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1174. Saying, What is like this great city.- That this signifies astonishment that that doctrine and religion should be destroyed, is evident from the signification of the great city, which is Babylon, as denoting its doctrine and religion; for a city signifies doctrine, and Babylon its religion, as above (n. 1134); astonishment at their destruction is signified by their crying out and saying, "What is like it," and follows from their seeing the smoke of her burning.
[2] Continuation.- But how the Lord enters by influx, and how man is led accordingly, cannot be known from any other source than the spiritual world. In that world is man as to his spirit, thus as to his affections and consequent thoughts; for thoughts and affections constitute the spirit of man. It is this that thinks from its own affection, and not the body. The affections of man, from which his thoughts proceed, extend into the societies in the spiritual world in every direction, into a greater or less number of them, according to the extent and quality of his affection. Within those societies is man, as to his spirit, attached to them as it were with long cords, which limit the space in which he can walk. Then as he proceeds from one affection to another, so he passes from one society to another, and whatever society he is in, and wherever he is in the society, there is the centre from which his affection and its thought go forth to all the other societies as to circumferences. These societies are thus in unbroken connection with the affection of the centre, and from this affection he at the time thinks and speaks.
Man acquires for himself this sphere - which is the sphere of his affections and their thoughts - while in the world; if evil, he is in hell; if good, he is in heaven. He is not aware that this is the case, because he is ignorant of the fact that such things exist. Through these societies the man, that is, his mind, walks free, although bound; and the Lord leads him, nor does he take a step in which and from which he is not so led. Moreover, it is continually provided that he should have no other knowledge than that he goes of himself in full liberty; he is permitted to persuade himself of this, because it is from a law of Divine Providence that a man should be taken whither his affection wills. If his affection is evil, he is taken round through infernal societies, and if he does not look to the Lord, he is brought into them more interiorly and deeply, but still the Lord leads him as it were by the hand, by permitting and withdrawing him so far as the man is willing to follow from freedom. On the other hand, if he looks to the Lord, he is led forth from those societies successively, according to the order and connection in which they are; and this order and connection are known to none but the Lord alone. It is in this way that he is brought by continual steps out of hell upwards towards heaven, and into heaven.
[3] This is effected by the Lord without man's knowledge, since if man were aware of it, he would disturb the continuity of that progress by being his own guide. It is sufficient for him to learn truths from the Word, and by truths what goods are, and from truths and goods what evils and falsities are, in order that he may be affected by truths and goods, and uninfluenced by falsities and evils. He may indeed know evils and falsities before he knows goods and truths, but he cannot see them and perceive them. It is in this way and no other that man can be led from affection to affection in freedom and as if of himself. If he acknowledges the Divine Providence of the Lord in everything, he is then led in agreement with his affection for good and truth; but if he does not acknowledge the Divine Providence of the Lord, he is then led in agreement with his affection for evil and falsity, by permission. Then also he can be led in no other way so as to be able to receive intelligence corresponding to affection, for he receives this, so far as he fights from truths against evils as if of himself. It is necessary for this to be revealed, because it is not known that the Divine Providence is continual, and in the most minute particulars of man's life, and this because the mode of its operation is unknown.
1174. Saying, What is like this great city, signifies astonishment that that doctrine and religious persuasion were destroyed. This is evident from the signification of "great city," which is Babylon, as being its doctrine and religious persuasion; for "city" signifies doctrine, and "Babylon" its religious persuasion (as above, n. 1134; astonishment that they were destroyed is signified by their "crying out and saying, What is like it," and this follows from seeing the smoke of her burning.
(Continuation)
[2] But how the Lord flows in and man is thus led can be known from no other source than the spiritual world, where man is as to his spirit, that is, as to his affections and the thoughts therefrom, for these constitute man's spirit; and the spirit from its affection, and not the body, is what thinks. The affections of man, from which are his thoughts, have extension into societies in the spiritual world on every side, into more or fewer of them according to the amount and quality of the affection. Man as to his spirit is within these societies, and to them he is attached as it were with extended cords, which determine the space where he can walk. As he passes from one affection into another, so he passes from one society into another, and the society he is in, and the place where he is in the society, is the center from which the affection and its thought extends to other societies as circumferences, and these are thus in unbroken connection with the affection at the center, and from that affection man then thinks and speaks.
Man acquires this sphere, which is the sphere of his affections and thoughts therefrom, while he is in the world; from hell if he is evil, from heaven if he is good. Of this man is ignorant, because he does not know that such things exist. Through these societies man, that is, man's mind, although bound walks free; but he is led by the Lord, and he takes no step into which and from which the Lord does not lead; and yet the Lord grants continually that man shall have no other thought than that he goes of himself in full liberty; and he is permitted to persuade himself of this because it is according to a law of the Divine providence that man shall go whithersoever his affection wills. If his affection is evil he is conveyed through infernal societies; and if he does not look to the Lord he is carried into these societies more interiorly and deeply. And yet the Lord leads him as if by the hand, permitting and withholding as far as man is willing to follow in freedom. But if man looks to the Lord he is led forth from these societies gradually, according to the order and connection in which they stand, which order and connection no one knows but the Lord only, and thus he is brought by continual steps out of hell up towards heaven and into heaven.
[3] This the Lord does without the man's knowing it, because if man knew it he would disturb the continuity of that process by leading himself. It is enough for man to learn truths from the Word, and by means of truths to know what good is, and from truths and goods what evils and falsities are, in order that he may be affected by truths and goods, and not be affected by falsities and evils. Before he knows goods and truths he may have a knowledge of evils and falsities, but he is not able to see them and perceive them. In this and in no other way can man be led from one affection into another in freedom and as if of himself. This is done by leading according to the affection of truth and good when man acknowledges the Lord's Divine providence in every particular; and it is done by permission according to an affection for evil and falsity when man does not acknowledge such a providence. So, too, man becomes capable of receiving intelligence corresponding to affection; and this he receives so far as from truths he fights against evils as if of himself. This must be revealed, because it is not known that the Divine providence is continual, and enters into the most minute things of man's life, and because it is not known how this can be.
1174. "Dicentes, Quae similis urbi isti magnae?" - Quod significet stuporem quod doctrina et religiosum destructa sint, constat ex significatione "urbis magnae", quae est Babylon, quod sit doctrina et religiosum ejus; "urbs" enim significat doctrinam, et "Babylon" religiosum ejus (ut supra, n. 1134); stupor quod destructa sint, significatur per "clamorem", quo dixerunt, "Quae ei similis est?" et sequitur ex viso fumo combustionis.
[2] (Continuatio.)
Quomodo autem Dominus influit, et sic homo ducitur, non aliunde sciri potest quam ex mundo spirituali; est ibi homo quoad spiritum suum, ita quoad affectiones et inde cogitationes suas: hae enim et illae sunt spiritus hominis; ille est qui cogitat ex affectione sua, et non corpus. Affectiones hominis, ex quibus ejus cogitationes sunt, extensionem habent in societates ibi circumquaque, in plures aut pauciores secundum affectionis quantum et quale: intra illas est homo quoad spiritum suum; illis alligatus est sicut funibus extensis, qui circumscribunt spatium ambulationi ejus: tunc sicut ab una affectione in alteram, ita ab una societate in alteram procedit, et in qua est et ubi in illa, est centrum ex quo affectio et ejus cogitatio excurrit ad reliquas societates ut ad peripherias, quae sic in continuo nexu sunt cum affectione centri, ex qua tunc cogitat et loquitur. Homo hanc sphaeram, quae est sphaera affectionum et inde cogitationum ejus sibi comparat in mundo; si malus est in inferno, si bonus est in caelo. Quod ita sit, nescit homo, quia nescit quod talia sint. Per illas societates homo, hoc est, mens ejus, ambulat liber, tametsi vinctus; et ducit illum Dominus; nec facit passum, in quem et a quo non ducit: et dat continue, ut homo non sciat aliter quam quod ex se in plena libertate eat; et licet hoc sibi persuadere, quia ex lege Divinae providentiae est ut feratur homo quo Vult ejus affectio. Si affectio mala est, circumfertur per societates infernales; et si non spectat ad Dominum, infertur in illas penitius et profundius; et usque ducit illum Dominus sicut manu, permittendo, et abducendo quantum ex libero vult sequi: at si spectat ad Dominum, educitur ab illis societatibus successive secundum ordinem et nexum in quo sunt, qui ordo et qui nexus nulli notus est quam soli Domino; et sic fertur per continuos gradus ex inferno sursum versus caelum, et in caelum.
[3] Hoc facit Dominus homine nesciente, quoniam si homo sciret, turbaret continuum progressus istius semetipsum ducendo: satis est ut discat vera ex Verbo, et per Vera quid bona, et ex veris et bonis quid mala et falsa, ob causam ut possit affici veris et bonis, et non affici falsis et malis: potest quidem prius scire mala et falsa quam bona et vera, sed non potest prius videre illa et percipere illa; sic et non aliter homo potest duci ab affectione in affectionem in libero et sicut ex se; ex affectione veri et boni, ducendo, si agnoscit Divinam providentiam Domini in singulis; et ex affectione mali et falsi, permittendo, si non agnoscit illam: tum etiam ut possit intelligentiam affectioni correspondentem recipere, quam recipit quantum ex veris contra mala sicut ex se pugnat. Hoc revelandum est, ob causam quia non scitur quod Divina providentia continua sit, et in singularissimis vitae hominis, et hoc quia nescitur quomodo.