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1215. And as the voice of many waters.- That this signifies glorification of Him from truths, is evident from the signification of a voice as denoting the glorification of the Lord, as above; and from the signification of waters which denote truths (concerning which see n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538, 854, 971, 1033; many waters therefore denote all truths, which pertain to the angels in the heavens. In the heavens there are angels who are in truths and those who are in goods. The angels who are in truths are called spiritual angels, and those who are in goods are called celestial angels. Heaven is consequently distinguished into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial. In the spiritual kingdom are all those who are in truths, and in the celestial kingdom are all those who are in goods. All indeed are in truths derived from good, but good is two-fold - spiritual good and celestial good.
[2] Spiritual good is the good of love towards the neighbour, and celestial good is the good of love to the Lord. These goods are distinct from each other; spiritual good is good in a lower degree, and celestial good is good in a higher degree. The angels of the higher heavens, have therefore celestial good. The angels of the lower heavens have spiritual good. From these things it is evident that the many waters, whose voice was heard, signify all the spiritual angels in the heavens, but the voice of mighty thunders, which follows, signifies all the celestial angels in the heavens.
[3] Continuation [concerning the Vegetable Kingdom].- From the observations that have been made thus far respecting the life which proceeds from the Lord, also respecting the existence of all things in the universe derived from it, every man who is wise in heart may see that nature does not produce anything from itself, but that, for the purpose of production, it merely serves the Spiritual which proceeds from the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord; as the instrumental cause ministers to the cause, or a dead force to its living force. It is evident from this how much men are in error, who ascribe to nature the generation of animals and the production of plants; for they are like those who ascribe magnificent and splendid works to the tool rather than to the artist, or who worship a sculptured image and not God.
[4] The innumerable fallacies in all reasoning on spiritual, moral, and civil subjects, originate in this source; for a fallacy is the inversion of order; it is the judgment of the eye rather than of the mind, the conclusion drawn from the appearance of a thing, and not from its essence. To reason from fallacies therefore about the world and the existence of the things contained in it is to maintain as it were by argument that darkness is light, that what is dead is alive, and that the body enters by influx into the soul, rather than the contrary. It is, however, an eternal truth that influx is spiritual, and not physical; that is, it is from the soul, which is spiritual, into the body which is natural, and from the spiritual world into the natural; and further that it is the Divine from Himself; and that as He created all things by means of that which proceeds from Himself, He sustains all things; and lastly, that sustentation is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual existence.
1215. And as it were the voice of many waters, signifies the glorification of Him from truths. This is evident from the signification of a "voice," as being the glorification of the Lord (as above); also from the signification of "waters," as being truths (See n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538, 854, 971, 1033); therefore "many waters" mean all the truths that are with the angels in the heavens. In the heavens there are angels that are in truths and angels that are in goods. The angels that are in truths are called spiritual angels, and those that are in goods are called celestial angels. From this heaven is divided into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial kingdoms. In the spiritual kingdom are all that are in truths, and in the celestial kingdom are all that are in goods.
[2] All, indeed, are in truths from good; but good is twofold, spiritual good and celestial good; the good of charity is the good of love towards the neighbor, and celestial good is the good of love to the Lord. These goods are distinct; spiritual good is good in a lower degree, and celestial good is good in a higher degree; consequently the good that the angels of the higher heavens have is celestial good, while the good that the angels of the lower heavens have is spiritual good. All this makes clear that the "many waters," the voice of which was heard, signify all the spiritual angels in the heavens, but "the voice of mighty thunders" that follows signifies all the celestial angels in the heavens.
(Continuation)
[3] From all that has thus far been presented respecting the life that is from the Lord and the existence of all things in the universe from it, everyone who is wise in heart can see that nature produces nothing from itself, but merely in the process of production serves the spiritual that proceeds from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, as an instrumental cause serves its principal cause, or as a dead force serves its living force. This makes clear how mistaken those are who ascribe the generations of animals and the productions of plants to nature. This is the same as ascribing magnificent and splendid works to the tool and not to the workman, or like adoring a sculptured image and not God.
[4] From this spring the fallacies, which are innumerable, in all reasonings about spiritual, moral, and civil matters; for a fallacy is an inversion of order; it is the judgment of the eye, not of the mind; it is a conclusion from the appearance of a thing, not from its essence. Consequently to reason from fallacies respecting the world and the existence of things in it is like confirming by reasonings that thick darkness is light, that what is dead is alive, and that the body flows into the soul, and not the reverse. And yet it is an eternal truth that influx is spiritual and not physical, that is, influx from the soul, which is spiritual, into the body, which is material, or from the spiritual world into the natural world; also that as the Divine from itself and through that which proceeds from itself created all things, so it sustains all things; also that sustaining is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual existence.
1215. Et tanquam vocem aquarum multarum." - Quod significet glorificationem Ipsius ex veris, constat ex significatione "vocis" quod sit glorificatio Domini (ut supra); et ex significatione "aquarum", quod sint vera (de qua (supra), n. 71, 483 (a, b), 518 (a-d), 537(a), 538 (a, b), 854, 971, 1033); inde "aquae multae" sunt omnia vera quae apud angelos in caelis. In caelis sunt angeli qui in veris sunt, et qui in bonis; angeli qui in veris sunt, vocantur angeli spirituales, et qui in bonis, angeli caelestes: inde caelum distinctum est in duo regna, spirituale et caeleste; in regno spirituali sunt omnes qui in veris sunt, et in regno caelesti sunt omnes qui in bonis.
[2] Sunt quidem omnes in veris ex bono; sed bonum est duplex, est bonum spirituale et bonum caeleste; bonum charitatis est bonum amoris erga proximum, et bonum caeleste est bonum amoris in Dominum: haec bona distincta sunt; bonum spirituale est bonum in gradu inferiori, et bonum caeleste est bonum in gradu superiori; quare bonum caeleste est apud angelos caelorum superiorum, et bonum spirituale apud angelos inferiorum caelorum. Ex his patet quod per "aquas multas", quarum vox audita est, significentur omnes spirituales angeli in caelis, at per "vocem tonitruum vehementium", quod sequitur, significentur omnes caelestes angeli in caelis.
[3] (Continuatio (de Regno Vegetabili; hic de Origine et de Anima).)
Ex his quae huc usque de vita quae a Domino, et de existentia omnium in universo ex illa, allata sunt, omnis sapiens corde potest videre quod Natura non aliquid ex se producat, sed quod modo ad producendum inserviat spirituali, quod ex Sole caeli, qui est Dominus, procedit, sicut causa instrumentalis suae causae principali, aut sicut vis mortua suae vi vivae. Ex quo patet quantum errant qui generationes animalium, et productiones vegetabilium adscribunt Naturae: sunt illi sicut qui magnifica et splendida opera adscribunt instrumento et non artifici, aut qui adorant sculptile et non Deum.
[4] Fallaciae, quae inumerabiles sunt, in omni ratiocinio de spiritualibus, moralibus, et civilibus, inde oriuntur: fallacia enim est inversio ordinis, et est judicium oculi et non mentis, et est conclusum ex rei apparentia et non ex rei essentia: quare ratiocinari ex fallaciis de mundo et de existentia rerum in illo, est sicut confirmare per ratiocinia quod caligo sit lux, quod mortuum sit vivum, et quod corpus influat in animam et non vicissim: cum tamen aeterna veritas est quod influxus spiritualis sit, et non influxus physicus, hoc est, animae quae est spiritualis in corpus quod est materiale, ac mundi spiritualis in mundum naturalem: tum quod Divinum ex Se, et per id quod procedit ex Ipso, sicut omnia creavit, etiam omnia sustentet; et quod sustentatio sit perpetua creatio, sicut subsistentia est perpetua existentia.