the subject of this chapter might be fully represented in its order. For in what precedes, the subject was the previous state in which they of the spiritual church are during regeneration, namely, when they are being led of the Lord by truth. To this state another succeeds, which is that they are led of the Lord by good; this turning or change of one state into the other is what is described in this chapter by Jethro.

8732. And he went his way into his own land. That this signifies to the Divine itself, is evident from the signification of going into his own land, as to the former state, thus to the Divine. Moreover, by land is signified in the internal sense the church, and also heaven; therefore in the supreme sense is signified the Divine. That by land is signified in the internal sense the church, thus also the kingdom of the Lord in heaven, may be seen above (n. 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011). By land is signified in the supreme sense the Divine, because Jethro represented the Divine good, thus the Divine itself, the returning whereto cannot otherwise be expressed in the historic sense of the letter than by going into his own land. For, significative expressions in the Word accommodate themselves to the thing represented, the signification which properly belongs to the expression still remaining — as the signification of land, which properly signifies the church, for the reason that they who are in heaven do not think of land, when it is read of in the Word, but of the spiritual state of the nation which is in the land, thus of the religion prevailing there. When therefore a land is read of where the church is, then they have an idea of the church there; and when an idea of the church, they have also an idea of the Lord's kingdom, consequently of heaven; and when an idea of heaven, they have also an idea of the Divine there. But when the subject represented concerns any other holy thing in the church or in heaven, then that

thing may be understood by land, as love, charity, good, faith. Thus it is plain that the signification still remains which properly belongs to the expression - as when good is signified, or love or charity, still through all the signification of a church remains; for these things are the essentials of a church, and make it to be a church.

CONTINUATION

CONCERNING THE SPIRITS AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH JUPITER.

8733. The spirits of the earth Jupiter, since in the Greatest Man they have relation to the imaginative of thought, speak little and think much; and when they speak, their speech is meditative, and differs from the speech of others in this, that it does not terminate like. theirs in what is sonorous, but in a soft kind of murmur which inwardly is fluent; the very thought with them thus unfolds itself into speech. The reason is, that they are of a genius intermediate between spiritual and celestial; for the spiritual speak sonorously, and bring the whole of their thought into their speech; wherefore their thought, in order to be known, must be gathered from its expression. But not so the celestial; for what is of their will rolls itself by somewhat of thought into what is like a wave, and affects and moves the will of another according to the nature of the subject.

8734. The speech of spirits in general is formed from the ideas of thought which according to fulness and affection fall into expression; and since the entire idea of a thing is thus presented and communicated, spirits can express more within a minute than a man in the world can within an hour; for the entire idea of a thing, such as it is in the thought, is fully introduced into the thought of another. Thereby it was made plain to me what the conjunction of minds or spiritual conjunction is, which is charity or mutual love, namely, that the mind of one pre

sents itself in the mind of another with all the good of its own thought and will toward him, and thereby affects him; and on the other hand, what spiritual disjunction is, which is enmity and hatred, namely, that the mind of one presents itself in the mind of another with the thought and will of destroying him, which causes rejection.

8735. I was further instructed by the spirits of the earth Jupiter, who were with me for a considerable time, that on that earth there are also those who call themselves saints, and who, under threats of punishment, command their servants, whom they have in great numbers, to call them lords. They likewise forbid them to worship the Lord of the universe, saying that they are lord mediators, and that' they will present the prayers of their servants to the Lord of the universe. The Lord of the universe, Who is our Lord, they do not call the only Lord, as the rest do, but the Supreme Lord, for the reason that they call themselves also lords.

8736. These saints, who by their dependants are saluted as lords, call the sun the face of the supreme Lord, and believe His habitation to be there, wherefore also they worship the sun. The rest of the inhabitants hold them in aversion, and are unwilling to converse with them, both because they worship the sun, and because they call themselves lords and are worshipped by their servants as mediatory gods.

8737. The instructing and chastising spirits, spoken of above (n. 7802-7812), do not come to them as to others on that earth, because they do not suffer themselves to be instructed, neither are they amended by discipline, but are inflexible, because they act from self-love. The spirits say that they know from the coldness that it is they, and when they perceive the coldness, they depart from them.

8738. There was shown me by the spirits the head covering of those who call themselves saints; it was a high-crowned hat of a darkish color.

8739. Such are seen in the other life to the right backward at some height, and there sit as idols, and are also worshipped at first by the dependants who have been with them, but are afterward held by them in derision. And what surprised me, their faces shine there as if from fire, which is because of their having believed that they were saints and in the likeness of the Lord, Who is in the sun. But notwithstanding this fiery appearance of their faces, still they are cold, and have an intense desire to be made warm. From this it is plain that the fire with which they shine is as it were an ignis fatuus.

8740. The same in order to make themselves warm seem to themselves to cut wood, and while they are cutting, there appears underneath the wood somewhat of a man whom they at the same time attempt to strike. This comes to pass because of their attributing merit to themselves; and as they attribute sanctity, they also impute to themselves justice. They who do this in the world, in the other life seem to themselves to cut wood; as is the case likewise with some from our earth, whom we have before described from experience, which experience for the sake of illustrating the subject may here be quoted (from n. 4943): "In the lower earth, under the soles of the feet, are also those who have placed merit in good deeds and in works. Some of them appear to themselves to cut wood. The place where they are is rather cold, and they seem to themselves to acquire warmth by their labor. With these also I conversed; and it was given me to ask them whether they wished to come out from that place. They replied that they had not yet merited it by their labor. But when this state has been passed through, they are taken out thence. These spirits also are natural, because the wish to merit salvation is not spiritual, for it comes from the proprium, not from the Lord. Moreover they regard themselves as superior to others, and some of them even despise others. These if they do not receive more joy than others

in the other life, are indignant against the Lord; and therefore when they cut wood, there sometimes appears as it were somewhat of the Lord under the wood, and this from their indignation. But because they have led a pious life, and have done thus from ignorance, in which there was something of innocence, therefore angels are occasionally sent to them and console them. At times too there appears to them from above on the left as it were a sheep, at the sight of which they also receive consolation." (See also

n. III0.)

8741. The subject concerning the spirits and inhabitants of the earth Jupiter will be continued at the end of the following chapter.