1009. And they see his shame, signifies and thus be in filthy loves. This is evident from the signification of "shame" as being filthy loves. For shame (pudor) means the part of the body covered by the breeches, the region of the genitals, which are called pudenda, from scandals and adulteries. "Walking naked" means the nakedness of these; and as the genitals of both sexes correspond to the loves of heaven in general, and this is their correspondence when they are clothed, so when they are not clothed, that is, when they are naked, they correspond to the loves of hell. For "garments" signify truths clothing, and "the flesh" of that region of the body signifies the good of love, and good without truth is not good, as truth without good is not truth (see just above, n. 1008); and where there is no good of love there is evil, that is, filthy love. As the nakedness of that part of the body signifies filthy love, or the lasciviousness of adultery, therefore Aaron had breeches of linen that were upon his flesh when he ministered (Exod. 28:42, 43; 39:28), "breeches of linen" signifying truths covering.
(Continuation respecting the Sixth Commandment)
[2] He that abstains from adulteries from any other motive than because they are sins and are against God is still an adulterer; as for instance when anyone abstains from them from fear of the civil law and its penalties, from fear of the loss of reputation and thus of honor, from fear of resulting diseases, from fear of upbraidings at home from his wife and consequent intranquility of life, from fear of chastisement by the servants of the injured husband, from poverty, or from avarice; from infirmity arising from abuse or from age or impotence or disease; in fact, when one abstains because of any natural or moral law, and does not at the same time abstain because of the Divine law, he is still interiorly unchaste and an adulterer, since he nonetheless believes that adulteries are not sins, and therefore in his spirit, declares them allowable, and thus he commits them in spirit, although not in the body; consequently after death when he becomes a spirit he speaks openly in favor of them, and commits them without shame. It has been granted me in the spiritual world to see maidens who regarded whoredoms as heinous because they are contrary to the Divine law, and also maidens who did not regard them as heinous and yet abstained from them because the resulting bad name would turn away suitors. These latter I saw encompassed with a dusky cloud in their descent to those below, while the former I saw encompassed with a shining light in their ascent to those above.
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