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981. (Verse 8) And the fourth angel poured out his vial into the sun. That this signifies the state of the church manifested as to love to God, thus to the Lord, is evident from the signification of the angel pouring out his vial, as denoting the state of the church manifested, as above (n. 969). And from the signification of the sun, as denoting love to God, thus to the Lord (concerning which see above, n. 401, 412, 422, 425, 527, 708). The reason why the sun signifies love to God, thus to the Lord is, that the Lord appears before the angels in the heavens as a Sun, and His appearance as a Sun is from Divine love. For all love in the spiritual world corresponds to fire and flame, and because it corresponds it is also representatively shown by fire and flame, therefore the Lord's Divine love appears as a Sun. Hence it is that the sun, in the Word, signifies the Lord, as to love towards all who are in heaven and in the world, and, in a reciprocal sense, love to the Lord.
By love to the Lord is signified the love or affection of doing His commandments, thus, the love of keeping the precepts of the Decalogue. For in proportion as a man from love, or from affection, keeps and does them, in the same proportion he loves the Lord. The reason is, that they are the Lord with man.
[2] Thus far five precepts of the Decalogue have been explained. The Sixth Precept, which is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," must now be explained.
Who is there at this day capable of believing that the delight of adultery is hell with man, and that the delight of marriage is heaven with him; consequently, that so far as a man is in the one delight, so far he is not in the other; because so far as a man is in hell, so far he is not in heaven? Who is there at this day who is capable of believing that the love of adultery is the fundamental love of all hellish and devilish loves, and that the chaste love of marriage is the fundamental love of all loves, heavenly and Divine; consequently, that so far as a man is in the love of adultery, so far he is in every evil love, if not in act, yet in endeavour? On the other hand, so far as a man is in the chaste love of marriage, so far he is in every good love, if not in act, yet in endeavour? Who is there at this day who is capable of believing that he who is in the love of adultery has no belief at all in the Word, consequently, none in the church, indeed, that in his heart he denies God? And, on the other hand, that he who is in the chaste love of marriage is in charity and faith and in love to God? Or who is capable of believing that the chastity of marriage makes one with religion, and the lasciviousness of adultery makes one with naturalism?
[3] The reason why these things are at this day unknown is, because the church is at its end, and devastated as to truth and good; and when the church is in such a condition, then the man of the church, by influx from hell, comes into the persuasion that adulteries are neither detestable nor abominations. And hence also he comes into the belief that marriages and adulteries do not differ in their essence, but only as to order, when, nevertheless, the difference between them is such as that between heaven and hell. That there is this difference between them will be seen in what follows. Hence it is that in the Word, in the spiritual sense, heaven and the church are meant by nuptials and marriages; and that hell and the rejection of all things of the church are meant in the Word, in the spiritual sense, by adulteries and whoredoms.
981. Verse 8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, signifies the state of the church manifested as to love to God, thus to the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "the angel pouring out his vial," as being the state of the church manifested (as above, n. 969; also from the signification of the "sun," as being love to God, thus to the Lord (See above, n. 401, 412, 422, 525, 527, 708). The "sun" signifies love to God, thus to the Lord, because the Lord appears before the angels in the heavens as a sun, and His appearance as a sun is from the Divine love. For all love in the spiritual world corresponds to fire and flame, and because it corresponds it is manifested representatively by fire and by flame; consequently the Lord's Divine love appears as a sun. This is why the "sun" signifies in the Word the Lord as to love towards all who are in heaven and in the world, and in a reciprocal sense love to the Lord. Love to the Lord means the love or affection of doing His commandments, thus the love of keeping the commandments of the Decalogue. For so far as a man from love or from affection keeps and does these, so far he loves the Lord, and for the reason that these are the Lord with man.
(Continuation: The Sixth Commandment) 1
[2] Thus far five commandments of the Decalogue have been explained. Now follows the explanation of the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
Who at this day can believe that the delight of adultery is hell with man, and that the delight of marriage is heaven with him, consequently so far as man is in the one delight so far he is not in the other, because so far as man is in hell so far he is not in heaven? Who at this day can believe that the love of adultery is the fundamental love of all infernal and diabolical loves, and that the chaste love of marriage is the fundamental love of all heavenly and Divine loves; consequently so far as a man is in the love of adultery so far he is in every evil love, if not in act yet in endeavor; and on the other hand, so far as man is in the chaste love of marriage so far he is in every good love, if not in act yet in endeavor? Who at this day can believe that he who is in the love of adultery believes nothing of the Word, thus nothing of the church, and even in his heart denies God; and on the other hand, that he who is in the chaste love of marriage is in charity and in faith, and in love to God; also that the chastity of marriage makes one with religion, and the lasciviousness of adultery makes one with naturalism?
[3] All this at this day is unknown because the church is at its end, and is devastated as to truth and as to good; and when the church is such, the man of the church, by influx from hell, comes into the persuasion that adulteries are not detestable things and abominations, and thus comes into the belief that marriages and adulteries do not differ in their essence, but only as a matter of order, and yet the difference between them is like the difference between heaven and hell. That such is the difference between them will be seen in what follows. This, then, is why in the Word in its spiritual sense heaven and the church are meant by nuptials and marriages, and hell and the rejection of all things of the church are meant in the Word in its spiritual sense by adulteries and whoredoms.
981. [Vers. 8.] "Et quartus angelus effudit phialam suam in solem." - Quod significet statum ecclesiae manifestatum quoad amorem in Deum, ita in Dominum, constat ex significatione "angeli effundentis phialam suam", quod sit status ecclesiae manifestatus (ut supra, n. 969); et ex significatione "solis", quod sit amor in Deum, ita in Dominum (de qua supra, n. 401, 412 [b] 422 [a] , 525, 527, 708): quod "sol" significet amorem in Deum, ita in Dominum, est quia Dominus coram angelis in caelis apparet ut Sol, et apparentia Ipsius ut Sol est ex Divino Amore; omnis enim amor in mundo spirituali correspondet igni et flammae, et quia correspondet, etiam sistitur repraesentativa per ignem et per flammam; quare Divinus Amor Domini apparet sicut Sol: inde est, quod "sol" in Verbo significet Dominum quoad amorem erga omnes qui in caelo et in mundo sunt, et in sensu reciproco amorem in Dominum. Per amorem in Dominum significatur amor seu affectio faciendi mandata Ipsius, ita amor custodiendi praecepta decalogi; quantum enim homo ex amore seu ex affectione illa custodit et facit, tantum amat Dominum; causa est, quia illa sunt Dominus apud hominem.
[2] (Continuatio.)
Hactenus explicata sunt quinque praecepta decalogi; sequitur nunc
PRAECEPTUM SEXTUM, QUOD EST, "NON ADULTERABERIS, "
explicandum. Quis hodie potest credere quod jucundum adulterii sit infernum apud hominem, et quod jucundum conjugii sit caelum apud illum? consequenter quod quantum homo in uno jucundo est, tantum non sit in altero, quia quantum homo in inferno est, tantum non est in caelo? Quis hodie credere potest quod amor adulterii sit fundamentalis amor omnium amorum infernalium et diabolicorum, et quod amor castus conjugii sit amor fundamentalis omnium amorum caelestium et Divinorum? consequenter quod quantum homo in amore adulterii est, tantum sit in omni amore malo, si non actu usque conatu? vicissim quantum homo in amore casto conjugii est, tantum sit in omni amore bono, si non actu usque conatu? Quis hodie credere potest quod qui in amore adulterii est, non aliquid Verbi, ita nec aliquid ecclesiae credat, immo quod corde suo Deum neget? et vicissim, quod qui in casto amore conjugii est, in charitate et in fide sit, ac in amore in Deum? tum quod castitas conjugii unum faciat cum religione, et lascivia adulterii unum faciat cum naturalismo?
[3] Causa quod haec hodie nesciantur, est quia ecclesia in suo fine est, ac quoad verum et quoad bonum devastata; et cum ecclesia talis est, tunc homo ecclesiae ab influxu ex inferno in persuasionem venit quod adulteria non sint detestabilia et abominationes; et inde quoque venit in fidem quod conjugia et adulteria in sua essentia non differant, sed solum quoad ordinem; cum tamen differentia inter illa est, qualis est inter caelum et infernum; quod haec differentia inter illa sit, videbitur in sequentibus. Ex his nunc est quod caelum et ecclesia in Verbo in sensu spirituali intelligantur per "nuptias" et "conjugia", et quod infernum et rejectio omnium ecclesiae in Verbi sensu spirituali intelligantur per "adulteria" et "scortationes."