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bishops on certain tracts published in London in the year 1758, concerning Heaven and Hell; on the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine; on the Last Judgment; on the White Horse; and on the Earths in the Universe; which tracts were presented to all the bishops, and to many of the nobles or lords; they said that they had both received and seen them, but that they did not think them of any value, although they were skil fully written; and, further, that they had dissuaded every one, as far as possible, from reading them. I asked the reason, when. yet they contained arcana relating to heaven and hell, and to the life after death, and other important subjects, which were revealed by the Lord for the use of those who will be of his New Church, which is the New Jerusalem? But they replied, "What is that to us?" and began to abuse them, as they had done before in the world; I heard them. And then were read to them these words from the Apocalypse: "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons working signs, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty,--and he gathered them together into the place called in the Hebrew Armageddon," Apoc. xvi. 12-16; on this passage being explained to them, it was observed that they and others like themselves were the persons to whom it alluded.

This conversation with the bishops was heard from heaven by their king, the present king's grandfather,* who, with some degree of warmth, asked what was the matter; and then one of the party, who had not acted in concert with them in the world, turned to the king, and said: "They whom you now see, thought in the world, and therefore still think, of the Lord's Divine Humanity as of the humanity of a common man, and attribute all salvation and redemption to God the Father, and not to the Lord, except as to a cause for the sake of which these are effected; for they believe in God the Father, and not in his Son, although they know from the Lord, that 'It is the will of the Father, that they should believe in the Son, and that they who believe in the Son have eternal life, and that they who do not believe in the Son shall not see life.' Not to mention their rejecting charity from having any part in salvation, although charity exists from the Lord through man as from man." Continuing his discourse with the king, he exposed the hierarchy

*This was published in the year 1766, consequently the king here mentioned 18 George II.

which many of them continually affect and also exercise, establishing it by the strict union and connexion which they form with each other and all of their own order, by means of emissaries, messengers, epistolary correspondence, and conversations, supported by ecclesiastical and at the same time by political authority, so that they are bound together like sticks in a faggot; and it was by means of that hierarchy, that the above-mentioned works for the use of the New Jerusalem, although published in London, and presented to them, were so shamefully rejected, as not even to be thought worthy of a place in their catalogues. On hearing these things the king was astonished; but more especially at the thoughts they entertained concerning the Lord, who nevertheless is the God of heaven and earth; and concerning charity, which nevertheless is the very essence of religion. The interiors of their mind and faith were then laid open by means of light from heaven, on perceiving which the king said, "Get you hence! Alas! how is it possible for any one so to harden his heart against hearing any thing that relates to heaven and life eternal ?"

Then the king inquired, by what means the clergy were kept so universally in subjection to the bishops, and he was informed that it proceeded from the power which every bishop has in his diocese of nominating for the king's approbation a single person to a living, and not three candidates, as in other kingdoms; and that in consequence of this power they have an opportunity of promoting their dependents to more distinguished honours and larger incomes, each one in proportion to his obedience. It was also shown to what an extent such an hierarchy might go, and that it had proceeded to the length of having dominion as the essential thing, whilst religion was only the formal. Their ardent love of dominion was also laid open to the sight of the angels, and they saw that it exceeded the love of dominion of those who are in secular power.

CHAPTER XVII.

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1. AND there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials and talked with me, saying unto me, Come; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot, that sitteth upon many waters:

2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom.

3. And he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness :

and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven leads and ten horns.

4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her whoredom.

5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY; BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINA TIONS OF THE EARTH.

6. And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus; and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns.

8. The beast that thou sawest, was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9. Here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10. And they are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition.

12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13. These have one mind, and they will give their power and strength unto the beast.

14. These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome thein: for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples and multitudes, and nations and tongues.

16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17. For God hath put it in their hearts to execute his will, and to act [with] one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be consummated.

18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

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THE SPIRITUAL SENSE.

THE CONTENTS OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER. Concerning the Roman Catholic religion; describing the manner in which it had falsified the Word, and thence perverted all things of the church, verses 1-7: how it had falsified and perverted those things among such as were subject to its dominion, verses 8-11: but this in a less degree among those who were not thus subjected to its dominion, verses 12-15. Concerning the Reformed, that they had withdrawn themselves from its yoke, verses 16, 17: of its prevalence notwithstanding, verse 18.

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THE CONTENTS OF EACH VERSE. V. 1, " And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, and talked with me," signifies influx now, and revelation from the Lord from the inmost of heaven concerning the Roman Catholic religion: Saying unto me, Come; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters," signifies a revelation concerning that religion as to its profanations and adulterations of the truths of the Word: v. 2, "With whom the kings of the earth have committed whoredom," signifies that it has adulterated the truths and goods of the church derived from the Word: "And the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom," signifies the insanity in spiritual things of those who are in that religion, in consequence of their adulteration of the Word: v. 3, "And he carried me away in spirit into the wilderness," signifies that in a spiritual state he was carried to those with whom all things of the church were devastated: "And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy," signifies that religion upon the Word profaned by them: "Having seven heads and ten horns," signifies intelligence derived from the Word, at first holy, afterwards none, and at last insanity, and much power continually derived from the Word: v. 4, " And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet," signifies divine good. and divine truth celestial, which are of the Word, among them: "And decked with gold and precious stones," signifies divine good and divine truth spiritual, which are of the Word, among them: "And pearls," signifies the knowledges of good and truth, which are of the Word, among them: "Having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her whoredom," signifies that religion grounded in a profanation of the holy things of the Word, and in the defilements of its goods and truths by direful falses: v. 5, "And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery; Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth," signifies the Roman Catholic religion as to its interior hidden quality, that by reason of its originating from the love of dominion, grounded in self

love, over the holy things of the church and of heaven, thus over all things of the Lord and his Word, it defiled and profaned the things which relate to the Word and thence to the church: v. 6, "And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus," signifies that religion in a state of insanity, in consequence of the adulteration and profanation of divine truths and goods of the Lord, of the Word, and thence of the church: "And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration," signifies astonishment that that religion should be such inwardly, when nevertheless it appears otherwise outwardly: v. 7, "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns," signifies a discovery of the significations of the things which precede and were seen: v. 8, "The beast that thou sawest, was, and is not," signifies the Word among them acknowledged to be holy, and yet, in reality, not acknowledged: "And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition," signifies occasional deliberation in the papal consistory concerning the reception and reading of the Word by the laity and common people, but followed by rejection: "And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is," signifies the amazement felt by all those of that religion, who from its first establishment have affected to exercise dominion over heaven and earth, that the Word, although so rejected, still exists: v. 9, "Here is the mind which hath wisdom," signifies that this interpretation is in the natural sense, but for the use of those who are in the spiritual sense from the Lord: "The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth:" v. 10, " And they are seven kings," signifies the divine goods and divine truths, upon which that religion is founded, in time destroyed, and at length profaned: "Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space," signifies that all the divine truths of the Word are destroyed, except this one, that unto the Lord is given all power in heaven and in earth; and except the other, which has not as yet come into discussion, but when it is, will not remain with them, which is, that the Lord's Humanity is divine: v. 11, "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition," signifies that the Word, spoken of above, is Divine Good itself, and that it is Divine Truth, and that it is taken away from the laity and common people, lest the profanations and adulterations of it by their leaders should be rendered apparent, and they should recede on that account: v. 12, "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,

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