which such persons use, in order that they may arrogate to themselves divine worship, and possess the goods of every one in the world, and who, nevertheless, do good from sincerity of heart, and have also turned their eyes to the Lord, come after death among the blessed, for on being instructed in another life, they receive truths, and reject the adoration of the pope, and the invocation of saints, and acknowledge the Lord to be the God of heaven and earth; and are thus elevated to heaven and become angels. Wherefore there are also many celestial societies from among them in the spiritual world, over which some of the more honorable preside, who had led the same kind of life. It has been granted me to see, that some likewise who had been emperors, kings, dukes, and princes, who had indeed acknowledged the pope to be the head of the church, but not the Lord's vicar, and had also acknowledged some of the papal bulls, but yet held the Word to be sacred, and acted justly in their administration, presided over those societies. More may be seen on this subject in the Continuation of the Last Judg ment and the Spiritual World, n. 58-60, related from experience.

787. "Stood afar off. And cried, when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city," signifies, in a remote state their mourning over the condemnation of that religion, which they thought supereminent above every religion in the world. By standing afar off, is signified while yet in a state remote from condemnation, but still in fear of punishment, n. 769, 783. And cried, signifies, their lamentation; by the smoke of her burning, is signified condemnation in consequence of the adulteration and profanation of the Word, n. 766, 767; by saying, What city is like unto this city, is signified that they thought their religion pre-eminent above every religion in the world; by that great city, is signified that religion, as has been frequently shown above. That they think that religion pre-eminent above every other religion, and that their church is the mother, queen, and mistress of all others, is well known; that this belief is continually infused by their priests and monks, aud that

the latter do this from the ardent love of ruling and enriching themselves, is also known to those who attend to it; still, however, on account of the power of their dominion, they are unable to recede from all its externals; but yet they are able to recede from its internals, seeing that full liberty has been and is left to the will and understanding of man, and consequently to his affections and thoughts.

788. "And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city," signifies their interior and exterior grief and mourning, which is lamentation, that so eminent a religion should be so totally destroyed and condemned. By putting dust on their heads, is signified interior grief and mourning on account of destruction and condemnation, as will be seen presently. And cried, weeping and wailing, signifies, exterior grief and mourning; by weeping is signified mourning of the soul, and by wailing mourning of the heart. By Alas, alas, that great city, is signified grievous lamentation over its destruction and condemnation; that alas signifies lamentation over calamity, unhappiness, and condemnation, and consequently, Alas, alas, grievous lamentation, may be seen, n. 416, 769, 785; and that a city signifies that religion, n. 785, and elsewhere. That by putting dust on the head, is signified interior grief and mourning on account of condemnation and destruction, is evident from the following passages: "And shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes," Ezek. xxvii. 30. "The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, they have cast up dust upon their heads," Lament. ii. 10. "Job's friends rent every one his mantle and sprinkled dust upon their heads," Job ii. 12. "Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground, there is no throne," "Isaiah xlvii. 1, not to mention other passages. The reason why they put dust upon their heads, when they grieved inwardly, was because dust signified what is condemned, as appears from Gen. iii. 14, Matt. x. 14, Mark vi. 11, Luke x. 10, 11, 12; and dust upon the head, represented an acknowledg

ment that of themselves they were damned, and consequent penitence, as in Matt. xi. 21, Luke x. 13; the reason why dust signifies what is damned, is because the earth over the hells consists of mere dust, without grass or herbs.

789. "Wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness, for in one hour is she made desolate," signifies, by reason that through the holy things of that religion, all who were willing to buy, had propitiation, and in consideration for temporal and worldly riches, received spiritual and eternal riches, and that now no one can avail himself of this. By being made rich from her costliness, is signified to be pardoned of God by means of the ceremonies of that religion, or to believe that for temporal and temporary merchandise or riches, they will receive spiritual and eternal merchandise or riches; that is to say, that for gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, purple, and the other things enumerated in verses 12 and 13, they will receive blessings and felicities after death; these things are understood by the costliness with which they say they are made rich from that city; that such is their language is well known. By their being made desolate in one hour, is signified, that by reason of the destruction of that religion, no one can hereafter purchase its holy things; from what has been said it may appear that the above is the signification of these words. That the holy things of the church are signified by things precious or costly, is evident from the following passages: "And of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be his land, for the precious things of heaven, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth," Deut. xxxiii. 13, 14, 15. "Is Ephraim my precious son? Is he a pleasant child?" Jerem. xxxi. 20. By Ephraim is meant intellectual knowledge or understanding of the Word. "The precious sons of Zion were esteemed comparable to fine gold," Lament. iv. 2; the sons of Zion are the truths of the church; not to mention other places, as Isaiah xiii. 12, xliii. 4, Psalm xxxvi. 8,

Psalm xlv. 9, Psalm 1xviii. 13, Psalm xcvi. 6. This then is the reason why it is said, that from that city were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness.

790. "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged your judgment upon her," signifies, that the angels of heaven and men of the church, who are in goods and truths derived from the Word, now rejoice in their hearts, because they who are in the evils and falses of that religion are removed and rejected. Rejoice over her, O heaven, signifies, that the angels of heaven now rejoice in their hearts, for exultation is joy of heart; and ye holy apostles and prophets, signifies, and together with them the men of the church who are in goods and truths derived from the Word; by apostles are signified they who are in the goods and thence in the truths of the church derived from the Word, and abstractedly the goods and thence the truths of the church from the Word, n. 79; and by prophets are signified truth derived from good from the Word, n. 8, 133; who are called holy, because apostles and prophets, as before observed, signify abstractedly the goods and truths of the Word, which in themselves are holy, being from the Lord, n. 586, 666; for God hath avenged your judgment upon her, signifies, because they are removed and rejected, who are in the evils and falses of that religion; that no others are removed and rejected, may be seen above, n. 786. The joy of the angels of heaven on account of the removal and rejection of those who are in the evils and falses of that religion, is treated of in the next chapter from the 1st to the 9th verse, here it is only said that they rejoiced; howbeit, the joy of the angels does not proceed from their condemnation, but from the new heaven and new church, and the salvation of the faithful, which could not be established prior to this removal, which removal is and was effected by the last judgment, on which subject see the explanation of verses 7, 8, 9, of the next chapter. From these considerations it may appear, that by "rejoice over her, O heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged your jadg

ment upon her," is signified that the angels of heaven, and men of the church who are in goods and truths derived from the Word, now rejoice in their hearts, because they are removed and rejected who are in the evils and falses of that religion. Who cannot see that it is not the apostles and prophets we read of in the Word, who are here meant, since these are few in number and no better than others; but by them are meant all in the Lord's church who are principled in goods and truths from the Word, and the same are meant likewise by the twelve tribes of Israel, as explained above, n. 349; by the apostle Peter is meant the truth or the faith of the church, by the apostle James, the charity of the church, and by the apostle John the works of charity of the men of the church.

791. "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all," signifies, that by the Lord's strong influx out of heaven, that religion, together with all its adulterated truths of the Word, will be cast headlong into hell, and never appear in the sight of angels any more. A mighty angel took up, signifies, strong influx from the Lord out of heaven, for by an angel is signified the Lord, and his operation, which is effected through heaven, n. 258, 415, 465, 649; by his being here called a mighty angel and his taking up a great millstone, powerful operation is signified, which is strong influx; by a stone like a great millstone, are signified the truths of the Word adulterated and profaned; for by a stone is signified truth, and by a mill is signified inquiry, search into, and confirmation of truth out of the Word, see n. 794; but in the present instance the adulteration and profanation of the truth of the Word, because it is said of Babylon; by casting it into the sea, is signified to cast into hell; by thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be cast down, is signified that thus that religion shall be cast headlong into hell. To be found no more at all, signifies, that it will never appear in the sight of angels any more. The reason why this is signified, is,