Jesus said to the disciples, Whom do you declare Me to be? Simon Peter answering said, THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD Matt. xvi 15. 16.

This is the truth upon which the Lord builds His Church, and Peter then was representing that truth. It is plain from this that it is the confession of the Lord, THAT HE IS THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD, Who has authority over heaven and earth (Matt. xxviii 18), upon which the Lord builds His Church, thus upon Himself and not upon Peter. That the Lord is understood by 'the Rock' is known in the Church.

[2] *On one occasion I spoke with the Babylonish clan in the spiritual world about the keys given to Peter, [asking] whether they believe in the transfer to him of that authority from the Lord over heaven and earth. Because this was the fountainhead (caput) of their religion they were vehemently insisting on it, saying that there is no doubt about it because it is manifestly said. But to the question whether they know that within the details of the Word there is a spiritual sense, which is the sense of the Word in heaven, they were saying first that they did not know, but afterwards they were saying that they were going to inquire. And when they were inquiring they were instructed that there is a spiritual sense in the details of the Word, which differs from the sense of the letter as what is spiritual from what is natural. Moreover they were instructed that no person named in the Word is named its heaven, but that in place of him something spiritual is there understood. Finally they were informed that instead of 'Peter' in the Word is understood the Church's truth derived from good, and in like manner [this is understood] by 'the Rock' which is then named together with 'Peter'. Also that thereby it can be known that it was not to Peter that any authority was given, but to truth derived from good, for all the authority in the heavens belongs to truth derived from good, or to good by means of truth. And because all good and truth are derived from the Lord and nothing from man, that the Lord has all the authority. Indignant at having heard these things they said that they wished to know whether that spiritual sense is in those words. The Word that is in heaven was therefore given to them, in which Word there is not the natural but the spiritual sense because it is for angels who are spiritual. And when they were reading it they saw clearly that Peter is not there named, but in place of him TRUTH DERIVED FROM THE GOOD THAT IS FROM THE LORD. Having seen this they wrathfully rejected that [Word]. They would almost have torn it in pieces with their teeth if it had not at that moment been taken away. As a result they were convinced, although they did not wish to be convinced, that the Only Lord has that authority and not in the least any man, because it is a Divine authority. * In the Original Edition this section appears with quotation marks. It is quoted from LJ 57 with a few variations and omissions.