972. Just art thou, O Lord who art and who wast, signifies the Lord as to the Divine good from eternity. This is evident from the signification of "just," as being in relation to the Lord the Divine good, for "just" is predicated in the Word of good, and "holy" of truth (see above, n. 204); also from the signification of "who art and who wast," as being the infinite and the eternal, for "art and wast" means the same as "Jehovah," and the Lord is called Jehovah in the Word from the Divine good, and God from the Divine truth; moreover, to be [esse] in reference to the Lord means to be from Himself, that is, in Himself, and to exist [existere] means in reference to the Lord to exist from Himself and in Himself. And in a relative sense to exist [existere] is to be [esse] in all things of heaven and the church; and this is effected by the Divine truth. This to be [esse] is what is meant by the eternal; for in heaven (otherwise than in the world) eternal, as applied to the Lord is without any idea of time; for in the angelic idea eternal means a state of the Divine existence, which nevertheless makes one with the Divine essence, which is Jehovah. The infinite in relation to being [esse] is signified by "who art" in Jehovah; and the infinite in relation to existence [existere] is signified by "who was" in Jehovah. The infinite existence [existere], which is also the eternal, is the Divine proceeding, from which is heaven and everything of it. The Divine existence [existere] is also the Divine being [esse] but it is called existence [existere] in relation to heaven, where it is the all in all.
(Continuation respecting the Fifth Commandment)
[2] He who refrains from thefts, understood in a broad sense, and even shuns them from any other cause than religion and for the sake of eternal life, is not cleansed of them; for in no other way can he open heaven. For it is through heaven that the Lord removes evils with man, as through heaven He removes the hells. For example, there are higher and lower managers of property, merchants, judges, officers of every kind, and workmen, who refrain from thefts, that is, from unlawful modes of gain and usury, and who shun these, but only to secure reputation and thus honor or gain, because of civil and moral laws, in a word, from some natural love or natural fear, thus from merely external constraints, and not from religion; but the interiors of such are full of thefts and robberies, and these burst forth when external constraints are removed from them, as takes place with everyone after death. Their sincerity and rectitude is nothing but a mask, a disguise, and a deceit.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church