1115. And double unto her double according to her works.- That this signifies much retribution in proportion to their profanation of good, is evident from the signification of to double the double, as denoting to make much retribution, or to return much punishment, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of works, as denoting the profanations of good, for their works are profanations; therefore to double the double signifies much retribution, in the measure that they have profaned good. The reason why this is the signification of to double the double, is, that two does not signify two - nor does any number signify quantity but quality; and two signifies the quality of a thing as to union, and is predicated of good and evil, as may be seen above (n. 532, 984). Here "double" is used of the retribution of evil on account of the profanation of good; it is hence evident that double here does not signify double, but much evil.
[2] That double is predicated of retribution and remuneration, and signifies much, is evident from the following passages in the Word.
In Jeremiah:
"Let my persecutors be made ashamed, bring upon them the day of evil, and break them with a double breaking" (17:18).
To bring upon them the day of evil and to break them with a double breaking, signifies much retribution of evil on account of persecution.
In Zechariah:
"Return to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope, and this day do I declare I will recompense to thee double" (9:12).
Here by recompensing double is signified to reward much.
[3] In Isaiah:
"Comfort ye my people, and speak upon the heart of Jerusalem, that her warfare is accomplished and that her iniquity is expiated; for she hath received from [the Lord's] hand double in all her sins" (40:1, 2).
The subject here is the advent of the Lord and a new church to be established by Him. This new church is meant by Jerusalem, upon whose heart they should speak; by the warfare which is accomplished, is signified combat against evils; by iniquity expiated, is signified evil thus removed by the Lord; that they received double in all [her] sins, signifies that they endured much in combat or temptation.
In the same prophet:
"Ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah, ministers of our God; it shall be said to you, ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory ye shall boast yourselves; for your shame double, and for ignominy they shall sing in their portion; wherefore in their land they shall possess double, the joy of eternity shall be upon them" (61:6, 7);
where also double does not signify double but much, and is predicated of retribution.
[4] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- But I will refer to a matter which cannot but seem remarkable. Every man, in the idea of his spirit, sees God as Man, even he who in the idea of his body regards Him as a cloud, or mist, as air, or ether, also he who denies that God is Man; man is in the idea of his spirit when he thinks abstractly, and in the idea of his body when he does not think abstractly. That every man in the idea of his spirit sees God as Man, has been made clear to me from men after death, who are then in the ideas of the spirit. For men become spirits after death, and then it is impossible for them to think of God otherwise than as of Man. An experiment was tried as to whether they could think differently. For this purpose they were brought into the state in which they were in the world, and they then thought of God, some as of the universe, some as of nature in what is most interior, some as of a cloud in the midst of ether, some as of a bright ray of light, and some differently; but when they came out of that state into that of the spirit, they thought of God as Man. They wondered at this, saying that it was implanted in every spirit. But evil spirits, who have denied God in the world, also deny Him after death, nevertheless, they worship instead of God some spirit who acquires influence over the rest by means of devilish arts.
[5] We have said, that to think of God as Man is implanted in every spirit; that this is effected by an inflowing of the Lord into the interiors of their thought, is evident from this, that the angels of all the heavens acknowledge the Lord alone. They acknowledge His Divine which is called the Father, they see His Divine Human, and they are in the proceeding Divine; for the whole angelic heaven is the proceeding Divine of the Lord. An angel is not an angel from his proprium, but from the Divine which he receives from the Lord; thus they are in the Lord, and therefore, when they think of God, they cannot think of any other than of the Lord, in whom they are, and from whom they think. In addition to this, the whole angelic heaven in its entirety is as one Man before the Lord, who may be called the Grand Man, wherefore the angels in heaven are in this Man, which is the proceeding Divine of the Lord, as has been said. And since their thoughts have there a direction according to the form of heaven, therefore when they think of God, they cannot think otherwise than of the Lord. In a word, all the angels of the three heavens think of God as Man, nor can they think differently; if they desired to do so, thought would cease, and they would fall down from heaven. Hence then it is, that to think of God as Man is implanted in every spirit, and also in every man, when he is in the idea of his spirit.
