1215. And as the voice of many waters.- That this signifies glorification of Him from truths, is evident from the signification of a voice as denoting the glorification of the Lord, as above; and from the signification of waters which denote truths (concerning which see n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538, 854, 971, 1033; many waters therefore denote all truths, which pertain to the angels in the heavens. In the heavens there are angels who are in truths and those who are in goods. The angels who are in truths are called spiritual angels, and those who are in goods are called celestial angels. Heaven is consequently distinguished into two kingdoms, the spiritual and the celestial. In the spiritual kingdom are all those who are in truths, and in the celestial kingdom are all those who are in goods. All indeed are in truths derived from good, but good is two-fold-spiritual good and celestial good.
[2] Spiritual good is the good of love towards the neighbour, and celestial good is the good of love to the Lord. These goods are distinct from each other; spiritual good is good in a lower degree, and celestial good is good in a higher degree. The angels of the higher heavens, have therefore celestial good. The angels of the lower heavens have spiritual good. From these things it is evident that the many waters, whose voice was heard, signify all the spiritual angels in the heavens, but the voice of mighty thunders, which follows, signifies all the celestial angels in the heavens.
[3] Continuation [concerning the Vegetable Kingdom]. - From the observations that have been made thus far respecting the life which proceeds from the Lord, also respecting the existence of all things in the universe derived from it, every man who is wise in heart may see that nature does not produce anything from itself, but that, for the purpose of production, it merely serves the Spiritual which proceeds from the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord; as the instrumental cause ministers to the cause, or a dead force to its living force. It is evident from this how much men are in error, who ascribe to nature the generation of animals and the production of plants; for they are like those who ascribe magnificent and splendid works to the tool rather than to the artist, or who worship a sculptured image and not God.
[4] The innumerable fallacies in all reasoning on spiritual, moral, and civil subjects, originate in this source; for a fallacy is the inversion of order; it is the judgment of the eye rather than of the mind, the conclusion drawn from the appearance of a thing, and not from its essence. To reason from fallacies therefore about the world and the existence of the things contained in it is to maintain as it were by argument that darkness is light, that what is dead is alive, and that the body enters by influx into the soul, rather than the contrary. It is, however, an eternal truth that influx is spiritual, and not physical; that is, it is from the soul, which is spiritual, into the body which is natural, and from the spiritual world into the natural; and further that it is the Divine from Himself; and that as He created all things by means of that which proceeds from Himself, He sustains all things; and lastly, that sustentation is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual existence.
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