189. 'That no one may get thy crown' signifies lest the wisdom, out of which eternal happiness [comes], should perish. A man s wisdom is from no other source than out of good by means of truths from the Lord. It is because the Lord conjoins Himself with the man and the man with Himself by means of these, that through them the man has wisdom, and the Lord is Wisdom Itself. On account of this, wisdom perishes with a man when he ceases to do truths, that is, to live in accordance with them. In that event he also ceases to love wisdom, and hence the Lord. By 'wisdom' is understood wisdom in things spiritual. Out of this as a fountain is derived wisdom in the other things, which is called intelligence, and through intelligence knowledge, which exists out of the affection of knowing truths. It is because wisdom holds the supreme place with a man, and so crowns him, that a 'crown' signifies wisdom. Nothing else is signified by a king's crown, for a 'king' in the spiritual sense is Divine Truth (n. 20), and all wisdom exists out of Divine Truth. [2] Wisdom is signified by 'crown' in the following places also:-
I will make the horn of David to bud, and upon it shall his crown flourish Ps. cxxxii 17, 18.
Jehovah has put earrings upon thine ears, and a crown of decoration upon thine head Ezek. xvi 12.
This [is said] of Jerusalem, by which the Church as to doctrine is signified, and therefore a 'crown of decoration' is wisdom out of Divine Truth or the Word.
In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for a croon of decoration, and for a mitre of beauty unto the residue of His people Isa. xxviii 5.
This [is said] of the Lord, because 'in that day' is said. The crown of decoration 'for which He will be' is wisdom, and the 'mitre of beauty' is intelligence. The 'residue of the people' are they with whom His Church will be. [3] The like is signified by 'crown' and 'mitre' (Isa. lxii 1, 3); also by the 'plate of gold' upon Aaron's mitre (Exod. xxviii 36, 37), which was also called a 'coronet'. Again in these:-
Say unto the king and to [his] lady, Lower yourselves, sit down, for the decoration of your head is come down, the crown of your beauty Jer. xiii 18.
The joy of our heart is ceased, the crown is fallen from our head Lam. v 15, 16.
He has stripped me of my glory, and taken away the crown from my head Job xix 9.
Thou hast cast the crown of Thine Anointed to the earth Ps. lxxxix 39 [H.B. 40].
In these places by 'crown' is signified wisdom.
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