1021. And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, signifies that thus far the church with the Reformed and its devastation has been treated of, and that what follows treats of the church with the Papists and its devastation. This is evident from the signification of "Babylon" as being the church with the Papists, since "Babylon" signifies the love of ruling over heaven and over the earth through the holy things of the church; and this love is dominant chiefly with the Papists. These words mean also that thus far the church with the Reformed and its devastation has been treated of, as is evident from what precedes and from what follows. In what precedes it has treated of the dragon and the two beasts, which describes the church with the Reformed, its devastation by "the seven angels pouring out the seven vials" (as can be seen from the thirteenth verse of this chapter). In what follows the church with the Papists is described in chapter 17 by "the harlot sitting upon the scarlet beast," and its devastation in chapter 18. From this it is clear that "great Babylon came into remembrance before God" signifies that thus far it has treated of the church with the Reformed and its devastation, and what follows treats of the church with the Papists, and its devastation.
(The Ninth Commandment)
[2] The ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house," is now to be treated of. There are two loves from which all lusts spring and flow forth perpetually like streams from their fountains. These loves are called the love of the world and the love of self. Lust is love continually willing, for what a man loves, that he continually longs for. But lusts belong to the love of evil, while desires and affections belong to the love of good. Now because the love of the world and the love of self are the foundations of all lusts, and all evil lusts are forbidden in these last two commandments, it follows that the ninth commandment forbids the lusts that flow from the love of the world, and the tenth commandment the lusts that flow from the love of self. "Not to covet a neighbor's house" means not to covet his goods, which in general are possessions and wealth, and not to appropriate them to oneself by evil arts. This lust belongs to the love of the world.
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