1106. Verse 4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, signifies exhortation to those who are in truths and in the good of life to beware of such. This is evident from the signification of "a voice from heaven," as being exhortation to those who are in the truths of faith and in the goods of life to beware of such. That this is what is meant by "a voice from heaven" is evident from what follows, for it is said, "Come forth out of her, my people, that ye become not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues," with other things besides; and after this is described what the wares of Babylon are, and what their state is; which makes clear that "a voice from heaven" means exhortation. There was heard "a voice from heaven," because it means from the Lord through the Word; for everything that a man imbibes from the Word is a voice from heaven, and the Word teaches everyone what Babylon is, as is evident from the passages quoted from the Word respecting Babylon (n. 1029). [2] It is said "another voice," because the former voice was that of the angel crying out that "Babylon had fallen, and was become the habitation of demons;" so this is an exhortation to all, both to those within Babylon who are in some affection of truth and in some life of good, that they should come forth out of her and have no faith in her witchcrafts and enchantments; and also to those who are out of Babylon, that they do not permit themselves to be led away by such. For it is the character of that nation to persuade by the delights of each one's love, and thus close up the understanding, and thereby lead man into a belief in every thing they say. That the Babylonish nation is such has been made known to me by much experience; for they enter into the delights of each one's life, and thereby captivate minds; and thus they as it were spread the bait, and ensnare, until they get into one's life; and thus they lead him like one blind and powerless wherever they wish, leading him first to accept a blind faith by removing all light from the understanding in theological matters, in order that their ends may not become evident, which are that they may be lords not only over man's interiors that pertain to his mind but also over the exteriors that pertain to the body; over the interiors pertaining to the mind by dominion over all things of the church and of heaven, thus over souls, and over the exteriors pertaining to the body by dominion over their wealth. In a word, their ends are that they may themselves alone be lords and all others servants, for thus are they worshipped as gods, if not by open words, yet in silent acknowledgment; and this is their final end, which is concealed from men but is manifest to the angels in heaven. That this is their final end is clearly evident from this, that they have taken away from the Lord Himself all power to save, by transferring it to the Pope and from him to his ministers; and yet the saving of man is the Lord's Divine itself; and he who is able to do this is not a man but God. But more will be said upon this subject in what follows.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[3] It has been shown that the doctrine of faith that has its name from Athanasius, leaves a clear idea, when it is read, that there are three Persons, and thus that there are three unanimous Gods, and an obscure idea that God is one, so obscure that the idea of three Gods is not removed. And again, this doctrine leaves a clear idea that the Lord has the Divine and the Human, that is, that the Lord is God and Man, but an obscure idea that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are one Person, and that His Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body. It has been also said that all things in that doctrine from beginning to end, both such as are clear and such as are obscure, nevertheless agree and coincide with the truth, if only instead of saying that God is one in essence and three in Person, it is believed, as the truth really is, that God is one both in essence and in Person. [4] There is a Trinity in God and there is also a unity. That there is a Trinity is evident from the passages in the Word where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned; and that there is a unity, from the passages in the Word where it is said that God is one. The unity in which there is the Trinity, or the one God in whom there is a trine, does not exist in the Divine that is called the Father, nor in the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit, but in the Lord alone. In the Lord alone there is a trine, namely, the Divine which is called Father, the Divine Human which is called the Son, and the Divine proceeding which is the Holy Spirit; and this trine is one because it is of one Person, and may be called triune. In what follows the agreement with this of all things of the Athanasian doctrine will be seen, First, respecting the Trinity; Secondly, respecting the unity of Person in the Lord; Thirdly, that from the Divine providence it has come to pass that the doctrine was so written that while it disagrees with the truth it nevertheless agrees with it. Afterwards it will be established in general, that the trine is in the Lord; and next in particular, that the Divine that is called the Father is the Lord, that the Divine that is called the Son is the Lord, and that the Divine that is called the Holy Spirit is the Lord.
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