Page:A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/488

392 the good of love, from the Lord; thus in man it is according to reception. It is said in man, but it is not meant that it is of the man, as his own, but of the Lord in him. From these considerations then, it is plain that by the city being pure gold like unto pure glass, it is signified that therefore the all of that church is the good of love, flowing in with light from heaven, from the Lord. (A. R. n. 912.)

"The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus, the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst" (ver. 19, 20). This signifies all things of that doctrine in their order from the literal sense of the Word, with those who immediately approach the Lord, and live according to the commandments of the decalogue by shunning evils as sins; for these and no others are in the doctrine of love to God, and of love towards the neighbour, which two are the fundamentals of religion. The twelve foundations of the wall signify all [truths] of doctrine of the New Jerusalem, from the literal sense of the Word. Precious stones in general signify all truths of doctrine from the Word translucent by the spiritual sense; here by each stone some truth in particular is signified thus translucent. There are in general two colours which prevail in the precious stones, red and white; the other colours, as green, yellow, blue, and many others, are composed of these by the mediation of black. By the colour red the good of love is signified and by the colour white the truth of wisdom. Red signifies the good of love because it derives its origin from the fire of the sun, and the lire of the sun of the spiritual world in its essence is the Lord's Divine love, thus the good of love; and white signifies the truth of wisdom because it derives its origin from the light which proceeds from the fire of that sun, and that proceeding light in its essence is Divine wisdom, thus the truth of wisdom; and black derives its origin from their shade or shadow, which is ignorance. But to explain separately what good and what truth is signified by each stone, would be too prolix. But yet that it may be known what good and what truth each stone in this order signifies, see the explanation given at chap. vii. ver. 5-8, where the twelve tribes of Israel are treated of; for the same is here signified by each stone as there by each tribe mentioned, since by the twelve tribes there described all the goods and truths of the church and its doctrine in their order are likewise signified. It is therefore said also in this chapter (ver. 14) that