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71.And his voice as the voice of many waters. That this signifies Divine truth in ultimates, is evident from the signification of a voice, when it is from the Lord, as denoting Divine truth (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914, and above, n. 55), and from the signification of the waters, as denoting the truths of faith, and also the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth (concerning which see n. 2702, 3058, 5668, 8568, 10238); and because the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth are in ultimates, therefore by His voice as the voice of many waters, because it relates to the Lord, is signified Divine truth in ultimates. (That knowledges (cognitiones) and Scientifics (scientifica) belong to the external or natural man, because they are in the light of the world, thus, in ultimates, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 5212, and in general from what is said in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 51.) As it is not yet known that waters in the Word signify the truths of faith and the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth, and, perhaps, because it appears far-fetched, I wish here briefly to show that such things are meant by waters in the Word. This is also necessary because without a knowledge of the signification of waters, it cannot be known what is signified by baptism, nor what by the washings observed in the Israelitish Church, of which mention is so frequently made. Waters signify the truths of faith, because bread signifies the good of love; the reason why waters and bread have such a signification is that the things that pertain to spiritual nourishment are expressed, in the sense of the letter, by those things that have reference to natural nourishment. For bread and water, by which are meant all food and drink in general, nourish the body, and the truths of faith and the good of love nourish the soul. This is also from correspondence; for when bread and water are read in the Word, the angels, being spiritual, understand those things which nourish them; these are the goods of love and the truths of faith.
[2] But some passages shall be here adduced, whence it may be known that waters signify the truths of faith, likewise the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth. Thus in Isaiah:
"The earth shall be full of the knowledge (scientia) of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea" (11:9).
Again:
"With joy shall ye draw water out of the fountains of salvation" (12:3).
Again:
"He that walketh in justice, and speaketh uprightnesses, bread shall be given him, and sure waters" (33:15, 16).
Again:
"The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of waters, and the dry land springs of waters. That they may see, and know, and hearken, and understand" (41:17, 18, 20).
Again:
"I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty; and, floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring" (44:3).
Again:
"Thy light shall arise in obscurity, and thy darkness as the noon-day; that thou mayest be as a watered garden, and as the going forth of waters, whose waters shall not lie" (58:10).
In Jeremiah:
"My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits that hold no water" (2:13).
Again:
"Their nobles sent their little ones for water; they came to the pits, and found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded" (14:3).
Again:
"They have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters" (17:13).
Again:
"They shall come with weeping, and with weeping will I lead them; I will lead them to fountains of waters, in a way of rectitude" (31:9).
And in Ezekiel:
"I will break the staff of bread, and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment. That they may want bread and water, and be desolated, a man and his brother, and consume away for their iniquities" (4:16, 17; 12:18, 19; Isaiah, 51:14).
And in Amos:
"Behold, the days come, in which I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for waters, but for hearing the Word of Jehovah. They shall wander from sea to sea, they shall run to and fro, to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it; in that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst" (8:11-13).
And in Zechariah;
"In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem" (14:8).
And in David:
"Jehovah is my shepherd, I shall not want. He will lead me to the waters of rest" (Psalm 23:1, 2).
In Isaiah:
"They shall not thirst; he will make waters to flow for them out of the rock, and he will cleave the rock, that the waters may flow out" (48:21).
In David:
"O God, early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth, weary without waters" (Psalm 63:1).
Again:
Jehovah "sendeth his Word, he maketh the wind to blow, that the waters may flow" (Psalm 147:18).
Again:
"Praise Jehovah, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters which are above the heavens" (148:4).
In John:
Jesus came to the fountain of Jacob; "A woman of Samaria came to draw water, to whom Jesus said, Give me to drink; - if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest ask of him, and he would give thee living water. The woman said unto him, Whence hast thou that living water? Jesus said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life" (4:7-15).
Again:
Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (7:37, 38).
And in the Apocalypse:
"Unto him that is athirst shall be given of the fountain of the water of life freely" (21:6).
And in another place:
The angel showed him "a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (22:1).
And again:
"The spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (22:17).
[3] These passages are adduced, that it may be known that by waters in the Word are signified the truths of faith, and hence what is signified by the water of baptism, concerning which the Lord thus teaches in John:
"Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (3:5);
where water denotes the truths of faith, and the spirit a life according to them (as may be seen in 43:2).
And in David:
"The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, Jehovah is upon many waters" (Psalms 29:3).
And in the following words in the Apocalypse:
"I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters" (14:2).
[4] I know that some will wonder why waters are mentioned in the Word, and not the truths of faith, although the purpose of the Word is to teach man about his spiritual life; and if the truths of faith had been mentioned instead of waters, men would have known that the waters of baptism and of washings contribute nothing to his purification from evils and falsities. But it must be noted, that the Word, to be Divine, and at the same time to be for heaven and the church, must be altogether natural in the letter; for unless this were the case, it could not be the medium of effecting the conjunction of heaven with the church; for it would be like a house without a foundation, and like a soul without a body; for the ultimates include all the interiors, and are their foundation (as may be seen above, n. 41). Man also is in ultimates, and heaven has its foundation upon the church in him. This is why the style in which the Word is written is of such a character; therefore, when man thinks spiritually from the natural things which are in the sense of the letter of the Word, he is conjoined with heaven which could not otherwise be the case.
71. And His voice as the voice of many waters, signifies Divine truth in ultimates. This is evident from the signification of a "voice" when it is from the Lord, as being Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914, and above, n. 55); and from the signification of "waters," as being the truths of faith, and also the knowledges of truth (of which see n. 2702, 3058, 5668, 8568, 10238); and since the knowledges of truths are in ultimates, "the voice as the voice of many waters," because it is said of the Lord, signifies Divine truth in ultimates. (That knowledges and scientifics are of the external or natural man, because they are in the light of the world, thus in ultimates, see Arcana Coelestia 5212, and in general, New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 51.) As it is not yet known that "waters" in the Word signify the truths of faith and the knowledges of truth, I would like, since this signification may possibly appear remote, to show here briefly that this is what is meant in the Word by "waters." This, moreover, is necessary, because without a knowledge of what "waters" signify, it cannot be known what baptism signifies, nor the "washings" in the Israelitish church so frequently referred to. "Waters" signify the truths of faith, as "bread" signifies the good of love. "Waters" and "bread" have this signification because things that pertain to spiritual nourishment are expressed in the sense of the letter by such things as belong to natural nourishment; for bread and water, which include in general all food and drink, nourish the body, while the truths of faith and the good of love nourish the soul. This also is from correspondence, for when "bread" and "water" are read of in the Word, angels, because they are spiritual, understand the things by which they are nourished, which are the goods of love and the truths of faith.
[2] But I will cite some passages from which it may be known that "waters" signify the truths of faith, likewise the knowledges of truth. Thus in Isaiah:
The earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
In the same:
Then with joy shall ye draw waters out of the fountains of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).
In the same:
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly, bread shall be given him, and his waters shall be sure (Isaiah 33:15-16).
In the same:
The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongue faileth for thirst. I will open rivers upon the heights, and will place fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a going forth of waters; that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand (Isaiah 41:17, 18, 20).
In the same:
I will pour waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring (Isaiah 44:3).
In the same:
Thy light shall arise in the darkness, and thy thick darkness be as the noonday; that thou mayest be like a watered garden, and like a going forth of waters, whose waters shall not prove false (Isaiah 58:10-11).
In Jeremiah:
My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits that hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).
In the same:
Their nobles sent their little ones for water; they came to the pits and found no waters; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded (Jeremiah 14:3).
In the same:
They have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 17:13).
In the same:
They shall come with weeping, 1and with supplications will I lead them; I will lead them unto fountains of waters, in the way of right (Jeremiah 31:9).
In Ezekiel:
I will break the staff of bread, and they shall eat bread by weight and with carefulness; and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment; that they may want bread and water, and be desolated, a man and a brother, and pine away for their iniquities (Ezekiel 4:16-17; 12:18-19; Isaiah 51:14).
In Amos:
Behold the days come, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Word of Jehovah. They shall wander from sea to sea, they shall run to and fro, to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it; in that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst (Amos 8:11-13).
In Zechariah:
In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8).
In David:
Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He will lead me to the waters of rest (Psalms 23:1-2).
In Isaiah:
They shall not thirst, He will cause waters to flow out of the rock for them, and He will cleave the rock, that the waters may flow out (Isaiah 48:21).
In David:
O God, early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth, I am weary without waters (Psalms 63:1).
In the same:
Jehovah sendeth His word, He maketh the wind to blow, that the waters may flow (Psalms 147:18).
In the same:
Praise Jehovah, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens (Psalms 148:4).
In John:
When Jesus came to the fountain of Jacob, a woman of Samaria came to draw water; Jesus said to her, Give Me to drink. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give Me to drink, thou wouldest ask of Him, and He would give thee living water. The woman said unto Him, From whence hast Thou living water? Jesus said to her, Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall not thirst for ever; and the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:7-15).
In the same:
Jesus said, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38).
In Revelation:
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely (Revelation 21:6).
And in another place:
The angel showed unto him a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1).
And again:
The spirit and the bride say, Come. He that heareth, let him say, Come. And he that is athirst, let him come. And he that wisheth, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).
[3] These passages have been cited that it may be known that in the Word "waters" signify the truths of faith, consequently what is meant by the water of baptism, about which the Lord thus teaches in John:
Except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
"Waters" here are the truths of faith, and "spirit" a life according to them (See New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. Ezekiel 43:2).
And in David:
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, Jehovah upon many waters (Psalms 29:3).
And in the following words in Revelation:
I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters (Revelation 14:2).
[4] I know that some will wonder why "waters" are mentioned in the Word, and not the truths of faith, since the Word is to teach man about his spiritual life; and since, if the expression the truths of faith had been used, instead of "waters," man would have known that the waters of baptism and of washings contribute nothing to the purifying of man from evils and falsities. But it is to be known, that the Word in order to be Divine, and at the same time useful to heaven and the church, must be wholly natural in the letter, for if it were not natural in the letter there could be no conjunction of heaven with the church by means of it; for it would be like a house without a foundation, and like a soul without a body, for ultimates enclose all interiors, and are a foundation for them (See above, n. 41). Man also is in ultimates, and upon the church in him heaven has its foundations. For this reason the style of the Word is such as it is; and as a consequence, when man from the natural things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word thinks spiritually, he is conjoined with heaven, and in no other way could he be conjoined with it.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin has "weeping and with weeping," the Hebrew "weeping and with supplication," as also found in Apocalypse Explained 239, 483; Arcana Coelestia 3325.
71. "Et vox Ipsius tanquam vox aquarum multarum. "Quod significet Divinum Verum in ultimis, constat ex significatione "vocis", cum a Domino, quod sit Divinum Verum (de qua n. 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914; et supra, n. 55); et ex significatione "aquarum", quod sint vera fidei, et quoque cognitiones veri (de qua n. 2702, 3058, 5668, 8568, 10238); et quia cognitiones veri sunt in ultimis, ideo per "vocem sicut (vox) aquarum multarum", quia de Domino, significatur Divinum Verum in ultimis. (Quod cognitiones et scientifica sint externi seu naturalis hominis, quia in luce mundi, ita in ultimis, videatur n. 5212; et in genere de illis in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 51). Quoniam nondum notum est quod "aquae "in Verbo significent vera fidei et cognitiones veri, ex causa fortassis quia remotum apparet, ideo velim paucis hic ostendere quod per "aquas" in Verbo illa intelligantur; quod etiam necessum est, quia absque cognitione quid "aquae" significant, non sciri potest quid significat Baptismus, nec quid lavationes in Ecclesia Israelitica, quarum mentio toties fit. "Aquae" significant vera fidei, quia "panis" significat bonum amoris.
Quod "aquae" et "panis" illa significent, est quia illa quae sunt nutritionis spiritualis exprimuntur in sensu litterae per talia quae sunt nutritionis naturalis; aquae enim et panis, per quae intelligitur omnis potus et omnis cibus in genere, nutriunt corpus, ac vera fidei et bonum amoris nutriunt animam; est quoque hoc ex correspondentia, nam cum "panis" et "aqua" leguntur in Verbo, angeli, quia spirituales, intelligunt illa quae eos nutriunt, quae sunt bona amoris et vera fidei.
[2] Hic aliqua loca afferre velim, ut sciatur quod "aquae" significent vera fidei, tum cognitiones veri:
- Apud Esaiam:
"Plena est terra scientia Jehovae, sicut aquae mare contegunt" (11:9);
apud eundem,
"Tunc haurietis aquas cum laetitia ex fontibus salutis" (12:3);
apud eundem,
"Qui ambulat in justitiis, et loquitur rectitudines; .... panis dabitur et aquae fideles" (33:15, 16);
apud eundem,
"Pauperes et egeni quaerentes aquam, sed non, lingua eorum siti deficit: .... aperiam super clivis fluvios, et in medio vallium fontes ponam, desertum in stagnum aquarum, et terram siccam in scaturigines aquarum; .... ut videant, et cognoscant, et attendant et intelligant" (41:17, 18, 20);
apud eundem,
"Effundam aquas super sitientem, et fluenta super aridam; effundam spiritum meum super semen tuum, et benedictionem meam super natos" (44:3);
apud eundem,
"Exorietur in tenebris lux tua, et caligo tua sicut meridies, .... ut sis sicut hortus irriguus, et sicut exitus aquarum, cujus aquae non mentientur" (58:10 [, 11]);
apud Jeremiam:
"Duo mala fecit populus meus; Me deseruerunt, fontem aquarum vivarum, ad excidendum sibi foveas, quae non continent aquas" (2:13);
apud eundem,
"Magnates miserunt minorennes aquae causa, venerunt ad foveas, nec invenerunt aquas, reversa sunt vasa eorum vacua, pudefacti sunt et ignominia affecti" (14:3);
apud eundem,
"Deseruerunt fontem aquarum vivarum Jehovam" (17:13);
apud eundem,
"Cum fletu venient, et cum 1
precibus adducam eos, ducam eos ad fontes aquarum in via recti" (31:9);
apud Ezechielem:
"Frangam baculum panis, . . . .et comedent panem pondere et in sollicitudine, et aquas mensura et stupore bibent, ut careant pane et aqua, et 2
desolentur vir et frater, et contabescant propter iniquitates" (4:16, 17; 12:18, 19: Esaias 51:14);
apud Amos,
"Ecce dies venient, quibus immittam famem in terram; non famem ad panem, neque sitim ad aquas, sed ad audiendum Verbum Jehovae; vagabuntur a mari ad mare, .... et discurrent ad quaerendum Verbum Jehovae, nec invenient; in die illo deficient virgines pulchra et juvenes siti" (8:11-13);
apud Sachariam,
"In die illo exibunt aquae vivae ex Hierosolyma" (14:8);
apud Davidem,
"Jehovah Pastor meus, non carebo; ad aquas quietum deducet me" (Psalm. 23 [1,] 2);
apud 3
Esaiam,
"Non sitient, .... aquas e petra effluere faciet illis, et findet petram ut fluant aquae" ( 4
48:21);
apud 5
Davidem,
"Deus, mane quaero Te; sitit anima mea, . . . lassus sine aquis" (Psalms 63:2 [B.A. 1]);
apud eundem,
Jehovah "mittit Verbum suum, .... spirare facit ventum, ut fluant aquae" (Psalm. 147:18 6
);
apud eundem,
"Laudate Jehovam caeli caelorum, et aquae quae desuper caelis" (Psalm. 148:4);
apud Johannem,
Jesus venit ad fontem Jacobi; "venit mulier e Samaria ad hauriendum aquas; cui dixit Jesus, Da Mihi bibere; . . . si scires donum Dei, et quis sit qui dicit tibi, Da Mihi bibere, tu peteres ab Ipso ut daret tibi aquam viventem. Dicit Ipsi mulier, . . . Unde habes aquam viventem? .... Dixit ei Jesus, Omnis qui bibit ex hac aqua, sitiet iterum; qui vero biberit ex aqua quam Ego dabo, non sitiet in aeternum; et aqua quam Ego dabo, fiet in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam" (4:7-15);
apud eundem,
Jesus dixit, "Si quis sitiverit, Venito ad Me et bibito; quisquis credit in Me, sicut dicit Scriptura, flumina e ventre ipsius fluent aquae viventis" (7:37, 38);
in Apocalypsi,
"Sitienti dabitur e fonte aquae vitae gratis" (21:6);
et alibi,
Angelus ostendit illi "fluvium aquae vitae, splendidum sicut crystallum, exeuntem ex throno Dei et Agni" (22:1);
et adhuc ibi,
"spiritus et Sponsa dicunt, (Veni); qui audit, dicat Veni; et qui sitit veniat; et qui vult, accipiet aquam vitae gratis" (22:17).
[3] Haec allata sunt, ut sciatur quod per "aquas" in Verbo significentur vera fidei, et inde quid per aquam Baptismi, de quo ita Dominus docet apud Johannem:
"Nisi homo generatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu, non potest ingredi in regnum Dei" (3:5);
"aquae" ibi sunt vera fidei, et "spiritus" est vita secundum illa (videatur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 202-209, seq.). Quia non notum fuerat quod "aquae" significarent vera fidei, nec quod omnia quae apud filios Israelis instituta fuerunt essent repraesentativa spiritualium, ideo creditum est quod per lavationes illis mandatas abstersa fuerint illis peccata, cum tamen ne hilum; repraesentabant modo purificationem a malis et falsis per vera fidei et vitam secundum illa (videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 3147, 5954, 10237, 10240). Ex his nunc patet quod per "vocem", quae sicut "vox aquarum multarum", intelligatur Divinum Verum; ut quoque apud Ezechielem,
"Ecce gloria Dei Israelis venit a via orientis, et vox Ipsius sicut vox aquarum multarum, et terra illustrata a gloria Ipsius" (43:2 7
);
apud Davidem,
"Vox Jehovae super aquis, .... Jehovah super aquis multis" (Psalms 29:3);
et in sequentibus in Apocalypsi,
"Audivi vocem e caelo tanquam vocem aquarum multarum" (14:2).
[4] Scio quod miraturi sint quidam quare in Verbo "aquae" nominantur, et non vera fidei, cum tamen Verbum docebit hominem de vita spirituali ejus; et si vera fidei loco "aquarum" dicta fuissent, scivisset homo quod non aquae Baptismi et lavationum aliquid ad purificationem hominis a malis et falsis fecissent: sed sciendum est quod Verbum, ut Divinum sit, et simul pro caelo et pro ecclesia, omnino naturale erit in littera; nam nisi naturale esset in littera, non foret per illud conjunctio caeli cum ecclesia, foret enim sicut domus absque fundamento, et sicut anima absque corpore; ultima enim concludunt omnia interiora et fundant illa (videatur supra, n. 41): homo etiam est in ultimis, et super ecclesia apud illum fundatur caelum. Inde nunc est quod talis stylus in Verbo sit; quare homo, cum cogitat spiritualiter ex naturalibus, quae sunt in sensu litterae Verbi, conjungitur caelo, cum quo non alioquin conjungeretur.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.
4. The editors made a correction or note here.
5. The editors made a correction or note here.
6. The editors made a correction or note here.
7. The editors made a correction or note here.