1083. And shall burn her with fire. That this signifies rejection of the whole of that religious persuasion, which has profaned the holy things of the church by the love of ruling over them and over heaven, is evident from the signification of burning with fire, as denoting to destroy those things of the church that are profaned by the love of ruling. For the punishment of the profanation of the holy things of the church was, to be burned with fire, because that fire represented the fire of hell; and to be burned signified to perish thereby; and the fire of hell is the love of ruling.
The reason why being burned with fire is here the punishment of the profanation of the holy things of the church is, that the whore is meant; and by Babylon as a whore is signified the profanation of the holy things of the church by the diabolical love of ruling over them. The same is signified by being burned with fire by Tophet in the valley of Hinnom, where they burnt their sons and daughters, by which, in the spiritual sense, is also signified the profanation of the truths and goods of the church; by sons the truths thereof, and by daughters the goods. Nearly the same is signified by the valley of Achor, where Achan, who took of the cursed things, after being stoned, was burnt with fire.
From this it is evident that by burning the whore with fire is signified the rejection of the whole of that religious persuasion, which has profaned the holy things of the church, by the love of ruling over them and over heaven. The rejection by the Reformed is meant, according to what was said above.
Continuation concerning the Word:-
[2] Because there is a trine in every particular of the Word, one within the other, and this trine is like that of effect, cause, and end, it follows that there are three senses in the Word, one within the other - a natural, a spiritual, and a celestial; a natural for the world, a spiritual for the heavens of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and a celestial for the heavens of His celestial kingdom. That all the heavens are distinguished into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 20-28.
Now because one sense is within the other - the first which is the literal sense, for the natural world; the second which is the internal sense, for the spiritual kingdom; and the third which is the inmost, for the celestial kingdom - it follows that the natural man, the spiritual angel, and the celestial angel, each draws his own sense therefrom; thus each that which is analogous and agreeable to his own essence and nature. This takes place when the man whom the Lord leads is reading the Word.
[3] But this shall be illustrated by examples. When this precept of the Decalogue is read, "Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother," then a man in the world, by father and mother, understands the father and mother on earth, as also all those who are or may be in the place of a father or mother; and by honouring, he understands to hold them in honour; whereas an angel of the spiritual kingdom by father understands the Divine Good, and by mother the Divine truth; and by honouring, he understands to love; but an angel of the celestial kingdom by father understands the Lord, and by mother, heaven and the church; and by honouring, he understands doing.
[4] When the fifth precept of the Decalogue is read, "Thou shalt not steal," then a man, by stealing, understands to steal and defraud, by taking away under any pretence his neighbour's goods; whereas an angel of the spiritual kingdom, by stealing, understands the depriving another of his truths and goods by falsities and evils; but an angel of the celestial kingdom, by not stealing, understands not to attribute to himself the things that are the Lord's, as the good of love and the truth of faith; whereby good becomes not good, and truth not truth, because from man.
[5] When the sixth precept is read, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," a man then by committing adultery understands the committing adultery and whoredom, also to think filthy thoughts, to speak lasciviously, and to do obscene things, whereas an angel of the spiritual kingdom, for committing adultery, understands falsifying the truths of the Word, and adulterating the goods thereof; but an angel of the celestial kingdom, for committing adultery, understands blasphemy against the Lord, heaven, and the church.
[6] When the seventh precept is read, "Thou shalt not kill," then a man, by killing, understands also to cherish hatred and to desire revenge, even to murder; whereas an angel of the spiritual kingdom thereby understands the killing of a man's soul by scandal against his life and by reasonings, by which a man becomes spiritually dead. But an angel of the celestial kingdom, by killing, understands inducing a man to believe that there is no God, neither heaven nor hell; for by this a man perishes as to life eternal.
[7] When the eighth precept is read, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," then a man, by false witness, understands also lying and defamation; whereas an angel of the spiritual kingdom, by bearing false witness, understands saying, confirming, and persuading, that falsity is truth and evil is good; or, on the other hand, that truth is falsity and good is evil; but an angel of the celestial kingdom, by bearing false witness, understands every falsity against the Lord, and against heaven in favour of hell.
[8] From these things it is evident how a man, from the Words in the letter, draws out and calls forth a natural sense, the spiritual angel a spiritual, and the celestial a celestial, almost as the wood of a tree [extracts] its own juice, the leaf, and the fruit also, from the same earth. And what is wonderful, this is effected in an instant, without the angel knowing what the man thinks, or the man what the angel thinks; and yet, notwithstanding, their thoughts are one by correspondences, as end, cause, and effect are one. Ends are also actually in the celestial kingdom, causes in the spiritual kingdom, and effects in the natural world.
