760. [verse 4] 'And I heard another voice out of heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you become partakers of her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues' signifies an exhortation from the Lord to all, both those who are in that form of religion and those who are not, to beware of conjunction therewith through acknowledgment and affection, lest as to their souls they be conjoined with its abominations and perish. By 'another voice out of heaven saying' is signified an exhortation from the Lord to all, both those who are in that form of religion and those who are not, because it follows on, 'Come out of her my people', that is, all who approach the Lord. The exhortation is from the Lord because the voice was 'out of heaven'. By 'lest you become partakers of her sins' is signified to beware lest as to their souls they be conjoined with its abominations and because conjunction is effected through acknowledgment and affection, this also is signified. The reason why their 'sins' are abominations is because they are so called in the preceding chapter (verse 4). By 'lest you receive of her plagues' is signified lest they perish, for by 'plagues' are signified evils and untruths, and at the same time destruction by their means. These were signified by the 'plagues' above (n. 657, 673, 676) and elsewhere. Similar things are said of Babel in the Word in these passages:-