possession of these latter goods and truths, but of the evils and falses opposite to them, therefore mention is made of these latter, for they follow in order. Now inasmuch as the case is the same with these as with the former, there is no need of any further explanation than what may be met with in the foregoing article. What is signified in particular by fine linen, shall be explained in the next chapter, where these words occur. "Fine linen is the righteousness of the saints," verse 8, n. 814, 815; that purple signifies celestial good, and scarlet celestial truth, see above, n. 725: by silk is signified mediate celestial good and truth, good from its softness, and truth from its shining; it is mentioned only in Ezekiel xvi. 10, 13.

774. “And all thyine wood, and every vessel of ivory," signifies, that they no longer possess these things, because they are not in possession of the natural goods and truths, to which they correspond. The case is the same with this passage as with those explained above, n. 772, 773, only with this difference, that by those things which are first mentioned are meant spiritual goods and truths, as above, n. 772; and by those which are mentioned secondly are meant celestial goods and truths, as above, n. 773; and by these now mentioned, which are thyine wood and vessels of ivory, are meant natural goods and truths; for there are three degrees of love and wisdom, and thence three degrees of good and truth; the first degree is called celestial, the second spiritual, and the third natural; these three degrees exist by birth in every man, and they exist also in common in heaven and in the church; which is the reason why there are three heavens, the supreme, the middle, and the ultimate or lowest, altogether distinct one from another according to these degrees; in like manner the Lord's church upon earth: but what its quality is with those who are in the celestial degree, what with those who are in the spiritual degree, and what with those who are in the natural degree, does not belong to this place to explain. But the subjects are treated of at length in the treatise on The Wisdom of Angels concerning the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, part the third, where degrees are explained: it must

suffice to observe here, that among those who are of Babylon, there are neither spiritual goods and truths, nor celestial goods and truths, nor even natural goods and truths. The reason why spiritual things are first mentioned, is, because many of them are capable of being spiritual, provided only that in their hearts they esteem the Word as holy, according to what they confess with their mouths: but they cannot become celestial, because they do not approach the Lord, but they approach and worship living and dead men: this is the reason why celestial things are mentioned in the second place. The reason why thyine wood signifies natural good, is, because wood in the Word signifies good, and stone truth, and thyine wood derives its denomination from two, and two also signifies good. The reason why it signifies natural good, is, because wood is not so precious or valuable as gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; the same may be said of stone; and also of ivory, by which natural truth is signified. The reason why ivory signifies natural truth, is, because it is white, and capable of being polished, and because it is protruded from the mouth of the elephant, and also constitutes his strength. To the intent that ivory may denote the natural truth of the good signified by thyine wood, a vessel of ivory is mentioned, for by a vessel is signified that which contains, in the present instance, the truth that is the continent or vehicle of good. That wood signifies good, may, in some measure, appear from the following passages: That the bitter waters at Marah were made sweet by putting wood in them, Exod. xv. 25. That the tables of stone, on which the law was written, were deposited in the ark made of shittim wood, Exod. xxv. 10—16. That the temple at Jerusalem was covered with wood and lined with wood, 1 Kings vi. 10, 15. That the altar in the wilderness was made of wood, Exod. xxvii. 1, 6. And also from these passages; "For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of wood shall answer it," Habak. ii. 11. "And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise and they shall lay thy stones and thy wood and thy dust in the midst of the water," Ezek. xxvi. 12. The

prophet was commanded, " to take one stick of wood, and write upon it, For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph the stick of Ephraim; and join them into one stick," Ezek. xxxvii. 16, 17. "We have drunken another water for money; our wood is sold unto us,' Lament. v. 4. "As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor, and the axe slippeth from the wood upon his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee into a City of Refuge," Deut. xix. 5; the reason of this law is, because wood signifies good, and thus that he did not kill his companion out of evil or from an evil intention, but by mistake, because he was principled in good; not to mention other passages. But by wood, in an opposite sense, is signified evil or what is accursed, as by the making of graven images out of wood and worshiping them, Deut. iv. 23-28, Isaiah xxxvii. 19, xl. 20, Jerem. x. 3, 8, Ezek. xx. 32; also that the being hanged upon wood was a curse, Deut. xxi. 22, 23. That ivory signifies natural truth, may appear from the passages in which ivory is mentioned, as Ezek. xxvii. 6, 15, Amos iii. 15, vi. 4, Psalm xlv. 9.

775. "And every vessel of most precious wood, and of brass, and of iron, and of marble," signifies, that they no longer possess these things, because they are not in possession of scientific goods and truths in matters relating to the church, to which such things correspond. The case is the same with this passage as with those explained above, n. 772, 773, 774, with this difference, that by the articles here mentioned are signified scientifics, which are the ultimates of men's natural mind, and which differing as they do in quality, according to the essence that is within them, are called vessels of most precious wood, of brass, of iron, and of marble, for by vessels are signified scientifics, in the present instance scientifics relating to matters of the church; these being the continents of good and truth, as vessels are the continents of oil and wine. Scientifics are also of great variety, and the memory constitutes this receptacle. The reason why they are of great variety, is, because the interiors of man are in

them, they are also introduced into the memory either from intellectual thought, or from hearing, or from reading, and, at the same time, according to the varied perception resulting from the exercise of the rational faculty; all these things exist inwardly in scientifics, as is evident when they are reproduced, which is the case when a man speaks or thinks. But what is signified by vessels of most precious wood, of brass, of iron, and of marble, shall briefly be explained. By vessels of most precious wood are signified scientifics derived from rational good and truth; by vessels of brass are signified scientifics derived from natural good; by vessels of iron are signified scientifics derived from natural truth; and by vessels of marble are signified scientifics derived from the appearance of good and truth. That wood signifies good, see above, n. 764: the reason why precious wood here signifies good, and, at the same time, truth rational, is because wood signifies good, and precious is predicated of truth; for one good is signified by the wood of the olive tree, another by that of the cedar-wood, of the fig tree, the fir, the poplar, and the oak. The reason why vessels of brass and iron signify scientifics derived from natural good and truth, is, because all metals, such as gold, silver, brass, iron, tin, and lead, in the Word, signify goods and truths; they signify because they correspond, and because they correspond they exist also in heaven; for all things there are correspondences. But what each particular metal signifies by correspondence, it is foreign to our present purpose to confirm from the Word, only that brass signifies natural good, and thence iron natural truth, as may be seen from hence: "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they were burned in a furnace," Apoc. i. 15. That Daniel "saw a man whose feet were like in color to polished brass," Dan. x. 5, 6. That the feet of the cherubim also appeared "sparkled like the color of burnished brass," Ezek. i. 7. That the feet signify what is natural, may be seen, n. 49, 468, 470, 510. That there was seen an angel who was "like the appearance of brass," Ezek. xl. 3. That the image which Nebuchadnezzar saw, had "the head of fine gold, his

breast and his arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, and his legs of iron," Dan. ii. 32, 33, by which image were represented the successive states of the church, called by the ancients, the ages of gold, silver, brass, and iron. As brass signified what is natural, and the Israelitish people were merely natural, therefore the Lord's natural principle was represented by the brazen serpent, which they who were bit by serpents were to look up to, that they might be healed, Numb. xxi. 6, 8, 9, John iii. 14, 15. That brass signifies natural good, may also be seen in Isaiah, lx. 17, Jerem. xv. 20, 21, Ezek. xxvii. 13, Deut. viii. 7, 9, xxxiii. 24, 25.

776. He who does not know what is signified by gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, thyine wood, vessels of ivory, most precious wood, brass, iron, marble, and vessels, may he surprised that such things are enumerated, and may think that words are here accumulated only for the sake of exalting the subject; but from the preceding explanation it may appear, that not a single word is used unnecessarily, and that by those things it is fully described, that they who have confirmed themselves in the tenets of that religion, are not in possession of a single truth, and that if not of a single truth, neither are they in possession of a single good, which is really a good of the church. I have conversed with those who have confirmed themselves in that religion, likewise with some who were delegates at the councils of Nice, of the Lateran, and of Trent, who thought at first, that what they had decreed were pure and sacred truths, but after being instructed, and illumination being afforded them from heaven, they acknowledged that they did not see a single truth; but inasmuch as they had more strongly confirmed themselves in those opinions than other people, on their extinguishing their illumination, which they did of themselves, they returned to their former belief. They thought that those tenets more especially, to which they had given their sanction in regard to baptism and justification, were truths; but nevertheless while they were under illumination they saw, and in consequence of seeing they acknowledged, that no one has original sin