[2] Without the spiritual sense that sacrament is like a house shut up, but full of valuable objects and treasure-chests, which looks to the passerby like any other in the street. But because the clergy have built its walls of marble and overlaid the roof with gold, it catches the eye of the passer-by who stops to look, admire and set a value on it. The case is quite different when the house is open so that anyone may go inside; and there the guardian gives some people a loan, and some a gift from its wealth, each according to his rank. We can speak of a gift from its wealth, because it has an inexhaustible supply of valuables, and they are continually replaced. This is how it is with the spiritual things in the Word, and with the celestial things contained in the sacraments.

[3] The sacrament under discussion here, if the holiness which lurks within is not revealed, looks like river sand, which contains a great quantity of grains of gold too small to see. But when its holiness is revealed, it is like gold collected and melted down to make an ingot, and then worked into beautiful shapes. If the holiness of this sacrament is not disclosed and seen, it is like a chest or case of beech or poplar wood, in which lie diamonds, rubies and many other precious stones carefully arranged in trays. Anyone would put a high price on that chest or case, if he knew that such things were hidden in it; and even higher when he sees them, and sees them being given away for nothing. Without the revelation of its correspondences with heaven, if, that is, the heavenly things to which it corresponds are not seen that sacrament is like an angel seen in the world in ordinary dress, and treated with only so much respect as his dress warrants. The case is quite different when it is known that he is an angel, and the utterances heard from his mouth are angelic and his deeds are seen to have wonderful results.

[4] The difference between holiness that is only proclaimed and holiness that is seen to be such may be illustrated by this example, which I saw and heard in the spiritual world. A letter was read out which was written by Paul at the time of his travels in the world, but not published so that any knew that it was Paul's. To begin with the audience thought poorly of it. But when it was disclosed that it was one of the Pauline Epistles, it was received with joy, and every detail in it was revered. This made it plain that merely proclaiming the holiness of the Word and the sacraments, so long as performed by leading churchmen, imprints the mark of holiness. But it is quite different when its holiness is disclosed and displayed to view before one's eyes; and this is what the revelation of the spiritual sense does. This turns its outward holiness into inward holiness, and when it is proclaimed it is acknowledged. It is much the same with the holiness of the sacrament of the Lord's supper.