411. Verse 16. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, signifies to be covered over by evils and by falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "mountains," as being the evils that flow from the loves of self and of the world (of which above, n. 405; also from the signification of "rocks," as being the falsities from evil (of which below); also from the signification of "fall on us," as being to be covered by them. These things, too, are to be illustrated by such things as occur in the spiritual world when the Last Judgment takes place; for they are said respecting the Last Judgment, as is evident from the following verse, where it is said, "For the great day of His anger is come, and who is able to stand?" that "day" meaning the time and state of the Last Judgment. The state of the wicked then is such that from the mountains and rocks upon which they have made their habitations they cast themselves down into the hells, more or less deeply according to the atrocity of the evils and falsities with them; and this they themselves do, because they cannot endure Divine good and Divine truth, the higher heavens then being opened, from which the light of heaven flows in, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, by which light their pretended goods and truths are constricted, and these being constricted their evils and falsities are loosened; and as evils and falsities cannot endure the light of heaven, for they are pained and tortured by it, these spirits cast themselves from the mountains and rocks into the hells, more or less deeply according to the quality of their evil and falsity; some into gaps and caves, and some into holes and rocks, which then stand open before them; but as soon as they have cast themselves in, the openings are closed up. In this way the casting out of evil spirits from the mountains and hills which they have occupied is effected (See above, n. 391-392, 392, 394); and when they are in the caves and among the rocks the pains and torments they suffered from the influx of the light of heaven cease; for they find rest in their evils and in the falsities therefrom, because these had been their delights; for the delights of his life remain with everyone after death, and the delights of life are the delights of their loves, for every delight of life is from love.

[2] From this the signification of their "calling to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them" can be seen; likewise what is signified in Hosea:

They shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us (Hosea 10:8).

And in Luke:

Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Hide us (Luke 23:30).

This, too, treats of the Last Judgment. The light of heaven, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, by the influx and presence of which the evil who cast themselves down are pained and tormented, is meant by the words immediately following in this verse; "hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb;" it is said "the anger O the Lamb" because they are in torment; but their torment is not from that, but from the evils of their loves and from the falsities of their faith; and because these evils and falsities have formed all the interiors of their mind (for each one's mind is formed by his love and its faith, even so as to be a likeness of these in form), and because the interiors of the mind of those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are turned away in a contrary direction, or to a quarter opposite to Divine goods and truths, therefore when Divine truth flows in and endeavors to reverse the action of the interiors of their mind, and thereby to lead them into heaven (for this is what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord does everywhere where it flows in), and they are unwilling to abandon the delights of their loves, they suffer anguish and torment; but these cease when they come into the hells where like delights or like loves prevail.

[3] Having shown above n. 405 what "mountains and hills" signify, it shall now be shown what "rocks" signify, namely, that they signify truth from spiritual good, also the truth and good of faith, but in the contrary sense the falsity of faith. This signification of "rocks" is also from appearances in the spiritual world; for rocks and crags are seen there as mountains and hills are seen, as was shown above, and upon the rocks there those dwell who are in truths from spiritual good, and who are in the truth and good of faith. The difference between the mountains and hills, and the rocks and crags, is that the former are of soil, and the latter of stone, and "soil" corresponds to and thus signifies the good of love, and "stone" corresponds to and thus signifies the truth of faith. And as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do "rocks," and in that sense they signify the falsity of faith, and this also from correspondence; for those who are in the falsities of faith dwell there within the rocks in caverns.

[4] That "rock" signifies truth from good and the truth of faith, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to these, is evident from the following passages. In Daniel:

Thou sawest ¹ till that a stone was cut out, not by hands, and it smote the image upon his feet, that were iron and clay. And the stone that smote the image became a great rock and filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:34-35).

This was said of the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. "The stone that became a great rock" means the Lord, as is evident from the particulars there. But first let the signification of what precedes be told; "the head of the image" which was gold, signifies the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, or a church in which the good of love to the Lord reigned; this good is signified in the Word by "gold," and also by "the head;" "the breast" and "the arms" which were silver, signify the Ancient Church, which succeeded the Most Ancient, and this church was a spiritual church, or a church in which the good of charity towards the neighbor, and truth from that good, reigned; this truth and good are signified by "silver," and also by "the breast" and "the arms;" "the belly and the thighs which were brass" signify the church that succeeded the ancient spiritual church and which may be called spiritual-natural; in this church the good of faith and the truth from that good reigned; this good is signified in the Word by "brass," and also by "the belly" and "the thighs;" but "the legs and the feet, which were part iron and part clay," signify the Israelitish and Jewish Church, which was an external church without any internal, and which therefore had no truth and good, but truth falsified which in itself is falsity, and good adulterated which in itself is evil; therefore it is said respecting it in this chapter:

Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man; but they shall not cohere one with the other, even as iron doth not mingle with clay (Daniel 2:43).

"Iron" signifies natural truth, and "miry clay" natural good; "the feet and legs" have a like meaning; but here "clay" signifies good adulterated, and "iron" such truth as there is in the external sense of the Word; for "the seed of man" means the Word where there are goods and truths, the adulterations and falsifications of which are described by "iron mixed with clay, which do not cohere one with the other." (That there have been four churches, one after another, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 247, 248 .) "The stone" that smote the image means Divine truth from the Lord; that "it became a great rock and filled the whole earth" signifies that the Lord by Divine truth is to rule over heaven and the church; "the earth" here meaning the church and also heaven; therefore it is added that this kingdom "shall stand forever" (verse Daniel 2:44), "kingdom" also signifying the church and heaven, for there is the kingdom of God. That Divine truth is here meant by "stone," and the Lord in respect to Divine truth by "rock," is evident from the signification of "stone" in the Word when predicated of the Lord (as in Genesis 49:24; Psalms 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42, 21:44; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17-18). Whether you say the Lord or Divine truth it is the same, since all Divine truth is from Him, and thence He is in it; and it is from this that the Lord is called "the Word," for the Word is Divine truth. (That "stone" in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and thence in a lower sense truth from good, see Arcana Coelestia 643[1-4], 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376)

[5] That "rock" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, is plain from:

The rock in Horeb from which waters were given to the Israelitish people (Exodus 17:5-6);

and that it was commanded:

That Moses and Aaron should speak unto the cliff, and thus should sanctify Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel; but that Moses smote it with a staff two times, therefore it was declared to Moses and Aaron that they should not bring the people into the land of Canaan (Numbers 20:8-13).

It is known in the church that this "rock" signified the Lord; but it is not known that it had this signification because "rock" in the Word signifies the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; this was why Moses and Aaron were commanded to speak to it, and thus to sanctify Jehovah in the eyes of the sons of Israel. Also "the waters" that flowed forth signify Divine truth; and "the people drinking of them" signifies to nourish spiritually, which is done by instructing and teaching. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71; and that "to drink," and "to be given to drink," signify to be instructed and to be taught, see Arcana Coelestia, n. (Arcana Coelestia 3069, 3772, 4017-4018, 8562, 9412) The like is signified by "rock" in Isaiah:

They shall not thirst; He will lead them in desolate places; He will cause the waters to flow out of the rock for them, when He cleaveth the rock that the waters may issue (Isaiah 48:21).

In David:

He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and made them to drink of the great depths; and He brought streams out of the cliff; and they remembered that God was their Rock, and the most high God their Redeemer (Psalms 78:15-16, 20, 35).

In the same:

He opened the rock that the waters might issue out; they flowed in the dry places, a river (Psalms 105:41).

In the same:

Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Psalms 114:7-8).

That "rock" in these passages signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or what is the same, Divine truth from the Lord, is evident from what has been said above, also from the fact that these two passages in David treat of the redemption and the regeneration of the men of the church, and this is effected by means of Divine truth from the Lord. Redemption is treated of in these words, "they remembered that God was their Rock, and the most high God their Redeemer;" regeneration in these words, "Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth;" "to be in travail" when predicated of the church, signifying to be reformed and regenerated.

[6] In Isaiah:

Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah; look unto the rock out of which ye were hewn, and to the digging out of the pit out of which ye were digged (Isaiah 51:1).

The "rock" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and the "pit" signifies the Word, as also in other places; "to be hewn out of the rock" and "to be digged out of the pit," signify to be regenerated by Divine truths and Divine goods, thus by truths from good from the Lord; for "stones," that are cut out of a rock, signify truths from the Lord; and "soil," that is dug out of a pit, signifies good from the Lord, therefore it is called "the digging out of the pit."

[7] In Moses:

Give ye greatness unto our God; the rock, whose work is perfect, and all His ways are judgment. He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and feedeth him with the increase of the fields; He maketh him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock. The rock that begat thee hast thou given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former. Is it not because their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up? For their rock is not as our rock, neither are our enemies judges (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 13, 18, 30-31).

This is said of the Ancient Church, which was a church that was in truths from good; therefore truths from good are described by various things that correspond, as "He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, He fed him with the increase of the fields; He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock." Intelligence in the spiritual things of this church is signified by "He made him to ride on the high places of the earth;" "to ride" signifying to understand; "the high places of the earth" meaning the spiritual things of the church; spiritual nourishment therefrom is signified by "He fed him with the increase of the fields;" "to feed" meaning to nourish, and "the increase of the fields" meaning all things of the church. That they had natural good and spiritual good through Divine truth from the Lord is signified by "He made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock;" "honey" meaning natural good, "oil" spiritual good; "cliff" external Divine truth from the Lord which is for the natural man, and "flint of the rock" internal Divine truth from the Lord which is for the spiritual man. The Jewish Church, which was not in any Divine truth, is next treated of, and respecting this it is said, "the rock that begat thee hast thou given to forgetfulness, and hast forgotten God thy Former," which signifies that the Lord, and thence Divine truth, by which the church is reformed, were rejected; "rock" meaning the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and "that begat thee," and "God the Former" signifying to be reformed by the Lord by means of Divine truth. That they were altogether deprived of truth and good is signified by "their rock hath sold them, and Jehovah hath shut them up," "rock" having reference to truth, and "Jehovah" to good; "to sell" and "to shut up" means to be deprived of. That they would be in falsity from evil is signified by "their rock is not as our rock, neither are our enemies judges" "their rock" meaning falsity, "our enemies" evils, "not judges" signifying not truths and goods. From this it can be seen that "rock" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and in the contrary sense, falsity.

[8] In the second book of Samuel:

The spirit of Jehovah spoke in me, and His speech was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke [to me]. He that ruleth over the righteous man, that ruleth over the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:2-3).

"Rock" here manifestly stands for the Lord, for in the Word "the God of Israel" means the Lord; therefore it is said "the spirit of Jehovah spoke in me, and His speech was upon my tongue," also "the God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me." The "spirit of Jehovah" and "His speech" signify Divine truth, and the Lord is called "the God of Israel" from worship, and "the Rock of Israel" from Divine truth, from which is worship. Because it is the Lord who is meant, it is said that "the Rock of Israel spoke." His dominion over those who are in good and those who are in truth is signified by "He that ruleth over the righteous man, that ruleth over him that hath the fear of God;" righteousness" is predicated of good, and "fear of God" of truth; for this Psalm of David treats of the Lord, which makes clear that the Lord is meant by "the God of Israel," and "the Rock of Israel."

[9] In David:

O that My people may hearken unto Me, that Israel might walk in My ways! I would feed ² them with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock I would satisfy them (Psalms 81:13, 16).

Here, too, "rock" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 374, where this is explained). In the same:

Who is God save Jehovah, or who is a Rock besides my ³ God? Jehovah liveth: and blessed be my Rock; and the God of my salvation shall be exalted (Psalms 18:2, 31, 46; 2 Samuel 22:2-3, 32, 47).

It is said, "Who is God save Jehovah, and who is a Rock besides my God?" because where Divine good is treated of the Lord is called "Jehovah," and where Divine truth is treated of he is called "God," and also "Rock," as here; so afterwards, "Jehovah liveth, and blessed be my Rock;" "the God of my salvation shall be exalted" signifies that He must be worshiped by means of truths from good, from which is salvation; "to be exalted," in reference to God is predicated of worship from good by means of truths.

[10] In the same:

Let the sayings of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be well pleasing before Thee, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14).

"Jehovah the Rock" has a like signification as "Jehovah God," namely, the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth; and He is called "Redeemer" from regeneration, which is effected by Divine truth; "sayings of the mouth" signify the understanding of truth, and "the meditation of the heart" the perception of good. In the same:

I say unto God my Rock, Why hast Thou forgotten me? (Psalms 42:9).

"God the Rock" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, here in respect to defense. In the same:

Unto Thee do I call, O Jehovah my Rock; be not silent from me; lest Thou be silent from me (Psalms 28:1).

Here, too, "Jehovah" and "Rock" are mentioned, because "Jehovah" means the Lord in respect to Divine good, and "Rock" the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and as both are meant it is twice said, "be not silent from me," "lest Thou be silent from me;" one having reference to Divine good, the other to Divine truth, for in the Word there is a heavenly marriage in every particular, which is the marriage of good and truth. In Habakkuk:

O Jehovah, Thou hast placed him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast founded him for correction (Habakkuk 1:12).

In Isaiah:

Trust ye in Jehovah forevermore; for in Jah Jehovah is the Rock of Eternity (Isaiah 26:4).

Ye shall have a song as of the night of celebrating the feast; and gladness of heart as of one going with a pipe to come into the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel (Isaiah 30:29).

Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no Rock, I know not any (Isaiah 44:8).

In David:

We will make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our salvation; we will come before His faces with confession (Psalms 95:1-2

In the first book of Samuel:

There is none holy as Jehovah; and there is no Rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:2).

In David:

Upright is Jehovah my Rock (Psalms 92:15).

He shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation. I also will make Him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth (Psalms 89:26-27).

[11] In these passages, "rock" means Divine truth from the Lord and the Lord Himself, as well as in other passages. As in the gospels:

Everyone that heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken him to a prudent man, who built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock (Matthew 7:24-25; Luke 6:48).

"The house founded upon a rock" means the church and the man of the church who has founded his doctrine and life upon the Divine truth, which is from the Lord, thus upon those things that are in the Word, consequently one who is in truths from good from the Lord. It is said, "who is in truths from good," because Divine truth is not received by anyone who is not in good. To be in good is to be in the good of life, which is charity; therefore it is said "he that heareth My words and doeth them;" "doing the Lord's words" is the good of life, for truth, when a man does it, becomes good because it then enters the will and love, and whatever becomes of the will and love is called good. Temptations, in which such a man of the church does not fall but conquers, are signified by "the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew, and beat upon the house, and yet it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock;" for in the Word "floods of waters" and "rains," and also "tempests of wind," signify temptations. This, to be sure, is a comparison, but it should be known that all comparisons in the Word are as much according to correspondences as are the things not said comparatively (See above, n. 69; and Arcana Coelestia 3579, 8989).

This makes plainly evident that "rock" in the Word signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth, or Divine truth from the Lord.

[12] From this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord's words to Peter, in Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, But who say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answering said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens. I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, that whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matthew 16:15-19).

"Peter" here does not mean Peter, but Divine truth from the Lord (as in the passages cited above) for all the Lord's disciples together represented the church; and each one of them some constituent of the church; "Peter" the truth of the church, "James" its good, and "John" good in act, that is, works; the rest of the disciples represented the truths and goods that are derived from these, just as the twelve tribes of Israel. That this is so will be seen in what follows, where the tribes and the disciples are treated of. This is why these three disciples are mentioned in the Word more than the others.

[13] The Lord addressed these words to Peter because he then confessed, saying, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," which in the spiritual sense signifies that He is the Divine truth; this is signified by "Christ," also by "the Son of God." (That this is signified by "Christ" see Arcana Coelestia 3004, 3005, 3009; and by "the Son of God" above, n. 63, 151, 166.) By virtue of this confession "Peter" represented Divine truth from the Lord in the church, and for this reason he was called "a rock" [petra], and it is said "thou art a rock [petra], upon this rock [petra] I will build My church," which signifies upon Divine truth from the Lord, or what is the same, upon truths from good, for upon these the church is built. That Peter might represent this in the church he was called by the Lord "a rock [petra]." as is evident in John:

Jesus looking upon him said unto him, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a rock [petra] (John 1:42).

Cephas in the Syriac language means a rock, and so Peter in that version is everywhere called "Cephas;" moreover, the same word in the Hebrew means a rock (as is evident in Jeremiah 4:29; andJob Job 30:6, where "rocks" are mentioned in the plural number); but Peter is not called a rock [petra] in the Greek and Latin because the name was bestowed upon him as a personal name.

[14] The Lord said "Simon son of Jonah" and afterwards he was called "a rock," because "Simon son of Jonah" signifies truth from good, or faith from charity; and as truth from good or faith from charity is granted only to those who are in Divine truth from the Lord, and Peter then confessed [the Lord], so he is called "a rock," not himself as a person, but that Divine truth which was from the Lord with him in his confession. That this was from the Lord is meant by the Lord's words, "flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in the heavens;" "the Father in the heavens" meaning the Divine in the Lord, since the Father was in Him, and He in the Father and they were one (John 14:7-11; 10:30, 38). That "Simon" signifies truth in the will, see in the following chapter; and that "dove," which is what "Jonah" means, signifies spiritual good, see Arcana Coelestia 870[1-3], 1826, 1827); consequently "Simon son of Jonah" signifies the truth of good or truth from good. Because the hells have no power against Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, or against any man in whom there is Divine truth from the Lord, therefore the Lord says that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

[15] The Lord further said, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens," which signifies that all things are possible to those who are in truths from good from the Lord, in full agreement with these words:

All things whatsoever ye ask for, praying, believe that ye are to receive, then shall it be done unto you (Mark 11:24; Matthew 7:8; Luke 11:9).

How these words are to be understood see above (n. 405i), namely, that to ask from the faith of charity is to ask not from self but from the Lord, for whatever anyone asks not from self but from the Lord he receives. That such is the signification of these words, "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens," is clear from the Lord's words to the disciples and to all who are in truths from good from the Lord, in Matthew:

Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens (Matthew 18:18).

[16] These words were spoken to all, thus not to Peter only, as the Lord immediately declares in that chapter in these words:

I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth in My name respecting anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father, who is in the heavens. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19-20).

"The Lord's name" means everything by which He is worshiped; and as He is worshiped by means of truth from good, which is from Him, so this is meant by "His name." (That this is what is meant by the "Lord's name," see above, n. 102, 135.) So "every thing they shall ask on earth shall be done for them in the heavens" has a similar signification as "whatsoever ye shall bind and shall loose on earth shall be bound and shall be loosed in the heavens," for the Lord explains the former words by the latter. One who knows the spiritual sense of the Word can know also why it is said "if two agree," and afterwards, "where there are two or three," namely, because "two" is predicated of good, and "three" of truth, consequently "two and three" of all who are in truths from good. (That Divine truth from the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth, see above, n. 209, 333; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 230-231, 539; and Arcana Coelestia 3091, 3563, 6344, 6423, 6948, 8200, 8304, 9643, 10019, 10182. "Two" is predicated of good because it signifies conjunction by love, n. 1686, 5194, 8423; "three" is predicated of truths because it signifies all truths in the complex, in like manner as "twelve," n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; therefore when "two" and "three" are mentioned in the spiritual world, two and three, are not meant, but all who are in truths from good. That "Peter" signifies truth from good, which is from the Lord, see in the small work on The Last Judgment 57.)

[17] Thus far it has been shown what "rock" signifies in this sense; it shall now be shown what "rock" signifies in the contrary sense. In the contrary sense "rock" signifies infernal falsity that is trusted in; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Hewing out ⁴ thy sepulcher in the height, graving for himself a habitation in the cliff (Isaiah 22:16).

This chapter treats of "the valley of vision," which signifies the falsity of doctrine confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word; the love of falsity is signified by "the sepulcher in the height," and the belief of falsity by "the habitation in the cliff;" their making such things for themselves is signified by "hewing out" and "graving for themselves."

[18] In the same:

In that day they shall reject every man the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold which your hands make for you; then shall Asshur fall by the sword not of a man [vir], and the sword not of a man [homo] shall devour him: and his cliff shall pass away for awe, and his princes shall be dismayed at the banner (Isaiah 31:7-9).

This treats of judgment upon those who from self-intelligence believe themselves to be wise in Divine things. Such are those who are in the love of self and the world, and who seek after a reputation for learning for the sake of self; these, because they are unable to see truths, seize on falsities and proclaim them as truths. The falsities that favor their principles and their loves are signified by "the idols of silver and the idols of gold;" that these are from self-intelligence is signified by "which your hands have made for you;" that they will perish by their own falsities is signified by "then shall Asshur fall by the sword not of a man [vir], and the sword not of a man [homo] shall devour him;" "Asshur" meaning the rational perverted, and thence those who are in falsities from self-intelligence; "to fall and to be devoured by the sword" meaning to perish. This was represented also by the king of Assyria in that he was slain by his own sons (Isaiah 37:38); "his sons" there signifying his own falsities by which he perished; "his cliff, which shall pass away for awe," signifies all falsity in general, in which such have trusted; and "the princes, who shall be dismayed at the banner," signify the primary falsities; it is said "at the banner," because such falsities are dispersed not by any combat with truths, but by a mere sign of combat, which a banner is. I have seen such cast down from the rocks upon which they were by the waving of an ensign.

[19] In Jeremiah:

The whole city fleeth before the voice of the horseman and the shooter of the bow; they entered the clouds and went up into the rocks, the whole city is forsaken, not a man [vir] dwelleth therein (Jeremiah 4:29).

This describes the church desolated in respect to truths. The desolation of all the truth of doctrine by false reasonings and false doctrinals therefrom is signified by "the whole city fleeth before the voice of the horseman and of the shooter of the bow;" "the voice of the horseman" signifying false reasonings, and "the voice of the shooter of the bow" false doctrinals; "the whole city fleeth" signifies the desolation of all the truth of doctrine, "city" meaning doctrine. That no truth is acknowledged, but falsity alone, is signified by "they entered the clouds and went up into the rocks;" "to enter the clouds" signifying into the non-acknowledgment of truth, and "to go up into the rocks" signifying into mere falsity.

[20] I have also seen rocks that consisted of stones heaped together, with no level place where verdure grew as elsewhere upon rocks; upon these were spirits who while they lived in the world as men had been in faith separate from charity, which is called faith alone, and had confirmed themselves therein both in doctrine and in life. This is what is meant by "the dryness of the rock," in Ezekiel:

She set ⁵ it upon the dryness of the cliff; she poured it not upon the earth that dust might cover it (Ezekiel 24:7).

And in the same:

I will cause many nations to come up against thee; and they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and throw down her towers; and I will purge her dust from her, and make her the dryness of a cliff (Ezekiel 26:3-4, 14).

"Dust" in these two passages means the soil, which signifies the good of the church. When there is no soil on the rocks, but the rocks are dry, that is, consist of mere heaps of stones, as was said above, it is a sign that there is no good, and where there is no good there is mere falsity; so this is what is signified by "the dryness of a cliff," and "she poured it not upon the earth, that the dust might cover it," and "I will purge her dust from her." This makes evident what is signified by the Lord's words in the Gospels:

Other seed fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much soil; and straightway they sprang up because they had no depth of earth; and they dried up (Matthew 13:5-6).

This may be seen explained above n. 401.

[21] Most of those in the spiritual world who have their light from the moon there, dwell upon rocks. Those who are spiritual-natural dwell upon rocks that are covered with a thin surface of soil, where consequently there are level places, verdure, and shrubberies, but not such as are upon the mountains and hills where those dwell who receive light from the sun of heaven; while those who are not spiritual-natural, but merely natural, are not at this day upon the rocks, but in caverns in the rocks there; and those who are in falsities from evil, dwell among heaps of stones there; all these things are correspondences.

[22] In Jeremiah:

Behold, I am against thee, O mountain destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out Mine hand against thee and roll thee down from the cliffs, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jeremiah 51:25).

This is said of Babylon, whose damnation through falsities is signified by "I will roll thee down from the cliffs," and whose damnation through evils is signified by "I will make thee a mountain of burning" (but this may be seen more fully explained above, n. 405.

[23] In the same:

O ye inhabitants of Moab, forsake the cities and dwell in the cliff, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit (Jeremiah 48:28).

This is said of Moab, which signifies the adulteration of good and truth, and thus those who pervert the good and truth of the Word. "Forsake the cities" signifies to leave the truths of doctrine; "dwell in the cliff" signifies in falsities and the doctrine of falsities; "be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit" signifies looking at truth from without and not from within, for "a pit" signifies the Word where truths are; "to make a nest in the passages of its mouth" means outside of it and not within, "to make a nest" having the same signification as to dwell, namely, to live a life; but "to build a nest" is predicated of a bird, and "to dwell" of man. What it is to regard the Word from without and not from within may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 10549-10551), namely, to look at it not from doctrine but from the mere letter; and in consequence of this men wander in every direction whither the disposition, thought, and affection may lead; they are sure of nothing, whence come the perpetual adulterations that are signified by "Moab." This is the case with those who study the Word for the sake of glory and honor; because such regard themselves in everything when studying the Word, they remain outside of the Word; while those who love truth and good from the Word are within the Word, for they look at it not from self, but from the Lord. This makes clear what is signified by "O ye inhabitants of Moab, forsake the cities and dwell in the cliff, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the passages of the mouth of the pit."

[24] In the same:

Is not My word like as fire? and like a hammer that scattereth the cliff? (Jeremiah 23:29.)

The Word is said to be "like a fire and like a hammer" because "fire" signifies the good of love, and "hammer" the truth of faith, for "the hammer" has a similar signification as "iron," and "iron" signifies truth in ultimates, and the truth of faith. Both are mentioned, namely, "fire" and "hammer," and accordingly good and truth, because of the marriage of good and truth in every particular of the Word. "The cliff that is scattered" signifies the falsity in the whole complex and the doctrine of falsity; and these are scattered or destroyed, when man with whom they exist is judged.

[25] In Nahum:

Who shall stand before His indignation? or who shall stand up in the glowing of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks shall be overturned before Him (Nahum 1:6).

That the "indignation," "wrath," and "anger" of Jehovah signify the Last Judgment, and the state of damnation of those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom will be seen in the following articles. The damnation of evils is signified by "His wrath, which is poured out like fire;" and the damnation of falsities from evils by "His anger," and "the rocks shall be overturned before Him;" "fire" also signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and "rocks" the falsities therefrom, and "to be overturned" signifies to perish. Moreover, the rocks, upon which are those who are in the principles of falsity and thus in falsities of every kind, are visibly overturned, and those who are upon them are thus cast down into hell; but this occurs in the spiritual world, where all have their dwelling places according to the quality of their interiors to which their externals correspond.

[26] In Isaiah:

Ye that have heated yourselves with gods under every green tree, that slaughter the children in the brooks under the shelves of the cliffs (Isaiah 57:5).

What is meant by "heating oneself with gods under every green tree, and slaughtering the children in the brooks under the shelves of the cliffs," no one can know except from the internal sense. In that sense "to heat oneself with gods under every green tree" signifies to worship God from every falsity that occurs; "to heat oneself with gods" means ardent worship, and "every green tree" means every falsity that occurs, for "tree" signifies knowledges and perceptions, here the knowledges and perceptions of falsity; and "to slaughter the children in the brooks, under the shelves of the cliffs" signifies to extinguish truths by falsities from self-intelligence; "children" meaning truths, "brooks" self-intelligence, "shelves of the cliffs" falsities; "under the shelves of these" signifies from the sensual, in which there is the ultimate natural light, for those who are in that light only stand under precipitous rocks and do not see any truth, and if it is told them they do not perceive it. In such a position I also have seen them in the spiritual world. This makes evident that "to slaughter the children" means not to slay children, but to extinguish truths.

[27] So in David:

Happy is he who shall seize and shatter thy babes against the cliff (Psalms 137:9).

"Babes" mean here not babes but falsities springing up; for Babylon is here treated of, which signifies the falsities of evil destroying the truths of good of the church; the destruction of these is signified by "shattering them against the cliff;" "cliff" meaning the ruling falsity of evil, and "to shatter" meaning to destroy. He who abides in the mere sense of the letter of the Word and does not think beyond it, can easily be led to believe that he is called "happy" who does this with the babes of his enemies, when yet that would be an enormous crime; but he is called "happy" who disperses the falsities of evil springing up in the church, which are here signified by "the babes of Babylon. "

[28] In Jeremiah:

Who hath heard such a thing as this? The virgin of Israel hath done a horrible thing. Shall the snow of Lebanon from the rock leave My fields? Shall the strange cold waters flowing down be snatched away? My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity (Jeremiah 18:13-15).

"The virgin of Israel" means here and elsewhere the spiritual church, for this the Israelites represented; "the horrible thing that they did" means that they turned the goods of the church into evils, and the truths of the church into falsities, and from these evils and falsities worshiped Jehovah. The evils from which is such worship are signified by "My people have forgotten Me," for he who forgets God is in evils; and the falsities from which is such worship are signified by "they have burned incense to vanity," "vanity" meaning falsity, and "to burn incense" worship; "shall the snow of Lebanon from the rock leave My fields?" signifies, have they not the truths of the church from the Word? "rock" here signifies the Word, because it signifies Divine truth (as above); "the snow of Lebanon" signifies the truths of the church therefrom. Here "snow" has a similar signification as water, namely, truths, but "snow" signifies cold truths, because a cold church is here treated of. "Lebanon" means the church from which these are, and "fields" mean all goods and truths of the church; "the strange cold waters flowing down," signify the falsities in which there is no good; "strange waters" meaning falsities, and "cold" meaning in which there is no good, for truths have all their heat from the good of love.

[29] In the same:

Behold, I am against thee, thou inhabitant of the valley, thou rock of the plain; that say, Who shall descend against us, and who shall enter into our abodes? (Jeremiah 21:13).

"The inhabitant of the valley" and "the rock of the plain" signify those who are in the ultimates of the Word, and do not permit themselves to be illustrated from the interior; and such do not see truths, but falsities instead; for all the light of truth, because it is out of heaven from the Lord, comes from the interior and descends. Such are meant by "the inhabitant of the valley" and "the rock of the plain;" "valley" and "plain" meaning the ultimates of the Word in which they are; and "inhabitant" and "rock" signifying falsities, "inhabitant" the falsity of life, and "rock" the falsity of doctrine. The belief in falsity and evil in which such are firmly fixed, believing falsity and evil to be truths and goods, is signified by their saying, "Who shall descend against us, and who shall enter into our abodes?"

[30] In Isaiah:

Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the dread of Jehovah (Isaiah 2:10).

"To enter into the rock" means into falsity, and "to hide themselves in the dust" means in evil. This treats of the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity cast themselves into the hells which are in the rocks and under the lands in the spiritual world. (But these things may be seen more fully brought out and explained in the preceding article.) In Job:

The mountain falling passeth away, and the rock is removed out of its place (Job 14:18).

"Mountain" signifies the love of evil; and "rock" the belief of falsity; and "to melt away" and "be removed out of its place" signifies to perish.

[31] In David:

Let their judges be cast down by the sides of the cliff (Psalms 141:6).

"Judges" signify those who are in falsities, and in an abstract sense, the falsities of thought and of doctrine. "Judges" in the Word have a similar signification as "judgments," and "judgments" signify the truths from which judgments are formed and in the contrary sense falsities. Because those who are in falsities dwell in the spiritual world in cliffs it is said, "let them be cast down by the sides of the cliff," which signifies that they should be let into their falsities and dwell in the hells corresponding to their falsities. In Job:

To dwell in the cleft of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in the rocks (Job 30:6).

This treats of those who are in the hells, because they are in evils and in falsities therefrom; the hells of those who are in evils in respect to life are under valleys and in caves there; and the hells of those who are in falsities from evil are in rocks. This makes clear what is signified by "dwelling in the cleft of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in rocks." (But respecting the caverns and caves in which those dwell who are in the hells, and the clefts and holes by which these are entered, see the article just preceding, n. 410.)

[32] These things have been adduced to make known that "rock" in the contrary sense signifies falsity in general; and this signification of "rock" is from correspondence, as can be seen from the appearances and phenomena in the spiritual world, where all dwell according to the correspondences of the interiors of their mind and life. Consequently those who are in wisdom and intelligence, because they are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor, and thence in the spiritual affection of truth, dwell upon mountains and hills of earth, where there are paradises, gardens, rose-beds, and lawns; but those who are in the belief in the doctrinals of their church and in some degree of charity, dwell upon rocks where there are level places upon which are some groves and some trees and grassy places; while those who have been in faith alone, as it is called, in respect to doctrine and life, and thence in falsities of faith and evils of life, dwell within the rocks, in caverns and cells there.

[33] This signification of "rock" is from the correspondence spoken of. But there is a signification of "rock" from its hardness, as in the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

They have made their faces harder than a rock (Jeremiah 5:3).

In Ezekiel:

As an adamant stronger than rock have I made thy forehead; fear not (Ezekiel 3:9).

In Job:

They shall be graven with an iron pen and with lead in the rock forevermore (Job 19:24).

In Isaiah:

The hoofs of the horses are accounted as rock (Isaiah 5:28).

Hardness is expressed by "rock" from the correspondence of rock with truth from good, for truth from good has all power, as has been said above; but when truth acts against falsity from evil then good is blunted, and truth then remaining acts with hardness, according to the above words in Ezekiel, "As an adamant stronger than rock have I made thy forehead." Truth without good is also hard, but still is easily broken. But what has been here adduced respecting rocks will be more fully elucidated by what will be said hereafter respecting the signification of stones.

Imibhalo yaphansi:

409. And every servant, and every freeman, signifies the natural man and the spiritual man. This is evident from the signification of "servant," as meaning the natural man (of which presently); and from the signification of "freeman," as meaning the spiritual man. The spiritual man is meant by "freeman" and the natural man by "servant" because the spiritual man is led by the Lord from heaven, and to be led by the Lord is freedom; while the natural man obeys and serves the spiritual, for it executes what the spiritual man wills and thinks. "Servant" is mentioned in many passages in the Word; and one who does not know that in these "servant" means what does service and effects the things the spiritual man wills and thinks, might suppose that "servant" there means one who is in servitude, thus he might understand it in its ordinary sense, but it will be plain from the passages in the Word that will presently be cited that it means what does service and effects. When "servant" is mentioned in the Word in this sense, the natural man is meant by it, which is "a servant" in the same sense as the body is a servant to its soul.

As what does service and effects is meant by "servant," so "servant" is predicated not only of the natural man in its relation to the spiritual, but also of men who perform service for others and of the angels who execute God's commands, yea, of the Lord Himself as to His Divine Human when He was in the world; it is also predicated of truths from good, because good acts and produces effects by means of truths, and truths perform the service to good which good wills and loves, and so forth. Moreover, "servant" is predicated of the natural man with regard to obedience and effect, although with the regenerate the natural man is just as free as the spiritual, for they act as one, like principal and instrumental; and yet the natural man, in relation to the spiritual, is called "a servant," because, as was said, the natural man is of service to the spiritual in producing effects. But with those with whom the spiritual man is closed and the natural man only open, the whole man in a general sense is a servant, although in appearance it is like a freeman; for the exterior natural man is subservient to the evils and falsities which the interior wills and thinks, and is thus led by hell, and to be led by hell is to be altogether a servant, and after death such a man also becomes altogether a servant and vile slave in hell; for after death the delights of everyone's life are changed into things that correspond, and the delights of evil are changed into servitude and into loathsome things (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 485-490). In this sense also "servant" is mentioned in the Word. But here it shall be shown especially that "servant" means what is of service and what effects, and this in every respect.

[2] That "servant" means what is of service and effects is plainly evident from this, that the Lord in relation to His Divine Human is called "servant" and "minister," as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold My servant, on whom I lean, My chosen, in whom My soul is well pleased; I have given My spirit upon Him. [He shall bring forth judgment to the nations]. Who is blind but My servant? or deaf as My angel that I send? Who is blind as He that is perfect, and blind as My ¹ servant? (Isaiah 42:1, 19).

This is said of the Lord, who is treated of in the whole of this chapter, and the Lord in respect to His Divine Human is here called "a servant," because He served his Father by doing His will, as He frequently declares; and this means that He reduced to order all things in the spiritual world, and at the same time taught men the way to heaven. Therefore by "My servant on whom I lean," and by "My chosen, in whom My soul is well pleased," the Divine Human is meant; and this is called "a servant" from the Divine truth by which it produced effects, and "chosen" from the Divine good. That it was by means of the Divine truth which belonged to Him that the Lord produced effects is meant by "I have given My spirit upon Him, He shall bring forth judgment to the nations;" "the spirit of Jehovah" meaning the Divine truth, and "to bring forth judgment to the nations" meaning to instruct. He is called "blind" and "deaf" because the Lord is as if He did not see and perceive the sins of men, for He leads men gently, bending and not breaking, thus leading away from evils, and leading to good; therefore He does not chastise and punish, like one who sees and perceives. This is meant by "who is blind but My servant? or deaf as My angel?" He is called "blind" and hence "a servant" from the Divine truth, and "deaf" and hence "an angel" from the Divine good; for "blindness" has reference to the understanding and thence to the perception, and "deafness" to the perception and thence to the will; it is therefore here meant that He as it were does not see, although He possesses the Divine truth from which He understands all things, and that He does not will according to what He perceives, although He has the Divine good, from which He is able to effect all things.

[3] In the same:

He shall see out of the labor of His soul, He shall be satisfied; by His knowledge My just servant shall justify many, in that He hath borne their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11).

This, too is said of the Lord, of whom the whole chapter evidently treats, and indeed of His Divine Human. His combats with the hells and His subjugation of them are signified by "the labor of His soul," and "He hath borne their iniquities;" "bearing their iniquities" means not that He transferred them unto Himself, but that He admitted into Himself evils from the hells that He might subdue them; this therefore is what is meant by "bearing iniquities." The consequent salvation of those who are in spiritual faith, which is the faith of charity, is meant by the words, "by His knowledge My just servant shall justify many;" "knowledge" signifying Divine truth, and thence Divine wisdom and intelligence, and "many" signifying all who receive; for "many" in the Word is predicated of truths, but "great" of good, therefore "many" means all who are in truths from good from the Lord.

It is said that "He shall justify" these, because "to justify" signifies to save by Divine good, and from Divine good He is also called "just." Because the Lord accomplished and effected these things by His Divine Human, He is called "the servant of Jehovah;" this makes clear that Jehovah calls His Divine Human "His servant," because of its serving and effecting.

[4] In the same:

Behold My servant shall act prudently, He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and made exceeding high (Isaiah 52:13).

This, too is said of the Lord, whose Divine Human is called "a servant," for the same reason as was mentioned just above; the glorification of His Human is meant by "He shall be exalted, and lifted up, and made exceeding high." In the same:

Ye are My witnesses, and My servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me (Isaiah 43:10).

Here, too, "servant" means the Lord in respect to His Divine Human. That the Lord Himself calls Himself "a minister" from serving is clear in the Gospels:

Whosoever will become great among you must be your minister, and whosoever will be first must be your servant, as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister (Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-44; Luke 22:27).

This may be seen explained in the work on Heaven and Hell 218). And in Luke:

Blessed are the servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching; verily I say unto you, that He will gird Himself, and make them to recline to meat, and drawing near He will minister to them (Luke 12:37).

[5] Since "David" in the Word means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and Divine truth serves, so David also, where the Lord is meant by him, is in many places called "a servant," as in Ezekiel:

I Jehovah will be their God, and My servant David a prince in the midst of them (Ezekiel 34:24).

In the same:

My servant David shall be king over them, that they all may have one shepherd (Ezekiel 37:24).

This was said of David after his times, when he was never again to be raised up to be a prince in the midst of them, or a king over them. In Isaiah:

For I will defend this city to save it for Mine own sake, and for My servant David's sake (Isaiah 37:35).

In David:

I ² have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed. I have found David My servant; with the oil of My holiness have I anointed him (Psalms 89:3-4, 20).

The whole of this Psalm treats of the Lord, who is here meant by "David." In the same:

He chose David His servant; from following the ewes giving suck He brought him to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance; and he fed them in the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the intelligence of his hands (Psalms 78:70-72);

and elsewhere. That the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant by "David" in the Word, may be seen above (n. 205), and in the passages there cited. The Lord is also called "a servant" in the Word where He is meant by "Israel." As in Isaiah:

Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be made glorious. It is a light thing that thou shouldst be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to lead back the preserved of Israel; but I have given thee for a light to the nations, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth (Isaiah 49:3, 6).

(That in the highest sense the Lord is meant by "Israel," see Arcana Coelestia 4286; and that "the Stone of Israel," means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, n. 6426.)

[6] Since the Lord in respect to Divine truth is called in the Word "a servant" from serving, so those who are in Divine truth from the Lord and thereby serve others are there called "servants," as the prophets are in these passages. In Jeremiah:

Jehovah sent unto you all His servants the prophets (Jeremiah 25:4).

In Amos:

He hath revealed His secret unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

In Daniel:

He hath set [His laws] before us ³ by the hand of His servants the prophets (Daniel 9:10).

So too:

Moses is called The servant of Jehovah (Malachi 4:4).

And also Isaiah, in his prophecy (Isaiah 20:3; 50:10).

For "prophets" in the Word signify the doctrine of Divine truth, thus Divine truth in respect to doctrine (See Arcana Coelestia 2534, 7269). So again, David calls himself "a servant of Jehovah," as in the following passages:

I rejoice in Thy statutes; I do not forget Thy word. [Deal well with Thy servant.] Thy servant doth meditate in Thy statutes. Thou hast done good to Thy servant, O Jehovah, according to Thy word. Deal with Thy servant according to Thy mercy, and teach me Thy statutes. I am Thy servant, cause me to discern, that I may know Thy testimonies. Make Thy faces to shine upon Thy servant, and teach Me Thy statutes. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant (Psalms 119:16-17, 23, 65, 124-125, 135, 176).

In the same:

Keep my soul, for I am holy; save Thy servant, for I trust ⁴ in Thee. Gladden the soul of Thy servant; for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up My soul. Give strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thy handmaid (Psalms 86:2, 4, 16; and elsewhere, as Psalms 27:9; 31:16; 35:27; 116:16; Luke 1:69).

Since the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant by "David" in the above cited passages, and thus "David," in like manner as the prophets, means Divine truth, so "servant" in these passages also means in the spiritual sense, what is of service. One who is ignorant of the spiritual sense of the Word might believe that not only David but also others who are spoken of in the Word, called themselves "servants," for the reason that all are servants of God; but still wherever "servants" are mentioned in the Word, what is of service and effect is meant in the spiritual sense. For this reason too:

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is called the servant of Jehovah (Jeremiah 25:9; 43:10).

But in a particular sense, "servant" and "servants" in the Word mean those who receive Divine truth and who teach it, since Divine truth is what serves, and by means of it Divine good produces effects. For this reason "servants" and "chosen" are frequently mentioned together, "servants" meaning those who receive Divine truth and who teach, and "chosen" those who receive Divine good and who lead, as in Isaiah:

I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains; that My chosen may possess it, and My servants may dwell there (Isaiah 65:9).

In the same:

Thou, Israel, art My servant, and Jacob, whom I have chosen (Isaiah 41:8).

In the same:

Hear, O Jacob, My servant; Israel, whom I have chosen. Fear not, O Jacob, My servant, and thou Jeshurun, whom I have chosen (Isaiah 44:1-2

(That those are called "chosen" who are in the life of charity, see Arcana Coelestia n. 3755 near the end, 3900.)

[7] Now as "servants" have reference in the Word to what is of service and effects, consequently to such as serve and produce effects, therefore the natural man is called "a servant," since this serves the spiritual in effecting what it wills; and for this reason the spiritual man is also called "a freeman" and "master." This, too, is meant by "servant" and "master" in Luke:

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will prefer the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13).

This must be understood as referring, not to servants in the world, for such can serve two masters, and yet not hate and despise one of them, but to servants in a spiritual sense, who are such as desire to love the Lord and themselves equally, or heaven and the world equally. These are like those who wish to look with one eye upwards, and with the other downwards, that is, with one eye to heaven, and with the other to hell, and thus to hang between the two; and yet there must be a predominance of one of these loves over the other; and where there is a predominance, that which opposes will be hated and despised when it offers opposition. For the love of self and of the world is the opposite of love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor. For this reason, those who are in the heavenly love would rather die or be deprived of honors and wealth in the world than be drawn away by them from the Lord and from heaven; for this they regard as the all, because it is eternal, but the former as relatively nothing, because it comes to an end with life in the world. On the other hand, however, those who love themselves and the world above all things, regard the Lord and heaven as relatively of no account, and even deny them, and so far as they see that they are opposed to self and the world they hate them; this becomes clearly manifest with all such in the other life. With those who love the Lord and heaven above all things, the internal or spiritual man is open, and the external or natural man serves it; then the latter is a servant because it serves, and the former is a master because it exercises its will; but with those who love themselves and the world above all things, the internal or spiritual man is closed, and the external or natural man is open; and when the latter is open and the former closed, the man loves the one master, namely, himself and the world, and hates the other, namely, the Lord and heaven. To this I am able to bear witness from experience; for all who have lived for self and the world, and not, as they ought, for God and heaven, in the other life hate the Lord and persecute those who are His, however in the world they may have talked about heaven and also about the Lord. From this it can be seen how impossible it is to serve two masters. That these words of the Lord must be understood spiritually is clear from the Lord's own words; for He says, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon. "

[8] In Matthew:

The disciple is not above his teacher, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord (Matthew 10:24, 26).

This in the most general sense means that man must not make himself equal to the Lord, and that it is sufficient for him that all that he has he has from the Lord, and then the disciple is as the Teacher, and the servant as the Lord, for then the Lord is in him, and causes him to will good and to think truth. The term "disciple" is used in reference to good and "servant" in reference to truth. It is similar in a particular sense, namely, with each individual who is led by the Lord, the external or natural man with him is "a disciple" and "a servant," and the internal and spiritual man is "a teacher" and "a lord." When the external or natural man serves the internal or spiritual by obeying and carrying into effect, then it also is "as its teacher" and "as its lord," for they act as one, as is said of the principal cause and the instrumental, that they act as one cause. This particular sense coincides with the most general in this, that when the spiritual and natural man act as one, the Lord Himself acts, for the spiritual man does nothing of itself, but what it does comes solely from the Lord; so far, indeed, as the spiritual man has been opened (for this opens into heaven), so far man acts not of himself but from the Lord; this spiritual man is the spiritual man in its proper sense.

[9] In John:

Ye shall know the truth; the truth maketh you free. The Jews answered, We are Abraham's seed, and have never yet been in bondage to any man; how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, everyone that committeth sin is a servant of sin. The servant abideth not in the house forever; the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore make you free ye shall be free indeed (John 8:32-36).

This means that to be led by the Lord is freedom, and to be led by hell is slavery; "the truth that makes free" means Divine truth which is from the Lord, for he who receives this in doctrine and in life is free, because he is made spiritual and is led by the Lord; therefore it is also added, "the Son abideth in the house forever; if the Son make you free ye shall be free indeed," "Son" meaning the Lord, and also truth (See above 63, 151, 166), and "to abide in the house" meaning to abide in heaven. That to be led by hell is slavery is taught by these words, "everyone that committeth sin is a servant of sin," "sin" is hell because it is from hell.

[10] That to receive Divine truth from the Lord in doctrine and in life is to be free the Lord teaches also in John:

Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; I rather call you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you that ye may go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit may abide (John 15:14-16).

"Friends" here mean the free, "friends" being contrasted with "servants." That those who receive the Divine truth in doctrine and life from the Lord are not "servants," but are "friends" or freemen, is taught by these words, "if ye do whatsoever I command you, no longer do I call you servants, but friends;" likewise by these words, "all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known unto you, that ye may go and bring forth fruit;" "to command" and "to make known" pertain to doctrine, and "to bring forth fruit" pertains to life. That these are from the Lord is thus taught, "ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you." Something nearly similar was represented by the Hebrew servants who were sent away free in the seventh year and in the year of Jubilee (who are treated of in Exodus 21:2, 3;Leviticus 25:39-41; Deuteronomy 15:12; Jeremiah 34:9. Concerning these see Arcana Coelestia 8973-9005.)

From what has been thus far set forth it can be seen that those are called "servants" in the Word who serve and bring into effect, and that therefore "servant" means the natural man, because this serves its spiritual man by bringing into effect what it wills and thinks; also that those are called "freemen" who act from the love of truth and good, thus who act from the Lord, from whom is the love of truth and good. Moreover, "servants" in the Word mean also those who are led by self and the world, and thence by evils and falsities, consequently who are led by the natural man and not at the same time by the spiritual. But respecting these servants, the Lord willing, it shall be told elsewhere.

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