208. And knowest not that thou art wretched, signifies that they do not know that all they know and think concerning the truths and goods of the church, do not at all cohere, and are uncemented walls. By "being wretched" is here signified no coherence, thus by "the wretched," those who think incoherently concerning the things of the church; the reason is, because they of whom this is said, at one time deny God, heaven, eternal life, and the sanctity of the Word, and at another time acknowledge them; therefore what they build with one hand they destroy with the other. Thus they are like those that build a house, and presently pull it down; or that clothe themselves in becoming garments, and presently tear them off. Their houses are therefore rubbish, and their garments rags. Such are all things which they think concerning the church and heaven, but they do not know this. These things are also meant by "wretchedness" in the following passages:
Thy wisdom and thy knowledge hath seduced thee, when thou saidst in thine heart, I am, and none besides; therefore shall wretchedness fall upon thee (Isa. 47:10-11). Wretchedness shall come upon wretchedness, the king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment (Ezek. 7:26-27). "The king who shall mourn," and "the prince who shall be clothed with astonishment," are they who are in the truths of the church. The right is not in their mouth, wretchedness is in the midst of them (Ps. 5:9). Such also is the signification of "uncemented walls" (in Jer. 49:3; Ezek. 13:10, 11; Hos. 2:6).
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