1020. And the cities of the nations fell. That this signifies similarly everything of the doctrine of good from the Word, is evident from the signification of a city, as denoting doctrine, as shown just above. Hence cities denote doctrinals, or all things of doctrine; and from the signification of nations, as denoting those who are in the good of love, and, in an abstract sense, goods (see n. 175, 331, 625); and from the signification of falling, as denoting to be dissipated. For when cities fall, they perish; and when doctrine falls, then the truths thereof are dissipated.
Continuation concerning the Eighth Precept:-
[2] When a man abstains from false testimonies - understood in a moral and spiritual sense - shuns them and turns away from them, as sins, then from the Lord, through heaven, the love of truth and the love of justice flow in. And when a man thence loves truth and justice, he loves the Lord; for the Lord is truth itself and justice itself. And when a man loves truth and justice, it may then be said that truth and justice love him, because the Lord [loves him]. Hence his discourses become discourses of truth, and his works become works of justice.
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