1162. Verse 15. The merchants of these things who became rich by her signifies all those who gained from that religious persuasion honor and wealth, and thus the good things of opulence and eminence, which are satisfying and grand. This is evident from the signification of "merchants," as being those who acquire such things as are signified in the Word by "riches," for it is said, "The merchants of these things." (That "merchants" have this signification see above, n. 1138.) Also from the signification of "becoming rich," as being to gain such things and to make gain by them. The good things of eminence and opulence which are signified by "things fat and splendid" are here meant, and these are external things that are satisfying and grand separated from internal things, thus the goods of the world separated from the goods of heaven; for those who are of Babylon do not know what internal satisfactions are, because they do not read the Word and look to the Lord, but they know only what external satisfactions are, and with these only are they delighted. They are not receptive of internal satisfactions. The answers of those who were invited to the great supper have a similar signification:
One of whom said that he had bought a field, to which he must go, another that he had bought oxen which he must prove, and a third that he had married a wife (Luke 14:18-20). All these things mean the goods of the world, or external goods withdrawn from internal goods. There is a like signification in the Lord's words in Matthew:
That they were eating and drinking, contracting matrimony and giving in nuptials, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away (Matt. 24:38-39). This was said by the Lord of the Last Judgment; and "to eat and drink, to contract matrimony and give in nuptials," has the same signification as "things fat and splendid" in this verse, namely, external satisfactions and pleasantnesses, which are called pleasures of the body and of the world, and not also of the soul and of heaven. All this makes clear that all the kinds of merchandise enumerated in this chapter mean external goods and satisfactions that are not at the same time internal, and thus that those who are in these are meant by "the merchants who became rich" by these means.
(Continuation)
[2] (8) The eighth law of the Divine providence is that the Lord is continually withdrawing man from evils so far as man is willing from freedom to be withdrawn; that so far as man can be withdrawn from evils the Lord leads him to good and thus to heaven; but so far as man cannot be withdrawn from evils the Lord cannot lead him to good and thus to heaven; for so far as man has been withdrawn from evils so far he does good from the Lord, and that good is good in itself; but so far as he has not been withdrawn from evils, so far he does good from himself, and that good has evil within it. By the speech of his lips and the actions of his body man is in the natural world; but by the thoughts of his understanding and the affections of his will he is in the spiritual world. By the spiritual world heaven and hell are meant, both divided into innumerable societies, according to all the varieties of affections and consequent thoughts arranged in a most complete order. In the midst of these societies is man, so bound to them as not to have the least ability to think or will except in connection with them, and so connected that if he were to be torn away from them or they from him he would fall down dead, life remaining only in his inmost, whereby he is a man and not a beast, and whereby he lives to eternity. Man does not know that in regard to his life he is in such inseparable fellowship. This he does not know, because he has no discourse with spirits. For so long a time has man known nothing about that state; but lest this should remain hidden to eternity, it has been revealed. This much must be said before this law of the Divine providence can be understood.
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