140.“叫众教会知道，我是那察看肾肺心肠的”表叫教会知道主察看各人所拥有的真理与良善的品质。“七个教会”表整个教会，和前面一样；“察看肾肺心肠”表察看人所信所爱的全部事物，因而察看他的真理与良善的品质。“察看肾肺心肠”具有这样的含义出于对应，因为圣言的字义纯由对应构成。这种对应来自这一事实：信之真理把人从虚假中洁净出来，爱之良善把人从邪恶中洁净出来，正如肾脏将血液从被称为尿的秽物中洁净出来，心脏将血液从被称为肮脏的不洁之物中洁净出来。
因此，古人将爱及其情感置于心，将智慧及其觉知置于肾。这一点从以下经文可以得到证实：
看哪，你所喜爱的是肾里的真理，你在我隐密处必使我得智慧。（诗篇51:6）
你掌有我的肾，我在暗中受造，那时，我的骨骸并不向你隐藏。（诗篇139:13，15）
我心里发酸，我的肾都被刺伤，我这样愚昧无知。（诗篇73:21-22）
我耶和华是鉴察人心、试验人的肾，要照各人所行的路报应他。（耶利米书17:10）
他们的口是与你相近，肾却与你远离；耶和华啊，你看见我，察验我的心。（耶利米书12:2-3）
耶和华是公正的审判官，试验肾心。（耶利米书 11:20；20:12）
愿你坚立义人，因为公义的神察验心肾。（诗篇7:9）
耶和华啊，求你察看我，试验我，探查我的肾、我的心。（诗篇26:2）
在这些地方，“肾”表智与信之真理，“心”表爱与仁之良善。“心”表爱及其情感，这一点可见于《圣爱与圣智》（371-393节）。
140. "'That all the churches may know that I am He who searches the reins and hearts.'" This symbolically means, so that the church may know that the Lord sees the quality of truth and the quality of good in everyone.
The seven churches symbolize the whole church, as before. Searching the reins and hearts means, symbolically, to see everything that a person believes and loves, thus the quality of truth and the quality of good in him.
This is the symbolic meaning of searching the reins and hearts because of their correspondence, for the Word in its literal sense consists only of things that correspond. The correspondence results from the fact that as the reins or kidneys purify the blood of its impurities called urinous, and as the heart purifies the blood of its contaminants called pollutants, so the truth of faith purifies a person of his falsities, and the goodness of love purifies a person of his evils.
[2] For this reason the ancients located love and its affections in the heart, and intelligence and its perceptions in the reins or kidneys, as can be seen from the following passages in the Word:
Behold, You desire truth in the reins, 1and in secret You make wisdom known to me. (Psalms 51:6)
...You possess my reins... My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret... (Psalms 139:13, 15)
...my heart is provoked, and with my reins I sharpen myself. (But) I am stupid and ignorant. (Psalms 73:21-22)
I, Jehovah, search the heart (and) test the reins, even to give every man according to his ways... (Jeremiah 17:10)
You are near in their mouth, but far from their reins. ...You, O Jehovah..., will see me, and You will test my heart... (Jeremiah 12:2-3)
...Jehovah, a judge of righteousness, testing the reins and the heart... (Jeremiah 11:20, cf. 20:12)
...establish the righteous, (for) You who test the hearts and reins are a righteous God. (Psalms 7:9)
Test me, O Jehovah, and try me; examine my reins and my heart. (Psalms 26:2)
The reins in these passages symbolize truths of intelligence and faith, and the heart symbolizes the goodness of love and charity.
To be shown that the heart symbolizes love and its affections, see Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 371-393.
Footnotes:
1. This is the reading of the writer's Latin Bible (Schmidt, 1696). The Hebrew has simply "inward parts."
140. 'So that all the Churches may recognise that I am He Who searches the kidneys and hearts' signifies so that the Church may know that the Lord sees what truth and what good anyone has. By 'the seven Churches' the entire Church is signified, as before; and by 'searching the kidneys and hearts' is signified seeing all that a man believes and loves, thus what truth and what good he has. That this is signified by 'searching the kidneys and hearts' results from correspondence, for the Word in the sense of the letter of the Word consists of pure correspondences. The correspondence is from this, that as the kidneys purify the blood from the impurities that are called urinous, and the heart purifies the blood from the unclean things that are called filthy, so the truth of faith purifies a man from untruths, and the good of love purifies him from evils.
[2] Consequently the Ancients placed love and its affections in the heart, and intelligence and its perceptions in the kidneys, as can be established from these passages its the Word:
Behold thou desirest truth (veritas) in the kidneys, and in what is hidden Thou makest wisdom known to me. Psalms 51:6.
Thou possessest the kidneys, my love was not hid from Thee when I was made in secret. Psalms 139:13, 15.
My heart is provoked, and I excite myself in my kidneys; but I am a dolt, I do not learn. Psalms 73:21-22.
I Jehovah, searching the heart, and trying the kidneys, even to give each one according to his ways. Jeremiah 17:10.
Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their kidneys; Thou, O Jehovah, wilt see me and try my heart. Jeremiah 12:2-3.
Jehovah, judge of justice, trying the kidneys and the heart. Jeremiah 11:20; 20:12.
Confirm the just, for it is the just God Who tries the heart and the kidneys. Psalms 7:9; [H.B. 10].
Try me, O Jehovah, and test me, examine my kidneys and my heart. Psalms 26:2.
By 'kidneys' in these places are signified the truths of intelligence and faith, and by 'heart' is signified the good of love and charity. That the heart signifies love and the affections thereof may be seen in ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM 1(371-393).
Footnotes:
1. The Original Edition has DIVINA PROVIDENTIA (Divine Providence) but DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM is evidently intended.
140. And all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts, signifies that the church shall know that the Lord sees the quality of everyone's truth and the quality of everyone's good. By "the seven churches" is signified the whole church, as before; and by "searching the reins and hearts," is signified to see all the things which a man believes and loves, thus the quality of his truth and of his good. That this is the signification of "searching the reins and hearts," is from correspondence, for the Word in its literal sense consists of mere correspondences. The correspondence is from this, that as the reins purify the blood from the impurities which are called urinous, and the heart purifies the blood from the unclean things which are called foul, so the truth of faith purifies man from falsities, and the good of love from evils.
[2] Thence it is that the ancients placed love and its affections in the heart, and intelligence and its perceptions in the reins; as may appear from these passages in the Word:
Behold, thou desirest truth in the reins, and in the hidden part thou makest wisdom known to me, (Psalms 51:6).
Thou possessest my reins, my bone was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, (Psalms 139:13, 15).
My heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins, but I am stupid, I do not know, (Psalms 73:21-22).
I Jehovah search the heart, and try the reins, even to give everyone according to his ways, (Jeremiah 17:10).
Thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins; Thou, O Jehovah, wilt see me, and try my heart, (Jeremiah 12:2-3).
Jehovah is a judge of justice, trying the reins and the heart, (Jeremiah 11:20; 20:12).
Confirm the just, for it is the just God who trieth the hearts and reins, (Psalms 7:9).
Prove me, O Jehovah, and try me, explore my reins and my heart, (Psalms 26:2).
By "reins" in these places are signified truths of intelligence and faith, and by "heart," the good of love and charity. That "heart" signifies the love and its affections, may be seen in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Wisdom, (371-393).
140. "Ut cognoscant omnes Ecclesiae, quod Ego sim scrutans renes et corda," significat ut Ecclesia sciat quod Dominus videat quale verum et quale bonum est cuivis. - Per "septem Ecclesias" significatur universa Ecclesia, ut prius; et per "scrutans renes et corda" significatur videre omnia quae homo credit et quae amat, ita quale verum et quale bonum ejus est. Quod hoc per "scrutari renes et corda" significetur, est ex correspondentia, Verbum enim in Sensu literae Verbi consistit ex meris correspondentiis. Correspondentia inde est, quod sicut renes purificant sanguinem ab impuris, quae vocantur urinosa, et cor sanguinem ab immundis, quae vocantur squallida, ita verum fidei hominem a falsis, et bonum amoris a malis. Inde est, quod antiqui in corde posuerint amorem et ejus affectiones, ac in renibus intelligentiam et ejus perceptiones ut constare potest ex his in Verbo:
"Ecce Veritatem desideras in Renibus, et in occulto sapientiam notam facie mihi," (Psalm 51:8 (B.A. 6));
"Tu possides Renes; non latuit Te os meum, cum factus sum in occulto," (Psalm 139:(13,) 15);
"Exacerbatur Cor meum, et Renibus meis exacuo me; sed ego stolidus non cognosco," (Psalm 73:21, (22));
"Ego Jehovah scrutans Cor, et probans Renes, et ad dandum cuivis juxta vias ejus," (Jeremias 17:10);
"Propinquus Tu in ore eorum, et longinquus a Renibus eorum; Jehovah, videbis me, et probabis Cor meum," (Jeremias 12:(2,) 3);
"Jehovah judex justitiae probans Renes et Cor," (Jeremias 11:20; 120:12);
"Confirma justum, nam Qui probas Corda et Renes, Deus justus," (Psalm 7:10 (B.A. 9));
"Proba me, Jehovah, et tenta me, explora Renes meos et Cor meum," (Psalm 26:2);
per "renes" in his locis significantur vera intelligentiae et fidei, et per "cor" bonum amoris et charitatis. Quod "cor" significet amorem et ejus affectiones, videatur in Sapientia Angelica de Divino Amore et Divina Sapientia 371-393. 2
Footnotes:
1. 20 pro "12"
2. Divino Amore et Divina Sapientia pro "Divina Providentia"