Hence it is, that they who are in evil as to life, although they are in truths as to doctrine, are still in the falses of their own evil. That this is the case, manifests itself clearly in the other life; for such, when they are left to themselves, think from evil against the truths which they have known and professed, thus they think falses. Persons of the same character act in like manner in the world, when they are left to themselves and think; for on such occasions they either pervert truths, or deny truths to patronize the evils of their life. But they who are in good, and still in non-truths, yea, who are in falses from ignorance, as are several within the church, and also several out of the church who are called Gentiles, these indeed regard their own falses as truths, but inasmuch as those falses come forth from good, they bend them to good, therefore there is nothing of malignity in them, as there is in falses which are from evil. And whereas the falses thence derived are mild and flexible, they are in the faculty of receiving truths, and also do receive when instructed by the angels. These falses may be compared to meats which are unclean to the sight, but still have a relish, whereas falses derived from evil may be compared to unclean meats which inwardly are putrid; but truths grounded in evil may be compared to meats which are clean to the sight, but which inwardly are malignant, and if attended with hypocrisy, are poisonous; as the Lord teaches in Matthew, "Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are like to whitened sepulchres, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness," xxiii. 27. 9193. "Shall be devoted "-that hereby is signified ejection, appears from the signification of being devoted, when it is said of those who are in the worship of falses derived from evil, as denoting to be ejected, namely, from the church; that ejection from the church, and thereby the extirpation of such falses, is signified by being devoted, is evident from Moses, "If men of Belial shall go forth from the midst of thee, and shall impel the inhabitants of their city saying, let us go and serve other gods, whom ye have not known; if it be truth and the thing certain, that abomination hath been done in the midst of thee, smiting thou shalt smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, by devoting it, and every one who is in it, and also the beast thereof with the edge of the sword; all the spoil thereof thou shalt carry together into the midst of the street, and thou shalt burn the city with fire, and all the spoil thereof to Jehovah thy God, that it may be a heap for ever, neither shall it be built any more, 80 that there any thing of that which was devoted," Deut. xiii. 13 to 17. That it is the false grounded in evil, which is signified by what is devoted, is evident from singular the things in the above passago may not remain in thine hand 1 in the internal sense; for the cities which were to be devoted denote doctrines, in this case false doctrines, n. 2712, 2443, 3216; the edge of the sword, with which men and beasts were to be smitten, denotes truth combating and destroying the false which is derived from evil, n. 2799, 4499, 7102, 8294; the street into the midst of which the spoil was to be carried together, denotes the truth of doctrine, and in the opposite sense the false of doctrine, n. 2236; the fire, with which the spoil was to be burned with the city, denotes the evil of self-love, n. 1297, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324. Hence it is evident, that the act of devoting denotes ejection from the church, and extir pation. On this account also it was commanded, that the nations in the land of Canaan should be devoted, Deut. vii. 2, 24, 25, 26; for the nations before constituted the church in that land, wherefore also they had altars, and likewise sacrificed, n. 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6306, 6516, 8054; but when they turned the representative worship, which was that of the ancient church, into idolatrous worship, and thereby falsified truths and adulterated goods, n. 8317, it was ordered that not only the men, but also the cities, and what was in the cities, should be devoted; the reason was, because all things therein represented falses grounded in evil, the cities the doctrine of the false themselves, the beasts evil affections, the gold and silver their evils and falses, and other things in like manner; the principal of the worship of the ancient church was, to worship God under a human form, thus the Lord; but when they turned aside from good to evil, they began to worship the representatives themselves, as the sun, the moon, the stars, also groves, statues, and God under various forms of an idol, thus external things without an internal principle, as is the case when the internal man is closed. The internal man is closed by a life of evil, for the Lord flows-in by [or through] good, and opens the internal man, consequently by evil it is closed; and when it is closed, truths are turned into falses, and where they remain, they only serve the evils which are of self-love, and the love of the world. The principal of internal worship is, to acknowledge the Lord, the alone and only God; and that all good and truth is from Him; they who do not acknowledge Him in the church, cannot be in good, thus neither in truth; and they acknowledge who are in faith, and at the same time in the good of life, but not who are in evil of life, n. 8878. That to acknowledge and worship the Lord is to live according to His precepts, that is, to live the life of faith and charity, see n. 8252 to 8257; the life of faith consists in doing the precepts from obedience, and the life of charity consists in doing the precepts from love. 9194. "Except to Jehovah alone "-that hereby is signified that the Lord, who is the alone and only God, is to be worshipped, appears from the signification of sacrificing, in this case to Jehovah alone, as denoting worship, see above, n. 9192; the reason why to Jehovah denotes to the Lord is, because by Jehovah in the Word no other is meant than the Lord, see n. 1343, 1736, 2921, 3023, 3035, 4692, 5663, 6303, 6905, 8864; that the Divine [being or principle], which He called the Father, is the Divine Good in Himself, see n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8897; thus that the Lord is the alone and only God, n. 1607, 2149, 2156, 2329, 2447, 2751, 3194, 3704, 3712, 3938, 4577, 4687, 5321, 6280, 6371, 6849, 6993, 7014, 7182, 7209, 8241, 8724, 8760, 8864, 8865. 9195. Verses 20, 21, 22, 23. And a sojourner thou shalt not afflict, and shalt not oppress, because ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Any widow and orphan ye shall not afflict. If in afflicting thou shalt afflict him, so that crying he cry to Me, hearing I will hear his cry. And mine anger shall burn, and 1 will slay you with the sword, and your women shall become widows and your sons orphans. And a sojourner thou shalt not afflict, and shalt not oppress, signifies that they who are willing to be instructed in the truths and goods of faith ought not to be infested by falses of doctrine and evils of life. Because ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt, signifies that they were protected from falses and evils when they were infested by infernals. Any widow, signifies who are in good without truth, and still desire truth. And orphan, signifies who are in truth, and not yet in good, and still desire good. Ye shall not afflict, signifies that they ought not to be defrauded. If in afflicting thou shalt afflict him, signifies if they be defrauded. So that crying he cry to Me, signifies supplication to the Lord for aid. Hearing I will hear their cry, signifies that they ought to be aided. And mine anger shall burn, signifies the state of those who do it. And I will slay you with the sword, signifies that they deprive themselves of good and truth by falses. And your women shall become widows, signifies that the goods appertaining to them shall perish. And your sons orphans, signifies that at the same time in such case truth shall perish. 9196. "And a sojourner thou shalt not afflict, and shalt not oppress" that hereby is signified that they who are willing to be instructed in the truths and goods of faith ought not to be infested by falses of faith, and evils of life, appears from the signification of a sojourner, as denoting one who is willing to be instructed in those things which are of the church, thus in the truths and goods of faith, and who receives those things and lives according to them, see n. 1463, 8007, 8013; the reason why a sojourner has this signification is, because to sojourn signifies to be instructed and also to live, see n. 2025, 3672, 6095; and from the signification of afflicting, when concerning those who are willing to be instructed in the truths and goods of faith, as denoting not to be infested by the falses of faith; and from the signification of oppressing, when concerning the same, as denoting not to infest by evils of life; for they, who infest persons of that description by falses, afflict them, and they who infest by evils, oppress them. 9197. "Because ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt "that hereby is signified that they were protected from falses and evils when they were infested by infernals, appears from what was said concerning the affliction and oppression of the sons of Israel in Egypt, and concerning their protection and their being finally brought out from thence, at chap. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. xiii. xiv. where it was shown that the afflictions and oppressions of the sons of Israel in Egypt, signified the infestations of the faithful, who were of the Spiritual Church by in fernals before the coming of the Lord; and that the protection and bringing forth of the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt, signified the protection and liberation of those who were of the Spiritual Church, by the Lord when He was in the world, and when He rose again. But to repeat now the explication of singular the things there shown, would be too tedious; see what was shown at the above-mentioned chapters of Exodus, especially what is said at n. 6854, 7035, 7091, 7474, 7828, 7932, 8018, 8054, 8099, 8159, 8321. 9198. "Any widow"-that hereby are signified those who are in good without truth, and still desire truth, appears from the signification of the widow, as denoting good without truth, and yet desiring truth; the reason why a widow has this signification is, because by a man [vir] is signified truth, and by his woman good, wherefore the woman of a man, when she becomes a widow, signifies good without truth. But widow in a still interior sense signifies truth without good; the reason is, because husband in that sense signifies good, and his wife truth, see n. 3236, 4510, 4823. In this sense the Lord from Divine Good is called husband and bridegroom, and His kingdom and church, from the reception of the Divine Truth which proceeds from the Lord, is called wife and bride, n. 9182; but whereas in this passage the subject treated of is not concerning the Lord's Celestial Church, but concerning the Spiritual, by widow is signified one who is in good and notin truth, and still desires truth. The case is similar in regard to orphan; he in the inmost, or celestial sense signifies those who are in good, and desire truth. See what was adduced and explained concerning the signification of widow and orphan in the celestial sense, n. 4844; to which it is allowed to add what the Lord says in Luke concerning the widow of Sarepta, "Verily I say unto you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country; in truth I say unto you, many widows were in the days of Elias, in Israel, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, whilst there was a great famine over the whole land, yet to none of them was Elias sent, except to Sarepta of Sidon, to a woman, a widow," iv. 25, 26. Inasmuch as all things which the Lord spake, He spake from the Divine [being or principle], therefore they have an internal sense, and the subject treated of in that sense is concerning the Lord Himself, and concerning His kingdom, and concerning the church. What therefore was meant by the Lord, in that sense, by what He spake concerning the widow in Sarepta, of Sidon, evidently appears if the words be unfolded. That no prophet is accepted in his own country, signifies that the Lord, and the Divine Truth, which is from Him, is less received and loved in heart within the church than out of it. He spake to the Jews, amongst whom at that time the church was. That the Lord was there less received than by the nations which were out of the church, is a known thing. The case is similar in the church at this day, which, from Him, is called Christian. In this indeed the Lord is received in doctrine, but still by few with acknowledgment of heart, and by still fewer from an affection of love. It is otherwise with the converted nations out of the church; these worship and adore Him as their only God, and say with the mouth, and think with the heart, that they acknowledge Him for God, because He has appeared in a Human Form, n. 5256. It is the reverse within the church, where, inasmuch as He was born a man, He is with difficulty acknowledged as God from the heart; His Human [principle] being made like that of another man, although it be known that His Father was Jehovah, and not a man. From these considerations it is evident what is meant in the internal sense by no prophet being accepted in his own country. Prophet in that sense is the Lord as to Divine Truth, thus as to the doctrine of the church. That prophet denotes one who teaches, and in the abstract sense doctrine, and when predicated of the Lord, that it denotes the Divine Truth or Word, see above, n. 9158. Many widows were in the days of Elias, in Israel, in the internal sense, signifies a state on that occasion of acknowledgment of Divine Truth from the Word in the church; for widows are those who are in good without truth, as was said above. Elias is the Lord as to the Word; the days of Elias denote the states of reception of Divine Truth from the Word at that time; and Israel is the church. That Elias represented the Lord as to the Word, see preface to chap. xviii. of Genesis, and n. 2762, 5247, 8029. That days denote states, see n. 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 6110, 8426; and that Israel is the church, n. 4286, 6426, 6637, 8805. When the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, signifies the plenary vastation of the internal church, for heaven is the internal of the church. Three years and six months denote to the full. That heaven is the internal of the church, see n. 1733, 1850, 3355, 4535. This is said to be shut |