9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

778. And upon his heads the name of blasphemy. That this signifies falsifications of the Word, is evident from the signification of heads, as denoting the knowledge of the holy things of the Word, which are falsified and adulterated; concerning which see above (n. 775); and from the signification of name, as denoting the quality of a thing and also a state; concerning which see above (n. 102, 135, 696); in this case the quality of the reasonings from the natural man, confirming the separation of faith from life; these reasonings are signified by this beast; and from the signification of blasphemy, as denoting the falsification of the Word, concerning which we shall speak presently. From these things it is clear that upon his head the name of blasphemy signifies the quality of those who, by reasonings from the natural man, confirm the separation of faith from life, and that their quality is the falsification of the Word.

The reason why blasphemy signifies the falsification of the Word is, that in what follows, by this beast is described how those who are meant by the dragon, pervert the sense of the letter of the Word by reasonings from the natural man, in order that they may confirm the doctrine of justification and salvation by faith alone without good works. This, however, cannot be done except by falsifying the Word, which in each and every part conjoins truths to goods and goods to truths, thus faith to charity and charity to faith; as was shown above (n. 775). This is why falsifications of the Word are signified by blasphemy, which is said to be the name of this beast.

[2] But how the Word is blasphemed by falsifying it shall be illustrated by the following example. Those who separate faith from good works say that, "God the Father removed, in fact cast away, the human race from Himself because of their evils, and that therefore His Son was sent; or that the Son Himself, being moved with compassion, came into the world, and by suffering the punishment of extreme condemnation, which was the passion of the cross, and by shedding His own blood upon it, and, lastly, by His death, reconciled mankind to the Father by thus interceding for them." Because this is among the primary doctrines held by those who separate faith from its life, which is charity, I wish to state briefly how the Divine is thereby blasphemed. He is blasphemed by this, that they believe and think that the Divine removed or cast away mankind from Himself, although God is Love itself, Mercy itself, and Goodness itself; and these are His Being (Esse). From these things it is clear that it is impossible for God to remove or cast away any one of the human race; for this would be to act contrary to His own Being (Esse), which, as was said, is that from which all love, all mercy, and all good flow. It is not possible even for any angel, or any man, who is in love, in mercy, and in good from the Lord, to act in this way; and yet their love is finite, and the Divine Love is infinite. The removal or casting away of mankind by God the Father, they call vindicative justice, of which they have no other conception than that of a king or judge avenging an evil done to himself; consequently as being like their vengeance, in which there is bound to be something of anger. To confirm this view they quote passages from the Word, where God is called Avenger, Revenger, jealous, angry, and wrathful. These passages of the Word they thus falsify; for such things are said in the sense of the letter of the Word, according to appearances. For a man after death, as soon as he becomes a spirit, being in evils through his life in the world, turns himself away from the Lord; and when he turns himself away from Him, and denies Him, he can no longer be under His protection except by his evil punishing him. For in evil is the punishment of evil, as in good is the reward of good. And since the punishment of evil from evil, that is, from those who are evil, appears as if it were punishment from the Divine, therefore from that appearance it is said in the Word, of the Divine, that He is angry, condemns, casts into hell, and similar things. That, nevertheless, the Lord condemns and punishes no one, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 545-550), where the subject there treated is, "That the Lord casts no one into hell, but that the spirit himself casts himself down."

From these things it is evident, how the Divine is blasphemed by the falsification of the Word. For it is thought that God is in some respect an avenger, and revengeful, that He is angry, that He casts into hell and punishes; when, nevertheless, it is evil which punishes itself, consequently hell, from which evil is, and not the Divine. The Divine is blasphemed by the falsification of the Word, also, by their believing and thinking that God the Father was willing to be reconciled to the human race by the punishment of the final condemnation, which was the passion of the cross; and thus by the blood of His Son; and that by this He was moved, and still is moved, to mercy. Who is there that has an enlightened understanding that does not see that this, also, is contrary to the Divine, and, consequently, contrary to the real truth of the Word? For what is contrary to, or against, the Divine, is blasphemy. Hence, also, wresting the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm this doctrine is blasphemy. Upon this subject, however, more will be said in what follows.

[3] What blasphemy therefore signifies, is evident from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned, from which we shall only adduce the following from the Evangelists. Jesus said:

"All sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. Yea, if anyone shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but he who speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the future" (Matthew 12:31, 32).

"I say unto you, 'that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men. . . . but he that shall blaspheme against the Spirit shall not have forgiveness to eternity,' but shall be in danger of eternal judgment" (Mark 3:28, 29).

"Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven" (Luke 12:10).

What is signified by sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and what by a word against the Son of man, has not yet been known in the church, and this because it has not been known what is properly to be understood by the Holy Spirit, and what by the Son of man. By the Holy Spirit is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, such as it is in heaven; thus the Word is meant, such as it is in the spiritual sense; for this is Divine truth in heaven. And by the Son of man is meant Divine truth such as it is on earth; consequently, the Word, such as it is in the natural sense; for this is Divine truth on earth. When it is known what is meant by the Holy Spirit, and what, by the Son of man, it may also be known what is signified by sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and by a word against the Son of man; as also why a word against the Son of man can be forgiven, but not sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the same as denying the Word, and also adulterating its very goods, and falsifying its very truths. On the other hand, a word against the Son of man is to interpret the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, according to appearances.

[4] The reason why to deny the Word is a sin which cannot be forgiven in this age nor in the future, or to eternity, and why he who does so is in danger of eternal judgment is, that those who deny the Word, deny God, deny the Lord, deny heaven and hell, and also they deny the church and all things pertaining to it. And those who deny these things are atheists, who, although with their lips they attribute the creation of the universe to some supreme entity or Deity, yet in their hearts ascribe it to nature. Such persons, because by denial they have broken every bond of connection with the Lord, cannot but be separated from heaven and conjoined to hell.

The reason why to adulterate the very goods of the Word and to falsify its very truths is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which cannot be forgiven, is, that by the Holy Spirit is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, such as it is in the heavens; thus the Word, such as it is in the spiritual sense, as was said above. In the spiritual sense there are genuine goods and truths; but in the natural sense these are clothed, as it were, and only here and there presented unclothed; therefore they are called apparent goods and truths. It is these that are adulterated and falsified; and they are said to be adulterated and falsified when they are explained in a way contrary to genuine goods and truths. For then, heaven withdraws itself, and man separates himself from it, because, as was said, real goods and truths constitute the spiritual sense of the Word, in which are the angels of heaven. For example, this is the case if the Lord and His Divine are denied, as was done by the Pharisees, who said that the Lord performed miracles from Beelzebub, and had an unclean spirit. In consequence of this denial they were said to commit sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, because against the Word; as may be seen in the preceding verses of the chapters quoted from the Evangelists. For this reason the Socinians and Arians, who, although they do not deny the Lord, yet deny His Divine, are outside heaven, and cannot be received by any angelic society. Take also another example.

[5] Those who exclude the goods of love and the works of charity from the means of salvation; and assume faith, exclusive of these, to be the sole means of salvation; and who also confirm this opinion, not only in doctrine but also in life, saying in their hearts, goods do not save nor evils condemn me, because I have faith - these also blaspheme the Holy Spirit; for they falsify the real good and truth of the Word, and this in a thousand passages, where love and charity, as also deeds and works, are mentioned. Moreover, as said above, in each and every part of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth, thus a marriage of charity and faith. Therefore when good or charity is taken away, that marriage perishes; and, instead of it, there is adultery, the nature and character of which will be explained elsewhere. This is why these cannot be received into heaven. The reason also is, that in place of heavenly love they have earthly love; and instead of good works they have evil works, because infernal love arises from earthly love, when the latter is separated from that which is heavenly. The case, however, is different with those who, from the doctrine of the church, and from their teachers, believe faith to be the sole means of salvation, or who merely know, but do not inwardly affirm or deny; and who, at the same time, live a good life from the Word, that is to say, because the Lord has so commanded in the Word. These do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, for they do not adulterate the goods of the Word, or falsify its truths; therefore they have conjunction with the angels of heaven. Few also of such persons know that faith is anything else but believing in the Word. They do not grasp the dogma of justification by faith alone without the works of the law, because it transcends their understanding.

[6] These two examples are given in order that it may be known what is meant by sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; and that sin against the Holy Spirit is the same as denying Divine truth, thus denying the Word; and also that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to adulterate the very goods of the Word and to falsify its very truths. Let it be observed, that the good of the Word, when adulterated, is evil, and that its truth, when falsified, is falsity.

The reason why a word against the Son of man signifies to interpret the natural sense of the Word - which is the literal sense - according to appearances is, that by the Son of man is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, such as it is on earth; consequently, such as it is in the natural sense. The reason why this word is forgiven unto men is, that most things in the natural sense or sense of the letter of the Word are goods and truths clothed, and only some are unclothed, as in the spiritual sense; and also because goods and truths when clothed are called the appearances of truth. For the Word, in ultimates, is like a man clothed with a garment, who is unclothed as to his face and hands. And where the Word is thus unclothed, there its goods and truths appear unclothed, as in heaven; thus, such as they are in the spiritual sense. Therefore it is possible that, from the sense of the letter of the Word, the doctrine of genuine good and of genuine truth may be seen by those who are enlightened by the Lord, and may be confirmed by those who are not so enlightened. The reason why the Word is such in the sense of the letter is, that it may be a basis for the spiritual sense. It is also thereby accommodated to the capacity of the simple, who can only perceive those things stated, and believe and act only according to what they have perceived.

[7] And because the Divine truths in the sense of the letter of the Word are, for the most part, appearances of truth, and because the simple in faith and heart cannot be raised above them, therefore it is not sin and blasphemy to interpret the Word according to appearances, provided that principles are not formed from them, and confirmed to the destruction of Divine truth in its true sense. For example, where it is said:

"Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

And in Matthew:

"This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins" (26:28).

Also in the Apocalypse:

"Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb" (12:7, 11).

When from these and similar passages, it is simply believed that the Lord suffered the passion of the cross on account of our sins, and that by this and by His blood He redeemed us from hell, because this is an apparent truth, and can be said and believed, therefore it does not condemn the simple in faith and in heart. But to establish a principle from these things, and to confirm it so far as to insist that God the Father was in this way reconciled to man, and is still so reconciled, and that by his faith alone man is justified and saved, without the goods of charity which are good works - and to be in that principle not only in doctrine but also in life - this cannot be forgiven.

[8] From these things it is evident that by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is signified the falsification of the Word even to the destruction of Divine truth in its true sense. The reason therefore why the name of blasphemy signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word is, that it is called blasphemy when any one speaks against God. And to speak against God is to speak against Divine truth; for Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what, in the Word, is meant by God; and against Divine Good, which is meant by Jehovah, and also by the Lord. And because it is blasphemy to speak against God, thus also against the Word, this being Divine truth, therefore it follows that blasphemy is to falsify the Word. For those who falsify it make the truth of the Word to be false; and the false continually speaks against the true, in fact, assaults it. This then is why by blasphemy is signified the falsification of the Word, even to the destruction of its real good and its real truth.

[9] The same is said concerning the scarlet beast in a subsequent part of the Apocalypse, where it is said:

"The woman who sat upon the scarlet beast, was full of names of blasphemy" (17:3).

By that beast and by the woman sitting upon it, is there meant Babylon; and by the names of blasphemy are meant the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth as contained in the Word; and these, as stated, are blasphemies against the Lord.

[10] That blasphemies signify to believe and speak wickedly and falsely concerning God, and concerning Divine truth, is also evident from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:

"Jehovah said, Be not afraid on account of the words which thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. And Hezekiah the king prayed, and said, Hear, O Jehovah, all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to blaspheme the living God. And Jehovah spake concerning him, Whom hast thou blasphemed and calumniated, and against whom hast thou exalted the voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. By the hand of thy servants thou hast blasphemed the Lord" (37:6, 15, 17, 23, 24).

From these words, also, it is clear that blasphemy is said of false speaking against God. For by the king of Assyria, who at that time was Sennacherib, is signified the Rational; but in this place is meant the Rational perverted, which speaks against Divine truth, treats it opprobriously, and wrests it by falsities. This is also to falsify it, as said above. The falsities which he spoke against Divine truth are signified by the things mentioned in verses 10-13, 24, 25, all of which were not only blasphemies against God, but also falsifications of Divine truth.

[11] It is said in Moses, that:

"The soul which doeth ought with a high hand, and blasphemeth Jehovah, by despising the word of Jehovah and making his precept vain, shall be utterly cut off, his iniquity upon him" (Num. 15:30, 31).

The subject there treated of is concerning those who, contrary to the precepts of God given through Moses, act not only by error or mistake, but also from fixed purpose; as is evident from the 23rd and following verses of that chapter. But in this case, the subject is concerning those who act against them from fixed purpose, which is meant by acting with a high hand. And because to act against the precept is to act against Divine truth, and to act purposely against this is to act from the intention of the will, and thence to speak what is false, which is actual adulteration and falsification of the Word, therefore it is said that such a one blasphemes Jehovah. And because this is the same thing as sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it is said, that this soul shall be utterly cut off, his iniquity upon him; his iniquity upon him, signifying that it cannot be forgiven.

[12] That blasphemy is spoken of evil speaking and of false speaking concerning God, consequently, concerning Divine truth, there is not leisure to confirm here by the many passages which might be adduced from the Word; not only because every one can see that blasphemy is nothing else in the spiritual sense, but also because the kinds thereof are so various. Wherefore in human languages, and also in the Hebrew, there are various names by which the different kinds of blasphemy of God and of Divine truth are expressed, such as those that in Latin are termed calumny, contumely, ignominy, opprobrium, reproach, rebuke, jesting, scoffing, mocking, and several others; each of which is mentioned with a generic and specific difference in the Word. To explore and expound these, however, would require many pages.