765# 启12:16.“地却帮助妇人；那地开口吞了那龙从口中吐出来的河”表示那些属于一个没有处于真理的教会之人提供帮助，不接受那些处于与仁分离之信的人的狡猾推理。这从“地”、“帮助妇人”、“开口吞了那龙从口中吐出来的河”的含义清楚可知：帮助妇人的“地”是指没有处于真理的教会，因为此处“地”是指妇人所逃往的旷野的地，在那里有神给她预备的地方。“旷野的地”表示没有处于真理的教会，因为它没有处于良善，这一点从“地”和“旷野”的含义明显看出来：“地”是指教会(参看AE 29, 304, 417a, 697, 741, 742, 752节)，“旷野”是指没有真理的地方(对此，可参看AE 730节)。“帮助妇人”是指给被称为圣耶路撒冷的新教会提供帮助；“开口吞了那龙从口中吐出来的河”是指(不接受)那些处于与仁分离之信的人的敏锐推理；因为龙从他口中吐出的“水河”表示基于虚假的敏锐推理，这从之前的两个章节明显看出来；“开口吞”当论及“地”所表示的教会时，表示拿走；由于一个事物当不被接受时，就被拿走，所以它表示不接受。
这些事必须理解如下：前面说“妇人逃到旷野，在那里有神给她预备的地方”，后来说“她得了鹰的翅膀，飞到自己的地方”，这表示被称为新耶路撒冷的教会在成长直到完全期间，要逗留在那些处于与仁分离之信的教义之人中间，直到规定它可以在许多人当中。但这个教会有龙，他们不仅在教义上，还在生活上将信与善行分离；不过，在这个教会中，其他过着信仰生活，也就是仁爱的人不是龙，尽管这些人在他们中间，因为这些人只知道，正是遵照教义，信才结出果子，也就是善行，使人称义并得救的信就是相信圣言中的话，并实行它们。而龙们却持有完全不同的看法；不过，前者并不理解他们的看法是什么，并因不理解而不接受它们。由此清楚可知，“帮助妇人，并吞了那龙从口中吐出来的河”的“地”表示由那些不是龙的人构成的教会。至于“龙”所指的那些人对信仰与善行的分离，以及它们的结合的推理是什么，何等狡猾，甚至有害，主若愿意，将在别处揭示；那些推理只存在于有学问的教会领袖中间，教会之人并不知道它们，因为这些人不理解；因此，被称为圣耶路撒冷的新教会得到这些人的帮助，也得到成长。
765. 1And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.- That this signifies that those who are of a church which is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not accept the crafty reasonings of those who were [in] faith separated from [charity], is evident from the signification of the earth (terra) which helped the woman, as denoting the church which is not in truths; for the earth here means the earth of the wilderness, into which the woman fled, and where she had a place prepared by God (that the earth of the wilderness signifies the church which is not in truths because not in good, is plain from the signification of earth, as denoting the church, concerning which see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; from the signification of the wilderness, as denoting where there is no truth, concerning which also see above, n. 730); and from the signification of helping the woman, as denoting to afford assistance to the New Church, which is called the Holy Jerusalem; and from the signification of opening her mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, as denoting [not to accept] the keen reasonings of those who were [in] faith separated from [charity]. For the river of waters which the dragon cast out of his mouth signifies keen reasonings from falsities, as it is evident from the two preceding articles; and to open the mouth and swallow, when said of the church signified by the earth, means to take away, and because a thing is taken away when it is not received, it therefore signifies not to receive. These things must be thus understood.
[2] It is said above that the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God, and afterwards that she obtained the wings of an eagle, and flew to her own place, and this signifies that the church which is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separated [from charity] while it grows to fulness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works, not only in doctrine, but also in life; the rest in the same church, who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although among them, for they do not know but that it is agreeable to doctrine that faith produces the fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is to believe those things that are in the Word, and to do them. The dragons are altogether of another way of thinking; but what their sentiments are the former do not comprehend, and because they do not comprehend they do not accept them. It is evident from this that the church consisting of those who are not dragons, is meant by the earth that helped the woman, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. But what and how crafty and even pernicious are the reasonings of those meant by the dragon about the separation of faith from good works, and their conjunction - the Lord being willing - will be revealed elsewhere, also that those reasonings exist only with the learned leaders of the church, and are unknown to the people of the church because they are not understood by them; therefore by these the New Church, which is called the Holy Jerusalem, is helped, and it also increases.
Footnotes:
1. See footnote at paragraph number 764.
765. 1Verse 16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, signifies that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity. This is evident from the signification of the "earth" that helped the woman, as being the church that is not in truths, for here the "earth" means the earth of the wilderness, into which the woman fled, and where she had a place prepared of God. (That "the earth of the wilderness" signifies the church that is not in truths because it is not in good, is evident from the signification of "earth," as being the church, see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; also from the signification of "wilderness" as being where there is no truth, of which also above, n. 730.) The above is evident also from the signification of "helping the woman," as being to afford assistance to the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem; also from the signification of "opening her mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth," as being the keen reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity; for "the river of waters" that the dragon cast out of his mouth signifies the keen reasonings from falsities, as is evident from the two preceding articles, and "to open the mouth and swallow," in reference to the church that is signified by the "earth," signifies to take away; and as a thing is taken away when it is not received, it signifies not to receive.
[2] These things must be understood as follows: It is said above that "the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God," and afterwards that she received "the wings of an eagle and flew to her place," which signifies that the church that is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separate while it grows to fullness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works not only in doctrine but also in life; but the others in the same church who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although they are among them, for they do not know otherwise than that it is according to doctrine that faith produces fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is believing what is in the Word, and doing it. But the dragons have wholly different sentiments; but what these are the others do not comprehend, and because they do not comprehend them they do not receive them. From this it is clear that the church consisting of those who are not dragons is meant by the "earth" that "helped the woman and swallowed up the river that the dragon cast out of his mouth." But what and how crafty and even pernicious are the reasonings of those who are meant by "the dragon" about the separation of faith from good works, and about their conjunction, will, the Lord willing, be revealed elsewhere; likewise that these reasonings are only with the learned leaders of the church, and are not known to the people of the church because they are not understood by them, therefore it is by the latter that the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem, is helped and also grows.
Footnotes:
1. Printed versions of AE have numbered this passage 764 and noted that there is no passage numbered 765 in the text. However, both Latin and English versions did not examine the first Latin draft which contains both 764 and 765. See the previous number for a more complete explanation.
765. [Vers. 16.] "Et adjuvit terra mulierem, et aperuit terra os suum, et deglutivit flumen quod ejecit draco ex ore suo." - Quod significet quod illi qui ab ecclesia quae non in veris operam praestiterint, et astutas ratiocinationes illorum qui a fide separata essent, non receperint, constat ex significatione "terrae" quae adjuvit mulierem, quod sit ecclesia quae non in veris, nam per "terram" hic intelligitur terra deserti, in quam mulier fugit, et ubi habuit locum praeparatum a Deo: (quod "terra deserti" significat ecclesiam quae non in veris quia non in bono, constat ex significatione "terrae", quod sit ecclesia, de qua supra, n. 29, 304, 417 [a] , 697, 741, 742, 752; et ex significatione "deserti", quod sit ubi non verum, de qua etiam supra, n. 730): ex significatione "adjuvare mulierem", quod sit operam praestare Novae Ecclesiae, quae Sancta Hierosolyma vocatur: et ex significatione "aperire os suum et deglutire flumen, quod ejecit, draco ex ore suo", quod sit acutas ratiocinationes illorum, qui a fide separata essent; "flumen enim aquarum, quod draco ejecit ex ore suo", significat acutas ratiocinationes ex falsis, ut ex articulis binis praecedentibus patet; et "aperire os et deglutire", cum de ecclesia, quae significatur per "terram", significat auferre; et quia aufertur cum non recipitur, significat non recipere.
[2] Haec ita intelligenda sunt: in antecedentibus dicitur quod "mulier fugerit in desertum ubi habet locum praeparatum a Deo", et postea quod "nacta sit alas aquilae, et volaverit in locum suum", per quae significatum est quod ecclesia, quae Nova Hierosolyma vocatur, commoratura sit inter illos qui in doctrina fidei separatae sunt, dum crescit in plenum, usque dum providetur inter plures; sed in ea ecclesia dracones sunt, qui separant fidem a bonis operibus non solum doctrina sed etiam vita; at reliqui in eadem ecclesia, qui vivunt vitam fidei, quae est charitas, non dracones sunt, tametsi inter illos; nam non aliter sciunt quam quod ex doctrina sit quod fides producat fructus, qui sunt bona opera, et quod fides quae justificat et salvat, sit credere illa quae in Verbo sunt et facere illa; at dracones prorsus aliter sentiunt; sed quomodo hi sentiunt, non capiunt illi, et quia non capiunt, nec recipiunt: ex quibus patet, quod ecclesia ex illis, qui non dracones sunt, intelligatur per "terram, quae adjuvit mulierem, et deglutivit flumen quod draco ejecit ex ore suo." Quales autem, et quam astutae et simul perniciosae ratiocinationes illorum qui per "draconem" intelliguntur, de separatione fidei a bonis operibus, et de conjunctione eorum, sunt, alibi, volente Domino, revelabitur; tum quod illae ratiocinationes sint modo apud antistites eruditos, et non notae, quia non intellectae, populo ecclesiae, et quod inde sit quod Nova Ecclesia, quae Sancta Hierosolyma vocatur, ab his adjuvetur, et quoque crescat.