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over the souls of men, and thus, also, over their sions and wealth; that they collect these for no purpose, and fill their treasures with them, is well known; and, likewise, that they make a traffic of the holy things of the church, since by offerings and gifts made to monasteries and to their saints and images, and by masses, indulgences, and various dispensations, they sell salvation, or, what is the same thing, heaven. Who cannot see, that if the papal dominion had not received a check at the time of the reformation, they would have amassed together the possessions and riches of every kingdom in Europe, and in this case would have become sole lords, and the rest, servants? Have they not derived from former ages, when they had power over emperors and kings, whom they could excommunicate and dethrone for disobedience, their principal opulence; and have they not annual revenues which are still immense, together with treasuries full of gold, silver, and jewels? The like barbarous dominion still dwells in the minds of many of them, being kept within bounds solely by the fear of losing what power they have, by attempting to extend it any further. But what use do they make of these vast revenues, treasures, and possessions, except to pamper and gratify their pride, and to confirm their power and dominion to eternity? From these considerations it may appear, what is here signified by the merchants of the earth, who are waxed rich through the abundance of the delicacies of Babylon. They are also called merchants in Isaiah: "The inhabitants of Babylon shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them, they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame;-even thy merchants from thy youth," xlvii. 14, 15. To merchandise and trade, in the Word, signifies to procure spiritual riches, which are the knowledges of things true and good, and, in the opposite sense, the knowledges of things false and evil, and by the latter to gain the world, and by the former to gain heaven; for which reason the Lord compared "the kingdom of heaven to a merchantman seeking goodly pearls," Matt. xiii. 45, 46. And the members of the church to servants, 66 to whom were given

talents to trade with and make profit," Matt. xxv 1420. And to whom there were given ten pounds, which they were in like manner to trade and make profit with, Luke xix. 12-26. And since by Tyre is signified the church with respect to the knowledges of things true and good, therefore her trade and merchandise are treated of throughout the whole of the twenty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel; and it is said of her, "With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee gold and silver into thy treasures:-By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic thou hast increased thy riches," Ezek. xxviii. 4, 5. And in another place: Tyre is laid waste,whose merchants are princes, whose trafficers are the honorable of the earth," Isaiah xxiii. 1, 8. And the perverted church among the Jews in the land of Canaan, is called the land of traffic, Ezek. xvii. 4, xxviii. 5, 18.

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760. "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues," signifies, an exhortation from the Lord to all, as well those who are in that religion, as those who are not, to take heed not to connect themselves with it by acknowledgment and affection, lest, as to their souls, they should be joined with its abominations, and perish. By another voice from heaven, saying, is signified an exhortation from the Lord to all, as well those who are of that religion, as those who are not, because it follows, "come out of her my people," that is, all who approach the Lord. The reason why this exhortation is from the Lord, is, because the voice was from heaven; "that ye be not partakers of her sins," signifies, to take heed lest as to their souls they should be conjoined with its abominations, and inasmuch as conjunction is effected by acknowledgment and affection, this also is signified. The reason why their sins are abominations, is because they are so called in the foregoing chapter, verse 4, "and that ye receive not of her plagues," signifies, lest they perish; for by plagues are signified evils and falses, and at the same time destruction by them; this is what is signified by plagues

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above, n. 657, 673, 676; and in other places. like is said of Babylon in the Word in the following passages: My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul, from the fierce anger of Jehovah, and lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumor, "Jerem. li. 45, 46. "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver ye every man his soul, be not cut off in her iniquity," Jerem. li. 6. "Forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country, for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies," Jerem. li. 9. "Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing; declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed," Isaiah xlviii. 20, 21, Jerem. 1. 8.

761. "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities," signifies, that their evils and falses infest the heavens, which the Lord will protect from their violence. By her sins have reached unto heaven, is signified that their evils and falses infest the angels of heaven; by God hath remembered her iniquities, is signified, that the Lord will protect the heavens from their violence. The reason why this is signified, is, because all things in heaven are goods and truths, and all things in hell are evils and falses, and therefore the heavens and hells are altogether separated, and as inversely situated relatively to each other as antipodes; therefore evils and falses cannot reach to the heavens; but yet when evils and falses are multiplied beyond the degrees of opposition, and thence beyond due measure, the heavens are infested, and unless the Lord then defends the heavens, which is effected by a stronger influx from himself, the heavens suffer violence, and when this arrives at its height, he then executes the last judgment, and they thus are delivered. On this account it is said further on in this chapter, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, for God hath avenged you on her," verse 20, and in the xixth chap. which comes next, verse 1-9, and in Jeremiah, "Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing over Babylon, for the spoilers shall come unto her," li. 48.

762. "Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath mixed, mix unto her double," signifies, just retribution and punishment after death, when the evils and falses, by which they have seduced and destroyed others, will return upon themselves, according to their quantity and quality, which is called the law of retaliation. Reward her as she rewarded you, signifies, just retribution and thus punishment after death; double unto her double according to her works, signifies that the evils, by which they seduced and destroyed others, will return upon them according to their quantity and quality; in the cup which she had filled fill to her double, signifies that it will be the same in regard to falses; for by cup or wine are signified falses, n. 316, 635, 642, 672. Nearly the same things are said of Babel in the prophets: "Recompense Babylon according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath been proud against Jehovah, against the Holy One of Israel," Jerem. 1. 29. "For it is the vengeance of Jehovah; take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her," Jerem. 1. 15. "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed, happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us," Psalm cxxxvii. 8. It is according to the literal sense that they, whom they had seduced and destroyed, were to reward them, but, according to the spiritual sense, they were to reward themselves, because every evil carries its own punishment along with it; this is similar to what is said in many parts of the Word, that God will recompense and take vengeance upon the injustice and injuries done to him, and from anger and wrath will destroy them, when, nevertheless, the evils themselves, which they have committed against God, do this, consequently they do it to themselves; for this is the law of retaliation, which derives its origin from the following divine law, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets," Matt. vii. 12; Luke vi. 31. This law in heaven is the law of mutual love or charity, whence there exists what is opposite in hell, in

that there happens to every one that which he would do to another, not that they who are in heaven do it, but they who are in hell do it to themselves, for the retribution of retaliation exists from the opposition to that law of life in heaven, as an inherent thing in their evils. By double is signified much according to quantity and quality, in the following places also: "Let them be confounded that persecute me,-bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction," Jerem. xvii. 18, also much according to the quantity and quality of their conversion from evils, in these passages: "Comfort ye my people, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins," Isaiah xl. 1, 2. "Return you to the strong-hold, ye prisoners of hope, even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee," Zech. ix. 12. “For your shame ye shall have double; therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them," Isaiah lxi. 7.

763. "How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her," signifies, that in proportion to their elatedness of heart resulting from dominion, and according to their exultation of mind and body resulting from riches, they experience internal grief after death, in consequence of falling from power and becoming contemptible, and being reduced to indigence and misery. By how much she hath glorified herself, is signified in proportion to their elatedness of heart resulting from dominion, since from this they glorify themselves; by how much she hath lived deliciously, is signified in proportion to their exultation of mind and body on account of their riches, and their consequent delights and pleasures, as above, n. 759; by giving her torment, is signified internal grief on account of their fall from power, and consequent degradation; their torment after death proceeds from no other source; and by giving her mourning, is signified internal grief through being reduced to indigence and misery, their mourning after death proceeding from thence. The delight of the love of

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