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765. 1And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.- That this signifies that those who are of a church which is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not accept the crafty reasonings of those who were [in] faith separated from [charity], is evident from the signification of the earth (terra) which helped the woman, as denoting the church which is not in truths; for the earth here means the earth of the wilderness, into which the woman fled, and where she had a place prepared by God (that the earth of the wilderness signifies the church which is not in truths because not in good, is plain from the signification of earth, as denoting the church, concerning which see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; from the signification of the wilderness, as denoting where there is no truth, concerning which also see above, n. 730); and from the signification of helping the woman, as denoting to afford assistance to the New Church, which is called the Holy Jerusalem; and from the signification of opening her mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, as denoting [not to accept] the keen reasonings of those who were [in] faith separated from [charity]. For the river of waters which the dragon cast out of his mouth signifies keen reasonings from falsities, as it is evident from the two preceding articles; and to open the mouth and swallow, when said of the church signified by the earth, means to take away, and because a thing is taken away when it is not received, it therefore signifies not to receive. These things must be thus understood.
[2] It is said above that the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God, and afterwards that she obtained the wings of an eagle, and flew to her own place, and this signifies that the church which is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separated [from charity] while it grows to fulness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works, not only in doctrine, but also in life; the rest in the same church, who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although among them, for they do not know but that it is agreeable to doctrine that faith produces the fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is to believe those things that are in the Word, and to do them. The dragons are altogether of another way of thinking; but what their sentiments are the former do not comprehend, and because they do not comprehend they do not accept them. It is evident from this that the church consisting of those who are not dragons, is meant by the earth that helped the woman, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. But what and how crafty and even pernicious are the reasonings of those meant by the dragon about the separation of faith from good works, and their conjunction - the Lord being willing - will be revealed elsewhere, also that those reasonings exist only with the learned leaders of the church, and are unknown to the people of the church because they are not understood by them; therefore by these the New Church, which is called the Holy Jerusalem, is helped, and it also increases.
Footnotes:
1. See footnote at paragraph number 764.
765. 1Verse 16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, signifies that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity. This is evident from the signification of the "earth" that helped the woman, as being the church that is not in truths, for here the "earth" means the earth of the wilderness, into which the woman fled, and where she had a place prepared of God. (That "the earth of the wilderness" signifies the church that is not in truths because it is not in good, is evident from the signification of "earth," as being the church, see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; also from the signification of "wilderness" as being where there is no truth, of which also above, n. 730.) The above is evident also from the signification of "helping the woman," as being to afford assistance to the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem; also from the signification of "opening her mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth," as being the keen reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity; for "the river of waters" that the dragon cast out of his mouth signifies the keen reasonings from falsities, as is evident from the two preceding articles, and "to open the mouth and swallow," in reference to the church that is signified by the "earth," signifies to take away; and as a thing is taken away when it is not received, it signifies not to receive.
[2] These things must be understood as follows: It is said above that "the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God," and afterwards that she received "the wings of an eagle and flew to her place," which signifies that the church that is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separate while it grows to fullness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works not only in doctrine but also in life; but the others in the same church who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although they are among them, for they do not know otherwise than that it is according to doctrine that faith produces fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is believing what is in the Word, and doing it. But the dragons have wholly different sentiments; but what these are the others do not comprehend, and because they do not comprehend them they do not receive them. From this it is clear that the church consisting of those who are not dragons is meant by the "earth" that "helped the woman and swallowed up the river that the dragon cast out of his mouth." But what and how crafty and even pernicious are the reasonings of those who are meant by "the dragon" about the separation of faith from good works, and about their conjunction, will, the Lord willing, be revealed elsewhere; likewise that these reasonings are only with the learned leaders of the church, and are not known to the people of the church because they are not understood by them, therefore it is by the latter that the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem, is helped and also grows.
Footnotes:
1. Printed versions of AE have numbered this passage 764 and noted that there is no passage numbered 765 in the text. However, both Latin and English versions did not examine the first Latin draft which contains both 764 and 765. See the previous number for a more complete explanation.
765. [Vers. 16.] "Et adjuvit terra mulierem, et aperuit terra os suum, et deglutivit flumen quod ejecit draco ex ore suo." - Quod significet quod illi qui ab ecclesia quae non in veris operam praestiterint, et astutas ratiocinationes illorum qui a fide separata essent, non receperint, constat ex significatione "terrae" quae adjuvit mulierem, quod sit ecclesia quae non in veris, nam per "terram" hic intelligitur terra deserti, in quam mulier fugit, et ubi habuit locum praeparatum a Deo: (quod "terra deserti" significat ecclesiam quae non in veris quia non in bono, constat ex significatione "terrae", quod sit ecclesia, de qua supra, n. 29, 304, 417 [a] , 697, 741, 742, 752; et ex significatione "deserti", quod sit ubi non verum, de qua etiam supra, n. 730): ex significatione "adjuvare mulierem", quod sit operam praestare Novae Ecclesiae, quae Sancta Hierosolyma vocatur: et ex significatione "aperire os suum et deglutire flumen, quod ejecit, draco ex ore suo", quod sit acutas ratiocinationes illorum, qui a fide separata essent; "flumen enim aquarum, quod draco ejecit ex ore suo", significat acutas ratiocinationes ex falsis, ut ex articulis binis praecedentibus patet; et "aperire os et deglutire", cum de ecclesia, quae significatur per "terram", significat auferre; et quia aufertur cum non recipitur, significat non recipere.
[2] Haec ita intelligenda sunt: in antecedentibus dicitur quod "mulier fugerit in desertum ubi habet locum praeparatum a Deo", et postea quod "nacta sit alas aquilae, et volaverit in locum suum", per quae significatum est quod ecclesia, quae Nova Hierosolyma vocatur, commoratura sit inter illos qui in doctrina fidei separatae sunt, dum crescit in plenum, usque dum providetur inter plures; sed in ea ecclesia dracones sunt, qui separant fidem a bonis operibus non solum doctrina sed etiam vita; at reliqui in eadem ecclesia, qui vivunt vitam fidei, quae est charitas, non dracones sunt, tametsi inter illos; nam non aliter sciunt quam quod ex doctrina sit quod fides producat fructus, qui sunt bona opera, et quod fides quae justificat et salvat, sit credere illa quae in Verbo sunt et facere illa; at dracones prorsus aliter sentiunt; sed quomodo hi sentiunt, non capiunt illi, et quia non capiunt, nec recipiunt: ex quibus patet, quod ecclesia ex illis, qui non dracones sunt, intelligatur per "terram, quae adjuvit mulierem, et deglutivit flumen quod draco ejecit ex ore suo." Quales autem, et quam astutae et simul perniciosae ratiocinationes illorum qui per "draconem" intelliguntur, de separatione fidei a bonis operibus, et de conjunctione eorum, sunt, alibi, volente Domino, revelabitur; tum quod illae ratiocinationes sint modo apud antistites eruditos, et non notae, quia non intellectae, populo ecclesiae, et quod inde sit quod Nova Ecclesia, quae Sancta Hierosolyma vocatur, ab his adjuvetur, et quoque crescat.