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taketh a man's life to pledge," Deut. xxiv. 6; a mill is here called the soul or life, because by the soul is signified the truth of wisdom and of faith, n. 681. In an opposite sense, by a mill is signified the search after, and confirmation of what is false, as appears from these places: "They took the young men to grind at the mill, and the children fell under the wood," Lament. v. 13. "Sit in the dust, O daughter of Babylon, take the millstone and grind meal, uncover thy locks, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers, thy nakedness shall be uncovered, thy shame shall be seen," Isaiah xlvii. 1, 2, 3; to take the mill and grind meal, signifies to inquire and search after, for the confirmation of things false.

795. But to illustrate this by example, who cannot see that they who are in Babylon, have inquired after, and sought for the means, of confirming this enormous falsity, that the bread and wine in the eucharist should be divided, that the bread should be given to the laity and the wine to the clergy? This may be seen upon merely reading the confirmation thereof as decreed in the Council of Trent, and established by a bull, which runs thus: "That immediately after consecration the true body and "true blood of Jesus Christ, together with his soul and "divinity, are truly, really, and substantially contained "in the bread and wine, his body under the appearance "of bread, and his blood under the appearance of wine,

by the power of the words; but the body itself under "the appearance of wine, and the blood under the ap"pearance of bread, and the soul under both by the "power of the natural connexion and concomitancy, "whereby the parts of the Lord Christ are united to each "other, and his divinity by reason of that admirable "hypostatic union with the body and soul; and that just "as much is contained under each kind as under both; "and that the whole and entire Christ exists under the appearance of bread, and under every part of that and the whole also under the appearance appearance, "of wine, and the parts thereof. Also that water is to "be mixed with the wine." These are their very words, and that these words are contrary to the power of the

Lord's words, they themselves confess. What person of sound judgment does not here see truths themselves inverted, and changed into falsities by reasonings, which the upright in heart cannot but abominate? But to what end is all this? Is it not solely for the sake of masses, which they call propitiatory sacrifices, most holy, pure, and sacred, through which they infuse sanctity into the bodily senses of men, and at the same time obscurity as to all things relating to faith and spiritual life, and this to the end that in the midst of darkness they may reign aud enrich themselves? Is it not also to cherish the idea of ministers being full of the Lord, and that the Lord is in them? And, likewise, that lest they should be exhausted with fatigue, they are to have the wine, and to prevent inebriation, that water may be in the wine?

796. "And the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee," signifies, that they who are in that religion from doctrine and from a life according thereto, have no illumination whatever from the Lord, nor thence a perception of spiritual truth. By the light of a candle is signified illumination from the Lord and consequent perception of spiritual truth; for by light is understood the light of heaven, in which the angels are, and men also as to their understanding, which light in its essence is divine wisdom, for it proceeds from the Lord as the sun of the spiritual world, which in its substance is the divine love of the divine wisdom, from which no other light can proceed than that of divine wisdom, or any other heat than that which is of the divine love; that this is the case, is demonstrated and set forth in the Wisdom of Angels concerning the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, n. 83-172. Since that light is from the Lord, and the Lord by it and in it is omnipresent, therefore all illumination, and consequent perception of spiritual truth, is produced thereby, which is in those who spiritually love divine truths, that is, who love truths because they are truths, thus because they are divine. That this is to love the Lord, is evident; for the Lord is omnipresent in that light, because the divine love and divine wisdom are not in place, but are where they are received and according to reception. 6

VOL. III.

That they who are of the Roman Catholic religion, are not in any illumination and consequent perception of spiritual truth, may appear from this circumstance, that they do not love any spiritual light, for the origin of spiritual light, as has been observed, is from the Lord, and no others can accept or receive that light, but they who are in conjunction with the Lord, and conjunction with the Lord is effected solely by the acknowledgment and worship of him, and at the same time by a life according to his precepts from the Word; the acknowledgment and worship of the Lord, and the reading of the Word, constitute the Lord's presence; but these two, together with a life according to his precepts, constitute conjunction with him. In Babylon the reverse is the case; the Lord is acknowledged there, but without dominion, and the Word is acknowledged but without the reading thereof; instead of the Lord, the pope is there worshiped ; and instead of the Word, papal bulls are acknowledged, according to which they regulate their lives, and not according to the precepts of the Word; and those bulls have for their end the dominion of the pope and his ministers over heaven and the world; and the precepts of the Word have for their end the dominion of the Lord over heaven and the world; and these two are diametrically opposite to each other, like heaven and hell. These observations are made, to the end that it may be known, that they who are of the Babylonish religion from doctrine and from a life according thereto, have no light of a candle at all; that is, no illumination and consequent perception of spiritual truth. That the Lord is the light, from which all illumination and perception of spiritual truth proceeds, is evident from the following passages: "He was the true light, which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world," John i. 4—12, speaking of the Lord. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, but he that doeth truth, cometh to the light," John iii. 19, 21. "Jesus said, Yet a little while is the light with you; walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you while ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light," John

xii. 35, 36. Jesus said, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in me, should not abide in darkness," John xii. 46. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," John ix. 5, Luke ii. 30, 31, 32. Simeon said, "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, a light to lighten the Gentiles.-The people which sat in darkness, saw great light, and to them which sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up," Matt. iv. 16, Isaiah ix. 1, Luke ii. 30, 31, 32. "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth," Isaiah xlix. 6. The city New Jerusalem "had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof," Apoc. xxi. 23, xxii. 5. From these considerations it is plain, that the Lord is the light from which all illumination and consequent perception of truth is derived; and since the Lord is light, the devil is darkness, and the devil is the love of ruling over all the holy and divine things of the Lord, and thus over hin; and in proportion as power is given him, he darkens, extinguishes, consumes, and burns up the holy and divine things of the Lord.

797. "And the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee," signifies, that with those who are in that religion from doctrine, and from a life according thereto, there is no conjunction of good and truth which constitute the church. The voice here signifies joy, because it is the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride; by a bridegroom, in a supreme sense, is meant the Lord as to the divine good, and by bride is meant the church as to the divine truth from the Lord; for the church is a church from the reception of the divine good of the Lord in the divine truths which are from him. That the Lord is called the bridegroom and also the husband, and that the church is called the bride and also the wife, is evident from the Word. That hence is derived the heavenly marriage, which is the conjunction of good and truth, will be seen in the treatise concerning Marriage. Now inasmuch as this heavenly marriage is effected by the reception of divine good from

the Lord, in divine truths out of the Word by the men of the church, it is plain that there is not any conjunction of good and truth among those who are of the Roman Catholic religion from doctrine and consequent life, because they have no conjunction with the Lord, but with living and dead men: and this conjunction among those who are in the love of dominion, from self-love, over the holy divine things of the Lord, and over the Lord, is like conjunction with the devil, who, as was affirmed in the preceding article, is that love; and to approach the devil, as a means of coming at God, is detestable. That the Lord is called a bridegroom and the church the bride, appears from the following passages: "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but he is the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice," John iii. 29. John the Baptist is here speaking of the Lord. "Jesus

said, As long as the bridegroom is with them, the children of the bridechamber cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast," Matt. ix. 15, Mark ii. 19, 20, Luke v. 34,35. "I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband," Apoc. xxi. 2. The angel said, "Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife," Apoc. xxi. 9, 10. "For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb," Apoc. xix. 7, 9. By the bridegroom, whom the ten virgins went out to meet, is also meant the Lord, Matt. xxv. 1, 2, et seq. From what has been said it may appear, what is signified by the voice and joy of the bridegroom and bride in the following passages: "And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee," Isaiah Ixii. 5. "My soul shall be joyful in my God; as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels," Isaiah lxi, 10. "Again there shall be heard in this place-the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, that shall say,

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