800. And them that dwell in heaven. That this signifies spiritual goods and truths, from which is the heavenly marriage, is evident from the signification of blaspheming those who dwell in heaven, as denoting to falsify spiritual goods and truths. By them who dwell in heaven are meant the angels. And as angels are angels from the reception of Divine Good and Divine truth, the spiritual sense being abstracted from persons, therefore by angels are here signified the goods and truths from which they are angels. These are also signified by angels in other parts of the Word, as may be seen above (n. 130, 302). The reason why spiritual goods and truths are the things signified by them is, that all in heaven are spiritual, and think and speak spiritually. But the case is different with men on earth, who, being natural, think and speak naturally; therefore goods and truths with them are natural. And because good and truth mutually love each other, and on that account cannot but be conjoined, therefore it is also said, from which is the heavenly marriage. This is also signified by them that dwell in heaven, because all there are in that marriage; therefore, in the Word, heaven is also compared to a marriage. A similar marriage also exists in every part of the Word, as may be seen above (n. 238 at the end, 288, 484, 724); and that an angel cannot be an angel of heaven unless he is in that marriage, or unless that marriage is in him, and so also with respect to a man of the church (see n. 660). From this it is again clear, that a man is not a man of the church, who separates faith from good works. From these things it is now evident, that by blaspheming them that dwell in heaven is signified to falsify spiritual goods and truths from which is the heavenly marriage.

[2] In the two preceding articles we treated of those who separate faith from the goods of life, and thereby so falsify the Word as to close heaven against themselves; also concerning those who adjoin the goods of life to faith, and thereby do not so falsify the Word as to close heaven against themselves. It now follows in order, that something should be said concerning those, who, although they are in those churches where faith alone is acknowledged, still do not falsify the Word.

1. Such are those who do not separate faith from life but conjoin them, believing that faith and life make one, as affection and thought, as will and understanding, as heat and light in the time of spring and summer, from whose conjunction arises all germination; and as truth and good, if instead of faith truth is taken, and instead of life good; concerning the conjunction of all these see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. These affirm that no one who lives wickedly can have faith, but him only who lives well; and that he who lives wickedly cannot receive faith unless he shows repentance of life, by examining his evils and desisting from them. Also that he who lives wickedly cannot, in his spirit or in himself, have any other faith than of what is false, howsoever he may confess a belief in the truth with his lips. Those therefore, who thus conjoin life and faith in confession and in works, have the life of charity, and their faith is the thought that a thing is so in truth. The faith of such persons also is spiritual in so far as they know truths from the Word, and live according to them; for faith becomes spiritual from the life; and so far as a man is thence made spiritual so far heaven is opened to him.

[3] 2. Neither do those falsify the Word who do not know, and do not desire to know, that faith is anything else than to believe the things of the Word and to do them. For they see that to believe and to do is faith, but that to believe and not to do is a lip faith, and not from the heart, thus outside the man and not within him. These, if they act, believe that faith consists in believing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell, and a life after death; and that the love of God and their neighbour consists in doing the commandments in the Word. Also that so far as they desist from evils, and shun and are averse to them because they are sins, so far they do those commandments from God and not from themselves. They also believe that the Lord came into the world to save those who believe in Him, and practise what He taught.

[4] 3. Such persons, because they do not know, and do not desire to know, that faith is anything else than as above described, do not acknowledge the justification and salvation which is supposed to be effected only by believing that God the Father sent His Son, that by His blood He might become our propitiation, redemption, and salvation; for they perceive, that to believe this only and not to live a life of faith, which is charity, rather condemns than justifies. The reason why it rather condemns is, that it is not a belief in what is true, but in what is false; for it is a belief in immediate mercy, reformation, and regeneration without means; a belief in imputation, propitiation, and intercession, which have no real existence. And, moreover, it is not true that a Son born from eternity was sent by the Father into the world, nor is it true that the Father was propitiated by the blood of the Son, neither is it true that the Lord took upon Himself the sins of mankind, and thereby redeemed them - with other things of a like nature; which so far as they are appearances of truth from the literal sense of the Word, may indeed be said and also thought; but still must not be confirmed to the destruction of the genuine truth which is in heaven, and which the doctrine of the church can teach from the Word. Those, therefore, who place all things of faith in that confession, not only reject and set aside all the innumerable truths from which angels and men derive life and wisdom, and make the whole of theology to consist in certain expressions, pronounced with confidence, in which there are no truths, but also they are bound to falsify the Word in order to confirm those expressions, and thereby close heaven against themselves. But we shall treat more upon this subject elsewhere. So far concerning those who falsify the Word, and concerning those who do not falsify it.

238. And miserable and poor. That this signifies that neither do they know that these have neither knowledges of truth nor knowledges of good, is evident from the signification of misery, or miserable, as being those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth; and from the signification of poor, as being those who are without the knowledges of good. That the terms miserable and poor have such signification is evident from many passages in the Word, and moreover from this consideration, that spiritual misery and poverty are nothing else but a defect of the knowledges of truth and good, for when such defect exists, the spirit is both miserable and poor; but when these knowledges are possessed, the spirit is rich and opulent; therefore by riches and wealth in the Word are signified spiritual riches and wealth, which are the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, as was shown above (n. 236).

[2] Miserable and poor are terms used in many passages in the Word; but when the spiritual sense of these terms is not known, it is believed that only those are meant who are miserable and poor as to the things of the world; when nevertheless these are not meant, but those who are not in truths and goods and in the knowledges thereof. Indeed, by the miserable are meant those who are not in truths because not in the knowledges of them, and by the poor, those who are not in goods because they are not in the knowledges thereof. Because truths and goods, are meant by these two expressions, therefore in many places both are mentioned, as in David:

"I am miserable and poor, Lord, remember me" (Psalms 40:17; 70:5).

Again:

"Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, answer; for I am miserable and poor" (Psalms 86:1).

That by the miserable and poor are not meant those who are so as to worldly riches, but as to spiritual riches, is clear, because David spoke this concerning himself; therefore he also said, "Jehovah, incline thine ear, and answer."

[3] Again:

"The wicked make bare the sword, and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and poor" (Psalms 37:14).

That by the miserable and poor are here also meant those who are spiritually such but yet desire the knowledges of truth and good is evident, for it is said that the wicked make bare the sword, and bend their bow; the sword signifying falsity fighting against truth and endeavouring to destroy it; and the bow, the doctrine of falsity against the doctrine of truth; therefore it is said that they do this to cast down the miserable and poor. (That by sword is signified truth fighting against falsity, and, in an opposite sense, falsity fighting against truth, may be seen above, n. 131; and that by bow is signified doctrine in both senses, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2686, 2709.)

[4] Again:

The wicked "persecuted the miserable and poor, and the dejected in heart to slay him" (Psalms 109:16).

In Isaiah:

"The fool speaketh foolishness, and his heart doeth iniquity to practise hypocrisy and to speak error against Jehovah, to make empty the hungry soul, and to make him who thirsteth for drink to faint. He deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable with words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment" (32:6, 7).

In this passage, also, by the miserable and poor are meant those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth and good; therefore it is said that the wicked deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable with words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment; words of falsehood denote falsities, and to speak judgment denotes what is right. Because such are here treated of, it is also said that they practise hypocrisy and utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause him that thirsteth for drink to faint. To practise hypocrisy and to utter error denotes to do evil from falsity, and to speak falsity from evil; to make empty the soul of the hungry denotes to deprive of the knowledges of good those who desire them, and to cause the thirsty to faint for drink is to deprive of the knowledges of truth those who desire them. Again:

"The miserable shall have joy in Jehovah, and the poor of men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel" (29:19).

By the miserable and poor are here also signified those with whom there is a deficiency of truth and good, and who, nevertheless, desire them; of these it is said that they "shall have joy in Jehovah, and exult in the Holy One of Israel," and not of those who are miserable and poor as to worldly wealth.

[5] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the miserable and poor in other passages in the Word, as in the following:

"The poor shall not always be forgotten; and the hope of the miserable shall not perish for ever" (Psalms 9:18).

Again:

"God shall judge the miserable of the people, he shall keep the sons of the poor. He shall liberate the poor when he crieth; the miserable also. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the souls of the poor" (Psalms 72:4, 12, 13).

Again:

"The miserable shall see, those seeking Jehovah shall be glad, because Jehovah heareth the poor" (Psalms 69:32, 33).

Again:

"Jehovah delivereth the miserable from him that is too strong for him, and the poor from him that spoileth him?" (Psalms 35:10).

Again:

"The miserable and poor praise thy name" (74:21; 109:22).

"I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the miserable, and the judgment of the poor" (Psalms 140:12).

And also elsewhere; as in Isaiah 10:2; Jeremiah 22:16; Ezekiel 16:49; 18:12; 22:29; Amos. 8:4; Deuteronomy 15:11; 24:14. The reason why both the miserable and the poor are mentioned in the passages adduced above, is, that it is according to the style of the Word that where truth is treated of good is also treated of; and, in the opposite sense, where falsity is treated of evil is also treated of, because they form one, and are like a marriage. On this account the miserable and the poor are mentioned together; for by the miserable are meant those who are deficient in the knowledges of truth, and by the poor those who are deficient in the knowledges of good. (That there is such a marriage almost everywhere in the prophetical parts of the Word, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) On this account also it is said in what follows: "And blind and naked;" for by the blind are meant those who have no understanding of truth, and by the naked those who have no understanding and will of good. Also, in the verse following, it is said, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed;" for by gold tried in the fire is meant the good of love, and by white raiment the truths of faith. And further, it is said, "That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see," by which is meant lest the evils and falsities should be seen. The case is the same in other passages; but that such a marriage exists in every part of the Word, none can see but those who are acquainted with its internal sense.