836. Verse 16. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, signifies the lower and the higher, the wise and the simple, both those who think from themselves and those who think from others. This is evident from the signification of "all, the small and the great," as being the lower and the higher, or the more common and the more eminent; also from the signification of "the rich and the poor," as being the wise and the simple. (That those are called "rich" who possess many knowledges of good and truth, thus who are wise, may be seen above, n. 118, 236; and that those are called "poor" who have no knowledges of good and truth because they do not have the Word, and yet they desire them, may also be seen above, n. 118, 238.) So also from the signification of "the free and the bond," as being those who think from themselves and those who think from others. To think from oneself is to see from oneself whether a thing be true or false, and thus to choose the one and reject the other. These are they who are made spiritual by the Lord, and are thence in the light of heaven, and from the Lord they see and are led; for to think and live from the Lord is freedom; and to think and live from hell is bondage; that such are "the free" may be seen above (n. 248, 490, 701, 774); that the Lord makes them to be free by means of His Divine truth is declared in John (8:32-36). It may also be seen above (n. 820) that the church when it is in faith from love is in a free state, but when it is in faith without love is in a servile state, and that this is what is meant by the Lord's words in John (21:18). From this it follows that by "the bond" those are meant who think not from themselves but from others, and who do not see whether a thing is true or false and yet acknowledge it to be true. That such are "the bond," while those who think from themselves are "the free," is evident from the opposition of their relation.