him who sat upon that horse is called the Word of God."

[3] That by a balance or scales is signified estimation, and also just arrangement, which is effected by truths, is clear in Daniel:

The writing appeared upon the wall before Belshazzar the king of Babylon when he was drinking out of the vessels of gold and silver belonging to the temple of Jerusalem, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin," that is, numbered, numbered, weighed, divided. "This is the interpretation of these words: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting. Upharsin; the kingdom is divided, and given to the Mede and Persian" (5:5, 25-28).

By this matter of history, in the internal sense, is described the profanation of good and truth, which is signified by Babylon; for Belshazzar was king in Babylon, and by a king in the Word is signified the same as by the nation or kingdom itself over which he reigns. The profanation of the good and truth of the church is signified by his drinking out of the vessels of gold and silver belonging to the temple of Jerusalem, and at the same time praising the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone (as mentioned in verse 4). By the golden and silver vessels of the temple of Jerusalem the good and truth of heaven and the church are signified; by gold good, and by silver truth; and by praising the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone, is signified idolatrous worship of every kind, thus external worship without any internal, such as exists with those who are understood by Babylon. That there is no church at all with such persons, because there is nothing of the good and nothing of the truth of the church in them, is signified by the writing from heaven; for by, numbered, numbered, is signified exploration as to good and truth; and by being weighed in the balance, is signified, estimation according to their quality, and judgment; and by being divided, is signified dispersion, extermination, and separation from the good and truth of the church; and by kingdom is signified the church; hence it is evident, that by being weighed in the scale or balance, is signified estimation according to quality thereof. (That to divide signifies to disperse, to exterminate, and to separate from good and truth, may be seen, n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9093.) The reason why a kingdom denotes the church, is because the Lord's kingdom is where the church is, therefore those who belong to the church are called "the sons of the kingdom" (Matthew 8:12; 13:38).

[4] In Isaiah:

"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and measured the heavens with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a tierce, and weighed the mountains in a scale, and the hills in balances?" (40:12).

By the measures here are described the just arrangement and estimation of all things in heaven and in the church, according to the quality of good and truth. The measures here are, the hollow of the hand, the span, the tierce, the scale, and balances; by waters are signified truths; by the heavens, interior or spiritual truths and goods; by the dust of the earth, exterior or natural truths and goods, both of heaven and the church; by mountains, the goods of love; by hills, the goods of charity; and by weighing them, to estimate and arrange according to their quality. That these things are signified by those words, no one can see except from the knowledge of correspondences.

[5] Because the just estimation and exploration of good and truth are signified in the Word by measures, therefore it was commanded that the measures should be just, and not fraudulent, in Moses:

"Ye shall not deal perversely in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just stones, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have" (Leviticus 19:35, 36);

and therefore also justice, where there is meant thereby the estimation and exploration of men according to the quality of the good and truth with them, is everywhere in the Word expressed by scales, balances, and by ephahs, omers, homers, seas, hins (as in Job 6:2; 31:6); and injustice is expressed by scales and balances of fraud and deceit (as in Hosea 12:7; Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11).

107. (Verse 6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. That this signifies aversion, derived from the Divine, in regard to those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, from which there is no life, is evident from the signification of "this thou hast, that thou hatest," as being aversion. The reason why it denotes aversion derived from the Divine, is, because it is said, "which I also hate"; and from the signification of works, as being things which pertain to the mind, whence works proceed (concerning which see above, n. 98); and from the signification of the Nicolaitanes, as being those who separate good from truth, or charity from faith, those who do this being without life. The reason why those who separate charity from faith are without life, is that all spiritual life pertains to charity, and none to faith separated from charity; for to know and to think pertain to faith, but to will and to do pertain to charity. Those who separate charity from faith cannot possibly know what constitutes heaven and the church with man, thus what constitutes spiritual life, because they do not think within themselves, but extrinsically. To think extrinsically, is to think from the memory only; for the memory is extrinsic to the man, being as it were a court, through which there is an entrance into the house and its inner chambers. Moreover, heaven cannot flow into thought which is extrinsic to a man, for it flows into those things which are within him, and through them into those things that are extrinsic to him. This is why they cannot be instructed in those things that constitute heaven and the church, or life eternal. For every one is instructed from heaven, or through heaven from the Lord, concerning those things that pertain to life eternal, thus through the medium of his life, or through his soul and heart.

He who believes that those can be in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth who separate charity from faith, is much deceived, for they suppose everything to be from themselves, and nothing from heaven. And the things which a man apprehends from self, and not from heaven, are falsities, because he thinks in darkness, and not in the light; all light in those things that pertain to the church, must come from heaven.

[2] There are indeed many in the church who say that charity is the essential of the church and not faith separate from it; but to say this and believe it, and not to live the life of charity, is merely to say that it is, and not to make it the essential; these, therefore, are like those who say that faith is the essential, for with them charity is a matter of faith alone, and not of the life; therefore they cannot be enlightened. In the spiritual world there is seen with such persons something snowy, of light as it were; but the light from which the snowy appearance comes, is natural, this being of such a character, that, on the influx of the light of heaven, which is spiritual, it is changed into darkness. These dwell to the left in the spiritual world, almost in the angle of the north and west. Those only are intelligent who apply the knowledges of truth and good to the life.

[3] All those who are in the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, and not in the good of life in agreement with them, may live a moral life equally with those who are in knowledges, and thereby in the good of life by means of them; but their moral life is natural, and not spiritual, because they do not live sincerely, justly and well from religion; and those who are such cannot be conjoined with heaven, for religion makes man spiritual, and conjoins him with the angels, who are spiritual. To live well from religion, is to think, to will, and to do, because it is so taught in the Word, and because the Lord has commanded it; but not to live from religion, is to think, will, and do, only on account of civil and moral laws. The latter, because they regard nothing else but those laws, are conjoined only with the world, for which those laws are made; but the former look to the Lord, and thence are conjoined to Him.

The reason why the Gentiles are saved, is solely from this fact, that in their life they have regard to religion, thinking and saying, that they ought to act in a certain way and no other, because it is in agreement with the laws of their religion, and such and such things are to be left undone, because they are contrary to those laws, thus against the Divine; and when they so think and act, spiritual life is imparted to them, which is of such a nature with them, that they afterwards receive truths in the spiritual world, more readily than those Christians who, when they do anything, think nothing from the Word, and the doctrine of the church, which is from the Word.

[4] Those who do not think from religion, since they are not spiritual, have no conscience; if therefore their external bonds, which are fear of the law and of the loss of reputation, were removed, they would rush into every kind of enormity; but, on the other hand, if the external bonds, which are fear of the law and of the loss of reputation, were taken away from those who think from religion, they would still act justly, uprightly, and well; for they fear God, and are kept in a life of obedience and charity by influx out of heaven from the Lord, to whom they are conjoined. The reason why those who separate charity from faith are called Nicolaitanes, is chiefly from the sound of that expression in heaven, for it sounds from truth or faith, and not from good or charity. (That from expressions in the Word it may be known whether they involve good or truth, thus also whether they involve one separate from the other, may be seen in the work,Heaven and Hell 241.)