1154. Beasts of burden and sheep.- That these signify worship from truths and goods that are from a spiritual-natural origin, profaned, is evident from the signification of beasts of burden, which denote the truths that have reference to charity, of which we shall speak presently ; and from the signification of sheep, which denote the goods of charity, as is evident from all the passages in the Word where they are mentioned; as in the following: Matt. vii. 15; ix. 36; x. 5, 6, 16; xii. 10, 11, 12; xv. 21-29; xviii. 12, 13; xxv. 31-41; xxvi. 31; Mark vi. 34; xiv. 27; John x. 1-18, 26-31; xxi. 15, 16, 17; and many passages in the prophets. In these passages sheep signify those who are in the good of charity, and therefore, in the abstract sense, the goods of charity. But by beasts of burden are signified the truths that have reference to the goods of charity; and asses especially are meant - which are used for riding upon and carrying burdens-and they signify such things as are of use and pertain to instruction; as in Isaiah:
"They carry their wealth upon the shoulder of beasts of burden" (xxx. 6).
Here by wealth knowledges are signified.
And in Luke,
"the Samaritan set the man wounded by the robbers on his own beast of burden" (x. 34);
where, by setting the man on his own beast of burden is signified to instruct him according to his capability, as may be seen above, n. 375:42, 376:30, 444:14, where that parable is explained.
The signification of beasts of burden when asses are meant, may be seen above, n. 31:8, 140. It is said that beasts of burden and sheep signify truths and goods from a spiritual-natural origin, because here those goods and truths are meant that pertain to those who are in the external church of the Lord, and thence in the first or ultimate heaven; these are natural, but still receptive of the Spiritual, and therefore they are called spiritual-natural. Here, however, as elsewhere, it is meant that worship from such truths and goods is profaned.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- The operation of the Divine Providence, notwithstanding that man is ignorant of it, shall be illustrated by two comparisons. It is like a gardener who collects the seeds of shrubs, fruit-trees, and flowers of every kind, and provides himself with spades, rakes, and various other implements for preparing the ground. He afterwards brings his garden into a state of cultivation, digging it, cutting it in to beds, putting in the seeds, and smoothing the ground. This is as it were the gardener's own work; but it is the Lord who causes the seeds to take root, to spring out of the earth, to put forth leaves and then flowers, and lastly to yield new seeds, which are for the gardener's benefit. It is also hike a man who is about to build a house. He provides himself with the requisite materials, such as timber, rafters, stone, mortar, and various other things. But the Lord while man is ignorant of it afterwards builds the house from the foundation to the roof entirely suited to the man. From these comparisons it follows that unless a man provides himself with the requisites for his garden or his house, he will have neither the former with the advantage of its fruits, nor the latter to afford him a dwelling. So is it in the case of reformation.
[3] Those things with which a man must provide himself are the knowledges of truth and good obtained from the Word, from the doctrine of the church, from the world, and from his own study; the Lord does the rest without man's knowledge. It must, however, be borne in mind that all the requisites for sowing a garden or building a house, which, as was said, are the knowledges of truth and good, are merely the necessary materials, which have no life until man uses them, or lives according to them as if from himself. When this is the case, then the Lord enters, imparts life, and builds, that is, reforms. The garden, or the house, is man's understanding; for in it dwells his wisdom which derives all that it has from love.
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