578. 'And the whole land went in admiration after the beast' signifies that that faith was received with joy, and became the doctrine of the whole Church, because they would not be slaves under the law but freemen under faith. 'And it went in admiration' signifies admiration that the stroke of deaths was healed', and the consequent reception with joy. By 'the whole land' is signified the whole Church of the Reformed, for 'the land' is the Church (n. 285). And therefore by 'the whole land went in admiration after the beast' is signified that that faith was received with joy and became the doctrine of the whole Church. The joy in which it is received is because thus they would not be slaves under the law but freemen under faith, they being unaware that [the truth] is quite the opposite, namely that they who believe themselves to be freemen under faith, or as a result of that faith or by means of that faith, are slaves under sin, that is, under the devil, for sin and the devil are one and the same. For they thus believe that the law does not impose damnation, thus they believe that to sin without the law's damnation is freedom, if only they have faith: when yet this is slavery itself. But while a man is fleeing from sin, that is, the devil, from being a slave he becomes free.
[2] To these things I will add this MEMORABLE OCCURRENCE. I spoke with some doctors of the Church in the world of spirits about what they understand by 'the works of the law', and by 'the law', under the yoke, servitude and damnation of which they say they are not. They were saying that they were the works of the law of the Decalogue. And I then said, 'What does the Decalogue decree? Are they not these things, Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit whoredom, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness? Are these the works of the law that are separated from faith by saying that faith alone without the works of the law justifies and saves, and are these what Christ made satisfaction for?' And they replied that they are. Whereupon a voice out of heaven was heard saying, 'Who can be so insane?' And instantly their faces were turned towards some diabolical spirits, among whom was Machiavelli and many of the Jesuitical order, who permitted all these things provided they were careful about the laws of the world, and they would have been conjoined with one another, had not a society been interposed which was separating them.
It is said that 'the whole land went in admiration after the beast': that 'after' it means to follow it and obey it is plains from these [words]:-
David has kept My commandments and walked after Me with all his heart 1 Kings xiv 8.
The suns of Jesse* were going after Saul to the war 1 Sam. xvii 13.
Thou shalt not go after many to evils; thou shalt not answer in a dispute after many to pervert Exod. xxiii 2.
Thou shalt not go after other gods, whom thou hast not known Jer. vii 9.
They went after other gods to serve them Jer. xi 10; Deut. viii 19.
The men who went after Baalpeor, Jehovah will destroy Deut. iv 3. * The Original Edition has Israelis (Israel).
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