4938. The ones who in the Grand Man correspond to the feet, soles, and heels are those who are natural, which is why in the Word natural things are meant by 'the feet', 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280. By 'the soles' lower natural things are meant, and by 'the heels' lowest natural, 259. In the Grand Man celestial things constitute the head, spiritual ones the body, and natural ones the feet; they exist in this consecutive order. In addition, celestial things, which are the highest, are ringed about by spiritual ones, which are in the middle; and spiritual things are ringed about by natural, which are lowest ones.

4257. 'Lest he comes and smites me, the mother with the children' means that it is about to perish. This becomes clear without explanation. Among the ancients who lived in an age of representatives and meaningful signs 'smiting the mother with the children ¹ was a proverbial expression meaning the destruction of the Church and of everything that belonged to the Church either in general, or in particular with anyone who in himself is a Church. For 'mother' was used by them to mean the Church, 289, 2691, 2717, and 'children' or 'sons' truths which belonged to the Church, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373. Consequently 'smiting the mother with the children' means to perish completely, as a person too perishes completely when the Church and that which belongs to the Church perishes in him; that is, when the affection for truth, which strictly is the meaning of 'mother' and which constitutes the Church in a person, is destroyed.

Footnotes:

289. 'Wife' is used to mean the Church, in the universal sense the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth. This too has been shown already, while the fact that 'mother' as well has the same meaning follows from this. In the Word the Church is commonly called 'mother', as in Isaiah,

Where is your mother's bill of divorce? Isaiah 50:1.

In Jeremiah,

Your, mother has been utterly shamed, she who bore you is covered with shame. Jeremiah 50:12.

In Ezekiel,

[You are] your mother's daughter who loathes her husband and her sons. Your mother is a Hittite and your father an Amorite. Ezekiel 16:45.

Here 'husband' (vir) stands for the Lord and everything celestial, 'sons for truths of faith, 'Hittite' for falsity, and 'Amorite' for evil. In the same prophet,

Your mother was like a vine in your likeness, planted beside the waters, fruitful, full of branches by reason of many waters. Ezekiel 19:10.

Here 'mother' stands for the Ancient Church. The Most Ancient Church is pre-eminently called a 'mother' because it was the first Church, and the only one to be celestial. For that reason it was the Lord's beloved more than any other.