Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/280

184 The secret in this circumstance is, that the garments of the Lord signified Divine truth, and so the Word, because the Word is Divine truth; the garments which they divided signified the Word in the letter; and the coat, the Word in the internal sense. To divide them signifies to disperse and falsify; and the soldiers signify those that are of the church who fight for Divine truth; for this reason it is said, "These things therefore the soldiers did." It is plain then that the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense is that the Jewish church dispersed the Divine truth which is in the sense of the letter; but that they could not disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense. (A. E. n. 64.)

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Rev. vii 17). This signifies a state of beatitude from the affection of truth after falsities are removed by temptations; as appears from the signification of to wipe away tears from the eyes, which is to take away grief of mind on account of falsities and arising from falsities. And because on the cessation of that grief, after the temptations which they have undergone, beatitude succeeds by means of truths from good, this also is therefore signified; for all the beatitude which the angels enjoy is through truth from good, or through the spiritual affection of truth. The spiritual affection of truth is derived from good, for good causes it. That all the beatitude of the angels comes from this is because Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what constitutes heaven in general and in particular, and therefore those who are in Divine truths are in the life of heaven, and of course in eternal beatitude. The reason why tears from the eyes signify grief of mind on account of falsities and arising from falsities, is that by the eye the understanding of truth is signified; and therefore tears from the eyes signify grief on account of the non understanding of truth, that is on account of falsities. The same is also signified by tears in the following passage in Isaiah: "He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces" (xxv. 8). This signifies that the Lord by His coming shall remove evils and falsities from those who live from Him, so that there shall be no grief of mind on account of them or from them. Death signifies evil, because evil is the cause of spiritual death; and tears are predicated of what is false. It is to be observed that shedding tears and weeping signify grief on account of falsities and from falsities; but shedding tears signifies grief of mind, and weeping grief of heart