above, n. 657, 673, 676; and in other places. The like is said of Babylon in the Word in the following passages: "My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul, from the fierce anger of Jehovah, and lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumor,' Jerem. li. 45, 46. "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver ye every man his soul, be not cut off in her iniquity," Jerem. li. 6. "Forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country, for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies," Jerem. li. 9. "Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing; declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed," Isaiah xlviii. 20, 21, Jerem. 1. 8.

761. "For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities," signifies, that their evils and falses infest the heavens, which the Lord will protect from their violence. By her sins have reached. unto heaven, is signified that their evils and falses infest the angels of heaven; by God hath remembered her iniquities, is signified, that the Lord will protect the heavens from their violence. The reason why this is signified, is, because all things in heaven are goods and truths, and all things in hell are evils and falses, and therefore the heavens and hells are altogether separated, and as inversely situated relatively to each other as antipodes; therefore evils and falses cannot reach to the heavens; but yet when evils and falses are multiplied beyond the degrees of opposition, and thence beyond due measure, the heavens are infested, and unless the Lord then defends the heavens, which is effected by a stronger influx from himself, the heavens suffer violence, and when this arrives at its height, he then executes the last judgment, and they thus are delivered. On this account it is said further on in this chapter, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, for God hath avenged you on her," verse 20, and in the xixth chap. which comes next, verse 1-9, and in Jeremiah, "Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing over Babylon, for the spoilers shall come unto her," li. 48.

762. "Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath mixed, mix unto her double,” signifies, just retribution and punishment after death, when the evils and falses, by which they have seduced and destroyed others, will return upon themselves, according to their quantity and quality, which is called the law of retaliation. Reward her as she rewarded you, signifies, just retribution and thus punishment after death; double unto her double according to her works, signifies that the evils, by which they seduced and destroyed others, will return upon them according to their quantity and quality; in the cup which she had filled fill to her double, signifies that it will be the same in regard to falses; for by cup or wine are signified falses, n. 316, 635, 642, 672. Nearly the same things are said of Babel in the prophets: "Recompense Babylon according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath been proud against Jehovah, against the Holy One of Israel," Jerem. 1. 29. "For it is the vengeance of Jehovah; take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her,' Jerem. 1. 15. "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed, happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us," Psalm cxxxvii. 8. It is according to the literal sense that they, whom they had seduced and destroyed, were to reward them, but, according to the spiritual sense, they were to reward themselves, because every evil carries its own punishment along with it; this is similar to what is said in many parts of the Word, that God will recompense and take vengeance upon the injustice and injuries done to him, and from anger and wrath will destroy them, when, nevertheless, the evils themselves, which they have committed against God, do this, consequently they do it to themselves; for this is the law of retaliation, which derives its origin from the following divine law, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets," Matt. vii. 12; Luke vi. 31. This law in heaven is the law of mutual love or charity, whence there exists what is opposite in hell, in

that there happens to every one that which he would do to another, not that they who are in heaven do it, but they who are in hell do it to themselves, for the retribution of retaliation exists from the opposition to that law of life in heaven, as an inherent thing in their evils. By double is signified much according to quantity and quality, in the following places also: "Let them be confounded that persecute me,-bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction," Jerein. xvii. 18, also much according to the quantity and quality of their conversion from evils, in these passages: "Comfort ye my people, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins," Isaiah xl. 1, 2. "Return you to the strong-hold, ye prisoners of hope, even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee," Zech. ix. 12. "For your shame ye shall have double; therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them," Isaiah lxi. 7.

763. "How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her," signifies, that in proportion to their elatedness of heart resulting from dominion, and according to their exultation of mind and body resulting from riches, they experience internal grief after death, in consequence of falling from power and becoming contemptible, and being reduced to indigence and misery. By how much she hath glorified herself, is signified in proportion to their elatedness of heart resulting from dominion, since from this they glorify themselves; by how much she hath lived deliciously, is signified in proportion to their exultation of mind and body on account of their riches, and their consequent delights and pleasures, as above, n. 759; by giving her torment, is signified internal grief on account of their fall from power, and consequent degradation; their torment after death proceeds from no other source; and by giving her mourning, is signified internal grief through being reduced to indigence and misery, their mourning after death proceeding from thence. The delight of the love of

ruling grounded in self-love, over all things of the Lord, which are all things of heaven and the church, is turned after death into such torment; and the pleasure of the love of filling the mind and body with delicacies and indulgences procured by wealth, among those who are principled in the above-mentioned love of power, is changed into such mourning; for the delights and satisfactions proceeding from various kinds of love constitute the life of every one, wherefore when those delights and satisfactions are converted into their opposites, the result is torment and mourning, these are the retributions and punishments which are meant in the Word by torments in hell ; and the hatred thence derived against the Lord, and against all things of heaven and the church, is meant by hell fire. The like is said of Babylon in the prophets; as, "I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight," Jerem. li. 24. "Because the spoiler is come upon Babylon, for Jehovah the God of recompenses shall surely requite," Jerem. li. 5, 56. "Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, the worm (the torment which is internal grief) is spread under thee; for thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will be like the Most High yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?" Isaiah xiv. 11, 13—16, speaking of Lucifer, who in this passage is Babylon, as is evident from verses 422 of that chapter.

764. 66 For she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow," signifies, that these things befall them because from elatedness of heart over dominion, and exultation of mind over riches, they are in full trust and confidence, that they shall reign for ever, and be their own protectors, and that they can never be deprived of their power and possessions. To say in her heart, signifies, from elatedness of heart by reason of dominion, to be in full trust, as also from exultation of mind on account of riches, to be in full confi

dence; I sit a queen, signifies, that they shall reign, in the present instance for ever, because it follows, and shall see no sorrow; and am no widow, signifies, that they shall be their own protectors; for by a widow is signified one who is without protection, because without a husband. The words queen and widow are used, and not king and man or husband, because Babylon as a church is understood; and I shall see no sorrow, signifies, that they can never be deprived of those two things viz., of power and riches; that their being deprived of them is the cause of mourning after death, may be seen above, n. 763. The like is said of Babylon in Isaiah: "Thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms. And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever; that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children. But these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. For thou hast trusted in wickedness; thou hast said, none seeth me. Thy wisdom it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee," xlvii. 5, 8 -11. By a widow in the Word is meant one who is without protection, for, in a spiritual sense, by a widow is signified one who is in good and not in truth, for by a man is signified truth, and by his wife, good; consequently, by a widow is signified good without truth, and good without truth is without protection, since truth protects good; this is the signification of a widow when mentioned in the Word, as in Isaiah ix. 13, 14, 16, x. 1, 2, Jerem. xxii. 3, xlix. 10, 11, Lament. v. 2, 3, Ezek. xxii. 6, 7, Malachi iii. 5, Psalm lxviii. 5, cxlvi. 7, 8, 9, Exod. xxii. 20-23, Deut. x. 18, xxvii. 19, Matt. xxiii. 14, Luke iv. 26, xx. 47.

765. Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and sorrow, and famine," signifies, that therefore at the time of the last judgment, the punishment of the evils they have committed shall return upon them, namely,