1002. Doing signs, signifies persuading by fallacies and sophistries. This is evident from the signification of "signs," as being attestations and persuasions, and thus confirmations (see n. 706, 824); here persuasions by fallacies and sophistries because those who establish by reasonings a faith separated from life are here treated of; and as this is done by fallacies and sophistries, by which the simple are persuaded, so "doing signs" here signifies persuasions and confirmations by fallacies and sophistries. That persuasions are effected by fallacies has been shown above where "the beast coming up out of the sea" was treated of (13:1-13), which signified confirmations by reasonings from the natural man. This is the signification of "signs," because it is added that they were "to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to battle," which signifies to excite dissensions and combats against truths in the whole church.
(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)
[2] From what has been thus far presented what the good is that results from chastity in marriage can be inferred, consequently what the good works of chastity are that a man does who shuns adulteries as sins against God. The good works of chastity concern either the married pair themselves, or their offspring and posterity, or the heavenly societies. The good works of chastity that concern the married pair themselves are spiritual and celestial loves, intelligence and wisdom, innocence and peace, power and protection against the hells and against the evils and the falsities therefrom, and manifold joys and felicities to eternity. Those who live in chaste marriages, as before described, have all these. The good works of chastity that concern the offspring and posterity are that so many and so great evils do not become innate in families. For the ruling love of parents is transmitted into the offspring and sometimes to remote posterity, and becomes their hereditary nature. This is broken and softened with parents who shun adulteries as infernal and love marriages as heavenly. [3] The good works of chastity that concern the heavenly societies are that chaste marriages are the delights of heaven, that they are its seminaries, and that they are its supports. They supply delights to heaven by communications; they are seminaries to heaven by producing offspring; and they are supports to heaven by their power against the hells; for at the presence of conjugial love diabolical spirits become furious, insane, and mentally impotent, and cast themselves into the deep.
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