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1189. And the voice of the bridegroom, and of the bride, shall be heard in thee no more.- That this signifies no joy from the conjunction of good and truth, is evident from the signification of a bridegroom, as denoting, in the highest sense, the Lord; and from the signification of a bride, as denoting in the highest sense, the church. And because the Lord enters into man by influx from the Divine Good of Divine Love, and is conjoined to the man of the church in Divine Truth, therefore by bridegroom and bride is meant the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and also the conjunction of good with truth. As all spiritual joy springs from that conjunction, it follows, that by the voice of the bridegroom and the bride is signified joy therefrom. The angels also have all their wisdom and intelligence, and consequently all their joy and happiness, from and according to that conjunction. Because this is signified by the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride, therefore heavenly joy is described also by the bridegroom and bride in other parts of the Word.
As in Jeremiah:
"I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones, and the voice of the lamp" (25:10).
Again:
"Behold I will cause to cease out of this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" (16:9).
And again:
"I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" (7:34).
In Joel:
"Let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet" (2:16).
In Jeremiah:
"As yet shall be heard in this place the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, of them that say, confess ye Jehovah Zebaoth" (33:10, 11).
In these passages the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride signifies joy and gladness from the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and therefore from the conjunction of good and truth; for the subject there is the state of the church, and it is also said plainly, joy and gladness, joy from good and gladness from truth.
[2] Similarly in Isaiah:
"I will be glad in Jehovah, my soul shall exult in my God; as the bridegroom putteth on the mitre (eidaris), and as the bride adorneth herself with her vessels (vasis suis)" (61:10).
To put on the mitre is to put on wisdom, and to adorn herself with vessels, means with the knowledges of truth.
Again:
"As the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, thy God shall rejoice over thee" (62:5).
That the Lord is meant in the highest sense by the bridegroom, and the church by the bride, is evident in the Evangelists. When the disciples of John enquired concerning fasting, Jesus said,
"So long as the bridegroom is with them, the sons of the nuptials cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast" (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34, 35).
There the Lord calls Himself the bridegroom, and the men of the church the sons of the nuptials; fasting signifies mourning on account of a deficiency of truth and good.
In Matthew:
"The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom" (25:1, 2, and following verses).
There also the bridegroom means the Lord, the virgins mean the church, and the lamps the truths of faith.
In John:
"He who hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice" (3:29).
John the Baptist spoke these words concerning the Lord, He being meant by the bridegroom, and the church by the bride.
That the church is meant by the bride, is evident from the following passages in the Apocalypse:
"I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (21:2).
By the New Jerusalem is meant a new church.
Again:
"Come, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife; and he shewed me the city Jerusalem" (21:9, 10).
And again:
"The Spirit and the bride say Come, and he that heareth, let him say Come" (22:17).
By the spirit and the bride is signified the church as to good and as to truth.
[3] Continuation.- Since the love of rule and the love of wealth universally prevail in the Christian world, and these loves at the present day are so deeply inrooted, that their power of leading astray is not recognised, it is therefore of importance that their nature should be known. They lead every man astray who does not shun evils because they are sins; for he who does not shun evils on this ground does not fear God, and therefore remains natural. And because the loves proper to the natural man are the love of rule and the love of wealth, therefore he does not see with interior acknowledgment the quality of those loves in himself. He does not see it unless he is reformed, and he is reformed only by combat against evils. It is believed that reformation is effected by means of faith; but the faith of God does not exist in man previous to his combat against evils. When man is reformed in this way, then light enters by influx from the Lord through heaven imparting to him the affection and also the faculty to see what the nature of those loves is, whether they rule in him, or are subservient, thus whether they are in the first place, and form as it were the head, or are in the second place, and form as it were the feet. If they rule and are in the first place, they then lead astray, and become curses; if they are subservient and in the second place, then they do not lead astray, but become blessings.
[4] I can solemnly declare that all those with whom the love of rule occupies the first place, are inwardly devils. This love is known from the gratification that it affords, which surpasses every other in man's life. It is continually breathed forth from hell, and this exhalation appears like the fire of a great furnace, and it inflames the hearts of those men whom the Lord does not protect. The Lord protects all who are reformed. Still the Lord leads even the former, but it is in hell, though it is only by means of outward restraints, such as fear of the penalties of the law, fear for the loss of reputation, of honour, of gain, and of the pleasures which these afford; and also by means of rewards. He cannot lead them out of hell, because the love of rule does not admit of internal restraints, which are the fear of God, and the affections for good and truth, these being the means by which the Lord leads to heaven and in heaven all who follow.
1189. And the voice of bridegroom and of bride shall not be heard in thee any more signifies no joy from the conjunction of good and truth. This is evident from the signification of "bridegroom," as being in the highest sense the Lord; also from the signification of "bride," as being in that sense the church; and as the Lord flows into man from the Divine good of the Divine love, and is conjoined to the man of the church in the Divine truth, so "bridegroom and bride" mean the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and also the conjunction of good with truth. Because all spiritual joy is from that conjunction, it follows that "the voice of the bridegroom and bride" signifies the joy therefrom. Moreover, the angels have all their wisdom and intelligence, and thus all their joy and happiness from that conjunction and according to it. As this is the signification of "the voice of bridegroom and bride," heavenly joy is described in other places in the Word by "bridegroom and bride." As in Jeremiah:
I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstone and the voice of the lamp (Jeremiah 25:10).
In the same:
Behold I cause to cease out of this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jeremiah 16:9).
In the same:
I will cause to cease out of the cities of Judah, and out of the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jeremiah 7:34).
In Joel:
Let the bridegroom go forth out of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet (Joel 2:16).
In Jeremiah:
Yet again shall be heard in this place the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, of them that say, Confess ye Jehovah of Hosts (Jeremiah 33:10-11).
In these passages, "the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" signify joy and gladness from the conjunction of the Lord with the church, and thus from the conjunction of good and truth, for the state of the church is here treated of; and the terms "joy and gladness" are also used, "joy" from good and "gladness" from truth.
[2] So in Isaiah:
I will rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall exult in my God, as the bridegroom putteth on a miter, and as the bride adorneth herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).
"To put on the miter" means to put on wisdom, and "to adorn herself with jewels" means with the knowledges of truth. In the same:
As the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee (Isaiah 62:5).
That the Lord is meant in the highest sense by the "bridegroom," and the church by the "bride, "' is evident in the Gospels:
When the disciples of John asked about fasting, Jesus said as long as the bridegroom is with them the sons of the nuptials cannot fast; but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them; then shall they fast (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20; Luke 5:34-35).
Here the Lord calls Himself the "bridegroom" and the men of the church He calls "sons of the nuptials;" "to fast" signifies to mourn on account of the lack of truth and good. In Matthew:
The kingdom of the heavens is likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-2).
Here the "bridegroom" means the Lord, and "virgins" mean the church, and "lamps" signify the truths of faith. In John:
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice (John 3:29).
John the Baptist said this of the Lord, who is meant by the "bridegroom," and the church is meant by the "bride." That the church is meant by the "bride" is evident from these passages in Revelation:
I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2).
The "New Jerusalem" means the New Church. Again:
Come, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb; and he showed me the city Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-10).
And again:
The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and he that heareth, let him say, Come (Revelation 22:17).
"The Spirit and the bride" signify the church as to good and truth.
(Continuation)
[3] As the love of rule and the love of riches prevail universally in the Christian world, and these loves at this day are so deeply rooted that it is not known that they in any wise lead astray, it is important that their quality should be set forth. They lead every man astray who does not shun evils because they are sins; for he who does not thus shun evils does not fear God, and therefore remains natural. And as the love of ruling and the love of riches are the natural man's own loves, he does not see with any interior acknowledgment what the quality of those loves are in him. This he does not see unless he is reformed, and he can be reformed only by combat against evils. It is believed that he can be reformed by faith; but there can be no faith of God in man until he fights against evils. When man has thus been reformed light flows in from the Lord through heaven and gives him the affection of seeing and the ability to see what those loves are, and whether they rule or serve in him, thus whether they are in the first place in him and make as it were the head, or are in the second place and make as it were the feet. If they rule and are in the first place they lead astray and become curses; but if they serve and are in the second place they do not lead astray but become blessings.
[4] I can assert that all in whom the love of rule is in the first place are inwardly devils. This love is known from its delight, for it exceeds every other delight of the life of man. It is continually exhaled from hell, and the exhalation appears like the fire of a great furnace, kindling the hearts of men whom the Lord does not protect from it. The Lord protects all who are reformed. Nevertheless, the former although in hell, are led by the Lord but only by means of external bonds, which are fears on account of the penalties of the law and the loss of reputation, honor, gain, and consequently pleasures. He leads them also by means of worldly rewards. He cannot lead them out of hell because the love of rule does not admit of internal bonds, which are the fear of God and affections of good and truth, by means of which the Lord leads all who will follow Him to heaven and in heaven.
1189. "Et vox sponsi et sponsae non audietur in te amplius." - Quod significet quod non aliquod gaudium ex conjunctione boni et veri constat ex significatione "sponsi", quod in supremo sensu sit Dominus; et ex significatione "sponsae", quod in illo sensu sit ecclesia; et quia Dominus influit apud hominem ex Divino Bono Divini Amoris, et conjungitur homini ecclesiae in Divino Vero, inde per "sponsum et sponsam" intelligitur conjunctio Domini cum ecclesia, et quoque conjunctio boni cum vero. Quia omne gaudium spirituale est ex illa conjunctione, sequitur quod per "vocem sponsi et sponsae" significetur gaudium inde; est quoque angelis omnis sapientia et intelligentia ac inde gaudium et felicitas ex illa conjunctione, et secundum illam. Quia id per "vocem sponsi et sponsae" significatur, ideo gaudium caeleste in Verbo alibi etiam per "sponsum et sponsam" describitur:
– Ut apud Jeremiam,
"Abrogabo ex iis vocem gaudii et vocem laetitiae, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae, vocem molarum et vocem lucernae" (25:10);
apud eundem,
"Ecce Ego cessare faciam ex hoc loco.... vocem gaudii et vocem laetitiae, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae" (16:9);
apud eundem,
"Cessare faciam ex urbibus Jehudae, et ex plateis Hierosolymae vocem gaudii et vocem laetitiae, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae" (7:34);
apud Joelem,
"Exeat sponsus e thalamo suo, et sponsa e conclavi suo" (2:16);
apud Jeremiam,
"Adhuc audietur in loco hoc vox gaudii et vox laetitiae, ac vox sponsi et vox sponsae, dicentium, Confitemini Jehovae Zebaoth" (33:10, 11):
in his locis "vox sponsi et sponsae" significat gaudium et laetitiam ex conjunctione Domini cum ecclesia, et inde ex conjunctione boni et veri, nam ibi agitur de statu ecclesiae; et aperte quoque dicitur "gaudium et laetitia", "gaudium" ex bono, et "laetitia" ex vero.
[2] Similiter apud Esaiam,
"Laetabor in Jehovah, exultabit anima mea in Deo meo;.... sicut sponsus imponit cidarim, et sicut sponsa se ornat vasis suis" (61:10):
"imponere cidarim" est induere sapientiam, et "ornare se vasis" est cognitionibus veri.
Apud eundem,
"Sicut gaudium sponsi super sponsa, gaudebit super te Deus tuus" (62:5).
Quod Dominus in supremo sensu intelligatur per "sponsum", et ecclesia per "sponsam", patet apud Evangelistas,
Quaesiverunt discipuli Johannis de jejunio; respondit Jesus, Quamdiu cum illis est sponsus, non possunt filii nuptiarum jejunare: "venient dies quando auferretur ab iis sponsus, ..tunc jejunabunt" (Matthaeus 9:15; Marcus 2:19, 20; Luca 5:34, 35):
ibi Dominus Se vocat "sponsum", et homines ecclesiae vocat "filios nuptiarum"; per "jejunare" significatur lugere propter defectum veri et boni.
Apud Matthaeum
Regnum caelorum simile est decem virginibus, 1
quae accipientes lampadas suas exiverunt in occursum sponsi" (25:1, 2, seq.):
per "sponsum" etiam ibi intelligitur Dominus et per "virgines" intelligitur ecclesia, ac per "lampadas" significantur vera fidei.
Apud Johannem,
"Qui habet sponsam sponsus est; amicus autem sponsi est, qui stat et audit Ipsum, gaudio gaudet ob vocem sponsi" (3:29):
haec dixit Johannes Baptista de Domino, qui intelligitur per "sponsum", et ecclesia per "sponsam." Quod ecclesia intelligatur per "sponsam", constat ex his locis in Apocalypsi
"Vidi civitatem sanctam Hierosolymam novam, .... paratam sicut sponsam ornatam marito" (21:2);
per "novam Hierosolymam" intelligitur nova ecclesia. Alibi,
"Veni, ostendam tibi sponsam, Agni uxorem;.... et ostendit..civitatem..Hierosolymam" (21:9 [, 10]):
et alibi,
"Spiritus et sponsa dicunt, Veni; et qui audit, dicat, Veni" (22:17);
per "spiritum et sponsam" significatur ecclesia quoad bonum et quoad verum.
[3] (Continuatio.)
Quoniam in Christiano orbe universaliter regnat amor imperandi et amor divitiarum, et illi amores hodie tam alte irradicati sunt ut nesciatur quod usquam seducant, quare interest ut doceatur quales sunt. Seducunt omnem hominem qui non fugit mala quia peccata sunt; nam ille qui non ita fugit mala non timet Deum, quapropter manet naturalis; et quia naturalis hominis amores proprii sunt amor imperandi et amor divitiarum, ideo ille non videt cum agnitione interiore quales illi amores apud se sunt; non videt nisi reformetur, et unice reformatur per pugnam contra mala: creditur quod per fidem, sed fides Dei non prius est. Cum homo ita reformatus est, tunc lux a Domino per caelum influit, et dat ei affectionem et quoque facultatem videndi quales illi amores sunt, ac num dominantur apud illum aut num serviunt; ita num primo loco apud illum sunt, et faciunt sicut caput, aut num secundo loco sunt, et faciunt sicut pedes: si dominantur et primo loco sunt, tunc seducunt, et fiunt maledictiones; si 2
autem serviunt et secundo loco sunt, tunc non seducunt, et fiunt benedictiones.
[4] Asseverare possum quod omnes apud quos amor imperandi primo loco est, intus diaboli sint. Ille amor cognoscitur ex jucundo ejus, id enim excedit omne jucundum vitae hominum; exhalatur continue ex inferno, et exhalatio apparet sicut ignis fornacis magnae, ac incendit corda hominum quos Dominus non tutatur; Dominus tutatur omnes reformatos. Ducit usque illos Dominus, sed in inferno; at solum per vincula externa, quae sunt timores pro poenis legis, et pro jactura famae, honoris, lucri et voluptatum inde, tum per remunerationes in mundo; nec potest illos ex inferno educere, quia amor imperandi non admittit vincula interna, quae sunt timores Dei, et affectiones boni et veri, per quae Dominus ducit omnes qui sequuntur, ad caelum et in caelo.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.