765. * Verse 16. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, signifies that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity. This is evident from the signification of the "earth" that helped the woman, as being the church that is not in truths, for here the "earth" means the earth of the wilderness, into which the woman fled, and where she had a place prepared of God. (That "the earth of the wilderness" signifies the church that is not in truths because it is not in good, is evident from the signification of "earth," as being the church, see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 742, 752; also from the signification of "wilderness" as being where there is no truth, of which also above, n. 730.) The above is evident also from the signification of "helping the woman," as being to afford assistance to the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem; also from the signification of "opening her mouth and swallowing up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth," as being the keen reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity; for "the river of waters" that the dragon cast out of his mouth signifies the keen reasonings from falsities, as is evident from the two preceding articles, and "to open the mouth and swallow," in reference to the church that is signified by the "earth," signifies to take away; and as a thing is taken away when it is not received, it signifies not to receive. [2] These things must be understood as follows: It is said above that "the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God," and afterwards that she received "the wings of an eagle and flew to her place," which signifies that the church that is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separate while it grows to fullness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works not only in doctrine but also in life; but the others in the same church who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although they are among them, for they do not know otherwise than that it is according to doctrine that faith produces fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is believing what is in the Word, and doing it. But the dragons have wholly different sentiments; but what these are the others do not comprehend, and because they do not comprehend them they do not receive them. From this it is clear that the church consisting of those who are not dragons is meant by the "earth" that "helped the woman and swallowed up the river that the dragon cast out of his mouth." But what and how crafty and even pernicious are the reasonings of those who are meant by "the dragon" about the separation of faith from good works, and about their conjunction, will, the Lord willing, be revealed elsewhere; likewise that these reasonings are only with the learned leaders of the church, and are not known to the people of the church because they are not understood by them, therefore it is by the latter that the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem, is helped and also grows. * Printed versions of AE have numbered this passage 764 and noted that there is no passage numbered 765 in the text. However, both Latin and English versions did not examine the first Latin draft which contains both 764 and 765. See the previous number for a more complete explanation.