1107. Come out of her, my people.- That this signifies to leave them, and have no communication with them, is evident from the signification of coming out of Babylon, as denoting to leave those meant by Babylon, and also to have no communication with them; and from the signification of my people, as denoting those who are in truths, and by truths in the good of life - that "people" signifies those who are in truths from good, may be seen above (n. 175, 331, 625). These are the subjects of the exhortation, that is meant by the voice out of heaven. The exhortation is to leave those [meant by Babylon], and to have no communication with them, because communication with them is dangerous, especially in the spiritual world, where, just as in the natural world, they send out emissaries, who in various ways, and by promises, persuade and induce people to accept their religions belief. For, as the ruling love of every man remains with him, he acts after his departure out of the world just as he acted in the world; and their desire is to convert the world to their religious belief, the end in view being the extension of the bounds of their empire, for the sake of the infernal delight of the love of self and the infernal delight of love of the world. For the sake of those delights, too, the devil, as it is said, goes about to seduce men, as is evident also from what the Evangelists relate concerning the temptation of the Lord by the devil, where the love of self, in which he is, is described by his desiring to be worshipped, and the love of the world by his showing to Him from a mountain all the kingdoms of the world as his own. Since a similar love remains with every one after death, therefore when those of the Roman Catholics who have exercised dominion from the delight of those loves come into the spiritual world, they learn arts unknown in the natural world, and by means of these they fascinate men-spirits, and draw them over to their side; therefore, as the Last Judgment has been accomplished upon them, they are strictly prohibited from sending any one into those societies where the Reformed are, or to the Gentiles; and if any one is sent, they are examined and punished. Since the subject here treated of is the state of these after the Last Judgment, especially their state in the spiritual world, therefore the things that are said here and in the following pages concerning Babylon must be understood as being said chiefly for them. For in regard to Babylon in the natural world, that is, on our earth, those meant by Babylon there are not in a similar state to those who are in the spiritual world, nevertheless, the exhortation is meant for them also, in order that they may take heed to themselves.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- We shall now deal with the question of the agreement of everything in the Athanasian doctrine with the truth that God, in whom is a trine (trinum), is one both in essence and in person; and in order to establish and prove this agreement, I shall proceed in the following order.
The Athanasian doctrine first teaches the following:
"The Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity; neither commingling the persons nor dividing the essence."
When instead of three persons one person in whom is a trine is understood, these words are in themselves true, and are apprehended under a clear idea as follows:-
The Christian faith is this, that we worship one God, in whom is a trine, and a trine in one God, and that the God, in whom is a trine, is one person, and that the trine in God is one essence; thus there is one God in trinity, and trinity in unity, neither are the persons commingled, nor is the essence divided. That the persons are not commingled, nor is the essence divided, will be seen more clearly from what now follows.
The Athanasian doctrine further teaches,
"Since there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit; but the Divinity of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is one and the same, the glory equal."
In this case, also, when instead of three persons, one person in whom is a trine, is understood, the words are in themselves true, and are apprehended under a clear idea as follows:-
The trine in the Lord, as in one person, is the Divine called the Father, the Divine Human called the Son, and the proceeding Divine called the Holy Spirit; but the Divinity or Divine essence of the three is one, the glory equal.
Again:
"Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit."
These words are in this case apprehended thus:- Such as is the Divine called the Father, such is the Divine called the Son, and such is the Divine called the Holy Spirit.
[3] And further:
"The Father is uncreate, the Son is uncreate, and the Holy Spirit is uncreate; the Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, and the Holy Spirit is infinite; the Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal; nevertheless, there are not three eternals, but one eternal; and there are not three infinites, but one infinite; neither are there three uncreates, but one uncreate. As the Father is almighty, so the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty, and yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty."
When, instead of three persons, one person, in whom is a trine, is understood, then also these words are in themselves true, and under a clear idea are seen as follows: As the Divine in the Lord, called the Father, is uncreate, infinite, and omnipotent, so the Divine Human called the Son, is uncreate, infinite, and omnipotent; and so the Divine called the Holy Spirit, is uncreate, infinite, and omnipotent; but these three are one, because the Lord, in whom is a trine, is one God both in essence and in person.
In the Athanasian doctrine are also the following words:-
"As the Father is God, so the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; nevertheless there are not three Gods, but one God. Although the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord, yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord."
In this case also, when, instead of three persons, one person in whom is a trine is understood, the words are seen under a clear idea as follows:-
That the Lord, from His Divine called the Father, from His Divine Human called the Son, and from His proceeding Divine called the Holy Spirit, is one God and one Lord, since the three Divines called by the names of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are in the Lord one in essence and in person.
[4] Further:
"Forasmuch as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord, yet we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there are three Gods or three Lords."
In other copies this reads:
"As we are bound by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person to be God or Lord, so we cannot in the Christian faith make mention of three Gods or three Lords."
These words cannot be understood in any other way, than that according to Christian verity we must acknowledge and think that there are three Gods and three Lords, but that still we may not, according to the Christian faith and religion, speak of and name three Gods or three Lords. This is done however; for most men think of three Gods who are co-ordinate, and hence they call them a co-ordinate trine (trinum), but still they are bound to speak of one God. But as there are not three persons, but one person, then, instead of the above words, which ought to be removed from the Athanasian doctrine, the following would be used:- When we acknowledge a trine (trinum) in the Lord, then it is from the truth, and thus from the Christian faith and religion, that we acknowledge one God and one Lord both with the lips and with the heart. For if it were allowable to acknowledge amid think of three, it would be allowable also to believe in three, for belief or faith belongs to thought and acknowledgment, and consequently to speech, and not to speech apart from thought and acknowledgment.
[5] Afterwards these words follow:-
"The Father was made of none, neither created nor born; the Son is of the Father alone, neither made, nor created, but born; the Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made, created, nor born, but proceeding. Thus there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits."
These words are in complete agreement with the truth, provided that instead of the Father we understand the Divine of the Lord which is called the Father, instead of the Son, His Divine Human, and instead of the Holy Spirit, His proceeding Divine. For from the Divine called the Father the Divine Human called the Son was born, and from both of these the Divine called the Holy Spirit proceeds. But we shall speak more specifically of the Divine Human born from the Father in what follows.
It is now evident from these considerations, that the Athanasian doctrine agrees with the above truth, that God is one both in essence and in person, provided that instead of three persons one person is understood, in whom is the trine (trinum), called Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the following article, a similar agreement concerning the unity of person in the Lord will be proved.
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