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405. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. That this signifies that all the good of love and the truth of faith perished, is plain from the signification of a mountain, as denoting the good of love to the Lord, concerning which we shall treat presently; from the signification of island, as denoting the truth of faith, which will be explained in the next article; and from the signification of, to be moved out of their places, as denoting to be taken away and to perish, since the good of love and the truth of faith are meant, for when these are moved out of their places, then evils and falsities succeed, and by the evils and falsities the goods and truths perish. The reason why a mountain signifies the good of love, is that in heaven those dwell upon mountains who are in the good of love to the Lord, and upon hills those who are in charity towards the neighbour, or what is the same, those who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell upon mountains, and those who are of His spiritual kingdom, upon hills; and the celestial kingdom is distinguished from the spiritual kingdom in this [particular], that those who belong to the celestial kingdom are in love to the Lord, and those who belong to the spiritual kingdom in charity towards the neighbour (but concerning the latter and the former, see the work concerning Heaven and Hell 20-28). These are the reasons why by a mountain is signified the good of love to the Lord.
[2] That the good of love to the Lord is meant abstractedly by a mountain, is, because all things in the internal sense of the Word are spiritual, and spiritual things are meant apart from persons and places; therefore also the angels, because they are spiritual, think and speak in the abstract in regard to such things, and thereby they have intelligence and wisdom; for an idea of persons and places limits the thought, because it confines it to those things, and thus limits it. This idea of the thought is properly natural, whereas an idea apart from persons and places extends itself into heaven in every direction, and is no otherwise bounded than the sight of the eye while it views the sky without intervening objects; such an idea is properly spiritual. Hence it is that by a mountain, in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified the good of love. It is the same with the signification of the earth, as denoting the church; for an idea apart from places, and from nations and people upon the earth, is that of the church there or with those [who live there]; this, therefore, is signified by the earth in the Word. It is the same with other things mentioned in the natural sense of the Word, as with hills, rocks, valleys, rivers, seas, cities, houses, gardens, woods, and other things.
[3] That a mountain signifies love to the Lord, and hence all the good that is from it, which is called celestial good; and that in the opposite sense, it signifies the love of self, and hence all the evil that is from that, is plain from the following passages in the Word. In Amos:
"Dispose thyself towards thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he is former of the mountains, and the creator of the spirit, and declareth unto man what is his thought" (4:12, 13).
God is here called the former of the mountains, because mountains signify the goods of love; and the creator of the spirit, because spirit signifies the life therefrom; and because He thereby gives intelligence to man, it is added, and declareth to man what is his thought; for the intelligence of man is from his thought, which flows in from the Lord by the good of love into his life, therefore to declare here denotes to flow in.
[4] In David:
God "who setteth fast the mountains by his strength; he is girded with power" (Heaven and Hell 228-233, and above, n. 209, 333; and that power when predicated of the Lord denotes omnipotence, see above, n. 338.)
[5] In the same:
"I lift up mine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help" (Psalms 121:1).
By mountains are here meant the heavens; and because in the heavens those who are in the goods of love and charity dwell upon mountains and hills, as said above, and the Lord is in these goods, therefore to lift up the eyes to the mountains is also meant to the Lord, from whom is all aid. When mountains are mentioned in the plural number, both mountains and hills are meant, consequently, both the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbour.
[6] In Isaiah:
"There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, streams, courses of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall" (Last Judgment 56, 58). That then those who are in love to the Lord, and in charity towards the neighbour, are raised into heaven, and gifted with intelligence and wisdom, is meant by,
"There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, streams, courses of waters." The high mountain signifies where those are who are in love to the Lord, and the lofty hill, where those are who are in charity towards the neighbour; streams signify wisdom, and courses of waters intelligence; for waters denote truths from which are intelligence and wisdom.
[7] In Joel:
"It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah shall flow with waters" (376).
[8] In Nahum:
"Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, [that publisheth] peace" (365); and by Zion, that bringeth good tidings, is meant the church which is in the good of love to the Lord; and by Jerusalem, that bringeth good tidings, the church which is thence in truths of doctrine from the Word.
[9] In Isaiah:
"I will set all my mountains into a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for Jehovah hath comforted his people" (49:11, 13).
By mountains in the plural number, are meant both mountains and hills, thus both the good of love and the good of charity. That the mountains and hills shall be set into a way, and the highways shall be exalted, signifies that those who are in those goods, shall be in genuine truths; to be set into a way signifying to be in truths, and the highways being exalted, signifies to be in genuine truths. For ways and highways signify truths that are said to be exalted from good, and truths that are from good are genuine truths. Their joy of heart thence is signified by, "Sing, O heavens, be joyful, O earth"; internal joy [being signified] by, sing, O heavens, and external joy by, be joyful, O earth. Confessions from joy originating in the good of love, are signified by, "break forth into singing, O mountains"; that this is on account of reformation and regeneration, is signified by, "for Jehovah hath comforted his people." That mountains in the world are not here meant, is evident; for to what purpose would it be for the mountains to be set into a way, for the highways to be exalted, and also for the mountains to break forth into singing?
[10] In the same:
"Sing, O ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, ye forest, and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown himself full of glory in Israel" (44:23).
By, "Sing, O ye heavens, shout, ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into singing, ye mountains," are signified the same things as just above; but here by mountains are signified the goods of charity; therefore it is also said, ye forest, and every tree therein, for by a forest is meant the external or natural man as to all things thereof, and by every tree is meant the knowing and scientific part there. The reformation of those is signified by, "Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown himself full of glory in Israel." By Jacob and Israel is meant the church external and internal; thus the external and internal with those in whom the church is.
[11] In the same:
The mountains and hills shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field clap their hands" (55:12).
In David:
"Praise Jehovah, ye mountains and hills; ye tree of fruit, and all cedars" (Psalms 148:7, 9).
In these words is described joy of heart from the good of love and charity; and mountains, hills, trees, cedars, are said to break forth into singing, to clap their hands and to praise, because thereby are signified the goods and truths that are the cause of joys to man; for man does not rejoice from himself, but from the goods and truths that he has; these things rejoice because they make the rejoicing of man.
[12] In Isaiah:
"The wilderness and the cities thereof shall lift up their voice, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the rock shall sing, they shall shout from the top of the mountains" (42:11).
By the wilderness is signified an obscure [state] of truth; by the cities thereof are signified doctrinals; by the villages, natural knowledges and scientifics. By Arabia is signified the natural man, for an Arabian in the wilderness denotes the natural man. By the inhabitants of the rock are signified the goods of faith, or those who are in the goods of faith. By the top of the mountains is signified the good of love to the Lord. Hence it is clear that the particulars signify in order, confession and joyful worship, from the good of love in such things as are mentioned; to shout from the top of the mountains, denotes to worship from the good of love.
[13] In David:
"The mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain? God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever" (Psalms 68:15, 16).
By the mountain of Bashan is signified voluntary good, such as exists with those who are in the externals of the church; for Bashan was a region beyond Jordan, which was given for an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh, as may be seen in Joshua (13:29-32); and by Manasseh is signified the voluntary good of the external or natural man. This voluntary good is the same as the good of love in the external man, for all good of love pertains to the will, and all the truth thence to the understanding. Therefore by Ephraim, his brother, is signified the intellectual truth of that good. Because the mountain of Bashan signifies that good, therefore by the hills of that mountain are signified goods in act. Because the will acts - for all the active part of the mind and body is from the will, as all the active part of the thought and speech is from the understanding - therefore the joy arising from the good of love is described and meant by leaping and skipping; hence it is clear what is signified by, "The mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain?" Because the Lord dwells in man in his voluntary good, whence [proceed] goods in act, therefore it is said, God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever.
[14] In the same:
"Judah became the sanctuary of Jehovah, [and Israel his property]. The sea saw it and fled: Jordan turned back. The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock. What possessedst thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou turnedst back? ye mountains, that ye leaped like rams; and ye hills, like the sons of the flock? Thou bringest forth, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters" (Psalms 114:1 to the end).
The departure of the sons of Israel out of Egypt is thus described; nevertheless, without explanation by the internal sense, no one can know the signification of the mountains then leaping like rams, and the hills like the sons of the flock, also the meaning of the sea saw it and fled, and Jordan turned back; therefore it shall be explained. The establishment of the church, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is meant in the internal sense, for the church to be established is signified by the sons of Israel; the establishment, by their departure; the shaking off of evils is signified by the passage through the Red Sea, concerning which it is said that it fled; and introduction into the church is signified by the passing over Jordan, concerning which it is said that it turned back. But for the particulars: That Judah became a sanctuary, and Israel a property, signifies that the good of love to the Lord is the very holiness of heaven and the church, and that truth from that good is the means of government. For by Judah is signified celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; by the sanctuary, the very holiness of heaven and the church; by Israel, spiritual good, which is truth from that good by means of which there is government; for all government pertains to the Lord by means of Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good. By, "The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back," is signified that the evils and falsities which were in the natural man, having been shaken off, scientific truths and the knowledges of truth and good succeeded. "The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock," signifies that celestial good, which is the good of love, and spiritual good, which is the truth from that good, from joy do goods, or produce an effect. Mountains signify the good of love; hills, the goods of charity, which in their essence are truths from that good; to leap, because said of these, signifies from joy to do goods. It is said like rams, and like the sons of the flock, because rams signify the goods of charity, and sons of the flock the truths thence. The establishment of the church thereby, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is signified by, "Thou bringest forth, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters." The earth denotes the church, and it is said to bring forth, when it is established, or the man of the church is born anew; it is said, at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of the God of Jacob, because where the good of love is treated of in the Word, the Lord is called the Lord; and when goods in act [are treated of, He is called] the God of Jacob. Regeneration by truths from goods is signified by, "He turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters." By a pool of waters are signified knowledges of truth, and by a fountain of waters is signified the Word from which these are; and by the rock, the natural man as to truth before reformation, and by the flint, the natural man as to good before reformation.
[15] In the same:
"Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the nations, and planted it. The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches" (Psalms 80:8, 10).
By the vine out of Egypt is signified the spiritual church, which commences with man by scientifics and knowledges in the natural man; the vine denotes the spiritual church, and Egypt denotes the Scientific which is in the natural man. By, "Thou hast cast out the nations, and planted it," is signified that after evils were cast out, the church is established; the nations denoting evils, and to plant a vine denoting to establish that church. By, "The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches," is signified that the whole [church is] from spiritual goods and truths; the mountains denoting spiritual goods, and the cedars of God denoting spiritual truths. That the bringing forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt, and their introduction into the land of Canaan, whence the nations were expelled, are meant by these words, is evident; but still by the same words, in the internal sense, are meant such things as have been explained; nor was anything else represented and signified by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, and by the expulsion of the nations thence; for all the historical parts of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, involve spiritual things.
[16] In Isaiah:
"On all mountains that shall be weeded with the hoe, the fear of the briar and thorn shall not come thither; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep" (7:25).
By the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, are meant those who do goods from the love of good. What is signified by the rest may be seen above (n. 65:9).
By Jacob and Judah is signified the church; by Jacob, the external church, which is in the knowledges of good and truth; and by Judah, the church which is in the good of love to the Lord; therefore, by a seed out of Jacob are signified the knowledges of good and truth, and hence those who are in them; and by the mountains, whose inheritor shall [be] out of Judah, is signified the good of love to the Lord, and thence those who are in it. By the elect who shall possess the mountain, are signified those who are in good, and by the servants, those who are in truths from good.
[17] In Jeremiah:
"I will bring" the sons of Israel again "upon their land. Behold, I send to many fishers, who shall fish them; and I shall send to many hunters, who shall hunt them upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks" (16:15, 16).
The establishment of a new church is here treated of, which was represented and signified by the bringing back of the Jews from captivity out of the land of Babylon into the land of Canaan. He who does not know what is signified by fishing and hunting, by a mountain, a hill, and by the holes of the rocks, can gather nothing from these words, but what is not even understood. That a church is to be established of those who are in natural good and in spiritual good, is meant by, "I will send fishers, who shall fish them; and hunters, who shall hunt them." To gather together those who are in natural good, is meant by sending fishers who shall fish them; and to gather together those who are in spiritual good, is meant by hunters who shall hunt them; because such are meant it is also said, upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. By those who are upon the mountain are meant those who are in the good of love; by those who are upon the hill, those who are in the good of charity; and by those who are out of the holes of the rocks, those who are in the obscure things of truth.
[18] In Ezekiel:
"Ye mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branch, and yield your fruit to my people Israel, when they draw near to come" (36:8).
By the mountains of Israel are signified the goods of charity; that the truths of faith and the goods of life are thence, is signified by, "ye shall shoot forth your branch, and yield your fruit"; branch denoting the truth of faith, and fruit denoting the good of life.
[19] In Amos:
"Behold, the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that scattereth [the seed]; and the mountains shall drop new wine, and all the hills shall flow. And I will bring back the captivity of my people" (376), where they are explained. The mountains are said to drop new wine, and the hills to flow, because by mountains is signified the good of love to the Lord, and by hills the good of charity towards the neighbour, and by new wine truths; and hence by these words, that from both those goods they shall have truths in abundance, for by the bringing back of the people from captivity, concerning which those things are said, is signified the establishment of a new church.
[20] In David:
Jehovah, "thy justice is as the mountains of God; thy judgments as a great abyss" (2235, 9857.
[21] In the same:
Jehovah "founded the earth upon its bases; thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stand above the mountains. At thy rebuke they flee; at the voice of thy thunder they haste away. The mountains ascend, the valleys descend, unto the place which thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a boundary, they go not beyond [it]; they return not again to cover the earth. Who sendeth forth springs into the rivers, they run between the mountains. Who watereth the mountains from his chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works" (Psalms 104:5-13).
By these words, understood in the spiritual sense, the process of regeneration is described, or the formation of the church with man. And by, "He founded the earth upon its bases," is signified the church with man, with its boundaries, and closings. By, "Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment," is signified that they are encompassed with scientifics in the natural man, as to its interiors, where the spiritual things of the church reside; the deep signifies scientifics in general, and garment signifies scientific truths, which are encircling and clothing. By, "the waters stand above the mountains," are signified falsities upon the delights of the natural loves, which delights are in themselves evils; the mountains denote the evils of those loves, and waters denote the falsities thence. That, at "Thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of thy thunder they haste away," signifies that falsities are dissipated by truths, and evils by goods from heaven. By, "the mountains ascend, and the valleys descend, unto the place which thou hast founded for them," is signified that in the place of natural loves, and of the evils therefrom, there are inserted heavenly loves, and the goods therefrom, and in the place of falsities general truths are admitted. By, "Thou hast set a boundary, they go not beyond [it]; they return not again to cover the earth," is signified that falsities and evils are kept without, separated from truths and goods, and enclosed lest they flow in again and destroy. By, He "sendeth forth springs into the rivers, they run between the mountains," is signified that the Lord, from the truths of the Word, gives intelligence, all things of which are from the good of celestial love; by springs are signified the truths of the Word; by springs sent into rivers, is signified intelligence thence; and by, "they run between the mountains," is signified that [they are] from the goods of celestial love, mountains denoting those goods. By, "Who watereth the mountains from his chambers," is signified that all goods are by means of truths from heaven, to water being said of truths, because waters denote truths; mountains denoting the goods of love, and chambers denoting the heavens, whence they [are]. By, "the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works," is signified that from the Divine operation the church continually increases with man; the fruit of works, when said of the Lord, denotes the Divine operation, and the earth denotes the church with man, the formation of which is here treated of, and it is said to be satisfied by continual increase. These are the arcana which are hid in these words. But who can see them, unless he knows them from the internal sense, and unless he is in knowledges, in this case, unless he has knowledge concerning the internal and external man, and concerning the goods and truths that constitute the church in them?
[22] In Zechariah:
"I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, when, behold, four chariots going forth between the mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass" (6:1).
The new church to be established among the Gentiles is treated of in this chapter, for the new temple is treated of, by which a new church is signified. By the chariots going forth between the mountains, is signified the doctrine, which was to be formed from good by means of truths; chariots signifying doctrinals, mountains the goods of love, between the mountains signifying truths from goods; for the valleys between mountains signify lower truths, which are the truths of the natural man. In order that it may be known that by mountains are signified the goods of the natural man, it is therefore said, "and the mountains were mountains of brass," brass signifying the good of the natural man.
[23] In Zechariah:
"Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations; his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east, and the mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, [and there shall be a very] great valley; and a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and a part of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach towards Azal" (Last Judgment 46). That the Lord's advent and the judgment which then took place, are treated of in this chapter, is evident from these words in it:
"Then Jehovah my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee. And in that day there shall not be light, brightness, and glittering; and it shall be one day which shall be known to Jehovah, not day nor night: for at evening time it shall be light" (verses 5-7).
The evening time denotes the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; then it is evening with the evil, but light with the good. When these things are first known, it is evident afterwards by the spiritual sense, what the particulars therein signify, namely, by, "Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations," is signified the Last Judgment upon the evil; to go forth and fight denoting to execute judgment, and the nations denoting the evil. By, "His feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east," is signified that [this is effected] from the Divine love by means of Divine truths proceeding from His Divine good. For the mount of Olives, when said of the Lord, signifies the Divine love; Jerusalem, the church as to truths, and thence the Divine truths of the church; and the east, the Divine good. By, "the mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, [and there shall be a very] great valley," is signified the separation of those who are in good from those who are in evil; for, as has been said, the mount of Olives denotes the Divine love; the east denotes where those who are in the Divine good [dwell]; and the sea denotes where those who are in evil are, for the sea in the western quarter of the spiritual world separates. By, "part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and part of it toward the south," is signified the separation of those who are in the falsities of evil from those who are in the truths of good; the north denotes where those are who are in the falsities of evil, because in darkness, and the south where those are who are in the truths of good, because in the light. By, "then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains," is signified, that then those who are in truths from good shall be rescued; to flee signifying to be rescued; the valley of the mountains signifying where those are who are in the knowledges of truth, and thence in truths from good; for those who are in the knowledges of truth dwell in valleys, and those who are in good upon mountains. "For the valley of the mountains shall reach even unto Azal," signifies separation from the falsities of evil; for Azal signifies separation and liberation.
[24] Because the mount of Olives, which was before Jerusalem eastward, signified the Divine love, and Jerusalem eastward the Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good, as mentioned above, therefore the Lord usually abode upon that mount; as is evident in Luke:
Jesus "was in the day-time teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called [the mount] of Olives" (21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).
Here also He discoursed with His disciples respecting His advent, and concerning the consummation of the age, that is concerning the Last Judgment (Matthew 24:3 et seq.; Mark 13:3 et seq.). Thence also He went to Jerusalem and suffered (Matthew 21:1; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 14:26; Luke 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39) and by this was signified that He did all things from the Divine love, for the mount of Olives signified it; for whatever the Lord did in the world represented, and whatever He spoke signified. The reason why He was in representatives and significatives, when He was in the world, was that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and at the same time in their primaries, and thus might rule and dispose the ultimates from the primaries, and all intermediates from primaries by means of ultimates; representatives and significatives being in the ultimates.
[25] Because a mountain signified the good of love, and when said of the Lord, the Divine good of the Divine love, and from that good proceeds the Divine truth; therefore Jehovah, that is, the Lord, descended upon mount Sinai, and promulgated the law. For it is said that
He came down upon that mount, on the top of the mount (Exodus 19:20; 24:17);
and that there He promulgated the law (Exodus xx.). Hence also by Sinai in the Word is signified Divine truth from the Divine good, [and] also by the law there promulgated. And therefore also:
The Lord took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain, when He was transfigured (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2);
and when He was transfigured, He appeared in the Divine truth from the Divine good; for His face, which [shone] as the sun, represented the Divine good, and His raiment, which was as the light, the Divine truth; and Moses and Elias, who appeared, signified the Word, which is Divine truth from the Divine good.
[26] Because a mountain signified the good of love, and, in the highest sense, the Divine good, and from the Divine good proceeds the Divine truth, therefore mount Zion was situated above Jerusalem; and by mount Zion in the Word is signified the church which is in the good of love to the Lord, and by Jerusalem the church which is in truths from that good, or the church as to doctrine. Therefore, Jerusalem is also called a mountain and a hill of holiness, for by a mountain of holiness is signified spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, similarly also by hill, as is evident in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"It shall come to pass in the days that come after, that the mountain of Jehovah shall be on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; whence all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob" (2:2, 3).
In the same:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they who were ready to perish shall come in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness at Jerusalem" (27:13).
In Joel:
"Blow ye the trumpet out of Zion, and cry aloud in the mountain of holiness" (2:1).
In Daniel:
"Let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, the mountain of thy holiness" (9:16).
In Isaiah:
"And they shall bring all your brethren unto Jehovah, out of all nations, to Jerusalem, the mountain of my holiness" (66:20).
In the same:
"He that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land for a heritage, and shall inherit the mountain of my holiness" (57:13).
In Ezekiel:
"In the mountain of my holiness, in the mountain of the height of Israel, all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve me; there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the first-fruits of your oblations, with all your holy things" (20:40).
In Micah:
In the end of the days the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and the people shall flow unto it" (4:1).
Besides many other passages elsewhere, in which the mountain of holiness, mount Zion, and the mountain of Jehovah are mentioned;
The mountain of holiness, in Isaiah 11:9; 56:7; 65:11, 25; Jeremiah 31:23; Ezekiel 28:14; Dan. 9:20; 11:45; Joel 2:1; 4:17; Obad., verse 17; Zeph. 3:11; Zech. 8:3; Psalms 15:1; 43:3.
And the [following] where mount Zion is mentioned, Isaiah 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:32; Joel 2:32; [3:5]; Obad., verses 17, 21; Micah 4:7; Lamentations 5:18; Psalms 48:11; 74:2; 78:68; 125:1, etc.
Because mount Zion signified the Divine Good, and the church as to that, therefore it is said in Isaiah:
"Send ye [the lamb] of the ruler of the land from the rock towards the wilderness, unto the mountain of the daughter of Zion" (16:1).
And in the Apocalypse:
"A Lamb stood upon the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand" (Revelation 16:1).
[27] From these things it is also evident whence it was that the New Jerusalem, in which was the temple, was seen by Ezekiel constructed upon a high mountain, concerning which it is thus written:
"In the visions of God I was brought forth upon the land of Israel; he set me upon a very high mountain, upon which was as the building of a city on the south" (Ezekiel 40:2).
Much is said on this subject in the chapters which follow. In David:
"Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness; beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces as a refuge" (Psalms 48:1-3).
By these words is described the worship of the Lord from truths which are from good. The worship of Him from spiritual truths and goods, and the pleasure of the soul thence, is signified by, "Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness; beautiful for situation." Worship is meant by, "to be great, and to be greatly praised"; spiritual truth, which is from spiritual good, by, "in the city of our God, the mountain of his holiness"; and the pleasure of the soul thence, by, "beautiful for situation." The worship of the Lord from celestial goods and truths is described by, "the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Worship from celestial good is meant by, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, and truths from that good are meant by, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King; the sides of the north denoting truths from celestial good, and the city of the great King denoting the doctrine of truth thence. That truths are inscribed in those who are in celestial good, is signified by, "God is known in her palaces." The reason why the sides of the north signify truths from celestial good, is, because those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell in the east in heaven; and those who are in truths from that good, towards the north there.
[28] In Isaiah:
O Lucifer, "thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend the heavens; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of the assembly, on the sides of the north" (14:12, 13).
By Lucifer is meant Babylon, as is evident from what precedes and follows in this chapter; his love of ruling over heaven and the church, is described by his ascending the heavens, and exalting his throne above the stars of God; by which is meant the love of dominion over those heavens that constitute the Lord's spiritual kingdom, for truths and the knowledges of truth with them appear as stars. And by his sitting on the mount of the assembly, on the sides of the north, is signified [the love of dominion] over the heavens which constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom; for the mount of the assembly, and the sides of the north, denote the goods and truths there, as said above. Because mount Zion and Jerusalem were built as much as possible according to the form of heaven, it is evident what is signified by the words adduced above from David:
"Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King";
and by the words in Isaiah:
"The mount of the assembly, on the sides of the north."
[29] In Isaiah:
"Sennacherib the king of Assyria said, By the multitude of my chariots I will come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; where I will cut down the height of the cedars thereof, the choice of the fir-trees thereof" (37:24).
By these words, in the internal sense, is described the haughtiness of those who, by reasonings from falsities, are desirous of destroying the goods and truths of the church. The king of Assyria signifies the Rational perverted. The multitude of his chariots signifies reasonings from falsities of doctrine; to come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and to cut down the height of its cedars, and the choice of its fir-trees, signifies the endeavour to destroy the goods and truths of the church as well internal as external. The mountains denote the goods of the church, the sides of Lebanon denote where those are conjoined with truths, Lebanon denoting the spiritual church, and the cedars denoting the internal truths thereof, which are from good, and the fir-trees denoting the external truths thereof, also from good. These are the things meant by those words in the spiritual sense, consequently, in heaven.
[30] A mountain and mountains also signify the goods of love and charity in the following passages. In David:
Jehovah "who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains" (Psalms 147:8).
By the clouds, with which Jehovah covereth the heavens, are signified external truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; for those that are in that sense are, in the Word, called clouds, and those that are in the internal sense, [are called] glory. By the heavens are meant internal truths, because those who are in the heavens are in those [truths]. By the rain which He prepares for the earth, is signified the influx of truth, the earth denoting the church, and thence those therein who receive the truth, for the church consists of such. By the mountains on which He maketh grass to grow, are signified the goods of love, and thence those who are in the goods of love. Grass signifies the spiritual nourishment which they have; for grass is meant for beasts, and beasts signify the good affections of the natural man.
[31] In Moses:
Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be "Joseph's land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the abyss lying beneath; for the first-fruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the hills of an age" (Deuteronomy 33:13-15).
This is Joseph's blessing by Moses - or of the tribe named from Joseph - and this blessing was pronounced upon him, because by Joseph is signified the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the heaven, there which next communicates with the Lord's celestial kingdom. By the land of Joseph is meant that heaven, and also the church that consists of those who will be in that heaven. By the precious things of heaven, by the dew, and the abyss lying beneath, are signified Divine-spiritual and spiritual-natural things, from a celestial origin; by the precious things of heaven, Divine-spiritual things; by the dew, spiritual things communicating; and by the abyss lying beneath, spiritual-natural things. By the first-fruits of the mountains of the east, and the precious things of the hills of an age, are signified genuine goods, both those of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour; the mountains of the east denoting the goods of love to the Lord; first-fruits denoting genuine goods, and the hills of an age the goods of charity towards the neighbour. Those who do not know what is represented by Joseph and by his tribe, and besides that, what [is signified] by dew, the abyss lying beneath, the mountains of the east, and the hills of an age, can perceive scarcely anything of what such words involve, and generally can scarcely perceive the signification of anything of all those things said by Moses in that whole chapter concerning the tribes of Israel, and by the father Israel, in Gen. xlix.
[32] In Matthew:
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid" (5:14).
This was [addressed] to the disciples, by whom the church is meant that is in truths from good; therefore it is said, ye are the light of the world; the light of the world denoting the truth of the church. That it is not [truth] unless it is from good, is signified "by a city which is set on a mountain cannot be hid," a city on a mountain denoting truth from good.
[33] In the same:
"If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, will he not leave the ninety and nine on the mountains, and going seek that which is gone astray?" (18:12).
It is said, "will he not leave the ninety and nine on the mountains?" for by sheep on the mountains are signified those who are in the good of love and charity; but by the one that is gone astray, is signified one who is not in that [good], because in falsities from ignorance; for where falsity is, there good is not, because good is of truth.
[34] In the Evangelists:
"When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, then let him that is in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the roof not go down into the house" (Mark 13:14, 15; Matthew 24:16; Luke 21:21).
In those chapters is described the successive vastation of the church by the Lord, but it is described by pure correspondences. "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation," signifies, when the disciples, that is, those who are in truths from good, perceive the church to be devastated, which takes place when there is no longer any truth because there is no good, or no faith because no charity. "Then let him that is in Judea flee to the mountains," signifies that those who are of the Lord's church should remain in the good of love; Judea signifying the Lord's church; and mountains, the goods of love; to flee to them denoting to remain therein. "Let him that is on the roof not go down into the house," signifies that he who is in genuine truths should abide therein, a house signifying the man as to all interior things of his mind, and hence the roof signifies intelligence from genuine truths, thus also the genuine truths by which intelligence [is formed in man]. Unless the spiritual sense illuminated the particulars which the Lord spake in these chapters of the Evangelists, scarcely anything contained therein would be known, thus what, "let not him that is on the roof go down into the house," may mean; and elsewhere, "let not him that is in the field return back to take his garments with" many other passages.
[35] Hitherto it has been shown, that mountains in the Word signify the goods of love; and because most things in the Word have also the opposite sense, so also mountains, which, in that sense, signify the evils of the love, or the evils which flow forth from the loves of self and of the world. Mountains are mentioned in this sense in the following passages in the Word.
In Isaiah:
"The day of Jehovah of hosts shall come upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up" (2:12, 14).
By the day of Jehovah of hosts is meant the Last Judgment, when the evil are cast down from the mountains and hills which they occupied in the spiritual world, as described in the beginning of this article; and because such dwelt upon mountains and hills before the Last Judgment, therefore by mountains and hills are meant the loves and the evils thence, in which they were; by mountains, the evils of the love of self; and by hills, the evils of the love of the world. It should be known, that all those who are in the love of self, especially those who are in the love of ruling, when they come into the spiritual world, have the greatest desire to attain high places, this being inherent in that love; whence also it has come to be said in common speech, "To be of a high and lofty mind," and "To aspire after high things." The real reason why there is such a desire in the love of ruling, is, that they wish to make themselves gods, and God is in the highest. That mountains and hills signify those loves and thence the evil thereof, is evident, for it is said, the day of Jehovah of hosts shall come upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up. What otherwise would be the object of His coming upon the mountains and hills'?
[36] In the same:
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low" (40:3, 4).
Here also the Lord's advent and the Last Judgment at that time are treated of. And by, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah," and "a highway for our God," is signified that they should prepare themselves to receive the Lord; the wilderness signifies where there is no good, because no truth, thus where there is as yet no church. By, "every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low," is signified that all the humble in heart, who are those that are in goods and truths, shall be received, for those who are received by the Lord are raised up to heaven; and by, "every mountain and hill shall be made low," is signified that all those who are lofty in mind, these being those that are in the love of self and the world, shall be put down.
[37] In Ezekiel:
"For I will give the land to desolation and wasteness, that the pomp of strength may cease; and the mountains of Israel are desolate, that none pass through" (33:28).
The desolation and vastation of the spiritual church, which the Israelites represented, are described by these words; for the Jews represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the celestial church, but the Israelites the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual church. The desolation and vastation of the latter signify the last state of the former church, which was when there was no longer any truth because no good, or, when there was no faith because no charity; desolation is said of truth which is of faith; and wasteness, of good which is of charity. The boasting and loftiness of mind from falsities which they declare to be truths, is signified by "the pomp of strength," strength and power being said of truths from good, because such possess all strength and all power; here, however, [they are said] of falsities, because from boasting and loftiness of mind. That there is no longer any good of charity and faith, is signified by, "the mountains of Israel are desolated." That there was no longer any good but [what was] altogether evil, is signified by that none pass through."
[38] In the same:
"Son of man, set thy faces toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovih; Thus said the Lord Jehovih to the mountains and to the hills, to the channels and to the valleys; Behold I will bring a sword upon you" (6:2, 3).
Here, also, by the mountains of Israel are signified the, evils proceeding from the love of self and of the world, which exist with those who are in the spiritual church, when they no longer possess any good of life, but evil of life and the falsity of doctrine thence. By mountains, hills, channels, and valleys, are signified all things of the church, both the interior or spiritual and the exterior or natural. The mountains and hills signify things interior or spiritual; the channels and valleys things exterior or natural; that they should perish by falsities, is signified by, "Behold I will bring a sword upon you." A sword denotes the destruction of falsity by truths, but in an opposite sense, as here, the destruction of truth by falsities.
[39] In the same:
"In the day in which Gog shall come upon the land of Israel, the fishes of the sea shall tremble before me, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground; then I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains" (400), where they are explained, namely, the signification of Gog, the fishes of the sea, the bird of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, the creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; and that by the mountains of Israel are signified the goods of spiritual love, but here the evils of the love [that are] opposed to those goods.
[40] In Micah:
"Arise, contend thou with the mountains, that the hills may hear thy voice. Hear, O ye mountains, the controversy of Jehovah, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel" (6:1, 2).
These things also are spoken of the spiritual church, which the Israelites separated from the Jews, represented; and by mountains are meant the goods of charity, and by hills the goods of faith; here, however, the evils and falsities opposed to those goods; therefore it is said, "contend thou with the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice." The strong foundations of the earth denote the principles of falsity in that church, the earth denoting the church, and foundations denoting the principles upon which the other things are founded. It is said, with His people, with Israel, because by people are meant those who are in truths, and those who are in falsities; and by Israel, those who are in goods, and those who are in evils.
[41] In Jeremiah:
"Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a mountain of burning" (400), where the particulars are explained; and that the mountains and hills here denote the evils of the love of self and of the world.
[42] In Micah:
"Jehovah going forth out of his place, will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains are melted under him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, and as waters poured down a steep place; on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel" (1:3-5).
These things are also said of the Last Judgment, and of those who then made to themselves a resemblance of heaven upon mountains and hills, concerning whom we have frequently treated above. The Last Judgment is meant by, "Jehovah going forth out of His place, will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth"; upon the high places of the earth signifying upon those who are in high places, namely, those upon whom judgment is accomplished; for in the spiritual world there are earths, mountains, hills, and valleys, just as in the natural world. The destruction of those who are upon the mountains and in the valleys, these being those who are in evils from the love of self and of the world, and in the falsities thence, is signified by, "the mountains are melted under him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a steep place"; mountains signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and valleys the falsities thence. Concerning the evils of the loves of self and of the world signified by mountains, it is said that they are melted as wax before the fire, because fire signifies those loves; and concerning the falsities signified by valleys, it is said as waters poured down a steep place, because waters signify falsities.
[43] That this is on account of evils and falsities, is clear, for it is said, "on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel."
In Jeremiah:
"I looked to the earth, and, lo, it was empty and void; and towards the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills were overturned. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and every bird of the heaven had fled" (4:23-25).
By the trembling of the mountains is signified the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of self, and by the overturning of the hills, the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of the world, and in falsities; the other particulars may be seen explained above (n. 280, and 304).
In Isaiah:
O Jehovah, "that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down before thee" (64:1).
These words signify the same as those explained above on Micah 1:3-5.
[44] In David:
"Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke. Cast forth lightning and scatter them" (Psalms 144:5, 6).
By, to bow the heavens and come down, is signified the same as above, by rending the heavens and coming down, by going forth out of His place, to come down and tread upon the high places of the earth, namely, to visit and judge. By, to touch the mountains that they may smoke, is signified by His presence to destroy those who are in the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and in the falsities thence; to smoke signifies to be let into the evils of those loves and into their falsities, for fire signifies those loves, and smoke their falsities. By, cast forth lightning, and scatter them, is signified the Divine truth, by which they are dissipated, for by the presence of the Divine truth evils and falsities are discovered, and by the collision at the time, they appear as lightnings.
[45] In Moses:
"A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth and her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains" (301, and also what is signified by the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the seas, and, the mountains shall tremble in pride, namely, the evils of the loves of self and of the world, shall dazzle according to their increase.
[46] In Isaiah:
The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and wrath upon all their army: he hath devoted them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter, so that their slain shall be cast out, and the stink of their carcases shall come up, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood" (34:2, 3).
These things are said concerning the Last Judgement; and by the anger of Jehovah against all nations, and by His wrath against all their army, is signified the destruction and damnation of all who are in evils and the falsities thence. That such as are in these shall be accursed and perish, is signified by, "He hath devoted them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter." The damnation of those who would perish by falsities is signified by, "their slain shall be cast out," slain, in the Word, being said of those who have perished by falsities, and to be cast out signifying to be damned. The damnation of those who would perish by evils is signified by, "the stink of their carcases shall come up"; carcases, in the Word, being said of those who have perished by evils, and stink signifying their damnation. "The mountains shall be melted with their blood," signifies that the evils of the loves with those have reference to falsities; mountains denoting the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and blood denoting falsity.
[47] In the same:
"I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herb; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools" (42:15).
By making waste the mountains and hills, is signified to destroy all the good of love to the Lord and towards the neighbour; by drying up all the herb, is signified thence to destroy all truths, herb signifying truths springing from good. By making the rivers islands, and drying up the pools, is signified to annihilate all understanding and perception of truth; rivers, signifying intelligence which is of truth; islands, where there is no intelligence, pools signifying the perception of truth; the understanding of truth is from the light of truth, but the perception of truth is from the heat or love of truth.
[48] In the same:
"Behold, Jacob, I will make thee a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, that the wind may carry them away, and the whirlwind scatter them" (374, 375); also that it would here bruise and break evils and falsities, therefore it is said, "a threshing instrument having sharp teeth," that thou mayest thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and that thou mayest make the hills as chaff, by which is signified the destruction of the evils arising from the love of self and of the world, and also of the falsities hence. And it is also said, thou shalt fan them, that the wind may carry them away, and the whirlwind scatter them, by which is signified that they shall be of no account. The wind and whirlwind are both mentioned, because evils and falsities are meant; for the wind is said of truths, and in an opposite sense of falsities, and a whirlwind of the evils of falsity.
[49] In the same:
"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my mercy shall not depart from thee" (54:10).
By the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, is not meant that the mountains and hills in the world would depart and be removed, but those who are in evil loves, and in the falsities thence; for the Gentiles from whom a new church is to be formed are treated of in this chapter, therefore by the mountains and hills are specifically meant those of the former church, consequently the Jews, with whom were mere evils of falsity and falsities of evil, because they were in the loves of self and of the world.
[50] In Jeremiah:
"For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are wasted that no man passeth through them" (9:10).
The mountains, over which there is weeping and lamentation, denote evils of every kind flowing forth from the two loves above-mentioned; and by the habitations of the wilderness are signified the falsities thence; for by the wilderness is signified, where there is no good because no truth; and by habitations, where these are; here, therefore, the habitations of the wilderness denote falsities from the evils before mentioned; there being no good and truth at all is meant by their being wasted, that no man passeth through them. It is usually said in the Word, where vastation is treated of, that no man passeth through, and thereby is signified that there is no longer any truth, and, consequently, no intelligence. That they are not mountains and habitations of the wilderness that are here meant, and over which there are weeping and lamenting, is evident.
[51] In the same:
"My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray, the mountains have turned away; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place" (50:6).
In Ezekiel:
"My sheep wander upon all the mountains, and upon every high hill; my sheep are scattered over all the faces of the earth, and there is none to search or to seek" (34:6).
That the sheep have gone from mountain to hill, and that they wander upon all the mountains and upon every high hill, signifies that they seek goods and truths, but do not find them, and that instead thereof they seize upon evils and falsities. That the mountains have turned away, signifies that instead of goods there are evils.
[52] In Jeremiah:
"Give glory to Jehovah your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight" (65, 69; and in the Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952.)
[53] In the Evangelists:
Jesus saith unto his disciples, "Have the faith of God; verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto a mountain, Be thou removed, and cast thyself into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; those things which he said shall be accomplished for him" (Mark 11:22, 23; Matthew 17:20).
He who does not know the arcana of heaven, and the spiritual sense of the Word, may suppose that the Lord spoke these words, not concerning saving faith, but concerning some other faith, which they call historical and miraculous; but the Lord spoke them of saving faith, which faith makes one with charity, and all [such faith] being from the Lord, therefore the Lord calls this faith the faith of God. And because the Lord by this faith, which is the faith of charity from Him, removes all the evils flowing from the loves of self and of the world, and casts them into hell whence they originate, therefore He says, [whosoever] shall say unto a mountain, "Be thou removed, and cast thyself into the sea"; for by a mountain are signified the evils of those loves, and by the sea is signified hell. Hence, by saying to a mountain, "Be thou removed," is signified the removal of those things, and by being cast into the sea, is signified to be cast down into hell whence they originate. From such signification of a mountain and of the sea, this became a common expression amongst the ancients, when the power of faith was the subject of discourse; not that the mountains on the earth could thereby be cast into the sea, but that evils from hell could. The mountains also in the spiritual world, upon which the evil dwell, are usually overturned and cast down by faith from the Lord; for when the evils with them are cast down, the mountains also upon which they dwell are cast down, as has been said above many times, and also often seen by me. That no other faith but the faith of charity from the Lord is here meant, is evident from the continuation of the Lord's discourse in Mark, where it is said:
"Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever which praying ye ask, believe that ye will receive, then shall it be done unto you. But when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any, that your Father also who is in the heavens, may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens, forgive your trespasses" (11:24-26).
From these words it is evident that the faith of God, of which the Lord here speaks, is the faith of charity, that is, the faith that forms one with charity, and, consequently, which is all from the Lord. The Lord, besides, spoke those things to the disciples when they supposed that they could do miracles from their own faith, thus from themselves, when yet such things are done by faith from the Lord, thus by the Lord, as is also evident in Matthew (17:19, 20), where similar things are said.
[54] Because mountains signified the goods of celestial love, and hills, the goods of spiritual love, therefore the ancients, with whom the church was representative, had their Divine worship upon mountains and hills, and therefore Zion was upon a mountain, and Jerusalem upon mountainous places below it. Lest, therefore, the Jews and Israelites, who were given to idolatry, should turn Divine worship into idolatrous worship, it was commanded them that they should perform worship in Jerusalem only, and not elsewhere; but because they were idolaters in heart, they were not content to perform worship in Jerusalem, but, according to the custom of the nations, derived from the ancients, they everywhere performed worship upon mountains and hills, and sacrificed and burnt incense thereon; wherefore because this was idolatrous with them, by their worship upon other mountains and hills is signified worship from evils and falsities; as in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"Upon a high and lofty mountain hast thou set thy bed; thither also wentest thou up to sacrifice sacrifices" (57:7).
In Hosea:
"They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills" (Hosea 4:13).
In Jeremiah:
"Estranged Israel is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot" (3:6).
By playing the harlot is signified to falsify worship; that this was idolatrous, is evident from these words in Moses:
"Ye shall destroy the places, wherein the nations served their gods, upon the mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree" (Deuteronomy 12:2).
In these passages, therefore, by worship upon mountains and hills is signified worship from evils and falsities. From this, also, it came that the Gentiles in Greece fixed Helicon on a high mountain, and Parnassus on a hill below it, and believed that the gods and their goddesses dwelt there; this was derived from the ancients in Asia, and especially in the land of Canaan, not remote thence, with whom all worship consisted of representatives.
[55] It is said in the Evangelists that:
the devil took Jesus up into a high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, and he tempted him there (Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 201, 293, 302).
405. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places, signifies that every good of love and every truth of faith perished. This is evident from the signification of "a mountain," as being the good of love to the Lord (of which presently); from the signification of "island" as being the truth of faith (of which in the next article); and from the signification of "to be moved out of their places," as being to be taken away and to perish, since the good of love and the truth of faith are meant, for when these are moved out of their places, then evils and falsities take their place, and through evils and falsities goods and truths perish. "Mountain" signifies the good of love, because in heaven those who are in the good of love to the Lord, dwell upon mountains, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor dwell upon hills; or, what is the same, those who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell upon mountains, and those who are of His spiritual kingdom dwell upon hills; and the celestial kingdom is distinguished from the spiritual kingdom in this, that those who are of the celestial kingdom are in love to the Lord, and those who are of the spiritual kingdom are in charity towards the neighbor (but of the latter and the former, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28). This is why "mountain" signifies the good of love to the Lord.
[2] The good of love to the Lord is meant in an abstract sense by "mountain," because all things in the internal sense of the Word are spiritual, and spiritual things must be understood in a sense abstracted from persons and places; consequently, because angels are spiritual they think and speak abstractedly from these, and thereby have intelligence and wisdom; for the idea of persons and places limits the thought, since it confines it to persons and places, and thus limits it. This idea of thought is proper to the natural, while the idea abstracted from persons and places extends itself into heaven in every direction, and is no otherwise limited than the sight of the eye is limited when it looks up into the sky without intervening objects; such an idea is proper to the spiritual. This is why "a mountain" in the spiritual sense of the Word signifies the good of love. It is similar with the signification of "the earth," as being the church; for thought abstracted from places, and from nations and peoples upon the earth, is thought respecting the church there or with these; this, therefore, is signified by "earth" in the Word. It is similar with the other things that are mentioned in the natural sense of the Word, as with hills, rocks, valleys, rivers, seas, cities, houses, gardens, woods, and other things.
[3] That "mountain" signifies the love to the Lord, and thus all good that is from that, which is called celestial good, and in the contrary sense signifies the love of self, and thus all the evil that is from that, is evident from the following passages in the Word. In Amos:
Dispose thyself towards thy God, O Israel; for lo, He is the Former of the mountains, and the Creator of the spirit, and declareth unto man what is his thought (Amos 4:12-13).
God is here called "the Former of the mountains" because "mountains" signify the goods of love, and "the Creator of the spirit" because "spirit" signifies life from such goods; and because through these He gives intelligence to man it is added, "and declareth unto man what is his thought," for the intelligence that man has is of his thought, which flows in from the Lord through the good of love into his life, so "to declare" here means to flow in.
[4] In David:
God who maketh firm the mountains by His power; He is girded with might (Heaven and Hell 228-233; and above, n. 209, 333; and that might in reference to the Lord is omnipotence, see above, n. 338)
[5] In the same:
I lift up mine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help (Psalms 121:1).
"Mountains" here mean the heavens; and as in the heavens those who are in the goods of love and of charity dwell upon the mountains and hills, as was said above, and the Lord is in these goods, "to lift up the eyes to the mountains" also means to the Lord, from whom is all help. When "mountains," in the plural, are mentioned, both mountains and hills are meant, consequently both the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor.
[6] In Isaiah:
There shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall (The Last Judgment 56) sm (The Last Judgment 58) all work on The Last Judgment 56, 58). That such then as are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor are raised up into heaven and imbued with intelligence and wisdom, is meant by "there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters;" "the high mountain" signifying where those are who are in love to the Lord, and "lofty hill" where those are who are in charity towards the neighbor; "streams" wisdom, and "rivulets of waters" intelligence, for "waters" mean truths, from which are intelligence and wisdom.
[7] In Joel:
It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters (376)
[8] In Nahum:
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, [that publisheth] peace (Nahum 1:15).
In Isaiah:
How joyous [upon the mountains] are the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that maketh peace to be heard; that saith unto Zion, Thy king 1reigneth (365); and "O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings," means the church that is in the good of love to the Lord; and "O Jerusalem, that proclaimest good tidings," the church that is thence in truths of doctrine from the Word.
[9] In Isaiah:
I will make all My mountains for a way, and My highways shall be exalted. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth with singing aloud O mountains; for Jehovah hath comforted His people (Isaiah 49:11, 13).
"Mountains," in the plural, mean both mountains and hills, thus both the good of love and the good of charity. "Mountains and hills shall be made for a way, and highways shall be exalted" signifies that those who are in these goods shall be in genuine truths; "to be made for a way" signifying to be in truths, and "highways being exalted" signifying to be in genuine truths; for "ways and highways" signify truths, which are said to be exalted by good, and the truths that are from good are genuine truths. Their joy of heart on this account is signified by "Sing aloud O heavens, exult O earth," internal joy by "Sing aloud O heavens," and external joy by "exult O earth." Confessions from joy originating in the good of love are signified by "break forth with singing aloud O mountains;" that this is on account of reformation and regeneration is signified by "for Jehovah hath comforted his people." Evidently mountains in the world are not here meant; for why should mountains be made for a way, and highways be exalted, and mountains resound with singing aloud?
[10] In the same:
Sing aloud ye heavens, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth with singing aloud, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel (Isaiah 44:23).
"Sing aloud ye heavens, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth with singing aloud ye mountains," has a like signification as just above; but here "mountains" signify the goods of charity; therefore it is also said, "O forest and every tree therein," for "a forest" means the external or natural man in respect to all things thereof, and "every tree" means the cognizing and knowing faculty therein; the reformation of these is signified by "Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel;" "Jacob and Israel" meaning the church external and internal; thus the external and internal with those in whom the church is.
[11] In the same:
The mountains and hills shall break forth with singing aloud, and all the trees of the field shall clap the hand (Isaiah 55:12).
In David:
Praise Jehovah, mountains and hills, tree of fruit, and all cedars (Psalms 148:7, 9).
This describes the joy of heart from the good of love and charity; and "mountains," "hills," "trees," and "cedars," are said "to break forth with singing aloud," "to clap the hand," and "to praise," because these signify the goods and truths that cause joys in man; for man does not rejoice from himself, but from the goods and truths that are with him; these rejoice because they make joy for man.
[12] In Isaiah:
The wilderness and its cities shall lift up their voice, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the cliff shall sing aloud, they shall shout from the top of the mountains (Isaiah 42:11).
"The wilderness" signifies the obscurity of truth; "its cities" signify doctrinals; "villages" the natural cognitions and knowledges; "Arabia" the natural man, for "an Arabian in the wilderness" means the natural man; "the inhabitants of the cliff" signify the goods of faith, or those who are in the goods of faith; "the top of the mountains" signifies the good of love to the Lord. This makes clear what the particulars signify in their order, namely, confession and joyful worship from the good of love in such things as are mentioned; for "to shout from the top of the mountains" means to worship from the good of love.
[13] In David:
A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain? God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually (Psalms 68:15-16).
"The mountain of Bashan" signifies voluntary good, such as exists in those who are in the externals of the church; for Bashan was a region beyond Jordan, which was given as an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh, as may be seen in Joshua (Joshua 13:29-32); and "Manasseh" signifies the voluntary good of the external or natural man. This voluntary good is the same as the good of love in the external man, for all good of love is of the will, and all truth therefrom is of the understanding; therefore "Ephraim," his brother, signifies the intellectual truth of that good. Because "the mountain of Bashan" signifies that good, "the hills" of that mountain signify goods in act. Because it is the will that acts-for every activity of the mind and body is from the will, as everything active of thought and speech is from the understanding, therefore the joy arising from the good of love is described and meant by "skipping" and "leaping;" this makes clear what is signified by "a mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain?" Because the Lord dwells with man in his voluntary good, from which are goods in act, it is said, "God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually."
[14] In the same:
Judah became the sanctuary of Jehovah. The sea saw it and fled; the Jordan turned itself back. The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock. What hast thou O sea, that thou fleest? O Jordan, that thou turnest back? ye mountains, that ye leap like rams; ye hills, like sons of the flock? Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Psalms 114:2-8).
This describes the departure of the sons of Israel out of Egypt; and yet without explanation by the internal sense no one can know what this signifies, as that "the mountains then leaped like rams, and the hills like the sons of the flock," likewise what is meant by "the sea saw it and fled, and the Jordan turned itself back." It shall therefore be explained. The establishment of the church, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is here meant in the internal sense, for the church that was to be established is signified by the sons of Israel, its establishment by their departure, the shaking off of evils by the passage through the sea Suph, which is said "to have fled," and the introduction into the church by the crossing of the Jordan, which is said to have "turned itself back." But for the particulars: "Judah became a sanctuary, and Israel a domain," signifies that the good of love to the Lord is the very holiness of heaven and the church, and that truth from that good is that by which there is government; for "Judah" signifies celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; "sanctuary" the very holiness of heaven and the church; "Israel" spiritual good, which is truth from that good, by which there is government, for all government pertaining to the Lord is a government of Divine truth proceeding from Divine good; "the sea saw it and fled, Jordan turned itself back," signifies that when the evils and falsities which are in the natural man had been shaken off, true knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions [cognitiones] of truth and good took their place; "the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock," signifies that celestial good, which is the good of love, and spiritual good, which is truth from that good, produce good or come into effect from joy; "mountains" signifying the good of love, "hills" the goods of charity, which in their essence are truths from that good; and "to leap," because it is predicated of these, signifies to produce good from joy. It is said "like rams," and "like the sons of the flock," because "rams" signify the goods of charity, and "the sons of the flock" truths therefrom. The establishment of the church from these, that is, the regeneration of the men of the church, is signified by, "before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters;" "earth" meaning the church; and this is said "to be in travail" when it is established or when the man of the church is born anew; it is said "before the Lord" and "before the God of Jacob," because where the good of love is treated of in the Word the Lord is called "the Lord;" and when goods in act are treated of He is called "the God of Jacob." Regeneration by truths from goods is signified by "He turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters;" "pool of waters" signifying the knowledges of truth, and "fountain of waters" the Word from which these are, and "rock" the natural man in respect to truth before reformation, and "flint" the natural man in respect to good before reformation.
[15] In the same:
Thou hast caused a vine to journey out of Egypt; Thou hast driven out the nations and planted it. The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches (Psalms 80:8, 10).
"A vine out of Egypt" signifies the spiritual church which has its beginning with man by means of knowledges and cognitions in the natural man, "vine" meaning the spiritual church, and "Egypt" the knowing faculty [scientificum] which is in the natural man; "thou hast driven out the nations, and planted it," signifies that when evils had been cast out therefrom the church was established; "nations" meaning evils, and "to plant a vine" meaning to establish the spiritual church; "the mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches," signifies that the whole church is from spiritual goods and truths; "mountains" meaning spiritual goods, and "the cedars of God" spiritual truths. Evidently the bringing forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt and their introduction into the land of Canaan, from which the nations were expelled, is what is meant by these words; and yet the same words, in the internal sense, mean such things as have been explained; nor was anything else represented and signified by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, and by the expulsion of the nations from it; for all the historical parts of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, involve spiritual things.
[16] In Isaiah:
As to all mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isaiah 7:25).
"The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe" mean those who do what is good from a love of good. (What the remainder signifies see above, n. Isaiah 65:9).
"Jacob" and "Judah" signify the church, "Jacob" the external church, which is in the knowledges of good and truth, and "Judah" the [internal] church which is in the good of love to the Lord; therefore "a seed out of Jacob" signifies the knowledges of good and truth, and thus such as are in these; and "the mountains whose inheritor shall be out of Judah," signify the good of love to the Lord, and thence such as are in it; "the chosen who shall possess the mountain," signify those who are in good, and "the servants" those who are in truths from good.
[17] In Jeremiah:
I will bring the sons of Israel back upon their land. Behold, I will send to many fishers, who shall fish them; and I will send to many hunters, who shall hunt them from upon every mountain and from upon every hill and out of the holes of the cliffs (Jeremiah 16:15-16).
This treats of the establishment of a new church, which was represented and signified by the bringing back of the Jews from the captivity out of the land of Babylon into the land of Canaan. He who does not know what is signified by "fishing and hunting," by "mountain," "hill," and "holes of the cliffs," can gather nothing from these words that he can comprehend. That a church was to be established from those who are in natural good and in spiritual good is meant by "I will send fishers who shall fish them, and hunters who shall hunt them." To gather together those who are in natural good is meant by "sending fishers who shall fish them;" and to gather together those who are in spiritual good is meant by "sending hunters who shall hunt them;" because such are meant it is added, "from upon every mountain and from upon every hill, and out of the holes of the cliffs," those "upon a mountain" meaning those who are in the good of love, "those upon a hill" those who are in the good of charity; "and those out of the holes of the cliffs" those who are in obscurities respecting truth.
[18] In Ezekiel:
Ye mountains of Israel, ye shall give forth your branch, and bear your fruit to My people Israel, when they draw near to come (Ezekiel 36:8).
"The mountains of Israel" signify the goods of charity; that from these are the truths of faith and the goods of life, is signified by "ye shall give forth your branch, and bear your fruit;" "branch" meaning the truth of faith, and "fruit" the good of life.
[19] In Amos:
Behold, the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve; for I will bring back the captivity of My people (376), where they are explained. "The mountains" are said "to drop sweet wine," and "the hills to dissolve," because "mountains" signify the good of love to the Lord, and "hills" the good of charity towards the neighbor, and "sweet wine" truths; therefore these words signify that from these two goods they shall have truths in abundance, for the bringing back of the people from captivity, about which this is said, signifies the establishment of a new church.
[20] In David:
Jehovah, Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments like a great deep (Arcana Coelestia 2235, 9857.)
[21] In the same:
Jehovah hath founded the earth upon its bases; Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture; the waters stand above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they flee; at the voice of Thy thunder they hurried away. The mountains arise, the valleys sink down unto the place which Thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound, they pass it not; they return not again to cover the earth. He sendeth forth springs into the brooks, they flow between the mountains. He watereth the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works (Psalms 104:5-10, 13).
This, understood in the spiritual sense, describes the process of regeneration, or of the formation of the church with man; and "He hath founded the earth upon its bases," signifies the church with man with its boundaries and closings; "Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture," signifies with knowledges [scientifica] in the natural man, by which knowledges the interiors of the natural man, where the spiritual things of the church have their seat, are encompassed; "the deep" signifying knowledges in general, and "vesture" the true knowledges encircling and investing; "the waters stand above the mountains" signifies the falsities above the delights of the natural loves, which delights are in themselves evils; "mountains" meaning the evils of those loves, and "waters" falsities therefrom; "at Thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of Thy thunder they hurry away" signifies that falsities are dispersed by truths, and evils by goods from heaven; "the mountains arise, and the valleys sink down unto the place which Thou hast founded for them" signifies that in place of natural loves and of evils therefrom there are inserted heavenly loves and goods from them, and in place of falsities general truths are let down; "Thou hast set a bound, they pass it not, they return not again to cover the earth" signifies that falsities and evils are kept without, separated from truths and goods, and held within bounds that they may not flow in again and destroy; "He sendeth forth springs into the brooks, they flow between the mountains" signifies that the Lord, out of the truths of the Word, gives intelligence, all things of which are from the good of celestial love; "springs" signifying the truths of the Word, "springs sent into brooks" the intelligence therefrom, and their "flowing between the mountains" that they are from the goods of celestial love, "mountains" meaning such goods. "He watereth the mountains from His upper chambers" signifies that all goods are by means of truths from heaven; "to water" is predicated of truths, because "waters" mean truths; "mountains" mean the goods of love; and "upper chambers" the heavens from which these are; "the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works" signifies that from the Divine operation the church continually increases with man; "the fruit of works" meaning, in reference to the Lord, the Divine operation, and "the earth" the church in man, the formation of which is here treated of; and the church is said "to be satisfied" by continual increase. These are the arcana that are hid in these words; but who can see them unless he knows them from the internal sense, and unless he is in knowledges, in this case, unless he is in knowledge respecting the internal and external man, and the goods and truths that constitute the church in these?
[22] In Zechariah:
I lifted up mine eyes and saw, when behold, four chariots coming out from between the mountains; and the mountains were mountains of copper (Zechariah 6:1).
A new church to be established among the Gentiles is treated of in this chapter, for a new temple is treated of, which signifies a new church. "Chariots coming out from between the mountains" signify doctrine, which is to be formed out of good by means of truths, "chariots" signifying doctrinals, "mountains" the goods of love, and "between mountains" truths from goods; for "valleys," which are between mountains, signify lower truths, which are the truths of the natural man. That it may be known, that "mountains" here signify the goods of the natural man, it is said, "and the mountains were mountains of copper," "copper" signifying the good of the natural man.
[23] In Zechariah:
Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations; His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea with a great valley, and a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and a part of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee through the valley of My mountains; and the valley of the mountains shall reach towards Azal (Zechariah 14:3-5).
This is said of the Last Judgment, which was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world; for when the Lord was in the world He reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells, therefore He then wrought a judgment upon the evil and upon the good. This judgment is what is meant in the word of the Old Testament by "the day of indignation," "of anger," "of wrath," "of the vengeance of Jehovah," and by "the year of retributions" (on this judgment see the small work on Zechariah 14:5-7).
"The time of evening" means the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; then it is "evening" to the evil, but "light" to the good. As soon as these things are known, it becomes plain, through the spiritual sense, what the particulars here signify, namely, "Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations" signifies the Last Judgment upon the evil, "to go forth and fight" means to execute judgment, and "nations" the evil; "His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east" signifies that this is effected from the Divine love by means of Divine truths proceeding from His Divine good; "the Mount of Olives" signifying, in reference to the Lord, the Divine love, "Jerusalem," the church in respect to truths, and therefore the Divine truths of the church, and "the east" the Divine good; "the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, with a great valley" signifies the separation of those who are in good from those who are in evil; for "the Mount of Olives," as was said, means the Divine love; "the east" means where those are who are in Divine good, and "the sea" where those are who are in evil, for in the western quarter of the spiritual world is a sea which separates; "a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and part of it toward the south" signifies the separation of those who are in the falsities of evil from those who are in the truths of good; "the north" meaning where those are who are in the falsities of evil, since they are in darkness, and "the south" where those are who are in the truths of good, since they are in light; "then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains" signifies that then those who are in truths from good shall be rescued, "to flee" signifying to be rescued, "the valley of the mountains" signifying where those are who are in the knowledges of truth, and thus in truths from good, for those who are in the knowledges of truth dwell in valleys, and those who are in good upon the mountains; "and the valley of the mountains shall reach even unto Azal" signifies separation from the falsities of evil, "Azal" signifying separation and liberation.
[24] Because "the Mount of Olives," which was before Jerusalem eastward, signified the Divine love, and "Jerusalem from the east" Divine truth proceeding from Divine good, as was said above, the Lord was accustomed to stay on that mount, as is evident in Luke:
Jesus during the days was teaching in the temple; but at night He went out and lodged in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).
It was here, too, that He spoke with His disciples about His coming and the consummation of the age, that is, about the Last Judgment (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3). It was from here, also, that He went to Jerusalem and suffered (Matthew 21:1; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 14:26; Luke 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39); signifying thereby that He did all things from the Divine love, for "the Mount of Olives" signified that love; for whatever the Lord did in the world was representative, and whatever He spoke was significative. The Lord when in the world was in representatives and significatives, in order that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and at the same time in their firsts, and thus might rule and dispose ultimates from firsts, and thus all intermediates from firsts through ultimates; representatives and significatives are in ultimates.
[25] Because "a mountain" signified the good of love and in reference to the Lord, the Divine good of the Divine love, from which good Divine truth proceeds, so Jehovah, that is, the Lord, descended upon Mount Sinai and promulgated the law. For it is said that:
He came down upon that mount, to the top of the mount (Exodus 19:20; 24:16-17);
And that He promulgated the law there (Exodus 20).
Therefore also Divine truth from Divine good is signified in the Word by "Sinai," and also by "the law" there promulgated. So too:
The Lord took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain, when He was transfigured (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2).
and when He was transfigured He appeared in Divine truth from Divine good, for "His face which was as the sun" represented the Divine good, and "His raiment which was as the light" the Divine truth; and "Moses and Elias," who appeared, signified the Word, which is Divine truth from the Divine good.
[26] Since "a mountain" signified the good of love, and in the highest sense, the Divine good, and from the Divine good Divine truth proceeds, so Mount Zion was built up above Jerusalem, and in the Word "Mount Zion" signifies the church that is in the good of love to the Lord, and "Jerusalem" the church that is in truths from that good, or the church in respect to doctrine. For the same reason Jerusalem is called "the mountain of holiness," also "the hill;" for "the mountain of holiness," likewise "hill" signify spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass in the latter end of days that the mountain of Jehovah shall be on the head of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; whence all nations shall flow unto it; and many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob (Isaiah 2:2-3).
In the same:
In that day a great trumpet shall be blown, and the perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness at Jerusalem (Isaiah 27:13).
In Joel:
Blow ye the trumpet in 2Zion, and cry aloud in the mountain of holiness (Joel 2:1).
In Daniel:
Let thine anger and Thy wrath be turned back from Thy city Jerusalem, the mountain of Thy Holiness (Daniel 9:16).
In Isaiah:
They shall bring all your brethren out of all nations unto Jehovah, unto the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:20).
He that putteth His trust in Me shall have the land for a heritage, and shall possess as an inheritance the mountain of My holiness (Isaiah 57:13).
In Ezekiel:
In the mountain of My holiness, in the mountain of the height of Israel, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me (Ezekiel 20:40).
In Micah:
In the latter end of days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and the peoples shall flow unto it (Micah 4:1).
Besides many passages elsewhere in which "the mountain of holiness," "Mount Zion," and "the mountain of Jehovah" are mentioned:
The mountain of holiness (Isaiah 11:9; 56:7; 65:11, 65:25; Jeremiah 26:23; Ezekiel 28:14; Daniel 9:20; 11:45; Joel 2:11; 3:17; Obadiah 1:16; Zephaniah 3:11;Zechariah 8:3; Psalms 15:1; 43:3).
And Mount Zion (Isaiah 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:32; Joel 3:5; Obad. verses Obadiah 1:17, 1:21; Micah 4:7; Lamentations 5:18; Psalms 48:11; 74:2; 78:68; 125:1).
Because "Mount Zion" signified Divine good and the church in respect to Divine good, it is said in Isaiah:
Send ye [the lamb of] the ruler of the land from the cliff towards the wilderness unto the mountain of the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 16:1).
And in Revelation:
A lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand (Revelation 14:1).
[27] From this it can also be seen why the New Jerusalem, in which was a temple, was seen by Ezekiel built upon a high mountain, respecting which it is thus written:
In the visions of God I was brought unto the land of Israel; he set me down upon a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the building of a city on the south (Ezekiel 40:2).
Respecting this, much is said in the chapters that follow. In David:
Great is Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness; beautiful in situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces as a refuge (Psalms 48:1-3).
This describes the worship of the Lord from truths that are from good. The worship of Him from spiritual truths and goods and the consequent pleasure of the soul is signified by "Great is Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly in the city of our God, in the mountain of His Holiness, beautiful for situation;" worship is meant by "to be great," and "to be praised exceedingly;" spiritual truth that is from spiritual good by "in the city of our God, the mountain of His Holiness;" and the consequent pleasure of the soul by "beautiful for situation;" the worship of the Lord from celestial goods and truths is described by "the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king;" worship from celestial good is meant by "the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion;" and truths from that good by "on the sides of the north, the city of the great King;" "the sides of the north" meaning truths from celestial good, and "the city of the great King" the doctrine of truth therefrom. That truths are inscribed on those who are in celestial good is signified by "God is known in her palaces." "The sides of the north" signify truths from celestial good, because those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell in the east in heaven; and those who are in truths from that good, towards the north there.
[28] In Isaiah:
O Lucifer, thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of the meeting, on the sides of the north (Isaiah 14:13).
"Lucifer" means Babylon, as is evident from what precedes and follows in this chapter; its love of ruling over heaven and the church is described by "I will ascend into the heavens, and will exalt my throne above the stars of God;" which means a striving for dominion over those heavens that constitute the Lord's spiritual kingdom, for truths and the knowledges of truth appear to such as stars; "I will sit on the mount of meeting, on the sides of the north" signifies a striving for dominion over the heavens that constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom, "the mount of meeting" and "the sides of the north" meaning the goods and truths there (as above). The fact that Mount Zion and Jerusalem were built as far as possible according to the form of heaven makes clear what the words cited above from David signify, "Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great king;" and the words from Isaiah, "The mount of meeting on the sides of the north."
[29] In Isaiah:
Sennacherib the king of Assyria said, By the multitude of my chariots I will come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; where I will cut down the height of its cedars, the choice of its fir trees (Isaiah 37:24).
This describes, in the internal sense, the haughtiness of those who wish to destroy the goods and truths of the church by reasonings from falsities; "the king of Assyria" signifies the rational perverted; "the multitude of his chariots" signifies reasonings from the falsities of doctrine; "to come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and to cut down the height of its cedars, and the choice of its fir trees" signifies the endeavor to destroy the goods and truths of the church, both internal and external; "mountains" meaning the goods of the church, "the sides of Lebanon" meaning where goods are conjoined with truths, "Lebanon" the spiritual church, "cedars" its internal truths which are from good, and "fir trees" its external truths, also from good. This is the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense, consequently in heaven.
[30] "Mountain" and "mountains" signify the goods of love and of charity in the following passages also. In David:
Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to spring forth upon the mountains (Psalms 147:8).
"The clouds," with which Jehovah covers the heavens, signify external truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; for the truths in that sense are called in the Word "clouds," while the truths in the internal sense are called "glory;" "the heavens" mean internal truths, because those who are in the heavens are in them; "the rain which he prepares for the earth" signifies influx of truth, "the earth" meaning the church, and thus those there who receive truth, for the church consists of such; "the mountains on which He makes grass to spring forth" signify the goods of love, and thence those who are in the goods of love, "grass" signifying the spiritual nourishment that such have; for grass for beasts is meant, and "beasts" signify the affections of good of the natural man.
[31] In Moses:
Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be the land [of Joseph] for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath, for the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the hills of an age (Deuteronomy 33:13-15).
This is the blessing of Joseph, or of the tribe named from Joseph by Moses; and this blessing was pronounced upon Joseph because "Joseph" signifies the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the heaven there that most nearly communicates with the Lord's celestial kingdom; "the land of Joseph" means that heaven, and also the church that consists of those who will be in that heaven; "the precious things of heaven, the dew, and the deep that lieth beneath" signify Divine-spiritual and spiritual-natural things from a celestial origin, "the precious things of heaven" Divine-spiritual things, "the dew" spiritual things communicating, and "the deep that lieth beneath" spiritual-natural things; "the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and the precious things of the hills of an age" signify genuine goods, both of the love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, "the mountains of the east" meaning the goods of love to the Lord, "the firstfruits" genuine goods, and "the hills of an age" the goods of charity towards the neighbor. Those who are ignorant of what is represented by "Joseph" and "his tribe," and also by "dew," "the deep that lieth beneath," "the mountains of the east," and "the hills of an age," can know scarcely anything of what such words involve, and, in general, can know scarcely anything of the significance of what is said by Moses in this whole chapter respecting the tribes of Israel, and of what is said by Israel the father in Genesis 49.
[32] In Matthew:
Ye are the light of the world; a city 3that is set on a mountain cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14).
This was said to the disciples, by whom the church which is in truths from good is meant; therefore it is said, "Ye are the light of the world," "the light of the world" meaning the truth of the church. That it is not the truth unless it is from good is signified by "a city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid," "a city on a mountain" meaning truth from good.
[33] In the same:
If any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, will he not leave the ninety and nine in the mountains, and going seek that which is gone astray? (Matthew 18:12).
It is said, "will he not leave the ninety and nine in the mountains?" for "sheep in the mountains" signify those who are in the good of love and charity; but "the one that is gone astray" signifies one who is not in that good, because he is in falsities from ignorance; for where falsity is, there good is not, because good is of truth.
[34] In the Gospels:
When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the roof not go down into the house (Mark 13:14; Matthew 24:15-17; Luke 21:21).
In those chapters the Lord describes the successive vastation of the church, but it is described by pure correspondences. "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation" signifies when the disciples, that is, those who are in truths from good, perceive the church to be devastated, which takes place when there is no longer any truth because there is no good, or no faith because there is no charity; "then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains" signifies that those who are of the Lord's church are to remain in the good of love, "Judea" signifying the Lord's church, and "mountains" the goods of love; "to flee to them" means to remain in those goods; "let him that is on the roof not go down into the house" signifies that he that is in genuine truths should remain in them, "house" signifying a man in respect to all the interior things which belong to his mind, and "the roof of the house" signifying therefore the intelligence that is from genuine truths, thus also the genuine truths through which there is intelligence. Unless the particulars of what the Lord said in these chapters of the Gospels are illustrated by the spiritual sense, scarcely anything that is contained there can be known, thus when it is said "let him that is on the roof not go down into the house;" or in another place, "let not him that is in the field return back to take his garments;" and many other things.
[35] Thus far it has been shown that "mountains" signify in the Word the goods of love; but as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do "mountains," which in that sense signify the evils of the love, or the evils that spring forth from the loves of self and the world. Mountains are mentioned in this sense in the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
The day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up (Isaiah 2:12, 14).
"The day of Jehovah of Hosts" means the Last Judgment, when the evil were cast down from the mountains and hills which they occupied in the spiritual world, as was said in the beginning of this article. It is because such before the Last Judgment dwelt upon mountains and hills, that "mountains and hills" mean the loves and the evils therefrom in which they were, "mountains" the evils of the love of self, and "hills" the evils of the love of the world. It is to be known that all who are in the love of self, especially those who are in the love of ruling, when they come into the spiritual world, are in the greatest eagerness to raise themselves into high places; this desire is inherent in that love; and this is why "to be of a high or elated mind" and "to aspire to high things" have become expressions in common use. The reason itself that there is this eagerness in the love of ruling is that they wish to make themselves gods, and God is in things highest. That "mountains and hills" signify these loves, and thence the evils of these loves, is clear from its being said, "a day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;" what else could be meant by "coming upon the mountains and hills?"
[36] In the same:
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make level a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isaiah 40:3-4).
This, too, treats of the Lord's coming and of the Last Judgment at that time; and "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, and a highway for our God," signifies that they should prepare themselves to receive the Lord; "wilderness" signifying where there is no good because there is no truth, thus where there is as yet no church; "every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low" signifies that all who are humble in heart, that is, all who are in goods and truths, are received, for such as are received by the Lord are raised up to heaven; while "every mountain and hill shall be made low" signifies that all who are elated in mind, that is, who are in the love of self and the world, shall be put down.
[37] In Ezekiel:
For I will make the land a desolation and wasteness, that the pride of strength may cease; and the mountains of Israel have been laid waste, that none may pass through (Ezekiel 33:28).
This describes the desolation and vastation of the spiritual church, which the Israelites represented; for the Jews represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the celestial church, while the Israelites represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual church. Its "desolation and vastation" signifies the last state of the spiritual church, which was when there was no longer any truth because there was no good, or, when there was no faith because no charity; "desolation" is predicated of truth which is of faith, and "vastation" of good which is of charity. Boasting and elation of mind from falsities that they call truths, is signified by "the pride of strength," "strength" and "power" having reference to truths from good, because all strength and all power belong to such truths; here, however, they have reference to falsities, because of the boasting and elation of mind. That there was no longer any good of charity and faith is signified by "the mountains of Israel have been laid waste;" that there was no good whatever, but only evil, is signified by "that none may pass through."
[38] In the same:
Son of man, set thy faces toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovih; Thus said the Lord Jehovih to the mountains and to the hills, to the water-courses and to the valleys: Behold I bring the sword upon you (Ezekiel 6:2-3).
Here, too, "mountains of Israel" signify the evils that proceed from the love of self and of the world, which exist with those who are in the spiritual church, when they no longer have any good of life, but only evil of life and the falsity of doctrine therefrom; "mountains," "hills," "water-courses," and "valleys," signify all things of the church, both interior or spiritual and exterior or natural, "mountains and hills" signifying things interior or spiritual, "water-courses and valleys" things exterior or natural; that these will perish through falsities is signified by "Behold I will bring the sword upon you," "sword" meaning the destruction of falsity by truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, the destruction of truth by falsities.
[39] In the same:
In the day in which God shall come upon the ground of Israel, the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and every man who is upon the faces of the ground, shall quake before Me, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the earth; then I will call for the sword against him unto all My mountains (400, where it is explained, namely, what is signified by "God," by "the fishes of the sea," "the fowl of the heavens," "the wild beast of the field," "the creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground;" also that "the mountains of Israel" signify the goods of spiritual love, but here, the evils of love that are opposed to those goods.
[40] In Micah:
Arise, strive thou with the mountains, that the hills may hear thy 4voice. Hear, O ye mountains, the strife of Jehovah, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a strife with His people, and He reproveth Israel (Micah 6:1, 2).
This, too, was said of the spiritual church, which was represented by the Israelites when separated from the Jews; and "mountains" mean the goods of charity, and "hills" the goods of faith; but here, the evils and falsities that are the opposites of these goods; therefore, it is said, "strive thou with the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice;" "the strong foundations of the earth" mean the principles of falsity in that church, "the earth" meaning the church, and "foundations" the principles upon which the other things are founded. It is said, "with His people," "with Israel," because "people" means those who are in truths, or those who are in falsities; and "Israel" those who are in goods, or those who are in evils.
[41] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out the hand against thee, and roll thee down from the cliffs, and will make thee a mountain of burning (400, where the particulars are explained; showing that "mountains and hills" here mean the evils of the love of self and the world.
[42] In Micah:
Jehovah going forth out of His place cometh down and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. Therefore the mountains are melted under Him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a descent; on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel (Micah 1:3-5).
This, too, was said of the Last Judgment, and of those who then made for themselves a semblance of heaven upon the mountains and hills (who have been treated of above, in several places). The Last Judgment is meant by "Jehovah going forth out of His place, He cometh down and treadeth upon the high places of the earth," "upon the high places of the earth" signifying upon those who were in the high places, that is, upon whom judgment was executed, for in the spiritual world, just as in the natural world, there are lands, mountains, hills, and valleys. The destruction of those who are upon the mountains and in the valleys, who are such as are in evils from the love of self and the world and in the falsities therefrom, is signified by "the mountains are melted under Him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a descent," "mountains" signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and "valleys" the falsities therefrom; of these evils of the loves of self and of the world that are signified by "mountains" it is said that they are melted "as wax before the fire," since "fire" signifies those loves; and of the falsities that are signified by "valleys" it is said "as waters poured down a descent," since "waters" signify falsities. This was evidently because of evils and falsities, for it is said, "on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel."
[43] In Jeremiah:
I saw the earth, and lo, it is void and empty; and towards the heavens, and they have no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quake, and all the hills are overturned. I saw, and lo, there is no man, and every fowl of heaven hath fled away (Jeremiah 4:23-25).
"The quaking of the mountains" signifies the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of self, and "the overturning of the hills," the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of the world, and in falsities. (The remainder may be seen explained above, n. Isaiah 64:1).
These words have a similar signification as those in Micah (1:3-5) which have been explained above.
[44] In David:
Bow Thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains that they may smoke. Flash forth the lightning and scatter them (Psalms 144:5-6.
"To bow the heavens and come down," means the like as "to rend the heavens and come down," "to go forth out of His place, and to come down and tread upon the high places of the earth," quoted above, namely, to visit and judge; "to touch the mountains that they may smoke" signifies to destroy by His presence those who are in the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and in falsities therefrom; "to smoke" signifies to be let into the evils of these loves and into their falsities, for "fire" signifies these loves, and "smoke" their falsities; "flash forth the lightning and scatter them" signifies the Divine truth by which they are dispersed, for it is by the presence of Divine truth that evils and falsities are disclosed, and from the collision then there are appearances like lightnings.
[45] In Moses:
A fire hath been kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn even unto the lowest hell, and it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set in flames the foundations of the mountains (304, where it may be seen what is signified by "the mountains are moved in the heart of the seas," and "the mountains shall quake in the uprising," namely, that the evils of the loves of self and of the world will cause distress according to their increase.
[46] In Isaiah:
The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath upon all their host; He hath devoted them, He hath given them to the slaughter, that their slain may be cast forth; and the stink of their carcasses shall come up, and the mountains shall be melted by their blood (Isaiah 34:2-3).
This is said of the Last Judgment; and "the anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath upon all their host" signifies the destruction and damnation of all who are in evils and their falsities from purpose and from the heart; "nations" signifying these evils, and "host" all falsities therefrom. That such are to be damned and that they will perish is signified by "He hath devoted them, and hath given them to the slaughter." The damnation of those who will perish through falsities is signified by "their slain shall be cast forth;" those are said in the Word "to have been slain" who have perished through falsities; and "to be cast forth" signifies to be damned. The damnation of those who would perish by evils is signified by "the stink of their carcasses shall come up;" those are called in the Word "carcasses" who have perished by evils, and "stink" signifies their damnation; "the mountains shall be melted by their blood" signifies that evils of the loves with such are full of falsities, "mountains" meaning the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and "blood" falsity.
[47] In the same:
I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (Isaiah 42:15).
"To make waste mountains and hills" signifies to destroy all the good of love to the Lord and towards the neighbor; "to dry up every herb" signifies the consequent destruction of all truths, "herb" signifying truths springing from good; "to make the rivers islands, and to dry up the pools" signifies to annihilate all the understanding and perception of truth, "rivers" signifying intelligence which is of truth, "islands" where there is no intelligence, "pools" the perception of truth. The understanding of truth is from the light of truth, but the perception of truth is from the heat or love of truth.
[48] In the same:
Behold, O Jacob, I have made thee into a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth, that thou mayest thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them (374-375; here therefore because evils and falsities are what are to be crushed and broken up it is said "a threshing instrument having sharp teeth, that thou mayest thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff," which signifies the destruction of the evils arising from the love of self and the world, and of the falsities therefrom; and it is added "thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them," which signifies that they shall be of no account; both "wind" and "tempest" are mentioned because both evils and falsities are meant, "wind" having reference to truths, and in the contrary sense to falsities, and "tempest" to the evils of falsity.
[49] In the same:
The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but My mercy shall not depart from with thee (Isaiah 54:10).
"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed," does not mean that the mountains and hills that are on the earth are to depart and be removed, but those who are in evil loves and in falsities therefrom, for this chapter treats of the nations from which a new church is to be formed, therefore "mountains and hills" mean, in particular, those of the former church, consequently the Jews with whom were mere evils of falsity and falsities of evil, because they were in the loves of self and of the world.
[50] In Jeremiah:
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are laid waste so that no man passeth through (Jeremiah 9:10).
"The mountains" for which there is weeping and wailing, mean evils of every kind springing forth from the two loves just mentioned; and "the habitations of the wilderness" signify falsities therefrom, for "wilderness" signifies where there is no good because there is no truth, and "habitations" where falsities are; so here the "habitations of the wilderness" mean the falsities from the evils above described; that there is no good and truth whatever is meant by "they are laid waste so that no man passeth through." Where vastation is treated of in the Word, it is customary to say, "so that no man passeth through," and it signifies that there is no longer any truth, and consequently no intelligence. It is evident that it is not mountains and habitations of the wilderness for which there is weeping and wailing.
[51] In the same:
My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to err, the mountains have turned away; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place (Jeremiah 50:6).
In Ezekiel:
My sheep go astray on all the mountains and upon every exalted hill; and My sheep were scattered upon all the faces of the earth, and there is none that enquireth or seeketh (Ezekiel 34:6).
That "the sheep have gone from mountain to hill," and that "they go astray on all the mountains and upon every exalted hill" signifies that they seek goods and truths, but do not find them, but that evils and falsities are seized upon instead. "The mountains have turned away" signifies that instead of goods there are evils.
[52] In Jeremiah:
Give glory to Jehovah your 5God, before He cause darkness and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight (65, 69 and Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952)
[53] In the Gospels:
Jesus saith unto the disciples, Have the faith of God; verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto [this] mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, what he hath said shall be done for him (Mark 11:22-23; Matthew 17:20).
One who is ignorant of the arcana of heaven and of the spiritual sense of the Word, might believe that the Lord said this, not of saving faith, but of another faith that is called historical and miraculous; but the Lord said this of saving faith, which faith makes one with charity and is wholly from the Lord, therefore the Lord calls this faith "the faith of God;" and because it is by this faith, which is the faith of charity from Him, that the Lord removes all evils flowing from the loves of self and of the world and casts them into hell from which they came, so He says, "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, what he hath said shall he done;" for "mountain" signifies the evils of those loves, and "sea" signifies hell; therefore "to say to a mountain, Be thou taken up," signifies the removal of those evils, and "to be cast into the sea" signifies to be cast into the hell from which they came. Because of this signification of "mountain" and "sea," this came to be a common expression with the ancients when the power of faith was the subject of discourse; not that that power can cast the mountains on the earth into the sea, but it can cast out the evils that are from hell.
Moreover, the mountains in the spiritual world upon which the evil dwell are often overturned and cast down by faith from the Lord; for when the evils with such are cast down, the mountains upon which they dwell are also cast down, as has been several times said before; and this has often been seen by me. That no other faith than the faith of charity from the Lord is here meant is evident from what follows in the Lord's discourse in Mark, where it is said:
Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever that praying ye ask for, believe that ye are to receive, and it shall be done for you. But when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any, that your Father also who is in the heavens may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye shall not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:24-26).
This makes evident that "the faith of God," of which the Lord here speaks, is the faith of charity, that is, the faith that makes one with charity, and is therefore wholly from the Lord. Moreover, the Lord said these things to the disciples when they supposed that they could do miracles from their own faith, thus from themselves; nevertheless such things are done by faith from the Lord, thus by the Lord (as is also evident from Matthew 17:19, 20, where like things are said).
[54] Because "mountains" signified the goods of celestial love, and "hills" the goods of spiritual love, the ancients, with whom the church was representative, had their Divine worship upon mountains and hills, and Zion was upon a mountain, and Jerusalem on mountainous places below it. But that the Jews and Israelites, who were given to idolatry, might not turn Divine worship into idolatrous worship, it was commanded them that they should have their worship in Jerusalem only, and not elsewhere; but because they were idolaters at heart they were not content to have their worship in Jerusalem, but after a custom of the nations derived from the ancients they everywhere held worship upon mountains and hills, and sacrificed and burnt incense thereon; and because this was idolatrous with them, worship from evils and falsities was signified by their worship upon other mountains and hills; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Upon a mountain high and lifted up hast thou set thy bed; thither also wentest thou up to sacrifice sacrifices (Isaiah 57:7).
In Hosea:
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills (Hosea 4:13).
In Jeremiah:
Backsliding Israel is gone away upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and thou hast played the harlot (Jeremiah 3:6).
"To play the harlot" signifies to falsify worship; that this was idolatrous, is evident from these words in Moses:
Ye shall destroy the places wherein the nations served their gods, upon the mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree (Deuteronomy 12:2).
In these passages, therefore, worship upon mountains and hills signifies worship from evils and falsities. From this, also, it came that the nations in Greece placed Helicon on a high mountain, and Parnassus on a hill below it, and believed that their gods and goddesses dwelt there; this was derived from the ancients in Asia, and especially those in the land of Canaan, who were not far away, with whom all worship consisted of representatives.
[55] It is said in the Gospels:
The devil took Jesus up into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and tempted Him there (201, 293, 302.)
Footnotes:
1. Hebrew has "God," which we find in AC 8331; in his own copy of TCR he corrected the reading n. 303 of "King" in the margin to "God." The reading "King" is found in AE 365, 612; also AR 306, 478; AC 3780.
2. The photolithograph has "out of;" Hebrew "in," which we also find in AE 502; AR 397.
3. The photolithograph has "light;" the Greek has "city," which is also found in AE 223; AR 194.
4. The photolithograph has "my;" for Hebrew "thy," which we also find in the text as quoted before.
5. The photolithograph has "our" twice; Hebrew has "your," which is also found in AE 526.
405. "Et omnis mons et insula e locis suis emota sunt." - Quod significet quod omne bonum amoris et verum fidei perierit, constat ex significatione "montis", quod sit bonum amoris in Dominum (de qua sequitur); ex significatione "insulae", quod sit verum fidei (de qua in sequenti articulo); et ex significatione "emoveri locis", quod sit auferri et perire, quia intelligitur bonum amoris et verum fidei; quando enim illa emoventur locis suis, tunc succedunt mala et falsa, ac bona et vera per mala et falsa pereunt.
Quod "mons" 1
significet bonum amoris, est quia in caelo super montibus habitant qui in bono amoris in Dominum sunt, et super collibus qui in charitate erga proximum; seu quod idem, super montibus habitant qui e caelesti regno Domini sunt, et super collibus qui e spirituali regno Ipsius; et regnum caeleste distinguitur a regno spirituali in eo, quod qui e regno caelesti sunt in amore in Dominum sint, et qui e regno spirituali in charitate erga proximum; (sed de his et illis videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 20-28); inde est quod per "montem" significetur bonum amoris in Dominum.
[2] Quod bonum amoris in Dominum per "montem" abstracte intelligatur, est quia omnia quae in sensu interno Verbi sunt spiritualia sunt, et spiritualia abstracte a personis et locis intelligenda sunt; quare etiam angeli, quia spirituales, abstracte ab illis cogitant et loquuntur, et per id est illis sapientia et intelligentia; idea enim personarum et locorum finit cogitationem, nam determinat illam ad ea, et sic finit: haec idea cogitationis est proprie naturalis, idea autem abstracta a personis et locis se extendit in caelum quaquaversum, nec finitur aliter ac visus oculi dum absque obviis spectatur caelum; talis idea est proprie spiritualis; exinde est quod per "montem" in Verbi sensu spirituali significetur bonum amoris: simile est cum significatione "terrae" quod sit ecclesia; idea enim abstracta a locis et a gentibus et populis super terra, est de ecclesia ibi seu apud illos; haec ideo per "terram" in Verbo significatur: simile est cum rebus aliis quae in Verbi sensu naturali dicuntur, ut cum collibus, petris, vallibus, fluviis, maribus, urbibus, domibus, hortis, silvis, et aliis.
[3] Quod "mons" significet amorem in Dominum, et inde omne bonum quod ex illo, quod bonum caeleste vocatur, et quod in opposito sensu significet amorem sui, et inde omne malum quod ex illo, constat ex locis sequentibus in Verbo:
Apud Amos,
"Dispone te erga Deum tuum, Israel, nam ecce formator montium, et creator spiritus, et enuntians homini quae cogitatio ejus" (4:12, 13):
Deus dicitur "formator montium", quia "montes" significant bona amoris; ac "creator spiritus", quia "Spiritus" significat vitam ex illis; et quia per illa dat homini intelligentiam, additur, "et enuntians homini quae cogitatio ejus"; intelligentia enim, quae homini, est cogitationis ejus, quae influit a Domino per bonum amoris in vitam ejus; quare "enuntiare" hic est influere.
[4] Apud Davidem,
Deus "qui firmat montes virtute sua, accinctus est potentia" (Psalms 65:7 [B.A. 6]):
per "montes" hic quoque significantur bona amoris; haec Dominus in caelo et in ecclesia firmat per Divinum suum Verum, cui omnis potentia; ideo dicitur, "firmat montes virtute sua, accinctus est potentia"; per "virtutem Dei" in Verbo significatur Divinum Verum, ac per "potentiam", cum de Domino, omnis potentia seu omnipotentia. (Quod omnis potentia sit Divino Vero quod procedit a Domino, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 228-233, et supra, n. 209, 333; et quod potentia, cum de Domino, sit omnipotentia, supra, n. 338.)
[5] Apud eundem,
"Tollo oculos meos ad montes, unde Venit auxilium" (Psalms 121:1):
per "montes" hic intelliguntur caeli; et quia in caelis super montibus et collibus habitant qui in bonis amoris et charitatis sunt, ut supra dictum est, et in illis bonis est Dominus, ideo per "tollere oculos ad montes", etiam intelligitur ad Dominum, a quo omne auxilium. Cum "montes" in plurali dicuntur, intelliguntur et montes et colles; proinde tam bonum amoris in Dominum quam bonum charitatis erga proximum.
[6] Apud Esaiam,
"Erunt super omni monte alto, et super omni colle elato, rivi, ductus aquarum, in die caedis magnae, cum cadent turres" (30:25):
ultimum judicium, de quo ibi agitur, intelligitur per "diem caedis magnae cum cadent turres"; "caedes magna" est interitus malorum, "turres" quae cadent sunt falsa doctrinae quae ex amore sui et mundi; quod illa per "turres" significentur, est ex apparentiis in mundo spirituali, qui enim per talia quae ecclesiae sunt dominatum quaerunt, in altis aedificant sibi turres (de quibus videatur in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio. n. 56, 58): quod illi tunc qui in amore in Dominum et in charitate erga proximum sunt, eleventur in caelum et imbuantur intelligentia et sapientia, intelligitur per quod "erunt super omni monte alto et colle elato, rivi, ductus aquarum"; "mons altus" significat ubi sunt qui in amore in Dominum, et "collis elatus" ubi illi qui in charitate erga proximum, "rivi" significant sapientiam, et "ductus aquarum" intelligentiam, "aquae" enim sunt vera ex quibus intelligentia et sapientia.
[7] Apud Joelem,
"Fiet in die illo, stillabunt montes mustum, et colles fluent lacte, et omnes rivi Jehudae fluent aquis" (4 [B.A. 3:18) 18):
agitur ibi de adventu Domini, et de novo caelo et de nova terra tunc; et per quod "montes stillabunt mustum" intelligitur quod ex bono amoris in Dominum omne verum; per quod "colles fluent lacte" intelligitur quod ex bono charitatis erga proximum vita spiritualis; et per quod "omnes rivi Jehudae fluent aquis" intelligitur quod ex singulis Verbi vera, per quae intelligentia. (Sed haec plenius explicata videantur supra, n. 376(b).)
[8] Apud Nahum,
"En super montibus pedes evangelizantis (, proclamantis) pacem" (2:1 [B.A. 1:15]):
apud Esaiam,
"Quam jucundi sunt (super montibus) pedes evangelizantis, audire facientis pacem dicentis Zioni, Regnat 2
Rex tuus" (52:7):
apud eundem,
"Super montem altum ascende tibi, evangelizatrix Zion; extolle cum virtute vocem tuam, evangelizatrix Hierosolyma" (40:9):
haec de adventu Domini, et de salvatione eorum tunc qui in bono amoris in Ipsum sunt et inde ex Verbo in veris doctrinae; et quia de salvatione eorum agitur, ideo dicitur, "in super montibus pedes evangelizantis pacem", et "Ascende montem altum, evangelizatrix Zion"; per "evangelizare pacem" significatur praedicare adventum Domini, nam per "pacem" significatur in supremo sensu Dominus, et in sensu interno omne bonum et verum quod a Domino (videatur supra, n. 365; et per "evangelizatricem Zionem" intelligitur ecclesia quae in bono amoris in Dominum est, ac per "evangelizatricem Hierosolymam" ecclesia quae inde ex Verbo in veris doctrinae.
[9] Apud Esaiam,
"Ponam omnes montes meos in viam, et semitae meae exaltabuntur:... cantate caeli, et exulta terra, ac personate montes cantu, quia consolatus est Jehovah populum suum" (49:11, 13):
per "montes" in plurali intelliguntur et montes et colles, ita tam bonum amoris quam bonum charitatis; quod "montes et colles ponentur in viam, et semitae exaltabuntur", significat quod illi qui in illis bonis sunt, erunt in veris genuinis; "poni in viam" significat esse in veris, et "exaltari 3
semitas" significat esse in veris genuinis, "viae" enim et "semitae" significant vera, quae "exaltari" dicuntur a bono; et vera quae a bono sunt vera genuina: gaudium cordis eorum inde, significatur per "cantate caeli, exulta terra"; gaudium internum per "cantate caeli", gaudium externum per "exulta terra": confessiones ex gaudio oriundo ex bono amoris significantur per "personate montes cantu": quod hoc sit propter reformationem et regenerationem; significatur per "quia consolatus est Jehovah populum suum." Quod hic non montes in mundo intelligantur, patet; nam tunc quid foret quod montes ponerentur in viam, et quod semitae exaltabuntur, tum quod montes personarent cantu?
[10] Apud eundem,
"Cantate caeli, ... jubilate inferiora terrae, personate montes cantu, silva et omnis arbor in ea, quia redemit Jehovah Jacobum, et in Israele gloriosum Se exhibuit" (44:23):
per "cantate caeli, jubilate inferiora terrae, personate montes cantu", similia significantur quae mox supra, sed hic per "montes" significantur bona charitatis; quare etiam dicitur, "silva et omnis arbor in ea", nam per "silvam" intelligitur externus seu naturalis homo quoad omnia ejus, et per "omnem arborem" intelligitur cognitivum et scientificum ibi: reformatio eorum significatur per "Redemit Jehovah Jacobum, et in Israele gloriosum Se exhibuit"; per "Jacobum" et "Israelem" intelligitur ecclesia externa et interna, ita externum et internum apud illos in quibus ecclesia.
[11] Apud eundem,
"Montes et colles personabunt... cantu, et omnes arbores agri complodent manum" (55:12):
apud Davidem,
"Laudate Jehovam... montes et colles, arbor fructus, et omnes cedri" (Ps. 148 [7,] 9, 9):
in his describitur gaudium cordis ex bono amoris et charitatis, et dicuntur "montes", "colles", "arbores", "cedri", "personare cantu", "complodere manum", et "laudare", quia per illa significantur bona et vera, quae faciunt gaudia apud hominem; homo enim non gaudet ex se, sed ex bonis et veris quae apud illum; haec gaudent, quia faciunt homini gaudium.
[12] Apud Esaiam,
"Extollent vocem desertum, et urbes ejus, et villae quas inhabitat Arabia, cantent habitatores petrae, e capite montium clament" (42:11):
per "desertum" significatur obscurum veri, per "urbes ejus" significantur doctrinalia, per "villas" cognitiones et scientifica naturalia, per "Arabiam" significatur naturalis homo, nam Arabs in deserto est naturalis homo, per "habitatores petrae" significantur bona fidei seu illi qui in bonis fidei, per "caput montium" significatur bonum amoris in Dominum; inde patet quid singula in ordine significant, nempe confessionem et cultum laetum ex bono amoris in illis quae memorata sunt, nam "clamare e capite montium" est ex bono amoris colere.
[13] Apud Davidem,
"Mons Dei mons Baschanis, mons collium mons Baschanis; quare subsilitis montes, colles montis? Desiderat Deus inhabitare illum, etiam Jehovah habitabit in perpetuum" (Psalms 68:16, 17 [B.A. 68:15, 16]);
per "montem Baschanis" significatur bonum voluntarium quale est apud illos qui in externis ecclesiae sunt; Baschan enim erat regio trans Jordanem, quae dimidiae tribui Menassis data erat in hereditatem (videatur Josuae caput 13:29-32), et per "Menassen" significatur bonum voluntarium externi seu naturalis hominis; bonum hoc voluntarium idem est cum bono amoris in externo homine, nam omne bonum amoris est voluntatis, et omne verum inde est intellectus; quare per "Ephraimum" fratrem ejus significatur verum intellectuale illius boni: quia per "montem Baschanis" illud bonum significatur, ideo per "colles" montis illius significantur bona actu: quia voluntas agit, est enim omne activum animi et corporis ex voluntate, sicut est omne activum cogitationis et sermonis ex intellectu, ideo gaudium oriundum ex bono amoris describitur et intelligitur per "saltare" et "subsilire": inde patet quid significatur per "Mons Dei mons Baschanis, mons collium mons Baschanis; quare subsilitis montes, colles montis?" Quia Dominus apud hominem habitat in ejus bono voluntario, unde bona actu, ideo dicitur, "Desiderat Deus inhabitare illum, etiam Jehovah habitabit in perpetuum."
[14] Apud eundem,
"Factus est Jehudah in sanctuarium" Jehovae", (et Israel in dominia Ipsius, ) mare vidit et fugit, Jordan avertit se retrorsum, montes saltarunt sicut arietes, colles sicut filii gregis: quid tibi mare, quod fugis Jordan, avertis te retrorsum? montes, saltatis sicut arietes? colles, sicut filii gregis? A coram Domino parturis terra, a coram Deo Jacobi, qui convertit petram in stagnum aquarum, silicem in fontem aquarum" ( 4
ita describitur exitus filiorum Israelis ex Aegypto; attamen absque explicatione per sensum internum nemo scire potest quid significant, quod tunc "montes saltaverint sicut arietes, et colles sicut filii gregis", tum quid intelligitur per "mare vidit et fugit, et Jordan avertit se retrorsum"; quare explicabitur. Intelligitur in sensu interno instauratio ecclesiae, seu regeneratio hominum ecclesiae; ecclesia enim, quae instauranda, significatur per "filios Israelis", instauratio per "exitum" illorum, discussio malorum per "transitum per mare Suph", de quo dicitur quod "fugerit", et introductio in ecclesiam per "transitum super Jordanem", de quo dicitur quod "averterit se." Sed ad singula: quod "Jehudah factus sit in sanctuarium, et Israel in dominia", significat quod bonum amoris in Dominum sit ipsum sanctum caeli et ecclesiae, et quod verum ex illo bono sit per quod regimen; per "Jehudam" enim significatur bonum caeleste quod est bonum amoris in Dominum, per "sanctuarium" ipsum sanctum caeli et ecclesiae, per "Israelem" bonum spirituale quod est verum ex illo bono, per quod regimen; nam Divino Vero procedenti ex Divino Bono est omne regimen Domino: per "mare vidit et fugit, Jordan avertit se retrorsum", significatur quod discussis malis et falsis quae in naturali homine, successerint vera scientifica et cognitiones veri et boni; "montes saltarunt sicut arietes, colles sicut filii gregis", significat quod bonum caeleste, quod est bonum amoris, ac bonum spirituale quod est verum ex illo bono, ex gaudio faciant bona seu edant effectum; "montes" significant bonum amoris, "colles" bona charitatis, quae in sua essentia sunt vera ex illo bono; "saltare", quia de illis, significat ex gaudio facere bona; dicitur "sicut arietes et sicut filii gregis", quia "arietes" significant bona charitatis et "filii gregis" vera inde: instauratio ecclesiae ab illis, seu regeneratio hominum ecclesiae, significatur per "coram Deo parturis terra, coram Deo Jacobi, qui convertit petram in stagnum aquarum et silicem in fontem aquarum"; "terra" est ecclesia, et illa "parturire" dicitur quum instauratur seu homo ecclesiae e novo generatur; "coram Domino" et "coram Deo Jacobi" dicitur, quoniam ubi de bono amoris agitur Dominus in Verbo dicitur "Dominus", et cum de bonis actu "Deus Jacobi": regeneratio per vera ex bono, significatur per "convertit petram in stagnum aquarum et silicem in fontem aquarum"; per "stagnum aquarum", significantur cognitiones veri, et per "fontem aquarum" significatur Verbum ex quo illae, et per "petram" naturalis homo quoad verum ante reformationem, et per "Silicem" naturalis homo quoad bonum ante reformationem.
[15] Apud eundem,
"Vitem ex Aegypto proficisci fecisti, expulisti gentes, et plantasti eam, ... operti sunt montes umbra ejus, et ramis ejus cedri Dei" (Psalms 80:9, 11 [B.A. 80:8, 10]):
per "vitem ex Aegypto" significatur ecclesia spiritualis, quae incipit apud hominem per scientifica et cognitiones in naturali homine; "vitis" est ecclesia spiritualis, et "Aegyptus" est scientificum quod in naturali homine: per "expulisti gentes, et plantasti eam", significatur quod postquam mala inde ejecta sunt ecclesia instaurata sit; "gentes" sunt mala, et "plantare vitem" est instaurare illam ecclesiam; per "operti sunt montes umbra ejus, et ramis ejus cedri Dei", significatur quod tota ex bonis et veris spiritualibus; "montes" sunt bona spiritualia, et "cedri Dei" sunt vera spiritualia. Quod eductio filiorum Israelis ex Aegypto, et introductio in terram Canaanem unde expulsae sunt gentes, per haec intelligantur, patet; sed usque per eadem illa in sensu interno intelliguntur quae explicata sunt; nec aliud per introductionem filiorum Israelis in terram Canaanem, et per expulsionem gentium inde, repraesentatum et significatum est; omnia enim historica Verbi aeque ac prophetica ejus involvunt spiritualia.
[16] Apud Esaiam,
"Omnes montes qui sarculo sarrientur, non veniet eo timor senticeti et vepreti, sed erit missio bovis et calcatio ovis" (7:25):
per "montes qui sarculo sarrientur" intelliguntur qui ex amore boni faciunt bona. (Quid per cetera significatur videatur supra. n. 304(c), ubi explicata sunt.) Apud eundem,
"Producam ex Jacobo semen, et ex Jehudah heredem montium meorum, ut possideant eum electi mei, et servi mei habitent ibi" (65:9):
per "Jacobum" et per "Jehudam" significatur ecclesia, per "Jacobum" ecclesia externa quae in cognitionibus boni et veri, et per "Jehudam" ecclesia (interna) quae in bono amoris in Dominum; quare per "semen ex Jacobo" significantur cognitiones boni et veri, et inde ii qui in illis sunt; per "montes" quorum heredes ex Jehudah, significatur bonum amoris in Dominum, et inde ii qui in illo; per "electos" qui possidebunt montem significantur qui in bono sunt, et per "servos" qui in veris ex bono.
[17] Apud Jeremiam,
"Reducam" filios Israelis "super terram eorum...; ecce Ego mittens ad piscatores multos qui piscabuntur illos, et mittam ad multos venatores qui venabuntur eos super omni monte, et desuper omni colle, et ex foraminibus petrarum" (16:15, 16):
agitur ibi de instauratione ecclesiae novae, quae repraesentabatur et significabatur per reductionem Judaeorum e captivitate e terra Babelis in terra Canaanem. Qui non scit quid significat "piscari" et "venari", quid "mons", "collis" et "foramina petrarum", non aliquid colliget ex illis verbis quam tale quod usque non capitur: quod ex illis instauranda sit ecclesia, qui in bono naturali et in bono spirituali sunt, intelligitur per "Mittam piscatores qui piscabuntur illos, et venatores qui venabuntur illos"; congregare illos qui in bono naturali sunt, intelligitur per "mittere piscatores qui piscabuntur illos"; et congregare illos qui in bono spirituali sunt, intelligitur per "venatores qui venabuntur illos": quia illi intelliguntur, etiam dicitur "desuper omni monte, et desuper omni colle, et ex foraminibus petrarum"; per illos qui "super monte" intelliguntur qui in bono amoris, qui "super colle" qui in bono charitatis, et qui "ex foraminibus petrarum" qui in obscuris veri.
[18] Apud Ezechielem,
"Vos montes Israelis, dabitis ramum vestrum, et fructum vestrum feretis populo meo Israeli, cum appropinquant venire" (36:8):
per "montes Israelis" significantur bona charitatis; quod inde vera fidei et bona vitae, significatur per "dabitis ramum vestrum, et fructum vestrum feretis" ("ramus" est verum fidei, et "fructus" est bonum vitae).
[19] Apud Amos,
"Ecce dies Venientes, ... ut attingat arans metentem, et calcans uvas distrahentem (semen), et stillent montes mustum, et omnes colles diffluant; nam reducam captivitatem populi mei" (9:13, 14):
quid per haec significatur, videatur supra (n. 376(b)), ubi explicata sunt; "montes" dicuntur "stillare mustum", et "colles diffluere", quia per "montes" significatur bonum amoris in Dominum, et per "colles", bonum charitatis erga proximum, ac per "mustum" vera; et inde per illa verba, quod ex utroque illo bono erunt illis vera in abundantia; nam per reductionem populi ex captivitate, de qua illa dicuntur, significatur instauratio novae ecclesiae.
[20] Apud Davidem,
Jehovah, justitia tua sicut montes Dei, judicia tua sicut abyssus magna (Psalms 36:7 [B.A. 6]):
quia "justitia" in Verbo dicitur de bono, ac "judicium de vero, ideo dicitur quod "justitia Jehovae sit sicut montes Dei, et judicia Ipsius sicut abyssus magna": "montes Dei" enim significant bonum charitatis, et "abyssus" significat vera in communi, quae vera fidei vocantur.
(Quod "justitia" dicatur de bono, et "judicium" de vero, videatur n. 2235, 9857.)
[21] Apud eundem,
Jehovah "fundavit terram super basibus suis, ... abysso sicut Veste obvelasti eam, super montibus stant aquae; ab increpatione tua fugiunt, a voce tonitrui tui proripiunt se; ascendunt montes, descendunt valles ad locum quem fundasti illis, limitem posuisti, non transeunt, non revertuntur ad obtegendum terram. Qui emittit fontes in fluvios, inter montes eant.... Qui irrigat montes de conclavibus suis; de fructu operum tuorum saturatur terra" (Psalms 104:5-10, 13):
describitur per haec in sensu spirituali intellecta processus regenerationis, seu formationis ecclesiae apud hominem: et per "fundavit terram super basibus suis" significatur quod ecclesiam apud hominem cum suis terminis et clausuris: per "abysso sicut veste obvelasti eam" significatur quod scientificis in naturali homine, quo interiora ejus, ubi ecclesiae spiritualia resident, circumdata sunt: "abyssus" significat scientifica in communi, et "vestis" significat vera scientifica ambientia et induentia: per "super montibus stant aquae" significatur quod falsa super jucundis amorum naturalium, quae jucunda in se sunt mala; "montes" sunt mala illorum amorum, et "aquae" sunt falsa inde: quod "ab increpatione tua fugiant, a voce tonitrui tui proripiant se", significat quod falsa per vera, ac mala per bona e caelo dissipentur: per "ascendunt montes, et descendunt valles ad locum quem fundasti illis", significatur quod loco amorum naturalium et malorum ex illis insertentur amores caelestes et bona ex illis, et loco falsorum immittantur vera communia: per "limitem posuisti, non transeunt, non revertuntur ad obtegendum terram", significatur quod falsa et mala teneantur extra, separata a veris et bonis, et limitata ne reinfluant et perdant: per "emittit fontes in fluvios, inter montes eant", significatur quod Dominus ex Verbi veris det intelligentiam, cujus omnia ex bono amoris caelestis sunt; per "fontes" significantur Verbi vera, per "fontes immissos in fluvios" significatur intelligentia inde, et per "inter montes eant" significatur quod ex bonis amoris caelestis ("montes" sunt illa bona): per "qui irrigat montes e conclavibus suis" significatur quod omnia bona per vera ex caelo; "irrigare" dicitur de veris quia "aquae" sunt vera, "montes" sunt bona amoris, et "conclavia" sunt caeli unde illa: per "de fructu operum tuorum saturatur terra" significatur quod ex Divina operatione continue crescat ecclesia apud hominem; "fructus operum", cum de Domino, est Divina operatio, et "terra" est ecclesia apud hominem, de cujus formatione actum est; et haec "saturari" dicitur per continuam crescentiam. Haec arcana sunt quae in illis verbis recondita sunt; sed quis videt illa nisi sciat illa ex sensu interno, et nisi in cognitionibus sit, hic nisi in cognitione de homine interno et externo, ac de bonis et veris quae faciunt ecclesiam in illis?
[22] Apud Sachariam,
"Sustuli oculos meos et Vidi, cum ecce quatuor currus exeuntes inter... montes, et montes montes aeris" (6:1):
agitur in eo capite de instauranda nova ecclesia apud gentes, nam agitur de novo templo, per quod significatur nova ecclesia: per "currus exeuntes ab inter montes", significatur doctrina quae formanda ex bono per vera; "currus" significant doctrinalia, "montes" bona amoris, "inter montes" significat vera ex bonis, nam "valles" quae sunt "inter montes" significant vera inferiora, quae sunt vera naturalis hominis: ut sciatur quod per "montes" significentur bona naturalis hominis, ideo dicitur "et montes montes aeris"; "aes" significat bonum naturalis hominis.
[23] Apud Sachariam,
"Jehovah exibit et pugnabit contra gentes stabunt pedes Ipsius in die illo super Monte Olivarum ante facies Hierosolymae ab oriente, et diffindetur Mons Olivarum, pars ejus versus ortum et versus mare valle magna, et recedet pars montis versus septentrionem, et pars ejus versus meridiem; tunc fugietis per vallem montium meorum, et pertinget vallis montium versus Azal" (14:3-5):
haec dicta sunt de ultimo judicio quod a Domino cum fuit in mundo; nam Dominus, cum fuit in mundo, omnia in caelis et in infernis in ordinem redegit; quare tunc fecit judicium super malos et super bonos: hoc judicium est quod in Verbo Veteris Testamenti intelligitur per "diem "irae", "excandescentiae", "vindictae Jehovae", ac per "annum retributionum; (de hoc judicio videatur in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio 46); quod de adventu Domini, ac de judicio tunc in eo capite agatur, patet ab his verbis ibi,
"Tunc veniet Jehovah Deus meus, omnes sancti Tecum; et erit in die illo non lux, splendor et coruscatio; et erit dies unus qui notus erit Jehovae, non dies nec nox, quia circa tempus Vesperae erit lux" (vers. 5-7):
"tempus vesperae est ultimum tempus ecclesiae, quando judicium; tunc "vespera" est malis sed "lux" bonis. Dum haec primum sciuntur, patet dein per sensum spiritualem quid singula ibi significant: nempe, per "Jehovah exibit et pugnabit contra gentes" significatur ultimum judicium super malos; "exire et pugnare" est facere judicium, et "gentes" sunt mali: per "stabunt pedes Ipsius super Monte Olivarum ante facies Hierosolymae ab oriente" significatur quod ex Divino Amore per Divina vera procedentia ex Divino Bono Ipsius, "Mons" enim "Olivarum", cum de Domino, significat Divinum Amorem, "Hierosolyma" ecclesiam quoad vera, et inde Divina vera ecclesiae, et "oriens" Divinum Bonum: per "diffindetur Mons Olivarum, pars ejus versus ortum et versus mare valle magna", significatur separatio illorum qui in bono sunt ab illis qui in malo; "Mons" enim "Olivarum", ut dictum, est Divinus Amor, "ortus" est ubi illi qui in Divino Bono, et "mare" est ubi illi qui in malo, mare enim in plaga occidentali in mundo spirituali separat: per "recedet pars montis versus septentrionem et pars ejus versus meridiem" significatur separatio illorum qui in falsis mali ab illis qui in veris boni; "septentrio" est ubi illi qui in falsis mali, quia in tenebris, et "meridies" ubi illi qui in veris boni, quia in luce: per "tunc fugietis per vallem montium meorum" significatur quod tunc qui in veris ex bono sunt eripientur; "fugere" significat eripi, "vallis montium" significat ubi illi qui in cognitionibus veri et inde in veris ex bono sunt, nam in vallibus habitant illi qui in cognitionibus veri, et super montibus illi qui in bono: "et pertinget vallis montium usque ad Azal" significat separationem a falsis mali, nam "Azal" significat separationem et liberationem.
[24] Quoniam "Mons Olivarum" qui erat ante Hierosolymam ab oriente significabat Divinum Amorem, et "Hierosolyma ab oriente" Divinum Verum procedens ex Divino Bono (ut supra memoratum est); ideo Dominus ex solito commoratus est super illo monte, ut patet apud Lucam,
Jesus "erat diebus in Templo docens, noctibus vero egrediens pernoctavit in Monte qui dicitur Olivarum" (21:37; 22:39: Johannes 8:1):
ac ibi locutus est cum discipulis de adventu suo et consummatione saeculi, hoc est, de ultimo judicio (Matthaeus 24:3, seq.; Marcus 13:3. seq.):
et quoque inde ivit Hierosolymam, et passus (Matthaeus 21:1; 26:30; Marcus 11:1; 45:26: Luca 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39):
et per hoc significabatur quod omnia ex Divino Amore egerit, "Mons "enim "Olivarum" illum significabat; quicquid enim Dominus in mundo fecit, hoc repraesentabat, et quicquid locutus est, significabat. Quod in repraesentativis et significativis fuerit, cum in mundo, erat causa, ut in ultimis caeli et ecclesiae et simul in primis eorum esset, et sic ultima ex primis, et sic intermedia omnia ex primis per ultima, regeret et disponeret; repraesentativa et significativa sunt in ultimis.
[25] Quoniam "mons" significabat bonum amoris, et cum de Domino, Divinum Bonum Divini Amoris, et ex illo Bono procedit Divinum Verum, ideo Jehovah, hoc est, Dominus, descendit super Montem Sinai, et promulgavit Legem; legitur enim quod
Descenderit super illum montem ad caput montis (Exodus 19:20; cap. 24 [16,] 17, 17);
et quod promulgaverit Legem ibi (Exod 20):
inde etiam per "Sinai" in Verbo significatur Divinum Verum ex Divino Bono, similiter per "Legem" ibi promulgatam. Et ideo quoque
Dominus assumpsit Petrum, Jacobum et Johannem in montem altum, cum transformatus (Matthaeus 17:1; Marcus 9:2);
et cum transformatus, apparuit in Divino Vero ex Divino Bono, nam "Facies Ipsius quae sicut Sol" repraesentabat Divinum Bonum, ac "Vestis quae sicut Lux" Divinum Verum, ac "Moses et Elias", qui apparuerunt, significabant Verbum, quod est Divinum Verum ex Divino Bono.
[26] Quoniam "mons" significabat bonum amoris, et in supremo sensu Divinum Bonum, et ex Divino Bono procedit Divinum Verum, ideo Mons Zionis aedificatus est supra Hierosolymam, et per "Montem Zionis" in Verbo significatur ecclesia quae in bono amoris in Dominum est, et per "Hierosolymam" ecclesia quae in veris ex illo bono, seu ecclesia quoad doctrinam: ideo etiam Hierosolyma vocatur "mons sanctitatis", et quoque "collis"; nam per "montem sanctitatis" significatur bonum spirituale, quod in sua essentia est verum ex bono, similiter ac per "collem", ut constare potest ex sequentibus his locis:
Apud Esaiam,
"Fiet in posteritate dierum (stabilis) erit mons (domus) Jehovae in caput montium, et elatus prae collibus; unde confluent ad eum omnes gentes, et ibunt populi multi, et dicent, Ite, ascendamus ad montem Jehovae, ad domum Dei Jacobi" (2:2, 3):
apud eundem,
"In die illo clangetur buccina magna, et venient pereuntes in terra Aschuris, et expulsi in terra Aegypti, et incurvabunt se Jehovae in monte sanctitatis in Hierosolyma" (27:13):
apud Joelem,
"Clangite buccina 5
in Zione, et vociferamini in monte sanctitatis" (2:1):
apud Danielem,
"Revertatur ira tua et excandescentia tua a civitate tua Hierosolyma, monte sanctitatis tuae" (9:16):
apud Esaiam,
"Adducent omnes fratres vestros ex omnibus gentibus... Jehovae... ad montem sanctitatis meae Hierosolymam" (66:20):
apud eundem,
"Qui confidet in Me possidebit in hereditatem terram, et hereditario accipiet montem sanctitatis meae" (57:13):
apud Ezechielem,
"In monte sanctitatis meae, in monte altitudinis Israelis, ... servient Mihi omnis domus Israelis, tota in terra" (20:40):
apud Micham,
"In extremitate dierum erit mons domus Jehovae constitutus in caput montium, et elatus prae collibus, et confluent ad illum populi" (4:1, 2):
praeter alibi pluries ubi "Mons sanctitatis", "Mons Zionis", et "Mons Jehovae" nominatur:
Ut ubi "Mons sanctitatis" (Esaias 11:9; 56:7; 65:11, 25; Jeremias 31:23; Ezechiel 28:14; Daniel 9:20; 11:45; 6
Joel 2:1; (cap.) 4 [B.A. 3:17) 17: Obad. vers. 16; Zephanias 3:11; Sacharia 8:3; Psalms 15:1; Psalms 43:3):
Et ubi nominatur "Mons Zionis" (Esaias 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:32: Joel cap. 2:32 [B.A. 3:5): Obad. vers. 17, 21, 21; Micham 4:7; Threni 5:18: Psalms 48:12 [B.A. 11); Psalms 74:2; Psalms 78:68; Psalms 125:1).
Quoniam "Mons Zionis" significabat Divinum Bonum, et ecclesiam quoad illud, ideo dicitur apud Esaiam,
"Mittite (agnum) 7
Dominatoris terrae de petra versus desertum ad montem filiae Zionis" (16:1):
et in Apocalypsi,
"Agnus stans super Monte Zionis, et cum Eo centum quadraginta quatuor millia" (14:1).
[27] Ex his quoque constare potest unde est quod nova Hierosolyma, in qua Templum, visa sit Ezechieli constructa super monte alto, de qua ita apud illum:
"In visionibus Dei deductus sum super terram Israelis, demisit me super montem altum valde, super quo quasi structura urbis a meridie" (Ezechiel 40:2);
de quibus postea in capitibus quae sequuntur, multis agitur.
Apud Davidem,
"Magnus Jehovah et collaudatus Valde in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sanctitatis suae; pulcher tractu, gaudium totius terrae Mons Zionis, latera septentrionis, civitas Regis magni; Deus in palatiis ejus notus, tanquam refugium" (Ps. 48:[2,] 3, 4 [B.A. 1-3]):
per haec describitur cultus Domini ex veris quae ex bono; cultus Ipsius ex veris et bonis spiritualibus, et amoenum animae inde, significatur per "Magnus est Jehovah et collaudatus valde in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sanctitatis suae, pulcher tractu": cultus intelligitur per "magnus esse" et "collaudatus valde", verum spirituale quod ex bono spirituali per "in civitate Dei nostri, monte sanctitatis suae", et amoenum animae inde per "pulcher tractu"; cultus Domini ex bonis et veris caelestibus describitur per "gaudium totius terrae mons Zionis, latera septentrionis, civitas Regis magni"; cultus ex bono caelesti intelligitur per "gaudium totius terrae, Mons Zionis"; et vera ex illo bono intelliguntur per "latera septentrionis, civitatem Regis magni" ("latera septentrionis" sunt vera ex bono caelesti, et "civitas Regis magni" est doctrina veri inde): quod vera sint illis, qui in bono caelesti sunt, inscripta, significatur per "Deus in palatiis ejus notus." Quod "latera septentrionis significent vera ex bono caelesti, est quia illi qui in regno caelesti Domini sunt, in caelo habitant in oriente, et illi qui in veris ex illo bono sunt, versus septentrionem ibi.
[28] Apud Esaiam,
Lucifer "tu dixisti in corde tuo, caelos ascendam, supra stellas Dei exaltabo thronum meum, et sedebo in monte conventus, in lateribus septentrionis" (14:13):
per "Luciferum" intelligitur Babel, ut patet ex antecedentibus et consequentibus in eo capite; amor imperandi ejus super caelum et ecclesiam describitur per quod "ascendet caelos, et super stellas Dei exaltabit thronum suum", per quae intelligitur affectatio dominii super caelos illos qui constituunt regnum spirituale Domini, nam vera ac cognitiones veri apud illos apparent sicut stellae; et per quod "sedebit in monte conventus, lateribus septentrionis, significatur super caelos qui constituunt regnum caeleste Domini, nam "mons conventus et latera septentrionis" sunt bona et vera ibi (ut supra). Quia Mons Zionis et Hierosolyma ad formam caeli, quantum fieri potuit, aedificata sunt, constare potest quid significatur per verba apud Davidem supra allata, "Mons Zionis, latera septentrionis, civitas Regis magni", et per verba apud Esaiam, "Mons conventus in lateribus septentrionis."
[29] Apud Esaiam,
Sancheribus Rex Aschuris dixit, "Per multitudinem currus mei ego ascendam altitudinem montium ad latera Libani, ubi exscindam proceritatem cedrorum ejus, electionem abietum ejus" (37:24):
per haec in sensu interno describitur fastus illorum qui per ratiocinationes ex falsis destruere volunt bona et vera ecclesiae; "rex Assyriae" significat rationale perversum; "multitudo currus ejus" significat ratiocinationes ex falsis doctrinae; "ascendere altitudinem montium, latera Libani, et exscindere proceritatem cedrorum ejus, et electionem abietum ejus", significat conatum destruendi bona et vera ecclesiae tam interna quam externa; "montes" sunt bona ecclesiae, "latera Libani" sunt ubi illa conjuncta sunt veris, "Libanus" est ecclesia spiritualis, ac "cedri" sunt vera ejus interna quae ex bono, et "abietes" sunt vera ejus externa etiam ex bono: haec per illa verba intelliguntur in sensu spirituali, proinde in caelo.
[30] "Mons" et "montes" etiam significant bona amoris et charitatis in sequentibus his locis:
Apud Davidem,
Jehovah "qui obtegit caelos nubibus, qui praeparat terrae pluviam, qui germinare facit montes gramen" (147:8):
per "nubes", quibus Jehovah obtegit caelos, significantur externa vera, qualia sunt in sensu litterae Verbi, nam quae in illo sensu sunt, in Verbo vocantur "nubes", et quae in sensu interno "gloria"; per "caelos" intelliguntur interna vera, quia in illis sunt qui in caelis; per "pluviam" quam terrae praeparat, significatur influxus veri ("terra" est ecclesia, et inde illi ibi qui recipiunt verum, nam ex illis est ecclesia) per "montes" quos germinare facit gramen, significantur bona amoris, et inde illi qui in bonis amoris sunt; "gramen" significat nutritionem spiritualem, quae est illis, nam intelligitur gramen pro bestiis, ac "bestiae" significant affectiones boni naturalis hominis.
[31] Apud Mosen,
"Josepho dixit, Benedicta a Jehovah terra" Josephi", de pretiosis caeli, de rore, de abysso jacente infra, ... de primitiis montium orientis, et de pretiosis collium saeculi" (Deuteronomius 33:13-15):
haec est benedictio Josephi, seu tribus a Josepho nominatae, a Mose; et haec benedictio dicta est illi quia per "Josephum" significatur regnum spirituale Domini, et ibi id caelum quod proxime communicat cum regno caelesti Domini: per "terram Josephi" intelligitur id caelum, et quoque ecclesia quae ab illis qui erunt in illo caelo: per "pretiosa caeli", per "rorem", et "abyssum jacentem infra", significantur Divina spiritualia et spiritualia naturalia ex origine caelesti; per "pretiosa caeli" Divina spiritualia, per "rorem" spiritualia communicantia, et per "abyssum jacentem infra" spiritualia naturalia: per "primitias montium orientis" et per "pretiosa collium saeculi" significantur genuina bona tam amoris in Dominum quam charitatis erga proximum; "montes orientis" sunt bona amoris in Dominum, "primitiae" sunt genuina, et "colles saeculi" sunt bona charitatis erga proximum. Qui non scit quid per Josephum et ejus tribum repraesentatur, et praeterea quid per "rorem", "abyssum jacentem infra", "montes orientis", et "colles saeculi", (significatur, ) vix aliquid sciet quid talia verba involvunt, et in genere vix aliquid sciet quid significant omnia illa quae de tribubus Israelis a Mose in toto illo capite dicta sunt, et quid a patre Israele, cap. 49 Genes.
[32] Apud Matthaeum,
"Vos estis lux mundi; non potest 8
urbs quae in monte exposita est, occulta esse" (5:14):
haec ad discipulos, per quos intelligitur ecclesia quae in veris ex bono; quare dicitur "Vos estis lux mundi": "lux mundi" est verum ecclesiae; quod id non sit nisi sit ex bono, significatur per "non potest 9
urbs quae in monte exposita est occulta esse"; " 10
urbs in monte" est verum ex bono.
[33] Apud eundem,
"Si fuerint alicui centum oves, et erraverit una ex illis, nonne relinquet nonaginta novem in montibus, abiens quaerit errantem ?" (18:12):
dicitur "Nonne relinquet nonaginta novem in montibus", quia per "oves in montibus" significantur qui in bono amoris et charitatis sunt"; per "errantem" autem significatur qui non in illo est, quia ex ignorantia in falsis; nam ubi falsum est ibi non bonum, quoniam bonum est veri.
[34] Apud Evangelistas,
"Quando videritis abominationem devastationis, quae dicta est a Daniele Propheta tunc qui in Judaea fugiunto super montes, et qui super tecto ne descendito in domum" (Marcus 13:14, 15; Matth. 24 [15,] 16 [, [17]; Luca 21:21):
describitur in iis capitibus a Domino successiva vastatio ecclesiae, sed describitur per meras correspondentias: "cum videritis abominationem devastationis significat cum discipuli, hoc est, illi qui in veris ex bono, percipiunt devastari ecclesiam, quod fit quando non amplius verum est quia non bonum, seu non fides quia non charitas: "tunc qui in Judaea fugiunto super montes" significat quod qui ab ecclesia Domini sunt permansuri sint in bono amoris; per "Judaeam" significatur ecclesia Domini, et per "montes" bona amoris, "fugere" in illos est in illis manere: "qui super tecto ne descendito in domum" significat qui in genuinis veris maneat in illis; "domus" significat hominem quoad omnia interiora quae mentis ejus sunt, et inde "tectum domus" significat intelligentiam quae ex genuinis veris, ita quoque genuina vera per quae intelligentia. Si non sensus spiritualis illustraret singula quae in illis capitibus apud Evangelistas a Domino dicta sunt, vix sciretur aliquid quod ibi continetur; ita quid foret quod "qui super tecto ne descendat in domum", et alibi, quod "qui in agro ne revertatur retro ad tollendum vestimenta sua"; et plura alia.
[35] Hactenus ostensum est quod "montes" in Verbo significent bona amoris; et quia pleraque in Verbo etiam oppositum sensum habent, ita etiam "montes", qui in eo sensu significant mala amoris, seu mala quae ex amoribus sui et mundi scaturiunt. In hoc sensu dicuntur montes in sequentibus locis in Verbo:
Apud Esaiam,
"Dies Jehovae Zebaoth veniet super omnem magnificum et altum et super omnes montes altos, et super omnes colles elatos" (2 I2, 14):
per "diem Jehovae Zebaoth" intelligitur ultimum judicium, quando mali e montibus et collibus, quos in mundo spirituali occupaverunt, dejecti sunt, ut in initio hujus articuli dictum est: et quia tales super montibus et collibus ante ultimum judicium fuerunt, ideo per "montes et colles intelliguntur amores et inde mala in quibus fuerunt; per "montes" mala amoris sui, et per "colles" mala amoris mundi. Sciendum est quod omnes qui in amore sui sunt, imprimis qui in amore imperandi, in summa cupidine sint, dum in mundum spiritualem veniunt, in alta loca se efferre, hoc enim insitum est illi amori; unde etiam in sermonem communem venit dicere, "alto et elato animo esse", et "alta spirare"; ipsa causa quod amori imperandi talis cupido insit, est quia deos se facere volunt, et Deus est in altissimis.
Quod "montes et colles" illos amores et inde eorum mala significent, patet; nam dicitur, "Dies Jehovae Zebaoth veniet super omnem magnificum et altum, et super omnes montes altos et super omnes colles elatos"; quid alioqui foret quod "venturus super montes et colles?"
[36] Apud eundem,
"Vox clamantis in deserto, Parate Viam Jehovae, complanate... semitam Dei nostro; omnis Vallis extolletur, et omnis mons et collis humiliabitur" (40:3, 4):
etiam ibi de adventu Domini, et de ultimo judicio tunc, agitur; et per "vocem clamantis in deserto, Parate viam Jehovae et semitam Deo nostro", significatur ut praeparent se ad recipiendum Dominum; "desertum" significat ubi non bonum quia non verum, ita ubi nondum ecclesia: per quod "omnis vallis extolletur, 11
et omnis mons et collis humiliabitur", significatur quod omnes humiles corde, qui sunt qui in bonis et veris sunt, recipiantur, nam qui recipiuntur a Domino illi extolluntur ad caelum; et per quod "omnis mons et collis humiliabitur" significatur quod omnes elati animo, qui sunt qui in amore sui et mundi sunt, deprimentur.
[37] Apud Ezechielem,
"Dabo terram desolationem et vastitatem, ut cesset superbia roboris, et desolati sunt montes Israelis, ut non transiens" (33:28):
per haec describitur desolatio et vastatio ecclesiae spiritualis, quam Israelitae repraesentaverunt; Judaei enim repraesentaverunt regnum caeleste Domini, seu ecclesiam caelestem, Israelitae autem regnum spirituale Domini, seu ecclesiam spiritualem: "desolatio et vastatio" hujus significat ultimum illius ecclesiae statum, qui erat quando non verum amplius quia non bonum, seu quando non fides quia non charitas; "desolatio" dicitur de vero quod fidei, et "vastatio" de bono quod charitatis: jactantia et elatio animi ex falsis quae dicunt esse vera, significatur per "superbiam roboris"; "robur" et "potentia" dicitur de veris ex bono, quia illis est omne robur et omnis potentia; hic autem, quia ex jactantia et elatione animi, de falsis: quod non bonum charitatis et fidei amplius sit, significatur per "desolati 12
sunt montes Israelis": quod prorsus non bonum sed malum, significatur per "ut non transiens."
[38] Apud eundem,
"Fili hominis, pone facies tuas ad montes Israelis, et propheta contra illos, et dices, Montes Israelis, audite verbum Domini Jehovih; sic dixit Dominus Jehovih montibus et collibus, alveis et vallibus, Ecce Ego adduco super vos gladium" ( 13
6:23);
etiam hic per "montes Israelis" significantur mala procedentia ex amore sui et mundi, quae, apud illos qui in ecclesia spirituali sunt, existunt dum illis non amplius bonum vitae, sed malum vitae et inde falsum doctrinae: per "montes, colles, alveos et valles", significantur omnia ecclesiae, tam interiora seu spiritualia quam exteriora seu naturalia; "montes et colles" significant interiora seu spiritualia, "alvei et valles" exteriora seu naturalia: quod perituri per falsa, significatur per "Ecce Ego adduco super vos gladium"; "gladius" est destructio falsi per vera, et in opposito sensu, ut hic, destructio veri per falsa.
[39] Apud eundem,
"In die illo, quo veniet Gogus super terram Israelis, ... contremiscent coram Me pisces maris, et avis caelorum, et fera agri, et omne reptile reptans super terra, et omnis homo qui super faciebus terrae: et evertentur montes, et cadent gradus, et omnis murus in terram cadet; tunc vocabo super eum omnibus montibus meis gladium" (38 [18,] 20, 21, 20, 21):
quid per omnia haec significatur, videatur supra (n. 14
400(c)), ubi explicata sunt; nempe, quid per "Gogum", per "pisces maris", "avem caelorum", "feram agri", "reptile reptans super terra"; et quod per "montes Israelis" significentur bona amoris spiritualis, at hic mala amoris bonis illis opposita.
[40] Apud Micham,
"Surge, contende cum montibus, ut audiant colles vocem tuam; audite montes litem Jehovae, et robora fundamenta terrae, quia lis Jehovae cum populo suo, et cum Israele disceptat" (6:1, 2):
haec quoque dicta sunt de ecclesia spirituali, quam Israelitae separati a Judaeis repraesentabant; et per "montes" intelliguntur bona charitatis, et per "colles" bona fidei, ibi autem mala et falsa opposita illis bonis; ideo dicitur, "Contende cum montibus, et audiant colles vocem 15
tuam": "robora fundamenta terrae" sunt principia falsi in illa ecclesia; "terra" est ecclesia, et "fundamenta" sunt principia super quibus fundantur reliqua: dicitur "cum populo suo, cum Israele", quia per "populum" intelliguntur qui in veris et qui in falsis sunt, et per "Israelem" qui in bonis et qui in malis.
[41] Apud Jeremiam,
"Ecce Ego contra te, mons perdens, ... perdens universam terram; et extendam manum contra te, et devolvam te de petris, et dem te in montem combustionis" (51:25):
haec de Babele dicta sunt, per quam intelliguntur illi qui in falsis mali et in malis falsi ex amore sui sunt, abutuntur enim sanctis ecclesiae pro mediis imperandi: ex illo amore et inde falsis et malis est quod dicatur "mons perdens, perdens universam terram"; "terra" est ecclesia: interitus et damnatio eorum per falsa mali, significatur per "devolvam te de petris"; "petrae" sunt ubi vera fidei, hic falsa mali: ac interitus et damnatio eorum per mala falsi significatur per "dem te in montem combustionis"; "combustio" dicitur de amore sui, quia "ignis" illum significat (videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 566-573). Ex his manifeste patet quod per "montes" significentur mala amoris sui et mundi, nam Babel vocatur "mons perdens" et quod "dabitur in montem combustionis." Apud Nahum,
"Montes contremiscunt coram Ipso, et colles liquefiunt, et comburitur tota terra coram Ipso;... coram increpatione Ipsius quis consistet?" (1:5, 6):
quid haec in serie significant, videatur supra (n. 400(b)), ubi singula explicata sunt; et quod "montes et colles" ibi sint mala amoris sui et mundi.
[42] Apud 16
Micham,
"Jehovah exiens e loco suo, descendit et calcat super excelsa terrae; unde liquefacti sunt montes sub Ipso, et valles discissae sunt, sicut cera coram igne, sicut aquae effusae in descensu; propter praevaricationes Jacobi omne hoc, et propter peccata domus Israelis" (1:3-5):
haec quoque dicta sunt de ultimo judicio, et de illis tunc qui super montibus et collibus fecerunt sibi instar caeli (de quibus supra, aliquoties); ultimum judicium intelligitur per "Jehovah exiens e loco suo, descendit et calcat super excelsa terrae"; "super excelsa terrae" significat super illos qui in altis, nempe super quos judicium; nam in mundo spirituali aeque sunt terrae, montes, colles et valles sicut in mundo naturali: interitus eorum qui super montibus et in vallibus, qui sunt qui in malis ex amore sui et mundi et in falsis inde, significatur per quod "liquefacti sint montes sub Ipso, et valles discissae sunt, sicut cera coram igne, sicut aquae effusae in descensu"; "montes" significant mala amorum sui et mundi, et "valles" falsa inde; de malis amorum sui et mundi, quae per "montes" significantur, dicitur quod "liquefacta sint sicut cera coram igne", quoniam "ignis" significat illos amores; et de falsis quae significantur per "valles", dicitur "sicut aquae effusae in descensu", quoniam "aquae" significant falsa; quod sit propter mala et falsa, patet, nam dicitur "propter praevaricationem Jacobi omne hoc, et propter peccata domus Israelis."
[43] Apud Jeremiam,
"Vidi terram, et ecce vacuum et inane; et versus caelos et non lux eorum; vidi montes, et ecce commoventur, et omnes colles evertuntur; vidi cum ecce non homo, et omnis avis caeli avolarunt" (4:23-25):
per "commotionem montium" significatur destructio illorum qui in malis amoris sui sunt, et per "eversionem collium" destructio illorum qui in malis amoris mundi, et in falsis. (Reliqua videantur explicata supra, n. 280(b) et 304(d).)
Apud Esaiam,
Jehovah, "utinam rumperes caelos, descenderes, coram Te montes diffluerent" (63:19 [B.A. 64:1]):
haec similia cum illis quae supra apud 17
Micham (cap. 1:3-5) significant, quae explicata sunt.
[44] Apud Davidem,
"Jehovah, inclina caelos tuos et descende, tange montes ut fumigent, emitte fulmen et disperge illos" (Psalms 144:5, 6):
per "inclinare caelos et descendere" simile significatur quod supra per "rumpere caelos et descendere", per "exire e loco suo, descendere et calcare excelsa terrae", nempe visitare et judicare: per "tangere montes ut fumigent" significatur per praesentiam destruere illos qui in malis amorum sui et mundi sunt, et inde in falsis; "fumigare" significat mitti in mala amorum illorum et in eorum falsa, nam "ignis" significat amores illos et "fumus" falsa eorum: per "emitte fulmen et disperge illos" significatur Divinum Verum per quod dissipantur, nam per praesentiam Divini Veri revelantur mala et falsa, et ex collisione tunc apparent sicut fulmina.
[45] Apud Mosen,
"Ignis accensus est in ira mea, et ardebit usque ad infernum infimum, et comedet terram et proventum ejus, et inflammabit fundamenta montium" (Deuteronomius 32:22):
dicitur quod "ignis accensus sit Jehovae in ira sua, qui ardebit usque ad infernum infimum", tametsi Jehovae non aliquis ignis irae est, minus qui ardet ad infernum infimum; nam Jehovah, hoc est, Dominus nulli irascitur et nulli malum facit; quod nec aliquem in infernum dejiciat, videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno (n. 545-550); sed ita in sensu litterae Verbi dicitur quia ita apparet coram homine malo, et quoque coram homine simplici; Verbum enim in littera est secundum apparentiam, quia secundum captum hominum naturalium: at quia angeli, qui spirituales sunt, ipsa vera Verbi non vident apparenter secundum hominis captum, sed spiritualiter, ideo talium verborum sensus inversus est apud illos, qui etiam est sensus internus seu spiritualis, nempe quod amor infernalis apud hominem talis ignis sit, et ardeat usque ad infernum infimum: et quia ille ignis, hoc est, ille amor, omnia ecclesiae apud hominem funditus destruit, ideo dicitur quod "comedet terram et proventum ejus, et inflammabit fundamenta montium"; "terra" est ecclesia, "proventus" est omne ecclesiae, "fundamenta montium" sunt vera super quibus fundantur bona amoris, quae "inflammari" dicuntur ab igne amoris sui et mundi.
Apud Davidem,
"Concussa est et commota terra, et fundamenta montium contremuerunt et commoverunt se, quando exarsit illi" (Psalms 18:8 [B.A. 7]):
per haec similia intelliguntur; sed quae singillatim explicata videantur supra (n. 400(b)).
Apud eundem,
"Deus nobis refugium propterea non timebimus, cum mutabitur terra, et cum commovebuntur montes in corde marium; tumultuabuntur, turbabuntur aquae ejus, contremiscent montes in exaltatione ejus" (Psalms 46:2-4 [B.A. 1-3]):
haec quoque explicata videantur prius (n. 304(c)); ibi quoque quid significatur per quod "montes commovebuntur in corde marium", et quod "montes contremiscent in exaltatione", nempe quod mala amorum sui et mundi perstringent secundum incrementa.
[46] Apud Esaiam,
"Ira Jehovae contra omnes gentes, et excandescentia contra omnem exercitum earum; devovit eas, tradidit eas ad mactationem, ita ut confossi earum projiciantur, et cadaverum earum ascendet putor: et liquescent montes a sanguine earum" (34:2, 3):
haec dicta sunt de ultimo judicio; et per "iram Jehovae contra omnes gentes" et per "excandescentiam Ipsius contra omnem exercitum earum" significatur interitus et damnatio omnium qui in malis et inde falsis sunt ex proposito et ex corde; "gentes" significant mala illa, et "exercitus" significat omnia falsa inde: quod damnandi sunt et quod perituri qui in illis, significatur per "devovit eas, et tradidit eas ad mactationem": damnatio eorum qui perituri per falsa, significatur per quod "confossi eorum projicientur"; "confossi" in Verbo dicuntur qui perierunt per falsa, et "projici" significat damnari: damnatio eorum qui perituri per mala, significatur per quod "cadaverum earum ascendet putor"; "cadavera" in Verbo dicuntur qui perierunt per mala, et "putor" significat damnationem eorum: quod "montes liquescent sanguine earum" significat quod mala amorum apud illos falsis referta sint; "montes" sunt mala amorum sui et mundi, "sanguis" est falsum.
[47] Apud eundem,
"Vastabo montes et colles, et omnem herbam eorum arefaciam, et ponam fluvios in insulas, et stagna exsiccabo" (42:15):
per "vastare montes et colles" significatur perdere omne bonum amoris in Dominum et erga proximum: per "arefacere omnem herbam" significatur inde perdere omnia vera; "herba" significat vera ex bono nascentia: per "ponere fluvios in insulas, et exsiccare stagna", significatur annihilare omnem intellectum et perceptionem veri; "fluvii" significant intelligentiam quae est veri, "insulae" ubi non intelligentia, "stagna" significant perceptionem veri; intellectus veri est ex luce veri, perceptio autem veri est ex calore seu amore veri.
[48] Apud eundem,
"Ecce" Jacob, "posui te in tribulam tribulae recentis, praeditae aculeis, tritures montes et conteras, et colles sicut glumam ponas; disperges eos ut ventus auferat eos et procella dissipet eos " (41:15, 16):
per "Jacobum" intelligitur ecclesia externa quoad bonum et verum, et inde quoque bonum et verum externum, quod bonum et verum est ex sensu litterae Verbi; in his sunt illi qui ab ecclesia externa: quod haec comparentur "tribulae recenti praeditae aculeis" est quia tribula excutit triticum, hordeum et reliqua messis ex spicis, et per illa significantur bona et vera ecclesiae (videatur supra, n. 374, 375 (a, d)); hic itaque quod comminuet et conteret mala et falsa; quare dicitur, "tribula praedita aculeis, ut tritures montes et conteras, et colles sicut glumam ponas", per quae significatur destructio malorum oriundorum ex amore sui et mundi, et quoque falsorum inde; et quoque dicitur, "disperges eos ut ventus auferat eos et procella dissipet eos", per quae significatur quod sicut nihili erunt; "ventus" et "procella" dicitur, quia intelliguntur falsa et mala, nam "ventus" dicitur de veris et in opposito sensu de falsis, et "procella" de malis falsi.
[49] Apud eundem,
"Montes recedent, et colles dimovebuntur, sed misericordia mea a tecum non recedet" (54:10):
quod "montes recedent et colles dimovebuntur" non intelligitur quod illi montes et colles qui in tellure sunt, recessuri sint et dimovebuntur, sed illi qui in malis amoribus et inde falsis sunt; agitur enim in eo capite de gentibus, a quibus nova ecclesia formanda est; quare per "montes et colles" in specie intelliguntur qui a priori ecclesia, proinde Judaei, apud quos mera mala falsi et falsa mali fuerunt, ex causa quia in amoribus sui et mundi.
[50] Apud Jeremiam,
"Propter montes tollam fletum et lamentum, et propter habitacula deserti lamentationem, quia vastata sunt, ut non sit vir transiens" (9:9 [B.A. 10]):
"montes" super quos fletus et lamentum, sunt mala omnis generis scaturientia ex binis amoribus supra memoratis; et per "habitacula deserti" significantur falsa inde, nam per "desertum" significatur ubi non bonum quia non verum, et per "habitacula" ubi illa; hic itaque "habitacula deserti" sunt falsa ex malis supradictis: quod prorsus non aliquod bonum et verum sit, intelligitur per quod "vastata sint, ut non sit vir transiens"; solenne est in Verbo dicere, ubi de vastatione, "ut non sit vir transiens", et per id significatur quod amplius non aliquod verum, et inde non aliqua intelligentia. Quod non sint montes et habitacula deserti, super quae fletus et lamentum, patet.
[51] Apud eundem,
"Oves perditae fuerunt populus meus, pastores eorum seduxerunt eos, montes averterunt, de monte super colle iverunt, obliti sunt cubilis sui" (50:6):
apud Ezechielem,
"Oberrant oves meae in omnibus montibus et super omni colle alto, et super omnes facies terrae dispersae sunt oves meae, et non inquirens nec quaerens" (34:6):
quod oves "de monte super colle iverint", et quod "oberrent super omnibus montibus et super omni colle alto", significat quod quaerant bona et vera, sed non inveniant, et quod loco eorum mala et falsa arripiant; quod "montes se averterint" significat quod pro bonis sint mala.
[52] Apud 18
Jeremiam,
"Date Jehovae Deo 19
vestro gloriam, antequam tenebras inducat, et antequam offendant pedes 20
vestri ad montes crepusculi" (13:16):
per haec significatur quod agnoscendum sit Divinum Verum, ne falsa et inde mala e naturali homine irrumpant: "dare Deo gloriam" significat agnoscere Divinum Verum; "gloria" in Verbo Significat Divinum Verum, et hoc agnoscere et vivere secundum id est gloria quam vult Dominus, et quae datur Ipsi: "antequam tenebras inducat" significat ne falsa occupent; "tenebrae" sunt falsa: "et antequam offendant pedes 21
vestri ad montes crepusculi" significat ne inde mala e naturali; "montes crepusculi" sunt mala falsi, nam "montes" sunt mala, ac "crepusculum" est cum non videtur verum sed loco ejus falsum, ac "pedes" significant naturalem hominem; in naturali enim homine sunt omnia mala et inde falsa, quoniam ille ex hereditario secum fert amare se prae Deo et mundum prae caelo, ac mala eis amoribus adhaerentia ex parentibus; haec mala et inde falsa non removentur nisi per Divinum Verum et vitam secundum illud; per haec aperitur mens superior seu interior hominis, quae videt ex luce caeli, et per hanc lucem discutit Dominus mala et inde falsa quae in mente naturali sunt.
(Quod "pedes" significent naturalem hominem, videatur supra, n. 65, 69: et in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952.)
[53] Apud Evangelistas,
Jesus dicit discipulis, "Habete fidem Dei; amen dico vobis, quicunque dixerit monti..., Tollere et projice te in mare, nec dubitaverit in corde suo, sed crediderit quod quae dicit futura sint, fiet illi quae dixit" (Marcus 11:22, 23; Matthaeus 17:20):
qui non scit arcana caeli, et sensum spiritualem Verbi, credere potest quod Dominus haec locutus sit non de fide salvante, sed de alia fide quam vocant historicam et miraculosam; sed illa locutus est Dominus de fide salvante, quae fides unum facit cum charitate, et omnis est a Domino; quapropter vocat Dominus fidem hanc "fidem Dei": et quia Dominus per hanc fidem, quae est fides charitatis ab Ipso, removet omnia mala scaturientia ex amoribus sui et mundi, et illa dejicit in infernum unde sunt, quare dicit, quod "si dixerit monti, Tollere et projice te in mare, fiet quae dixit"; per "montem" enim significantur mala illorum amorum, et per "mare" significatur infernum; inde per "dicere monti, Tollere", significatur removeri illa, et per "projici in mare" significatur dejici in infernum unde sunt: ex hac significatione "montis" et "maris" hoc apud antiquos in communem sermonem venit, cum de fidei potentia sermo fuit; non quod montes in tellure possunt per illam projici in mare, sed mala quae ab inferno possunt. Etiam montes in spirituali mundo, super quibus habitant mali, solent per fidem, quae a Domino, everti et projici; nam cum mala apud illos projiciuntur, etiam projiciuntur montes super quibus habitant, ut supra aliquoties dictum est, et quoque mihi saepe visum. Quod non alia fides quam fides charitatis a Domino hic intelligatur, patet a continuato sermone Domini apud Marcum, ubi dicitur,
"Propterea dico Vobis, omnia quaecunque precantes petitis, credite quod accepturi sitis, tunc fiet vobis: cum Vero steteritis orantes, dimittite si quid habetis contra quemquam, ut etiam Pater vester, qui in caelis, dimittat vobis lapsus vestros; si vero vos non dimiseritis, neque Pater vester, qui in caelis, dimittet lapsus vestros" ((11) vers. 24-26):
ex quibus patet quod "fides Dei", de qua Dominus ibi loquitur, sit fides charitatis, hoc est, fides quae unum facit cum charitate, et inde quae omnis est a Domino: praeterea Dominus illa dixit ad discipulos cum crediderunt quod miracula possent facere ex sua fide, ita a se, cum tamen illa fiunt a fide quae a Domino, ita a Domino (ut quoque patet apud Matthaeum, cap. 17:19, 20, ubi similia dicta sunt).
[54] Quoniam "montes" significabant bona amoris caelestis, et "colles" bona amoris spiritualis, ideo antiqui, apud quos ecclesia repraesentativa fuit, cultum suum Divinum habuerunt super montibus et collibus, et ideo Zion super monte fuit ac Hierosolyma super montanis infra illum. Ne itaque Judaei et Israelitae, qui idololatriae dediti erant, verterent cultum Divinum in cultum idololatricum, mandatum illis est ut solum in Hierosolyma haberent cultum, et non alibi; sed quia corde idololatrae fuerunt, non contenti erant cultum habere in Hierosolyma, sed secundum morem gentium ab antiquis tractum, cultum fecerunt super montibus et collibus quibuscunque, et ibi sacrificarunt et suffierunt; quapropter quia id idololatricum fuit apud illos, per cultum eorum super montibus et collibus aliis significatur cultus ex malis et falsis; ut in sequentibus his locis:
Apud Esaiam,
"Super monte alto et elato posuisti cubile tuum, etiam eo ascendisti ad sacrificandum sacrificia" (57:7):
apud Hoscheam,
"Super verticibus montium sacrificant, et super collibus suffiunt" (4:13):
apud Jeremiam,
"Aversa Israel abiens super omnem montem altum, et sub omni arbore viridi, et scortabaris" (3:6);
per "scortari" significatur falsificare cultum. Quod hoc idololatricum fuerit, patet ex his apud Mosen,
"Perdetis loca ubi serviverunt gentes... diis suis, super montibus (excelsis), et super collibus, et sub omni arbore viridi" (Deuteronomius 12:2):
in his itaque locis per cultum super montibus et collibus significatur cultus ex malis et falsis. Ex hoc etiam derivatum est quod gentiles in Graecia Heliconem posuerint in alto monte, et Parnassum in colle infra illum, et ibi deos et deas suas habitare crediderint; hoc derivatum est ab antiquis in Asia, et praecipue in terra Canaane non inde remota, apud quos omnis cultus ex repraesentativis constabat.
[55] Dicitur apud Evangelistas
Quod diabolus assumpserit Jesum super montem altum, et monstraverit Ipsi omnia regna mundi et gloriam, ac tentaverit Ipsum ibi (Matthaeus 4:8; Luca 4:5):
per hoc significatur quod diabolus tentaverit Dominum per amorem sui, hic enim significatur per "montem altum"; tres enim tentationes descriptae in illis locis significant et involvunt omnes tentationes quas Dominus sustinuit cum in mundo fuit; Dominus enim per tentationes ab infernis in Se admissas, et per victorias tunc, redegit omnia in infernis in ordinem, et quoque Humanum suum glorificavit, hoc est, Divinum fecit. Quod omnes tentationes Domini tam paucis descriptae fuerint, est quia non aliter revelavit illas; sed usque in interno sensu Verbi describuntur ample. (Verum de tentationibus Domini videantur quae in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 201, 293, 302, allata sunt.)
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