Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 6351

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6351. Verses 5-7. Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of violence are their swords. Into their secret let not my soul come; in their assembly let not my glory be united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger for it was vehement, and their wrath for it was hard. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. "Simeon and Levi are brethren," signifies faith in the will, and charity, here the reverse, because they signify faith separate from charity; "instruments of violence are their swords," signifies that doctrinal things serve to destroy the works of charity, thus charity itself; "into their secret let not my soul come," signifies that spiritual good does not desire to know the evils which are of their will; "in their assembly let not my glory be united," signifies that neither does the truth of spiritual good desire to know the falsities of their thought thence derived; "for in their anger they slew a man," signifies that they utterly averted themselves, and in their turning away extinguished faith; "and in their good pleasure they unstrung an ox," signifies that from a depraved will they utterly weakened the external good of charity; "cursed be their anger for it was vehement," signifies a grievous turning away from good, and the consequent condemnation; "and their wrath, for it was hard," signifies a turning away from the derivative truth, that it was confirmed; "I will divide them in Jacob," signifies that they must be banished from the natural man; "and scatter them in Israel," signifies from the spiritual man also.


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