1142. Precious stone and pearl-That these signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, profaned, is evident from the signification of precious stone, which denotes the knowledges of truths from the Word (concerning which see above, n. 717); and from the signification of pearl, as denoting the knowledges of good (concerning which see above, n. 1044). And because those knowledges are (vera scientifica) truths scientific, or truths of the natural man, therefore precious stones signify truths, by means of which goods are procured, and pearls goods, by means of which truths are procured; for in every part of the Word there is a marriage of truth and good. The reason is, that truth is not truth unless it has regard to good, or proceeds from good, and good is not good unless it is regarded from truths or exists by means of truths, for thus truths and goods are conjoined as it were in a marriage, and goods and truths exist as if from marriage. This is why here, as well as in other parts of the Word, things are mentioned in pairs, one of which signifies good, and the other truth, as gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and crimson, silk and scarlet, vessels of ivory and vessels of precious wood, brass, iron, and marble, where gold, pearls, crimson, scarlet, precious wood and brass, signify goods of various kinds, and silver, precious stones, fine linen, silk, ivory, iron, and marble, signify truths, also of different kinds; and so in other places. But all these things here signify goods and truths profaned, thus evils and falsities, as stated just above in treating of the signification of gold and silver.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- First, then, it shall be shown of whom hell consists. Hell consists of spirits, who, while they were men in the world, denied God, acknowledged nature, lived contrary to Divine Order, loved evils and falsities, although, for the sake of appearance, such was not their conduct before the world. These were, consequently, either insane in regard to truths, or they despised and denied them, if not with the mouth, still at heart - of those who have been of this description since the creation of the world, hell consists. All such are there called either devils or satans; devils, if the love of self predominated in them, satans, if the love of the world predominated in them. The hell where devils are is meant in the Word by the Devil, and the hell where satans are is meant by Satan. The Lord also so conjoins the devils, that they are as it were one, in like manner the satans; for this reason the hells are called, in the singular, the Devil and Satan.
[3] Hell does not consist of spirits created such at once, neither does heaven consist of angels so created; but hell consists of men born in the world, who of themselves became devils or satans, and, similarly, heaven consists of men born in the world, who were there made angels by the Lord. All men, as to the interiors which belong to their minds, are spirits, clothed in the world with a material body, which is subject to the control of the thought of the spirit and to the decision of their affection; for the mind, which is spirit, acts, and the body, which is matter, is acted upon. Every spirit, after the rejection of the material body, is a man, in a form similar to that which he had when he was a man in the world. From these things it is evident of whom hell consists.
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