Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/299

Rh falsify and pervert the truths and goods of faith and charity, consequently also to confirm what is false and evil by perverse applications of the Word, may appear from the several passages in the Word where the commission of adultery, whoredom, and fornication is mentioned. This will be very plain from the following in Ezekiel: ''"Son of man, make Jerusalem to know her abominations. . . . Thou didst play the harlot because of thy renown, and didst pour out thy fornication on every one that passed by. Thou didst take of thy garments and didst make to thyself variegated high places, and didst play the harlot upon them. Thou hast also taken the implements of thine adorning, of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and didst make to thyself images of a male, and didst commit fornication with them. . . . Thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters whom thou hast home unto Me, and hast sacrificed them. Is this, concerning thy fornications, a small thing? . . . Thou hast committed fornication with the sons of Egypt thy neighbours, great of flesh and hast multiplied thy fornications, to provoke Me to anger. . . . And thou didst commit whoredom with the sons of Ashur, when thou wast not satiated with whom thou didst also commit whoredom, and yet wast not satisfied. And thou didst multiply thy fornication. . . even to Chaldea, the land of merchandise; and yet in this thou wast not satisfied. . . . An adulterous woman, under her husband, hath received strangers. They give a gift to all whores; but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and dost remunerate them, that they may come to thee from every side to thy fornications. . . . Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of Jehovah,. . . I will judge thee with the judgments of adulterous [women] and of them that shed blood"'' (xvi. 1, 15-17, 20, 26, 28, 29, 32, 33, 35, 38). Who does not see that falsifications of truth and adulterations of good are meant here by fornications? And who can understand a single word here unless he knows that fornication has such a signification, and also knows what is meant by the sons of Egypt, the sons of Ashur, and Chaldea, with whom Jerusalem is said to have committed fornication? That she did not commit fornication with those people themselves is evident. (A. C. n. 8904.)

Because Babylon adulterates and falsifies the Word beyond others she is called, and these words are spoken of her in the Revelation: "Babylon hath made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (xiv. 8). The angel said, "I will show thee the judgment of the great Whore . . . with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication" (xvii. 1, 2). "He hath judged the great Whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication" (xix. 2). Because the Jewish nation had falsified the Word, it was called by the Lord, "an