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159.Because thou permittest that woman Jezebel. That this signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world is evident from the signification of that woman Jezebel, as denoting the church entirely perverted; for by woman in the Word is signified the church (see Arcana Coelestia 252, 253, 749, 770, 6014, 7337, 8994), in this case the church perverted. And because all perversion of the church exists from these two loves, - the love of self and the love of the world - by Jezebel is signified the delight of those loves; and the church in which those loves reign, is called the woman Jezebel from this fact, that by Jezebel the wife of Ahab, in the Word, was represented the delight of those loves, and thereby the perversion of the church; for all the things written in the Word, even in its historical parts, are representative of such things as pertain to the church (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 249-266). The reason why all perversion of the church exists from these two loves when they obtain the ascendancy over heavenly love is, that they are entirely opposed to the two loves that constitute heaven and the church, these being love to the Lord and love to the neighbour, and that from those two opposite loves exist all evils and falsities therefrom (see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 59, 61, 65-83; and the work, Heaven and Hell 252, 396, 399, 400, 486, 551-565, 566-575).
[2] That Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, represented the things here mentioned will be seen presently; but something shall first be said concerning the delights of man's loves.
The quality of every man is according to his love, and all the delight of his life is from his love; for whatever favours his love he perceives to be delightful, and whatever is adverse to his love, undelightful. Hence, whether it be said that the quality of man is according to his love, or according to the delight of his life, it amounts to the same thing. Those therefore, who are loves of self and of the world, that is, in whom these loves reign, have no other delight of life, or no other life, than infernal life. For those loves, or the delights of life therefrom, which are perpetual, turn all their thoughts and intentions to self and the world, and in proportion as they do this, in the same proportion they immerse them in man's proprium, which he has from heredity, and thus at the same time in evils of every kind; and so far as man's thoughts and intentions are turned to his hereditary proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, so far are they turned away from heaven.
For the interiors of man, which belong to his mind, that is, those of his thought and intention, or to his understanding and will, are actually turned downwards to his own loves, that is, to self, where the love of self and the delights thereof reign, and outwards, that is, from heaven to the world, where the love of the world reigns with its delights. But it is otherwise when a man loves God above all things, and his neighbour as himself; in this case the Lord turns the interiors of man's mind or of his thought and intention to Himself, and thus averts them from his proprium, and raises them up, and this in a manner altogether unknown to him. This is why man's spirit, which is the man himself, after its release from the body, is actually turned to its own love, because that constitutes the delight of his life, and indeed is his life. (That all spirits are actually turned to their own loves, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561; and above, n. 41.)
[3] What has been said may receive some degree of illustration from the fact, that all the most minute parts of the body turn themselves to the common centre of our earth, which is called the centre of gravity; this is why men, wherever they are, even those who are in the opposite direction, and are called antipodes, stand upon their feet. But this centre of gravity is only the centre of gravity in nature; but there is another centre of gravity in the spiritual world, and this, with man, is determined from the love in which he is; downwards if his love is infernal, and upwards if his love is heavenly. Wherever man's love is determined, there also his thoughts and intentions are determined; for these are in the spiritual world, and are actuated by the forces which are there. From these things it is now evident, that the perversion of the church, signified by the woman Jezebel, takes place with man solely from the loves of self and of the world, because these loves turn the interiors of his mind downwards, and thus avert them from heaven. It is said, the perversion of the church with man, because the church is in man, as heaven is in an angel; every church is constituted of those who belong to it, and not of others, although born where the church is. This can be clearly understood from the fact that love and faith constitute the church; and love and faith must be in man, therefore the church also must be in him. (That heaven is in an angel, and that the church is in man, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 33, 53, 54, 57, 454; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 232, 233, 241, 245, 246.)
159. That thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world. This is evident from the signification of "the woman Jezebel," as being the church wholly perverted; for "woman" in the Word signifies the Church (See Arcana Coelestia 252, 253, 749, 770, 6014, 7337, 8994), here the church perverted. And as all perversion of the church springs from those two loves, namely, from the love of self and the love of the world, "Jezebel" signifies the delight of these loves. The church in which these loves reign is called "the woman Jezebel," because Jezebel the wife of Ahab represented in the Word the delight of these loves, and the perversion of the church thereby. For all things that are written in the Word, even in the historical portion, are representative of such things as are of the church (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 249-266). Every perversion of the church springs from these two loves when they reign over the heavenly loves, because these two loves are altogether opposite to the two loves that constitute heaven and the church, which are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, and because from these two loves all evils and the falsities thence spring (See in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 59, 61, 65-82 and in the work on Heaven and Hell 252, 396, 399, 400, 486, 551-565, 566-575).
[2] That Jezebel the wife of Ahab represented what has been said will be seen presently; but something shall first be said about the delights of loves. Every man is such as his love is, and every delight of his life is from his love; for whatever favors his love he perceives as delightful, and whatever is adverse to his love he perceives as undelightful; consequently it is the same whether it be said that man is such as his love is, or such as his life's delight is. Those, therefore, who are loves of self and of the world, that is, they, with whom these loves reign, have no other life's delight or no other life than infernal life. For these loves, or the life's delights from them that are permanent, turn all their thoughts and intentions to self and the world; and so far as they turn them to self and to the world, they so far immerse them in man's proprium [what is his own], which he has by inheritance, thus at the same time in evils of every kind; and so far as man's thoughts and intentions are turned to his inherited proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, so far are they turned away from heaven. For man's interiors, which are of his mind, that is, of his thought and intention, or of his understanding and will, are actually turned to his own loves, that is, downwards to self where the love of self and its delights reign, and outwards, that is, away from heaven towards the world, where the love of the world and its delights reign. It is otherwise when man loves God above all things, and his neighbor as himself; then the Lord turns the interiors which are of man's mind, or of his thought and intention, to Himself, thus turning them away from man's proprium [what is his own], and elevating them; and this without man's knowing anything about it. From this it is that man's spirit, which is the man himself, after its release from the body is actually turned to its own love, because that constitutes his life's delight, that is, his life. (That all spirits are actually turned to their own loves, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561; and above, n. 41)
[3] This may be illustrated somewhat by the fact that all the least parts of the body turn themselves to the common center of our earth, which is called the center of gravity; and from this it is that wheresoever men are, even those who are in directly opposite positions, and are called antipodes, all stand upon their feet. Yet this center of gravity is merely nature's center of gravity; but there is another center of gravity in the spiritual world, and this, with man, is determined by the love in which he is, downwards if his love is infernal, but upwards if his love is heavenly; and whichever way man's love is determined, in the same way his thoughts and intentions are determined; for these are in the spiritual world, and are impelled by the forces that are there.
[4] From this it can now be seen that the perversion of the church with men, which is signified by "the woman Jezebel," is solely from the loves of self and of the world, since these turn man's interiors, which are of his mind, downward, thus turning them away from heaven. It is said "the perversion of the church with men," because the church is in man, as heaven is in the angel; every church is constituted of those that are of the church, and not of any others, even though they may be born where the church is; as can be clearly seen from this, that love and faith constitute the church, and love and faith must be in man, consequently the church must be in him. (That heaven is in the angel, and the church in man, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. (Heaven and Hell 33) 33, 53, 54, 57, 454; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 2 32, 233, 241, 245, 246.)
159. 1
"Quod permittas mulierem Jezabel" - Quod significet jucundum amoris sui et mundi, constat ex significatione "mulieris Jezabel", quod sit ecclesia prorsus perversa; nam per "mulierem" in Verbo significatur ecclesia (videatur n. 252, 253, 749, 770, 6014, 7337, 8994), hic ecclesia Perversa; et quia omnis perversio ecclesiae existit ex binis amoribus, nempe ex amore sui et amore mundi, inde per "Jezabel" significatur illorum amorum jucundum. Vocatur ecclesia in qua regnant illi amores "mulier Jezabel", ex eo quod per Isabelem uxorem Achabi in Verbo repraesentabatur illorum amorum jucundum, et per id perversio ecclesiae; omnia enim quae in Verbo, etiam Historico, scripta sunt, repraesentativa sunt talium quae ecclesiae (videatur Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 249-266). Quod omnis perversio ecclesiae ex illis binis amoribus, dum regnant super amores caelestes, existat, est quia illi bini amores prorsus oppositi sunt binis amoribus qui faciunt caelum et ecclesiam, qui sunt amor in Dominum et amor erga proximum, et quia ex illis binis amoribus existunt omnia mala et inde falsa. (Quod ita sit, videatur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 59, 61, 65-83; et in opere "Caelo Inferno, n. 252, 396, 399, 400, 486, 551-565, 566-575.)
[2] Quod Isabel uxor Achabi repraesentaverit illa quae dicta sunt, videbitur in nunc sequentibus; hic primum de jucundis amorum aliquid dicetur. Unusquisque homo talis est qualis ejus amor, et omne jucundum vitae ejus est ex suo amore; quicquid enim amori ejus favet, hoc percipit jucundum, et quicquid amori ejus adversatur, hoc percipit injucundum; quapropter sive dicatur quod homo sit qualis ejus amor, sive dicatur quod homo talis sit quale est ejus vitae jucundum, idem est. Qui itaque sunt amores sui et mundi, hoc est, apud quos illi amores regnant, illi non habent aliud vitae jucundum, seu aliam vitam quam vitam infernalem; nam amores illi, seu jucunda vitae ex illis, quae perpetua sunt, vertunt omnes cogitationes et intentiones illorum ad se et ad mundum; et quantum vertunt illas ad se et ad mundum, tantum immergunt illas proprio hominis, quod ei ex hereditario est, ita simul in omnis generis mala; et quantum cogitationes et intentiones hominis vertuntur ad proprium ejus hereditarium, quod in se non est nisi quam malum, tantum avertuntur a caelo: nam interiora hominis quae ejus mentis sunt, hoc est, quae ejus cogitationis et intentionis, seu ejus intellectus et voluntatis, actualiter vertuntur ad amores suos, deorsum, hoc est, ad se, ubi amor sui et ejus jucunda regnant; et extrorsum, hoc est a caelo ad mundum, ubi amor mundi et ejus jucunda regnant. Aliter vero cum homo super omnia amat Deum, et proximum sicut se ipsum: tunc Dominus vertit interiora quae sunt mentis hominis, seu cogitationis et intentionis ejus, ad Se; ita avertit illas a proprio ejus, et elevat; et hoc praeter quod homo aliquid de eo sciat. Inde est quod spiritus hominis, qui est ipse homo, post solutionem a corpore actualiter vertatur ad amorem suum, quia is facit jucundum vitae ejus, hoc est, vitam ejus. (Quod omnes spiritus actualiter ad amores suos vertantur, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 253, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561; et supra, n. 41.)
[3] Hoc aliquantum illustrari potest ex eo, quod omnia minima corporis se vertant ad centrum commune nostri orbis, quod centrum gravium vocatur; et quod inde sit quod homines, ubicunque sunt, etiam qui in opposito versu et antipodes vocantur, insistant pedibus: at hoc centrum gravium est modo centrum gravium in Natura; verum centrum gravium aliud est in mundo spirituali; hoc determinatur apud hominem ex amore in quo est, deorsum si ei amor infernalis est, et sursum si amor ei caelestis est; et quo amor hominis determinatur, eo quoque cogitationes et intentiones ejus; nam hae sunt in spirituali mundo, et a viribus quae ibi, aguntur.
[4] Ex his nunc constare potest quod perversio ecclesiae, quae per "mulierem Jezabel" significatur, apud homines unice sit ex amoribus sui et mundi; quoniam hi vertunt interiora hominis, quae mentis ejus sunt, deorsum, et sic avertunt a caelo. Perversio ecclesiae apud homines dicitur, quia ecclesia est in homine, sicut caelum est in angelo: omnis ecclesia constituitur ex illis qui ecclesiae sunt, et non ab aliis tametsi natis ubi ecclesia est; hoc manifeste sciri potest ex eo, quod amor et fides faciant ecclesiam, ac amor et fides erunt in homine, proinde etiam ecclesia. (Quod caelum sit in angelo, et quod ecclesia in homine, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 33, 53, 54, 57, 454: et in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 232, 233, 241, 245, 246.)
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.